Crescendo

by Kaitlin Maitland

  “You started really young, right?”

  Crescendo

  71

  Startled by Jen"s question, Leslie wondered if her thoughts were that transparent. “My grandfather was a violin teacher, so he started me before my fourth birthday.”

  Jen ducked through the stone arch at the quad entrance, making sure the scroll portion of her covered instrument didn"t drag across the pillar. “He was a teacher? Really? Where did he teach?”

  “Why the twenty questions?” Leslie"s palms grew sweaty on her instrument case. She didn"t want to talk about this. She didn"t like to talk about her grandfather or anything else related to her past. She"d told her story once, to the headmistress, and only when she was begging to be allowed to join the Boston School for the Arts as a working student on scholarship.

  “Niles was asking me if either of us owned a half-size violin that Caleb could borrow.” Jen paused at the sidewalk and looked down at her watch. “Speaking of Niles, if he doesn"t hurry, we"re going to be late to the wedding.”

  It only made sense that Niles would want Caleb to start playing the violin.

  Like Leslie, Niles played both the violin and viola. It was easier to start a beginner on the violin, if he could find a small, student instrument to teach with.

  She would"ve helped him in a heartbeat. To her knowledge, her instruments, with the exception of La Bella Ragazza, were still in the conservatory at her grandfather"s home. If she closed her eyes, she could picture them in the glass case on the long wall. They"d been there since she was a little girl, waiting for the sunlight to stream in through the windows and burnish their spruce and maple surfaces in shades of red and brown.

  “Finally! There he is.” Jen waved madly as a cab recklessly skidded to a halt at the curb.

  Niles tumbled from the back door, his black bowtie askew and his buttons mismatched. Honey-colored hair fell over his forehead, and he tossed it back before giving them a smile. “Sorry I"m late. I had to take Caleb upstairs to Mrs. Potter"s apartment.”

  72

  Kaitlin Maitland

  Holding the cello case, he helped Jen slide the straps from her shoulders before stowing the large instrument in the trunk of the cab.

  When he reached for La Bella Ragazza, Leslie held it out of range. “That"s okay. It"ll ride up front with me.”

  He shook his head. “You are so weird about that thing.”

  She opened the front door and settled herself on the seat before carefully wedging her instrument case between her legs on the floorboard. Before Niles and Jen had even shut the rear doors, the crazy driver was already butting into traffic.

  “I don"t know why you want Caleb to play the violin. There are way too many violin players already.” The opinionated statement was textbook Jen.

  Niles gave her his best patronizing smile. “Poor little cellist. There are plenty of mediocre violinists out there. If I start him now, Caleb has a chance to be great.”

  That was all it took to start a lively debate. Pushing Jen"s buttons was one of Niles"s favorite pastimes. Thankful for the distraction, Leslie sank into the dingy seat. Brushing her fingers over the worn end of her violin case, she wondered why the past never wanted to stay in the past.

  * * *

  “Don"t look at me. You"re the one who intended to sleep with her.” Seth jabbed Joshua in the ribs. Joshua adjusted his tie and straightened his cuffs. “I"d have never gotten to her pussy.”

  Seth took the bait. “Why"s that?”

  His best friend gave him a smug smile. “I would"ve kept my cock lodged in her throat to keep her quiet.”

  Choking back a laugh of epic proportions, Seth pasted a smile on his face and stood alongside Joshua to greet Mikayla Stevens, the opposing council for Niles"s custody case. He"d picked the busy steak house because the atmosphere was just quiet enough for conversation without allowing too much privacy. To that end, Crescendo

  73

  they"d commandeered their standard table near the center of the main dining room.

  Servers buzzed around the crowded room with steaming platters of food held high.

  A bottle of good wine sat open on the table, but they hadn"t waited for their guest before helping themselves to a glass. Considering Joshua"s recent date with Mikayla, romantic entanglements were something they needed to actively discourage.

