No Strings Attached (14 page)

I didn't doubt it either. Lines of people had crowded in behind us, and unless we could find a break in the cluster of bodies, we wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

Tabby hit the final note and grinned when she saw Thayre and me standing in front of her. “Going to take five, guys. Feel free to take a flyer and a CD if you have other places you need to go.” Then to us, she said, “What do you think?”

“That I might have to kiss you,” Thayre laughed. “Where did this come from? Why didn't you tell us? And who are these enchanting individuals?”

Tabby blushed, and after resting her cello against her leg, she stretched her arms. “To be honest, I figured this would be a small thing. Something to do, you know? My folks and I actually signed up for this around the same time I got an acceptance from you, Thayre.”

“Let me guess—the registration wasn't refundable.”

“Far from it. Rain or shine, the money was out of our pockets.”

“Okay, but what about this?” He gestured to her t-shirt, the flyers and CDs.

“At first, we were going to play the classics. Things folks already knew. I wore my t-shirt to show my support, and brought the flyers and CDs in case folks wanted to learn more about us. Don't worry. The CDs have a minute or so of music from Moyra's song, but it's enough to get some interest I think.”

Thayre was nodding before she finished. “But once you realized the kind of event this was, you figured a live demonstration of Moyra's song would draw more attention than what you'd planned.”

“Pretty much.” Tabby tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, then looked directly at me. “I hope you don't mind. I had to change it around a bit to fit the cello.”

“Mind?” I couldn't help smiling. By now, I knew Tabby meant the very best of intentions, and if her small demo here today didn't get our show at Webster sold out, we'd probably get close to it. “I don't know what to say.”

“Play with me,” Tabby said, keeping a straighter face than I would've been able to. “Seriously. The fam here is getting pretty tired. Like I said, we figured this was a small thing—not a play all day gig. They don't know your song, Moyra, and I really think—”

“But we don't have any instruments,” I said. “Not only that. We also walked here.”

Tabby chewed at her bottom lip. “Well, what about tomorrow?”

Thayre stared right at her, his face so full of shock I wasn't sure he'd be able to speak. “Tomorrow?”

She shrugged. “Signed up for both days. I'll be here again tomorrow, so if you aren't doing anything...”

Thayre glanced at me and raised his eyebrows.

“What will I play?” I asked, figuring if we both played, one of us would be without a violin.

“You let me worry about that,” Thayre said, turning to Tabby moments later. “When do you need us here by?”

“Set up starts around eight—or wait, no. That was today,” Tabby explained. “Tomorrow starts an hour later, so you should probably get here a little before nine. The roads will stay open until then I think, and if not, there's always the parking garage.”

After saying our goodbyes and promising to bring some extra t-shirts to hand out tomorrow, Thayre led me down a side street, away from the music, the crowds, and the delicious food smells.

When we stopped at a corner a few blocks away, I asked, “Mind telling me where you're going? Food's that way.” I pointed over my shoulder.

“We have maybe an hour or two until lunch. For now, I think it's about time we got you a violin of your own.”

I didn't have time to react. Hell, I couldn't speak. I knew we'd discussed him getting me a violin in the past, which I'd then pay back with my first check but—
this is what you want, isn't it?

And even though I knew exactly where we were going, my legs refused to work. Every step I took forced my heart rate to jump up another notch.
This is nothing.
He'd seen me naked. I'd been bound to his Saint Andrew's Cross. He'd flogged me and I'd come so hard that he'd sent me into the stratosphere on more than one occasion. Getting a violin was nothing compared to what I had with him when we were alone.

You're going to have to make a choice eventually.

I couldn't. Not yet. After we played at Webster, I would. But not now. Not when things were so great between us, and especially not when we were so close to playing in front of hundreds of people.

Oh yeah, just screw up your nerves, why don't ya?

Following Thayre's lead because I obviously couldn't make out left from right, we managed to reach the Music Barn in record time.

“You planning to go inside, or what?” Thayre asked, pulling me from my thoughts as I stared at a handful of instruments in the front window.

