Rhapsody (Butcher and Violinist 1)

His limo waited for me. The driver stood by the opened back door. My heart pounded against my ribs as I headed his way and slipped into the back seat of the limo. Shalimar brought my bags out and handed them to the driver who loaded them in the back.

Minutes later, we pulled into traffic. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Remember. 100k and Eros. I can do this.

The thoughts didn’t make me calm. If anything, terror filled me.

My hands trembled in my lap. This was uncharted territory. Everything about this experience would change me. How I thought. How I lived. How I grew as a person.

Dad could never find out. Neither could Aunt Celina.

I looked out the window to focus on something else. But the ride reminded me that I was getting closer and closer to Jean-Pierre.

Am I really going to do this? Yes. I am. Just do it, and don’t vomit at the same time.

I let out a long breath and decided to check my make-up.

You look fine. Think about something else.

I pulled out my phone and texted Leo, letting him know I was on my way. He’d been on the studio gig again.

Leo: You’ve got this! It’ll be fine.

I tapped my screen in a nervous frenzy and pulled up Google™. For some reason I’d been avoiding doing another search of Jean-Pierre since the mention of this deal. Once I would be with him, I wouldn’t have the chance to research him as much.

If I learn more about him, it’ll calm me.

For the rest of the ride to Jean-Pierre’s penthouse, I looked up his boss, Rafael Dubois. The one with the scar on his cheek. I’d only discovered the news on his jail break. There weren’t many pictures of him online. The last image they had of him was his mugshot.

The news had reported that two men stormed into the jail, dressed in black with some sort of grinding machine. They used that machine to open the visiting room’s door. Rafael then blasted his way out of prison with explosives that had been smuggled to him earlier and concealed in tissue packs. The helicopter came right at the end, taking Rafael, his accomplices, and Jean-Pierre with them.

And that was how Jean-Pierre had become the Corsican’s accountant? But how did they become friends in jail?

That must’ve been a fascinating story.

Did Jean-Pierre fear Rafael?

The article didn’t report any more about the men. The cops discovered the helicopter on fire in the northern suburbs of Paris. Rafael had been the suspected mastermind and head of the Corsican. Meanwhile nothing else had been reported of Jean-Pierre.

Both men disappeared from French media after that.

The limo pulled in front of a large building and stopped.

Five suited men outlined the glass doors with menacing expressions. Their eyes and faces held hard edges. A few had jagged scars on their necks.

The little hairs on the back of my neck began to rise. My heart came close to exploding. I didn’t breathe or blink for a few seconds. I sat there frozen.

The driver opened my door.

It’s fine. Be bold. Go for it.

I lifted my foot and stepped out onto the pavement.

The men’s gazes fell on me.

Keeping my head high and my violin case close, I walked toward the building.

One of the men nodded and opened the door. Another gestured for me to follow him.

See. This isn’t a big deal so far.

“Thank you.” I stepped inside.

Leo told me to look everyone in the eyes. Never turn away. Own the room. Shalimar had advised to be as confident as possible. Shoulders back and head up.

“You own him. He doesn’t own you.”

The man led me past the lobby.

It was hard to not have my mouth drop open. I hadn’t been on this side of Belladonna before. It was known for its affluent neighborhood. In this building, the lobby was bigger than my apartment. Chandeliers sparkled with crystals.

My dress swished against my thighs as the man led me to the elevator.

Of course, I’d brought the violin with me. Maybe he would want me to play…right before he asked me to suck his cock. Who knew how one did these things?

The elevator doors opened. The man and I stepped on. He pressed the button for the twentieth floor and remained silent.

Breathe. And don’t puke or fart.

For whatever reason, when it was this quiet on an elevator, I never wanted to be the one who farted.

Stop being stupid. You’re a seductress.

I gripped the violin case. Eros anchored me in this mysterious ocean swarming around. My heart boomed in my ears.

This is the longest elevator ride in the history of elevator rides.

We made it to the top without any incident.

The doors opened right into the penthouse.

Oh shit. It’s about to start. I’m doing this. No turning back.

The guard left the elevator. I followed him down the hallway. My legs grew wobbly in the heels.