Windswept (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (3 page)

Cadence blinked. She had never really thought about it like that before. “I guess you’re right,” she said slowly. “I just…” her voice drifted off. She didn’t know what to say.

Ryan’s hand brushed her knee again sending shivers through her that she was sure Chris could feel with his hand still resting on her arm. Cadence looked at him. “We think you have a lot of potential, Cadence,” he said to her. “We would like to offer you the job.”

Cadence wasn’t sure she had heard correctly. “You want me?” she asked incredulously.

A strange smile came over Ryan’s face as he said, “We do.”

“Oh wow!” Cadence exclaimed softly. “Thank you so much! This is just…it’s fabulous! What’s the practice schedule? When do you want me to start? Do you have copies of the repertoire for me?”

Chris laughed in that low, sexy voice of his. “We have a package for you,” he said, holding it out. “In there you will find all the current music we are working on, our address, phone numbers, e-mail, and a list of upcoming gigs. We know you have exams and your recital to prepare for. We have one concert coming up in two weeks and then nothing until May.”

“All the practices are at our condo in Mississauga,” Ryan added. “Do you have a car? One of us could come and pick you up if needed.”

“I don’t have a car,” Cadence replied. “But I can take the bus.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s no problem,” Chris said. “I’ll come and pick you up on Wednesday evening at six p.m.”

The two men began gathering up their materials as Cadence stood to leave. “Thanks again,” she said. “I really appreciate this opportunity.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Ryan said, his eyes darkening as they held hers. Cadence was mesmerized by them. He put his hand on her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “We are looking forward to getting to know you better.”

She didn’t know why, but at his words a thrill went through Cadence and straight to her pussy, which was becoming increasingly wet. The feeling intensified when Chris put a hand on her other arm and said, “We certainly are. I’ll see you on Wednesday at six.”

“See you,” Cadence said softly. And stayed frozen where she was.

Chris chuckled again and slid his hand down to take hers. “Come,” he said softly. “I’ll walk you out.”

Cadence followed mutely as he gently pulled her along the aisle to the main auditorium doors. When they had entered the foyer, he turned, put both hands on her shoulders, and leaned in to whisper softly, “I can’t wait to see you again.” His breath was hot and close to her ear, and Cadence felt herself becoming slightly light-headed. Chris planted a soft kiss gently on her cheek and disappeared back into the auditorium.

Cadence stared at the door, unmoving. A squeal behind her caused her to jump and turn toward the source of the noise. She barely saw Andrea as she rushed toward Cadence and threw her arms around the startled redhead.

“OMG!” Andrea gushed. “I couldn’t wait for you to call, so I came down here. That man was gorgeous! And friendly, too! I take it you got the job? This is so fantastic, Cadence! He is so into you!”

Cadence finally managed to connect her brain to her mouth again and said, “Andrea, I don’t think he’s into me.”

“Not yet, anyway,” Andrea replied with a wicked grin.

Cadence rolled her eyes. “I think you’re exaggerating.”

Andrea shook her head. “No way. I could feel the sexual tension from across the foyer! Come on. Let’s grab a coffee, and you can dish me all the dirt.”

After coffee, Cadence headed back to her apartment. As she sat on the subway, she found herself daydreaming about the two men she had met that day. Andrea had been right. They were both extremely good-looking. What really surprised her was her strong physical reaction to them—both of them. She’d been attracted to guys before, but never had she experienced a reaction like today. In fact, her nipples were hardening and her panties growing moist just remembering it! And she thought perhaps there had been some signs of interest from them. The way their eyes had darkened, the seductive laughter, and of course, the kiss.

The kiss. Cadence found her hand moving to touch her cheek where Chris’s lips had brushed it. She had hardly any experience with men, but Andrea did and she swore that men didn’t just go around kissing women they’ve just met.

But why would they be interested in her? She was a twenty-one-year-old girl—not a woman. They were both at least eight years older than she was. And surely men who looked that good could find girls who were more attractive than she. In spite of Andrea’s opinion, Cadence was sure she was misreading the signals they were sending.

