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Between us, we generated enough steam to keep a house heated.
The red mark on my neck where he’d devoured me meant I had to wear a scarf to the pub.
Luckily, I had the night off.
Just as I was leaving the hall, I’d noticed a caterer arrive for what looked like another dinner party. Lucky I wasn’t asked to work. I couldn’t exactly wear a turtleneck under my shirt.
“So, you’re more into classical than contemporary?” Justin asked, standing so close his cologne drifted up my nose.
I nodded. He had nice brown eyes and a tall, strong body, and had I not been smitten with Declan I might have even been attracted. But no one compared to my former boss.
“You’re really talented,” he said.
“Thanks. Are you majoring in piano too?” I asked, realising that I knew very little about him, other than he was in the same course.
“Guitar’s my instrument. We’re playing tonight. Just jamming really. Twelve-bar blues. That kind of thing.”
“Oh, really?”
He nodded. “Mirabel Storm, who lives in the village, is a great singer. She writes her own songs. Normally, she plays on her own, but lately we’ve been joining her for a few tunes. Perhaps you might want to jump on the piano?”
I gulped down my wine at that suggestion. Me? Play in front of a crowd? “I’m not great at improvising.”
He frowned. “If you can play Debussy, I think you can improvise around blues chords.”
“Is it just rock?” I asked.
“Mirabel is a blues-cum-folk singer. She writes her own songs. Mainly about the environment.”
“I look forward to hearing her,” I said.
“Why don’t we have a round of shots? Maybe that will free you up. It’s a lot of fun. It’s become a bit of a regular thing for us. And you’re the most accomplished musician out of all of us.”
I smiled. Who didn’t like a compliment?
“We’ll see. Maybe after couple of drinks I might loosen up.”
He smiled brightly. “That’s more like it.”
After a few drinks, I did in fact get into the swing of things.
Mirabel Storm performed her songs and swept me away. Her voice reminded me of the sea. Wispy at times and filled with anger and bite at others. With long red hair and big green eyes, she was stunningly beautiful in an earthy way.
After finishing her set, she joined us, and we were introduced.
“That was amazing. Great lyrics, and I like your choice of chords,” I said.
“Thank you.” She smiled.
“Theadora’s a great piano player,” Justin interjected.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not that good. I hardly ever practice.”
“Perhaps you might want to play along in the next set. I’d love some piano. I write mainly about the sea,” Mirabel said.
“I noticed. Your voice sounds like the wind. I love your floaty style and how you vocalise your lyrics.”
Mirabel’s green eyes sparked up. “That is such a compliment. It’s exactly what I aim for. To make pictures with my words and vocals.”
