What about her past? Dante thought as he watched Sophia hanging the guitar around her neck as she prepared to sing. He certainly didn't know she was a singer. All lights in the bar dimmed and a central light was focused on her.
She strummed a few chords on her guitar before she started and then she sang.
My God, Dante thought. He had never seen anyone sang so beautifully before, he could feel all the emotions from her sound. His heart moved along with the song. She sang about her happy times, her sad times and a love that has been once lost.
Dante wanted this only for himself. He wanted her to sing only for him and no one else. Yeah, he didn't like sharing at all.
It was like all the people were entranced in her voice and by the time she was done, there was a standing ovation. As it should be.
Sophia had never felt so overwhelmed in her life. This was probably the best performance she gave so far in her career. She did a little bow before she stepped down from the stage, she scanned the crowd and her eyes fell on someone she didn't believe she would meet again. Dante.
Sophia gasped when her eyes met his. They were so intense and for a moment she felt like it was only her and Dante that were in the bar. She felt an arm touching her, breaking her little moment with Dante.
A loud whistle came from Dante's side which made him snap his head to the side and gave Russo a look. "Would you knock that the fuck off?"
Russo's gaze widened "What--do you know how often she sings? Never, Dante. So let me enjoy this moment."
He had a good mind to punch Russo in the mouth, but he glanced over his shoulder instead. The woman was headed to the back, and winking over her shoulder to the crowd.
Damn, she was beautiful.
Her gaze drifted over to the people slowly finally landing on Dante. He didn't miss the slight widening of her eyes or how she faltered in her next steps.
Dante slipped into the back hallway when the security's back was turned—although he was pretty sure the guy still saw him, anyway. It wasn't like the guy could have missed how Dante followed the woman who got off the stage, and headed for the back. He just caught sight of black hair slipping into the room at the far end of the hallway before he heard the door close behind her. Shit. What was that—a changing room, or something? Dante was going to find out. Not that he had any business to—or that he should. Because the answer to both of those were a big, fat no. It talk to the woman because he wanted to, and Dante wasn't very damn good at denying himself things he wanted.
He blamed that on being an only child who had always been given whatever the hell he asked for, whenever the fuck he asked for it. Or, that was the excuse he chose to use when someone asked.
Dante quickly realized this hallway was not for changing rooms, or anything of the sort. He passed storage rooms, and an exit door that led out to a back alley. At the end, he found the door he had seen the woman disappear into just as he slipped into the hallway. He didn't even think about it—he just knocked. "Just a sec," called a sweet, familiar voice. Dante heard the click of heels approaching the door, and then it opened. It was like every fucking time he got a glimpse of this woman, something changed. Something made him blink, silenced him, and he had to take her in all over again.
As Sophia opened the door, she blinked as she looked up at Dante. "I'd figured you'd follow me here." Sophia said quietly.
"How did you know that I was following you, I could have been looking for the bathroom or something?" Dante said as his gaze met Sophia's. Sophia cocked an eyebrow, "Really? You always knock before you enter the bathroom?" Sophia said.
"Uh yes, after all it's a public space," Dante countered. Yeah that worked. Dante mentally patted himself at the back for not managing to look like an idiot. He certainly didn't think she would appreciate him following him.
"Oh." Sophia offered him a sultry smile, her painted red lips curved in the sexiest way as she did a little twirl right there on the spot, faced him again and stretched out her arm to shake him.
"Well, nice to meet you again Dante. I'm sure you remember my name and if not, let me refresh. I'm Sophia the owner of Starlight bar."
Dante could only blink and blinked again like a fucking cafone.
"Wow, I uhh didn't realize you're the owner of this establishment. And, you're right I was actually following you." Dante said.
"Like I said, I figured you were following me." Sophia grinned.
"It actually took me off-guard to see you up there, performing like that. I didn't know you sing." Dante said while he shrugged a broad shoulder.
Sophia laughed and motioned for him to have a sit, "Of course, you wouldn't know that. We didn't get the chance to talk as much on the beach. You ran out." Sophia said while she grabbed some documents that fell to the floor.
Dante gave her a wry smile, "Yeah, sorry about that. An emergency came up." Dante couldn't believe that he was talking to a woman this way. Usually he was always confident, not that he wasn't confident now but there was something about Sophia that just made him loosen up.
Sophia stared up at him, "That involved you cursing in Italian?" Dante's eyebrows cocked up, he was surprised that she figured out that just as easily as she figured out the language he was speaking. His Italian accent wasn't strong because he grew up in the States but people didn't tend to notice that he even had an accent at all.
"What?" Sophia asked, "Are you that surprised that I know swear words in your language?" She smirked. "Damn right I am?" Dante replied.
Sophia rolled her as, sighing she said, "I actually have an Italian roommate who is pissy most of the time and most of the time curse on her off and on boyfriend." Sophia explained.
Dante muttered, "Aaaahh..." as it saying that explains a lot. His gaze went down to Sophia's cleavage which didn't go unnoticed by her.
"Was there something you needed?" Sophia asked.
His gaze went back to her
She was grinning, like she knew he had been looking.
Fuck, he really needed to get control of that.
"Maybe.." he said. "Do you really own this place?"
"I do, is that so surprising?" Sophia asked.
"It's not, I was just curious." Dante said.
Standing up, Sophia said, "If that's all, I'm really busy as I have to go and help in bartending. We're a little short-staffed."
Dante's gaze met Sophia's, "You bartend too? Wow." He stood and moved closer to her and leaned forward, making Sophia's breath hitch. "What time do you close?" He whispered.
Sophia obviously affected by the close distance said, "uhh by one a.m" Dante smirked and moved back, "Great, I'll see you then."