Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Applause thundered through the concert house, reaching Addison where she sat on the stage.
She smiled slightly, and waited for a signal from Maggie, who sat behind her.
Maggie would let her know when the orchestra was to stand and take their bow.
After a few moments she felt the light tap on her shoulder.
She smiled toward the other woman and stood with the orchestra.
After another moment, she felt Maestro approach and gently take her elbow.
One of the stage hands approached from her other side and carefully took her cello and bow.
Addison thanked him and allowed Maestro to lead her to centre stage where he took a bow with his First Chair.
She smiled graciously and accepted an armful of what she knew would be red roses.
Addison waved and thanked the audience before waving her arm back toward the rest of the orchestra indicating that they should share equally in the applause for their wonderful performance.
Finally, after several more moments, Maestro handed Addison off to another stage hand so she could be led off the stage.
She heaved a sigh of relief to be out of the spotlight.
Her relief was short lived when she found herself seized by an exuberant Erica as soon as she was in the shadows of the stage.
"Addie! You were simply amazing out there!" she gushed, hauling Addison away from the stage. "You were way better than everyone else, totally on point! Didn't you just love the dress I chose for you?"
"What do you mean?" Addison asked, confused. "I'm not wearing the same thing as everyone else?"
Erica spoke in a high-pitched, nervous voice. "Oh, I thought you knew! I mean, you said you didn't care what you wore and that I should just decide. I thought you trusted me. I mean it is my job to make these kind of decisions."
"Yes, Erica, of course it is," Addison gritted her teeth and tried not to sound annoyed. "Please tell me what I'm wearing that's different from the others."
"Well, it's the same classic long-sleeved dress as the women."
"I can feel that.” Addison gritted her teeth, losing patience.
"But yours is burgundy, while the rest of the orchestra is wearing black. As the First Chair I thought you should stand out. It turned out just beautiful! I think the Maestro was even a little shocked when he first saw you, but I think he likes it too!"
"Erica!" Addison gasped. "You should have told me!"
"Addison?" Claudia's voice reached Addison's ears. Addison turned toward her friend and reached out for her. Claudia enveloped her in a big hug that smelled like very expensive perfume.
"Is everything okay?" she whispered in Addison's ear.
Addison nodded. "Except for for the imminent death of Maestro's assistant, it's fine."
Claudia laughed and pushed Addison back a little. "She's walking away in what looks like a bit of a tizzy. Bloodbath denied, I guess!”
Claudia placed another load of flowers into Addison's arms on top of the ones she was already holding. "You were amazing. I couldn't catch my breath when you played your solo, Addison, it was so damn beautiful!"
Addison grinned. "Thank you, that really means a lot."
A huge hand came down on Addison's shoulder and squeezed her affectionately. Tyson King's booming voice rumbled over her head. "You're converting me to classical music, Ms. Sterling. I'll have to talk to your Maestro about sponsorship."
Addison grinned. "He'll be very happy to hear that, he's not at all shy about having friends with money."
Claudia squeezed her hand. "You must be so tired."
“Yes, actually," Addison said. "I'm just heading to my dressing room to get out of this performance gown and then Daniel was going to pick me up. Have you seen him?"
"He's here somewhere," Tyson confirmed.
Addison's heart picked up in response. Just thinking about Daniel did strange things to her body.
She said good-bye to Claudia and King and made her way down the corridor to her private dressing room.
She was lucky that she got to use one during performances.
Just as she reached the door and turned the knob, she was seized from behind and lifted right off her feet.
"Oh!" Addison gasped clutching her flowers tightly.
"Addison, my darling girl!" Maestro beamed down at her, or at least she was pretty sure he was beaming, because his voice certainly was.
She laughed as he lifted her up again and twirled her around.
"You were better than I've ever heard you!
Simply stunning!" he enthused. "I don't know what's to thank for this transformation, but your work has reached a new level.
You've tapped into something I've been trying for years to reach.
A type of... of romance in your soul to match that delicious darkness you've always sported.
And that dress, it takes my breath away. Absolutely stunning."
"It was Erica's idea," Addison said, laughing as he set her back on her feet and jammed another bouquet of roses into her already brimming arms.
"Damn, maybe she's worth keeping around then," he grumbled. "I must get back out there. I had to come see my star though. You are coming out to do the rounds, aren't you? You must, I insist!"
"Maestro..." she whined.
"I expect to see you, my dear, ten minutes," he dropped a lingering kiss on her lips before she could turn her face. Addison was surprised. They were good friends, but he wasn't usually so familiar with her. She hoped it was just the excitement of the evening.
With a sigh, she finished pushing open the door of her dressing room.
Strong hands yanked her completely into the room, tearing a shriek of surprise from her lips.
The door slammed shut and Addison was pushed back against the closed door.
She dropped the flowers she had been holding and brought her arms up defensively, terrified it might be her stalker.
"He kissed you," Daniel growled angrily.
"Daniel," Addison breathed.
Relief flooded her, followed quickly by annoyance. Couldn't he do anything like a normal person and freaking help a blind girl out?
She opened her mouth to tell him off for scaring her and once again manhandling her in a completely unnecessary manner.
But he kissed her passionately, with so much tenderness and longing, that Addison was stunned into silence.
She knew he wanted her. Daniel always wanted her.
But this kiss conveyed desperation and need, something he swore he didn't feel, because he didn't have "boyfriend" emotions.
Despite their recent strides forward, he still struggled to find a normal path with her.
Unable to help herself, Addison wrapped her arms around his neck with a moan.
He took her by the waist and pulled her into his body wrapping his arms around her tightly.
She stumbled against him, crushing delicate flowers beneath her heels.
Daniel's hands slid down her ass and then her thighs, where he gripped her legs and then lifted her.
