The Torch Singer Ch. 02

"There's a lot we have to say to each other. But the single most important thing I have to tell you is this: I've been in love with you for more than half my life. I'm still in love with you. And I'm never..." He pulled her closer. "Never going to let anything separate us again. Okay?"

She looked up at him for a moment, as the import of those works sunk in. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, the corners of her full lips slowly stretched into a smile. Standing on tip toes, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his. He groaned in relief and tightened his hold on her, deepening the kiss.

When she gently pulled back to look at him, her face was clear and happy. She put a hand to his cheek, shook her head once, and began to speak.

"I've loved you for as long as I can remember. Whatever it was that brought you back to me - I don't even care. I'm just grateful for it. Maybe it's stupid for me to say this so soon, because you've been back in my life for less than an hour, but you can have anything you want from me. It's very simple: I'm yours. I've always been yours."

His heart nearly burst from his chest. He crushed her close and rained kisses on her brow, her eyelids, her cheekbones, and finally, her lips. He heard a tiny sob escape her dewy, bee-stung lips.

With his mouth against her long, silky neck, he murmured: "Will you come back to my hotel with me tonight?"

She purred: "Hell yeah. Ice Princess my ASS..."

Jake laughed, frowning at the strange joke. "What?" Shaking her head at him to dismiss it, she said: "Nevermind... I'll tell you later." and pulled him in for another kiss.

***

LEGATO

[Smoothly and connected, with no breaks in the flow and no intervening silence.]

Jake was back at his table, the second glass of single malt in his hand, waiting for the show to recommence. Looking at the people around him, he marveled that they could all continue on with their evenings, laughing and talking as if nothing earth shattering had just happened. Little did they know that the planets had all just realigned.

Frankie had eventually kicked him out of her dressing room so she could prepare to come back on stage. He'd ducked into the Men's room to collect himself. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he could hardly contain his sense of elation. It was as if he'd suddenly been released from prison, or had awakened from a persistent nightmare. He felt exhilarated and terrified all at the same time.

He heard the melody for a trumpet solo reverberating in his head. It was a lusty, joyful melody. It would be great for the score of the Torch Singer.

Jake took his phone from his pocket and turned off airplane mode. A text in reply to his last message to Dan came through. It must have been queued up for a while. It was a simple "OK".

He replied: "TWO THINGS: 1) FRANKIE IS AMAZING. PERFECT. YOU WILL LOVE HER. 2) SHE AND I HAVE A PAST. ALL GOOD. VERY GOOD. BUT I MUST TELL YOU ABOUT IT WHEN I SEE YOU."

After Jake hit send, his phone indicated that the message had been delivered. He saw a bubble pop up - as if Danny was writing back. Then the bubble disappeared. Reappeared. Disappeared.

Finally, Dan texted: "JUST TELL ME THIS: IS SHE OUR GIRL?"

Jake laughed to himself for a little before replying.

"SHE'S MINE." And sent it.

Then he added: "NOT JOKING." He hit send again, and then finally:

"BUT I THINK WE CAN TALK WITH HER ABOUT THE PROJECT."

Dan was a long time in replying. Jake could imagine him staring at the phone and scratching his head. Finally, an "OK" came back. He put the phone back on airplane mode, and tucked it back inside his jacket pocket.

He was fidgety in the retro-style wooden chair, which was a tad too short for his long legs. His knees nearly brushed the underside of the small café table. He could barely wait for her to sing again.

Jake ran the pad of his index finger along his lower lip, thinking about the taste and feel of her kisses. The lingering scent of gardenia and the flavor of honey still filled his senses. The melody in his head was evolving. It caused a strange tingling along his scalp and down his neck and shoulders. He thought to himself: 'I have to remember to look up what this phenomenon is called...' Just then, the house lights dimmed. 'Here she comes...'

***

It took an enormous effort for Frankie to calm down and prepare for the set. She cleaned herself up, noting with relief that her makeup had not been very badly smudged, which was kind of a miracle, given what they'd been up to. An excited flush suffused her pale cheeks at the memory. She reapplied powder and lipstick, and tidied her hair.