Nodding, I followed close behind him, shivering when the bell on the door jingled above us. I didn't make it far, though. I stopped inside the door and closed my eyes, drawing in a deep breath that was equal parts exciting and terrifying.

I hadn't been in here, much less bought a new instrument in over ten years. The last music store I actually set foot in was on campus, and even then, it was mostly sheet music, stands, and CDs.

“This is how you can tell a good music store from a bad one,” Thayre said, quickly drawing me away from the front of the store to one of the adjoining rooms.

My heart literally stopped. Looking in the front window, I never would've guessed the building was that big. Granted, the main room had an assortment of beginner instruments, but in the back, surrounded by strings, there was nothing beginner about it.

I gravitated toward the wall protected by glass. “Is that a...” I looked at Thayre. “A Stradivarius?”

“You mean the brand worth millions of dollars? I certainly hope not. If they did have one, it would need to be in a vault.” Thayre crossed his arms over his chest. “That one there is a German substitute. Really good, too. That's what Angie is.”

I reached out toward it, and like a child staring in from the outside of a candy store, I gently set my fingers on the cool glass. “You could afford something like that—when you got Angie?”

“I did tell you it was a small fortune to buy all those instruments, didn't I?”

“You did but, Jesus. I didn't realize they were the good stuff.”

“Most of what Transcendence plays is close to the same quality. Rented, of course, unless they pay for it out of pocket.”

I forced my attention away from the pricey violin to something a little more in my budget. “I guess buying a training violin is out of the question.”

Thayre scoffed. “In my orchestra? I'd hope so. No, if you're going to play for me, you're going to do it right—and in style as well.”

“I see you found your way back here after all, Thayre,” a man said as he entered the room.

I turned to see Thayre shaking hands with an older gentleman. “You know I can't stay away.”

“Well, yes, but like it or not, I'm still not ready to sell the Music Barn over to you.” They both laughed.

“I wouldn't dream of it. Managing the gang is hard enough. I'll leave outfitting the beginners to you.”

“So, what brings you both in here today?” The man regarded me with one raised eyebrow. “I'm sorry, where are my manners? I'm Ben. Been running this old place for over two decades now.”

I shook his hand and smiled. “Moyra. Thayre dragged me here to get a violin.”

“Well, you've come to the right place. If you don't see it here, I can order it.

“That's very kind but...” I looked between them. “I honestly don't know what I need. I've been playing Thayre's whatever he calls it. Before that, I played a generic full violin.”

Ben rubbed his chin and casually looked past me at the twenty or so violins he had on display. “And knowing Thayre, this violin would need to take a beating, correct?”

“Of course,” Thayre chimed in. “That said, I think that one there would make her too nervous. She might be too afraid to play if she saw the price tag.”

The violin I'd been eye-humping earlier now became even more terrifying.
Exactly how much are you?
Obviously out of my price range, but if Thayre could afford one—
what does a conductor make anyway?
Hell, how much was I going to make playing Webster?

Thayre had promised it would be more than serving tables, but by how much? It had been so long since I'd looked up the numbers I was no longer sure how much a first violinist made.

“How about this one?” Ben asked, unlocking the case to remove one of the violins on the far left. “Get that one a try.”

I took the bow and violin when he offered them to me but was too afraid to play. “What if I break one of the strings?”

“Don't listen to her,” Thayre said. “She's nervous. Come on, Moyra, you can't start having stage fright now. It's just Ben.”

Yeah, who I met less than five minutes ago.

Off in the distance, the bell on the front door chimed. Ben grinned, locked up the case, then offered me a reassuring smile. “Let me go see who that is. If you have questions, I'm sure Thayre can answer them. He practically lives here after all. I'll be back shortly.” He stepped away, and I could hear him say, “Is there something I can help you with today?” as he walked into the main room.

“Well?” Thayre asked, looking at me. “You going to at least try?”

I took a breath, gently tracing my fingertip over the scroll design on the neck of the violin. The wood was soft under my touch. And while it might not have been Angie, this violin made me as nervous when I hadn't even tried it yet.

Just because you're holding it doesn't mean you need to buy it.

