Private Melody

by Altonya Washington

  “Honey, could this be a mistake?” Kianti leaned next to him against the ledge.

  “You don’t know how much I pray it is. I can’t shake what I saw in his eyes, Key,” he admitted.

  “Could’ve been shock.”

  “Because of surprise or because he got caught?” Therin couldn’t fight off his cynicism.

  “So you do believe he did this?”

  After a moment’s consideration, Therin shook his head quickly. “I won’t condemn him. At least not until I’ve got all the facts.”

  Kianti eased a wayward tendril of hair behind her ear. “What a shame it had to happen here tonight when such great things were in the works.” She flashed Therin a curious look when he laughed suddenly. She couldn’t read his expression but could tell that he wasn’t in a mood to explain his reaction.

  “So what happens next?” she asked while squeezing his biceps in a reassuring fashion.

  Therin bowed his head. “Guess we’ll talk to his attorney and go from there.”

  She smiled, taking time to relish the gorgeous set to his profile. “I’ll leave you to your work then.” She didn’t notice his gaze when she kissed his temple and moved to leave. He caught her hand before she saw him move.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You’re so busy.” She drew the lapels of her swing coat together. “You’re about to be even busier and I don’t want to be in your way.”

  Therin’s smile was a mixture of playfulness and danger. “You’re crazy if you think you’re leaving me here by myself.”

  “Baby.” Her deep gaze softened over his mood. “You’ve got to focus on this mess. You don’t need me hanging around, especially when I have no idea about…the politics of politics, and I don’t want one.”

  “I don’t want one, either.” His smile deepened while his grip on her hand tightened. Soon, they were leaving the rooftop.

  “You’ve lost your mind!” Vaughn shouted. “The press is in an uproar. If you leave now, they’ll be in a frenzy, and I damn well don’t want to be stuck in the middle of it!”

  Therin brought a hand down to Vaughn’s rigid shoulder. “Cut the act, V. You know you live for this shit, so don’t try foolin’ me. Besides, Gary, Peter and Morgan are here to shield you from some of it.”

  “Hell, Morgan’s MIA. I haven’t talked to him all day.”

  “I hadn’t noticed…seemed excited about hearing Kianti play.” Therin’s voice held an absent quality as he was more focused on the outraged crowd. “Anyway, I’m about to get lost,” he said, taking note of the reporters pointing toward him and Vaughn.

  Vaughn closed his eyes, understanding Therin’s vague phrasing perfectly. “Don’t do this to me, man.”

  “That’s why you get paid the big bucks.” Therin clapped Vaughn’s shoulder again and winked before making a hasty exit.

  He found Kianti shortly after arriving in the packed foyer. Conversation and questions were thrown at him in a crazed manner, but Therin wasn’t swayed by any of it. Focusing on Kianti, and the way she radiated calm amidst the tempest, allowed him to block the events of the past hour. He committed himself to enjoying a stolen moment with the woman he loved.

  The lobby of the downtown hotel that housed Therin’s penthouse apartment was pretty quiet for the hour. Of course, that had a lot to do with the fact that many who resided in the building were either guests at his event or tourists visiting Vancouver and probably out enjoying the night life of the city.

  “Fritz.” Therin’s greeting to the clerk was soft when he and Kianti approached the gleaming gray marble front desk. He kept her close while signing in and collecting his mail.

  Kianti couldn’t help but wonder about his mood. He seemed cool enough, but she knew he had to be hurting. It had to be quite a blow to discover someone you admire may not be worthy of that admiration. She didn’t believe he’d want to discuss it further that evening, so she remained silent and decided to take her cues from him.

  Therin’s “cues” weren’t difficult to follow. He didn’t bother with turning up the lights in the apartment. He tossed his keys to the message desk, pulled Kianti closer and treated her to a deep kiss.

  She melted the second his tongue swirled about her own and teased it into an erotic play. She was happy to let him take the lead, which he did with great zeal. There in the foyer, he took her out of her dress while simultaneously doffing his own things. Their clothing was left in a pool on the floor when he carried her to his bedroom.

