I gave him a stunned look. “I’m pretty sure I know all of Kate’s family so you must be talking about Riley’s first wife. Are you her brother?”
He stopped drumming long enough to point at me. “Bingo! But we were friends long before those two got together. You know, I am a musician too.”
I laughed out loud and said, “Let me guess. You are drummer.” The expression on his face was priceless. Stephen must think I am some kind of psychic.
“Yes! How did you know?” He did look utterly amazed.
“After a while you just know. I love music. How long have you played the drums?”
“As long as I can remember. I have always loved drums, percussion — any kind of percussion.” I noticed that he had a very light beard and light gray eyes.
“I bet your parents were happy about that.”
“They were super supportive about my music but they did set my drum kit up in the garage. I didn’t mind. Kate says you’re some kind of big time orchestra person. What do you play?”
“Actually I am not in an orchestra yet. I tried out for Metro recently but I didn’t get it. I play the violin and a few other things but mainly the violin. I’m a woodwinds girl.”
Stephen seemed impressed and nodded his head. “Cool! I would love to hear you play some time.” I nodded along with him and then turned to look out the window. There was no way I would be romantically interested in this kid but at least he was slightly handsome and friendly. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad night after all?
From the line of limousines that was waiting outside the entrance, I regretted that I had not rented one for us. I had offered but Kate had refused, saying that it would be easier to get in and out if we drove her car. She was wrong— it was crowded and the line leading into the self-park area was long. I refrained from saying, “I told you so.” I watched the limos pull-up and unload. A white stretch limousine pulled into the line. A fast footed valet ran to the door and opened it. A dark-haired man stepped out, straightening his jacket. My heart fell in my chest. It was Bullet! This was going to be an interesting evening. I waited to see who stepped out behind him but no one did. He came alone. Great—he’s going to get the wrong idea for sure.
Once we parked, I stepped out of the car quickly so Stephen wouldn’t help me. I wanted to send a message to him quickly that I wasn’t interested. As our group walked to the entry way, Kate held my hand. “I saw him too but remember, play hard to get. I know you aren’t skilled at game playing but try it. And don’t be mean to Stephen, he seems like a nice guy.”
“He’s a kid, Katie. I would never be interested in him anyway, even if Bullet wasn’t here.”
Kate appeared quietly aggravated with me. “So what’s your plan? Run to Bullet and ask him to forgive you for not calling him? That’s not going to work, Lil. You need to act a little distant, even if you can’t totally ignore him.”
“Let’s just see how things go, okay?” I released her hand and gave our invitations to one of the hostesses. She showed us to our table and I put on a forced smile as Stephen pulled out the plush chair for me. He was polite, that was for sure. We sat at the elegantly decorated table; it was a table for four and we waited for a server to take our drink orders. The place was packed, the band was warming up now and soon the hosts of the event would make their plea for funds. Of course, I planned on giving but I also wanted to meet some of the Metro folks. I surveyed the room as discreetly as I could, noting a few of those faces. I also saw Bullet, seated three tables over to my left. I tried not to stare in his direction; surely he would not notice me.
The four of us chit chatted for a few minutes about the band; the Seltzers were a popular jazz group in the area. Tired of waiting on service, Stephen offered to get me a drink from the bar. “Sure, I’d love some champagne.” He smiled back and promised to return quickly. The music began to play and Kate pulled an unhappy Riley to the dance floor. Such an unlikely couple, I thought to myself but they seemed to be making it work. I still believed that was due to Kate’s commitment more than Riley’s. I twisted around to look for Stephen who seemed to have disappeared. Nope, there he was talking to a young, pretty barmaid. I couldn’t blame him really, we had nothing in common except a love for music. I doubted that we even liked the same kind of music. Stephen seemed more like a rocker than I was.