Recalling that Jake had shredded and pocketed her panties, she reddened further. Digging through her bag, she frowned a little to realize that she only had one extra pair, which she'd intended to wear after the show. Frankie had to decide which was more important - wearing knickers now on stage, or wearing them after the show under her little dress. Whichever way she decided - it would be more than a little risky and potentially embarrassing.

Since this gown was long, even though it had a very high slit up the thigh, she decided that it would be better to go commando now, rather than later. A wicked little thrill ran down her entire body as she considered how it would soon feel to be standing in front of the audience in this state. A naughty chuckle rippled up from deep in her throat.

She felt a lightness - an exhilaration - that she'd never felt before. Was all of this real? Had the object of her lifelong fantasies suddenly appeared and said all of the things she'd wished for over a decade? Frankie forced herself to breathe slowly and deeply, so that her racing heart would settle down. She needed to focus or she'd be a mess on stage.

One thing was sure - she wasn't in the mood to sing a bunch of sad songs. Not now. Giving her appearance one last check, she dashed down the hall to tell Chance that she wanted to change the set list. She dreaded what was sure to be his smug look when she saw him alone - someone would have been blind to not see what had been going on when he burst in. And Chance was definitely not blind. She sighed - ah well - what did it matter what he said? She was too happy to care. 'Let him tease me all he wants' she thought.

Chance and the rest of the band turned to look at her when she pushed open the dressing room door. Frankie was taken slightly aback when she saw their expressions. Instead of being annoyed or tauntingly judgmental - which would have been well within their rights - the overt affection and happiness they showed her warmed her already overflowing heart. She stood numbly as the rest of the band filtered out, many of the guys patting her arm or her back as they left. Harry actually bestowed a brotherly kiss on her cheek and whispered "That a girl, Baby Doll!" as he passed by.

Chanced looked like nothing short of a proud Papa. He stared quietly and sagely for so long that she finally exclaimed: "What are you grinning at?!"

Shaking his head, he walked up and gently wrapped her in a light hug.

"I'm just pleased for you, sweetness. You deserve to be happy."

Frankie tried to swallow the sudden lump in her throat and let out a breathy laugh. She blinked away the sudden tears that swam in her eyes.

"Oh shut up!" She said playfully. His booming laugh echoed around the room.

Afraid he'd just keep going on in this vein, she quickly explained what she wanted to do with the lineup. He smiled indulgently down at her and nodded his approval.

"They're going to love it. Him, especially." He added slyly.

Her voice was low when she earnestly asked: "You think so?"

"Are you kidding? The dude is already in love with you - any fool could see that. But once you've serenaded him with love songs - well, shit, he doesn't stand a chance, Babe."

He cocked his head to the side and looked at her appraisingly. "Jake Fucking Garner. Holy shit, Frankie. You are a dark horse, aren't you?"

"It's a long story. One I might tell you later. But now we'd better get our butts back on stage before Ray fires us both!"

***

Frankie waited behind the curtain for Chance to reintroduce her. She would walk out to her position in full view for this half of the show. She heard the applause as the band took their seats. Breathing slowly in and out, she tried to push everything out of her head except the music. She felt wonderful. She felt strong and confident. It was all she could do to stop herself from pulling the curtain aside to catch a glimpse of Jake. Everything had changed. It was like a long, cold winter had finally broken, and spring had come.

Chance was speaking: "Please join me in welcoming back to the stage, the luminous, the amazing, Frankie Rose."

She slipped through the curtain and walked back on stage, taking her place behind the microphone stand. The crowd was noisy tonight. She smiled and looked across all of the faces before her, but only really saw one. There he was. Her Jake. Hers.

Harry walked to the front with his trombone this time. He led off and the audience seemed to hold their collective breath. Chance nodded at Frankie, even though she needed no help in finding her cue.

"At last..." The crowd began to cheer again when they recognized the tune. Frankie could see surprise register among many of the regulars.

"My love has come along.

My lonely days are over.

And life is like a song..."

She kept her eyes on Jake the entire time. The heat and tenderness of his attention sent a thrill through her entire body. She was in good voice - it felt wonderful to be singing such a triumphant song. It felt even better to really mean it. Frankie could not have known this, but she seemed to glow with joy. Many people - women and men alike - had happy tears in their eyes. Her song penetrated their hearts and communicated an optimism that lifted their spirits.

