‘No, of course not,’ Aiesha said. ‘It’s not about the money. I would do it for free but—’
‘Wonderful.’ Howard beamed and clapped James on the back. ‘You’ve got a good woman there, James. Oh, and about that contract. Consider it done and dusted. I’m also going to recommend you to some colleagues in Argentina. Have you heard of the Valquez brothers Alejandro and Luis? They have a big hotel and resort expansion in the pipeline. It’ll be worth squillions.’
Aiesha felt James’s hand tighten around hers. Who hadn’t heard of the Valquez brothers? They were two of the richest men in South America. How could she refuse to play now? It would mean so much to James to secure the Valquez contract. It would rebuild the Challender architecture empire back to what it had been in his grandfather’s day and expand it even further. She took a deep breath as she pushed her cowardice and self-doubt behind her. ‘When do you want me to start?’
* * *
James sat at the head table and watched as Aiesha played the first bracket. Her fingers were light over the keys, her voice a clear bell-like sound that made the hairs on his arms stand up. The song she was singing was an original of hers, the lyrics poignant and deeply moving. It was a song about lost dreams, lost love and heartbreak. The ballroom erupted into applause and then she deftly changed key and went into another song. This time it was about secret hopes and yearnings that spoke to something deep inside him. Her lyrics were so timely. Hadn’t he been ignoring his own hopes and dreams? He had been fixated on working, rebuilding all that was lost in the scandal blow-out ten years ago, but he had neglected the emotional side of his life. He had shut down. Locked away his feelings. Ignored his feelings. Become an automaton. He had chosen a bride who would not make him feel anything other than mild affection.
Aiesha made him feel passion.
She made him feel alive.
She made him feel like a man who could take on the world.
He loved her. He knew it as certainly as he knew he was sitting there watching her win over the crowd. She was tugging on everyone’s heartstrings. He could see women dabbing at the corners of their eyes with tissues. He could see grown men swallowing. Choking on suppressed emotion.
This was what she was meant to do. To sing like an angel, to play her music to make people feel in touch with their emotions. What a waste of her talent to sing to a disinterested audience in a lounge bar. Why hadn’t he stepped in before and got her out of there? Hadn’t she been crying out for help since she came home with his mother? He had turned his back on her. Rejected her, just like everyone else had done.
All that was going to change. He would ask her to marry him, this time without interruption. He would get down on bended knee and tell her how much he loved her. They would build a future together. Have a family together. The family she had missed out on. The family he would have loved to grow up with if things had been different.
He thought of their children, a little girl with sparkling grey eyes and a cheeky smile, or a little boy with a serious expression and dark blue eyes.
He wanted it all.
He wanted to make her happy. To make up for her miserable childhood, for all the disappointments and heartbreaks she had experienced.
He would be her knight in shining armour. He would be her Prince Charming. He would be her defender. Her protector. Her best friend and her lover. She would no longer have to fight her corner with that hard don’t-mess-with-me look in her eyes.
He would make her feel safe.
He would make her feel loved.
* * *
Aiesha stood and took a bow after her performance was over. The applause was rapturous. She had never heard anything like it. She wanted to check behind her to see if they were clapping for someone else. Surely it couldn’t be her they were applauding? She had played her own songs. Why? Because she hadn’t wanted to bring any hint of Vegas showgirl into the ballroom. This was her one and only chance to show everyone what she was capable of.
She had played each composition with her heart behind every word and cadence. She had never done that before. Opened her heart fully to the music, to the audience. To James. She had used her music to reach across the room to tell him what she couldn’t say in person. Hadn’t had the courage to say when he spoke to her earlier. Was he serious about making their relationship real? What did he mean? Did he want to make it permanent? Had she imagined the earnestness in his dark blue gaze?
What did it matter whether he was earnest or not? She couldn’t bring him down by continuing their relationship. How long before a living skeleton popped out of her family closet and brought more shame and embarrassment to him? Even more was at stake now. He had the Valquez deal to consider. Her background was never going to go away. It would always be there. There would always be a journalist unscrupulous enough to rake over her past. It was better to leave before the real damage was done. Before her hopes got too high. Before she dropped her guard low enough for James to see how she felt about him...