"LADIES and gentlemen..."
The formal call on their attention reduced the buzz of conversation in the ballroom. Heads turned to look at Peter Owen who commanded the stage, along with the white grand piano which was currently adorned with an elaborate candelabra reminiscent of Liberace's style. A deliberate affectation, Alex thought, as were the white tails Peter Owen wore. Still he was certainly a consummate showman, and much liked by the ladies.
"Tonight we have a very special performance for the bride and groom..." He made an expansive gesture towards the bridal table where Tony, Alex's youngest brother was also seated—best man to the groom, "...courtesy of our wonderful hostess, Isabella King."
His other brother, Matt, was sharing a table with him and the rest of their party further down the ballroom. Matt instantly leaned over and whispered, "So what has Nonna cooked up?"
"I don't know," Alex answered, curious himself as he watched his grandmother give Peter Owen a nod and a smile.
"May I introduce to you..." The singer/pianist stepped back, his arm swinging out to one side of the stage, his head turned in the same direction. "...Gina Terlizzi."
"Well, well, your little songbird, Alex," Michelle drawled, causing the hair on the back of his neck to prickle.
They'd had a blazing row last Sunday over Gina Terlizzi and Alex didn't want one provoked tonight. The trouble was, Michelle's arguments had tapped a guilt in him he couldn't deny. He wasn't sure what to do about it, either.
"Your songbird?" Matt picked up teasingly.
"Nonna's," he answered with a curt, dismissive gesture.
Gina was coming out on stage, her hand reaching for Peter Owen's.
He took it, pulling her to his side, making a cosy pairing that instantly raised Alex's hackles. What was his grandmother thinking of, coupling Gina with a well-known womaniser of highly dubious charm? The man was already twice divorced, and putting a woman as attractive and as vulnerable as Gina Terlizzi in his path could easily bring her grief.
"Gina and I have been rehearsing all week..."
All week!
And she was positively glowing beside him, a big smile lighting her face, the amber eyes very sparkly, her toffee-coloured hair swinging loose around her bare shoulders, her curvy figure shown to stunning advantage in a bronze, body-moulding lace top, sashed at her waist with a piece of the darker bronze filmy fabric that formed a long skirt featuring a rather provocative side ruffle.
"Hmm...very sultry and sexy," Matt murmured.
Alex found himself thinking the same thing and was extremely discomforted by the bolt of desire that was sizzling through his system. Michelle was sitting right beside him, dressed in a slinky, metallic-red gown that was braless and virtually backless, so blatantly sexy she'd had every male eye at the wedding giving her the once-over. And she was his! Why on earth would he suddenly feel even a trace of lust for another woman?
The thought struck him that Michelle's sexiness was artful.
Gina's was...something else...like a celebration of the woman she was.
And Peter Owen was basking in it. No...gloating in it!
"I warn you, this lovely lady's voice will grab your heart," he announced fatuously. "So sit back and enjoy the beautiful duet from Phantom of the Opera, a song that strikes every emotional chord there is between a man and a woman—'All I Ask of You.'"
Alex found himself tensing as the seasoned performer put his arm around Gina to draw her closer to the piano. The man was altogether too smooth with the liberties he took.
"Wonder if he's got her into bed yet," Michelle said snidely. Alex frowned at her.
She returned a knowing little smile. "Give Peter Owen a week..." Her eyes mocked any other result.
It was what Alex had been thinking himself, though he hoped Gina had more sense than to fall victim to a flattering seduction. The guy was in his late thirties, not much more than average height yet with a lean elegant air, raffish good looks, longish dark hair with enough curl to flop around when he performed with the charismatic energy that captivated audiences. Gossip had it he never went home to a lonely bed. There was always someone willing—wanting—to share it.
He oozed charm from every pore and Gina was getting a liberal dose of it as he positioned her by the piano, handed her the microphone, held her gaze with a stream of smiling banter while reseating himself at the piano, flicking his tails theatrically. A showman, Alex thought savagely, willing Gina not to be taken in by tricks of his trade.
There was a flourish of notes on the piano, then Peter Owen was leaning forward, crooning up at Gina, pouring an all too believable sincerity into the words he sang, maintaining eye contact as he softly pleaded his cause. Alex's teeth clenched. It was an act...only an act, he fiercely told himself.
Gina's voice came in, soaring with a yearning that eclipsed everything else. There was absolute silence in the ballroom, the whole audience captivated by a purity of sound that projected a high charge of emotion. Of course, the act demanded she aim the words at her duet partner. It didn't mean she was asking anything of him. They were simply performing together. She couldn't possibly feel these feelings for Peter Owen.
