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“Later,” he said nonchalantly. “Look, Reagan. I called you here because I need something from you.”
“How kind of you to ask first.” I smiled.
Matthew was an attractive man. God, he was gorgeous. I had never met a man like him back home. And the sex? Well, let’s just say that he had ruined every other man for me. Even my trusty old vibrator. He was the only man who had given me the best orgasm in my life. In fact, I didn’t know what a real orgasm was until we started sleeping together.
“I know you know about the event tonight,” he said. “And it’s a big deal that even I can’t say no to it despite the fact that the managers thought it was a suicide mission.”
“It is a suicide mission,” I agreed. “Nobody in their right mind would risk something like this.” The hotel’s reputation was on the line here, so I understood why it was such a big deal. And I knew Matthew was all about his business having the best image. It was his way of pleasing the guests.
“I know,” he nodded. “The guest asked for live music tonight, and I couldn’t find anyone last minute.”
“What does that have to do with me?” I asked with a frown.
“Well, I’d appreciate it if you would do it.”
My eyebrows raised at Matthew’s words. Me? Play in front of all the guests tonight? I should probably feel ecstatic to touch the piano again in front of a crowd. But the thought only made me nervous.
I hadn’t practiced the piano in months except when I played in the banquet hall. But that was hardly practice. That was merely me being in my feelings and in my zone. To perform, as Juilliard had taught me, I should have asked for a good amount of time to prepare.
“I–”
“I hear you play in the hall every night, Reagan.” He did? I didn’t think he would, given how thick the walls are, and the banquet hall was vast enough to eat up the noise. I didn’t know how to feel about that. “I keep my door open to listen. You play beautifully.”
I never thought I’d live to see the day that my brother’s nemesis would compliment the way I played the piano. And I couldn’t help but be proud of myself to hear such words from my boss.
“I’d love to play for your guests, Matthew. But I’m not prepared,” I said, sitting straight on the chair, the blood roaring in my ears, telling me to take the opportunity. It was the fear of playing in front of so many that was making me hesitate. “I don’t have anything to wear, and no offense, but your piano is in dire need of tuning.”
“Reagan,” he started as he scoffed with amusement. “I’m having someone tune the piano right now. And if you’re worried about what to wear, then I’ll take care of it. I’ll give you my card so you can shop for something—”
“No. It’s okay,” I interrupted. The last thing I needed was to be indebted to Matthew. “I don’t trust myself not to screw this up, Matthew. And if I do, your name and your hotel is on the line. This looks like a very important event.”
“It is,” he nodded, his tone firm and reassuring. “But I trust you. You’re a product of Juilliard, and I can tell that you’re already considering it. It’s just that you’re afraid.”
“I’ll be sloppy.”
“You won’t.”
“Matthew—”
“If it makes you feel any better, Reagan, you’ll be well compensated for your participation tonight. And I mean, being-able-to-afford-your-coffee-everyday type of well. I pay my talents handsomely.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. It wasn’t a secret that I needed money, and thankfully, Matthew wasn’t the type to spend money on me even with our predicament. Like he had said, what we shared was purely physical. Money wasn’t something on our discussion list.
With that said, it was nice having to be compensated for doing something I loved for once.
“And bear in mind that these guests are VIPs. All it takes is for one person to spread the news that Parker Villas has an exceptional pianist, and soon enough, other guests will be eagerly requesting your performance."
Well, if he put it that way, I couldn’t say no to that. Because this was it. This was the moment that I had been dreaming of. This was the reason why I didn’t want to settle for running Daddy’s business. This was my dream coming to life. And I had Matthew to thank for it.
“You really are a businessman to the core, Matthew Parker.”
“Negotiating is what I do best, Jellybean.” I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn’t believe that after months of everything going downhill, Matthew of all people, was handing me my dream on a silver platter.
“Fine,” I finally said. “I’ll play for the event tonight. Only because of the staggering pay you promise.” That was a lie because I didn’t care about money. If Matthew hadn’t told me about the money, I still would have played regardless.
“Great!” Matthew exclaimed, his smile big. It was different. Like he was proud more than he was happy, and I was, too, proud of myself for taking this leap. “I know someone who has a piano studio downtown. You can take the rest of the day off so you can prepare, maybe practice if you have to. But I’m expecting you to be back by six tonight.”
Matthew handed me a piece of paper with the studio address, along with the printed list of the guests' requests for their couple’s dances later tonight.
