“Beautiful, beautiful.” His fingers stretched toward the smooth red wood as if by reflex. “May I?”
Talia squeezed her arm, but Leslie pulled away. She wouldn"t refuse the professor"s request. She was done running. “Of course.”
The professor lifted it from the velvet lining and turned it so the overhead lights caught the exquisite wood grain. He peered inside to see the personal seal etched into the wood. “1707. The year of manufacture with his personal seal, as it should be. The reproductions are always overdone. Stradivarius believed the wood"s natural beauty spoke for itself, no embellishment necessary.”
His moment of awe ended quite abruptly, and he brusquely handed it back to Leslie. “Bring the music and let us play.”
The women exchanged glances and hurried down to the two music stands he"d situated near the center of the pit. Talia hastily unpacked her violin and tested the strings to see if they were in tune. She made a few adjustments to the pegs and her bow before settling into a stance that was as familiar to Leslie as her own. They"d been playing together since Leslie"s first day at the Boston School for the Arts.
Somehow, she had a feeling this was going to change everything.
She lifted La Bella and slid it into place against her neck. It fit her perfectly.
Like Seth and Joshua.
Professor Williamson arranged the music on their stands and then lifted his hands to indicate his readiness. Tonight was a private rehearsal for her and Talia to smooth out any wrinkles in the already familiar music. Tomorrow evening the pit would be packed and the auditorium filled to the rafters.
The first strains of her grandfather"s elegie soared into the domed ceiling and sent chills racing down her spine. From the corner of her eye, she could see Talia"s Crescendo
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lips set in concentration, her fingers flying over the strings as she maintained the harmony portion of the duet.
“You must relax.” The professor lifted his voice to be heard over the music.
“Let the music flow through your body.”
Leslie stopped worrying about anything other than the notes pouring so sweetly from her soul to the violin. It was liberating to let the rest of the world slip away. She wasn"t a student being judged or a teacher performing a demonstration.
She wasn"t in the background; she was center stage. This was the piece that had been crafted by her grandfather for her mother. Now it was hers.
When Williamson finally called a halt, Leslie was stunned to realize that nearly two hours had spooled by. Lowering her violin, she exhaled slowly, feeling more relaxed than she would"ve thought possible.
Beside her, Talia was subdued. She stowed her instrument and rummaged in her pocket for an elastic band. By the time she"d pulled her hair into a ponytail, the silence between them had grown heavy.
“What"s wrong?” Leslie looked up from the ritual of placing La Bella Ragazza in its case.
Talia nibbled her lip. “I feel like you"ve been hustling me all these years.”
There was that word again. “Hustling you?”
“In school you were always second chair to my first.” Talia seemed to be thinking her words through very carefully. “You were always good with technique, but you never really stood out. Then you started the Trio, and you were so careful to remain in the background. Niles had the spotlight, even if it meant you were playing harmony on the viola.”
Across the pit, Professor Williamson was busy making furious notes on the scores he was using for the concert. Leslie wondered if he was listening to their hushed discussion with one ear, the old busybody. “What are you trying to say?”
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“I always thought I was a better musician than you, Les. But you"re amazing.
I"ve never seen you play like that before. It was magic.”
She nudged her friend"s arm. “It"s the only thing I"ve ever done, you know. I can"t play a dozen different instruments like you can.”
Talia sighed and shrugged on her coat. “Ms. Warren used to say that a mediocre musician is proficient on several instruments, and a true artist chooses one instrument to master.”
Leave it to Talia to start quoting the headmistress. “As I recall, you were playing a piano when Erik realized he couldn"t live without you. And since then you"ve spent most of your time mastering him. So I think you"re doing fine.”
“I guess you"re right.” Talia picked up her case and prepared to follow Leslie up the aisle. “You know, you were the one who deserved the spot with the Jupiter orchestra.”
First she was quoting the headmistress, now she was channeling her. It was time to go, before one of them started believing that nonsense. Leslie grabbed Talia"s arm and practically shoved her down the aisle. “Don"t be silly. You earned that spot. They asked for you, not me.”
Besides, moving back to New York is not an option for me.
Professor Williamson looked up from his work as they left. “Get your rest tonight, ladies, for tomorrow night, we play!”
Giving in to a fit of giggles, they left the auditorium for the plaza outside.
* * *
Joshua slipped the keycard into the slot and waited for the light to turn green while trying to balance Seth"s large frame against his shoulder. His task would"ve been easier if his partner would have just passed out. Instead, Seth was at the most annoying stage of drunkenness: the helpful stage. “It"s green; just shove it open.” Seth"s words slurred as he tried to kick the door with the toe of his Italian dress shoe.
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“Just hold still or I"m going to dump you on the floor.” Joshua groaned as the light flipped back to red before he managed to get the handle down. “Seriously, Seth, I"m going to leave you out here.”
“Screw you, Joshua.” Seth"s head lolled to one side, his face set in an angry pout.
“No, screw you. I"m going to leave you here and hope the housekeeping staff has their way with you before you wake up.”
