Page 97 of Deceit
The End.
Epilogue
Sofia
Excited nerves bubbled inside of me. I’d been looking forward to the night’sactivities all day, making it almost impossible to practice on the piano. Timeseemedto slow down; every passing minute felt like an hour had passed instead.
Until it was finally time.
I changed into the black sparkly cocktail dress I’d picked out, the slitthattraveled all the way up to my hip meant I had to forgo any panties, and as it had a halterneck, I had to go braless too.
Perfect.
Sliding on my silver stilettos, Miles grasped my hand and led me out to thecar. Since the incident, our entourage had grown. Both Rob and Connor were killed in the explosions, so not only did I have two new personal bodyguards who’d replaced them, but I also had two more.
On top ofthat, Miles had insistedthatwherever I went, I had to have at leastfour cars, each containing four armed men, to escort me. Maybe it was overkill, but the extra precaution gave me the reassurance I needed to leave the house.
With Miles at the wheel of our car, and surrounded by the guards, we madeour way to Exotique, my heart beating faster and adrenaline pumped through my body as we drew closer.
Once we arrived, Miles parked at the rear of the club and escorted me inside;the entourage not permitted to follow.Eventhough there were already strict protocols in place at the club, Miles had implemented further security measures nowthatI was starting my first night working at the club.
A paid gig too. Something I had only ever dreamed about.
Taking a quick detour via Miles’ office to lock his car keys and our phonesaway, he led me through the club and into the VIP area. I’d been there several times in the last couple of weeks in preparation for starting my job, learning the layout of the club, and meeting the staff.
Giving me a lingering kiss and whispering,‘Good luck,’Miles left me totake a seat at the table in the front row where Kai and Riley waited.
It was the first time she’d been to the club, and her eyes darted all overthe place while Kai sat next to her with a face of thunder and a death grip on her thigh as if he were worried she would disappear into one of the rooms.
I’d been helping out at the crisis center when I hadn’t been rehearsing, andRiley told methatKai had initially forbidden her from coming to the club after I’d invited her for my opening night.
In true Riley form, she withheld sex until he eventually relented, promisingto gut anyone who so much as dared to look at Riley, let alone attempt to talk to her. I believed he would follow through on his threat too. Kaireallycould be a scary bastard.
Taking a few seconds to calm my racing heart and steady my shaking hands,I climbed the small step onto the platform where the grand piano was situated. I had practiced on this piano several times, getting accustomed to its feel and becoming acquainted with it.
I didn’t understand why I was so nervous; I’d played in front of people atBar Forty-Four before, and had never been as nervous as I wasthen. My confidence wanedevenmore when I took my seat, and the chatters frompeople enjoying their drinks died down.Eventhe clatter from behind the bar fell silent.
I raked my eyes over the sheet music, the song familiar, but my fingerssuddenly forgot what keys I needed to hit. Panic began to lace its way through my body.
My alarmed gaze whipped up to find Miles, andjustas I was about to stand and tell him I couldn’t do it, he pinned me in my seat with his dark eyes, silently conveying a message to me.
You can do this, Jailbait.
I believe in you.
I love you.
His reassurance was all I needed for determination to power through me.Shifting on the leather stool and positioning my hands over the keys, I closed my eyes, blocking out the entire room except for one person.
My husband.
And then I played.
As soon as I hit the opening keys to‘Say You Love Me,’by Jessie Ware, mynerves calmed. By the time I reached the point where I needed to start singing, I’d lost myself in the music, imaginingthatI was singing only to the man I loved with all my heart.
When the song came to an end, the audience burst into applause, none louderthan Miles, who was on his feet with pride shining in his eyes. Standing, I took a small bow, elation running through me like electricity.
Miles greeted me as I stepped off the platform, pulling me straight into hisarms.“I’m so fucking proud of you, Jailbait. I think you’ve got some new fans,”he said as the applause continued, drowned out by whoops and hollers coming from Riley, much to Kai’s displeasure.
