Entranced (The Alpha Stranger) Book 3 (9 page)

Liam has warned me that there will be helicopters overhead. “I have heard that several news outlets are covering the party from the air. I don’t mind. However, if those damn copters interrupt your performance, I will fucking shoot them down myself,” my lover proclaims on the phone. Given Liam’s wealth and power I wonder if he is only half-joking.

“They will have to run out of gas sometime. Those copters can’t be up there all night.”

“Let’s hope so. I have to run a few errands but I should be at the house at 7:00 p.m. Have fun, honey.”

“I will, sweetheart.” I hang up and do a little happy dance. No matter how nervous I get, Liam can deflate my fears with his cool and confident voice.

I walk out into the back lawn and see the white baby grand set on an elevated platform. There are lights and an entire sound system being installed for tonight’s party. This looks like the set to a real concert. That is starting to make me a little nervous. I shouldn’t be nervous since I’ve already played to several hundred people. However, I know how much this means to my lover. I must give the most important performance of my life.

Liam arrives exactly at 7:00. He looks a little nervous as well. For the first time, Liam seems a little unsure about himself. I give my man a kiss and assure him that, “I’m going to make you look good tonight.”

“Oh, I know you are going to be great,” my lover says.

Liam disappears up to the master bedroom. I take another walk around the back lawn and look at the entire catering staff preparing for tonight’s event. I count about fifty people, including four bartender stations. This is going to be one serious party.

I go upstairs, take a shower and put on this cute little white dress that seems to scream, “cool Malibu party.” Liam opts for a dark suit with a tie. I almost suggest that he not wear a tie. However, I don’t think my man is used to being “casual.” The first guests begin to arrive a little before 8:00. Most of the early birds are employees from Liam’s firm. They appear nervous and excited to be invited into their boss’s house. They arch their heads upward and just admire the sheer size and scope of the home. In fact, the first one hundred or so guests do the same exact thing. They arrive, pay their respects to their boss and then gawk at the massive mansion and the ocean view. At 9:00, some of the first “rich people” begin to arrive at the party. They shake Liam’s hand in that very familiar, “old friend” sort of way. They are all very nice to me. Though I feel out of place. I get a sense that this is the first time that Liam has ever introduced a girl to one of his friends.

By 9:30, the party is getting packed. Everyone is having fun as a DJ spins some records geared toward the younger crowd. I notice Liam walking around saying “hello” to as many people as possible. My lover finds his way to me and asks, “Are you ready to hit the stage?”

“Oh yeah,” I tell him. I walk out to the back lawn and grab a quick martini.

Liam makes his way to the stage and walks up to the microphone mounted on the baby grand piano. He taps the microphone and says, “Good evening, I hope everyone is having a good time tonight.” The crowd begins to quickly make their way out onto the lawn. Liam waits as the crowd fills up the back lawn to his estate. “I have always been a private person. And only an extraordinary event would make me open myself up. Well, that event is a special someone I met a few weeks ago. In that short time, we have really changed both of our lives. And I am glad to say that my favorite girl has discovered a talent that she has long hidden from the rest of the world. Well, that talent is hidden no longer. Please enjoy tonight’s entertainment from my special girl. Say hello to Carrie,” Liam says as I walk to the stage.

The crowd begins to applaud. The sheer size of the applause scares me. A thousand people seem much larger when they are all staring at you. I walk up to the stage and give my man a nice long hug and kiss. A couple of people in the crowd gasp, laugh and cheer. My guess is that this is the first time many of these guests have seen that sort of affect from Liam.

For a moment, I just look out into the ocean of people in front of me. There is a sting of fear that runs right through my body. I nervously look for the piano bench and sit down. My heart beat begins to lower itself down as I get myself comfortable in front of the piano. I look back down at the audience and see my lover sitting right up front, staring at me with a huge smile. And with that smile, everything in my body achieves a zen-like calm.

I begin to play. The sound is huge. This is my first time playing through a complete concert style amplification system. It is kind of jarring to hear my own compositions like this. I begin my first song. The crowd appears to be into it. As much as I would like to credit my own music, the crowd just seems to love the fact they are partying at a billionaire’s ocean view mansion in Malibu. The crowd’s reaction does not matter to me. What matters to me is that Liam is watching and listening to my every word. I want to seduce him the way he seduced me. By the time my first song is over, I am greeted with a wonderful wave of applause and adulation. I continue on to my next song. The pace picks up and some people begin to dance. That makes me feel so much better. The crowd is now concentrating on their own good time. Liam’s eyes, however, are still stuck on me.

I play my five songs and proceed to cover tunes by other artists. As I continue to play these songs, I notice that Liam has not moved from his chair. Many people in the crowd have long since started dancing and milling about. Liam’s eyes are locked on me. And I am locked on his gaze. It is perhaps as close to sex as one can experience without touching each other’s bodies.

After ninety minutes, I finish my final song. I stand up from the piano and get ready to leave when I hear a couple of people yell for an encore. That shocks the life out of me. My first encore! What the heck do I play?! I nervously walk back to the piano and launch into an improvised jam. I continue to play for another half an hour. The somewhat casual get together has turned into a really uninhibited throw down.

I finish my set. The crowd gives me a nice, warm applause. I walk over to the stairs of the elevated stage platform. Liam welcomes me with open arms. We embrace and kiss. “They love you,” Liam says to me. I’m so happy! I did my job. Liam appears to be really proud of me. He grabs my hand and begins to walk with me towards the cliff overlooking the ocean. We walk further and further away from the party. We don’t say much to each other. We just stare at the stars and the moon. We listen to the waves crash onto the Malibu sand.

“The night is a complete success!” I tell Liam.

“Well, the night is not over,” my lover tells me.

“How could it get any better?” I ask.

Liam looks at me nervously. He puts his arms on my shoulders. “I wanted to do this on stage,” Liam says as he reaches into his pocket. Oh my God. What is he doing?! Liam falls down to one knee. He opens the box and shows me a ring. I start to cry. “But this is about the two of us. And I would like to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Yes,” I say as my lower lip quivers. My knees weaken. Liam catches me as he rises to his feet.

He places the ring on my finger. We hug and kiss under the moonlight. Lovers forever. Strangers no more.