Dark Perception: The Corde Noire Series Read Online Free Page B

on, Maddie, you were practically
drooling over the guy.”
    “ Nathan?” Melinda snorted
with disbelief. “You’re not serious. The guy’s not interested in me
like that.”
    “ Then what’s he interested
in? Your musical ability?”
    “ I only read for
him.”
    Jack shook his head and laughed, but
Melinda did not hear music when he laughed this time. It was a
cruel sound that rattled her nerves.
    “ You’re not that naive,
Maddie. Did you see how he couldn’t keep his eyes off you? He wants
you, and my bet is he will say anything and do anything to get
you.”
    Melinda clenched her fist around her
keys and turned for the door. “You’re just saying that!”
    “ You may not be able to see
your future, Maddie, but I can. You’ll go to him, and then you’ll
see just how cruel a man can be.”
    Melinda shoved her key into the lock
and struggled to open it. As she wiggled the key, Jack slapped his
hand on the door a few inches away from her face.
    “ I know I won’t change your
mind, but just remember I’ll always be here when you need
me.”
    He pushed away from the door and
Melinda heard his footfalls on the pavement behind her. When she
finally twisted around, she saw him walking quickly down the
street. Melinda fought the urge to call out to him, to try and
placate his anger, because she knew it wouldn’t do any good. Jack
was about as temperamental as a rabid raccoon.
    “ I’ll show you, Jack
Deron.” Melinda kicked open the door. “You’re lousy at predicting
the future.”

Chapter 3

    Over the course of the next few days,
Melinda busied herself with late night gigs in a few hotels, and
working on her music during the day. She stayed away from Jackson
Square, not wanting to see Jack again. After their last
confrontation, Melinda decided it would be best if they spent some
time apart, even though Jack was proving to be a hard habit for her
to shake.
    His constant visits to her table on
the Square, followed by their evening walks back to her apartment,
had become the highlights of her day. But no matter how many times
she caught herself daydreaming about his smile, his hazel eyes, or
his seductive mannerisms, Melinda was determined not to begin a
relationship with Jack. After the pain Josh had put her through,
she swore she would never let another man into her
heart.
    Melinda raised her eyes from her
keyboard and glanced out her window. Fat raindrops were colliding
with the cement courtyard just outside her apartment. As she
listened to the heavy rainfall, Jack’s words came back to
her.
    She scanned the cramped bedroom she
had painted a pale shade of pink right after moving in. Her
twin-sized bed was crammed against the far wall next to her oak
dresser. Her bathroom door was pressed against her dresser, and
inside she could see the old-fashioned beige pedestal sink and
claw-footed bathtub with its rickety shower curtain. There was only
enough space left in her bedroom for her keyboard, some second-hand
recording equipment, and a chair.
    Melinda stood from the stool next to
her keyboard and stretched out her achy back. Picking up her coffee
mug, she made her way into the living room, just beyond her bedroom
door. The only furniture she had was a used green sofa and a desk
where she kept her laptop. A corner of the living room was
dedicated to an efficiency kitchen with a small refrigerator, hot
plate, sink, and makeshift pantry made out of a bookcase and some
old shutters.
    Sighing as she gazed about her
depressing apartment, Melinda was acutely aware that everything she
possessed in the world was housed in those two small rooms. She
knew she lived modestly, but never before had Melinda realized she
was living so shabbily.
    “ Jack was right. I can’t go
on living like this.”
    A knock at the front door snapped
Melinda out of her doldrums. When she opened the heavy cypress
door, a thick, muscular man with short-cropped blond hair was
grinning back at her with bloodshot brown eyes.
    “ Hey,