Love's Fatal Inspiration (Closed)

[Asa]

She knew her powers would aid those of the creative and their moments of creative obsession was when she would feed remain young and bond them even more to her. The one thing she did not know was that the bond had two different affects... either the feeding would slowly kill the one she chose to help and bond to her or in some the bond would make then aggressively possessive and protective of her. Once she figured it out she knew she had to find a balance or find the one that was strong enough to overcome both affects and give her one true love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inara had no idea how old she truly was as far as she knew she was only 28 and had lost nearly every one she ever got close to from unknown reasons but they all resulted in death. She never meant to get close to anyone but for some reason she could not help it... Artistic people were like an addiction to her or was that the other way around. Musicians... painters... writers... they all seemed drawn to her some with aggressive results some who just simply did not seem to be able to function without her around. She could not understand it... but she could not stop herself from seeking out the more artistic soulful beings out or were they seeking her out. If they were she didn't know why she really couldn't see what they saw in her. She really never went looking for anyone they just always found her.

So yet again she found herself wandering the art galleries and sales Coffee shops and concert halls and various bars with live music... she loved it all. Her unfortunate list of losses proved that... from a classical concert pianist to an author to painter who had just gotten his own gallery showing. It seemed to be the way she survived and lived so well. The author had lever her a an amazing penthouse suite that the royalties from sales of his books and the subsequent movies. They all seemed to leave everything to her which left her a very comfortable life even if it was one filled with memories and dreams.

Once more she was out on the town late into the night wandering the various nightlife outlets art music written word... she was simply roaming around with no real direction or plan.

 

[hastobedone]

Benjamin Davis was down on his luck.

He had always assumed he would sail through life without much of a hitch. How stupid did he look now? All through school he came top of his class. He excelled at maths, could write a sonnet that made his english tutors cry, spoke French fluently. But where Benjamin's real talents lay were in music.

Ever since he was a young child, Benjamin played the piano. By the time he was 13 he had played with the cities symphony orchestra. By the time it came to go to college, he easily secured a music scholarship to study at a top class institution. However, after graduating things began to go down hill.

The recession hit.

Orchestras closed down through dwindling ticket sales and increased travelling costs. No one wanted to hire a concert pianist, not even to stack shelves or serve coffee. So Benjamin was forced to move from bar to bar playing ambience music for punters. It wasn't all bad. He scraped by and he was doing something he loved. Playing classical music one night in a hotel restaurant, the next popular hits in an upmarket karaoke joints. Wednesdays though were his favourites. Wednesdays he loved. Wednesdays he would play jazz at Garfunkel's.

Garfunkel's was a trendy jazz cafe where people went to drink and chill out whilst listening to local jazz musicians jam. Musicians of all types would turn up in the dark, moody cellar and improvise sessions together to the enjoyment of those listening and socialising with friends. Plus performers always drank for free.

Tonight was a Wednesday...

 

[Asa]

Jazz... she had not been to a jazz club in... she could not remember how long. Slipping into the club and sowly through the crowd she tried to find a seat out of sight or as best she could. Listening to them play her eyes fell on the pianist and couldn't help but smile. Taking a deep breath she glanced at the other musicians but saw very little genuine heart in the music. Her eyes moved back to the pianist before ordering a drink and sitting back relaxing. Long skirt dress and heels sassy short hair she glanced around the club taking it all in till her drink arrived. She was disappointed when they stopped playing to take a break as it meant one might walk over to her if not more. Even when trying to hide she sometimes was spotted. She however could not stop replaying the pianist keystrokes in her mind as she watched them depart the stage.

 

[hastobedone]

The club was full and everyone seemed to be having a good time. The musicians were letting loose too. Every improvised piece was going down a storm and only got better as the night went on. They started learning each others style and tastes and soon they were playing off one another as if they had been together since childhood. Ben couldn't remember when he last had as much fun with a bunch of strangers, the last time he could just lose himself in music and not have to worry about anything else.

During a break, several people came up to him at the bar and offered to buy him a drink. He told all of them that the performers all drank for free but that didn't stop them. He was told he was awesome, he should be professional, one tall, slender redhead even whispered the hotel and room number she was staying at before patting him on the ass and sauntering off, a quick look over her shoulder.

Lots if musicians did gigs like this for this very reason. The free drinks, the admiration of strangers and occasionally the advances of attractive women. Not Ben though. Ben just wanted to play the piano and avoid the people. He made his excuses from the huddle of people around him and took his drink back up on stage with him. The rest of the players were still chatting and drinking so Ben just sat on the piano stool, absent mindedlt playing with the keys whilst scanning the room.

