Out Of Control - Chapter 31

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Sad_Girl

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**The following is a work of fiction. No offense intended to anyone, it’s all meant in good fun. Strong language, semi-adult themes

Chapter Thirty-One

Much to Edge’s relief, the Deniaud family home was empty when they returned. A’marie led him to her room and he looked around with great interest as she searched through her closet for a change of clothes. There was a framed print of Jesus as a shepherd, holding a lamb cradled in one arm hanging over her bed. It was a piece of art he’d seen many times before, and he reveled in the connection of something so familiar to him and this girl; this fascinating new person he’d discovered. It made him feel closer to her, somehow.

She found the clothes she wanted and excused herself for a minute, going to change and freshen up a bit in the bathroom. Edge sat gingerly on the head of the bed and caught the scent of lavender drifting up from the sheets. He smiled and let his eyes drift shut for a moment, memorizing the scent. He’d noticed it before, when she had stood close to him. He knew that he would always associate the scent with her and with this day.

He opened his eyes and looked around some more at the decorations on the walls. Next to the single window hung a framed copy of the lyrics to the Billie Holiday song ‘Strange Fruit’. It didn’t surprise him that A’marie would have them on display; despite the grim nature of the song. It was a reminder of the horrors people were capable of committing, things which had taken place right here in the south not so long ago.

The courage it took for Billie Holiday to stand up in front of a white audience and sing this song, making them face facts which they had been closing their eyes to, was beyond Edge’s imagination. He could only hope that if he were faced with the same sort of challenge he would find that sort of courage. He suspected A’marie had that sort of bravery already.

“Ready?” He heard her say, stepping in just through the doorway and posing for him playfully. He felt the blood rise in his face and licked his suddenly dry lips. She wore a big, loosely woven purple sweater that drooped to one side revealing her smooth, naked shoulder. Under that Edge caught a peek of something black and lacy, but just a hint. A black mini-skirt and a pair of black boots that reached nearly to her knees finished off the outfit, along with several long bead necklaces and a pair of huge gold hoop earrings.

“Ready for what?” He asked a smirk forming as he tried to keep his wandering thoughts from showing too clearly. She grinned wickedly at him and winked.

“That’s the reaction I was hoping for.” She told him deviously, turning and walking away with a little extra sway in her hips. Edge hurried after her, his heart racing from the very suggestion of something romantic brewing between them. This was the woman he had met in the smoky club the night before. As much as he had enjoyed the day with A’marie, the girl who had become his friend over the course of a few hours, he was enthralled with the mysterious, sultry singer.

They had barely stepped off the front step when the massive old door of the church next door swung open with a squeak that echoed in the empty chapel, bouncing out into the street and melting into the afternoon air.

“A’marie, I was just coming to look for you!” A man announced, hurrying down the steps toward them. He was a lanky man, his face somehow seeming all the thinner for the lack of hair on his head. A ring of light brown hair remained just above his ears, but the rest of his head was either completely bare or covered with baby fine fuzz. He wore a pair of plastic rimmed glasses which covered more than half of his slender face. The over all affect brought to mind a cartoon caricature of a church mouse.

It took Edge only about half a heartbeats time to realize that this was A’ Marie’s father. He felt his heart jump up into his throat and lodge there, quivering like a frightened puppy and scolded himself for acting guilty.

“Daddy!” A’marie exclaimed, obviously taken by surprise. “You were looking for me? Why?” She asked, and Edge blinked in surprise. He’d never seen her cool, calm demeanor falter until then. She tugged the sleeve of her sweater up over her bare shoulder self-consciously.

“The speaker system repairman came today, said to test it out before Sunday and call him back if there was a problem still.” He explained, glancing over his daughters shoulder at the young man standing quietly behind her. “I just need someone to use the microphone and someone to move around the sanctuary to make sure it sounds alright.” He explained, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Daddy, this is my friend, Dave Evans. This is my father, James Deniaud.” A’marie wisely introduced the men whom she stood between. “We were just going to …” She started to explain, but her father wave a dismissive hand.

“It’ll only take a minute. Dave can help me have a listen.” He said, shaking Edge’s hand and smiling at him curtly. It was not a request, but a statement.

“Sure.” He agreed with a nod.

“Go on up there and turn it on, the systems ready.” James instructed his daughter, who hurried to the altar and took the microphone in hand as she did most Sundays.

“What do you want me to do?” She asked, speaking into the microphone and smiling now. “Test test 1, 2, 3…” she added playfully. Her father chuckled and asked her to sing something. That way she didn’t have to keep thinking of what to say and there was a constant sound for them to listen to as they walked around the small sanctuary.

