Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Janae Simms muttered.
“Oh, please.” Her friend Karen Morris waved her off. “You can’t tell me you’re not a little bit excited about seeing Monte in concert?”
She sighed. “His music is nice, but you’re the one who has all of his CDs. And I don’t know why, if the concert is tonight, we need to spend the entire weekend in San Francisco. Seems like you should have brought your boyfriend instead of me.”
“Andre is working, and it’s not like you have anything else to do.”
“I have a ton of lesson plans to do.”
“So do I, but you need to see outside sometimes—and I mean someplace other than that elementary school playground. Now repeat after me. I’m going to have a good time.”
Janae rolled her eyes. She turned back to see Karen still waiting. “Fine. I’m going to have a good time,” she grumbled. They continued walking toward the jazz club.
Karen shook her head and laughed. “Girl, we’re going to have a ball.”
“Where are we sitting?”
Karen wiggled her eyebrows. “You’ll see.”
They passed a line of people waiting to enter and went inside. “Shouldn’t we get in line, Karen?”
“No. Our tickets are for reserved seating. That line is for those with general seating tickets. I wanted us to get a real good seat.”
She waited while Karen gave her name to the attendant at the will call desk. He located and handed her their tickets.
Janae had only been to the jazz club once, but liked the intimate feeling. The floor level featured three rows of tables for four, while the upper levels had a choice of tables or booths. Even the balcony seating offered great views. There wasn’t a bad seat in the house.
“Enjoy the show,” he said.
When they entered the seating area, Janae stopped short, surprised to see that they had floor seats in the second row, dead center. No more than ten feet separated them from the stage. “Um, Karen, these seats are kind of close to the stage, don’t you think?”
“Of course. Girl, I want to be close enough to that fine man to see his sweat. Monte is a walking chocolate fantasy.”
She chuckled at the description, but Karen did have a point. Monte would be an excellent fantasy man, which was where she decided men belonged. In fantasies, hearts didn’t get broken—something she would never let happen to her again.
Janae scanned the crowded room. Efficient staff moved through throngs of people, serving food and drinks, as music poured through hidden speakers and animated chatter filled the air. The lights went down, and as soon as he hit the stage, Monte’s voice immediately captivated her. Whether one of his sexy ballads or an up-tempo number like the current song, the man’s smooth baritone stirred something deep within her. She closed her eyes, nodding in time with the beat as he sang song after song.
Karen tapped her excitedly. “He’s getting ready to come down into the audience.”
“What?” Janae’s eyes snapped open. She glanced up in time to see Monte exit the stage through a door on the left side, and watched as women stood from their tables and tried to gyrate their bodies against his when he passed. He smiled and shook some hands, but didn’t linger. As he neared their table, Karen pulled Janae up from the chair.
“Here he comes.” Karen stretched out her hand, then screamed when he reached out to touch it.
Since Karen held on to her arm, Janae couldn’t sit, but hoped the sexy singer would keep going.
Nope, no such luck. Instead, he actually stopped in front of her, reached down to bring her hand to his lips. The moment he touched her, electric shocks shot up her arm and through her body. Her gaze flew to his and she snatched her hand back. His eyes widened. She thought she saw surprise cross his features, but it was gone so fast, she might have imagined it. She glanced around to see if anyone had noticed what happened, but Karen was still swooning. As for the other couple at their table, the guy was too busy trying to pull his screaming date back down into the chair to notice her. Janae dropped into the chair, then stared down at her still-tingling hand. Clenching her fist, she willed the sensations to stop.
Maybe she was crazy. Maybe she only imagined the spark. Right? She chanced a glimpse in his direction as he walked back toward the stage door and, as if he sensed her perusal, he stopped to glance over his shoulder. His eyes locked with hers for a brief moment, and something unnamed passed between them. Something within his dark, magnetic gaze pulled her in and wouldn’t let go. She shook her head to clear it, but couldn’t resist another peek. He stopped to talk to someone for a moment, nodded in her direction, then climbed back onto the stage.
He sang another song, a beautiful ballad about a love worth waiting for. Although she enjoyed the lyrics, she knew only few people were fortunate enough to find that kind of love. As soon as the last note faded away, the man she’d seen Monte talking to came out onto the stage.
“Is everybody enjoying the show so far?” Thunderous applause and screams followed. He waited a few seconds before continuing. “Tonight, we have a special treat. At the conclusion of the show, two of you will be invited backstage to meet the band and get autographs and pictures with Monte.” More shouts followed, as did a drumroll. He shook the bag in his hand, then pulled out a slip of paper. “The lucky winners are seated at table fourteen, seats C and D. At the end of the show, please proceed to the door at the left of the stage and present your ticket stubs.”
Karen screamed again. Janae thought she’d really gone around the bend this time.
“Janae, did you hear that? Two people are going backstage after the show.”
“Yeah, okay. Calm down. People are staring,” Janae whispered, glancing around.
“Girl, didn’t you hear the table and seats?” She took the ticket stub out of her purse. “Look. We’re the ones going backstage.”
Janae gasped sharply, whipped her head around to find Monte’s eyes waiting. A slight grin curved his mouth. She arched an eyebrow.
By the time the concert ended, she was a nervous wreck. Her palms had dampened, and her heart thundered in her chest. How in the world