by Watts, Janna
“I think we should cut Material Girl,” he said, flipping tactics.
She moved closer to the piano and ignored the angry heat swirling around him. “Really? Your arrangement’s really good. Why would you want to cut it?”
“It’s not right for that crowd. The audience at the Carmichael will be a lot older. They’ve probably never even heard the original song.”
Avery frowned. “Why does that matter?”
“It’s not funny if you don’t know the original song.”
“Yes, it is,” Avery argued.
“It’s not.”
“Well, it’s my show and I want to keep it.”
Dan raised his eyebrows. “That’s how it’s going to be now? Your show? I’m just the zany sidekick playing background music to the diva.”
Avery’s breath caught. “Don’t call me a diva. I’ve never acted like that.”
Dan stood up and placed his hands on the top of the piano. “You’re the definition of diva, Avery. You get everything your way. Everyone kneels before you and gives you just what you want.”
Avery jerked back as if she’d been slapped. “Is that what you think?”
Dan must have seen the hurt and anger in her eyes because he pulled himself back. “No. Sorry. Christ, that was out of line.”
Avery brushed tears from her eyes. She inhaled, squared her shoulders and looked at Dan. “Let’s just get through this week. We’ll rehearse the Carmichael as the play list currently stands. I’ll consider if we should drop Material Girl later.”
Dan stepped forward and squeezed Avery’s hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t think you’re a diva.”
Avery blinked away tears. She nodded. “Let’s start from the top of the show.”
***
Avery was relentless with rehearsals. Dan had never been so tired. He played six hours a day and went home to a pissed off dog and sleepless nights. Every time he closed his eyes, the image of Avery riding Nick’s hand assaulted him. Her moans and whimpers echoed in his head at night and her beautiful voice haunted his waking hours.
She’d pulled away from him. She was professional, but the show wasn’t the same. The energy between the two of them was off. He’d messed things up by calling her a diva. Or maybe by ignoring the giant pink elephant in the room. He’d opened his mouth several times to talk to Avery about that night, but the guarded look on her face kept him from going through with it.
He played the show over and over, and with every hour, he died a little, knowing that at the end of their Carmichael gig, she’d send him back to South Carolina.
“I think we should have Nick play with us at the Carmichael,” she said on the Wednesday before the opening.
“No.”
“That’s it?” She arched a brow. “No discussion. Just no.”
“That’s right. No.”
She pursed her lips. “I think we should consider it. Hugo’s worked really well with the three of us. And everyone loves a bass player.”
Dan groaned. “You’re killing me, Avery.”
She looked at him and blinked. “What?”
“Jesus Christ, how do you expect me to react to this? Yes, by all means, let’s have the guy whose fingers were in your pussy a week ago join us on stage. That won’t be a weird dynamic at all.”
“Oh.” The air in the room stilled.
Dan released a breath and looked into her wide blue eyes. “Everything’s off with us right now, and I don’t think bringing Nick into will make it any better.” A thought hit him like a punch to the gut. “Unless you just want to play with him?”
Avery inhaled sharply. “What? Of course not. You’re my creative life partner. Why would I only want to play with him?”
Dan’s heart squeezed. “Your creative life partner?”
Avery’s cheeks reddened. “Yes,” she whispered.
“You’re not sending me back to South Carolina?”
She blinked at him. “Why would I?”
His shoulders dropped. “Because of this. Us. We’re off. You must see that.”
Avery crossed to him and slid onto the piano bench. “Danny Piano,” she said and placed her hand on his thigh. “I fucked things up last week. But I’m not losing you over this. We’ll work it out.”
The weight that had been resting on his shoulders all week dropped. “No. I fucked up. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”
Avery shook her head. “That one was all on me. I wanted you and I took him, and…”
She smiled at him and a giant lump formed in his chest. He loved her smile. It had been too many days since he’d seen it.
“Should we try Material Girl again?”
She shook her head and stood up. “No. I have to go to this cabaret shmooze fest at Hudson’s.”
“Oh.” He looked away and clenched his jaw.
She hesitated then asked, “Did you want to come?”
He did more than anything, but things had just started to get patched up between them and he didn’t want to press his luck.
“No. You go.”
She gave him a saucy grin. “Are you sure? There’ll be lots of singers there. I know how fond you are of them.”
He shook his head and laughed. No. Just one of them.
***
Hudson’s was a predator’s playground. Avery hadn’t gotten ten feet into the door when a musician accosted her and asked if she was looking for extra talent. The way he said extra talent made Avery choke on her drink.
An hour into the night, Avery had gotten three possible gigs and over a dozen ridiculous propositions. She wished Dan had come with her. At least she could have pretended that she was involved with him. Although that probably would have blown up in her face after the tenuous peace agreement they’d come to before she left.
Still, she couldn’t help texting him after hearing her fourth innuendo about piano players’ fingers.
These piano players are shameless. I’ve never gotten so many offers to “partner”
Less than a minute later, Dan texted back.
You can flirt all you want, as long as you come home to me.
Avery’s breath caught. Her body lit up like a pinball machine.
Come home to me.
