He smiles. “Me too.” He looks toward the stage in Hearts. “Looks like the musicians are getting ready. Guess you’d better get going.”
“Right, yes.” I swallow. “Thanks for keeping me company on my break.”
“Bianca,” he says on a husky breath, “the pleasure was all mine.”
More chills. More warmth. More electricity.
I walk back to the stage and close my eyes for a few seconds. I have to sweep all thought of Harrison to the back of my brain so I can refocus on the notes and rhythms of my songs.
He’ll be waiting for me when I return.
I give the nod to Ewan and we start. The second set of the evening is usually one of my weaker ones, but tonight I feel the music flowing through me in a way it never has before. The nostalgia of “At Last,” the mystique of “I Put a Spell on You…” It’s all tripled in intensity from the first set.
The audience erupts into applause as I finish my reprise of “The Man I Love.” Again, Harrison gets to his feet in the Clubs section, and I can see the gleam of his smile from the stage.
He asked if I would be adding any songs to my set from my days living in New York City.
There’s one song in particular that I really would like to share with him. One I haven’t sung since I was doing auditions in cramped studios in Midtown Manhattan.
The audience is still applauding as I walk over toward the members of my band. “Do you guys know ‘Somewhere’ from West Side Story?”
Ewan’s eyebrows nearly fly off his head. I’ve asked him and the rest of the band to do the unthinkable. Perform a song that wasn’t on Rouge’s preapproved set.
Brooks and Reid don’t look too keen on the idea either. They’re exchanging nervous glances from behind the piano.
“Yes, yes, I know. Rouge didn’t approve the number. But she’s not here tonight. She’ll never know.”
Ewan shakes his head.
“I won’t tell if you don’t.” I draw a line across my lips and lock it with a key.
Brooks shifts his gaze back and forth. Reid rubs at the back of his neck.
I get it. My sister casts a long shadow, and just because she’s not physically present doesn’t mean news of this diversion won’t get back to her.
But you know what? I don’t care if it does gets back to her. She’s not my keeper. And she doesn’t control everything that goes on here. Why, this very night, I broke the rules and brought a man—a handsome, charming man—as my guest for the evening, even though I’m not technically a member.
I lower my voice. “I’ve begun to think that Rouge isn’t as in control here as she likes to think. I promise, I won’t let any of you get into any trouble for this. I’ll take full responsibility.”
Ewan, Brooks, and Nash still look unconvinced, but Pierce gets to his feet, pointing his drumsticks at the other bandmembers. He then shrugs as if to say, “Come on, guys. One extra song won’t kill us.”
Reid is the first to nod, and then Brooks. I walk over to Ewan. “I can sing with just them if you’d like. I can plunk out a few chords on the piano myself.”
Ewan takes a deep breath in, looks over his shoulder, and then finally bows his head. He sits back down at the piano.
I return to my microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to go a little off program tonight. A lot of you know that, before I was the full-time singer here at Aces, I was pursuing a career in musical theatre in New York City. I’d like to share with you one of my most cherished songs from that time of my life.”
I nod to the band, and they start playing.
The music is sweet yet haunting. The lyrics are bittersweet yet hopeful. And just so there’s no confusion in my intentions, I direct the entire song toward the Clubs section, where Harrison is taking it in.
I start the song singing softly, almost breathy, and let it gain strength until the final note, which I let ring out into the entirety of the club. People from Spades put down their drinks, Diamonds their cards. For the first time in my life, I’ve brought every eye in Aces Underground on me.
It’s intoxicating.
I forgot what it felt like to perform to a captive audience.
I release the final note and applause roars through the entire club.
