Years ago I discovered my own character trait.
I cannot work in silence.
Chances are it developed over the years, perhaps in
rebellion to the nuns in Catholic school that ‘strongly encouraged’ us to
remain quiet unless we were called up. Like that’s going to happen!
So when it comes to writing, I’ll turn on the stereo and
crank up the music. Different genres of music can help me set the mood for
whatever it is I’m working on. If there is a scene with a lot of action,
something slow and gentle isn’t going to cut it. That works better for more
descriptive, narrative passages. For action, it’s gotta be rock. Something that
moves quickly. Think Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, ZZ Top, George Thorogood,
Robert Palmer, Chuck Berry.
Today I settled down
to work on a scene for the sequel to “Why 319?”. What I had in mind was a
little romantic activity between Chene and Simone, the young woman he met during
the hunt for the serial killer. Often I’ll dial up something appropriate to
help set the mood, anything from Sinatra, Motown or even a little jazz. At
times I’ll even include the tune in my background as part of the scene itself.
When I cued up Pandora, the first selection that played was
the great Marvin Gaye classic, “Let’s Get it On”. That was just what I needed.
Here’s an excerpt from “Devious” that’s a perfect example of
music setting the mood. In this scene, Jamie and Malone have recently started
dating. She’s getting ready for him to stop by after work.
One night,
last week, Malone had let slip that he had a soft spot for pink. I’d been
waiting for an opportunity to see just how much of a softy he was. So in
addition to my nails, I dug out some appropriate sleepwear. I don’t have a huge
supply of slinky negligees. With the colder weather, I usually wear flannel
pajamas. Not exactly the wardrobe of choice to spark romantic interest. But I knew there was an item that would fit
the bill tonight.
In the
bottom of the drawer was just what I was looking for. Probably the most money
I’ve ever spent on myself for something I’d only dreamed of wearing before.
Actually, I’ve worn it twice, but never when I was expecting a visitor. It’s
pure silk, in a very soft shade of pink, with thin spaghetti straps at the
shoulders. It hugs my meager curves very nicely and stops about mid-thigh. It
dips very low in the back, so if I’m feeling extremely naughty, I can always
wear it backwards. The gown comes with a
matching wrap, the same shade of pink with a little black trim along the collar
and the cuffs. The wrap drapes to my ankles.
I wanted to
get Malone’s attention from the moment he walked in the door. With that in
mind, I searched the closet for a particular pair of shoes. They were black,
with very high heels and open toes. I slipped them on and posed before the
mirror. I sure hoped Malone had been taking his vitamins.
He was due
any time now. I wanted no doubt in his mind what this evening had in store. The
stereo was ready with a variety of discs, some soft sultry ballads by Diana
Krall, James Taylor and light jazz instrumentals. There were candles lit, both
in the living room and the bedroom. I
touched up my makeup, just lipstick and a little bit of blush. A quick spray of
perfume and I was ready.
I was
heading for the windows to see if I could spot his car, when the door opened.
Malone stood there for a moment, not moving. I couldn’t see his eyes clearly.
He was in that shadowy area, just inside the door and all the candles were
behind me. My heart did a little
stutter. Was I coming on too strong?
“Hey,
Jamie.” His voice was a hoarse whisper.
“Hey,
Malone.” I wanted to pose for him in
some seductive way, but I was frozen in place, halfway between my bedroom and
the sofa.
He just
stood there, staring at me. His head moved slowly. I could feel his eyes
tracing their way down my body. A chill ran up my spine, but I still couldn’t
move. Then I heard a clicking noise and realized he had managed to close and
lock the door behind him. At last he moved.
“You are an
incredibly beautiful woman.”
I blushed
and lowered my eyes. “It’s just the gown.”
“Don’t do
that.” His voice had taken on a thick, husky quality.
“Do what?”
“Downplay
the compliment.” Malone reached out his right hand and took my left. Then he
turned me and we started dancing slowly, moving in perfect sync to the music. I
think it was Krall singing “The Way You Look Tonight”. “Just smile sweetly,
say, ‘thank you’ and accept the fact that I believe you are an incredibly
beautiful woman.”
I was
having trouble finding my voice. “Thank you, kind sir.”
He twirled
me around the apartment. It amazed me how well we moved together. With the
heels, I was almost eye level with Malone. His right hand was now inside the
wrap, resting lightly on my bare back just above the edge of the gown. “Do you
have any idea how incredibly sexy this is? To come in that door and find you
like this?”
“Do you
have any idea how sexy you make me feel, Malone?”
He stopped
moving at that moment and dipped me, just as the song ended. “I’ve never had
that effect on any woman before. At least, not to my knowledge.”
“Malone.”
“Yes, Jamie?”
“Are you
going to kiss me?”
That killer
smile crossed his face. “I thought you’d never ask.”
***In case you're interested, here's a duet by Krall and Tony Bennett of the song mentioned in the excerpt. ***
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