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“You did. I could barely breathe when you sang that really soft, slow song. The one about being left behind. I’m sorry I don’t know the name of it, but I can honestly say I am now a lifetime member of Chloe’s Garden. I just need to get around to buying the T-shirt.”
Chloe moved a step closer and took his hand in hers. “I think the song you might be referring to isIce Flowers. It won Song of the Year at the Grammys. It’s the origin song for Chloe’s Garden. The super fans have the garden symbol inked into their skin.” She turned her left arm over and on the underside of her wrist was the CG logo with its floral twist wrapped around the initials for Chloe’s Garden.
Jordan’s heart squeezed in his chest. This woman was more than just a singer. She was a wonder. Someone who had the ability to reach out to people and touch their lives. His emotions swelled and he was momentarily lost for words.
He bent and placed a soft kiss on her wrist, right over the fine ink. “Come and eat.”
* * *
He was the sexiest, most alluring man she had ever encountered, which was saying something. Chloe was constantly surrounded by beautiful, enticing people. Los Angeles was called the City of Angels for good reason. Every handsome man on the planet seemed to congregate there. But here in this Paris apartment, none of the bright lights of Hollywood could hold a flame to Jordan Royal and his tender kisses. Or to his charm.
He’d come to her concert. Listened to her music, and somehow through the darkness and the thousands of her fans, she had touched him. As the flames of hope burned bright, Chloe did her best to silence her inner voice. She’d heard all the warnings of what might come from being with a man like Jordan. The risk of him leaving her broken hearted, and alone.
But if I don’t risk my heart, I will never know.
She had heard and understood her inner counsel. But her choice was already made. None of this made sense, but then again, her aching need for love never had.
I want to be with him tonight. For him to know that I am more than just my music.
At the table, Jordan carefully covered a piece of crusty bread with pâté and handed it to her. As she took it, Chloe wondered if there might come a time when he would feel comfortable enough to hand feed her such delicate delights. She’d always found something sensual about having a lover offer her food. To open her lips and take from a man was an intimacy that went well beyond the boundaries of friendship.
I want him to be more than just a friend. Tonight I want us to become one.
“Would you like a chilled glass of Pinot Gris to go with your food?”
“Yes, please.” Chloe was thinking of what else she would like to taste this evening. Top of the dining list was Jordan. The memory of their first kiss and how it had set her blood on fire still lingered in her mind.
Wicked. Wicked girl.
He poured a glass of wine and after handing it to her, set the bottle down. One glass. Jordan didn’t touch the wine. She was tempted to ask why, then remembered the picture she’d seen online and the short piece about him having gone to rehab.
Jordan met her gaze. “I’ve been clean and sober for over four years, but I’m what’s known in rehab circles as an HRRC. High Risk Relapse Candidate. Occasionally, I take myself off to a treatment center for a bit of a mental top up, just to make sure I stay on track.”
She admired his honesty. And his resolve. He owned his issues and had enough self-knowledge to know when he was on the verge of failing. “I did see a snippet on the web about you coming out of rehab,” she confessed.
The glass in her hand felt heavy.I don’t want to drink in front of him.She went to set the drink down, but Jordan shook his head. “It’s alright. I’m fine around people who are drinking. I don’t miss the booze all that much, well most of the time. Alcohol wasn’t my biggest downfall. Drugs were.”
He was giving her an opening. Inviting her to ask the obvious question. Trusting her with his pain.
“What sort of drugs did you take?”
“Mostly the good old white powder, but just before I really went off the rails, I discovered they sold some other really nasty stuff in the dark corners of nightclubs. I went into a bit of a spiral in my mid-twenties which only ended when I got banged up in a jail cell in Iowa. After Matthew got the charges dropped, my mother had me involuntarily committed to a facility in Pennsylvania.” Jordan scrubbed his hand over his face. “I made my mom cry, and I swore I would never do that again.”
The wine and rich pâté had lost their taste. She wasn’t used to this sort of honest conversation. To such open candor. In her world, people lied as easily as they drew breath.
She took one final sip of the wine and put the glass on the table. “Thank you.” It wasn’t just her gratitude for the food, but also for having shared such a private part of his life. Of having opened himself to her. Chloe valued honesty.
Moving away from the table, she reached for Jordan, but as she did the terrace outside was suddenly plunged into darkness. “Oh,” she gasped. The lights on the Eiffel Tower had all gone out. “What happened?”
“Relax, its nothing to worry about. At 11:45 every night they turn the lights off. Just a minute.” He crossed the floor and pressed one of the switches on a nearby bank of buttons. Fairy lights flickered to life on the terrace, bathing the apartment in a soft silver glow. “I could put some more of the main lights on if you wish.”
“No, this is lovely. I like it just as it is. Thank you, Jordan.” The terrace lights along with the mood candles which Jordan now lit, gave the private space a sense of warmth. She liked the effect.
I hope he gets the not so subtle message that I want the lights low for other reasons.
She might be one of the world’s biggest musical artists, but she was still a young woman. On stage she could shine in the bright lights, but when it came to being with this man, she could admit to being more than a little nervous.
Chloe didn’t have an extensive list of ex-lovers. She’d had a number of short-lived and very public relationships, several of which had been carefully curated by her management team. Men chosen to serve either one of Chloe’s current album narratives or to help with their own record sales. The tabloids had tracked the highs and lows of her love life, the joys and supposed heartbreaks. But the truth was Chloe’s love life was mostly based on business.
