“Take me to the Loews Hotel,” she choked out and then put her head in hands. How was she going to live without them in her life?
* * * *
It had been two weeks since she had left Gabriel, Constantine, and Jonathan. She hadn’t heard one word from them. She had kept herself sane by working hard at the recording studio. Jake had been wonderful. She was making really good progress. Max had stopped by here and there to check on things. She didn’t know what he knew about her breakup with Gabriel and Constantine. If he was aware of it, he wasn’t asking her any questions about it, and for that she was grateful. He was pretty preoccupied with Allison. It seemed that he had a lot more in common with the men she had left than she would have ever realized. She was happy for him.
She had also found an apartment in the same building as Jake. She had told him she was looking for a place and he gave her the name of his landlord. She had set up a time to see the apartment the very next day at lunch and before she returned, she had signed the contract. It was in Old City. The rent wasn’t too bad, and the space had lots of windows.
“I’m glad you took the apartment,” Jake had told her. “They go pretty fast.”
“Me, too. Thanks for the recommendation. I can move in at the end of the month.”
She would have to call Matilda and let her know where to send her clothes. Melody had cried herself to sleep every night since she had said good-bye to the three men she couldn’t stop dreaming about. Her body twisted and turned each night in search of what she had lost. It was torture to think she was with them in her dream only to wake up from their touch to the nightmare of being alone in her bed. She would wake in a sweat. So many times, she had started to call one or the other, and each time she had stopped herself. She had to remain strong.
Calla had called her a couple times, but she hadn’t called her back. She had, however, called Calla’s parents to say hello and tell them about her recording contract. They didn’t seem to know anything about what was going on between her and their daughter. They thought everything was fine. She decided it was best to keep it that way. She loved them, but she wasn’t their real daughter, and she and Calla could never be friends again. Too many revelations that she wished had remained unknown. But it didn’t mean she wouldn’t always be grateful to Calla regardless of what her motivation had been.
It was after six o’clock and she was just getting ready to leave the studio when Jake approached her about going out for a drink and something to eat.
“Some of the guys from the band are supposed to meet me at the bar. How about you come with us? Can you?”
Why not? All that waited for her at the hotel was room service and television. It would be nice to get out with people. “I’d like that. Are you leaving now?”
“Yes, if you’re ready.”
He took her arm and was leading her to the front of the building when she looked up to see Constantine walking toward them. He was wearing a suit and tie and was talking to Allison Harper who had a frown on her face.
“Melody,” Allison said stopping as they approached. “Good to see you leaving this place a little more timely. You’ve been working too hard.”
“Hi, Allison…Constantine.” She drank in the sight of him. He stared back at her, like he was just as glad to see her.
“Yes. I’m leaving a bit earlier. Jake asked me out for drinks.” She wasn’t sure what prompted her, but she said, “Would you two like to join us?”
“Yes. I think I would. How about you, Allison?” Constantine asked, his intense gaze moving to Allison.
“I can’t. I have another meeting. We’re basically through here anyway, Constantine. I’ll see you tomorrow in court.”
Allison walked away, and Melody looked up to see Constantine was staring at her again.
“Are you sure you want to go?”
“Absolutely.”
Jake just shrugged. She could tell he wasn’t pleased but Constantine didn’t seem to care. The three of them walked together through the building to the front door and out onto the street. The bar was only a few blocks south of them. Jake made casual conversation and Constantine responded in turn. When they finally arrived at the bar, they entered through frosted glass doors and were greeted by the blaring of a country western song. A number of people were standing as well as sitting at the bar and talking quite loudly to be heard over the music. The place was in full swing.
Jake spotted a waitress that he evidently knew and signaled to her. He talked to her for a minute and then motioned to them. Constantine held onto Melody’s elbow. The dark haired waitress showed them to a table that had just cleared.
“What’ll it be, Melody?” Jake asked as the waitress stood hovering over them.
“A beer is fine. I don’t care what kind.”
“I’ll take a Miller Lite,” Constantine said without being asked. The waitress gave him a wide, toothy grin.
“Would you like anything else?” she asked, leaning toward him.
Melody’s gut reaction was pure jealousy. The waitress was very flirty and needed to button up and stop showing off her ample cleavage. She bit her tongue and remembered that she had no right to feel anything. She lowered her eyes.
“Hey there, Irene,” Jake yelled to the waitress. Melody could tell that he was annoyed. “I’ll have me a Miller Lite, too, and bring us some pretzels and menus. My mouth is watering for something really good.”
Melody looked up, thinking he was ogling the waitress, but to her dismay, he was ogling her. She wasn’t wearing anything that revealing, just a white tailored shirt and jeans, but his eyes were glued to her breasts. She could see Constantine from the corner of her eye. He was stone faced and tense. Had he witnessed Jake’s roving eyes?
“How are things going with the recording business, Jake?” Constantine asked pointedly as the waitress literally batted her eyelashes at him before she reluctantly left to fill their drink orders.
“Not bad. Having Melody with us has been a real perk for me. She’s wonderful to work with.”
“I’m sure she is,” he said dryly.
