Page 74 of Play Me

Chapter Twenty-Two

CADENCE

I don’t ever want this moment to end.

I can’t breathe deep and fast enough, I need more and more oxygen to fuel my eyes, my ears, my brain, to process it all, to imprint it in my memory forever.

The noise is deafening. Literally. I feel like it’s overloaded my eardrums and everything is just white noise now, or silence, I can’t differentiate it. I’m too busy looking out into the crowd and feeling the vibrations of their applause hum through every cell of my body.

The lights lash over my eyes and I’m turning to my left. Sebastian is grinning at me, his face glistening with sweat as he winks at me, holding out an upturned thumb.

“Yay, Cadence!” I can just make out a voice screaming, and I think it’s Marius to my right.

And then the crowd starts to chant, “Cadence! Cadence! Cadence!” and it’s taking me some time before I realize that’s my name.

“I think we can convince our guest to stay for one more song, what do you think, guys?” I hear Sebastian yell into the microphone, his voice slightly distorted.

The chants explode and suddenly, I hear the opening notes to The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony”. I turn back to the piano and let the music sing through me.

The song comes to a close and the audience drowns out the epic ending with their screaming.

I stand up, wanting to feel the power of their applause wash over me. I see Sebastian put down his cello and walk over to me. He stops for a moment and holds out his hands in the sign of a love heart to the audience. Then he turns to me, he pulls me into his arms and bends me over into a deep, deep kiss.

I don’t ever want this moment to end.

***

“You were sensational,” Sebastian, whispers into my ear as we go backstage, the sound of the crowd trailing us as the lights come up. His arms come up behind me as he grazes his lips against my neck. I shiver under his touch even though my body is burning from the heat of the spotlights and the adrenaline of performing.

“YOU were phenomenal,” I turn in his arms and kiss him hard, tasting the gentle saltiness of the sweat on his lips.

“What about us?” Marius and Jez butt in, wrapping their arms around us in a big group hug, pressing me even harder against Sebastian.

“Eh, so-so,” I shrug nonchalantly and wink at Sebastian.

“Titbitchums!” Marius curses at me and pokes me in the side, making me yelp. “I was the star.”

I giggle and wriggle out of Sebastian’s hold to give Marius a big hug. “Yes, you were. You were bloody brilliant.”

Marius huffs, “You’re just saying that because...I was.”

I laugh and give him a kiss on the cheek.

“Oi,” I feel myself pulled back against Sebastian’s chest. “Get off my woman,” he growls at Marius.

“Oh, relax. I’ve been trying to get YOU on your woman for weeks now. Made me lose the damn pool.” Marius grumbles and wanders off down the hall to the catering area. The rest follow him and the hallway starts to empty as the crew gets to work packing up the stage.

“Back to you. My angel muse,” Sebastian murmurs low and dark against my ear. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle and my nipples twinge. He grinds against me and I can feel he’s hard. I push back against him, and he growls. “Do you think the crowd would like it more or less if next time in the middle of a song, I just bend you right over the piano and take you then and there?”

The image instantly plays out in my mind, and I pull his arms tighter around me, as I can’t help but notice a pulsing between my legs.

“Well, I guess that all depends on whether it affects our playing or not?” I rasp, his teeth grazing against my shoulder.

“It might, but it would give them something else to focus on.”

“I’m not sure I want 10,000 women focusing on your cock,” I turn and whisper into his ear. His hips instantly thrust against me.

“Say it again, that last word.”