He took her swiftly down to the floor of the dressing room and laid her on top of the roses scattered across the tiles.
Addison felt something prick her arm and gasped, jerking back. Daniel pressed her back. "Sorry, babe, I need you right now. You were so fucking amazing out there. We’ll do it nice later."
Addison laughed, her breath hitching as he reached down and yanked her dress roughly up her legs. "I doubt that, you're always pretty rough!"
He bent down and bit her shoulder while bringing her knees up and reaching into her panties. "You haven't seen rough yet," he growled, thrusting his fingers into her wet heat.
Addison cried out, arching her head back and digging her nails into his jacketed shoulders.
Someone knocked on the door and called her name. Addison gasped loudly while Daniel jerked his head up from where he had been exploring her bared cleavage.
"I'm going to fucking murder anyone that comes through that goddam door," he snapped.
Addison opened her mouth to respond, but Daniel clamped his free hand tightly over her lips.
"Addie, Maestro's looking for you and he said if I want to keep my job I better not come back without you," Erica's voice floated through the door. "I'm coming in!"
Daniel took his fingers out of Addison's dripping pussy and unzipped his jeans.
In one smooth movement he pushed her legs back and entered her.
Addison screamed against his hand, arching her body up against his.
She shook her head frantically, her blank eyes blazing up at him. He grinned down at her.
"Don't worry," he said gruffly. "I locked it. Maestro's bitch can't get in.”
With a hand still over her mouth, her pulled her closer onto his cock, impaling her further and causing her to gasp.
She held on tightly as he began pounding into her.
He ignored the insistent knocking and rattling of the doorknob and drove into Addison as though they hadn’t been having crazy, mind-blowing sex every night since getting back together the week before.
Addison breathed heavily through her nose, dizzy but elated as he drove her higher and higher. He shoved the fabric of her heavy skirt impatiently out of the way and attacked her clit so ferociously she again screamed against his hand and tried to close her legs.
“Bad girl,” he said and slapped the top of her pussy, drawing another muffled cry.
“Open!” he snapped.
Addison whimpered but did as he commanded, knowing it would end well for her. No matter what he dished out, how far he pushed her, he always gave her a happy ending. With shaking legs, she opened for him, exposing her most vulnerable flesh.
“Open your eyes and look at me,” he whispered raggedly, as though the words were torn from him.
She knew there weren’t any lights on in the room, because she could see nothing but shadows, but she did as he wanted.
He could see her no more than she could see him.
She understood though. In his twisted way, he wanted them to see each other the same as they fucked there on the floor.
Both beautiful and damaged in their own way.
“Scream for me.”
He pinched her clit so hard she saw streaks of light in her vision.
It was everything she could do to keep her legs open.
She knew he would retaliate if she closed them.
She screamed for him, just as he demanded, and she came so hard her pussy gushed fluid around his cock and onto the back of her beautiful velvet dress.
He grunted in satisfaction as she sheathed him like a vice, spasming around his penis and forcing him to come right along with her.
He fell forward with the force of his orgasm, planting a fist next to her head.
He dropped his face next to hers and rubbed his rough beard against her cheek.
She inhaled his wonderful, masculine scent deep into her lungs.
“Ah, Addison,” he said softly.
Her heart nearly stopped. He had never spoken to her in that tone of voice. It sounded affectionate? She hardly dared to breath, let alone move.
Then she became aware of the nasty feeling of a cut along the back of her shoulder and what felt like a trickle of blood. Damn. While the idea of having sex on a bed of roses after a moving symphony performance was deeply romantic, the reality left something to be desired.
“Time to go,” Daniel announced, rolling off of Addison.
She breathed a sigh of relief and tentatively crawled out of the crushed pile of roses. Daniel reached down and helped her up. She winced as he accidentally touched another scratch on her arm.
“What is it?” he asked.
“The roses, I think.”
“Watch your eyes, I’m going to turn on the lights.”
Addison shielded her eyes. Brightness filled the room. While Addison let her eyes adjust, Daniel inspected her skin for damage and adjusted her clothes. He reached out for something and then she felt the enveloping warmth of her evening coat draping her.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
He sighed heavily, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to hurt you. I was jealous when the Maestro kissed you. Turned on too. Never thought the fucking cello could turn me into a teenager with a hard on. Need to learn better control around you.”
Addison nearly laughed out loud before she thought better of it.
She reached out and felt her way along his arm until she was able to take hold of his hand.
It was much larger than hers except for her long fingers that came closer to matching the blunt length of his.
She wrapped her fingers around his wrist.
“Hey,” she said softly. “You didn’t hurt me. I loved every second of it. I always love having sex with you, it’s the one thing we can do right together. Even the bed of roses was kind of a cool touch.”
He chuckled and reached out to pluck what must have been a stray flower from her tangled hair.
She froze and held her breath. In all the months she had known him she’d never really heard him laugh, not in a relaxed way.
It didn’t sound quite right. Almost like a rusty recording of a time long gone. It was precious to her though.
She squeezed his arm to her breasts and held him tightly for a second.
“Can we go home?” she asked him.
“Thought I was going to have to insist,” he replied, sounding somewhat surprised. “Thought the boss wanted you to schmooze, or pimp or whatever his star musician has to do.”
Addison shrugged. “Yeah, it’s in my contract, and if anybody asks, I was totally out there pimping my ass off for at least half an hour after the show. I’m sure Claudia will vouch for me. I have a few friends on the orchestra that owe me favours too. Let’s go home.”
Daniel reached for the door and ushered Addison past an astonished Erica. Addison opened her mouth to offer an apology and an explanation, but Daniel whisked her away so fast she wasn’t able to say anything except for, “Good-bye, see you Monday!”