“You do have beautiful eyes. And as far as opening them, you do know that I’m very attracted to you. And I’m not the only one.”
“I like you, too, Constantine. But what do you mean you’re not the only one?”
“Come to dinner with me tonight and we’ll talk.”
“I don’t know. You’re making me nervous.”
Melody looked down at her hands, trying to still her nerves. Who else was attracted to her, and if so, what was he suggesting?
“Don’t be afraid,” he said softly, his hand covering hers.
Melody wondered what other revelations Constantine would have shared with her if the receptionist hadn’t chosen that moment to interrupt the awkward silence that followed his statement. She was trying very hard to digest what he had just said and why he had chosen that moment to show his hand. And what about Calla? Melody knew that if she even so much as looked at Constantine, Gabriel, or even Jonathan, any chance of reconciliation would be a moot point. But then again, Melody had her doubts that Calla would ever forgive her for whatever sin she wanted to believe she had committed.
Chapter Eight
Constantine had to leave before Melody went into the meeting with Mrs. Harper and Max. He had to be in court. Before he left, he drew her aside and told her that he expected her for dinner and that his driver would pick her up at her apartment. He wasn’t even giving her a chance to say no. He insisted that he would send a car for her. She liked the way he took charge and the fact that he had told her he was attracted to her, and yet the evening ahead scared her as much as it made her want to jump for joy. If she went, something told her nothing in life would ever be quite the same again.
Max had negotiated her contract well, and she was more than happy to sign it and to receive the advance. She would give her notice at the Angry Dog and spend her time honing her songs and recording them. Mrs. Harper told her to take a couple weeks to herself and then they would get started on her album. She also told her they would schedule her to meet with a stylist and makeup artist, and give her an overall makeover before the photo shoot for her album cover. It was overwhelming and thrilling.
Max drove her back her back to her apartment. They were both high from their meeting and were acting like a couple of teenagers who had just been given a free trip to the shore for spring break.
“This is just the beginning for you and for me,” Max said, pounding his hand against the steering wheel.
“It is, isn’t it? Mrs. Harper seemed real nice.”
“She is real nice. I think she might be interested in me. She asked me to dinner at her house. ”
“She’s not wasting any time is she?”
“We’re attracted to one another. Why waste time?”
“She’s not one of your girls, Max. She might be more than you can handle.” Melody would never have normally said such a thing, but today was different. She was feeling bold and saucy.
“Don’t you worry about that. I can handle her and her lifestyle. No problem.”
“Her lifestyle?” Melody asked.
“She’s not your typical woman. She’s extremely shrewd. She knows a million dollar baby when she sees one, or in our case, hears one. And how about that advance? No more Angry Dog for you.”
Melody knew that Max had changed the subject on purpose. Well, he had a right to his privacy, too. However, she wasn’t going to leave him shorthanded. “I’ll work for you next week. It’s the least I can do.”
“We’ll see,” Max said.
“I can still sing there can’t I?”
“For the next couple weeks, but after that, you’ll be way too busy. And to be honest, I think you need to concentrate on where you’re going and not so much where you’ve been.”
“I’d like the guys in the band to help me record? Do you think they would be allowed?”
“I worked that out with Allison, I mean Mrs. Harper. She said that would be fine, but Jack, the sound engineer, will have to hear them play first.”
“You thought of everything,” Melody said, putting her hand on Max’s arm. She quickly removed it.
“Melody.” Max said, slightly irritated. “I told you not to worry about me coming on to you again. It’s not going to happen. Our relationship is a professional one now.”
“I’m glad we can work together and be friends.”
“Me, too. And,” he said, keeping his eyes on the road, “I just want to say thank you for making me your manager. This is a great opportunity for me and the band. I appreciate it, and I know the guys will once I tell them.”
“Timing is everything, Max. You gave me a chance. I guess it’s paid off for both of us.”
They rode the rest of the way to her apartment in companionable silence—each lost in a new world of opportunity. When he dropped her off, he gave her hand a squeeze.
“I’ll call you after I’ve gone over your schedule with Mrs. Harper.”
“Thanks again, Max.”
When Melody finally shut the door to her apartment, a wave of tiredness overcame her. She could hardly keep her eyes open. Dragging herself to the bedroom, she kicked off her boots and threw herself on the bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
When she woke, her room was almost dark. How long had she slept? Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she gasped. It was six thirty. The driver to take her to dinner was scheduled to pick her up at seven according to the last text she had received from Constantine.
Quickly, she ran a comb through her hair and applied some makeup. She only had a few dresses to choose from and opted for the simple black scoop neck that was a little short, but not overly so compared to what women were wearing these days. She dug out a pair of black high heels from her closet and dusted them off.
Although she had slept on it, her hair was acting pretty tame, so she opted to just leave it down. Besides, she wasn’t sure she had enough time to try and fix it. With five minutes to spare, she looked into the full-length mirror on the back of her bedroom door. Wild eyes that were brimming with excitement and possibly a little fear stared back at her.