Towards the back of the room, in a dark corner, his eyes fell upon a woman sat alone in a booth. She was wearing a black dress with some lace detail around the neck line. Her short, black hair fell across her forehead at an oblique angle. Her pouting lips were covered with ruby red lipstick and her eyes glistened across the room as they met his.

The world slowed down in Ben's mind as those eyes locked onto his. The room darkened except around her and all sound fell silent on his ears, the only sound audible being the slow beating of his own heart. Her eyes, unblinking, seemed to bore deep into his soul, pulling past regrets and failures to the surface as if for all to see laid bare. His hands stared moving across the keys now with more purpose, more focus as if they were the way he could tell everyone how he felt. Memories of failed relationships, his repeated failure at work all came flooding back into his consciousness and still his fingers played. His fathers death.

Suddenly a figure walked across Ben's line of sight and the sounds and colour of the club came rushing back to him. He blinked and stopped playing. Everybody was watching him mouths open. He looked down and saw a woman sat at a table wiping tears from the corner of her eye and Ben realised he too was crying. The crowd began applauding loudly as the rest of the musicians returned to the stage, some patting him on the back, and the jamming began afresh.

Ben, however, was distracted. He spent the rest of the evening only half aware of what he was playing. The other half of his concentration he spent looking for the woman. She had disappeared.

 

[Asa]

She was shaking now sitting there hidden she had not gone anywhere but her unique ability had veiled her for now. She had no idea what had just happened but she felt stronger and he had been affected too big time. An affect like that normally only came after time together happiness and physical contact. It also stirred some strange dream she had before but it could not be her in he dream. Now she was curious... she felt a pull that should not be there at simple visual contact. She had to learn more.

She remained there at the bar till it was nearly empty and moved just a little closer to the stage. She closed her eyes so she could hear their music without affecting it too much or ending up with more than one musician fawning over her for the affect of the Muse. Opening her eyes only occasionally to glance around briefly to see how many people were still around and if more of the musicians were watching her or still focused elsewhere.

 

[hastobedone]

The crowd thinned towards midnight as people either went home or took a taxi with a group of friends and continued the night at a club somewhere downtown. Ever since the incident during the interval, Ben had been scanning the room for the woman and as more and more people left, the more he started thinking she had been one of them. It wasn't until almost one o'clock that he saw her.

The red lipstick was what caught his eye. The shimmering ruby colour stood out from her pale complexion, a stark contrast. She was standing quite close to the stage, listening to the music with her eyes closed, slowly swaying in time to the percussive beat of the drums. Her dress swayed with her. Ben signalled to the remaining players that he was calling it a night and brought his improv to an end. The gradual thinning of the crowd was somewhat mirrored by the thinning of the band over the course of the evening as musicians left of their own accord.

Ben hoped off the stage and made his way through the last hangers on, towards the woman. Her eyes were still closed as he stood in front of her so he coughed lightly.

"Can I get you a drink?"

 

[Asa]

Hearing a voice she opened her eyes again and looked dead into his. Pale eyes finding his as she smiled.

That would be nice... what all do they have here?

She masked the slight shaking... this one was very different but why? Which end of the spectrum would he end up on... the one terrified for her to leave growing weak if she went alone to the store or the aggressive protective possessive side... With this strange instant connect without even physical contact already being strange there was no telling how this would go so time to enjoy the ride.

Turning she walked towards the bar smiling softly glancing back to see if he was following or if maybe a table would be better. For a brief moment her mind slipped back to the last musician she lost and bit her lips briefly only to force those thoughts from her mind and smiled again accepting this as a fresh start and a strange new connection. Only time would tell what would become of this.

 

[hastobedone]

She opened her eyes and looked back into mine. Unlike everything else about her which was black - except her lips - her irises were of the palest blue, like pools of ice, flecked with specks of gold which caught the light as she moved.

"That would be nice... What do they have here?"

She walked past him towards the bar. Ben followed, his eyes following the flawless skin of her back which was shown off by a low, deep scoop cut out of the back of her dress.

"Oh they have everything here. They say they can make any cocktail you can think of." She looked back over her shoulder at him. "Anything you like. I'm buying." Was all he could manage to say.

They both sat at the bar, stools not being hard to find at this time, and Ben signalled for the bartender.

Hi mate, I'll have a mojito and the lady will have... He looked towards her and she gave the bartender her order. It sounded strange, something Ben had never tried before that's for certain but the bartender went away without hesitation and busied himself with the cocktails.

"Wow that sounds exotic. What is it? She replied casually as if she didn't really care.

