Next Song I Sing (NEXT TIME AROUND)

by McDonald, Donna

  Taylor laughed as she slid off the stool. “I bet that charm of yours works well for you, Max. Thanks for loaning us the piano, Cutie.”

  Max watched her walk back to the table. “Cutie?” he asked, looking at Sam and wondering why that term sounded so odd rolling off her tongue.

  Sam snickered. “That’s called a polite shut down, Romeo. What did you say to her?”

  “Nothing out of line. I was being nice,” Max said in his defense. “I paid her a compliment.”

  Sam snickered again. “She’s not interested, Cutie. Want something stronger in your coke to dull the pain?”

  “Bite me,” Max said cheerfully. “You know I don’t drink anymore.”

  He looked back at the two blondes who were visibly dragging the seemingly reluctant busty brunette to the piano. Taylor sat at the piano and played a few chords, obviously getting a feel for the instrument, even though Max could have told her it was in perfect tune. The shorter, curvier blonde ran back to the table and came rushing back to push a full glass of liquid courage into the brunette’s hand, making her laugh. The game was easy to see, and fun to watch, Max thought.

  They were all three beautiful in their own way, but his gaze kept lingering on just the one. Even in the blue halter dress, Taylor was still perfectly in control of herself. Her short hair was tucked neatly behind her ears. Her earrings swung from her lobes, but not too much. Her confidence in herself was so real Max felt like he could touch it.

  Her gaze also ignored his and with little effort. Damn his luck anyway, Max thought, grinning. Jasper had been right. They were there to enjoy each other’s company, not on the prowl.

  Still—that didn’t mean the game was over. Max was sure he would figure out a way to get Taylor to give him a real chance eventually. He listened to her pick out a few chords, laugh, and count as the other two followed along. He was enchanted with Taylor and her obvious enjoyment of her friends.

  But what happened next was nothing short of magical.

  ***

  “Okay nothing peppy yet. Wait. I got it. Here’s a nice warm up song, Chloe,” Taylor said excitedly, starting on the first chords of “You Send Me.” It was a song perfectly suited to Chloe’s range.

  Chloe took another sip of her rapidly diminishing drink and set the glass on the piano, only to laugh as Emma motioned to the bartender for another one. She’d had more alcohol today than she’d had in a couple of years combined.

  “I’m full up on liquid courage,” Chloe said, patting Emma’s shoulder. “Thanks. Okay, start over, Taylor. If I’m going to do this, let’s do it right.”

  Chloe hummed a little to get a feel for the key and the tone. Then she let the first notes go. Around her, activity stopped, drinks lowered, and Emma and Taylor started smiling.

  The sweetest notes of the song rolled off her tongue and filled the room, while the music vibrated inside her, more thrilling than anything else she had felt in a long time.

  Her laughter slid out between verses. God, she’d forgotten the sheer pleasure of her own voice.

  ***

  “Well, what about that?” Max asked, looking at Sam, who held a liquor bottle in his hand like a man struck dumb.

  Max looked back at the singing woman and wished his brother could see her now. The brunette glittered, and her face was transformed with the joy she was obviously feeling. If Jasper had liked her at lunch, he’d be literally stunned seeing her like this.

  “Sam,” Max said. “Call Jasper. Tell him I said there’s something in the lounge that needs his immediate attention. He stared at that woman all through lunch.”

  “Isn’t Rayonna arriving tonight?” Sam asked, because Jasper’s viper ex made sure everyone in the hotel knew her damn schedule and that she still stayed in their boss’s suite when she was in town.

  “Yes. She is. So hurry. This might just save him,” Max said, making Sam snicker. “Seriously, that singer is the first real woman Jasper has liked in years. Call him. Lie if you have to, but just get him here.”

  Sam turned away and picked up the phone just as the last notes fell off. There was mild applause from some of the other customers, and the woman who was singing laughed and blushed.

  ***

  “Chloe! That was wonderful. You’re still as good as ever,” Emma said, laughing and hugging her. “Do another one.”

  Taylor met Max’s interested gaze across the room. “Let me think. How about this?” She launched into “I Need You,” which Emma and Chloe picked up without a beat.

