she jerks awake suddenly aware that she has been sleeping how long a few seconds an hour maybe she looks across the table naomi is sitting there dressed in a sleek black dress that sculpts with luxurious precision the curve of her hips she has on long gloves up to her elbows almost and they look soft as velvet her swept gold hair pinned back with a jade clasp above her ear twirled and pooled in tight blonde loops she has on cotton stockings and heels she kicks off the shoes and lets her stockinged feet slide bare across the tile floor the gloves the long gloves she tugs them away one finger at a time pulled free like shedding a second skin and her body beneath is pale and soft her fingers long and supple and eager she touches them to the piano keys this is not a table this is naomi 's piano they are in an empty concert hall and naomi is performing why has nobody come to watch ?