I smelled his cologne before I saw him. Bullet sat in Stephen’s chair and he wasn’t smiling. His sparkling blue eyes were angry. “Why haven’t you called me? Is this why you blew me off because of this guy?” Stephen finally returned holding my drink. I accepted it from him with a modest smile and said, “Thank you but I think I need some air.” Stephen stood over me, unsure what to do. Bullet ignored him and stared at me, acting as if the younger man wasn’t even there. I put the champagne down on the table and got out of my chair and walked towards the door. This was embarrassing, too embarrassing to happen in front of the Metro Symphony big wigs.
“Wait, Lilly.” I heard Bullet’s voice behind me but I kept walking. I went outside away from the crowded room of partiers. Thankfully, Stephen didn’t follow me—but Bullet did. He
looked amazing in his tuxedo, with his mass of dark hair perfect and his tanned skin. I walked down the sidewalk away from the front doors. “How far are you planning to walk? Is that your plan, just run away?”
He was really ticking me off. “I’m not running away from anything. I just don’t want to make a scene in front of a room full of strangers. I realize that you don’t have any inhibitions but I do.”
“The inference being that I don’t care about my reputation and that I will do anything in front of anyone?”
I sighed, feeling exasperated. “I am not inferring anything. Look, you made it clear how you felt about me when I came to visit you so why would I care what you think? You don’t care anything about me.”
“You don’t know what I care about, Lilly. I tried to call you after that to apologize and you never returned my calls. I could point to the fact that you were willing to believe the worst about me when you wanted to run away from me at Blue Lake. I could point to the fact that you showed up here with some random guy. You are always running from me—always pushing me away. I guess I should get the hint and quit trying.” It was his turn to storm off and he did.
I watched his big shoulders swaying under his black suit coat. I guess this was it. Would I really let him walk away? Forever? Did I want this to end? It was now or never. “Bullet,” I took a few steps toward him, “Wait!” He stopped and slowly turned towards me, his jaw clenched, his tan skin showing patches of pink color. “Please wait.” We walked towards one another. My heart raced and my hands were sweaty. I didn’t want to argue—I wanted him. I stepped closer and stood on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “I want you.” We didn’t touch but I hung there, close to him. He grabbed my hand and we walked to the valet station. He handed the valet his tag and we waited, holding hands but not looking at each other while the car pulled up.
The driver opened the door for us. I didn’t think. I didn’t reason. I climbed into the car. “Where to, sir?”
“My hotel, please.” The privacy divider went up and the radio came on. I sat across the seat from Bullet and watched him as he slid off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. Soon, he was next to me, kissing me, his hands everywhere—mine were too. I threw my purse to the side and as elegantly as I could slid out of my sheer lace panties. I frantically fumbled with his buckle and finally succeeded in lowering his pants. Bullet pushed me down on the leather seat of the limousine and slid himself into me. He lifted my dress up above my waist and ran his free hand across my flat stomach. Since my body was excited and moist, he didn’t have to struggle to accommodate himself, despite his size. He slid into me and I pushed myself against him, my arms around his neck. I wanted this, I didn’t care where we were. I wanted him.
His mouth was on mine, and I melted under the softness of his lips. He breathed heavily, one hand in my hair, the other under my bottom. He began kissing my neck and I arched my back in pleasure. In his deep voice, he whispered my name in my ear, making our lovemaking even hotter. I bucked against him, excited and almost frantic. The car stopped and so did we. Bullet smiled and slid away. He pulled me forward and handed me my panties. I didn’t bother putting them back on, just stuffed them in my purse. Bullet dressed as fast as he could, leaving his jacket off and we exited the vehicle as sophisticated as we could. I laughed and he grinned at me. We tumbled out of the car and into the lobby of the hotel. In the elevator, he pressed me against the wall and we kissed some more. I could hardly wait until we got to his room. We walked down the hall and he slid his key in the slot. The door opened and we walked into the darkened room. He towered over me, his brilliant white smile practically gleaming in the dark. “Do you need to call someone? Your friend maybe? Tell her where you are.”
I chuckled and unbuttoned his shirt. “No, she knows where I am.”
Chapter Six
Bullet