The Seven Devils (YA "New Adult" Romance) (22 page)

My face grew hot and I looked down as I accepted them from him. “Did I do okay?” I asked.

He touched my arm and I looked up into his face. He smiled. “Ellen, you did beautifully. Your intonation was perfect and your timing impeccable. You’re a natural.”

I smiled and hugged him. “Thank you. I was so nervous.”

Josh nodded. “Believe me, I still get nervous sometimes when I walk out onto a stage. Once you hear the first notes of the symphony rising behind you, though, you just lose yourself.”

I was about to tell him I knew exactly what he meant when Mr. Hanover interrupted me with what can only be described as a squeal.

“Oh my word, Mr. Aleksandr. What a privilege to have you here for our little performance this evening. To what do we owe the honor? The extreme honor, I should say.” He looked like he was about to start salivating all over poor Josh.

Josh shook his hand and said, “Ellen is a good friend of mine and I had been dying to hear her play. She was amazing, wouldn’t you say?”

Mr. Hanover’s eyes nearly popped out of his head and he stammer, “Why, yes. Ellen. Yes. Always been a favorite of mine.”

I suppressed a smile and wrapped my arm around Neil.

“Now, if you’ll excuse us, sir,” Josh said, “We need to make our way to New York yet this evening.”

“Oh dear, wow. Amazing,” stuttered Mr. Hanover, and I swear he gave Josh a slight bow as he backed away. Amazing.

I couldn’t help but laugh as we walked out of the school. “You really didn’t have to do that,” I said to Josh.

He just grinned. “Oh I think that I did. Maybe now he’ll show you a little more respect.”

I looked at Josh and Neil, both so handsome in their suits, and I felt amazed that they were both there for me. I felt so lucky.

Neil ran a hand down my back. “Are you ready for our trip?”

I felt a flutter of excitement in my chest. “Right now?”

“I’ve already brought our bags over,” Josh said. “Now it’s our turn. What do you think,” he said, looking at Neil. “Ladies first?”

Neil looked into the darkness of the night around us then slowly nodded. “Yes, that would be best. If you just walk around this corner of the school you’ll be out of sight.”

I couldn’t stop grinning I was so excited. Neil gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and said, “See you in New York.”

Josh and I walked arm in arm around a corner and the next thing I knew the world turned grey again. It seemed to take only a minute for us to reappear in the hotel room.

As soon as we were there, Josh said, “Make yourself at home. I’ll be back in a moment,” and swiftly disappeared again.

I set my roses on the bed and stared around me in awe. This was by far the nicest hotel room I had ever been in. The bed was huge, to the extent where I think I would have needed a step stool to get into bed if I were a bit shorter. There was a large walk-in closet, and next to that was a bathroom that took my breath away. The shower was huge and had two showerheads. I blushed like crazy thinking about that one. The bathtub had jets and also was gigantic in my eyes. Just as I was leaving the bathroom the boys arrived.

“This place is amazing!” I cried.

The both grinned. “Have you been out of the bedroom area?” Neil asked.

My jaw dropped. “You mean there’s more?”

Neil grinned and reached for my hand. He threw open a set of French doors and we walked into the main area of the hotel suite. There was a full dining table with six chairs to my left and a living room to my right, complete with couch, love seat, and plasma TV. Beyond that was a bar and kitchen area.

I shook my head in wonder. Not only was the place huge, but it was also all obviously very nice quality. I wanted to move in immediately.

“Wait until you see the view,” Josh said and opened the floor to ceiling blinds beyond the dining table with a flip of a switch. The bright city lights of New York City poured into the room.

“Oh wow,” I said softly, and moved to get a closer view. “It’s gorgeous.”

“I’ll have to show you the view from my room tomorrow,” Josh said.

“It’s even nicer?” I asked.

Josh nodded. “Top floor. Spectacular. Anyways, I’ll leave you two now. I’ve got a date with my girl,” he said, grinning.

I smiled. “Is she coming to your concert too?”

“I’m not sure,” Josh said and frowned. “We’ll see.” With a wave he disappeared.

I turned away from the window and back towards Neil. My heart seemed to skip a beat. He looked so dark and handsome. I watched as he ran a hand back through his hair and loosened his tie. His eyes met mine.

“Come here,” he said, and held out a hand to me.

I suddenly felt as shy as I was the first time we were alone together. I crossed the room to him and he wrapped his arms around me.

“Finally, you’re all mine.” His voice was low and deep by my ear, and I trembled slightly as he dipped me back and kissed my neck.

“What would you like to do now?” I asked once he brought me upright again.

“I would like to spoil you rotten,” he said, a smile playing on his lips.

I grinned. “I guess I’ll allow that.”

With one quick movement he had me up in his arms and he carried me through the room back to the bedroom. He laid me across the down duvet cover and kissed me ever so softly on the lips.

“I’m going to order us some room service. I know you were too nervous to eat much of anything before your concert. Why don’t you take a hot bath and change into your pajamas?”

“Okay,” I replied.

He leaned towards the foot of the bed and removed my shoes for me. He tossed them to the floor and then picked up the bouquet of roses I had left there.