Seth giggled, a disconcerting sound coming from a man his size.
The suite door suddenly swung wide open, and Leslie peered out. “What are you guys doing out here? It sounds like a middle school football team playing in the halls.”
Joshua had hoped they would beat her back to the suite. It would"ve been much better to stash Seth in the smaller bedroom without her even having a chance to see him in this kind of condition. Even if it meant he had to punch his best friend to get him to lie down and be quiet.
“Oh my God!” Her dark eyes widened as she did a quick assessment of the situation. “Here, I"ll hold the door. Drag him in.”
Leslie pressed her body against the wall while Josh maneuvered a belligerent Seth through the doorway. Halfway through, Seth changed his mind and grabbed the frame. His chuckles echoed down the hallway, and Joshua finally gave up on being the nice, understanding friend. Using one foot, he swept Seth"s feet out from under him. As he fell, Joshua yanked him the rest of the way into the suite.
Leslie slammed the door closed, and the two of them exchanged blank looks over the prone form of their third. Josh scrambled for something to explain Seth"s behavior. He felt the need to make Leslie understand that this wasn"t normal.
Before he could come up with anything, she clapped her hand over her mouth and giggled until she was breathless and her eyes were tearing up.
“I feel like a teenager.” There was no condemnation in her bright eyes.
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His apology speech no longer seemed necessary. “I don"t think I expected you to laugh about this.”
“Anger wouldn"t solve anything. And it was obvious that something was bothering him earlier.”
Her philosophy made sense. Joshua didn"t know what had gotten into Seth that night. He"d acted fairly normal while presenting the scholarship awards and doing the necessary schmoozing with their colleagues. Then the staff had opened the bar, and he"d been first in line for a
drink. Even when he should"ve stopped getting into line, he hadn"t.
She squatted down and peered at Seth"s motionless body. “Does he do this very often?”
“Not since college.”
Joshua took a moment to admire the sweat bottoms she"d pilfered from one of his drawers. The green and white camisole she wore flattered her belly and full breasts. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail that fell over one shoulder when she bent down. Her position rendered him unable to think about anything other than the way her knees were splayed. With her pussy spread wide open, he wanted nothing more than to pull her onto his lap and feel her grind her heat against the erection taking shape behind his fly.
“Maybe we should just leave him here to learn his lesson.” Josh figured waking up on the floor was just the attitude adjustment Seth needed.
“Can"t. He could choke on his own vomit.”
Josh leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. He knew Leslie wasn"t much of a drinker. A few glasses of wine at dinner and she was adorably tipsy, but she didn"t seem the type who had partied her way through her teen years either.
“You appear to have an awful lot of experience with this type of thing.”
“I"m a teacher,” she mumbled. “Just because my students are music geeks doesn"t mean they don"t make frat-house mistakes.”
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She got on her knees and pulled Seth"s head into her lap. Running her fingers through the long fringe of dark hair that fell across his forehead, she sighed. Joshua could"ve been jealous of the attention Seth was receiving for bad behavior. Instead, he was grateful for her willingness to lavish attention on Seth. It was obvious she"d forgiven him for being callous one minute and overbearing the next.
“Here.” Josh wrapped his arms around Seth"s midsection. “Let"s get him into the shower.”
“With his clothes on?”
“This is how men handle these types of things with each other.” He grunted beneath his friend"s weight. Seth was no pixie, being a hair taller and a fraction wider than Joshua. Thankfully, Leslie got the bathroom door and opened the shower stall for him. He probably should"ve been sorrier about just dumping Seth onto the floor, but he wasn"t.
“Are you sure, Josh?” She looked at him doubtfully as he flipped the cold water on full blast.
Seth coughed to avoid choking on the spray.
It was impossible to keep the satisfaction from his tone. “Yep, I"m sure.”
“I think you"re enjoying this a little too much. Are you mad at him?”
“A little.”
“I should"ve told you guys about my past from the beginning. You were honest with me, and I wasn"t with you.” She reached over and took his hand. “I"m sorry.”
Joshua thought about the conversation he"d had with Seth earlier that evening about her ulterior motives. The two of them agreed she was still hiding something.
Even her apology couldn"t erase the feeling that there was still something they didn"t know.
I don’t care.
Seth struggled into a sitting position. Wet hair straggled around his face. “All right, I"m up.”
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It was Leslie who turned the water off and fetched him a thick towel. “Are you sure you"re okay?”
He bobbed his head up and down, though he didn"t speak.
She gently brushed a stray lock of hair behind his ear. “Can I get you some water or something?”
He nodded, and she quickly left the bathroom.
Joshua watched her go before hauling Seth to his unsteady feet. “If you puke on me, I"m going to punch you in the face.”
“I"m not going to puke.” Seth"s voice was rough, and he had to grip the edges of the shower to stay upright.
Josh gave the expensive slacks and dress shirt a once over. “You need to strip out of those clothes.”
Seth glanced down at the mushy Italian leather on his feet. “Next time, please remember to take off my shoes first. These were my favorites.”
