Amber's Awakening Ch. 01

This story has a long build up. If you want to jump to the hot sexy part, you can skip down to the second ***** The sexy stuff comes pretty quickly after that.

*

This all happened long ago, in 1991, the summer after my senior year in high school. Visual art has always been my passion, so when my parents insisted I do something productive with my time, I enrolled in a summer art school class. Our teacher was Terry, a very handsome man, sophisticated and urbane.

Terry spoke to me as he would to an adult and I felt special. Being only 18 and rather inexperienced, I fell for his ruse to get me into the alley next to the art school by myself. Suddenly I found myself being pushed into a corner formed by the neighboring building and the fence. He set upon me, backing me into this corner, groping me while I fought his onslaught. I barely came up to his chin and the contest was decidedly in Terry's favor.

Then I heard someone rattling down the rear stairs from the balcony above. A guy dressed in black jeans and a black leather vest burst through the wooden gate. He had seen us. He took in everything: Terry's hands on me, my struggle to escape.

"What the fuck are you doing to her?" he demanded of Terry. My preserver looked like he belonged at a Metallica concert.

Terry withdrew quickly. I was now crying.

"Go upstairs," the young man directed to me over his shoulder, still facing Terry.

I obeyed. From the top of the stairs I saw Terry back up, away from my guardian, then hustle back into the art school. He stood there with folded arms for a few moments as if waiting to see if Terry would re-emerge.

That was how I met Cody.

Once we were in Cody's apartment, he asked "Are you OK?"

Cody's face remained glowering from his encounter with Terry. As glad as I was to get away from Terry, my rescuer was a bit alarming. My sheltered existence had never brought me close to anyone like him. I'd barely seen anything outside my private schools and the country club. Cody was dark and raw, undisguised.

"Yes, I think I'm OK," I replied, trying to take inventory. It was hard to focus under Cody's intense gaze. The ordinary bun I put my dark hair up in was a little worse for wear, my clothes were disheveled, and Terry had grabbed my arm pretty hard. It would leave a bruise on my pale skin. That seemed to be it.

Cody relaxed a little and removed his hand from my shoulder. He handed me the water he'd brought. After taking a few sips, I noticed a greasy thumb print and quickly put it down. I needed to go anyway, it was past 4. I thanked my champion and departed.

Once home, I wondered why I had hurried. My mother was out shopping with one of her country club friends. I was alone with my thoughts about my afternoon. My father would go down there and threaten Terry with a lawsuit. He might actually do it, bring a lawsuit, or worse, call the police.

And after assuring herself I was not truly hurt, my mother would probably find some way to blame me. She never liked the idea of me attending art school. She wanted me to practice tennis with the pro at the Club. Anything not directly associated with the Club was distasteful, seedy, dangerous, outre, below our station, something. I had been so happy to get away from the Club, out from under her eagle eye.

I didn't want to go through all the scenes that would be involved if I reported Terry's assault. I had no idea what I'd do with my time, but the idea of being free appealed to me. I chose to keep my Terry experience to myself.

My immediate plans for the very next day were decided for me. I'd left my wallet at Cody's apartment. I had no number to call, so all I could do was appear on his doorstep.

No one answered the door when I knocked. I settled myself on an old wicker chair on the balcony to wait. I got out my sketch pad and doodled until I noticed the Japanese tulip tree in bloom, in the courtyard.

I was absorbed in my rendition of the tree when Cody came home. He invited me in and offered me a Pepsi while he looked for my wallet. He eventually had to move the sofa. How it had gotten so far back there, I couldn't imagine. When he returned it to me, he noticed my sketch.

"What's that?" he asked, standing behind me and looking over my shoulder. I had not gotten farther than the trunk and a few branches.

"The tulip tree outside." A thought crossed my mind... No, that would be too strange. Asking a complete stranger to sit on their balcony to draw a tree? I'd never be able to complete it from memory though. I boldly asked the favor.

"Sure, you can come up here any time." If I had known him better, I would have been able to tell how pleased he was. "Doesn't matter if we're away, you're welcome to hang out."

When I came the next day, at the time I normally would have been at art school, I found someone had covered the chair with a blanket and provided a cushion. I knocked but no one answered.