  ***

  Max was flabbergasted. There was no other term for it. They were really, really good together. By the time the song ended, people from the lobby were wandering in, and some of the café diners were heading their way to check it out.

  “How the hell am I going to follow these three?” Max asked a widely grinning Sam as they went into a third song.

  “If you can’t follow them, you might want to join them and pretend you’re a group. Maybe you can talk them into staying,” Sam said with a laugh and shrug, heading down the bar.

  When Sam came back to his end, Max rapped on the bar. “Get Dreama to come over and wait tables. I saw she was on shift in the dining room. She loves it over here anyway.”

  “Suddenly you care about this place? What’s up? You bucking for Jasper’s job?” Sam asked.

  “Let’s not get crazy now,” Max said, pretending to be insulted.

  Jasper walked in and his eyes went directly, unerringly to the woman who had introduced herself as Chloe Zanders that afternoon. She was wearing a two-piece sequined dress, a diamond ring winking from her revealed navel, and matching earrings that sparkled when they caught the light.

  Jasper was without words and looked at Max, who patted the stool beside him.

  “Jasper needs a drink, Sam. Two fingers,” Max said, making Sam grin again.

  Sam’s eye travelled between Jasper and the women. He shook his head at his own misfortune, knowing exactly which one Jasper favored. Sam and Jasper had been roommates in college.

  “Well, I was going to be mad at you Maximillan, but seeing her dressed up was worth the walk here,” Jasper finally managed to say.

  “Yeah, they’re all dressed up, but just wait a moment,” Max told him. “You’re in for a hell of a surprise.”

  ***

  Taylor watched Jasper Wade come in, see Chloe, and almost fall onto the bar stool. It was so incredibly sweet that she had to study the piano keys to keep from laughing. Think, she ordered herself. What song would most destroy the man’s composure? She played the first notes of “Tell Him.”

  Chloe let the song build inside her, let the melody transport her up and out of herself, and then she saw him. He was sitting beside Max the piano player at the bar, his gaze on her, heat in his eyes.

  She didn’t even consider fighting the urge to sing to him.

  Later, Chloe heard Taylor and Emma joining in, and her voice lifted with theirs in harmony, the words poignant as she sang them to him. When her voice drifted off, and the last notes had been sung, there were a few moments of absolute silence, and then the applause and hooting from everyone was shocking in the quiet room.

  Chloe burst out laughing, her face lit with a pleasure she had forgotten she could feel. Why had she ever given this up? It boggled the mind.

  She hugged and kissed Emma, then slid down on the piano bench to hug and kiss Taylor.

  “This is the best night of my life,” Chloe told them. “Thanks for talking me into this.”

  ***

  At the bar the two men sat, stunned still, while Sam stood equally stunned behind the bar.

  Max cleared his throat and spoke first. “Well, you were right, bro. They’re not on the prowl. They’re here for each other. But I’m still going to date the tall blonde with the short hair.”

  “No, you’re not,” Sam said behind them, setting Jasper’s drink down. “The woman called him ‘Cutie’.”

  Jasper smiled and laughed. “Cutie? That’s a pol
ite shut down Maximillan. She’s not interested.”

  “Really? Maybe I should go for the busty brunette with the pipes then. She looks more friendly anyway. We could use a singer around here. Look at the crowd she brought in. All the tables are full now,” Max said, laughing at his brother’s glare. “You either talk to her or I will, Jasper. And yes, that’s more than a threat. She sang to you and I wasn’t the only man here disappointed. Even Sam has been sighing. You don’t take her up on her interest, somebody will.”

  “Rayonna is here,” Jasper said, frowning. “And she’s in my suite already.”

  “You can’t be that dumb. You’d actually trade a chance with that amazing woman,” he said, pointing to Chloe, “for that skinny yardstick you married and divorced? You don’t even like Rayonna.”

  “What do you suggest I do? She’s here already,” Jasper asked, running an agitated hand through his hair.