When Cadence opened the door to her apartment, she was surprised to find Erica surrounded by boxes which she was packing up with items from around the living room and her bedroom.

“Erica, what’s going on?” she asked. Instead of responding, Erica gestured to the kitchen table where an envelope and a piece of paper sat. Cadence went over to the table and picked it up. As she read, her stomach clenched up and her head began to pound. “Evicted?” she gasped.

“That stupid bitch next door complained again,” Erica spat out as she tossed some books into a box. “The music wasn’t that loud!” she yelled at the wall.

“But it says here noise
and
non-payment of rent! All my rent cheques have been cashed! What’s going on?” Cadence asked in frustration.

Erica’s face flushed. “I kind of missed the last two months.”

Cadence’s jaw dropped. “And you didn’t tell me? What the fuck happened?” Cadence couldn’t believe what she was hearing. What was she supposed to do now? Her father would be so angry, and she didn’t have time to be looking for a new place to live.

“I had some extra expenses, and I just kind of forgot about it,” Erica mumbled.

“Forgot?” Cadence said in disbelief. She could feel the anger bubbling up inside her but knew it would do no good at this point. She should have been keeping track of Erica, made sure she was turning in her cheques, asked the landlord if everything was okay. She must have been able to do something to stop this. It was just as much her fault as it was Erica’s.

“Well, we have until Friday,” Erica said. “That should give you time to find something, right? Besides, I know I wasn’t the best roommate, and now you won’t have to deal with me anymore. So it’s all going to be okay. I got you some boxes.” She gestured to a stack beside Cadence’s bedroom door.

Cadence nodded numbly. Her inner voice was screeching.
Okay? Okay? How the hell is it supposed to be okay? Just because she got me some boxes? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Without saying anything out loud, Cadence moved the boxes into her room and wearily began to pack.

* * * *

“What a dumb ass!” Andrea spat out the next morning after Cadence told her the news. “How does she
forget
to pay the rent? And boxes?” She snorted derisively. “How the fuck are boxes supposed to make it better?”

Cadence stared down at her hands glumly. Andrea’s eyes softened. “Oh, Cadence,” she murmured. “I wish I could help you out, but I’m just renting a room.”

“I know, Andrea,” Cadence replied. “I wouldn’t have asked you anyway.”

“We could get something together after grad,” Andrea suggested. “We should have before. I feel bad for not leaving my house. But we can find something together. We’ll go around on Saturday and check out some buildings.”

Cadence nodded. “That would be great, Andrea. I appreciate that. In the meantime, maybe I’ll see if I can find a room at the hostel and put my things in storage.” She sighed. This was one stress she did not need right now. And she hadn’t had the heart to call her father yet. She cringed when she imagined the lecture she was going to get from him. These were the times when she really missed her mother. She had always been able to make her father calmer. But Mom isn’t here, the inner voice said.
Car crash, remember?
As if Cadence could forget.

Cadence went through the motions over the next couple of days. She was distant in her classes and had difficulty concentrating on anything. At least on Wednesday she had something to look forward to. In spite of everything, she found the anticipation in her belly growing as Wednesday wore on.

At last her classes were done! She had time to grab a quick bite from the coffee shop and then went to wait in front of the building for Chris to come and get her. She realized she didn’t even know what kind of car he drove! She hoped he would be able to find her on the bench here. It was close enough to the road.

She was staring off toward the lake when a sleek, black car slid up to the curb from the opposite direction. As she turned toward it, she saw the tinted window lowering to reveal Chris’s beautiful face. He had that sexy smile again, and Cadence felt the familiar twitching between her legs. “Can I give you a ride, miss?” he asked.

I’d love to ride you, her inner voice quipped. Silencing it, Cadence smiled shyly and walked around to the passenger seat of the car. Chris was out and taking her flute and backpack and loading them into the trunk. Once she was seated, he closed the door for her before returning to the driver’s seat. Nice manners, she thought.

As they began driving, Chris asked Cadence about her classes and some of the professors. He was a USO alumnus and told Cadence some interesting stories from his days in the music faculty. Cadence was fascinated by him. He was so open and friendly that she found herself relaxing and conversing with him more naturally than she was used to doing with complete strangers.

