All three of them looked at her lips in the dim backstage light, and a flush rose in her cheeks. God, they were so freaking handsome decked out in their tuxes, with their black bow ties so straight and starched. She never got used to it.
“Your lipstick is fine. You look gorgeous,” Jonathan repeated. “Don’t make me kiss you.”
“I’m going to kiss you.” She felt the whisper against the back of her neck, just before Ethan brushed his lips across her nape. “You should have worn your hair down. Your bare neck is too distracting.”
“This updo cost ninety dollars,” she said with a sniff. “I’m not taking it down.”
“Tomorrow then. Wear your hair down.”
“I can’t play with it down, not in a formal appearance like this.”
“Maybe you can take it down for us later,” said Steve, cutting into their hushed dispute.
For us.
They’d spent the last two nights—her birthday night and the night after—exploring as a “ménage à quartet,” and it seemed there was still more to learn, to try, to do together. She plucked at her skirt, not sure if she was primping, flirting, or losing her shit minutes before the biggest performance of their careers so far. Why wasn’t Jonathan giving them a pep talk or something?
Instead they all stood in silence, looking at each other. She supposed this wasn’t a time to count on words. Energy flowed between them that needed no declarations or speeches, just their confidence in each other. Beyond the wings, the audience grew silent. The house lights dimmed.
“I love you guys,” she said. “And we’re ready for this.”
Jonathan kissed her, then Steve. Ethan waited his turn, then kissed her again, just beside her lips so he wouldn’t mess up her lipstick. The Philharmonic conductor gave them a strange look as he passed by to walk onstage. What, didn’t all quartets make out ménage-style before they performed together?
Once the conductor’s applause died down, they were introduced in a short speech which Ethan translated in a whisper. The Gold Quartet, one of the United States’ most promising young musical ensembles. Graduates of Julliard, award winners at Banff International, living and performing in Chicago…
At last it was time for them to walk onstage, accompanied by welcoming applause. Although they’d rehearsed on the same stage the previous two afternoons, it was different with an audience. The theater looked bigger but seemed smaller. Ruby felt the familiar fear of tripping over her feet on the way to her chair, falling on her violin and smashing it. It had never happened though, and it didn’t happen now.
Once they were seated, they arranged their music quickly. While she was nervous, she was also comforted by the fact that her guys were all around her, and they’d practiced this concerto to a fine point of perfection.
They lifted their instruments into position, watching Jonathan, as well as the Philharmonic conductor, for their cue to begin. The first few notes were plucked, and they nailed them in perfect tempo. It was going to be a great performance.
Soon they were well underway, and Ruby was too busy playing to think about being nervous. After hours of focused and sometimes frenetic practice, there was nothing left but to enjoy the act of performance, and appreciate the soaring moments of connection that saw them through.
When they finished the full concerto, the audience burst into boisterous applause. She, Ethan, Jonathan, and Steve shared a smile. They approved. When they stood together to acknowledge the conductor’s recognition and the resounding ovation, Ruby looked at each of her handsome friends in turn and let all the love in her heart show. Her smile said I appreciate you and I’m so happy to be here with you.
I adore you all like crazy.
They smiled back, her gorgeous lovers, and the whole world seemed washed in gold, just like their group’s moniker. In love and musicianship, they turned to the audience as one to take their bows.
A Final Note
It was so fun to be part of the Read Me Romance podcast in September of 2019. Alexa Riley and Tessa Bailey were kind enough to feature the first of these stories, Definitely Kinky. It was read by Ava Lucas, a lovely voice artist and now a friend.
But I felt there was more to tell. Being Annabel, I thought to myself, what if Ruby hooked up with all of them? Maybe even at the same time? The idea of four stories—a quartet of stories—was born.
I hope you enjoyed this Quartet of Pleasures. Writing interconnected, short vignettes was definitely a new style of novel for me. There was less story and plot development, and more joyous sex in the moment. It helps that I love string quartets in general, and that any kind of artistic collaboration turns me on.
Over the course of writing these shorts, I drew a great deal of inspiration from the recordings and musicianship of the Dover Quartet, as well as the Well Strung Quartet of New York City. If you have a minute, do a search through their websites and check out some of their videos. They have very different performance styles, but both are a real pleasure to watch.
As always, I’m so grateful for your readership. Please sign up for my newsletter at annabeljoseph.com, or leave a review for me, or join my Fannabels group on Facebook to learn more about upcoming releases. All of these things make me happy, but not as happy as you taking the time to enjoy my book.
Other Musical Titles by Annabel Joseph
Enjoy books with musical characters and themes? Then you’ll love these other novels:
Dangerous Control
Milo Fierro lives for two things, dominance and music. At The Gallery, where depravity rules, he’s known for his passionate desires, but on the outside, he’s learned to hide beneath a veneer of dark-eyed professionalism. It’s too dangerous to be himself. Most women don’t understand.
Alice definitely doesn’t understand. Her father was his violin teacher for years, and now that she and Milo are adults, she thinks they can be friends. The girl he knew as “Lala” draws him in with her grace and kindness, unaware of his ugly, hidden side. He can’t touch her, or even stand near her. He doesn’t dare reach out to her, no matter how much her talent and beauty inflames his lusts. She deserves better, deserves a man who’s nothing like him…
If only she wasn’t so impossible to resist.
Caressa’s Knees
Working for megastar Jeremy Gray has taken an emotional toll on personal assistant Kyle Winchell. In the name of self-preservation, he re-locates to New York City and accepts a job as personal assistant to well-respected concert cellist Caressa Gallo, only to find she’s not as respectable as she seems.
Kyle draws on his BDSM experience to control the rebellious Caressa, and she is happy to submit to his management—to a point. The two soon find themselves embroiled in a world of lust and dark inspiration, and emotional stakes beyond anything they’ve encountered before.
Diva (with Molly Joseph)
In his years at Ironclad, Ransom has built a reputation as a hardass bodyguard. He reels in the perverts, wrangles the mangled, and controls celebrities who are notoriously out of control.
So when a world-famous DJ starts slipping into risky habits, he’s hired to keep her on track during a multi-million-dollar tour. He figures he’ll just knock the diva down a few pegs and scare her straight. Problem is, Lola isn’t easily frightened, and “difficult” doesn’t begin to describe their contentious relationship. The only thing more annoying than their daily fights and power struggles is their intensifying emotional connection.
Ransom’s determined to save her…even if she doesn’t want to be saved.
About the Author
Annabel Joseph is an award-winning BDSM romance author. She writes mainly contemporary romance, although she’s been known to dabble in the medieval and Regency eras. She is known for writing emotionally intense BDSM storylines, and strives to create characters that seem real—even flawed—so readers are better able to relate to them. Annabel also writes non-BDSM romance under the pen name Molly Joseph.
You can follow Annabel on Twitter (@annabel
joseph) or Facebook (facebook.com/annabeljosephnovels), or sign up for her mailing list at annabeljoseph.com.
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