  “Tell Rayonna something has come up and stay down here with a real woman,” Max said fiercely. “I have two beds. Stay in my room tonight. Just don’t let the brunette see you with your ex or it’s over before you get started. Trust me on this, Jasper.”

  “You don’t know everything there is to know about women,” Jasper said fiercely.

  Max looked away from his brother when Taylor stopped in front of them.

  “Thanks for the piano loan, Max. Maybe we can use it again later?” she suggested, trying to feel him out about whether or not they were interfering in his work.

  “Absolutely. If you three don’t sing again, I probably won’t see a penny in tips tonight. Your friend has some fantastic voice,” Max said sincerely.

  Taylor smiled at him genuinely. He seemed mostly a nice guy, just young and still full of games. But she had to admit Max was certainly charming in his own way.

  “I owe you and need to pay my debt. Lean down here please.”

  Max had to lean out and down quite a bit, but it gave him a nice view of what her halter was covering.

  Taylor stood on her toes, put both hands on Max’s face, and kissed him softly on the mouth. “Thanks. Really. It was important for Chloe to sing again.”

  She patted his cheek, and then turned to Jasper. Max licked his lips and tried not to be obvious about it. Or about how badly he now wanted another taste of her.

  “Mr. Wade, would you like to have a drink or maybe dinner with us? We would like to say thank you for the wonderful time we’re having,” Taylor said, smiling.

  Jasper looked at Max, taking a moment to think of how to answer.

  Max tilted his head and stared at this brother. The universe was all but shouting at Jasper, the glibbest man Max knew, while he just sat there mute. Max wanted to answer for his brother and had to bite his tongue to keep from doing so.

  “Sure. I’d like that,” Jasper said finally, smiling. “Let me get some menus sent over from the café. It’s a step up from what we serve in the bar. Call it a gift for the wonderful entertainment you provided.”

  “I don’t see how our stay could be any better. This was an amazing first day. I plan to tell all my friends about the hotel. See you shortly.” Taylor turned back to Max. “I put a twenty in your jar to get you started tonight. Thanks again, Max.”

  “My pleasure,” Max said, watching her walk back to the table. “She tasted like bliss, Jasper. I want more.”

  Jasper smacked his arm. “Watch yourself. She’s a hotel guest.”

  “Yes, and you’re a lucky bastard for getting to buy them dinner tonight. By the way you owe me twenty now. One of them kissed me. I’ll collect the rest later.”

  Jasper whipped a crisp bill out of his outer pocket.

  “I’ve decided I want public humiliation. Put it in the jar so people will see you doing it,” Max said, grinning. “Now I have go play something to keep the natives settled until the second set. You should offer the woman a job.”

  “I’m not going to offer her a job,” Jasper protested, appalled at the suggestion. “Why would I do that? She’s here as a guest.”

  Max rolled his eyes. “Well, at least find out where she’s living so you can look her up once you come to your senses.”

  Max walked away to the piano, leaving a huffing Jasper sliding off the stool to head to the café for menus.

  Chapter 6

  “The piano player is your brother?” Emma repeated, surprised.

  Jasper smiled. “Yes. He’s a lot younger, so I understand your surprise. I was fifteen when Max was born. It was quite the shock for our parents who assumed they were almost done raising children.”

  “And for you too, I imagine,” Chloe joked, smiling at him.

  Emma had cleverly made sure that Jasper was sitting next to her. Not that Chloe minded smelling his heady cologne or listening to his deep voice. Jasper Wade was a very pleasant man in many ways. She held his gaze for as long as she dared, then turned to smile at the others.

  Jasper looked at Chloe’s smile, full of genuine pleasure when she looked at her friends. With Max’s irreverent comment still fresh in his memory, he found himself wondering if Chloe would taste like bliss. He watched Chloe pick up her mai tai and take a sip. It was the first time he could remember being envious of a glass. He was most definitely in trouble.

  “You have an amazing voice. Do you sing professionally?” Jasper asked, excited to see the drink actually quivering in her hand at his comment. Was he making her nervous? The thought of her being that aware thrilled him.

  “No. I’m not professional. Haven’t sung in years actually—I just love it. I used to sing in college,” Chloe explained. “Well, we all three did.”

