The Prelude (A Musical Interlude Novel) - By Kasonndra Leigh Page 0,31

I love to see her blush. It gives her dewy skin a flushed look, an after-sex kind of appeal.

“Uh-huh. Well, a smart man knows the difference between the ventures he owns and other people’s personal property.” She raises her eyebrow, tilts her head, and gives me a bright, but sarcastic smile.

I’m locked inside her ebony-eyed gaze shadowed by lashes so thick they look phony. I would love to see those eyes glancing up at me as this little Jaybird calls my name when I push my cock inside her. I find it hard to explain the things this woman does to me.

Never have I seen such bewitching dark eyes with so much fire riding inside them. No, that’s not entirely true. I have seen them once before under a more harsh circumstance, something I’ll spend a lifetime trying to forget. “Who are you, Erin Angelo?” I ask before I even realize I’ve spoken the words.

She frowns. “What? I’m your designer. Are you okay, Maestro?”

“Stop calling me that. I’m Alek.” I snap out of her spell, clear my throat, and stand up tall.

“Right. I know. Also known as,” she leans over and whispers the next two words, “my boss.”

“Well, your boss has yet another proposition for you to consider,” I begin. “I’ve decided to add a singer to Requiem’s interlude. I’d very much like for that person to be you.”

Her eyes bulge. I wonder if she’s about to have another asthma attack. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.” Fear swims in her eyes. I won’t give up this easily.

“No? Just like that? No thinking about it, or considering what doors could open for you by doing this?” I push.

“I enjoy what I’m doing, Alek. What you’re asking me to do, it makes me feel…” She sighs and shakes her head before continuing. “It’s something I just can’t do. I’m sorry.”

“Think about it before you throw away a chance most people would die to have,” I suggest.

“Alek, my dear brother,” Adriana says, coming over to wedge herself in-between us. “I need to talk to Erin.” She’s already dressed for rehearsal with the ballet group she belongs to. I’m proud of the way my sister has worked hard to make a name for herself in the world of dancing dolls.

She turns to Erin. “Erin I got something for you. It took me all night to make, but isn’t it beautiful?” Adriana holds up a square piece of fabric with several stitches across the middle and sides. There’s no pattern to the design. It reminds me of something that might’ve been created for a horror movie. The best looking thing about it is the light blue color.

Erin passes a knowing glance in my direction before she says, “Okay. That’s…I’ve never seen anything so, um, eye-catching.”

“It’s a handkerchief. I made designs on the fabric too. Are you impressed?” Adriana hands Erin her gift. She takes it without hesitating and genuinely responds to my sister in a positive way. Glancing back at me, my sister’s smile fades. “I’m interrupting something, aren’t I?”

“No,” Erin says right away.

“Yes,” I respond back.

Erin glances at her watch and says, “I really need to be going. I have a session with my therapist that I rescheduled for today. Thanks again, Adriana.” She waves and walks away, leaving me standing there shuffling through every play I’ve ever made on a female before, hoping that somehow I can find one for a woman who somehow manages to move like the wind.

* * *

“I can bring a friend along to keep you company tonight. I know how you like it wild,” Nikolai suggests. We sit inside the Armani Cafe, one of Italy’s hottest social hangouts, and the place where Nadya and I used to find our most eager partners.

Although I’ve only been away from this scene for a few weeks now, I can already feel my sense of wild party mode seeping out of my veins. Now this place is nothing more than a bar I can rely on to put just the right amount of Kahlua inside my White Russian.

“What do you say? It’s almost never good to spend too much time alone after a breakup,” Nikolai says. “A supple, warm body would work miracles for you during this time.”

“I don’t think so,” I answer and wait for the rebuke. He’s right about needing a woman, but he’s way off in his observations about who I’d like that person to be.

“Wait a minute, Sasha,” Nikolai begins, “are you trying to settle down? Planning on