“So, Dave, what have you and A’marie been up to today?” James asked casually as they stood at the back of the sanctuary, behind the very last pew, and waited for her to decide on a song. Edge flinched and tried his best to look confused. “I’m not upset.” James chuckled, smiling at Edge’s discomfort. “I was seventeen once, too.”

“We… uh, she just showed me around the city. It’s my first time here.” Edge replied, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

“Ah. Where are you from? England? Ireland?” James asked, unable to place Edge’s unique gentle accent.

“I was born in Wales. Finished school in Ireland.” He explained, relaxing as he realized the minister seemed to harbor no ill will toward him.

A’ Marie’s rich voice split the air as she lifted the microphone to her lips and began to sing.

“Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come? Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home? When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He! His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”

“Are you staying long?” James asked, having to raise his voice to a yell to be heard clearly.

“No, I’m afraid not. I’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow.”

“Does she know?”

“Yes, yeah. I told her early this morning.”

“That’s good.” James said with a nod, leading Edge around the sanctuary, pausing here or there to listen for crackles or squeals from the speakers.

”I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free! For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me.” her voice rang through the empty church, and Edge smiled at her. Such a puzzle, this girl was. She was a mystery he wanted the chance to solve. If only he had the time with her.

“It sounds great!” James told her, giving her a ‘thumbs up’ as they came back around to the back of the church where they had started. As she turned off the microphone and replaced it on its stand, he turned to Edge and looked at him seriously. “I realize she isn’t a little girl anymore, but she’s not nearly as worldly as she likes to pretend. You treat her with a little respect and we’ll be fine. Are we understood?”

“Yes, sir. Absolutely.” Edge agreed, his soft brown hair shifting back and forth as he nodded emphatically. The reverend nodded once to acknowledge that they had an understanding, and then turned back to smile at his daughter as she strode toward them.

“So I’m guessing you have plans tonight.” He said, and she smiled and nodded. “You look beautiful.” He told her. She beamed at the compliment. “Be home by eleven.” He said and she sighed, her shoulders slumping. “It’s a school night.” He reminded her, and she nodded glumly.

“Tomorrow night there’s a concert I have tickets for. It will probably go later than eleven. Can I go?” She asked her brown eyes wide with hope.

“Can you leave early?” He asked, and A’marie shook her head sadly, worrying her lower lip with her teeth.

“It’s on a river boat.” Edge explained.

“So you’ll be together, then?” He asked, glancing back and forth between them.

“I’ll be on stage, actually.” Edge explained. “But she’ll be with our managers, Paul and Natalie. They’ll keep an eye on her. And don’t worry, they’re no fun at all.” He added playfully, making Natalie snicker and even the reverend smirked at him.

“I suppose I can make an exception for a special occasion. But you need to get caught up on your schoolwork.” He told her, and she nodded eagerly. She would’ve agreed to almost any conditions he wanted to apply when it came to this concert.
With a kiss on the cheek, A’marie thanked her father and wished him a good night, taking Edge’s hand and towing him along behind her.

“Eleven tonight!” Her father reminded them from the doorway as they slipped around the corner and off toward the French Quarter once more.


*****************************************************************

After a day of sightseeing, including riverboat rides and miles of walking hand in hand, Natalie was more interested in a hot bath and the comfort of bed than anything else. Bono was more than welcome to join her in either bed, bath or both. She felt she’d gone out on a limb by spending the day with him, holding his hand in public (even if sometimes she felt a bit like a mother holding her child’s hand to keep them out of trouble). Bono was determined, however, that they go out for dinner and to ‘soak in the atmosphere’ of New Orleans night life.

So she had convinced him to let her come back to the hotel for a shower and change of clothes, and now they were seated in a smoky restaurant discussing the Cold War over a spicy Cajun dish. Some sort of chicken and rice, and spices on top of spices. If it weren’t for the smoothness of the wine to wash it down, she wasn’t sure she’d like it. As it was, she realized as the dishes were cleared away, they had gone through nearly two bottles of wine and she’d barely eaten half of what was on her plate.

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” She asked him playfully, leaning across the candle lit table, her wine glass dangling back and forth loosely in one hand.

“Trying?” He replied with a roguish grin, leaning in to meet her halfway, his lips brushing hers before she remembered her resolution to keep all of her feelings for him hidden behind closed doors. She pulled back with a gasp, but couldn’t help smiling coyly at him. His blue eyes twinkled in the candlelight. He loved the challenge of making her drop her guard, seducing her until she couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Dance with me.” He said suddenly, standing and tugging at her wrist.

“What? No!” she laughed, shaking her head emphatically and digging in her heels to hold her ground.