  Seth watched Joshua shake Mikayla"s hand. His friend touched her only as long as courtesy demanded. Nothing in Josh"s expression gave any indication he was even remotely attracted to the woman. Relieved, Seth offered her his own brief handshake and waited for her to sit down.

  Obviously she wasn"t done showing the two of them exactly what she figured they were missing out on. Her too-short skirt was already hovering just below her mound, and she managed to give them an eyeful of pussy when she sat and crossed her legs.

  Beside him, Joshua stiffened and kept his gaze riveted on her face. Seth wondered if this type of strategy had really worked for her in the past. He knew men had bad reps when it came to sexual promiscuity. According to popular culture, they were incapable of thinking about anything but their next lay.

  He and Joshua had never been that easy. Of course, they"d never had to be.

  There was always some Mikayla out there throwing herself at them. But the things worth having didn"t come easy. Now, a future with Leslie hovered before them, and fidelity was taking on a whole new meaning.

  Setting her gaudy, oversize handbag on the extra chair, Mikayla took off her suit jacket and draped it over the top. Seth had a moment"s satisfaction that Leslie never carried any sort of designer disaster of a purse. No. Their girl kept it understated and classy.

  Warmth bloomed in the pit of his stomach as he contemplated the idea that Leslie could be their girl for the long haul. Waking with her sweet backside pressed tightly against his cock had been an experience he hoped to repeat as many times as 74

  Kaitlin Maitland

  possible. The only thing that would make it more perfect was having Joshua join them.

  He gazed at his friend and partner. Always the skeptic, Joshua was eyeing Mikayla as if she were a rattlesnake poised to strike.

  “Well, boys, I think you"ll have to agree that my clients really have the most to offer the child in this case.” A self-satisfied smile twisted the corner of her mouth, and she absently examined her manicured red nails.

  “Is that why they"re basing their entire petition on the weakest point of any custody case?”

  The venom in Joshua"s tone surprised Seth. Either his partner was highly annoyed with Mikayla, or he"d somehow become personally invested in the case.

  Clearing his throat, Seth went with Joshua"s good cop/bad cop routine and took a slightly less hostile approach. “What Joshua is referring to is the fact that your client"s entire petition is based upon the „in the best interest of the child" clause in the Massachusetts custody statute.”

  “My clients are the child"s maternal grandparents. They have a close personal relationship with the child and are financially capable of providing him with advantages his father could not possibly afford.” She lounged back in her chair and bounced her leg. The gaping skirt bowed and flexed with each movement, and Seth wondered if he should just come right out and tell her they weren"t interested.

  Joshua leaned forward. “Before her passing, our client and his estranged wife shared custody of Caleb. He spent every weekend with his father. And when she was having chemo for her cancer treatment, Caleb spent some weeknights with his father as well. The kid just lost his mom. Are you really going to try and take his father away from him too?”

  Seth picked up the thread of conversation. “Niles has a full-time job that provides benefits for his son; he"s lived in the same apartment for three years; Caleb was already established in his father"s apartment before this petition; and our client has no desire to prevent his son from having regular, and even unsupervised Crescendo

  75

  contact, with his maternal grandparents
.” He ticked off the list on his fingers, maintaining eye contact with Mikayla.

  “Your client has an apartment?” Her expression grew smug. “My sources tell me Niles has been living with an unattached woman for the last three years.”

  “It isn"t unusual to have a roommate to help share expenses.” Seth kept his voice carefully modulated. Beside him, Joshua"s rigid posture indicated his temper was flaring red-hot. If Mikayla made disparaging remarks about Leslie, Seth had a feeling his partner would lose it. And that was not normal. Not at all.

  “Since having full custody of Caleb, the roommate has moved out of our client"s apartment, and he"s continued to cover expenses without any additional assistance.”

  Joshua delivered the information in a flat tone.

