Page 92 of Final Serenade

We broke the handshake and Frank switched his attention to Levi. Then once all the introductions were done, he settled on the couch in the corner and watched Isabella and the guys perform a couple of original songs. Brooklyn fetched him a bottle of water. Maria stood nearby and answered some of his questions.

The atmosphere inside the room was casual. Levi and Ashton sipped on their Red Bulls and everyone chilled.

After finishing up their newest song, the band took another break and Isabella told Frank about her accident. The conversation took on an intimate tone and watching the two together made my heart melt a little.

I was a fucking softie.

In the end, they shared a joke about broken bones. This was the first time Frank actually revealed that he had metal rods in both legs to someone who wasn’t a part of his entourage. I wondered if Isabella had signed some sort of a confidentiality agreement or if Frank was finally coming to terms with the challenges he’d been facing since the crash.

Brooklyn was the one who brought up the tweet and the cover of “Ambivalent.” The official story was that she’d seen the video and she was the one who’d shown it to Frank.

Oh, the power of mighty Twitter.

My heart began to sprint at the mention of the song.

“I’ll be very honest with you,” Frank told Isabella. “You do a way better job than me.” She didn’t. She couldn’t. “Ambivalent”wasFrankie Blade, but she made it her own and he wanted her to hear the praise. He didn’t just throw the words out. He knew they would mean a lot to this nineteen-year-old girl. Even years after today’s meeting.

Story ran through the chords to warm up. Kit returned to his drums. Then Andy joined in. They took a moment to give each other encouraging glances and dived into the song. The familiar melody spread through the room.

My body froze, my hands curled into fists. My veins filled with smoldering heat.

Isabella adjusted the microphone and began her climb through the lyrics. She was as generous with her voice as Frank. She gave it her every breath and her every heartbeat. Eyes closed, hands in the air, she powered into the first chorus.

I looked at Frank. He leaned back, one palm rested on the arm of the couch, another one on his thigh. There was something new in his eyes. Something I hadn’t seen before. Surprise. Admiration. Respect. All of those things twisted together into a shock of revelation. He felt it. He felt the immense power of her voice. It spoke to him, his own creation in a way he didn’t know it could.

During the guitar solo, he turned his head, and when his gaze captured mine, we stared at each other covertly while Story tried to measure up to Dante’s playing. He couldn’t, but we didn’t care. It was thirty seconds of just him and me in the room. Thirty seconds of music. Thirty seconds of strange orgasmic connection.

When the song finally ended, there was a collection of gasps and claps.

I needed a minute. My mind raced and my heart was pounding its way out of my chest. It wanted to crawl into Frank’s instead, cuddle his heart, and bleed tender words to it.

Frank wrapped up his visit by posing for a couple of photos with the band. Brooklyn used Maria’s cell phone to snap the pictures. Then she went through all the shots and deleted the ones that didn’t seem to appeal to her, although I didn’t think Frank had a bad angle. He was perfect and these kids adored him.

He shook everyone’s hands again and complimented each band member. He leaned over and hugged Isabella while Brooklyn explained to Maria that Frankie wanted to remain an anonymous donor for now and definitely was interested in meeting again in the near future.

They were on their way out. The room felt chaotic. Every single person plunged toward the door.

“I’ll try to find time and see one of your shows.” Frank gave the kids a wide smile and glanced at me. “Would you walk me out, Cassy?”

I heard Levi grunt and shot him a glare. He responded with a smug grin.

Play along!I shouted to him inside my head.

“Absolutely.” I nodded and followed him out. Brooklyn stayed behind. My guess was that she did so to keep everyone occupied—i.e., to keep everyone off our backs. The thud of the door cut off the elated voices. We stood in the empty hallway. Roman hung nearby. Corey was nowhere to be seen, but I heard his pitch drifting from the vicinity of the reception. He was on the phone.

“What do you think?” I asked Frank, looking up at him.

“She’s a great kid.” He stared at me intensely before his eyes dropped to my lips and then to my cleavage. Today, I didn’t wear my usual rock ’n’ roll attire. I was in a pair of slim-fitting dress pants, a flowy top, and high-heeled shoes. Neat and professional.

The music still coursed through me. “She is. I’m glad you came.” I had the hardest time keeping it together with him standing two inches away. My hands itched to touch him. He was like hard rock’s own Santa Claus. He’d just made four teenagers’ lives, gifting them hope and promise.

Multiple doors and framed photographs lined each side of the hallway, which was now empty. Frank hooked his arm through mine and pulled me aside. His movements were very subtle, but very risky. Anyone could come out and see us together, and that, the feeling of danger, only fueled my adrenaline.

“Do you have a second, Cassy?” he asked, his voice low. Bedroom, playful, and sexy.

“I do.”

Frank drew me toward the door on the left and pushed it open. Inside was dark. Not a sound. No people. I caught the shimmer of the glass wall and a mixing board. My pulse quickened to a sprint. My mouth went dry and my panties, the opposite.

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