Maybe not, but I could already see Thayre planned on leaving here today with an instrument, if not in our hands, at least ordered or set aside to pick up later. And knowing him, he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

I was well aware of the fact I couldn't play Angie forever. She did belong to Thayre after all, but—
what if I freak out?
What if I didn't like playing in front of large crowds? At least I could hand Angie back to Thayre.
What the hell am I going to do with a violin?

I closed my eyes, and, with a little effort, convinced myself the violin I had in my hands wasn't still in a music store a few short blocks from Main Street and Oak Avenue.
Play the way you've practiced.
The melody of my song had been in my head since we saw Tabby playing her version of it a few blocks down. So long as I could hold on to that melody, I'd be golden.

I tucked the violin under my chin, set the bow on the strings and drew it across the A and E. That single sound reverberated in the small room, and as it did, I tested a few scales, tuning the strings the slightest bit.

“Stop stalling,” Thayre said, a smile in his voice. “The strings are fine. The bow's fine. Just play.”

My mind drifted to the first night I played in his sound studio, and of how much simpler things were then. It was music, and possibly a small crush. It amazed me to think of how far we'd come, both as a dynamic and my abilities as a musician.

A musician.

This whole time I'd thought of myself as someone who played a violin, but in a few short weeks, I'd be the first violinist in Transcendence, performing at Webster Hall.

I hit a sour note and opened my eyes, but kept going anyway. This violin felt foreign to me. Perhaps it was because we were in a strange room, or maybe it was because I knew this violin wasn't Angie—it didn't belong to Thayre, much less myself.

It can be yours if you want it to be.

Making that kind of investment, though, would it be worth it?

I stopped playing shortly after Ben reentered the room. His eyes lit up when I met his gaze, and when I lowered the violin to my side, he clapped.

“I'd ask for an encore, but you're all kinds of red right now,” Ben said, gently taking the violin and bow from me. “You need some water?”

“You don't mind?” I asked.

“Of course not. A lot of players come here and get themselves all riled up, so I keep a few cases in the back for such occasions.” He excused himself again and returned moments later with my water. “Lovely song, by the way. One of Thayre's?”

“Nope,” Thayre said, beaming at me. “That's all her.”

“Damn, maybe she should be the one writing your songs.”

I almost choked on my water, but Thayre was quick to answer. “Trust me, it has come to mind. It would certainly leave me open to work on other things.”

“Like sleep,” I said, pointing my water bottle at him. “Well, until I woke you up because I needed help.”

Ben shook his head. “You two are like a pair of kids. Known each other long?”

“On and off,” Thayre explained. “We practiced a lot in high school, but you know how it is with college and all that.”

“Mm, I do. So, Moyra, would you like to try another one?” Ben glanced at me as he deposited the violin to its rightful place.

I looked to Thayre who nodded his reply. It was obvious to me my trials with the other violins were far from over.

“Can't pick one out until you've tried the others,” Thayre explained nonchalantly. “This isn't a decision you make just to get us out of the store. Take your time, and as I've told you many times in the past, don't over think things.”

Don't over think getting the violin that I'll likely be using for the rest of my career?
Sure, no pressure.

After accepting the second piece from Ben, I took my place in the middle of the room, closed my eyes and played as I'd done before. In the end, I tried three different violins before we were ready to leave. We were easily in there for over an hour, and by the time we reached the middle of town, I was half-starved. Without a car to keep the violin safe while we checked out the rest of the activities, Thayre decided it was best for us to come for it later.
Tonight or tomorrow evening.

In the meantime, I was still expected to play Angie, both in his studio and once we met up with Tabby in the morning. And it couldn't come soon enough.

A
fter spending most of the night practicing the song I'd written and knew by heart, I could play it with my eyes closed and probably left-handed if I'd wanted to. But no amount of repetition could calm my nerves or the apprehension I had for what was to come next. Even with Thayre's invitation of sex and being flogged, I couldn't get my mind off the music. And once he realized I was physically unable to sit still unless he cuffed me to the cross and gagged me, he joined me for a walk under the stars instead.