Page 7 of Serving the Maestro

“Warm. In some places, it’s beautiful. Watching the sun go down over the Pacific.” His lips curved, a far-off look entering his eyes. “There’s nothing else like it.”

“I guess it’s pretty different here in New York.”

“Yeah.”

The intensity in his gaze sent a shiver rushing down my spine, and I was glad I had my coat on. I burrowed into it as if still chilled from the snow.

“But I’m definitely finding plenty here that appeals to me.”

He didn’t clarify, but the eye contact spoke louder than words.

“New York has its perks.” I eased closer, wondering how long he’d be in the city. “I take it you enjoy the theater?”

He smiled. “Sometimes more than others, but in general, yes. Have you seen the musical before?”

I had to think before I answered. “No. I was planned to see it when it first opened, but got busy with my work, and I forgot.” Shrugging, I added, “That happens a lot.”

“Getting busy with work? Or forgetting about plays?”

“Both?” I smiled and hitched up my shoulder. “I tend to hyper-focus, especially when I’m on a big project.”

“If I’m enjoying the work, I do the same.” He picked up his glass and sipped. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“Sure.” After he flagged the server, I asked for a Manhattan. “I hear the play’s good, though. A couple of songs from it are pretty popular—I hear them on streaming sometimes.”

“Yes.” He swirled the amber liquid in his glass and lifted it to his lips. “There’s a...sensuality to the score. Powerful.”

I found myself hypnotized by his mouth, lips and how they moved as he formed those words. My skin felt tight and thanks to the blood rushing through my veins, I wished I had taken my coat off. Tightening my hand around the glass, I took a sip of my Manhattan, loving the burn of the icy liquor and the burn of sexual heat even more.

Maybe Cam was right. Perhaps I needed to loosen up and have fun and try the dating thing again. Even the intimacy thing—especially if the night continued to go so well.

THREE

TRENT

So far, my stay in New York City has been uneventful—except for the April snowstorm that had blown in and whited out the city. It started earlier in the day and still hadn’t let up.

New Yorker’s never let a pesky thing like snow interfere, though, so I didn’t see any reason to let it stop me. My hotel was only one stop away via the subway. With that convenience, it was easy to hit the theater and see the play.

Arriving at the theater, I confirmed my theory about New Yorker’s never letting the weather interfere with their plans, because the lobby bar was jumping.

The guy next to me had spent the past twenty minutes flirting with any female who came close enough. So far, the reactions he’d received elevated my opinion of New Yorker females. Every single one had shot him down.

After the third put-down, he started grumbling into his martini about the problems with uptight bitches.

I considered pointing out he was the problem, but he was the type who’d try to pick a fight. Getting thrown out of a Broadway theater didn’t seem like the ideal way to spend a Friday night, and it would piss off Stephen.

Luckily, the asshole got up and left. He forgot his coat and a bright red scarf on the barstool, but I didn’t feel the desire to chase him down.

The noise of the lobby bar faded down to background noise, and after checking the time on my phone, I pulled up the search engine.

If I was going to be here for a couple of months, I needed to figure out what private clubs were in the area.

New York City might be the most populous city in the US, but that didn’t mean it would be easy to find a decent BDSM club.

Shit, the way my head was, maybe I should have a sex sabbatical.

Spying a familiar forum in one of the links, I went to log in but stopped. I really didn’t have that much interest in finding a club. It involved getting a membership and finding a sub—a temporary one.

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