“I have to admit I felt more than just a twinge of jealousy when I watched you accept roses from another man,” he said quietly.

I sat up and wrapped my arms around him. “Don’t be silly. No one could ever compete with you. I love you more than anything.”

He gazed into my eyes. His thumb softly stroked my cheek as the rest of his hand cradled my head. When he kissed me it was almost as if I could feel his love for me. He was so gentle and loving.

“I’ll give you some privacy,” he said, standing up and leaving the room.

I laid back for a moment and sighed. How had this become my life? I was so lucky.

I rolled off the bed and wandered into the bathroom. There were bath salts and a huge pile of towels rolled up beside the tub. This was going to be fun.

***

When I walked into the living room in my pajamas I found Neil and our food waiting.

“I don’t know how we ended up with so much food,” he said with a laugh. “I must have sounded famished.”

The tray on the dining room table contained two plates that were absolutely overflowing with food. It looked like a Thanksgiving feast. There was sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and green beans. To the side were two goblets filled with something bubbly. I raised an eyebrow.

“Sparkling grape juice,” Neil assured me.

We decided to eat on the couch and found an old movie on the TV. It was so relaxing. After we ate I curled up against Neil as we finished the movie. He was so warm. We were both drowsy and were paying more attention to the gentle rhythm of each other’s breathing than the movie.

Suddenly I giggled.

Neil smiled. “What?”

“You look tired, and I realized this is the first time I’ve ever seen you this way.”

Neil nodded. “I really don’t sleep much anymore, but every so often I essentially pass out for a day.”

“A day?”

Neil tightened his arm around me. “I’m sorry about the timing. I felt it almost immediately when I stepped foot in this room. Once we left Derrick and Austin and your family and mine behind, it was like a huge weight was lifted off me. I feel so happy and relaxed now.”

“Me too.”

“I called Josh while you were bathing. I’ll probably sleep well into the afternoon tomorrow, but Josh has a whole day planned for you. You just need to head up to the Penthouse Suite whenever you’re ready in the morning.”

I nodded slowly. “It won’t be the same without you.”

Neil kissed me slowly and softly. “Let’s go to bed.”

Chapter 23

I woke up around nine the next morning with my face nuzzled up to Neil’s shoulder and my arm wrapped securely around his. His breathing was quiet and steady so I slipped out of bed careful so as not to wake him.

I took a long hot shower and got ready for the day. I hated leaving Neil there; he looked so sexy with his hair mussed, sleeping so soundly. It was really tempting to just crawl back in with him.

I took one of the room keys lying on the bar by the door and headed out towards the elevator. I pressed the PH button for the penthouse and was surprised when the elevator doors shut but the elevator stood in place. I then heard a phone ringing.

“Ellen?” a voice answered.

“Josh?”

“I’ll buzz you up. See you in a second.”

Suddenly the elevator shot upward and then opened onto a stunning living room. Josh set down his violin and walked forward to greet me.

I couldn’t even speak. I had obviously never been in a penthouse before and was just awestruck by everything around me. The first thing I saw was the view Josh had mentioned the night before. I didn’t even say hello to Josh; I walked right past him towards the huge windows ahead of me.

“Oh my God… Is that Central Park?”

Josh followed me to the window. “The one and only.”

I took in the view. There were so many trees and the ground was covered in a nice layer of snow. It looked so surreal with the skyscrapers as a backdrop. It was just beautiful.

I tore myself away from the window and faced Josh. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Josh grinned. “It’s nice to hear you say that. I’ve been here so often that I have to admit I’ve gotten a little blasé about the whole thing. It’ll be great to see it through fresh eyes again with a newcomer.”

I smiled and took in the rest of the room. It was huge and had many doors branching off from it. I couldn’t even imagine how many bedrooms and bathrooms were contained in this one suite. I couldn’t help but think how lonely it would be being up here all alone. Everything was impeccably decorated just as ours had been, but I couldn’t take my eyes off one thing in the room.

Josh caught me staring and walked over and picked it up. The violin. It was like it was calling to me from across the room.

“Would you like to hold it?” Josh asked, bringing it over to me.

I immediately clasped my hands behind my back. “Oh no. I couldn’t.”

Josh shook his head and smiled. “Why not? It won’t bite, I promise.”

He held it out to me and I tentatively took it from him. It was lighter than I expected. It felt so fragile. I softly ran a finger down one of the strings. “Will you play something for me?”

“Of course,” he said taking the violin from my hands. “What shall I play for Miss Ellen,” he mused to himself. He hummed a bit as he crossed the room to grab his bow and then nodded. “Of course.”

Josh closed his eyes, lifted the violin to his chin, and began to play. The first lines of O Holy Night sang out from his instrument. I smiled and sat on the couch to listen. He was magnificent. Josh played the violin with his whole body. His fingers of course were busy holding the bow and fingering the strings of the instrument, and his arms were the vehicles which helped him accomplish these things, but there was so much more. His shoulders tensed and relaxed with the flow of the music and so did his eyebrows. The highest notes seemed almost as if they hurt him to play. His torso twisted with the melody and his whole body seemed to dance with the music like some invisible partner. He took my breath away.

