The Locket of Love  Chapter. 9 part 1 of 4

The Locket of Love
Chapter. 9 part 1 of 4


The next several weeks were a whirlwind of activity for Mike and Melody. Mike first solidified his new contract with the ASO, giving him a substantial pay raise, with the potential for more if he managed to earn tenure. As rehearsals resumed in preparation for the last concert of the year, he worked to earn the trust and respect of the section leading up to the next season. Despite the naturally competitive nature of professional trumpet players, they all seemed genuinely happy for him, and definitely felt he was the best fit for the job.

After a couple of rehearsals, Maestro Spano asked Mike to stay late one day to discuss something. The ASO planned to publicly introduce him as the new principal trumpet at their final concert of the year and wanted to feature him in a solo piece of Mike’s choosing. Considering his options, Mike decided on Herman Bellitude’s Napoli, one of his favorite cornet solos. Fast and flashy, it was always a crowd-pleaser and showed off many of Mike’s skills, plus it was just a fun piece to play. Spano agreed, handing out the music to the orchestra the next day to begin work on it.

Melodious Photography quickly got off to a strong start with Melody at the helm. The first few jobs she worked went flawlessly, earning her rave reviews from her clients. This resulted in more referrals, particularly as wedding season approached. She found that she had a particular talent for engagement photo sessions, being able to perfectly capture the love and affection between the bride and groom without letting it appear staged.

Photographing her first actual wedding, the bride requested that Melody bring a second shooter if possible, to capture as many different angles from the ceremony and reception as they could. Again, stretching the limits of her powers using Mike’s wish for equal partnership, she was able to create an assistant for herself. The girl she created was just a robot, but with the ability to work and interact with others in Melody’s direction. Naming her Evelyn, she looked as though she could be either a sister or cousin to Melody, albeit with raven hair instead of Melody’s red wine color.

In addition to her professional success, Melody also worked to further her studies of the Bible and Christianity. She enrolled in Ashley’s study course at Mike’s church, intending to take the first steps towards joining the church one day, much to Mike’s excitement. Ashley found that having Melody in the class was an absolute joy, as she always had excellent questions that fostered communication and debate among the students, which in turn helped her gain a greater understanding of the context of the scripture they were studying. These classes also served to strengthen the fast-forming friendship between Ashley and Melody, the former becoming a trusted confidant and mentor for the latter.

In their personal lives, Mike and Melody could not have been more in love if their lives depended on it. Each day was a new experience, even if they did nothing but lay in bed making love all day; they never grew weary of each other. On some weeknights and weekends, Sasha and Tyler would come down from their apartment for them to babysit, much to Sandra’s relief. Sasha and Melody were quickly becoming ‘best girlfriends,’ according to Sasha, and Tyler was slowly catching on to Mike’s example of always treating women with admiration and respect, regardless of if they were a girlfriend, a mom, a sister, or even a total stranger. Eventually, the kids would sometimes beg to see Mike and Melody even if their mom had no need for a babysitter.

Just as Melody had predicted, Stuart asked Darcy out that night as they left Mike and Melody’s apartment. They proceeded slowly at first, feeling each other out for the first few dates, but soon fell hard for each other. Beneath his goofball personality, Darcy could clearly see the good man Stuart was deep down, yet the goofball always managed to shine through at just the right times; Stuart always was able to make her laugh right when she needed him to. Both were extremely grateful to Mike and Melody for their evil plot to set them up with each other. They razzed them at first about being nosey and meddlesome, though it was pointed out that Darcy was an expert in nosiness. The two couples double-dated quite frequently, strengthening Darcy and Melody’s friendship even further.

As early June approached, so too did the final performance of the ASO before their summer break. It always took place on a Sunday afternoon, with a large party for all employees and their significant others following. Additionally, word of Melody’s photography skills had gotten to Maestro Spano, who enlisted her services in photographing the after-party. Naturally, Melody wanted to enjoy being Mike’s date for the evening, so she “hired” Evelyn to work the camera for the event.

Standing in his tuxedo in front of his floor mirror, Mike adjusted his black bowtie and vest; he was the featured soloist of the concert, so he wanted to be sure his attire would be suitable even for James Bond himself. As he finished the last of his grooming, a whistle of approval came from behind him.

“Damn, you may not make it out of the bedroom dressed like that,” Melody marveled.

