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‘No, of course not,’ Aiesha said ‘It’s not about the money I would do it for free but—’

‘Wonderful’ Howard beaood woman there, James Oh, and about that contract Consider it done and dusted I’entina 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 Jahten 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 erandfather’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 thatwas an original of hers, the lyrics poignant and deeplyabout lost dreams, lost love and heartbreak The ballrooed key and went into another song This tis that spoke to so deep inside hi his own hopes and drea 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 ould notother 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 kneas sitting there watching her win over the crowd She was tugging on everyone’s heartstrings He could see wo at the corners of their eyes with tissues He could see grownon suppressed emotion

This hat she was el, to play her music to make people feel in touch with their e 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 et down on bended knee and tell her how ether Have a faether The family she had roith 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 ar 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 so? 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 hie to say when he spoke to her earlier Was he serious abouttheir relationship real? What did he ined the earnestness in his dark blue gaze?

What did ithi before a living skeleton popped out of her faht 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 dah Before she dropped her guard low enough for James to see how she felt about him