They knew they'd come to be entertained, but this was something else entirely.

Even the rest of the band was transported. They found themselves playing with a passion they didn't often attain.

When the song drew to a close, there was half a beat of silence. Chance looked out over the audience, surprised. The sudden roar of the crowd made them all jump. People were out of their seats. Shouts of "brava" could be heard.

Frankie was laughing with pure happiness. It took a few minutes for the noise to die down. She looked over at Chance, who seemed fit to burst. He counted out an up-tempo beat. The band kicked it.

Frankie couldn't stop smiling as she sang out:

"I fell in love with you the first time I looked into...

Them, there eyes.

I knew you had a certain little cute way of flirtin' with...

Them, there eyes.

They make me feel so happy.

Make me feel so blue.

I'm fallin' loose darlin'...

In great big way for you.

My heart is jumpin' you started somethin'

With them, there eyes.

You'd better look out, little blue eyes, if you're wise."

Jake laughed out loud at her switch of color versus the original lyrics. He ran his hand through his hair, overcome by a number of happy emotions. His groin was aching with need for this amazing creature. He could feel his chest swelling with excitement and pride.

"They sparkle, they bubble.

They gonna get you in a whole lotta trouble.

Oh, baby - them, there eyes."

The rest of the set went much the same way, with the entire room pulsing with energy. It may have been the performance of a lifetime.

People had so much fun and were so jazzed, they stayed far longer than usual that night once the show ended. Ray joined the bartenders in order to help meet the demand for cocktails. The club was still humming when Frankie and the performers emerged almost an hour later in their street clothes. They were greeted by another round of applause, and the crowd parted to invite them to the bar for a drink.

Jake straightened up from where he'd been leaning when she emerged from behind the curtain in an adorable blue toile print dress. Gone was all the dramatic stage makeup, and in its place was a Frankie much more like the one he used to know, natural and fresh. But somehow even more beautiful than before.

His heart seemed to skip a beat. She walked straight to him, and into his arms. It was as if they'd done this each night of their lives. He held her close, his lips pressed to her temple. Frankie snaked her arms inside his jacket, wrapping them around his waist. The noise around them seemed to retreat into the distance. She could hear him humming a tune against her hair. It reverberated in her bones, her very blood.

There it was. The music.

She sighed into his chest, relaxing her body against his. They fit together, molding to one another. She leaned back to look into his eyes. He smiled down at her, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Somehow, he conveyed a wealth of emotion without speaking a word.

Leaning down to brush her ear with his lips, he whispered: "Do you have any idea how brilliant you are? I didn't think it was possible to be this proud. You are a wonder. "

Frankie caught her breath, and turned so her lips met his. Their kiss was tentative at first, and then deepened. Someone bumped into them, bringing them back to the present.

She looked up at him, smiling warmly. Running a hand down the side of his face, she murmured, raising her face until her lips barely touched his, "It's all for you."

Jake's eyes darkened. He cupped the sides of her face and looked down at her with a fierce possessiveness. "I'll take it, then." He growled. "I don't need anything else - just you. Only you, Frankie Rose." Jake adjusted his stance, and his lower body pressed into hers. She was aware of how aroused he was becoming, and was glad that she was now wearing panties, because without them, the rush of wetness she felt might have trickled down her thighs.

She sharply inhaled, and was about to answer in a similar manner, when suddenly they were interrupted by Chance.

"Hey, you two!" He was nearly shouting over the noise around them. It was funny, because neither Frankie nor Jake had noticed the din before this. The bandleader draped his arms around the two of them.

"Should we sit down someplace quiet and talk?" His excitement was evident. It made him seem younger and more boyish somehow, which tempered Frankie's irritation at the inopportune intrusion.

***

CRESCENDO

[A gradual increase in volume and intensity, accelerating the drama of a composition.]

In an all-night diner a few blocks away, the trio sat at a small table by the windows. Frankie remembered that a waiter had just taken an order, but she couldn't recall what she'd said. She kept finding herself getting lost in a pair of magnetic, sapphire eyes. His nearness was creating a heat within her that she feared might burn her up. Her thoughts were traveling back to the encounter in her dressing room - the way he could play her body as deftly as he played the piano.