  “I guess you majored in music though,” Jasper stated, completing the logical leap for someone with a talent as large as hers.

  “No, I majored in accounting,” Chloe said on a laugh, steadier now. “I like to eat so I picked a profession that I thought would be the most likely to make sure I always did.”

  “Chloe is just as good at accounting as she is at singing,” Taylor told Jasper, liking the disbelieving lift of his eyebrows as he took in the startling information. “I’m trying to hire her to work in my business.”

  Chloe made a face at Taylor, who just laughed.

  Ignoring the friendly banter, Jasper studied Chloe’s gaze for answers. Why wouldn’t someone who sang like her want to do it for a living? Max was right about the crowd she drew. Even now most of the customers in the lounge were waiting and hoping. He could tell because their gazes, like his, just kept coming back to her.

  “I’m sure accounting pays well, but wouldn’t you like to be a professional singer?” Jasper asked, already thinking of several people he knew in the business whom he could nudge to give a listen.

  Chloe laughed in disbelief, and Jasper shifted in his chair as his body tightened again. His intense reaction to her every utterance almost embarrassed him.

  “Me? A professional singer? Jasper, if you really want to be my fairy godfather, I’d like to be skinny, blonde, and tan,” Chloe said sincerely, smiling at Jasper’s frown.

  “Why in the world would you want any of that?” he asked, incredulous at the request. “Maybe you don’t have a sense of how well you sing, but surely you know how incredibly beautiful you are?”

  Emma and Taylor stopped laughing to stare at their friend, who was staring at Jasper Wade in stunned surprise. His tone hadn’t even been flattering, just matter-of-fact, but his gaze on Chloe was another matter. It would have raised any woman’s temperature to be on the receiving end of that direct I-know-just-how-to-convince-you gaze.

  “I have some friends in the business who would love to find someone like you,” Jasper said slowly, tearing his gaze from Chloe’s to let her absorb the implication that he was willing to use his connections for her.

  He realized all three women were hanging on his every word, but it was the sincere interest in what he was saying that caught him up. They all seemed genuinely surprised. It was a female reaction he wasn’t used to from women.

/>   “You have friends in the business? You actually mean that, don’t you?” Chloe demanded softly, fighting not to laugh at Jasper’s unbelievable offer. Her mind was still whirling on all the other incredible things he had said before it.

  “Of course, I mean it. Why would I say it otherwise?” Jasper demanded, letting loose a short laugh, a bit indignant at the question but trying not to show it.

  Chloe laughed again, but more softly and simply shook her head.

  “It must be the mai tais working on me again. I think I need some air, Jasper. Would you like to talk a short walk with me to make sure I don’t get lost?” she asked, holding his gaze with hers. “There’s something I’d like to ask you about privately anyway.”

  Jasper looked at Chloe’s face and saw she was serious. “Sure. I guess that would be—okay.”

  Emma and Taylor exchanged an interested look when Chloe stood with her gaze still locked on the man who had called her beautiful.

  Jasper stood without removing his gaze from Chloe’s. His heart was beating hard and his hands were damp. For pity’s sake, get hold of yourself, he thought, shoving one hand into his pants pocket to hide his nervousness about her request.

  Chloe continued to smile even as she walked ahead of him as they left the lounge. Jasper didn’t even fight the urge to watch her hips swaying as he followed her.

  Taylor and Emma laughed softly at Jasper’s perusal but said nothing.

  Max watched them leave and then looked over at Taylor, who only shrugged at his questioning gaze. When he looked back, his brother and Chloe Zanders had disappeared.

  Max grinned as he lifted his coke.

  ***

  In the hallway, Chloe waited until Jasper was alongside her. “Is there someplace private we can talk?” she asked softly.

  Despite his misgivings at walking by in full view of the front desk, and the gossip he probably wasn’t ready for that it would undoubtedly create among the staff, Jasper walked Chloe to his office and unlocked the door.

  When they were inside, he closed the door behind them and turned to Chloe, who was now standing in the middle of the space, which seemed much smaller with her filling it.