“Paul, what do you think? Was I right?” he asked his agent.
“Yes, you were right,” Paul called back from the other side of the room. “She really is lovely.”
Isabel didn’t like them discussing her as though she weren’t there. She pulled away from Xavier and introduced him to Michael. The two men shook hands and started talking, and within minutes they acted like best friends. They both had the same twisted sense of humor. Watching them, Isabel had an epiphany. Michael could be charming.
Xavier acted as though he had all the time in the world to chat. Then Noah and Nick returned to the suite and joined the conversation. Isabel kept checking the time. She noticed Xavier didn’t look at his watch once. She couldn’t understand how he could be so relaxed. She went into the other room to warm up her voice, then reapplied lipstick and walked back to Michael and took a drink from the bottle of water. She couldn’t pay attention to the conversation. She was too busy trying not to freak out about what was soon going to happen. Almost twenty thousand people . . . Oh my God . . . twenty thousand . . .
Michael leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You’re going to be great.”
She looked into his eyes. “You think?”
“I know.”
She almost believed him.
“It’s time, Xavier,” one of the staff members called.
“Okay, then,” Xavier said. “Are you ready, Isabel?”
He didn’t give her time to panic. He simply took hold of her hand and led the way. He indicated with a tilt of his head for Michael, Nick, and Noah to come with them. Isabel couldn’t keep up with his long-legged stride, and when Xavier noticed she was all but running, he slowed his pace.
“We’re going to have a good time tonight.” He saw the look on her face and laughed. “I promise.”
The closer they got to the arena, the louder the chant, “XO, XO, XO,” became. Xavier stopped at the entrance to the stage, let go of her, and winked at her. He was quickly fitted with a mic so that he could move around with his hands free. On cue the band started to play one of his songs, and the audience immediately quieted. The air was thick with excitement.
Xavier walked out, and the crowd went wild. They settled down as soon as he started to sing. He was, simply put, magnificent. He hypnotized the audience, held them in the palm of his hand, all with his amazing voice.
Michael stood beside Isabel and waited. And then it was her turn. Xavier surprised her. All of a sudden, a clip from the video of Isabel singing at Finnegan’s appeared on the giant screen above the stage. The audience watched and cheered when Xavier said, “We all know her from the video that became a viral sensation this week. Now you get to meet her and listen to her sing for you.” He put his hand out and simply called her name. “Isabel.”
She took a deep breath.
“You’ve got this,” Michael told her.
She nodded, accepted the mic from the assistant, and walked onto the stage.
SEVENTEEN
ISABEL BLEW THEM AWAY AND LEFT THEM BEGGING FOR MORE.
Xavier knew she was going to be wonderful, but even he was astounded by the crowd’s wild reaction to hearing them sing together.
Just as they had practiced, she sang her song and another song with him, and then, with a smile and a wave, she left the stage. Xavier had asked her to stay by the entrance until he finished the performance, and she happily agreed. Michael stood behind her, and she leaned back against him.
Until now Isabel’s nerves had been coiled tight, and she was finally able to let go. Relief that she had gotten through the ordeal without a blunder made her all but euphoric. It was finally over.
Or so she thought. But Xavier had another little surprise in store for her. After he finished singing what Isabel assumed was his last song for the night, he crooked his finger at her and called her name.
She quickly strode back onstage, believing that the two of them would take a bow together.
When the cheering died down, he asked Isabel if she knew the lyrics to one of his favorite songs.
It was called “Wanting You.”
“Of course,” she answered. “I imagine everyone here knows the lyrics. I love that song.”
Again the audience cheered and clapped.
“Let’s sing it together.”
“What? Now? You want to sing it now?” Her heart felt as though it were about to stop.
The crowd began to chant her name, louder and louder until she finally agreed. “Yes, okay.” She moved closer to him and whispered, “I’m going to get you for this.”
“Isabel, love, my mic is on.”
She groaned, and the crowd roared their approval as a mic stand was placed in front of her. It was bedlam until Xavier raised his hand to quiet them. He began to sing, and she quickly joined in. To the audience, the way they looked at each other was like two lovers about to come together. When they finished the tender ballad, the crowd jumped to their feet, cheering wildly. Xavier smiled at her, then leaned down and kissed her. He didn’t linger, but the kiss was still long enough to cause a near riot. He laughed when he saw that she was blushing. He waved to the audience, took Isabel’s hand, and the two of them walked off the stage together.
The next hour was a flurry of activity. Laurant, Regan, Jordan, Kate, and Michelle, along with their husbands, were escorted to Xavier’s suite. Nick had a good laugh when his wife became tongue-tied while shaking Xavier’s hand.
Noah and Michael stood watching from across the room. Nick joined them.
“You’re not at all jealous?” Michael asked him.
“Hell, no. She’s in my bed, not his.”
“You didn’t like it when Xavier kissed Isabel,” Noah remarked to Michael. “And before you ask, it was the look on your face.”
“Yeah? How’d I look?” Michael asked. He couldn’t keep the hostility out of his voice, which, of course, didn’t faze Noah.
“Like you wanted to punch him.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to do, and hell if I know why,” Michael admitted.
“Hey, Nick,” Noah said.
“Yes?”
“When did your brother become so clueless?”
Nick grinned. “He hasn’t been himself since he let Isabel drive him home.”
Michael ignored their ribbing. He shook his head, then said, “We’ve taken enough of Xavier’s time, and Isabel looks tired.”
The throng of people around Isabel finally dwindled, and she was talking to Emerson, the agent, when Xavier interrupted. He took Isabel aside and talked to her for several minutes, then walked with her to the door.
“You’ve got the schedule. I’ll see you when you get back.”
Michael nudged Isabel out into the hallway before Xavier could kiss her good-bye. Nick and Noah followed.
There were only two of Xavier’s guards outside the door. Isabel looked around and asked,
“Where did Kate and the others go?”
Michael answered her. “Jax is driving them back to the Hamilton.”
“Are they all coming up to the suite before they go home?”
“No,” Nick answered.