All her carefully constructed efforts to keep their relationship professional fell out the window with one simple text. Who was she kidding? Her feelings had been there all week, she’d just pushed them back behind a thick wall, hoping they’d go away.
Home.
Her body pulsed with longing. Not just sexual longing but an ache to have something more. To have something real. Something that felt like her relationship with Dan.
She retreated into the bathroom and called Rich.
“I like him,” she said as soon as he picked up.
“Hold on,” he answered. “Let me put you on speaker.”
The phone clicked.
“Hey Avery.”
“Hi, Brandon. Was I interrupting something?”
Brandon chuckled. “Not anything you want to know about.”
“Ick. Stop saying that stuff. I’ve already had to have a phone session with my therapist after walking in on you and Rich.”
“Really?”
Avery laughed. “No, but still. Stop reminding me of your gay sexploits.”
Rich interrupted, “Enough. Tell us about the piano player.”
Avery exhaled. “I’ve fallen in like with him. You know? Like like.”
“We know. But did something happen?”
Avery sputtered. “What do you mean, you know? Rich, I don’t say this kind of stuff lightly. Like like is a big deal to me.”
“Of course, it is,” Rich answered. “But I still knew you felt that way. We both did.”
“Yeah,” Brandon added. “You had heartsick written all over your face last week. I saw that same expression on Rich when he fell for me.”
“Ahem.”
Brandon laughed. “Just saying. So what are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know,” Avery whispered. “Nothing, probably.”
“Sweetie,” Rich said, “that’s just not going to do you any good. There’s no protecting yourself now and honestly, it’s not your way.”
“Excuse me?”
“Avery, you’re balls to the wall. It’s why you’re so successful. It’s also why you end up with so many fuck-ups, but that’s a different story. You’ve admitted you like him. Seems like the only solution is to go all in.”
“But what if that doesn’t work?”
Avery’s heart beat too fast. Her body tingled in the same way it did when she was about to perform a big show.
“Avery, my love, the only way out of this is to risk failure. You’re dug in so there’s no changing your course. Risk failure, sweetie. See what happens.”
“You told me last week not to ruin a good thing in my professional career by getting involved with him.”
“Yeah,” Rich answered. “And then I came home and Brandon told me I was a practical asshat with no sense of romance.”
Brandon laughed. “Yeah, and then I fucked him into submission until he admitted I was right.”
“Ack, Brandon, enough.”
“Good luck, sweetie,” Rich said. “You’ll win him. If he’s worth anything, he’ll see what a great thing he has with you and he’ll risk it all too.”
“I love you, guys.”
“Us too.”
Still. She had no idea how to move forward with so much still between them.
-8-
“What’s wrong with you tonight? You’re all jumpy.”
Avery looked up at Dan and her eyes widened. “Nothing,” she mumbled.
She’d been walking around him on eggshells all afternoon. He’d thought they came to some sort of resolution yesterday, but she was like a skittish cat.
“It’s not nothing,” he prompted.
She lifted a slender shoulder. “I don’t know. Just nervous about the show tomorrow.”
Dan stood up and walked toward her. He took her hand in both of his. “Avery, listen to me.” The smoothness of her skin was addicting. He couldn’t stop himself, he slid his thumb over the inside of her wrist. “You’re gonna be great. We’re gonna be great. The show is incredible. Your voice, your performance… I’ve never seen anything like it in cabaret.”
She laughed. “That’s because you’ve never worked in cabaret before.”
Dan dropped her hands and raked his fingers through his hair. “Yes, I have. Once. A long time ago.”
Her mouth opened in a perfect o. God, her mouth would be so perfect for…he shook himself. Focus with the big head, not the little one.
“When I first got out of college,” he said, looking past her to the piano, “I was a cabaret piano player. It only lasted about six months, but I saw enough performances to know that you’re different.”
“Who did you perform with?”
Was he really going to get into this the night before the show? He looked at Avery with her beautiful blue eyes blinking at him and made a decision. She should know. Maybe then she would understand why he couldn’t get involved with her.
“Isabel Evans.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened even more. “She’s a huge star. She has like a dozen CDs out and she gets asked to perform at huge venues.”
Dan sighed. “Yeah. I know.”
Avery chewed her bottom lip. His gaze zoned in on the perfect cupid bow. He rubbed his hands over his eyes and moved to the piano bench. Avery followed him, laying a hand on his forearm.
“What happened?”
Pings of electricity raced from her point of contact straight to his cock. He moved his arm away. Rejection flashed across Avery’s face. God, she was so gorgeous when she was vulnerable. He wanted to kiss the self-consciousness from her, wanted to take her in every way until she believed that she was the most spectacular woman in the world. Instead, he inched away.
“I fell in love with her,” he said. “Well, I thought I fell in love with her. It wasn’t that hard. Everyone falls in love with Isabel. She takes up all the space in the room, draws you in and doesn’t let go.”
Avery stood up. “I see. So that’s why you don’t date singers?” Her hand shook and it was too much for him. He pulled her back down beside him on the piano bench.
