Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
GREG
Saturday morning, I woke earlier than I would have liked with the vague feeling that I was missing something.
An image of Tony on his knees for me flashed through my mind.
I shook off both the feeling and the image and went about getting ready for my day.
After my shower, I decided to walk to the café up the street.
From my window on the eighth floor, I could see the sun shining and the early-spring flowers beginning to bloom.
I grabbed my bag with my tablet and picked up my jacket from the back of the sofa.
On my way out, I spotted the daffodil I’d picked up in the hallway. I’d forgotten to put it in water, so it had wilted overnight. With a small sigh, I threw the poor thing in the trash. Maybe I’d pick up some flowers after breakfast.
It was chilly outside, and I pulled up the collar of my jacket against the cold. The café was crowded, but I managed to find a free table near the back of the room.
After the server took my order, I pulled out my tablet to review the contract David Miles had sent me for the substitute pianist position.
I read through the document twice to make sure I hadn’t missed anything before signing it with my stylus and emailing it back.
I leaned back in my chair and let out a sigh of relief.
My first real step toward working as a Broadway musician.
The server brought my coffee and breakfast sandwich at the same time.
I put away my tablet, determined to enjoy the day for once.
I took a bite of the sandwich, moaning quietly at how good it was.
It was an effort not to gobble it down. I wanted to savor it and the delicious coffee since the rest of my day was going to be busy.
I slowed myself down and tried to observe everything around me.
Inevitably, though, my mind took me back to my night with Tony.
I had to admit, if only to myself, that I enjoyed my time with Tony way more than I thought I would.
The truth was, even before I moved to the City, I hadn’t had many friends.
I shied away from remembering exactly how long it had been since my ex had chased away the last of them.
It wasn’t enough that he’d badgered me into quitting school.
He also wouldn’t let me hang out with anyone at home.
Even after I’d finally gotten away from him, I hadn’t had the heart to try to reconnect or make new friends.
Now here was Tony, a calm and steady man who liked hanging out with me. We had more in common than I’d thought we would, although I could tell he hadn’t been into the Avengers movie we’d watched last night.
Of course there was the added bonus of spectacular sex. I felt my lips curl up in a smile as I remembered the blowjob he’d given me in the kitchen the previous evening. Heat pooled in my groin, and my cock thickened.
Tony had an incredibly talented mouth. I’d found that out on the first night when he’d kissed me so thoroughly before fucking me into the mattress. He used it to bring me pleasure in so many ways. I felt a frown crease my brow. Except he hadn’t kissed me on the mouth again since that first night.
That thought brought me up short. I ran back through my memories to be sure I hadn’t missed anything. Nope. He’d kissed me on the cheek, on the back of my neck, and even down the middle of my back. Not once had he kissed my lips.
An ache formed in my chest, coupled with a feeling of disappointment.
Tony was a great kisser. Why wasn’t he kissing me?
The truth hit me like a bucket of ice water.
I’d told him this was friends with benefits.
No strings. No emotions. I had to conclude that, for Tony, kissing on the mouth was more intimate.
And since he had agreed to keep things casual, this was his way of reminding himself—and me—that it was indeed casual.
My frown deepened, and my throat tightened.
I tried to push the emotions away. This was what I’d wanted.
What I’d demanded. I didn’t have the right to have hurt feelings over the way Tony handled our arrangement.
Hell, I knew every time I’d refused to let him clean me up, I was hurting his feelings.
Every time I walked out of his bedroom before the cum had cooled on the sheets, I’d felt his eyes following me.
But he never said a word. He honored my boundaries. It was only right that I honored his, no matter how much I wanted to cross them.
I sighed softly and finished off the last of my coffee. I had work on a website to finish, and I wanted to practice more of the musical score. I asked the server for my check, paid my bill, and left them a healthy tip.
As I approached the door, another man rose from his seat too fast and too close for me to avoid running into him. I grabbed his arm to steady him. “Sorry about that. Are you okay?”
The man nodded. “I’m fine.”
I let go and continued on my way. As I rounded the corner to head to my apartment, I could have sworn I heard someone say, “Break a leg tonight.” But when I turned back to look, no one was there. I shook my head and kept walking.