  An added intensity flavored their time together that night. Kianti recognized it as frustration—no doubt over the fiasco that evening. Therin gave as much as he took and what he took was extensive. Low, hungry sounds vibrated from his throat and chest while his mouth traveled freely across her body. When she tried to touch him, he laced his fingers between hers and kept her a prisoner beneath him on the bed that was becoming increasingly tangled. There was a savage urgency in the way he feasted on her nipples. He left them rigid and glistening wet from his attention for only a brief time while he dropped wet kisses to the undersides of her breasts.

  Kianti strained against his hold as his mouth worked relentlessly against her. She sobbed into the coverings when he turned her to her stomach and resumed his ravenous feasting upon her back and shoulders.

  She thought she’d lose her mind when he nibbled at her hipbone while curving a hand around her waist and thrusting his fingers inside her quivering body. She eased her legs apart to offer him more room to play with her and her hips bucked softly against his mouth until he bit down gently to urge her still.

  Kianti had no complaints about the way he handled her, especially when his nibbles at her hip traveled lower around the curve of her derriere and the valley between. She orgasmed as his thumb worked her clit in the midst of his tongue treating her bottom to the most intimate exploration.

  Still, Therin would allow her no real control during the moment. When he applied protection and took her from behind, she silently prayed that he wouldn’t tone down the heat of their encounter. Her sobs into the covers gained volume as another wave of satisfaction claimed her. She was seconds away from climax, when he turned the tables and tugged her over him.

  Kianti bit her lip, feeling much like an inexperienced virgin then. It wasn’t long though before the realization of control took hold and she helped herself. Her hair had tumbled from its elegantly confined upsweep long ago. Now, it hung down her back as she treated him and herself to the slow, heated up and down movements of her sex on his.

  Her moans were repetitive and in perfect rhythm with the way she rode him. Therin’s hold on her hips was loose; all his strength was in the part of his anatomy she’d taken command of. Giving into her determination to take him until he was depleted, Therin buried the heels of his hands against his eyes. He chanted her name and met her every stroke with a thrust. When he tried to reclaim dominance, she changed the rotation of his hips and contracted her inner walls around him. His groan held a tinge of surrender that brought a triumphant smile to her face. Convinced that he was at last driven down by the force of her desire, she clutched and released his length wickedly and relentlessly until they were coming sweetly, blissfully, simultaneously….

  Chapter 15

  Therin had been awake over an hour simply watching Kianti as she slept. He liked the look of it. What’s more, he liked the look of her doing it in his bed. He knew he wanted to enjoy the image for more than just one night. He wanted more than just the series of stolen moments that made up the foundation of their brief acquaintance.

  He leaned over to toy with the hair curled about her neck. He tugged several locks free and rubbed them between his thumb and forefinger to relish the heavy healthy feel of it against his skin.

  She murmured his name during her slumber and he smiled as she snuggled deeper into the covers.

  He loved her. He loved her and it had happened so peacefully, so subtly yet it hadn’t gone unnoticed. He’d embraced every moment of it. He could
actually feel himself falling willingly into the midst of it.

  She snuggled a bit deeper into the covers and Therin decided to give her peace. Gingerly, he left the bed, craving a hot cup of coffee. He walked barefoot through the apartment, which was illuminated by the predawn light streaming past the tall living room windows. He switched on the lamp in the center of a small round breakfast table and saw one of Kianti’s CDs lying there. In the top corner of the case, there was a sticky note carrying the words Play Me.

  Therin obliged, knowing a dose of her exquisite piano playing would only make the morning better. He eased the disc into the changer system tucked in the shelving near the table. Yawning then, he massaged sleep from his neck and shoulders while heading over to start the coffee.

  Instead of Kianti’s music lofting from the changer, a computer-generated voice emerged.

  “She’s very beautiful, Rucker. Looks like she’s the one who truly belongs in your bed. It’d be a shame to let your stubbornness ruin her.”

