heavy and a stark contrast to her delicate bone structure and included heavy black eyeliner and dark smoky shadow. She had forgone the black lipstick and exchanged it for a deep, seductive red.
She sported several new tattoos. At her throat and wrists were matching black curlicues of ink that resembled a lace choker and bracelets. Her black lace dress was low cut in the front and showed off her small, rounded breasts. Thank God for push-up bras. On the exposed upper curve of her right breast was a tattoo - a rose bud with a thorny stem and a droplet of red blood dripping from it. Her own designs, the meaning kept secret from anyone even her closet friends. It was a reminder of how something with so much beauty and potential could turn ugly and painful.
She was thinner than she had been when she and Dex had hung out with Sean and his sub Mara. She felt Sean’s intelligent eyes taking it all in. Feeling uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny, she tried to redirect his focus and asked, “How is Mara? I’ve missed her.”
Sean stiffened and his face took on a tight, pained expression briefly before donning its usual Dom mask. “I wouldn’t know. We split up about a year ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Elena was surprised. They had been together for years, through their long deployment overseas and had been engaged before she’d left for California. “You always seemed so happy.”
“Yeah, so did you and Dex.” She sucked in a painful gasp of air. “Appearances can be deceiving. Enough of memory lane, shall we get on with the audition?”
“Yes, what can we play for you? We have a full catalog of covers. Rock, pop, jazz, R&B, name your poison.”
“Our member’s like to dance both fast and slow, so let me hear some of that.”
Elena picked up her guitar and they began a set of covers by Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Alicia Keys, Jessie J and she even threw in a country tune by Lonestar. When they finished she stood looking expectantly at Sean. She knew they were good, she just wondered if he could put aside her history with Dex and give her the gig.
“Wow. Elena, I had no idea. Dex told me you could play guitar and sing but I never knew.” He stared at her with a slight upturn to one side of his mouth. She found it sexy. Not Dex sexy, but very nice. “OK can you do a few ballads? Sometimes, toward the end of the night we like a slowdown set to bring the house back down before last call.”
“No problem.” She put down her guitar and turned to Seth her piano man who got up as she slid in his place. With her nod they opened into Billy Joel’ s And So It Goes. Her soulful voice sang the haunting melody of the end of a relationship. It was one of the few songs Elena could play on the piano with confidence, perfected after her painful breakup with Dex. It had also inspired her to get the rose tattoo.
She always poured herself into the ballad. Her emotions were laid bare as she closed her eyes and sang the heartrending lyrics, opening them only when the last chord had resonated throughout the empty lounge. She opened her eyes and looked at Sean. He had a frown on his face. Standing next to him was Regan Sinclair; no she was a Spencer now. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she stared at her old friend.
“Every time I’ve held a rose, it seems I only felt the thorns. Very moving lyrics, but so very sad.” Sean’s questioning gaze slipped to her chest and looked at the rose tattooed there. He arched a brow in silent question. She dropped her chin and cleared her throat, uncomfortable in his presence once again. Had he always been this perceptive?
“I have others that are more upbeat, but most ballads are pretty sad. Well, what do you think?”
“I should really run this past Dex first.”
“Oh.” Her voice was full of disappointment. Dex would never agree. “Well, thanks for the audition anyway.
She sported several new tattoos. At her throat and wrists were matching black curlicues of ink that resembled a lace choker and bracelets. Her black lace dress was low cut in the front and showed off her small, rounded breasts. Thank God for push-up bras. On the exposed upper curve of her right breast was a tattoo - a rose bud with a thorny stem and a droplet of red blood dripping from it. Her own designs, the meaning kept secret from anyone even her closet friends. It was a reminder of how something with so much beauty and potential could turn ugly and painful.
She was thinner than she had been when she and Dex had hung out with Sean and his sub Mara. She felt Sean’s intelligent eyes taking it all in. Feeling uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny, she tried to redirect his focus and asked, “How is Mara? I’ve missed her.”
Sean stiffened and his face took on a tight, pained expression briefly before donning its usual Dom mask. “I wouldn’t know. We split up about a year ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Elena was surprised. They had been together for years, through their long deployment overseas and had been engaged before she’d left for California. “You always seemed so happy.”
“Yeah, so did you and Dex.” She sucked in a painful gasp of air. “Appearances can be deceiving. Enough of memory lane, shall we get on with the audition?”
“Yes, what can we play for you? We have a full catalog of covers. Rock, pop, jazz, R&B, name your poison.”
“Our member’s like to dance both fast and slow, so let me hear some of that.”
Elena picked up her guitar and they began a set of covers by Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Alicia Keys, Jessie J and she even threw in a country tune by Lonestar. When they finished she stood looking expectantly at Sean. She knew they were good, she just wondered if he could put aside her history with Dex and give her the gig.
“Wow. Elena, I had no idea. Dex told me you could play guitar and sing but I never knew.” He stared at her with a slight upturn to one side of his mouth. She found it sexy. Not Dex sexy, but very nice. “OK can you do a few ballads? Sometimes, toward the end of the night we like a slowdown set to bring the house back down before last call.”
“No problem.” She put down her guitar and turned to Seth her piano man who got up as she slid in his place. With her nod they opened into Billy Joel’ s And So It Goes. Her soulful voice sang the haunting melody of the end of a relationship. It was one of the few songs Elena could play on the piano with confidence, perfected after her painful breakup with Dex. It had also inspired her to get the rose tattoo.
She always poured herself into the ballad. Her emotions were laid bare as she closed her eyes and sang the heartrending lyrics, opening them only when the last chord had resonated throughout the empty lounge. She opened her eyes and looked at Sean. He had a frown on his face. Standing next to him was Regan Sinclair; no she was a Spencer now. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she stared at her old friend.
“Every time I’ve held a rose, it seems I only felt the thorns. Very moving lyrics, but so very sad.” Sean’s questioning gaze slipped to her chest and looked at the rose tattooed there. He arched a brow in silent question. She dropped her chin and cleared her throat, uncomfortable in his presence once again. Had he always been this perceptive?
“I have others that are more upbeat, but most ballads are pretty sad. Well, what do you think?”
“I should really run this past Dex first.”
“Oh.” Her voice was full of disappointment. Dex would never agree. “Well, thanks for the audition anyway.
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