Gods, I fell in love so goddamn fast I thought I’d strip down right there and then. I wanted him. Badly.
I slid over and perched beside the piano to see more of the object of my affection. His eyes were shut, thick lashes fanning over his cheeks. A smile danced on his lips, and every so often, he’d mouth words to a song he didn’t want to sing aloud. It was like watching someone else’s dream and being trapped in the beauty of it all.
When he finally stopped, the music fell away to a couple of claps and the murmur of conversation. I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. I just wanted to watch him in his postmusic moment, his fingers stroking the keys absently as he kept his eyes shut. My skin ached to know that tender touch. I was madly jealous of those fucking keys.
When he opened his eyes and reached for his water, I finally was able to make eye contact.
Green. Like soft, faded jade with a splash of gold around the rim.
There was a long stretch of silence before a lopsided smirk dimpled his cheek.
“Hey, there.” Satin. Cool, amber-colored satin. That was what his voice was to me. I could feel it across my skin.
“Hey there, indeed.” I leaned my hip against his piano. “Do you fuck as well as you play?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered as he danced his hands over the keys, absently playing a tune that could muster itself into a full song if it wanted to be. There wasn’t even a breath of hesitation. I liked it. He jerked his head in a summoning motion and scooted over on the bench. “Have a seat with me. I’m not on break yet.”
Once I was sitting beside him, he offered his hand. “I’m Danny.”
I took his hand in mine and squeezed. It was warm, a bit rough, and he squeezed back just right.
“Scarlet.”
He smirked, holding on a bit longer than he should have while his other hand played. When he finally let go, he signaled for drinks to the bartender.
“You play, Miss Scarlet?”
“I haven’t in a very long time.”
He reached over and gently took my right hand, placing it over some keys. Using his fingers on top of mine, he showed me which ones to play to keep the melody with his music.
“Your fingers will remember once they get going again.”
I hummed, moving my fingers with his instruction. The phantom memories my hands had of playing music many years back slowly crawled to the surface. Piano was never something I excelled at, but I could play simple sheet music and sing just fine.
“So, what’s a nice girl like you doing this side of the docks?” Danny nodded a thanks to the bartender as our drinks were set down on a neighboring table. My laughter caused me to miss a key, which brought a smile to his pretty lips.
“I’m hardly either of those things, sweetheart.” I tossed him a wink and got my fingers back where they needed to go. “I just rolled in on the train from Worthington. Looking for fame and fortune, of course.”
“Ah, aiming for the stage?”
“Why else do wayward souls venture this far east, Danny boy?”
He gave a careless shrug. “Money, love, or fame. High demand but low supply out here in New Haven.”
I broke from his piano lesson and picked up our drinks, putting his to his lips while his fingers were occupied. He leaned into the glass, taking a healthy swallow without spilling a drop. I had secretly hoped there would have been at least a little trace of a droplet so I had the excuse to run my thumb over his bottom lip.
I cooled my ramping heat with wine.
“Which did you come here for?” I mused after my sip. “Money, love, or are you a starlet like myself?”
His fingers had kicked into a fun song, his hoof tapping as he answered, “Love, of course.”
“Someone broke your heart?” There was a little bit of jealousy that colored that question. I would have sulked out properly heartbroken if the beautiful Satyr was taken or mated. After the day I had, it would have been a fitting end. Drinking alone and jerking off in a dress I had to give away was not the way I wanted the night to go.
Danny shook his head, the gold in his eyes simply sparkling. “I came here looking for love. I haven’t found it yet.”
“I don’t think that’s true.” I mirrored his casual shrug, taking a sip of my wine. It was warm, cheap, and burned a little behind my jaw. I loved it.
“No?” He sounded amused, one eyebrow raised my direction. I nodded to his piano.
“You love your music. I can tell by how you move with it. You dance with the song like you’re slow dancing with a long-lost love.”
The happy hum that purred from him was agonizing. It was deep and lustful, and he shut his eyes again like he was getting lost in the throes of passion with the music he was playing. If it wasn’t for the layers of pretty fabric around me, the whole saloon would have seen what that man was doing to me.
After the song melted to an end, Danny took a breath and cracked his fingers one by one. He swung his legs over the bench and stood, offering his hand to help me up to my feet. I wanted to swoon all over him, but instead I settled for him placing his hand to my waist as we walked to the bar.
Though the patrons weren’t falling at Danny’s feet from his playing, he was clearly a favorite of the locals. As soon as his perky ass hit the stool, drinks were bought for him and his “pretty date.” I liked that I was not only pretty but his.
“So, Scarlet.” Danny aimed his attention purely on me as we sat together. “Why the stage?”
“Besides the glamorous costumes and excuse to sing?” I teased.
I waited for him to pop off with some remark or joke, but instead he gave a knowing smile and waited. I continued.
“When I watch actors on the stage, they are my entire world for that moment in time. They capture me, whisk me away into whatever world it is they’re in. In my past life, I gave people that fantasy for a little bit of time on a very intimate level. I loved it. I loved the connection, the fantasy of it all. I loved that I was the one giving it to them. I want that connection with a whole theater.”
Danny leaned his elbows on the bar. “It’s not the same kind of connection as the one you’re talking about. It’s not as intimate.”
“Mine will be.” I corrected, leaning closer to gaze into his eyes. “My audience will be my lovers for the show. I will be theirs. That’s what I want.”
The gold in his eyes seemed to dance as he watched me, and I hoped that they were brilliant because he felt the same pull as I did. When he took a sip of his whiskey, his eyes never left mine, daring me to look away. I didn’t.
“Ambitious,” he whispered.
“Very.”
There was a moment between us when the saloon melted away. The noise and babble of the surrounding bodies floated off in the distance, and I was hopelessly lost in a jade forest with golden leaves. When he spoke again, I realized I had been holding my breath, waiting for him to speak.
“What else are you doing, Scarlet? Besides looking for an audience of lovers to connect to?”
“Finding you.” I bit my lip to try and curb my smile at his wink.
“And before that?”
“I landed a job at the Glass Geese,” I said with a sigh. “I hope it pays decent enough to pay for my food and wine, but it comes with a great loss.” I swept my hand over my dress. “This is my last night with my favorite dress.”