Away from the busy avenue beyond the alley, the courtyard was quiet, filled with bird song. The wild garden was lush. Honey suckle bloomed on one fence, adding a sweet smell. I watched a squirrel raid a bird feeder hanging from a dogwood. I realized, after a while, I had not continued my sketch and put myself to work.

A problem occurred to me, rather urgently, when I'd been there a couple of hours. I had no access to a bathroom. Just as I was determining I needed to find a public restroom, Cody came home.

Embarrassed, I told him of my need. I was ushered in and shown the bathroom. It was cleaner than I had expected, from my experience with the dirty glass and dust bunnies under the couch. I was offered a drink again and as I was truly thirsty, I accepted.

"That art school guy give you more trouble?" Cody wanted to know, looking a bit grim. I assured him Terry had not even noticed me.

"If he bothers you, let me know." I doubted anyone would interfere with Cody. Terry certainly wouldn't.

I hadn't finished my sketch and asked to return the following day. Cody and his roommates Neil and Michael were home the next day, listening to music while I sketched away.

They were listening to heavy metal, not the kind of music I listened to, or my friends listened to. The more I heard, the more appealing it became. The lyrics seemed a bit silly sometimes, but the hard, intense guitars held my attention.

An hour or so later, I was offered a drink again. I politely asked about the music and got a lot more than I expected. Neil and Michael got into an argument about something to do with Blue Oyster something. Neil appealed to me as if I would actually know or have an opinion.

He pulled out a record and put it on the turntable, selected a spot and lowered the needle. It was beautiful, a guitar rippling and haunting vocals. It was unlike the other stuff they listened to, until about the middle, when suddenly the guitars came on strong.

Neil pointed to my rapt expression and triumphantly said "There, even she agrees!" Michael looked skeptical. Cody refused to comment. Neil seemed to think that ended the discussion, but Michael pursued his argument.

I found Cody looking at me. He shared an amused look with me, watching Neil and Michael debate. Suddenly I realized it was time for me to go. My sketch was still unfinished. It took me one more day to finish the tulip tree.

But I didn't want to abandon my afternoons there and started a new sketch, of the honeysuckle. Next, one of the bird feeder. By then I was an accepted member of the group. I didn't need my sketch book as an excuse any more.

I began a double life. Weekdays, I was a fixture at the bachelor pad. Weekends, I was dragged by my parents to all sorts of boring social functions at the country club. My parents were under the impression that I was still attending art school weekdays and frequently spending evenings with various girlfriends. I was freer than I had ever been in my life. It felt good.

*****

There was great excitement a few weeks later. Judas Priest and Alice Cooper were coming to town. We all despaired of going, as it was sold out, until Neil won a pair of tickets from a radio contest. We drew lots to decide which of the three of us would accompany Neil. Michael was the lucky one.

The day of the concert, Cody was off work from his job at the heavy metal/punk rock record store and I was hanging out as usual. It was sweltering.

I was in shorts and a short tank top, trying to stay cool with as little clothing as possible. I hadn't even bothered with a bra. My dark chestnut hair was done up in a messy bun, wisps straggling against my pale skin.

I was blowing on my fingernails, willing the nail polish to dry when Cody interrupted my thoughts.

"Amber, it's too hot here. Let's go down to the lake. There's at least a breeze there."

I was alive to that prospect. I had been wishing for a cooling rain shower, but a breeze would be welcome.

"C'mon, put away that stuff. I'll get my keys." He pressed my shoulder as he passed behind me, let his hand trail down my arm. It was an easy, natural motion, but unlike any he had made before.

Down by the lake, we found a solitary bench perched on a point of land, sheltered by a lonely oak. The breeze whipped my hair. We groaned with envy, discussing the line up of bands Michael and Neil were going to see tonight.

As a consolation, Cody mentioned a bootleg recording of a Black Sabbath concert he got from a regular at the record store. We could listen to it while the guys were at the show. We ran out of talk about the upcoming concert and lapsed into silence.

The sun was now setting. It was time to go if we wanted to see Michael and Neil off.

As we turned back, Cody casually slung one arm around my shoulder in a friendly embrace. I hesitated, unsure what this meant. Then, tentatively, I put my arm around his waist. He squeezed my shoulders. Something had shifted.