  Therin stood still for what had to be a full minute. Stiffly, he managed to trudge over to the shelving. As though he expected it to burn to the touch, he tentatively reached out to hit the repeat button. A second after the message ended, he shut down the system.

  Hand fisted to his mouth, he dropped into the nearest chair. His light eyes narrowed toward the changer. He ejected the CD, studied it solemnly and then broke it in half.

  “Therin?”

  An hour later, Kianti took the same route to the kitchen that her lover had when his mind was on a hot cup of coffee. She tapped her fingers to the counter and looked around.

  “Therin?” she called again when the atmosphere of silence became too much for her liking. She was turning to leave the kitchen when she noticed the broken CD on the table. Before she could touch the shards, there was the distinct click of locks in the distance. Kianti rushed out, expecting to find Therin coming through the front door. Nothing prepared her to see Brody, Winton, Khan and Cube entering instead. Reflexively, she tightened her hold on the sheet that covered her.

  “Get dressed.” Brody was cool in the wake of the confusion he saw in her eyes. “We’ll explain.”

  “Explain now.” She came down off the last step leading to the living room from the kitchen.

  “Honey, Brody’s right, why don’t you—” Khan raised his hands defensively at the look she slanted him.

  “Explain,” she said, having turned back to Brody.

  “Rucker called us to come get you,” he said.

  “What happened?”

  “He just told us to come for you.” Brody shrugged. “He didn’t seem upset.”

  “That damned party,” she muttered, biting on her thumbnail then. “Everything’s such a mess. He’s got a lot on his plate.” She fixed the guys with an apologetic look. “He didn’t need to call you, I’m fine.”

  “Key—”

  “Really, Winton, I’m fine and I don’t need you guys hovering.”

  “Honey, come with us.” Brody moved closer.

  She laughed. “Honestly, Brody, I’ll be just fine here with Therin.”

  “Dammit, Key!” Cube quieted himself and took a deep breath to calm down. “Baby, he doesn’t want you here.”

  “What?” Her voice sounded strong enough. Still, something in the way Cube spoke the words sent a queasiness through her stomach.

  The others sent glares in Cube’s direction.

  “Rucker told us he had too much going on to handle this,” Brody said then.

  “Handle…this?”

  “Your sickness, honey,” Khan clarified and then ran a hand across his close-cut blue-black hair. “He said he’d made a mistake thinking he could deal with it day in and day out.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Cube growled.

  “Cube, chill.” Winton clapped his friend’s shoulder. “Better for him to say it now than later after something happens….”

  “Screw that.” Cube shook off Winton’s hand. “Don’t make him out to be all gracious and shit, Wint. The fool flat-out told us how much he was enjoyin’ the sex, but it wasn’t good enough to risk her dyin’ on him.”

  Kianti felt her stomach curdle then. She felt the strength leaving her legs, but she refused to collapse in front of them.

  “You okay?” Brody had taken note of her hand braced to the back of the sofa.

  The guys silenced their ranting to observe her.

  “Key?”

  “Brody, please.” She waved a hand. “I’ll be ready to go in a second.”

  “Ms. Lawrence!”

  Kianti and the guys were making their way out to the lobby for an early checkout when they were stopped by Bose Cooper, one of EYES’s lead members.

  “Bose Cooper, Ms. Lawrence. I must say that my wife and I are great fans. We especially enjoyed your performance last night.” Bose squeezed one of her hands in both of his beefy ones.

  She managed a smile that didn’t manage to reach her eyes. “I appreciate that, Mr. Cooper. I’m sorry things turned out so terribly last night.” She cleared her throat on the ball of emotion that had formed over the loaded statement.

  Bose nodded, his expression had taken on a somber sheen as well. “Which brings me to my point of stopping you all like this.” He made contact with the four men standing behind her. “We’re hoping to salvage something good from last night’s fiasco—a more intimate gathering.”