"Sounds kinda nice...Might try one later. I'm Benjamin by the way but call me Ben." He held out his hand. "What's your name?"

 

[Asa]

She let her hand slip into his as she smiled to him.

Inara

There was a pause... all of the muse simply locking eyes with him... all of the energy that she normally fed from seemed to ripple through her now. Even though the energy in the ethers had seemed to feed her this was the physical energy as she quickly released his hand after a simple handshake. She knew any real afffect to him would take more than one touch but this again was a very different situation so maybe he would not be affected at all in either of the normal ways. He was rather attractive and it would be nice but she didn't hold her breath she seemed to affect everyone fatally eventually... hopefully this would at least be a very long time before it became fatal. I wasn't wrong for her to want that but in most cases improbable.

 

[hastobedone]

"Inara." She replied, taking his hand in hers. The room went dark again, the only light coming from those gold specks in her eyes as they burrowed into his soul. Time felt like it was slowing around them, that they were the only ones in the room that mattered. She moved her hand away again and everything returned to normal. Two seconds at most had passed but it felt longer somehow.

Ben cleared his throat. He felt odd, he didn't know what it was but there was something about this woman that was different. He coughed again.

"So Inara...I'm saying that right, yeah?" He waited for her response before continuing.

"Do you like jazz then? Come here often?"

The bartender returned with their cocktails and they both sipped at the alcohol.

 

[Asa]

Yes you said it right...

She smiled to him listening to his voice nodding to the bartender as their drinks were placed before them

Jazz... yes I do enjoy Jazz but this is the first time I have ever been here.

She took a sip of her drink trying to figure out what it was about this pianist but whatever it was she liked it.

 

[hastobedone]

"Yes, you said it right."

He sighed inwardly at this. There was no embarrassment he had experienced quite like calling a woman by the wrong name. She had smiled at him afterwards making him blush a little a look away. Luckily the bartender arrived to save his ass.

"Jazz... Yes I do enjoy Jazz but this is the first time I have ever been here."

He smiled himself,

"I didn't think I'd seen you before. A pretty woman like yourself, I'm sure I would have noticed."

He looked at those Ivey blue eyes again and burst out in a laugh.

"I'm sorry, I turned into a creep for a moment."

She was sipping from her glass, never for a second taking her eyes of off his. Ben had never been this nervous around a woman before. He was good looking in a preppy sort of way and was always easy with conversation but for some reason he was tripping over his tongue tonight. And this wasn't a date. He wasn't hitting on her. They were just talking.

"So Inara?" He paused waiting for confirmation on his pronunciation again. "What made you come out tonight?

 

[Asa]

No not at all

She laughed

So you play here often? As for what brought me out tonight I... I needed a change of scenery ... something different from the galleries I have been wandering through so much recently.

Sipping more of her drink she relaxed a little more turning her back to lean against the bar as she glanced out over the club then back to him with that same soft smile. There was distinctly something different about him and she was growing to like it.

 

[hastobedone]

Thank goodness she didn't mind his creepy remark. Ben was way off his game tonight and Inara seemed nice. Different somehow but someone he felt like he needed to talk to more and more. She had laughed a this clumsy attempt at an apology. Ben's heart lifted when he heard it. A sweet, mellifluous sound that seemed to take away all of his worries with it as it filled the air around them.

He started to relax a little and listened to what she was saying.

"So you play here often? As for what brought me out tonight I... I needed a change of scenery ... something different from the galleries I have been wandering through so much recently."

They stayed there for at least an hour just talking and laughing about everything and nothing. After a while, Inara swivelled round on her stool so her back was leaning against the bar, the curve of her womanly body on show. She was attractive with a slender frame which her dress took full advantage of, flowing softly over her legs. Several times she broke out in her musical laugh and flashed a beautiful smile towards him.

Closing in 10 minutes guys. The bartender had come across. Ben looked out across the bar and realised that they were the only two people left. He took a quick glance at his watch which told him it was nearly three in the morning. He looked at Inara an laughed, semi-drunkenly.

"WOW! Is that the time? I suppose we should leave. How are you for getting home? Do you need a cab?

 

[Asa]

Ohh... wow... No I am fine... I can get home alright in fact I really should get going.

Smiling to him she quickly stood up.

Thank you for the drink and relaxing time talking maybe I might just have to come out here again soon but for now... Nice meeting you Ben... Good night.

Turning she started for the door wanting to get home and sleep and try to figure out what it had been about him that felt so different.

 

[hastobedone]

"I can get home alright in fact I really should get going."

She stood up collecting up her things. Ever the gentleman Ben stood up too. He wasn't really sure why he did or what it was he as going to now he was up. Inara smiled sweetly at him,

"Thank you for the drink and relaxing time talking maybe I might just have to come out here again soon but for now...Nice meeting you Ben."