*****

When we got back to the apartment, the guys were all riled up and ready to go. Michael had his Slayer t-shirt and Neil was sporting an Anthrax one. Cody gave Michael some money. He couldn't go to the concert himself, but Michael could buy him some tour merchandise. "A poster, if they have one." Their excitement was contagious. Finally they set off, Cody loaning them the car for the night.

"OK, Miss Amber, we have our own concert to listen to. This bootleg is really rare. We'll have to listen on my stereo, the one out here eats tapes. I can't trust this baby," tapping the tape, "in that old deck."

We retired to his bedroom. I had never been in there so I looked around curiously. It was neater than I'd expected. Michael and Neil were such pigs; the living room coffee table was always deep in fast food containers and dirty dishes.

His bed was tidily made up with a deep blue and green jewel toned comforter, and there was a sheepskin rug on the floor.

The lighting came from a torchiere floor lamp, indirect and subdued. A line of candles graced the mantle, which surprised me. Cody didn't seem like the candle-light type of person.

In place of pride was his stereo system, a massive affair of stacked components, looking as complicated as a control room in a nuclear power plant. The four speakers were screwed into the ceiling, one for each corner of the room.

"This guy saw Black Sabbath in Chicago, the 1983 tour. Vintage stuff. I don't know what kind of recording equipment he had, but man, this is an amazing copy."

He put the tape in, pressed play. He ushered me to the bed, then settled himself on the sheepskin rug, leaning against the bed. A strange, distorted sound resolved itself into a baby's cries.

"You should see the album cover, it has this red devil baby on it."

I thought I could forgo the devil baby, but settled in for a good performance. I idly ran my toes through the sheepskin rug and was surprised at the incredible softness. I involuntarily exclaimed "Oh my god, this feels so good!" I eagerly rubbed my bare feet against it. Cody laughed, tweaked my big toe.

"You like it soft, Amber?"

"Oh yes!" He gave me a heart-melting smile of amused affection. I suddenly noticed how his eyes crinkled in the corners and wanted to touch his mouth. I mentally shook myself... where had that come from?

"We need some drinks... whatcha want, honey?"

"Mmm, Pepsi is good."

He returned bearing two cans beaded with condensation. I was flopped back on his bed, spreadeagled to get as much cool air from the ceiling fan on my body as possible.

"You look hot." I innocently didn't catch the innuendo. "Here, let me cool you off. An old trick my grandma showed me."

He gestured for me to sit up and turn my back to him. He sat next to me, then pressed the frigid can against the nape of my neck. I jumped away from the burning cold, but he put a hand on my shoulder and urged me back. His hand was warm.

"It hurts at first, but then it feels good. Stay still." And he was right. Goose bumps soon showed up on my arms, and my nipples hardened against the thin fabric of my tank. His hand was still on my shoulder, now kneading my muscles. Then I just barely felt something soft and warm where my shoulder met my neck.

I turned my head a little to look, and it was Cody, gently putting his mouth against me and licking the salt of my skin. Without thought, I moved as though to pull away, but he pressed down on my shoulder, holding me still. He removed the can of Pepsi, replaced it with a gentle, heavy hand. What was Cody doing?

"Does this feel good, Amber?"

He put his mouth against me again, an open-mouthed kiss in the same place, at the base of my neck. It was sending a different kind of shiver down me.

"Yes," I husked in a low voice. My admission was pulled from me without my volition and was followed by an arousing guilty thrill. This was forbidden ground. My parents would not approve. Society would not approve. Everything about Cody, from his long hair to his tattooed arms... off limits, no nice girl would let him do this. I knew he would take me places I'd never been. He was no boy, he was a man. Giving in to the overwhelming excitement and pleasure would be a plunge into the unknown, the wild, the untamed.

Now he was closer, stroking my arms as he kissed my neck from behind. Should I let this go on? His hands came around to rest on my bare midriff, embracing me. He moved even closer, working his way up my neck to breathe in my ear.

His touch against my skin was unlike anything I'd ever felt, soft, gentle, warm. Thrilling. He was drawing unknown feelings from me, a rising column of pleasure that started at the base of my being. Was this wrong? I was basking in the heat building in my stomach when he turned me to face him.

His eyes were almost black with dilated pupils. I ran my finger over the dark stubble where a long strand of jet hair lodged. His mouth was red and sharply delineated. I was in awe of power he had over me, how his touch could move me into an unknown, forbidden world of dark pleasure. I surrendered.