Studying her reflection, she couldn’t help but wonder what this makeover Max had told her about would entail. She liked her hair long, but wouldn’t mind a trim. Possibly they would do her colors and tell her what would look best on her. She wasn’t vain, but she wanted her first album cover to be one she could be proud to call hers since there was always the chance it could be her last.
It was seven o’clock right on the nose when she left her apartment to wait for the car and driver. She walked out of her building just as a limousine pulled to the curb. The driver jumped out and opened the door for her. Her entrance was not as ladylike as she would have hoped. When she looked up, her face froze. Gabriel smiled from across the seat, his eyes not missing the fact that her dress had hiked itself up way past her thighs. She nearly blanched. She had thought she would be alone for a little while to try and collect her thoughts before she saw Constantine. But that was obviously not to be the case.
Scurrying to pull her dress down, she avoided the laughter she was sure was in his eyes.
“You have lovely legs, Melody. It’s nice to see you in a dress.”
“I didn’t know you would be here,” she snapped, her nerves getting the better of her.
“You don’t mind do you? I’m on my way home from work.”
“No. Of course I don’t mind. I appreciate the ride.” She was finally adequately covered and was able to at least look at him without blushing.
“You have beautiful coloring. You could have been a model.”
“I hardly think so. Calla was more model material.”
“Calla’s beautiful, but her looks are fairly common. Yours are not,” he said, his voice brushing over her like velvet.
“Please don’t,” she choked out, feeling tears threatening. “Calla’s the beauty. Don’t say things like that to me and please don’t insult her.”
“I wasn’t insulting her, I as
sure you. I was simply stating a fact. I’ve known women like her my whole life. And…you are truly beautiful, maybe one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.”
Melody turned her head and refused to continue the conversation. She wasn’t a beauty, and what he was saying was actually starting to anger her. Gabriel was being unkind and she didn’t like it.
“Don’t be angry with me for telling the truth,” he said softly. “I’m sorry if I upset you. Tonight is a celebration. Let’s not talk about Calla.”
“I told Constantine and now I’ll tell you. Calla’s devastated by your rejection. She blames me. She won’t even speak to me.”
“She’s jealous of you, Melody. That night when we came to hear you sing, I think she may have seen you as you really are for the first time. You were the one everyone was clapping for and you were the one that no one could take their eyes off. It didn’t sit well with her.”
“She was so happy. She thought you two had something special. She thinks I convinced you otherwise. It’s all so screwed up,” she sighed, crossing her legs and folding her arms across her chest.
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, and before she could object he had moved to sit beside her. “You seem to want to beat a particular subject to the death. I know Constantine told you Calla was delusional. And that I sure as hell never led her to believe we were a couple. She’s transferring her anger from me to you because she knows she can hurt you. She can’t hurt me.”
Melody sensed a ring of truth in his words. It wasn’t the first time Calla had taken out her anger on her, but it had never involved something this serious. It was always a minor irritation and Melody had usually ended up doing whatever she could to sooth her friend’s hurt feelings.
“You really had no feelings for her at all. You just used her for…”
“Sex? Is that what you were going to say?”
When she didn’t answer, he said, “I asked you a question, Melody. Please answer me. Do you think I used her for sex?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“You’re wrong. She’s a woman who likes sex and she liked sex with me. She initiated our encounters. I was in between women and she was, I’ll admit, a diversion. But there was never anything more to it.”
“Well, that’s your version,” Melody said, “and as the saying goes, there’s your version, then there’s her version, and somewhere in between there’s the truth.”
“You do have a point. So let’s drop it for now and not talk about anything but our evening. Constantine and I have a wonderful dinner planned. I think you’re going to enjoy it.”
“You’ll be having dinner with us then?”
“Yes. I will be having dinner with you. Jonathan will be there, too. I thought Constantine told you that.”
“Not really.”
“What does ‘not really’ mean? What did he tell you about this evening?”
Melody looked down. Was he actually going to make her repeat what Constantine had said?
“You know what he told me,” she breathed. Wanting to change the subject, she said, “Where are we going?”
“Didn’t Constantine tell you?” His eyes twinkled with amusement.
“No,” she said warily.
“Well, you really are in for a treat. You’ll be dining with us in our home. We have our own personal chef.”
“Your own personal chef,” Melody repeated, dumbfounded. They must really be loaded. Calla was never going to forgive her for having dinner with them. The voice of her subconscious jabbed her, so why not just enjoy yourself? You have nothing to lose that’s not already lost.
“Does that bother you?”
“I’m not used to it, that’s all.”
“I have a feeling there are a lot of things you’re not used to and will find quite enjoyable once you get used to them.”
“Okay.” She smiled and was rewarded with a large, boyish grin that immediately melted away whatever agitation she had been feeling.
“Tonight, I want you to enjoy yourself, and I plan to see that you do,” he said seductively, before he moved to sit across from her again.
