And The Beat Goes On by Abby Reynolds Read Free Book Online Page A

stared me down. “Are you a triple threat?”
    Huh? “Sorry?”
    “You dance, play music, and create art?”
    Oh. “I can dance, play a few chords on the guitar and piano, sing, and I love to sketch, draw, and paint.”
    He nodded. “You sound very talented.”
    I shrugged. “I do it because I like it. I never said I was good at any of that.”
    He smiled. “I doubt that for some reason.”
    Now that we were close, I could smell his cologne. It was faint and musky. I wanted to lean closer and get a better sniff.
    But that was creepy…
    “Do you put your talent to use?”  We sat in front of the TV but neither one of us watched it.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Are you in a band? Do you sell your artwork? Are you in a school play?”
    “I’m not in a band,” I said quickly. “The life of rock n’ roll isn’t for me. But I’ve made a few sketches for comic books.”
    His eyes widened. “Which ones?”
    “Mainly Batman. They would pay me to create the images while they made the words.”
    “Is there good money in that?”
    “No. I pretty much did it for free.”
    “I’d love to see one.”
    Did he really? Should I offer…? I decided to say nothing.
    “Do you paint?”
    “Yes. I’m selling one at the auction next weekend.”
    He adjusted his tie while he stared at me. “And what’s that?”
    “We sell our paintings to the highest bidder. And the winner gets an evening with the artist to ask questions about their work. My teacher encouraged me to enter it even though I doubt anyone will want it.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    I shrugged. “I just don’t think I’m very good.”
    He drank from his beer but didn’t comment.
    I eyed his expensive suit. I’d never seen him wear anything else. “Why do you always wear a suit?”
    “I don’t.”
    “I’ve seen you in nothing else.”
    “Would you like to see me in something else?”
    Uh….what? What did that mean? Was I reading too much into it?
    “I like how you dress.”
    Me? “Thank you…”
    “You dress classy. I like it.”
    My cheeks blushed. Damn! Why did he keep doing this to me?
    “Do you work anywhere?” he asked.
    “Just for my dad.” Phew. Now we were on safe territory .
    “Have you considered modeling?”
    Was he being serious? Was that a line? “No.”
    “You should.”
    “I should?”
    “Yeah.” He gave me a straight face. Nothing seemed to get under his skin.
    Was he hitting on me? I wanted to ask but I was afraid he’d say no. But I was also scared he’d say yes. “The carpet business isn’t too bad.”
    “It didn’t seem like you liked it the other day.”
    “It gets boring after a while. When people come in to pick their carpet for their new home, they take forever. But all the fabrics and prints look the same.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m getting hardwood floors in my house.”
    He laughed. And it was a beautiful sound. His lips stretched apart and showed his perfect teeth. He retained his masculine voice but it was lighter, carefree. “That sounds like a good call.”
    My heart fluttered while I watched him. I’d never been attracted to someone like I was to him. And the fact he was my teacher made it extremely inappropriate. I had a weird affection for jerks, men who were unavailable, and just plain assholes.
    Mr. Clearwater placed his arm over the back of the chair, his arm touching the back of my neck. To a stranger, it looked like we were a couple. As soon as the fabric of his suit touched me, I felt the shiver move down my spine. I immediately wanted to move closer to him.
    What the hell was wrong with me?
    No, what the hell was wrong with him?
    I moved away. “It was nice seeing you, Mr. Clearwater, but I should go.”
    His hand gripped my arm, steadying me. I could easily twist out of it and leave but I let him hold me. And I hated myself for it. “I didn’t realize you were in a hurry. I could give you a ride.”
    “It’s okay.”
    He dropped his hand and watched me stand. Then he joined