One


"Your little discovery can't be that good," Jason Hayes said dryly. "If she was, she'd be in New York or London, not Geneva, Switzerland."

"She's terrific." Eric settled back in his seat and glanced around the theater. It was a small house, but every seat was filled. "You can see how she packs them in."

"It's Les Miserables that packs them in. The music has magic."

"No, I tell you, it's her," Eric protested. "Would I have insisted on bringing you all the way here from New York if I hadn't thought you'd like her? Her voice is spectacular. If you didn't insist on cast approval, I would have tried to sign her up for Desdemona when I heard her last week. She's the best soprano I've ever--"

"Stop." Jason held up his hand. "I've heard it all before."

Eric looked intently at him. "Lord, you're a cynical bastard. That's your problem. You're spoiled rotten and there's nothing you haven't heard or seen. Where's your joie de vivre?"

Jason grinned. "You've got enough for both of us."

"And I'll keep it alive and well until I'm six feet under." Eric's square, boyish face lit with a mischievous smile. "Life's too much fun for me to be tempted into becoming a brooding Rochester like you."

Jason smiled crookedly. "The comparison is certainly apt."

"Damn," Eric muttered. "Hey, I'm sorry. You know what a big mouth I have."

"No offense." Jason glanced down at the program. "Her name is Daisy Justine?"

"Yes," Eric said absently, gazing at Jason. "You're looking tired as hell."

"I'll be all right. I can take a rest now. I finished the changes on the score for the last act right before I stepped on the airplane."

"The score didn't need changes."

"A score can always be made better."

"So speaketh the perfectionist. You work too hard. Peg and I haven't seen you for over eight months."

Jason kept his gaze on the program. "You know why."

"Yeah." Eric frowned, troubled. "But it has to stop. You can't go on like this."

"Why not?" Jason turned the page of the program. "You said I was spoiled rotten."

"I was joking." Eric paused. "You have to do something about it."

Jason knew he was no longer talking about getting more rest. "I've tried."

"I know, but there has to be a way to stop it. You can't protect the whole world."

"I don't protect the whole world." Jason smiled. "Just my corner of it."

"I don't like to see you like this. I remember when--"

"There's no use looking back," Jason said quietly. "And I live a good life. I have everything I want. Money, women, success. Stop thinking of me as a tragic figure."

Eric shook his head. "It's not enough."

No, it wasn't enough, and he should have realized that Eric, who knew him best, wouldn't buy his rationalizations. "I have my work."

Eric nodded. "If you didn't, you'd be crazy by now. Your music is the only thing that means a damn thing to you."

"Not entirely. I have a trifling fondness for you."

"Stop kidding. You're the greatest composer the stage has seen in this century, but there's got to be--"

"Andrew Lloyd Webber wouldn't agree with you."

"The audience and the critics do. Stop arguing with me."

Jason smiled. "I have no intention of doing so. My ego won't permit it."

"But you've become an almost complete recluse. You can't live only for your work."

"Who said? Watch me."

Eric sighed. "Dammit, you're stubborn."

Jason smiled affectionately. "You're the one who's hanging on to the subject, my fine bulldog." His smile faded. "Drop it, Eric."

Eric studied his expression and then nodded...

 

Originally written for the Bantam Loveswept series, this title presents the story of Daisy Justine, a soprano who mesmerizes composer Jason Hayes with her portrayal of Desdemona, the tragic heroine of Shakespeare's OTHELLO. Pamela Dillman deftly portrays Daisy as a soft, quivering bird caught in the talons of an eagle but who miraculously survives, ultimately becoming the mysterious seductress who is willing, despite murder attempts and blazing car crashes, to confront a quintessential psychopath. Dillman portrays Jason as a possessive, lusty, reclusive composer who is as obsessed as Othello. Like Desdemona, Daisy becomes the light to Jason's darkness, drawing Jason out from his Othello mask into a realm of unforgettable romance. K.A.T. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

 

An Unexpected Song by Iris Johansen
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