Page 13 of Mafioso's Muse

She wasn’t normally one for heavily tattooed men, but she suspected that every word and image etched on him carried some sort of meaning. Another form of art to indulge in—and she wanted to see all of it. She had so many questions about the symbols on his knuckles and the flame licking his hairline behind his left ear. While she would never admit it to her overprotective bestie next to her, Willow wanted to know Vaughn Gallo.

‘Lili, now might be a good time to let you know that I’m seriously considering you for the role of Myrtha inGisellenext season,’ Harrison said as he poked at his meal. ‘I think you could bring a lot to that role.’

The chopsticks fell from Lili’s hand into the bowl, her eyes widening. ‘Really?’

Harrison looked at her properly. ‘Yes, really.’

‘Wow. Okay.’ She glanced at Willow, who grinned back at her. ‘I was not expecting that. Thank you so much.’

‘Of course, nothing is set in stone yet,’ Harrison cautioned, ‘but I’ll be watching your progress closely this season. I see no reason why you shouldn’t have a real shot.’

Willow felt a rush of happiness for her, alongside a twinge of envy. She quickly pushed that envy aside, reminding herself that Lili had been with the company for four years. She had earned the opportunity.

Lili’s phone rang in her bag, and she bent to wrestle it out. ‘Bàba,’ she said, looking at the screen. ‘I’m going to take this outside.’ She rose from her stool and exited the restaurant.

Once Harrison and Willow were alone, he turned to her. ‘And there’s something I wanted to ask you too.’

Willow held her breath, going through everyGisellerole and dancing each one in her mind as she waited. She would love to play Berthe?—

‘I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me to seeLes Misérablesat Enigma Theatre tomorrow night.’

Her stomach fell all the way to the unsanitary floor. ‘Oh.’

He ate a mouthful of noodles before continuing, ‘They’ve finished their refurbishments. Made significant changes in a very short amount of time. I thought it would be valuable to see what’s possible.’

She was struggling to hide her disappointment.

‘I’d appreciate your opinion,’ Harrison said, misreading her expression as confusion. ‘Interior design isn’t exactly my wheelhouse.’

It wasn’t hers either, but she could appreciate the beauty of a place. She had certainly appreciated it at Titian. Disappointment aside, Willow was not entirely comfortable spending an evening alone with Harrison. She worried that others in the company would find out and draw conclusions. It was bad enough that most people knew she had gotten a place at Victoria Ballet because of her existing relationship with him.

‘Come on,’ he said, flashing her a movie star smile. ‘You loveLes Misérables.It was all you talked about when you were fifteen.’

Sometimes it felt like he remembered more about her teen years than she did. He had taken his role as mentor seriously. He was right, though. It was one of her favourite plays.

Brushing her concerns aside, and reminding herself that it was a professional invitation, she accepted. ‘I’d love to. Thank you.’

His eyes creased at the corners as he reached out and gave her arm a friendly squeeze. ‘Excellent. We’ll work out the details tomorrow after rehearsals.’

She glanced out the window at Lili before returning to her meal.

The following night, Willow and Harrison climbed the steps of Enigma Theatre on their way to their seats. People spoke in soft conversation around them. Willow took the opportunity to observe the smaller details of the theatre, running her fingers along the polished handrail as they walked.

‘The wallpaper is stunning,’ she told Harrison.

He slowed his steps to look at it. ‘Certainly makes it a more interesting space.’

‘It gives the space a luxurious feel.’

He smoothed down the front of his expensive shirt. ‘Agreed.’

They reached the top and headed for the dress circle, where they located their seats.

‘Here we are,’ Harrison said, gesturing for her to go ahead of him. ‘I prefer it up here. I find it gives a better perspective of the entire stage.’

‘The seats are great.’ Willow sat and ran her hands over the fabric of the armrests. ‘I wonder whether these are difficult to clean.’

He looked down. ‘Leather would certainly be easier.’

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