  Of course, that wasn"t entirely true. There was no telling how much Leslie was assisting with Niles"s financial situation. She"d been careful about it, but he"d seen the books for the Trio. Niles was taking home what should"ve been Leslie"s paycheck in addition to his.

  Mikayla rearranged her face into an ugly parody of a smile. “And you don"t think my clients have been concerned about their grandson having contact with a woman like that, who moves in and out of apartments with single men?”

  The comment stung. The rub was that Mikayla could not possibly know how or why she"d scored a point. Joshua"s lip curled, and Seth knew it was time to wrap things up. Taking a deep breath, he pushed her into a corner. “Instead of smearing some poor woman you don"t even know, why don"t we talk about what your client really sees as detrimental to their grandson"s welfare?”

  “Excuse me?” Her expression faltered.

  Joshua charged ahead. “Yes. Let"s talk about the fact that our client is openly homosexual. And though he doesn"t currently have a steady partner, at some point he will be likely to develop a relationship with another homosexual and introduce him to Caleb.”

  Her cheeks flamed bright red. “Surely you can understand the concern!”

  76

  Kaitlin Maitland

  Seth sat back in his seat and gave her a hard glare. “Honestly, Mikayla, do you really want to walk into a Boston courtroom and go there?”

  Her twitchy expression and flushed face indicated her increasing excitement.

  “Is that why the two of you took this case?”

  He and Joshua locked gazes. They needed to tread carefully. He had no idea what her angle was, but something told him she was straying from the topic.

  “Did you take the case because you"re both bisexual?” She reached across the table and snagged his sleeve.

  He snatched his arm away as though he"d been burned. “I"m sorry, what does that have to do with this case?”

  “I"ve always wanted to watch.” Her voice was low, fervent, and disturbing. The hair at the nape of Seth"s neck stood on end.

  “I told you before, Ms. Stevens, Seth and I are straight.” Joshua was hanging on to his composure by a thread.

  “Don"t be silly. I"m no dummy.” Her eyes were strangely bright. “Living up there in that penthouse all alone. I bet the two of you could teach me to suck cock better than any woman alive.”

  A wordless look of horror passed between them. Seth wondered if it would be best to just let her say what she felt she had to say or to run like hell.

  She turned to Joshua. “I want to wet the head of your cock in my juices, and then watch it disappear into Seth"s mouth. Then I want to see him run his tongue all over your shaft before he sucks you off. I want to taste his cum on your lips when I kiss you.”

  Definitely run like hell.

  He and Joshua stood at the same moment. Their chairs rocked backward with the force. Mikayla looked surprised. Had she really expected them to invite her home for a round of something he didn"t even care to speculate on?

  Crescendo

  77

  “Come on, boys.” She pressed one red nail to her lips. “I"m not going to tell anyone about our little arrangement.”

  Seth couldn"t stand it anymore. “Though it is none of your business, Joshua and I are currently in a relationship. I highly doubt she would appreciate any sort of unprofessional arrangement, no matter the nature.”

  “Not to mention that this meeting has strayed far away from its original purpose.” Joshua motioned for a server, then handed him a couple of hundred dollar bills. “Please feel free to finish your meal. We"re leaving.”

  “Call the office if you want to reopen negotiations about this case.” Seth gave her a hard stare. “Otherwise, we won"t expect to hear from you.”

  With Joshua at his side, he exited the dining room for the bar area without looking back.

  “She"s lost it,” Joshua muttered as he paused at the coatroom to pick up their suit jackets. “I vote we keep this little incident to ourselves. No need to mention it to Leslie.”

  “I"ll second that. I can"t imagine how we"d explain it anyway.” Seth motioned to a valet to get their car. Pulling on his jacket, he contemplated the fact that Joshua had willingly asked the crazy bitch on a date.

  “Don"t say it.”

  Seth fought the smile that threatened to spread across his face. “Say what?”