Constantine turned, giving Melody his undivided attention. “You’re enjoying yourself, are you?”
“It’s hard work, and I like hard work.”
“Allison’s mentioned that you’re actually ahead of schedule,” he said, his eyes going to Jake. “No small feat for an enterprise like this, especially with someone who’s never done this before.”
“Yes, we are,” Jake said proudly. “Melody makes it easy. She’s been a pro right from the beginning. She’d work around the clock if we let her. Her work ethic is unbelievable.”
She could see Constantine’s eyes narrow and his mouth turn into a hardline. “She looks exhausted. I hope you’re not overworking her.”
Jake was about to say something in his defense when the waitress returned with their menus. She handed one to Constantine first. Melody watched Constantine beneath her eyelashes as he studied the menu. She wanted to touch him, to feel his lips on hers, and run her hands through his hair. Stop it! The waitress was still hovering, and it irritated Melody. Wasn’t she even going to give them a few minutes to look at the menu without her in their faces?
Constantine looked up as she quickly looked down at her menu. He had to know she had been staring at him. The waitress smiled seductively and leaned over to make sure her breasts were in full view. If her shirt had one more button unbuttoned, her nipples would be exposed.
Jake seemed to be enjoying the view, too. He smiled somewhat shamefaced at Melody before he gave the woman his order. Constantine followed, ordering a burger and fries. She ordered a salad. She was too wound up to eat anything else. Constantine was too close. Would she ever get over this need she had for him?
When the waitress finally left them with her hips swaying, Constantine sat back in his chair and took a sip of his beer. “You come here often, Jake?”
“Not a lot. Melody and I have been ordering lunch in. We can’t seem to tea
r ourselves away from the recording studio. I usually grab something from one of the street vendors, but I thought we deserved a change in scenery today. Contrary to what you might think, I would never overwork her.”
“I love the Chinese cart,” Melody spoke up, not wanting to discuss her work hours. “It’s cheap, too.”
“Lucky you don’t come down with food poisoning or worse,” Constantine murmured.
“The food carts around here are good,” Jake said, “no one’s gotten sick that I know of.”
Ignoring both men, Melody drank her beer. There were a few awkward silences, but all in all Jake and Constantine talked civilly about the recording business and the weather. Melody, on the other hand, felt her stomach tightening into a knot of unwanted tension and had a difficult time joining in the conversation. Her nerves were on edge. Just sitting at the same table with Constantine had her body on high alert. When the salad arrived, she just looked at it.
“Lost your appetite?” Constantine asked.
“I’m just not hungry, after all, I guess.”
“That’s a shame,” he said, his expression unreadable. “You should try and eat. You look like you’ve lost a few pounds.”
“Well, I’m enjoying the cheesesteak,” Jake spoke up. “Not as good as some I’ve had, but better than most.”
“My burger’s not bad either,” Constantine agreed.
She moved her salad around with her fork, but could hardly eat a bite. She had to leave or she was going to scream. When she voiced that she was ready to leave, Constantine signaled for the waitress and insisted on picking up the tab. Jake just smiled and didn’t even offer to pay. Melody didn’t want Constantine to pay for her, but she couldn’t say anything without embarrassing Jake.
The waitress took the bill and Constantine’s credit card. When she returned, he handed her a couple of large bills.
The waitress gasped and then giggled, giving Constantine a radiant smile.
“Oh, my. Thanks so much,” she gushed. She then proceeded to take a card from her apron pocket and Melody could only assume was giving him her telephone number. He just took it and smiled. Jake just shook his head but didn’t say anything.
Constantine once again took her elbow as they were leaving the restaurant. He was walking very close to her and at one point she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. They walked out onto the sidewalk and stood for a moment.
Jake stopped in front of her. “Well, Melody, since the boys in the band decided not to come after all. Why don’t you come back to my place? We can talk about some new ideas I have for your next song.”
Constantine stood rigid, his eyes once again dark with anger. She had a feeling that the band had never been invited. She had known at some point she might have to address Jake’s attraction to her. She liked him, but that’s as far as it went. She couldn’t imagine being with anyone but Constantine, Gabriel, and Jonathan. They had broken her heart, and she wasn’t sure it could ever be fixed.
“Well, I guess we’ll see you later, Constantine,” Jake said, grabbing Melody’s hand.
“Not so fast, Jake. I had another motive for having a drink with you two. I need to speak with Melody about some legal business. It may take a while.”
Jake let her hand go. “Is that what you want, Melody?”
No, she did not want to spend time alone with Constantine, but she didn’t want to spend time alone with Jake either. “Is this something we need to talk about now?”
“Yes, it is. Your old friend spoke with Allison again.”
Melody’s eyes flew to Constantine’s. “I thought that was over.”
Jake looked on with interest.
“Not here,” Constantine said, taking her with him toward the curb where he hailed a taxi.
“Wait a minute. Where are we going?”
“Somewhere where you little boyfriend won’t be hanging on every word.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Tell him that.”
“Melody!” Jake was walking toward them. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“Jake, I’m sorry. I do have to talk with Constantine. We’ll get together another time. I’m sorry.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, looking angry. “He’s not intimidating you is he?”