“How about you just don"t do this again?”
Seth inhaled deeply and threw his head back, shutting his eyes against the bright bathroom lights. “Deal.”
He fumbled with his wet zipper while Joshua worked at the sodden buttons on his shirt. When Leslie walked back in with a bottle of water and a blanket, Seth had one hand on Joshua"s shoulder to step out of his pants.
She leaned against the bathroom sink. “Now there"s an intriguing sight.”
Seth cursed as he nearly toppled over while Joshua peeled the shirt from his chest. “I"m not feeling particularly sexy at the moment. Try me tomorrow morning.”
Her merry laugh made them both stare. “You"ll be so out of it tomorrow morning that Joshua and I could both have our way with you, and you"d never know it.”
Josh watched the emotions play over her features and wondered what she was really thinking. Her laugh dissolved into a melancholy expression.
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She pushed away from the counter. “I don"t know about you two, but I"m going to bed. I"m not even sure caffeine could give me a second kick.”
She left the bathroom. They followed a moment later, Seth naked and shivering with a water bottle in hand as he walked slowly through the living room to the big bedroom at the back of the suite.
Joshua didn"t know how Seth"s alcohol binge had effected his libido, but the sight of Leslie snuggled into the center of the king-size bed was enough to send a shot of arousal straight to Josh"s cock. He bit back a groan and concentrated on shucking out of his own clothes. Shoes, socks, slacks, dress shirt, jacket, and tie all hit the chair on the right side of the bed in an unceremonious heap. By then he had himself more or less under control.
She wasn"t naked. Somehow the fact that she"d tossed aside the sweat pants in favor of a pair of plain, white cotton panties was more erotic than the sight of her bare ass in the bed. The chill in the bedroom caused her nipples to peak beneath the camisole, and Joshua wondered if he should offer to turn the heat up, or secretly turn it down and suggest they snuggle for warmth.
Seth hauled his naked body onto the left side of the bed and buried his head beneath a pillow. Reaching over, Leslie tenderly covered him with the duvet and tucked it around his body. If he noticed, he didn"t mention it, and Josh expected to hear a rumbling snore instead.
“Do you need anything before I climb in?” He removed his watch and set it on the bedside table.
“I need you to get rid of that excess clothing.”
He did as she asked, the chill air covering his skin in goose bumps. He flipped off the light and climbed into the king-size bed.
She squirmed for several moments before sitting straight up. The bed dipped, and in the darkness, he realized she was stripping off her camisole and wiggling out of her panties. His cock flared to life, thrumming with desire. With a sigh, she laid back down.
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“This is the first time we"ve all slept naked in bed together,” she whispered to the room at large. “It isn"t at all how I imagined it would be.”
Regret dampened Joshua"s desire, and he reached for her smooth body. Pulling her against him, he pressed her naked backside up against his groin; his cock fit perfectly into the soft crease of her bottom. Wrapping her in his arms, he nuzzled her neck until she turned her head to give him better access.
“It"s all falling apart, Joshua.” Her voice was small in the dark room.
He sighed. “Go to sleep. Things will look better in the morning.”
It seemed to settle her, and in moments, her deep breathing told him she"d slipped into sleep. He wondered if his words were true or not. On her other side, Seth turned and faced them. There was no exchange of words between the two of them. Only silence. And in the silence, everything seemed uncertain.
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Chapter Nineteen
“Wow, Talia wasn"t kiddin
g.” Erik"s self-satisfied smile made Seth want to deck him. “She told me the two of you were whipped, and I told her it wasn"t possible. Good thing she told me to come and shuttle the two of you to the concert tonight. You don"t look capable of independent function.”
Erik strode into their hotel suite, and Joshua let the door slam closed behind him. Seth flinched. He hadn"t known a hangover could last this long or be this vengeful. Leslie had gone to her rehearsal at Lincoln Center hours before he managed to crawl out of bed. Every sound was agony and every light piercing. He wanted nothing more than to climb back under the covers and pass out.
“Look at you two.” Erik ran his fingers through his messy, dark hair. “You used to have every woman in Boston vying for a chance to lick your feet. But you weren"t satisfied with them. Nope. You had to go find yourselves the one girl who could strip you bare and turn you inside out.”
Josh eyed the arrogant tilt of Erik"s chin and crossed his arms belligerently over his chest. “So basically we followed right in your footsteps?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
They laughed, clapping each other on the back. Josh grinned broadly, trying and failing to include Seth in the banter. Seth wasn"t in the mood. Their relationship with Leslie hardly seemed worth celebrating at the moment. He was hiding things, Leslie was most likely still hiding things, and Joshua was joking about it. Besides, he didn"t want to join in when Josh and Erik were congratulating themselves on falling in love with women guaranteed to drive them insane. Was that really the way things were supposed to be? Was that what he"d been imagining 162
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when he fantasized about him and Josh sharing the rest of their lives with one woman?
“I can remember watching you run yourself in circles trying to make it work with Talia, and I felt sorry for you then,” Josh said.
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