  “Fine, I"ll say it.” Joshua closed his eyes briefly. “I passed up an evening spent with you and Leslie for her.”

  “Yeah, that pretty much makes you insane.”

  * * *

  “Think anyone would notice if we sort of mingled with the guests and hit the dessert buffet?” Jen zipped her instrument case closed and looked longingly at the towering chocolate fountain surrounded by strawberries, bananas, graham crackers, and marshmallows.

  78

  Kaitlin Maitland

  Niles stared at the table loaded down with junk food of every description. “Who does s"mores at a wedding reception?”

  “It"s the Bridezilla syndrome.” Leslie watched the blushing new wife shake her backside with the bridesmaids while holding the tulle lace of her skirt above her knees. “Television has told them they can ask for whatever they want, no matter how ridiculous it is.”

  Jen sighed with longing. “And instead of crazy, they"re called creative.”

  Leslie carefully draped a length of soft flannel over the scroll of La Bella Ragazza and closed her case. “So let"s stow the instruments behind the stage with the band"s junk and then mingle. Nobody will be able to tell the difference.”

  Niles slung his viola case over one shoulder. “Until the band accidentally takes off with one of our instruments.”

  “Leslie would hunt them down and kill them to get it back.” Jen zipped her cello into its bag.

  Obviously she"d been acting a little paranoid about her violin lately. “I"m not that bad.”

  “Yes, you are.” Niles reached for her case, and she automatically moved it just out of range. “See. I bet you wouldn"t even let me play it if I begged.”

  The challenge put Leslie in a precarious situation. It wasn"t as if Niles was going to harm La Bella by playing it. The damn violin had managed to survive over three hundred years and several transatlantic crossings. Her concern was that Niles would be able to tell her violin was not the typical imitation Stradivarius he"d always figured it to be.

  “Wow, Les, you"re actually thinking about it,” Jen teased. “It"s not like he"s asking if Caleb can take a few lessons on it.”

  Niles reached for her case. Her heart began to pound until she was sure he could hear it over the thump of the bass player"s guitar.

  “Mind if we crash?”

  Crescendo

  79

  At the sound of Seth"s voice, Leslie"s brain gave up its mental tug-of-war. The tension left her muscles, and desire flared to life as his large hands bracketed her hips. He pulled her close, his groin nestling against her backside. She rested her hands on the corded length of his forearms, enjoying the warmth seeping from his body to hers. The only thing that would have made it better was the sleek skin-to-skin contact she could never get enough of.

  His lips tickled he
r ear. “Can you tell we missed you?”

  Her nerves caught fire as his cock began to swell against the curve of her bottom. A thrill of feminine power swept her body. Her nipples peaked beneath the thin material of her dress, and her pussy ached with the need to be stroked.

  “Looks like you guys are finished here.” Joshua"s smooth baritone sent a riot of chills racing across her skin. He gently tugged her violin case from her hands. A few steps away, Niles looked from her to his lawyers as if he"d finally caught on.

  Leslie had never mentioned anything to Niles about the new living arrangement or her agreement with Seth and Joshua. She could see by the stiffness in his expression that he was taken aback. It wasn"t that she"d been deliberately keeping him in the dark. There hadn"t been a comfortable way to open the topic.

  Jen"s reaction had been about all she could handle. Besides, how was she supposed to explain a relationship that wasn"t really a relationship with two guys she couldn"t keep her hands off of?

  Jen flashed a too-bright smile, obviously trying to smooth over the awkward moment. “We were just thinking about nicking dessert from the table.” She pointed at the chocolate fountain.

  Joshua looked doubtful. “Who has s"mores at a wedding reception?”

  Niles finally grinned. “See, that"s what I said.”

  Seth gave Leslie a brief squeeze. “You"d think the bride and groom would want the chocolate fountain in the honeymoon suite, not the reception hall.”

  “Now that"s an idea that has merit,” Joshua agreed.

  80

  Kaitlin Maitland