He slowly turned to face her and was instantly mesmerized. Though Melody normally was at her most gorgeous with the wholesome-yet-sexy girl-next-door look, the sophisticated evening gown style she now displayed was equally stunning. Her deep red hair had grown out longer, now reaching to her armpits. It was still perfectly straightened and clasped together at the top of her neck with a black barrette. Her long black dress sparkled and shimmered from every direction, extending nearly to the floor.

An elegant slit exposed just enough of her toned left leg to be tantalizingly sexy for anyone catching a glimpse of it. The top of the dress was held up by two straps tied behind her neck in a halter-top, completed by a plunging V-neck that showed off the perfect amount of her ample cleavage. She wore very little makeup, but she had so little need for it with her incredibly pure and sweet facial features; a light touch of black eyeliner and some pale pink lip-glosses were all she required.

“Holy shit… I’ve died and gone to heaven,” came Mike’s eventual reply.

Kissing him sweetly on the cheek, Melody whispered in his ear, “Not yet.”

Taking her hand, Mike backed up to continue examining her beauty. She gave a little twirl to show the exposed back of the dress, throwing her megawatt smile over her shoulder as she did so.

“Absolutely stunning,” Mike continued to gush. “Although, I think it’s a bit incomplete.”

“What do you mean?” Melody asked with a puzzled look on her face.

With his trademark grin, Mike pulled a small, old brown box from his pocket. “Got you a little present.”

Melody gently took the box, her smile a mile wide as she slowly lifted the lid. Looking inside of it, her eyes were now fixed upon the locket Mike had released her from. He had cleaned and polished it painstakingly, adding a brand new gold chain to it as well, fearing that the old one might break at some point.

“Open it,” Mike instructed.

Slowly prying the clasp open, Melody peered inside the locket to find that it was no longer empty as it had previously been. Mike had placed a small, circular photograph of the two of them in the back piece of the locket. She remembered well when the picture had been taken. They had been walking with Sandra and her kids in the local park when Melody slipped her phone to Sandra. Melody had whispered to her that they needed a picture of the two of them, but that it had to be spontaneous. Melody then snuck up behind Mike, jumping on him for a piggyback ride as Sandra snapped a picture of them cracking up laughing. Mike had cropped that photo to include just their faces and Melody’s arm wrapped around his neck, holding on for dear life. As Melody gazed upon the photo, she placed her hand over her mouth in disbelief, tears welling up in her eyes.

“You… are… unbelievable…” she managed to gasp through her tears of happiness. Enveloping him in a passionate, loving kiss, she said as their lips parted, “I’ll always keep it with me, no matter what.”

Chuckling at her, he pointed out that her tears were staining her eyeliner; she fixed it with a snap of her fingers. After another short make-out session, Melody turned to face the mirror and held her hair aside for Mike, beckoning him to put the locket on her. Gently clasping it around her neck, he sensuously rubbed her bare shoulders and kissed her neck as he finished. He wrapped his arms around her waist, gazing at her in the mirror, and saw that the locket complemented her beauty wonderfully, nestled in between her breasts.

“Perfect,” Mike whispered to her.

Departing the apartment, Mike grabbed his cornet case and Melody a small purse that matched her sparkling dress. Along the drive downtown, Melody confirmed that Mike’s parents had tickets reserved for the three of them at the box office and that they would meet them there. Normally, Mike would not socialize before a performance, but as the featured soloist, he was not asked to play on any other piece at the concert. In this way, he could be certain to be in prime condition for his solo.

After parking in the employee deck, the pair met up with Mike’s parents just outside the entrance to the symphony hall. They exchanged their greetings before Mike slipped backstage momentarily to drop off his horn in the green room. As he rejoined the group, his parents were chatting with a couple of church friends who happened to be there also, while Melody was being hit on by a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair. His demeanor clearly indicated that he thought quite a lot of himself.

Just who the hell is that? Mike asked, keeping his distance momentarily.

A partner at a law firm near here. Sees himself as a future United States Senator, even though he has no shot in hell. Not the ONLY thing he’s got no shot in hell at.

As Mike approached them, Mike heard the man saying, “Well, my dear, if you’ll permit me, I’d love to be your escort for the rest of the evening.”

Gently linking her arm in Mike’s as he arrived, she politely replied, “That’s very kind of you Mr. Blair, but I’m currently being escorted by tonight’s featured soloist, Mike Braxton. Have you met?”

To be continued