But when Chris asked her about where she lived, he noticed her pausing. He looked at her and said, “What’s wrong, Cadence? You’re so quiet all of a sudden.”

Cadence looked out her window. What to tell him? “Well, my apartment is near the Etobicoke border, but thanks to my roommate, I will be homeless as of Friday.”

Chris looked sharply at her. “What?” he demanded.

With a sigh, Cadence launched into the story. Chris listened without comment, only the occasional nod or murmur. As they pulled into a parking garage beneath a beautiful building on the lakeshore, he said, “That’s really unfortunate, Cadence. What will you do?”

Cadence outlined the plan she and Andrea had come up with as they pulled into a parking space.

“I see,” said Chris thoughtfully.

Getting out of the car, he came around to open her door and held out his hand to help her out of the car. Again Cadence felt warmth radiate out from the point of contact, down her arm, and straight to her groin. She flushed as she murmured her thanks. Chris picked up her things from the trunk, and they headed to the elevator.

Just the elevator was beautiful. Marble floors and mirrored walls, which gleamed and were completely free of smudges, lay behind the sliding doors. When they got in, Chris pressed the button that read
P
, and the elevator began to ascend rapidly. P as in Penthouse? Cadence thought. Symphony musicians didn’t make that much money.

Faster than she would have thought possible, the elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal a beautifully appointed foyer. More marble floors and decadent decorations filled the space. The design was exquisite. There were four doors leading off the foyer. Chris led her to the one marked
4
and opened the door.

Cadence tried not to let her jaw drop in shock, but it was a challenge. Beyond the door was another beautiful foyer. The floors here were slate, and the ceiling soared above them. A curved staircase led up one side of the hall to the upper level, and a beautiful crystal chandelier hung down to light the way. Chris led her through the foyer and into a large space which was furnished tastefully with three large couches facing a fireplace which stood in a wide pillar in the middle of the room. Cadence could see that the room seemed to continue around the other side of the fireplace, and she glimpsed a grand piano on one side and a dining suite on the other. Chris led her toward the piano. There were three chairs and music stands set up beside it. Along the wall were floor-to-ceiling windows with a beautiful view of the lake.

“Why don’t you get your things set up?” Chris suggested. “I’ll go let Ryan know we’re here. Can I get you a drink? Water, beer, wine?”

“What kind of wine?” Cadence asked.

Chris smiled. “We have a great Pinot Grigio from an estate winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Or a lovely French Gamay Noir?”

Cadence swallowed. “Ummm….is one of those white? I really don’t know much about wine.”

“Pinot Grigio it is, then,” Chris said with a chuckle. “Maybe we can help you with that knowledge.” He walked through the dining area to the kitchen that Cadence could see beyond it. She admired the way his backside moved in his casual slacks.

Shaking her head and dragging her gaze away, she turned to the piano. A Steinway. Like Mom’s, Cadence thought wistfully. After her mother’s death, her father had sold the piano, along with many of the things that reminded him of her. Cadence put her flute together and set it on her stand. The men still hadn’t returned, so she sat down in front of the piano and let her fingers wander lightly over the keys. The sound was beautiful. Figuring that they wouldn’t mind, Cadence began playing her mother’s favourite piece, Beethoven’s 8th Piano Sonata. If she closed her eyes, she could picture her mother seated at the Steinway, patiently guiding Cadence’s fingers through the poignant melody. Losing herself in the music, Cadence continued playing. As the last chord faded, she became aware of Ryan and Chris standing slightly to the side of her.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “I’m sorry. I just got a bit carried away.”

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that Ryan’s eyes seemed rather glassy. How—surprising. He must have seen the question on her face because he said softly, “My mother took me to see you and your mother perform that piece when you were ten. She is obviously still very much with you.”

Cadence felt a prickling behind her eyes and blinked rapidly as she glanced away. She was normally not that emotional, but it touched her to see that Ryan seemed so moved. In an attempt to lighten the mood, she said, “So how old were you then?”