Seducing the Wolf (66 page)

For the first time ever, he felt completely whole. In his heart, and in his soul.

At that moment Taylor sighed, a sound of blissful contentment that was pure music to his ears.

“What an absolutely beautiful night,” she marveled.

Manning smiled. “It is,” he murmured, kissing her temple. “It couldn’t be more perfect.”

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F
ive days later, Taylor arrived at Atlanta Symphony Hall, which was housed in the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown Atlanta. She was met at the entrance by two security guards who’d been assigned her escorts for the evening. They ushered her toward the rehearsal room to warm up with the orchestra before the concert.

As they cut through the lobby, someone called Taylor’s name. Recognizing the feminine drawl, she immediately tensed.

Reluctantly she turned to watch as Caitlyn approached, looking gorgeous in a slinky red evening gown. She was accompanied by an elegantly dressed older couple—a slim blonde and a balding, bespectacled black man who bore a striking resemblance to renowned scholar and author Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

As Taylor’s escorts stepped back discreetly, she plastered a polite smile on her face. “Hello, Caitlyn. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer.”

“Hello, Taylor,” Caitlyn’s parents greeted her, offering plastic smiles and handshakes.

Sheridan Spencer’s cool green eyes raked over Taylor, blatantly assessing her curvy, jeans-clad figure. “You’re looking rather well. I hardly even recognized you.”

Taylor smiled, ignoring the veiled insult. “I didn’t know you all were coming tonight.”

Caitlyn sighed. “Well, my parents are in town for a visit, so I thought they might enjoy a night at the symphony. Also, my father wants to invest in Wolf Biotech, so we’re planning to meet with Manning after the concert.” Her eyes gleamed. “I hope the two of you don’t have any plans tonight, because we’ll probably have Manning for a while.”

“That’s right,” Caitlyn’s mother added with relish. “Once Gerald and Manning get to talking, I’m sure they can come to an agreement about a
number
of things.”

“Hmm.” Taylor pursed her lips. “Well, unfortunately, Manning won’t be available this evening. After the concert and reception, we’re joining our family and friends at the lake for a moonlight dinner cruise. And we can’t be late, or the boat might leave without us.” She chuckled, watching as the Spencers’ smug expressions faded before she added helpfully, “Oh, but you’re more than welcome to call Manning’s secretary next week to see if you can get an appointment with him. But it may be a while because he and I are returning to Paris on Tuesday to start packing up my apartment since, well, I’ll be moving in with him.”

Caitlyn’s hazel eyes narrowed with malicious envy. Glancing down at Taylor’s left hand, she jeered mockingly, “Aww, how sweet. He asked you to shack up with him, but I
still
don’t see a ring on your finger.”

Before Taylor could respond to the taunt, one of her escorts stepped forward to murmur discreetly, “I apologize for interrupting, Miss Chastain, but they’re waiting for you in the rehearsal room.”

“Yes, of course.” Taylor nodded to Caitlyn and her parents. “It was nice seeing all of you again.”

“You too,” Gerald and Sheridan muttered.

Caitlyn smirked at her. “Break a leg.”

Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?

Taylor smiled serenely. “Enjoy the concert.”

With that, she turned and walked away with her head held high, determined not to let some scorned, desperate bitch ruin her big night.

An hour and a half later, Taylor’s heart was bursting with pride as she shared the stage with her music residency students and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. They were nearing the finale of the concert program, and her students had risen to the occasion, beautifully executing the pieces they’d spent the past three weeks learning and rehearsing.

She beamed at them, feeling like a proud mama.

The spotlight shone on her when it was her turn to perform Bach’s Chaconne from the Partita for Violin No. 2. As she played the solo violin piece, her eyes wafted over the darkened concert hall. The first three rows had been reserved for her many special guests. Her mother and Boyd. Her father and her brother, who’d brought Simona. Her country relatives, who’d turned out en masse (there were so many of them, Manning had chartered a large private plane to fly them all to Atlanta—a lavish experience they’d thoroughly enjoyed). Gabby had traveled from Paris aboard Manning’s Gulfstream, and Ebele and her husband had also showed up for moral support.

All of Manning’s family members were here, along with Yuma Navarro, Quentin and Lexi, and the rest of the Morehouse Nine, all of whom had brought dates.

And then, of course, there was Manning.

He sat front and center, his eyes glowing with fierce pride as he watched Taylor with that look of focused intensity she remembered from years ago.

She was wearing one of Asha Dubois’s stunning creations—a strapless ball gown fashioned out of gossamer layers of gold silk. While the gown may have made her
look
like a fairy-tale princess, it was Manning’s enraptured gaze that made her feel positively incandescent.

When she completed her solo, the audience responded with a thunderous round of applause that had her blushing. Though she was no stranger to receiving praise for her performances, she felt humbled every time.