Forcing herself to focus on the present moment and listen to Jake's words, rather than just watching his beautiful mouth, she was stunned to finally absorb what he was saying.

Jake explained the project that he and Danny Burrows were undertaking. He described "The Torch Singer", and that he was there on behalf of the studio to search for the title character. He looked at her pointedly. Frankie's eyes went wide. She listened without interrupting, feeling as if she were in a dream and certain she'd wake at any moment.

Jake outlined the role of the young, beautiful singer, quickly sketching out the plotline. Frankie gasped - at last understanding that he meant to invite her to audition for the part.

"You guys want to talk to ME?" Her voice was very husky from emotions running wild.

Jake described candidly how her name had been raised in the casting session. He didn't want to mislead Frankie into thinking that it had been his idea. She smiled, clapping her hands delightedly when he told her about the junior casting agent and his bootleg video.

"Why are you so happy about that?" Jake asked, his hand moving over her shoulder affectionately.

"Because that means the idea didn't come up because of you - our history - don't you see? It was from someone objective - someone who just liked our performance..."

The fact that she used the word "our" didn't escape either man's attention, and they exchanged a quick grin that Frankie missed as she searched for words.

"Don't get me wrong - I'd be incredibly grateful for a break if it came from you. I'd be happy about anything you might be willing to do for me. But this happened because -" she faltered again as she tried to express herself.

"Because you're so fucking talented." Chance furnished.

"Brilliant. Not to mention incredibly beautiful." Jake added

"And sexy, and photogenic..." Chance continued.

Frankie was blocking her ears, her face flushed scarlet. "Okay, okay, enough already! You're going to ruin me." The guys were laughing at her discomfort.

Chance added slyly, speaking to Jake: "Probably good I didn't start going on about her killer body—" He was interrupted by a "Hey!" from both Jake and Frankie in unison.

They were all still laughing when Jake admonished Frankie that she'd have to get used to hearing praise. She groaned, hiding her face in her hands.

When Jake asked Frankie who her representation was, she straightened up, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Are you serious? The only agent I know is the one who rented me my studio sublet!"

Chance barked out a laugh and reached out to give her a fist bump.

"We'll fix that first, then." Jake said decisively. He began to speak of major talent agents that even Frankie had heard of. When she looked doubtful, he assured her that it was easily fixed with a phone call, and she needed to retain someone before officially responding to a request for a screen test.

Screen test! Holy shit. Her head was reeling.

When Jake asked Chance about his relationship with his agent, Leo, and whether he thought this would be something he could handle, Chance's eyebrows practically hit the ceiling.

"Wait - what? Why do I need an agent? Are you saying you're thinking about somehow involving me?"

Jake smiled at him, and told him with quiet earnestness that he and his band would probably be very much involved, and that if the owner of Strange Fruit was open to it, they may be willing to consider it as a location. He went on to say that while production decisions such as locations were not within his control, if he brought Danny to the club he was sure that the director would want to use it for its authenticity.

Frankie squeezed Jake's hand, her heart too full to speak. Not only had she found the long lost love of her life, it sounded as if she and some of her closest friends had a very good chance of being in a feature film, too. It was all a little too good to be true.

Jake was looking at her, a gentle frown of concern on his handsome face. "Are you alright, Angel?"

She looked bemusedly into his eyes, unsure what to say for a moment. "I'm just trying to process all of this..." She finally managed. "So much has happened, so quickly."

Just then the food arrived, and she was happy to see that someone (was it herself?) had ordered her a cheese omelet and wheat toast. She didn't think she'd have been able to force down anything else, despite the fact that her stomach felt painfully empty.

Chance peppered Jake with questions while they ate.

Frankie was quiet as tried to settle her chaotic thoughts, but she found it difficult to concentrate sitting so close to him. She knew that he was as hyperaware of her as she was of him. As if static electricity was shooting between them.

The eroticism was intense - she knew he was observing her minutely, even when his eyes were on Chance and he was responding to something he'd asked. She could feel the heat rolling off of him. She could feel his want of her, and she somehow understood that he could feel she reciprocated. His foot slid across to press next to hers under the table. Frankie inhaled sharply, her eyelids getting heavy, her nipples hardening, her nether lips moistening with arousal.