"Hey, no problem. I'll tell you a secret." He leaned in closer, "I don't have to pay." He taped his nose in a secretive manner and winked at her. "I'll tell you what. If you come back next week I'll buy you a drink...With my own money and everything."

They said night to one another and Ben watch Inara walk towards the entrance. For some reason he started feeling angry. Not at himself but at her. Why was she just walking off? The woman earlier in the evening had offered an open invitation for sex. Why hadn't Inara? In that moment he wanted her. All of her. He needed to feel her lips on his cock. He wanted to taste her juices as he pleasured her with his tongue. He wanted to feel the softness of her hair as he pulled it roughly at the moment of his release. He watched her walk away from him and he wanted her.

The red mist descended and he stormed after her quickly closing the distance between them.

"Inara!" He shouted as he caught up to her, "Come here!" He reached down grabbing her slender wrist whipping her back to him. He pulled her hand up to his face forcing her body to press into his own. He was squeezing hard, harder than ever before. He didn't care if he was hurting her, she was his.

Her eyes were wide open in shock and staring up at him with a mixture of surprise and fear. A flash of light from a passing car caught one of the gold flecks in her eyes and shone bright. He felt himself calming watching that light and felt himself letting go as if it was out of his control. Her hand dropped back to her side and Ben started breathing heavily.

"I'm so sorry."

 

[Asa]

She gave the expected reaction... defense tactic so her unique curse ability whatever you wanted to call it would not be revealed. She fed quickly instinctually from the sudden intense reaction.

I... Ben... is everything alright?

She blinked not sure what to do in this moment becoming affectionate at his aggressive display would not be good and she was not sure if giving him her card would be either but she knew he already was determined to see her again. This would be an interesting situation especially with her mind trying to shove a memory or something at her in a split second that could not have been her it was way too old. Shaking her head she just looked at him.

I plan on coming back here Ben though I think you have had a little too much to drink tonight and perhaps we should talk with when are both a bit more sober and rested. Here is my number... but do that again and I will never come back here.

 

[hastobedone]

He didn't know what had come over him during that brief period. It scared him to think of how he had acted. More distressing was how he had thought of Inara, of how aggressive he was towards her in those thoughts. His head was spinning and he stumbled to a nearby chair where he collapsed, recovering his breath.

"Inara...I'm so sorry." He repeated breathlessly. "I...I don't know what came over me."

Ben held his head in his hands. He had one hell of a headache coming on. Inara just stood stock-still where he had released her, shaking her head.

"I plan on coming back here Ben though I think you have had a little too much to drink tonight and perhaps we should talk with when are both a bit more sober and rested. Here is my number." She placed a small card on the table in front of him. "But do that again and I will never come back here."

As soon as she had mentioned that he was drunk, Ben started thinking how true that must have been. He had only had two drinks though. They were cocktails though. Very strong. He thought to himself. Still it did seem strange. He looked up at her as if to question this assertion but all doubt left his mind as soon as their eyes locked.

"Yes, too much drink, way too much drink."

He felt tired all of a sudden and yawned openly.

"WOW it is late" He looked back at Inara. "I'm too tired to walk. Are you sure you don't want to share a taxi?"

 

[Asa]

I don't think that would be a good idea this time Ben.

She turned again to walk out the door her mind whirling with memories and confusing questions about the intensity of his reactions.

I will come by tomorrow here to the bar maybe I will see you here. Bye for now Ben

 

[hastobedone]

"I don't think that would be a good idea this time Ben."

He could barely hear her he was so tired. He lay his down and the table and watched her now horizontal frame walk away towards the exit. Images of the two of them in the throws of passion flashed through his mind again but when he tried to lift his head it wouldn't budge, some invisible force pushing him back into the table. His eyes shut and he heard her voice as if blown to him on the wind.

"I will come by tomorrow here to the bar maybe I will see you here. Bye for now Ben"

And with that Ben passed out.

- - - - - - - - - -​

He was standing in a room with blood red drapes. They framed a view looking out over a city like none he had ever seen before. Towers of gold and silver rose from the ground, reaching up to grab at the stars. Millions of lights twinkled far below. People moving about the city. Life. The place was bustling with it.

He sighed and drew the curtains tight shutting the view out. He turned to the bed and took her all in. Inara. She lay naked on silk sheets matching the colour of the drapes. Her lips painted the same red, her milky skin standing out in contrast. Her wrists and ankles were tied with satin scarves to each corner of the bedstead restricting all movement from her. He moved slowly towards her running his hands first over her arms up to her shoulders and then through her hair, brushing it out of her eyes.

