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“Great. I’m starving,” she confesses, though her eyes flick quickly to the greasy wax paper lining a basket of fish and chips at the table next to us. While her face doesn’t look disgusted, she seems somewhat reticent to be trying tavern food that may or may not be categorized as edible compared to what we might normally eat.
But she doesn’t voice her concerns, instead sipping gratefully at her hot toddy as I rest a hand on her thigh.
The food arrives a short time later, and I’m rather impressed by the quality of the high-stacked burger held together by a long toothpick pinning the toppings between the buns, pierced right through the center.
Bianka’s eyes grow wide, and she tentatively picks up the juicy, sauce-slathered cheeseburger. I do the same a few seconds later but wait to take a bite until I have the opportunity to enjoy her reaction.
Her eyes sink closed as she chews the first bite, a moan of appreciation issuing from her as she slumps gratefully. I chuckle, taking a bite of my own as she swallows before delivering her final verdict.
“Okay, yum. I don’t understand how anything that greasy can bethatgood. But you’ve officially convinced me. How did you even find this place?”
I force my own bite down before I’ve really finished chewing, then chuckle. “I have my ways,” I say mysteriously. The truth is, I’ve been looking for a spot like this for almost a month now. It took me a while to find this hidden gem that’s far from what meets the eye.
As soon as her burger is done, Bianka’s back out of her seat and up on stage, this time to perform “I Dreamed a Dream” fromLes Misérables. The song itself is a powerful piece, one I gather from the room’s response is not often sung in karaoke, and Bianka’s voice carries through the room, vibrating deep inside me and making it hard for me to breathe.
It’s a beautiful song, and utterly devastating. When she tries to leave the stage this time, people actually start shouting for an encore, begging her to stay and sing more. She laughs shyly, seeming shocked by the response, and I give her an encouraging wink. Finally, she agrees, and people settle back in their seats to hear her again.
Wetting her lips with her tongue, Bianka takes a moment to think, then checks with the karaoke manager to see if they have whatever song she’s decided on singing. I could hear a pin drop with the utter stillness of the once-rowdy bar as everyone waits for the music to begin.
Then the soft, soulful notes of a ballad issue through the speakers. It isn’t a show tunes piece, but something I think I might have heard before, and I sit forward in my seat as the sad notes of the guitar make my hair stand on end and send a shiver up my spine.
Bianka’s eyelids ease closed, hiding her stunning green eyes as she feels the music deeply. Then she hums a tune that makes my stomach flip with anticipation.
Her eyes open, finding mine with a kind of intensity that burns through my very soul. “I’m thinking of you…” she sings, her voice low and rich, almost seductive in its longing, as she covers a wide range of notes in an instant. She continues on to express how those thoughts won’t let her sleep, that if it’s wrong to love me, then she doesn’t want to be right.
My heart stills in my chest as I forget to breathe, utterly captivated by the way she’s singing to me. And it is all for me. I can feel it in the air between us, the way her emotions flow through her voice and across the room to my seat.
I hardly notice as I ease out of my chair, so enraptured by her performance that it draws me to her like a siren song.
The music lifts into the chorus as Bianka confesses passionately how she would give her all to be with me for just one more night. Her voice dances up and down, flying across countless notes in the span of a single beat, showcasing her raw talent and, at the same time, making me feel something I’ve never known before.
The words touch my soul, saying everything I would do for Bianka, including giving my life to be with her. But her voice–god, her voice–it penetrates my heart, capturing me and making me entirely her own.
Steadily, the song climbs to its pinnacle, and Bianka’s voice rises with it until she’s belting her plea for just one more night with me. I stop then, at the base of the foot-high temporary stage, mesmerized as she falls back into the soft melody, bringing the song to a heart-rending end, closing the distance between us at the same time.
One hand slides around the back of my neck as her other hand clasps the mic, and when the last notes of her final word trickle into silence, she wraps her other arm around my neck to kiss me passionately.
Pulling her tight against my body, I respond in kind, only faintly aware of the loud cheers and sharp catcalls; I’m so immersed in the woman who has so completely captivated me.
“Alright, alright!” the karaoke emcee calls encouragingly. “Give it up for Bianka. I think she’s just caught herself a big fish tonight!”
The cheers continue as I lift Bianka off the stage and escort her back to our table, my arm gripping her waist firmly.
“Check?” she suggests as soon as we reach the hightop, and I’m flagging down our server in an instant.
Then I pull out my wallet and set several hundred-dollar bills beneath my empty whiskey tumbler. I’m sure that will more than cover two burgers and drinks, and I don’t have the patience to wait for the check. Before our server even has time to reach our table, I interlace my fingers with Bianka’s and guide her from the tavern.
Outside, the air has grown crisper, making our breath fog with each step, though my body is burning so intensely, I can’t even feel the chill around me. Bianka giggles lightly as she steps lively to keep up with me.
“What’s your hurry, cowboy?” she teases, and we reach her car a few strides later.
Turning to meet her eyes, I pin her between my arms, pressing her back against her car. “Whatwasthat song?” I ask fervently, my lips hovering a few inches from hers.
Bianka inhales sharply, the humor gone from her eyes, replaced once more with the intensity they held as she sang to me. “‘My All,’” she murmurs. “By Mariah Car–”
I can’t stop myself, cutting her short as I capture her angel’s lips, pouring all of my aching emotion into the moment as I kiss her deeply. Bianka trembles against my chest, responding just as eagerly.
Leaning into her more ardently, I press a knee between her thighs, easing them apart as I grind against her, showing her how hard she’s made me. Bianka groans, the yearning sound driving me crazy.