A shock of excitement flashed down me as my lips met his, making my heart beat harder. The heat in my stomach expanded, my skin was flushed. I put my arms around him, palms sliding across the whipcord muscles of his back.

His mouth caressed mine, his tongue probed between my lips. I opened my mouth to him, extended my tongue. He met my tongue with his own in a wet sliding touch. The gentle contact sent hot waves through me. Cody deepened the kiss.

Soon we were entirely absorbed. My hands on his back filled an itch I had never known. He stopped kissing me long enough to pull his shirt over his head, exposing tattooed biceps, his pale chest feathered with dark hair and slick with perspiration. Then he was back.

This was more intense than any kisses I had exchanged with boys my own age. His tongue against mine, smooth bare skin under my hands, a beat in my throat pulsing steadily, my center flowing with hot, dark pleasure, it was too much and I broke our kiss to moan his name. My hands could not get enough of his wiry arms and muscled back. He easily slid his mouth to my neck again.

He was stroking me from the waistband of my shorts to the hem of my tank top. As my breath came faster, he slipped his hands under my shirt and cupped my small breasts so that they lifted and the nipples rubbed against my shirt.

I arched forward, asking for more. Wordlessly he removed my top. His fingers stroked the sides of my breasts as his thumbs came up to graze my nipples. They instantly came to attention, small dark pink buttons.

An incredible heat was mounting. I was so absorbed in the pleasure Cody was eliciting from me that my nudity did not register. An hour ago I would not have believed I could shed my top so easily, but now it was cast aside without thought, my only care the feelings coursing through me.

While he sucked and nipped at one saliva slippery nipple, he cupped my other breast and pinched the sensitive tip gently. All the sensations pulled a thrill down, feeding the overwhelming sensation of arousal in my center. He switched from one breast to the other. I lost track of the passage of time, the pleasure seeming to go on and on.

Then he stopped to kiss me again. He pressed me back into a reclining position on the bed, facing each other. Now our chests were together, sweat making us slippery. His slim hips rested against my closed legs.

I had never gone so far with a boy. I didn't care if this was right or wrong. This was the last bastion of my modesty and I abandoned myself. I drew one knee up, parting my legs, and he slid upward until I could feel his erection against my thigh.

I was no longer moaning but crying in gasps. I hooked one leg around his waist, brought my other knee up, impelling him closer, deeper between my legs. Now his erection was rubbing against the space between my spread legs, my back arching up to bring us closer together so that he was pushing my fabric covered lips apart and rubbing my clitoris.

I discovered a hunger and pursued it without shame. I writhed against him, holding on to him, moving to stimulate myself. He caught my rhythm and joined me, grinding together, simulating the act of sex. After an uncounted time he pulled away. I felt a yearning ache to have him back, skin against skin, closer than close.

I felt him undo the button of my shorts, heard the zipper come down. He backed away as I closed my legs so he could remove my shorts and panties. I was completely nude but unaware of my nudity, only longing to be skin to skin again, urgent to continue my pleasure.

Now I wrapped both legs around his waist as he resumed his position on top of me. But his hand had snaked down between my legs. I was so wet his fingers slipped between my outer lips without resistance. He found my hard clitoris and rubbed his fingers up and down in time with the thrusting of my pelvis.

I cried out his name until the heat inside me burst out in an orgasm that went on and on, his fingers still moving, drawing more out of me than I thought possible. In the midst of my orgasm, I'd felt a distant stab of pain, but ignored it. I collapsed and Cody rolled off me, coming to rest at my side.

"Cody, that was..." I didn't have words for what just happened. I kissed him.

"You're a beautiful woman, Amber." I had never actually been told that before. It added to my glow.

Cody left my side for a moment to divest himself of his jeans, then slid back in bed with me, nestling in at my side. I languidly ran a hand down his side, settled my hand on his hip.

I sleepily noticed his pants were gone, and he was twining his bare legs with my own. That pricked my attention. I looked down and saw his erection outlined clearly against the fabric of his dark red briefs.

In my relaxed, sleepy state, action followed impulse without thought, and I reached out to touch him. I liked the long shape. It seemed designed to be held. I stroked it through the cloth. He pulled it out of his thin briefs.