Yes, he is. “No. Please. We’ll talk later.”
The taxi pulled over to the curb in front of them. Constantine opened the door and shoved her gently in ahead of him. She wasn’t sure if he was afraid she was going to bolt or what, but he obviously wasn’t taking any chances.
“I need to go to my hotel, so talk fast.”
“No. You don’t,” Constantine said calmly.
“Excuse me. What did you say?”
“We’re going home.” He gave the cab driver his own address.
“Are you crazy? That’s not going to happen.”
“This isn’t something I want to discuss in a cab either. Besides, you should see Gabriel. I’m hoping Jonathan will be there, too.”
The way he had said Gabriel’s name made her heart skip a beat—like something was wrong. “All the more reason why I shouldn’t go with you,” she breathed, wishing he weren’t sitting so close to her.
“You’re coming home with me, Melody.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Constantine pressed the elevator button for the penthouse. She entered with trepidation and excitement. When the doors opened onto their foyer, she wanted to cry. It felt so much like home. But it wasn’t her home and it never would be.
Matilda came hurrying out into the foyer, probably from the kitchen since she was wiping her hands on her apron.
“Oh, Miss Melody. You’ve come back. I’m so glad to see you.”
Melody found herself wrapped up in Matilda’s embrace. She smelled of everything good. It was hard to disengage herself. She felt tears forming as she backed away.
“I’ve missed you, Matilda.”
Matilda hung on to her hand. “When Constantine called to tell me you were going to be here for dinner, I started making your favorite dish. I know how you love my chicken a la king over rice and strawberry shortcake for dessert.”
When had he found the time to call Matilda? She glared at him before she turned her attention back to Matilda. “That sounds delicious. I’m just not sure I’ll be here for dinner.”
“Of course you will.” She heard Gabriel entering the foyer from behind her. “Why on earth would you want to hurt Matilda’s feelings? She’s never been anything but nice to you.”
Matilda smiled wanly. “That’s okay, dear. If you can’t stay…”
She wouldn’t say or do anything to hurt Matilda for the world. “Of course I’ll stay.” She paused as Matilda noticeably brightened. “I wouldn’t miss one of your dinners.”
Matilda’s eyes twinkled. “Now that’s settled, let me go and make sure everything is cooking the way it should. Just the way you like it.”
Melody turned to where Gabriel was standing. She gasped. “What happened to you?” He looked awful. His arm was in a cast and he had scratches on his face. He was dressed in sweat pants and a T-shirt that had been cut to accommodate his arm.
“Just an accident. Nothing much to speak of.”
“If you mean trying to avoid a biker and running up a curb is nothing, then I guess he’s right,” Constantine said sarcastically. “He could have been fucking killed. I hate bikers who think they don’t have to obey the rules of the road.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Constantine! It was a minor accident and no one else was hurt. The kid was a messenger. He’d only been on the job a few days. He was pretty shaken up but unscathed. I’m just glad I didn’t hit him.”
“My God,” Melody breathed, walking toward him. “You never drive. You have a driver. What in the hell possessed you to drive yourself?”
Constantine let out an expletive. “Really? What possessed him? That’s a good way of putting it.”
“Stop it, Constantine.” Gabri
el shook his head. “I was planning to drive up to New York directly from work. I thought the drive would do me good. Help clear my head.”
“Thank God you weren’t hurt any worse than you were.” She walked toward him without even thinking. She touched his arm gently. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t,” Gabriel said under his breath.
She took her hand back. She gazed into his eyes, which were looking at her with such need it made her knees weak.
“I’m glad you’re staying for dinner. Matilda would have been hurt if you hadn’t.”
“It’s nice to know I’m wanted,” she whispered sadly, turning away from Gabriel.
Constantine grabbed her hand and pulled her with him. “Let’s go into the living room where we can talk sitting down for Gabriel’s sake.”
She had no choice but to follow him into the other room. She noticed that Gabriel was limping. Was Constantine implying he was upset about her leaving them and that was why he had to clear his head? Had they missed her as much as she missed them? That, she knew, wasn’t possible. She had never thought it was possible to feel such despair and loneliness as she had these past few weeks.
Constantine led her to one of the leather sofas and then poured drinks from the mini bar. He didn’t pour one for Gabriel. He was probably on pain medication. She was grateful to have a glass of wine.
When they were settled on the sofa, she looked over to the chair where Gabriel was sitting apart from them. He had a frown on his face. “He shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“I, for one, am glad he did.” Jonathan stood in the doorway.
“Jonathan,” she breathed. “I wasn’t sure I would see you.”
“I wasn’t either. I was going to work late or go to a bar until I thought you were gone, but I could not go without seeing you. No matter how cruel and uncaring you’ve been, I still wanted to see you.”
“Cruel,” she whispered. “You think I’ve been cruel and uncaring?”
“What else was I to think,” he said, walking into the room and going to the bar to pour himself a drink. “You left us, we didn’t leave you, and without a thought for how you were hurting us. You never cared for us at all, did you?”
A Triple Melody (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 17