“Would you tell Paul no if he asked you for a dance?” He asked, taking her hand in both of his big, meaty paws and tugging a bit harder. “No, you wouldn’t! So don’t argue. It’s just a dance.” He told her firmly, giving her hand one more tug and finally pulling her out of her seat. She stumbled to her feet and shot him a look that told him she doubted his argument was sound. If she weren’t so drunk, she’d debate the point, but as it was, her wine numbed mind could think of nothing she would like more than to be wrapped up in Bono’s arms, swaying to the sultry sounds of the band.

“Don’t know why there’s no sun up in the sky! Stormy weather! Since my man and I aren’t together, it keeps raining all the time…” the singer crooned, her voice a perfect whiskey tenor, the rhythm of the song dragged down to an almost ridiculously slow pace.

Natalie fell into Bono’s embrace without hesitation and let him lead her in a slow, swaying motion that was barely dancing. It felt better than any dance she could remember. The heat radiating from his body seeped into hers, but still she remained pressed up against him, chest to chest, belly to belly, and thigh to thigh. He hummed along with the singer, his voice in her ear. She sighed contentedly and let her head fall forward slightly, until her cheek rested on his shoulder.

“Marry me.” Bono whispered in her ear, one of his big, warm hands rubbing up and down along her spine lovingly. “I want to be able to dance with you like this at our wedding.”

“Bono, don’t ruin this.” She mumbled, still holding him close enough to feel the rhythm of his heartbeat against her own chest.
“I’m trying to make it even better, not ruin it.” He told her, gently nuzzling her ear with his nose, brushing his lips over her earlobe.

“Let’s just enjoy what we have, right here right now. I get scared when I think about the future.” She told him, hot tears welling up in her eyes. She closed her eyelids tight and fought them back. Bono couldn’t see her eyes, and she didn’t want him to.

“I love you, Natalie. I want…” He started again, but Natalie lifted her head to look him in the eye. She pressed one slender finger over his lips to shush him.

“Not tonight.” She said, begging him with her eyes to let it go. He reached up and caught her hand in his and pressed a kiss to each fingertip.

“Alright. Not tonight.” He agreed, pulling her close and covering her mouth with a soft, deep kiss which chased away all thought and left her so dizzy she would not have been able to stand without clinging to him. She smiled at him shyly and let out a tiny laugh. He had given her what he wanted, and she had given him something he wanted. It took a long time to get there, but they did seem to be able to work things out that way quite often. Everybody won.

She was still smiling when they turned, hand in hand, to walk back to their table and she saw a pair of sea green eyes staring at them in surprise. Edge sat at a table beside the dance floor, a pretty young woman across from him looking in their direction to see what had startled her date.

“Oh, no.” Natalie said on an indrawn breath, shaking her head as if she might still find a way to undo the fact that he’d seen them. Edge had seen them dancing, kissing… Oh no. She felt her knees threaten to give out and covered her eyes with one hand in an instinctive gesture. No no no no!

Bono, in all of his friendliness, seemed to have forgotten completely everything she had asked of him in regards to keeping their relationship private. He waved and smiled at his friend and was actually steering her toward the table where he sat.
“What are you doing?” Natalie demanded, scuffling her feet as she tried to resist gracefully.

“Going to say hello to Edge and A’Marie. She’s the singer from last night.” He told her, looking as baffled as she felt. “Oh!” He said, finally seeming to understand her hesitance. “Don’t worry, Edge knows about us.”

“What?” Natalie demanded, anger steeling her resolve and giving her the strength to stop him from guiding her any farther.
“Yeah, I told him. He knew something was up at Christmastime. Don’t worry, he won’t say anything, he knows it’s a secret.”

“It’s not a secret if more than two people know about it!” Natalie objected. “Then it’s just gossip!” She huffed, breaking away from him and storming away. She retrieved her purse from their seat, made sure the bill was settled and was out the door before Bono caught up to her. She could not bring herself to so much as speak to him on the cab ride back to the hotel, for fear of what she might say. She was on the verge of losing control completely, and out of control was not an option she allowed for herself.
*******************************************************************

“Lar?” Adam asked, opening the door to his hotel room and peeking out at his younger friend. This was the third time he had heard him knocking on Bono’s door, across the hall from his own. “Is something wrong?”

“Uhh… no.” Larry said, running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair nervously. “No. No, nothings wrong. I erm, uh… do you know where Bono went?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t seen him since this morning.” Adam replied, leaning casually against the doorframe and lighting a cigarette. He offered it to Larry who refused with a quick, nervous shake of his head.

“Shit, that’s right. He and Edge were meeting up with that singer.”

“I think Edge went on his own, actually.” Adam informed him, letting out a slow stream of smoke, aiming it upwards and away from Larry.