She felt her heart rate increase. She uncrossed her legs. His eyes remained fixed on them. She felt very warm and achy. This was not good, she chided herself. Taking a deep breath, she crossed her legs again. When she chanced a glance at Gabriel, he was reading a document. His mouth turned up into a slight grin, and she knew that he knew she was watching him.
Chapter Nine
The chauffer dropped them off in front of a large building not far from Rittenhouse Square. A doorman, looking quite dapper in his military-style uniform, walked quickly to the car. He was slightly overweight with graying hair and eyes that looked kindly at her. He smiled as soon as he saw Gabriel.
“Good evening, Mr. Roman.”
“Hello, Andy. How are you tonight?”
“I’m better. The wife’s home from the hospital. She’s doing good.”
Gabriel stopped in midstride. “That’s really good to hear. I know how worried you were about her.”
Andy shuffled his feet for a second before he said almost shyly, “I wanted to thank you for calling your cousin. She stopped by and confirmed what Dr. Rosen had told us. I felt a whole lot better about everything.”
“Beth’s one of the best in her field. It’s always good to have a second opinion.”
Melody listened as Gabriel and Andy, as he called him, spoke for another minute before Gabriel put his hand on the small of her back and guided her inside the building. The first thing that caught her eye was a large crystal chandelier that hung in the center of the lobby. It was breathtaking. The air smelled like a library, old money, and quiet sophistication. She could hear the click of her heels on the marble floor as she and Gabriel walked to a bank of elevators.
“What wrong with that man’s wife?”
“Breast cancer. She’s got a bit of a rough road ahead of her, but she has an excellent chance of recovery.”
“Your cousin’s a doctor?”
“Yes, she is. Beth’s an oncologist. Not the field I would have chosen, but she’s extremely dedicated.”
The elevator doors opened, and Gabriel ushered her inside. He inserted a key from his pocket into a lock and then pushed the button for the top floor. When the doors opened, they were in an apartment foyer that was three times the size of her entire apartment. She looked around in awe. The floor of the foyer was grey marble squares that matched the door trim. There was a large, modern, winding staircase to the upper floors and a beautiful bouquet of pink and yellow flowers sitting on a large glass table in the center of the room.
“Oh my,” she breathed. “You live here?”
“Yes. Both Constantine and I live here along with Jonathan when he’s not in New York.”
“It’s rather large for just three people.”
“We like it. Again, it’s all a matter of what you’re used to.” He smiled.
She walked through the door he held for her and entered into a room that was not only large but decadent in its decor. Large paintings of landscapes graced the dark paneled walls. Tables, chairs, and sofas beautifully upholstered in blues and greens were scattered throughout the room atop oriental carpets that were also in hues of blue and green.
Without even asking her, Gabriel poured her a glass of wine and handed it to her.
“Please sit down and relax. I’m going upstairs to change. I’ll be down shortly. I’ll let Constantine know you’re here.”
She watched him leave. He wasn’t gone more than a couple minutes when Constantine walked into the room wearing a pair of light brown khakis and a white, open-neck shirt. She could see the beginning of his dark chest hairs. His hair was still damp from his shower and curled at his nape. He looked delicious.
“Melody,” he said, making her name sound like a song.
“Hello, Constantine. It’s nice to see you. Thank you for having me.”
“Well, I haven’t had you yet.” His eyes glitte
red dangerously.
She coughed, barely able keep the wine down that was burning her nose.
“You okay?” he asked innocently.
“You have to stop saying things like that to me.”
“You’re so damn cute when you blush.”
“It’s not fair to make fun of me like that, especially when I have a mouthful of wine.”
“I like your dress,” he said, changing the subject.
“Thank you.”
“I hope you’re hungry because I’m famished,” he said with a wicked smile that turned her insides wrong side out.
“I will have no trouble eating.” She smiled. “I always appreciate it when someone else cooks.”
Sitting down beside her, he stretched his legs. “So what do you think of the place?”
“It’s quite a place.”
“It used to belong to our grandfather, so it’s been in the family for years. A bit ostentatious for my taste.”
“Gabriel told me that you both like it here.”
“We do in the sense that you could go for days and not even run into one other.” He laughed.
She liked that he appeared so relaxed around her. However, when Gabriel returned, she felt the climate in the room change as Constantine sat upright.
An older woman walked quietly into the room and announced that dinner was ready. Neither of them had taken their eyes off Melody. One brother alone could send her libido into overdrive. Having both pairs of sexy blue looking at her at the same time had her nerves on edge. She was hungry, but she wondered if she was going to be able get any dinner down at all.
They walked her into the dining room between them. The long table had been set for three. Gabriel pulled a chair out for her at the head of the table. He sat to her right and Constantine to her left. Melody hadn’t enjoyed sitting down at a dining room table to have a meal in a very long time. And she had never been in a room this elegant.
It suddenly occurred to her that Jonathan was missing. She thought Gabriel had said he would be joining them.
A Triple Melody (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6