Page 6 of The Maestro's Mates
Conversation was such a drain, unless he was talking about music. Speaking about scheduling and budgets wasinane. Those topics made him even more tired. He wanted to work with his singers, help them hone their musical instincts and achieve their goals, and then go home to watch trashy television.
But being the artistic head of the young artists’ program at the Manhattan Lyric Opera meant he had a never-ending pile of other tasks on his plate.
As Pavel emerged into the maze of rehearsal rooms and offices that made up the fourth floor of the opera house, something was different. Did it have to do with what Yasmin had wanted to speak to him about?
Humans loved change. Didn’t people understand how much easier life was when it always stayed the same?
As he rounded the corner to the front desk, Yasmin waited there for him. Dressed casually in a black denim jumpsuit, the short, curvy, brown-skinned woman exuded competence and intelligence. Pavel liked the operations manager, and he didn’t like very many people.
“What’s going on?”
Yasmin wore the placating look she got when she was trying to mitigate his temper. He hated being managed, almost as much as he hated change.
“Don’t be grouchy. We have a new person manning the front desk. His name’s Justin. He’s taking over for Laura.” Yasmin’s voice was low and sure, but Pavel glimpsed a quick flash of pain in her eyes.
“Why? What happened to Laura?” Pavel liked Laura. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She wasn’t exactly likable. She talked in a disaffected, flat tone and barely acknowledged it when people spoke to her. Pavel found her aloof persona comforting.
“She got married and moved to Iowa.” Yasmin frowned. “The wedding was three weeks ago. You were invited.”
Pavel shrugged. He couldn’t keep track of such things. Wasn’t it enough he made it into work every day?
A bright laugh echoed down the hall, and Pavel grimaced as he turned his head. At the far end of the passage, a small, slender man with unruly blonde curls smiled and hugged one of Pavel’s singers. Oscar. He could tell from the view of the back of his head. Oscar had distinctive shoulder-length brown hair.
Was the new kid going to be some kind of flirt? Was he, God forbid,chatty? That would be the absolute worst scenario. Pavel didn’t need charm in his life; he needed quiet. He was there to shepherd the next generation of opera singers, a career that had become increasingly more difficult to pursue. This was a serious business.
Pavel knew he was kidding himself, of course. He had never bought into the whole pretension of classical music himself. It’s not that the work had to be somber. He wastired, almost always these days, and perpetually cranky.
He was over three thousand years old, after all. He had a right to be cranky.
“Justin,” Yasmin called, “come and meet Maestro Zaslavsky.”
The blonde man smiled at Yasmin’s words and strode down the hall toward them. As he did, Pavel was struck by his beauty and ease of movement. He had the bright eyes of someone who laughed a lot. He glided toward them, his blonde curls bouncing slightly as he walked. Oscar trailed behind, wearing a mysterious expression.
Coming to a stop in front of Pavel, the slim man reached out his hand. As Pavel took it in his own, a spark passedbetween them, like a shock of electricity. Pavel snatched his hand back, surprised.
Justin’s eyes widened. “Oh, sorry about that! Didn’t mean to get you. Static must’ve built up. I’m Justin.” His smile grew wider as he made eye contact.
Pavel nodded. “Pavel,” he grumbled.
“I need to get Justin some paperwork,” Yasmin said as she walked off. “Wait here with the maestro!”
Of course she abandoned him with the new guy. She should know him better than that. Or maybe she was starting some kind of crusade for him tosocialize. The word made Pavel cringe. The only time he tolerated socializing was in order to raise funds for his program.
“I’m glad to finally meet you. I love your work!” Justin winked at him. Hewinked. Who was this annoyingly adorable young man?
“How?”
Justin shook his head, his smile fading slightly. “What do you mean?”
“How do you know my work?” Pavel didn’t mean to be standoffish or curt, but that’s how things came out naturally for him, and he was too old to change at this point.
“I was at the gala. Last fall. It was so good!”
Justin reached out and patted Pavel on the forearm. Another shock hit. This time, it was dull enough that Pavel was able to avoid reacting.
“Why?” This was more than normal work small talk, and Pavel was strangely flustered. Why did Justin throw him so off-balance? And why was the man so full of static electricity?
“He was there to see me and Trent.”Oscar finally piped up and saved Pavel from his own awkwardness. “Justin’s our roommate.”