At the end of the concert, the distinguished music director took center stage to recognize the orchestra and Emory’s young musicians, who beamed with pleasure from their chairs. Danisha Orton flashed a megawatt grin at Taylor and mouthed,
Thank you for everything!

Taylor smiled and mouthed back,
I’m so proud of you! You were wonderful!

“And last but certainly not least,” the music director announced, “let’s give another round of applause for our amazing guest soloist, the one and only Taylor Chastain.”

As the audience gave her a rousing standing ovation, Taylor curtsied gracefully and blew a kiss into the crowd, warmed by the radiant faces of her family and friends. Her mother, Prissy, Mama Wolf and Gabby all had tears in their eyes while her father and Tru, as well as Manning’s father and brothers, wore huge grins.

“Before we conclude this evening,” the music director continued, “I also want to recognize Dr. Manning Wolf, a longtime benefactor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. We’re very grateful for his generous support of the arts throughout Atlanta. As all of you know, all proceeds from tonight’s concert will go toward autism research, an important cause that is near and dear to Dr. Wolf’s heart, as well as Miss Chastain’s. At this time, I’d like to invite Dr. Wolf to join us onstage to give a few closing remarks.”

As the crowd burst into applause, Taylor beamed with pride as she watched Manning saunter up to the stage, looking dark and irresistibly dashing in his black tuxedo. He kissed her on the cheek and winked at her, drawing cheers and whistles from the concertgoers who’d undoubtedly caught wind of their burgeoning romance through the local news and entertainment outlets.

While Manning shook hands with the music director and exchanged a few words, Ken appeared beside Taylor and discreetly relieved her of her violin and bow. When she gave him a questioning glance, he merely grinned. The conspiratorial gleam in his eyes made her wonder what was up.

As Manning accepted the microphone and looked out over the audience, the concert hall grew silent.

He smiled warmly. “Thank you all for coming out this evening, and for doing your part to raise awareness and promote advocacy efforts for individuals and families impacted by autism. Your generous contributions are greatly appreciated and will go a long way toward improving many lives.” He paused as the audience acknowledged his remarks with heartfelt applause.

When the noise subsided, he continued, “I hope everyone enjoyed this incredible night of music as much as I did. If you all would indulge me for a moment”— he turned to look at Taylor —“there’s something I’ve been dying to ask Miss Chastain for a very long time.”

Taylor froze, her heart pounding as she watched him reach into the breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket. When he pulled out a black velvet jeweler’s box, a dramatic hush swept over the hall.

“
Oh, my God
,” Taylor breathed, her eyes welling with tears as Manning gallantly lowered himself to one knee.

When he opened the small box, she gasped audibly at the sight of a breathtakingly gorgeous engagement ring. The oval diamond, which had to weigh at least ten carats, was nestled between several smaller cut diamonds that formed a flower around it.

But as spectacular as the ring was, Taylor only had eyes for the man on bended knee before her, gazing up at her with such aching tenderness it was all she could do not to burst into tears.

“Taylor Lilah Chastain,” Manning said in a voice full of husky reverence. “You put a song in my heart the day I met you, a beautiful melody that’s only grown deeper and stronger over the years. I love you more than words could ever describe, and I would give anything—
anything
—to spend the rest of forever with you. So I just have to ask, sweetheart. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Taylor whispered ecstatically. “Are you kidding?
Yes,
I’ll marry you!”

His face broke into a wide grin as the hall erupted with deafening applause and cheers. He slid the glittering diamond ring onto her finger, then pulled her into his arms, swept her right off her feet and twirled her around. She laughed rapturously as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Gently setting her back down, Manning held her face between his hands and crushed his mouth to hers. As they shared a passionate kiss in the spotlight, the orchestra serenaded them with Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.”

At that moment, Taylor remembered her secret childhood fantasy to get asked out on a date at the end of a recital, something she’d never told Manning.

“How did you know?” she whispered to him.

He lovingly stroked her face. “Know what, darlin’?”

“That this would be my perfect fantasy.”

He smiled into her eyes. “It’s been my fantasy ever since I attended your first recital. I was hoping to God you felt the same.”

Taylor’s heart melted as more tears swam into her eyes. “And that’s why you’ve always been the one and only man for me.”

His expression softened with tender gratitude. “I love you so much,” he whispered huskily.

“I love you too,” she said with a dreamy sigh.

As he wrapped his arms around her in a fierce embrace, she caught a flash of red in her peripheral vision. When she turned her head, she saw a visibly distressed Caitlyn rushing toward the nearest exit, her hand clapped over her mouth as she choked back tearful sobs.

Taylor watched her go until Manning reclaimed her lips. And then she forgot all about Caitlyn as the audience showered her and her new fiancé with another wave of cheers and applause.

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