“They were together this morning when I saw them.” Larry argued, his eyebrows drawing together with curiosity.

“Bono told me I’d missed Edge when I saw him. He didn’t seem to have plans to join up with them.”

“What the fuck?” Larry wondered aloud, leaning back against the wall, his eyes pointed up at the ceiling unseeingly.

“You know, if there’s something wrong…” Adam said, offering himself up as friend and counselor. Larry sighed and pursed his lips as he considered his options.

“Nothings wrong, exactly. It’s just… something’s come up. Something I wasn’t really prepared for, yet. I need to figure out how we’re going to handle it. I mean the tour and getting things ready…”

“Ok. Well, at least you’re talking. Now let’s try making some sense.” Adam said with a chuckle.
“Alyx is – uh, well – she’s…”

“Pregnant?” Adam guessed, nearly choking as it occurred to him. “Jaysus, Mullen, you don’t do anything half-arsed do you?” he laughed, and Larry scowled at him. Then his cheeks turned red and the corners of his mouth turned up despite himself and Adam chuckled again.

“I suppose congratulations are in order.” He said, slapping a hand on Larry’s back in a friendly gesture and then holding his cigarette between his lips he wrapped him up in a hug. Larry seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Just having said it out loud made it seem more manageable somehow. He returned Adam’s hug and then stepped back as quickly as they’d embraced.
“It’s going to be alright.” Larry said, more to himself than to Adam.

“Fuck yeah it’s going to be alright. You’re going to be a daddy, Lar. Bono’s going to be jealous as hell that you beat him to it.” He teased, and Larry laughed, his smile coming more easily now.
“We’ll be able to make it all work, with the band and the tour schedules and everything, right?” He asked, and Adam nodded enthusiastically.

“We will. C’mon, you know Paul will do all he can, and the three of us will work around whatever you need. I want the band to be big and famous as much as the next guy, but we’re talking about family here.”

“Right.” Larry agreed with a nod, obviously feeling much better about the big news than he had before. “Thank you, Adam.” He told him sincerely and Adam smiled and waved a dismissive hand.

“Nothing to thank me for. I’m just telling you how it is.” He said. “Now, get back to Alyx and get in your alone time while you still can.” He added with a wink. “I’ll let you know if I hear Edge or Bono come back before the wee small hours.”

“Right.” Larry agreed, starting back toward his room. He glanced back over his shoulder and nodded at his friend, the look in his eyes more meaningful than any words could ever have been. Adam smiled to himself as he closed the door and returned to the television program he’d been watching. He might not have been the friend Larry had been looking for, but he seemed to have helped.

Things were changing within the group, that much was for certain; and Adam had a feeling it was changing for the better.
 
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I cannot wait to see what happens next SG.
I love the song Amarie was singing, I grew up to that song. It is very powerful.
I have a feeling Bono is wearing Nat down.
Adam is the coolest friend. I think his advice was good.

I cannot wait for the next installment.:applaud:
 
:drool: SG, I love you!


poor Nathalie! I'm glad there finally is sort of confrontation here.. I wanna know why she wants to keep it secret so badly! :hmm:

Larry is cute too, so nervous :cute:



:reject: a little offtopic, but we never are online at the same time on PGP, I was wondering if I could get a sim aswell?


:shifty: and another male could be Pierce Brosnan.... he's irish :wink:
 
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Thanks for another great chapter! I say this every time, but it's so true. I absolutely love this story! :love: It keeps on getting better and better. Can't wait to read more. :D
 
Bono was determined, however, that they go out for dinner and to ‘soak in the atmosphere’ of New Orleans night life.

So she had convinced him to let her come back to the hotel for a shower and change of clothes, and now they were seated in a smoky restaurant discussing the Cold War over a spicy Cajun dish. Some sort of chicken and rice, and spices on top of spices. If it weren’t for the smoothness of the wine to wash it down, she wasn’t sure she’d like it. As it was, she realized as the dishes were cleared away, they had gone through nearly two bottles of wine and she’d barely eaten half of what was on her plate.

Ah, a romantic dinner with baby Bono. Good food, too much wine (which I hope for his sake was white wine), political talk ...

:wink: and :giggle:

Very good chapter, SG. Even if the romantic evening didn't end the way I thought it would.
 
I haven't posted anything for a long time but I wanted to tell you how much I love this story and how good your writing is :bow:
 
“Marry me.” Bono whispered in her ear, one of his big, warm hands rubbing up and down along her spine lovingly. “I want to be able to dance with you like this at our wedding.”

:combust: it gave me goosebumps:drool:

great job:heart::drool:
 
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