Free The Crescendo (The Musical Interlude) by Kasonndra Leigh Page A

kick something.
    “In a few circles, yes.” He gives me a dimpled grin, the same one that used to light me up inside. “I take it Signora Dostovsky didn’t tell you about me.” Of course she didn’t.
    And to think, I’d just begun thinking Katerina had made a turn for the better, especially after she’d confessed so many intimate details of her life to me a few months ago. We’d even gone out on a few dinner dates together since that bonding moment we had shared in the hospital, that time seven months ago when both of us had thought we were going to lose Alek.
    “How did this happen?” I ask as the driver moves over to Sam’s side and asks for permission to pack his oversized handbags into the trunk. Sam nods his approval just before he turns his green-eyed gaze back to me.
    “I thought you might be delighted to see me. It has been a long time.”
    “Exactly,” I confirm, feeling the urge to set the boundaries here before we go any further with this conversation. “A lot has changed.” We lock gazes; and even though the unspoken words drift between us, I know Sam understands what I’m saying.
    I now belong to someone else.

     
    Chapter Ten
    Erin
     
    “I do believe I’m famished. Long flights tend to affect me this way. I could probably eat a whole bloody cow. Will you join me for lunch?” Sam asks as we head into the Boccasini’s lobby. Oh, shit. If Alek would’ve overheard his proposition, then he’d probably have turned Hell inside out with the fire that would’ve been coming from his body.
    “Sam… I—”
    “Nothing more. Nothing less. Someone has to bring me up to par on current events. Katerina seems to think you’re the girl to do just that.”
    “Of course she does,” I say sarcastically, shaking my head while making a mental note to confront Alek’s mom the next time I see her.
    No wonder she’s been avoiding me. The infamous Mitchell Swansea, one of the most sought after rock band slash symphony brand builders in the business just happens to be the boy I gave up my virginity to six years ago. Out of all the positions and companies he could’ve chosen to work for or represent, he’s picked the one I belong to. This is no coincidence; this is the work of a conniving mother who obviously still hasn’t learned her lesson about interfering in the lives of her children.
    We retrieve the key to his room, ride the elevator to the second floor and then prepare to part ways.
    “Sam… I mean, Mitch. Hell, I don’t even know what to call you.”
    “Sam will do, I should think. After all, that is who I am to you.” He stares at me, his gaze piercing mine. It’s as if he is trying to pull my deepest secrets out while he stirs up the beginning of a whirlwind of things inside my already mucked up head.
    I stare back at him, taking note of the way his features have changed; not because I’m intrigued or interested in him that way. No, it’s more like I find it hard to believe he’s standing here with me as though it were just yesterday when he was holding my hand at Jada’s funeral, which was just two days before he willingly chose to move back to London. Part of me wants to pinch the crap out of him just to make sure he’s real.
    “All right. Lunch. No more. But it’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” I state. The smile I get could light up the whole city, I think. “I’m sure tons of people are waiting to see the great Mitch Swansea.”
    “Actually, I do have a rather burdensome itinerary planned for the evening.” He’s staring at me as he finishes his sentence.
    I cross my arms and shuffle on my feet. “What?”
    “Nothing. You’re still quite stunning, Erin Angelo.”
    “Right. So, I look forward to our lunch tomorrow. And that’s only because you need to explain your plans for Diabolique,” I say, putting things into perspective.
    His smile falters a bit. “You mean, I need to explain my intentions toward you and your boyfriend, right?”
    “Still blunt and straight