“Yes and no.” He moved his fingers over the piano keys but didn’t play. “I found out that Isabel was fucking around with other guys. Lots of other guys. I didn’t take it that well. I sort of freaked out in the middle of a performance. And she bit back. By the next morning, she had annihilated my reputation. No one would hire me. I couldn’t even get a wedding gig. I had to leave LA. That’s how I ended up in South Carolina.”
Avery’s shoulders slumped. “I understand,” she whispered. “All that stuff with Nick probably wasn’t a good idea, huh? It probably brought back too many memories.”
Dan lifted her chin, tracing her jaw with his fingers. “No, sweetheart. It wasn’t like that at all. That was about the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced. My dick was on perma-erection the rest of the night.”
Avery blushed and his balls tightened. Would her blush cover her whole body?
“I thought it was pretty hot too,” she said. “But still maybe not such a good idea.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I’m pretty much not going to ever look at your costume the same way again.”
She leaned into him, her body making contact with too many parts of him all at once.
“Do you think…” she started, but then shook herself and inched back.
“Do I think what?”
She stood up. “Do you think we’ll be ready for the show?”
Back to business. His shoulders slumped. “Yeah. I do. Did Nelson confirm the New York Times reviewer is going to be there?”
“Yeah. Opening night. And the Carmichael told me they sold out.”
“Really?” Dan had played before big crowds before, but the Carmichael was like the Carnegie Hall of cabaret venues. He cleared his throat. “Will you need help with your costume again?” Please say yes.
She smiled. “No. My brother and his boyfriend are coming. Plenty of extra hands.”
He nodded. “Okay then, do you want to go through the last song again?”
A determined look crossed her face. “No, Danny Piano, we’ve had enough rehearsal. I want you to take me dancing.”
His mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
She put her hands on her hips and his eyes moved directly to her pebbled nipples. “You’re always sitting at that bench.” She gestured to the piano. “I know you’ve got moves. I want you to take me dancing. I’m too keyed up about the show to sleep. The only way I’ll get any rest is if I drop from exhaustion.”
He didn’t know how he would take an entire night of his body pressed to hers, but there was no way he was going to refuse her. Not with the flushed, determined look on her face. “Okay. Dancing it is. Do you have a place in mind?”
***
The club was packed. Too many bodies. Too much heat. Not enough patience to wait at the bar for drinks. Avery was so proud of herself for demanding Dan take her dancing, she didn’t really think about the consequences of a night pressed against him on the dance floor. She felt him get hard the minute she slid into his arms. And she loved it.
Song after song their sweat mixed, their bodies pressed, their hands roamed… Everything about him was made to fit into every part of her. He rubbed the bottom of her breasts until her legs nearly buckled underneath her, allowing him to hold her weight in his arms.
She slid her leg between his and grasped his hips, sliding her fingertips into the top of his jeans to keep his hardness pressed against her. She ground against him, working them both into a frenzy. It was allowable fucking and her body was on fire from it.
“I need to take a break,” she breathed into his ear. “Why don’t you go get us a drink?”
He groaned. “Thank God.”
She batted her eyes a
t him. “What?” she asked, sliding up his length.
He pulled her off him. “You’re playing with fire, Avery. Watch yourself. This isn’t how you behave with your creative life partner.”
She bit her lip, but didn’t relent. Balls to the wall, she reminded herself. “We have all our clothes on.”
He swatted her ass and stepped away. The sting made her squeak in pleasure.
“I’ll get us drinks.”
Avery nodded and moved toward the bathroom. She locked herself into the first stall and slipped off her underwear. She lifted her foot onto the seat of the toilet and moaned the second her fingers touched her slick folds. She swirled her index finger around her clit and pinched her nipple with her other hand. Her fingers were too small. She added another, but her body was begging for more intense relief. She should have packed her travel vibe. Should have forced Dan in here with her.
Minutes later, the door banged open. Her hand stilled.
“Avery.”
Oh Christ.
“You’re in the women’s room, Dan.”
“You’re taking too long. I look like an asshole with two drinks sitting in front of me and no woman.”
Her hand slipped out of her. Her body was even more keyed up. She needed release.
“I’ll be right out. I promise.” She just needed a minute more…or another set of hands.
“I see your panties on the floor.” His voice was deep and smoky and filled with lust.
Crap. Her face burned as she leaned over to snatch them off the floor.
“You can finish, you know,” he said and she heard a rumble in his throat.
“We’ve been through this before. If you don’t want me, you better just go.”
“Christ,” he cursed. “What the fuck are you doing to me? You know this isn’t about me wanting you.”
She slipped her underwear on and unlocked the door. “You’re afraid. Because of Isabel,” she said when she stepped out of the stall. “I get that. But I don’t cheat on men.”
His eyes lingered over her and her body buzzed with want. “This isn’t about Isabel. It never really was. We have this great creative connection. But I don’t think I’m enough of a man to be that person in your regular life too. I’m sort of a disaster. I’ve lived in South Carolina for too long and I have a chip on my shoulder about singers. I don’t think you want to risk your career on a relationship with me. I know I wouldn’t.”