When he finished, he opened his eyes and lowered the bow and instrument. For the second time that morning I was just speechless. I shook my head in wonder.

Josh raised an eyebrow. “That bad, huh?”

I exhaled suddenly as if punched in the stomach. “No! You were amazing.” I paused for a moment. “After I first met you I listened to some of your stuff online, but that’s nothing compared to seeing you play in person. I’m just blown away.”

Josh grinned and bowed slightly. “Let’s get out of here. Lots to do today!”

***

I had technically been in New York City for over twelve hours, but it didn’t feel like it until Josh and I set foot out of our hotel. I was immediately overwhelmed by the noise and people.

Josh threw on a baseball cap and guided me to the right. “Have you had breakfast yet?”

I shook my head no.

“Great. Let’s grab something somewhere and plan our day.”

“I thought you already had the day planned.”

Josh laughed. “That’s one thing about your boyfriend. He can’t tell that you’re lying to him if it’s over the phone.”

I laughed. I hadn’t thought of that before.

We walked into a diner and the waitress showed us to a booth by the windows. We ordered bagels and fruit and then got down to business.

“I think our first priority is to find you a dress,” Josh began.

I groaned and put my head in my hands. I had been trying not to think about that.

Josh chuckled. “Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but this is your first Christmas with Neil and this is the first trip you’ve ever taken with him, thus making it quite a special occasion.”

I nodded. “I don’t even know if we’ve ever actually gone on a real date. We don’t exactly have a typical relationship.”

Josh nodded. “Then I must insist that we make it a night to remember. We’ll find you a gorgeous dress and get your hair done and I’ll make sure Neil shows up in a tuxedo. You’ll have a romantic dinner alone and then come hear me play with the Philharmonic. Afterwards you’ll retire to your suite and… Well I’m sure you can fill in the blanks there.”

My face burned. I took a long drink from my orange juice and then cleared my throat. “That all sounds nice, but I don’t think I can afford much of a dress. Plus I still need to buy Neil something for Christmas, which is just driving me crazy. How do you buy something for someone who will know exactly what I got him the moment I decide what precisely that is? Plus it’s not like I can just get him a wallet or some other dumb gift. This is Neil. It has to be so special.”

“I wish Neil were here to tell you this himself, but his gift to you is your dress. When we spoke last night he asked me to take you out and buy you the dress of your dreams.”

My smile slowly grew. “Really?”

Josh grinned. “Yes, and really you don’t have to worry about a gift for him. I’m sure all he wants is you. You could buy some lacy number for under your dress and that would be that.”

I blushed again. “But we’ve never, I mean I’ve never…”

Josh sat back, the surprise on his face apparent. “Ellen, I’m sorry. You must think I’m such an ass, talking to you like that. I just assumed that you two had. You obviously love each other.”

I looked down at my hands. “We almost did once. That night you told us about this concert.”

“Ha! I knew it! You both looked so red and out of breath.”

I laughed. “No, we really were just exercising. I meant after you left. It’s just… I got scared. I ruined it.” I thought back to that night, how suddenly my feelings changed, and tears filled my eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Josh slid out of his side of the booth and joined me at mine. He didn’t say anything for a moment but took my hand in his.

“You’ve been through a lot, Ellen. Your father abused you, the rest of your family ignores you, and then that boy nearly raped you and continues to terrorize you. A person can’t go through all of that and come out without some sort of emotional baggage.”

“I wanted to do it,” I whispered, glancing at the people around me. “I still do. I really do. Everything was going so well, but then suddenly I got so scared. I don’t know what happened and I don’t know how to keep it from happening again.”

Josh squeezed my hand. “Okay. I don’t mean to pry, but what happened right before you were frightened? Can you remember?”

I nodded and closed my eyes for a moment. “We were on the floor and he was kissing me and… touching me,” I said very quietly. “That was all fine; it was great. But then.” I stopped suddenly as I pictured it. My heart raced.

“Ellen, what is it?”

I looked up at Josh. It was embarrassing talking to him about this, but he seemed really concerned. “It was his zipper. He started undoing his pants.”

He sat back and thought. “Well, that’s kind of a turning point. Maybe you realized at that moment that it was really going to happen and you got nervous?”

I shook my head. “No, I already knew where it was going. Something happened when I watched him undo his pants. It scares me just thinking about it.”

“Have you ever seen anyone else undo their pants?”

It came back to me immediately and I felt as if I was about to lose the breakfast I had just eaten. I put my head down on the cool tabletop and closed my eyes.

Josh put a hand on my shoulders. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

I sat up and faced him again. “No, this is good.” I looked down for a moment and tried to get the images out of my head. “It was Derrick. He had me in the woods and held me by the neck against a tree. I was so scared and all I could do was watch him as he undid his pants.”

Josh’s jaw clenched. “I’m not a violent person, but even I want this kid dead.” He shook his head and signaled for the check. “At least now we know what ruined the moment for you, and the solution is pretty simple.”

“It is?”

Josh smiled. “You need to take control of the situation. You need to undo his pants for him.”