  Kianti nodded.

  “We’d be honored if you’d join us.”

  The smile Kianti had worked to uphold, faltered then. “Mr. Cooper, we—”

  “I understand this is all very sudden. We’d be honored if you’d at least consider giving us an extra night. We’re hoping to put together something more intimate than last night’s affair. A cocktail party slash concert exclusively for EYES members.”

  Brody moved in closer then. “Mr. Cooper, Ms. Lawrence’s health tends to wear out on her—wear her down, if you understand my meaning. We’d like to get her home—”

  “Brody.” Kianti patted his chest and offered him a pitiful smirk before she turned back to Bose Cooper. “Would you excuse us for a minute, Mr. Cooper?”

  “Please tell us you’re not considering doing this?” Winton said once they had moved a ways down the hall for a bit more privacy.

  “I can’t let my personal issues get in the way of what’s important.” Her voice shook with uncertainty, though the look in her eyes was firm.

  Cube muttered a curse. “What’s important is your health.” The scowl he wore made him look even more intimidating.

  She lowered her head and sighed. “This is a worthy cause and if I can do something to help support it, then I feel obligated to try, at least.”

  Khan rolled his eyes and turned away. Winton and Cube followed suit.

  Kianti sighed at their behavior and then turned to Brody. “I promise I’m all right to do this,” she told him, taking a moment to massage her neck when her doctor walked off to join is coworkers.

  “Mr. Cooper?” She headed back toward the man waiting at the other end of the corridor. “I’d love to be a part of the event.”

  “Wonderful!” The man clapped his hands together once. “We’re very grateful. There will be a lunch meeting at 3:00 p.m. with the other musicians—some who are just fresh in town from other jobs—gigs.” He smiled bashfully. “We figured it’d be fruitful to give you all some time together beforehand to discuss pieces and possible collaborations.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “The meeting will be at the hotel restaurant, The Vista—sixth floor.”

  Kianti nodded and shook hands once again with Bose before he headed off.

  “We don’t believe you’re willin’ to stick around here another damn night for this,” Khan grumbled once he and the others had crowded around again.

  Kianti smoothed a curl behind her ear. “Well, I am so…could I please have someone’s room key? Think I’ll take a nap before this meeting.”

  “Take mine.” Bro
dy dug out the card from the back pocket of his trousers. Room 8710. I’ll be up to check on you soon.”

  Alone in the elevator, Kianti toyed with pushing for the floor to Therin’s room. She shook off the notion and cursed herself for having it. That ship had sailed. Unfortunately, it had taken her heart along with it.

  Later that day, Kianti was happy she had decided to participate in the concert, if only for the chance to take part in the lunch meeting with the other musicians. The gathering was crowded and lighthearted. Many were excited by the idea of the concert and cheered the organization for not letting the drama from the previous evening sway them from their cause. Several people had already sectioned themselves off, having chosen to do special performances together.

  “How did you hear about this?” Kianti was asking Shelton Innes, who had already claimed her as his pianist.

  Shelton nodded toward the server who had just returned with extra dressing for his salad. “We had a gig in Chi-Town. The EYES drama was all over the news.” He shrugged while drowning lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber in a mound of Ranch dressing. “Geary’s aunt’s a member,” he said, referring to his group’s bass player. “She told him about what they were trying to do and asked if we might be willing to make a stop through.”

  “It’s been a real mess,” Kianti noted, blowing a tuft of hair from her eyes and she looked around the room. “The event had all the makings of a real success before all that happened. So where’s everyone else?”

  “Trying to snag a vocalist. We don’t just want a host of instrumental pieces. Give ’em a little variety.”

  Kianti’s expression was melancholy. “Thanks, Shelton, for asking me to sit in. I wasn’t up for doing a solo.”

  “Whatever.” Shelton rolled his eyes and chomped down a mouthful of the drenched salad. “You knew we wouldn’t, couldn’t leave you out there like that.” His brows rose as he sighed. “I was a little surprised though.”