Weddings: the Brides: The Shy Bride / Bride in a Gilded Cage / The Bride's Awakening. Кейт Хьюит

further inform your boss that if my practice session is interrupted by the locksmith, or any of his other employees, he will spend his next lesson listening to me prepare my own music rather than teaching him his.”

      The silence that met her words actually brought half a smile to Cass’s face. It was an empty threat, but it had felt good saying it. Would Neo see the humor in it, or would he lack understanding of that, too?

      “I shall pass on your message verbatim,” the other woman finally said.

      “Thank you.”

      Neo was furious with himself. He should have called Cassandra and warned her about the locksmith, even gotten that annoying manager of hers to be there to supervise the changing of the locks. Instead, he’d left instructions with his PA as he always did and this was the result.

      He had to smile at Cassandra’s threat however. Getting a private concert from the superbly talented pianist would hardly be a hardship. Regardless, he felt badly. Which was a completely uncommon reaction for him. So was the acknowledgement that he had messed up. Both of which were the reasons he was calling Cassandra on his personal cell phone, in the middle of a corporate conference call with the project team in Hong Kong.

      He muted his headset and listened with one ear while dialing Cassandra’s number and then listening to the line ring.

      “Hello?” she answered on the third ring, sounding downright cranky.

      And why he should find that charming rather than annoying he could not have said.

      “You sent my locksmith away.”

      “Actually, your personal assistant sent him away. I did not answer the door.”

      “Why?”

      “I thought he was another reporter.”

      Neo had to stifle a groan at his own idiocy. He should have expected that. “I meant why did you send him away?”

      “Why didn’t you ask me if I wanted my door lock changed?”

      “It needs to be done. You can’t remember to keep your door locked.”

      “I don’t forget; I just choose to leave it unlocked when I know someone is coming.”

      “That’s not much of an improvement.”

      “I don’t plan on leaving it unlocked anytime soon, if that makes you feel any better. I don’t want reporters walking in on me unannounced.”

      “Some would, regardless of trespassing laws.”

      “Yes, the person who climbed onto my deck certainly wasn’t worried about trespassing.”

      “For all your unwillingness to entertain strangers, you are much too lax when it comes to your personal safety. The locksmith was only a stopgap measure anyway. You need a full spectrum security consult.”

      “Not going to happen.” There was not the slightest uncertainty in her voice.

      Neo had gone against tougher negotiators than the renowned pianist. “Consider it a gift for opening your home to me.”

      “Are you saying this is for your safety?”

      “Would it help you accept it if I did?”

      “For an honest man, you’re awfully adept at manipulation.”

      “Thank you.”

      “I am not letting a stranger into my home.”

      “I was a stranger when you allowed me inside for my lesson.” But he could see now that he’d made a grave miscalculation in sending over an unknown locksmith.

      Zee warned Neo that his impatience could cause problems and this wasn’t the first time his friend had been right.

      “Not entirely. One, I had prepared myself for taking on a new student. Two, I did my research, learning all I could about you before you came. And three, my manager told me if I didn’t do the lessons he would quit.”

      “You got past being overwhelmed by me—you can deal with the security consultant.”

      “No.”

      “Cassandra, you are not being reasonable.”

      She laughed, the sound both exasperated and amused. “I am unreasonable?”

      “Yes. It will only take thirty minutes, an hour at the most.”

      “It’s not just about the time, but that is a consideration.”

      “The security expert can work around your schedule.”

      “I don’t want to meet him.” She sounded very definite.

      “Cassandra, be sensible.”

      The quality of the silence at the other end of the line bothered him. “If you are that concerned,” she finally said, “we could probably arrange to have your lessons at my recording studio.” She was silent again, this time clearly considering her own proposal. “Yes, that would work.”

      “I do not want my lessons at the studio.”

      “I do not want to entertain a stranger in my home.” The growing agitation in her voice bothered him.

      He did not like to think of his shy teaching aficionado getting upset.

      “If I were there for the security consult, would you be all right then?” Neo absolutely stunned himself by asking.

      From the expression on his PA’s face she was similarly flummoxed.

      But Cassandra had come out of her self-imposed prison of the bathroom yesterday for him when she had refused for her manager. Neo was used to being relied on by his employees and associates. It shouldn’t make him feel special that Cassandra naturally did as others before her, but somehow it did.

      “What? You be here? No. You’re too busy. That’s not necessary.” Cassandra took an audible breath. “Look, I’ll … I’ll ask my manager. He’ll come meet with the security consultant. He thinks these lessons are good for my career, though I really didn’t understand why until the whole media fiasco yesterday. Bob will do it.”

      Unfamiliar amusement welled up, along with a highly out-of-character tolerance. He’d broken her brain. He must have broken his own as well because he didn’t want Bob to be the one helping her deal with this, even though that had been his own idea not fifteen minutes ago.

      “You don’t want to be there for the consult at all? As you reminded my personal assistant, it is your home.”

      “Yes, well … Are you sure you don’t want to meet in the studio?” she asked, sounding entirely too hopeful for a woman who spent so much of her time in her home.

      Ignoring the repeated offer, he brought his schedule up on his phone. He marked two items for his PA to move and said, “I’ll be there with the consultant tomorrow morning at ten.”

      “You don’t have to. I said—”

      “If your manager was capable of convincing you to implement better security, he already would have done so.”

      “I didn’t have a billionaire student before.”

      “Nevertheless, the man is clearly incompetent when it comes to assuring your ongoing personal safety.”

      “I’m sure that you have a big need for personal security, but I’m a moderately successful musician. I don’t even tour.”

      “You are a brilliant musician with a large fan base, despite your unwillingness to do live performances. You should have implemented additional home security long ago.”

      “I can see your point of view, but it’s skewed by your lifestyle.” She sounded just a tad desperate, though he couldn’t begin to understand why. “You’ve got to be able to see that.”