What To Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection Part Two by Ella Jade Michelle Hughes Christa Cervone Ranae Rose Red Phoenix Nina Pierce Malia Mallory Kate Dawes Adriana Hunter Vi Keeland, Summer Daniels Page A
Authors: Ella Jade Michelle Hughes Christa Cervone Ranae Rose Red Phoenix Nina Pierce Malia Mallory Kate Dawes Adriana Hunter Vi Keeland, Summer Daniels
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smiled up at me in sharp contrast to her pale skin. “Get your skinny ass over here and join me, babe.” Sienna scooted her butt over to make room for me at the piano bench. It didn’t take long before we had the entire bar singing I Will Survive along with us. My mom had always said that Sienna and I were contagious. We were always able to get lost in the moment and have fun when we were together, and somehow, others always joined in.
Sienna stood up after we ended the song and took a dramatic bow, her unruly curls flopping all over as she flipped her head up and down. “Cover for me for a while, Lenny.” She turned and spoke to the regular piano player as if she was the employee and he was helping her out. I was also pretty sure his name wasn’t even Lenny.
We laughed our way up to the bar and ordered our usual tequila shots. I told her about Mr. Heston coming to see me sing and his offer for me to sing at their shareholder meeting instead of the previously booked boy band. She was excited and told me about a potential gig that she was working on for us to sing together at the wedding of one of the NY Yankees.
A tall dark haired man approached as we spoke and stood next to me. He was polite enough to wait until a break in our conversation before he interrupted. “You ladies were great. Can I buy you both a drink?” His question was directed at both of us, but he spoke to me directly.
“Thank you, but not tonight. We are having a girls night.”
He pretended to clutch his heart in pain. “That’s too bad. But you ladies have a good one anyway.” He politely excused himself and walked away. Most men didn’t take rejection well, especially in a bar after a few drinks when their friends were nearby, so I never knew what to expect.
“So, Syd, are you still lusting after Jack so much that you didn’t even notice that one was cute?” Trust Sienna to always be direct.
I sighed. “I’m trying to move on, but it’s not that easy. When I left Michael I felt a loss for the routine, the normalcy, but not really for him as a man. I didn’t crave his touch or wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming I was still with him.”
Sienna looked at me wide-eyed. “Shit, Syd, you got it bad. I thought it was just emotional because he was your first after Michael. Are you in love with him?”
I thought about our night under the stars, lying on our backs holding hands and talking. I thought about our sweaty bodies slapping against each other as we furiously tried to get closer as we came together. A dazed smile crept across my mouth as I stared at the mental images burned into my brain, but I didn’t give her an answer.
Sienna took a cigarette from the pack in front of the man sitting next to her and smiled. He turned and flicked a lighter, flaming the cigarette that she’d bummed without asking.
I leaned over Sienna to the man next to her. “Can I have one of those please?” I extended my two fingers to him to place the cigarette between.
“You don’t smoke,” Sienna stated matter-of-factly with one eyebrow arched quizzically.
The man lit my cigarette and I took a deep inhale, letting out a long puff of smoke on a deep exhale. “Neither do you.” We both smiled at each other.
Chapter Thirteen
T he Heston annual shareholder meeting was being held in the main ballroom of the five stars Heston Grand in Times Square. I had expected gaudy and extravagant, but was pleasantly surprised to find eloquent and understated. Lyle had told me that presidents usually stayed at the hotel when they were in town, as it often hosted fundraisers for wealthy donors. The contract had come earlier in the week, as Mr. Heston had promised, and I was pleasantly surprised at the generous fee that I was being paid for my services. It was more than three months pay for my regular job singing at the Heston hotel, but I wasn’t going to complain even though I did think it was excessive for the three songs that I’d been hired to
Sienna stood up after we ended the song and took a dramatic bow, her unruly curls flopping all over as she flipped her head up and down. “Cover for me for a while, Lenny.” She turned and spoke to the regular piano player as if she was the employee and he was helping her out. I was also pretty sure his name wasn’t even Lenny.
We laughed our way up to the bar and ordered our usual tequila shots. I told her about Mr. Heston coming to see me sing and his offer for me to sing at their shareholder meeting instead of the previously booked boy band. She was excited and told me about a potential gig that she was working on for us to sing together at the wedding of one of the NY Yankees.
A tall dark haired man approached as we spoke and stood next to me. He was polite enough to wait until a break in our conversation before he interrupted. “You ladies were great. Can I buy you both a drink?” His question was directed at both of us, but he spoke to me directly.
“Thank you, but not tonight. We are having a girls night.”
He pretended to clutch his heart in pain. “That’s too bad. But you ladies have a good one anyway.” He politely excused himself and walked away. Most men didn’t take rejection well, especially in a bar after a few drinks when their friends were nearby, so I never knew what to expect.
“So, Syd, are you still lusting after Jack so much that you didn’t even notice that one was cute?” Trust Sienna to always be direct.
I sighed. “I’m trying to move on, but it’s not that easy. When I left Michael I felt a loss for the routine, the normalcy, but not really for him as a man. I didn’t crave his touch or wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming I was still with him.”
Sienna looked at me wide-eyed. “Shit, Syd, you got it bad. I thought it was just emotional because he was your first after Michael. Are you in love with him?”
I thought about our night under the stars, lying on our backs holding hands and talking. I thought about our sweaty bodies slapping against each other as we furiously tried to get closer as we came together. A dazed smile crept across my mouth as I stared at the mental images burned into my brain, but I didn’t give her an answer.
Sienna took a cigarette from the pack in front of the man sitting next to her and smiled. He turned and flicked a lighter, flaming the cigarette that she’d bummed without asking.
I leaned over Sienna to the man next to her. “Can I have one of those please?” I extended my two fingers to him to place the cigarette between.
“You don’t smoke,” Sienna stated matter-of-factly with one eyebrow arched quizzically.
The man lit my cigarette and I took a deep inhale, letting out a long puff of smoke on a deep exhale. “Neither do you.” We both smiled at each other.
Chapter Thirteen
T he Heston annual shareholder meeting was being held in the main ballroom of the five stars Heston Grand in Times Square. I had expected gaudy and extravagant, but was pleasantly surprised to find eloquent and understated. Lyle had told me that presidents usually stayed at the hotel when they were in town, as it often hosted fundraisers for wealthy donors. The contract had come earlier in the week, as Mr. Heston had promised, and I was pleasantly surprised at the generous fee that I was being paid for my services. It was more than three months pay for my regular job singing at the Heston hotel, but I wasn’t going to complain even though I did think it was excessive for the three songs that I’d been hired to
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