I spent the rest of the morning and into the late afternoon switching between working on the website and practicing the score.
In the middle of it all, I got an email from a new client requesting graphics for a spring festival they were hosting in late April.
I emailed them back asking about the scope of the project since it was already near the end of March.
My schedule was getting pretty full, and I didn’t want to overcommit myself.
Throughout the day, despite my best efforts, my thoughts kept returning to Tony.
He hadn’t texted me today. Not that I expected him to.
At all. But I had to admit I liked hearing from him.
He was probably celebrating the arrest of the guy who had killed Cody’s mother.
I certainly wasn’t part of that. I was only an occasional participant in that group of friends.
He probably wouldn’t show up at City Lights tonight either.
He’d be spending time with his brothers and all their friends.
I rolled my eyes at myself. Now I was just being a whiny bitch.
I’d been invited to their gatherings and celebrations plenty of times.
But I often made excuses for why I couldn’t join them.
It was no one’s fault but my own if I felt left out.
I shook off my self-pity and checked the time.
Almost five-thirty. I had to be at City Lights at nine, so I still had enough time to get a decent nap and some dinner before I headed downtown.
Of course my asshole brain didn’t give me a break from Tony. It decided I needed to dream about him. I woke up grumpy and horny, a situation that was only half alleviated after jerking off in the shower. Luckily, I managed to shake my bad mood before I got to the bar.
There was a fairly good crowd already, and I saw some familiar faces as I walked through the bar to the back room to hang up my jacket.
When I opened the door, I noticed a vase of lilacs on the small table.
They were a vibrant magenta instead of the usual pale purple.
I inhaled deeply, taking in the lovely fragrance.
The early evening bartender, Jack, came in to grab his coat and go home. “Where did the flowers come from?” I asked.
He shrugged. “No idea. Someone put them on the piano this afternoon. There wasn’t a card or note. I moved them back here because we’re not allowed to have stuff like that on the piano.” He eyed me. “Maybe they’re from someone you know?”
I shook my head. “Not likely, unless it’s a secret admirer.”
He shrugged. “You never know. Hopefully, it’s not some creep.”
“It seems harmless enough,” I replied.
“You’re probably right,” Jack said as he put on his coat. “Have a good night.” He turned to leave, but then turned back. “Hey, I heard you really impressed people last week.”
I smiled. “I suppose I did. It got me an audition and a substitute spot for David Miles’s show.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “That’s great. Congratulations. See you next week.”
I hung up my jacket, took my tablet out of my bag, and headed out to the piano.
I turned on my tablet and set it on the music rack.
I was eternally grateful for the modern technology that allowed me to fit an entire library of music on one device.
I ran my fingers over the keys, as was my habit, making sure the instrument was in tune.
Not that it was really a question. The management of City Lights was meticulous about keeping all its instruments in top shape.
Steve, the late-night manager, came over to me, grinning broadly. “I hear you got a contract to sub for David Miles’s show. Congratulations.”
I shook my head and smiled. “Thanks. Word travels fast around here.”
“That it does,” he replied. “I hope we get to keep you a little longer though.”
“I’ll be here for a while, I’m sure.” I checked my smartwatch. “Oops. Time to start.” Steve headed toward the bar, and I opened my set with a song from the musical Chicago.
The bar was more crowded than it had been the week before.
There were so many people clustered around the piano that I couldn’t see the bar.
Every once in a while, a server would bring me a glass of water or a soda.
Some of the customers offered to buy me drinks, but I politely refused.
I wasn’t much of a drinker, especially when I was working.
By the time my first break rolled around, I was more than ready. I finished playing “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from Les Misérables with a flourish and bow. Cheers and applause rang through the bar, and then I heard a deep male voice shout, “Hooyah!”
“No way,” I murmured. I made my way through the crowd, and my heart leaped.
There was Tony, Michael, Marco, and Liam, along with a tall blonde woman and a slender dark-haired man I didn’t know, sitting at a large table.
Tony had brought his team to watch me play.
A feeling I couldn’t name bloomed inside me.
How did this man always know what I needed?