He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her neck, breathing in her scent as he did. She moaned quietly. He ran a hand over her check, caressing it, looking deeply into her eyes. "My love." He whispered and kissed her deeply.

- - - - - - - - - -​

"Oi Mate! Wake up!"

Ben jumped awake with a start.

"Huh?! What?"

"You're home sleeping beauty. $30"

Half groggy still from sleep, Ben quickly paid the cab driver and rushed inside. After locking the door tight, he poured himself a brandy and sat down at his piano. It wasn't until the first cracks of dawn were creeping in through the windows that he finally put down his pen and finished writing.

He yawned and took out his mobile. Toying with the card Inara had given him, Ben built up the resolve to input the number and send a message.

C U @ Garf's 2nite

 

[Asa]

Once she was home she quickly ran a hot bath and relaxed the feeding she had gotten from him with hardly any physical contact at all had been intense but it had caused other things... She saw in snip-its of memories or visions someone else so very long ago who had such intense aggressive possessive and protective reactions to her but it couldn't be here it looked like it was hundreds of years ago... but it was her or at least it felt like it was her. It was not Ben but someone with that same level of fire and passion.

Waking up in the bath as the water was cold she quickly slipped from the tub and went to slink beneath the warm sheets and silken comforter of her bed. She saw his message and replied before falling into a deep and dream filled sleep. The reply she sent was

see you then.

 

[hastobedone]

The advantage of not having a fulltime day job was that one could spend the daytime catching up on any sleep that they had missed out on during the night before. Ben Davis knew this and he was making the most of it. He had finished writing at the piano about 6:30 in the morning and had sent Inara his text message. She had replied about half an hour later.

See you there

His heart had made a little flutter as he read it and he went to sleep with a smile on his face. He had dream bright vivid and lurid dreams that day. They began innocently enough. He was playing at the club, Garfunkel's, alone up on the stage. He would look up and see that every member of the audience had Inara's head on their bodies. As his sleep deepen, his dreams got more erotic in nature. He would find himself back in the red room. Inara would be tied to the bed again but in a way that her pale ass was in the air. Approaching her from behind he would enter her sex and pound away, occasionally slapping at the creamy skin of her backside, sometimes gripping her hair and roughly flinging her head around.

He awoke at three in the afternoon with a tenting in his boxers.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing general household chores and then at five he started getting ready for his second night in a row at Garf's. He chose to play it cool and dress casually, this wasn't a date, wearing a plaid shirt under a navy blue jumper pairing it with some jeans. He was nervous despite the fact this was just a friendly get together. The dreams he had been having had seemed so real, so visceral that he thought he wouldn't be able to look her in the eyes and not blush. Oh those eyes he thought involuntarily before shaking the thought away and looking for his house keys.

Ben arrived at the club a little after six and headed straight to the bar. After a short wait, the bartender came over and asked for his order.

"Just a Bud please mate." Ben asked.

"Six bucks."

"No, no I'm in the ba-" He was going to say he got free drinks but it was a Thursday not Wednesday so he begrudginly paid and went to find a seat somewhere away from the busy dance floor. He had yet to spot Inara.

 

[Asa]

Staying hidden for a little bit she watched him for a short time still trying to figure this all out but there were no answers. SO time to meet up with him as she called softly but directly to him not to be heard with his ears but to see if there was enough connection for him to hear the muse from her.

Ben... over here... join me now.

 

[hastobedone]

Ben was still waiting for Inara to turn up and was nervously sipping from his bottle. From his stool he could scan the whole club without much effort. He suddenly had an urge to look at the booths that lined the far side of the club.

There she was sat in the darkness of one of the tables, leaning comfortably back in the black cushion seats. Her black hair was shaped so it framed her round face and her bangs came down to the level of her eyebrows. From where he was perched on his stool, Ben could see that the dress she was wearing showed off a lot of her pale decolletage and her bare shoulders. He had a flashback of him kissing her shoulder in his dream.

Shaking that memory from his mind, Ben waved over to her and started making his way through the busy club to where she was sat. Geting closer, he broke into a broad smile and sat down opposite her in the small booth.

"Hey Inara." He wasn't sure whether he should lean in for a kiss or a hug and his indecision meant he was sat awkardly, perched right on the edge of the black couch.

"It's a bit busy tonight isn't it? Can I get you something to drink?"

 

[Asa]

Glass of Chianti would be wonderful Ben thanks.

She smiled and rested her hand on the table where he could take her hand or not still feeling all of this out.

So feeling better tonight?