Despite this forceful reasoning, Alex could not relax and simply enjoy the duet for what it was. In fact, it took all the pleasure out of the evening for him. He was even annoyed with his brother afterwards when Matt commented, "Wow! What a find!"
And Michelle for adding, "Peter did provide the perfect foil for her.
They worked extremely well together."
Fortunately the duet was the lead-in to the formal speeches so Alex didn't have to listen to much more on the successful pairing of the singers. He was grateful for the distraction since it took his attention away from the stage, though he found it a struggle to focus his concentration on what was being said.
Tony did himself proud as best man. He'd always had the gift of the gab and he had everyone laughing with droll little stories about the groom and the changes to his life wrought by his beautiful bride.
It gave Alex pause to think about the changes he'd made in his life to fit in with Michelle, spending less time at the plantations and more on financial management in town, taking an interest in how the fashion business worked. Impossible not to since Michelle was so committed to it. And it was a different and intriguing slice of life—colourful people, exciting activity around the creative process. He'd been quite dazzled by it, dazzled by Michelle.
The speeches over, Peter Owen announced another duet—"From This Moment On"—which covered the cake-cutting ceremony. This time Alex deliberately kept his gaze away from the stage, smiling at the happy bride and groom and their posing for photographs. The singing finally came to a halt and conversation picked up again.
"Just a few more months, Alex, and we'll be seeing you and Michelle cutting the cake," Matt commented.
Michelle laughed. "I want at least a triple-decker."
I want...
She wanted to wait at least three years before thinking of having children, too. That had come out during their row last week. In fact, Alex wasn't convinced about Michelle wanting a family at all.
He did. He definitely did. A little boy like Marco Terlizzi...
His train of thought was broken by the announcement of yet another special song— "For the newly wedded couple's first dance together..."
It was the first song he'd heard Gina sing—"Because You Loved Me," and his gaze was inexorably drawn to the stage as her voice seemed to reach out to him, just as it had last Sunday afternoon. She wasn't directing the words to her singing partner who was providing the background harmony. She was facing the couple circling the dance floor, pouring the heartfelt words out to them.
Her body moved in a graceful sway, accentuating her lush femininity.
The expressive gestures she made had almost a mesmerising come-to-me invitation in them. The shining curtain of her hair glided over her shoulders with a kind of sensual freedom as she tilted her head to deliver the high notes, and Alex found his hands clenching, wanting to feel swathes of it running through his fingers.
It was crazy...this strong attraction that had him questioning everything he'd ever felt with Michelle. One afternoon's short acquaintance...one professional appearance on stage...what did it amount to? How could Gina Terlizzi affect him with such compelling intensity? He didn't want this happening, putting him at odds with decisions he'd made, giving him the disturbing sense of losing control.
The song ended to a round of applause. Peter Owen moved into DJ mode, inviting everyone to join the couple on the floor and switching the sound system on to play the dance tracks he'd chosen. Alex instantly stood up, determined to get himself on track by drawing Michelle into his arms for a dance. He needed to feel close to her again, to feel completely engaged by all she was.
It didn't work.
Michelle chose to dance apart from him, creating a spotlight on herself, much appreciated by the men looking on. She was his, Alex told himself, so it shouldn't matter, didn't matter. Let other men envy him. Let Michelle enjoy being the focus of lustful attention. Hadn't Gina Terlizzi drawn the same attention up on stage just now?
Before he realised what he was doing, his gaze was travelling around, searching her out. Gone from the stage. So was Peter Owen. He spotted them both at the table where his grandmother sat, Gina smiling happily at her new employer as Peter chatted, no doubt eliciting praise for their performance.
The strong gut urge to leave Michelle to her admirers and tear Gina Terlizzi away from her slick companion and sweep her onto the dance floor and into his arms threw him completely out of step with the rhythm of the music.
"Alex, get with it!" Michelle protested, continuing to gyrate seductively.
He stopped dead, too unsettled to even try to follow her movements. "I'm not in the mood for this kind of dancing," he stated bluntly.
Her eyes glittered a challenge. "Then I'll get another partner."
"Do that," he said, not rising to the bait, not even caring about it. "I'll go and have a word with my grandmother."
He was asking for trouble. He watched Michelle testily pluck another partner from a group of unattached males and knew with absolute certainty he was courting big trouble. But the need to sort himself out with Gina Terlizzi was paramount.