Caroline heard a banging sound and some muffled noise, realizing Aralia had dropped her phone. After a moment of fumbling, her voice came back through the speaker.
“Why didn’t you start with that, Caroline?! Holy shit, that's amazing! I've always loved him! Fuck love, I’m obsessed with him! How the fuck did you get tickets to that? I thought that show was all sold out! Oh my shit, Jackie is definitely not going to say no to this,” Aralia was rambling, not giving Caroline a chance to respond. “Okay, okay, let’s plan. What time are we meeting? I cannot believe I have to wait all week now. It’s only Monday!”
“How about 6pm Saturday?” Caroline finally found a second to squeeze into the conversation.
“Yes, I'll meet you at your place. Holy crap, what am I going to wear? Gotta go, Caroline. I need to go shopping right this instant. Come shopping with me!”
“Tomorrow, maybe. I'm tired tonight. Think I’m just going to stay in.”
“Suit yourself. I'll grab you from your work tomorrow, or later in the week. We need to find something amazing to wear to this concert. This is not the time to undersell it- go big or fucking go home, Caroline! Oh my cheeses, front row. Logan Clay might see us! I wonder if I have any sexy underwear to throw on stage.”
With that last sentiment, Aralia hung up. Caroline laughed and rolled her eyes, turning off her phone. She knew that her girls would be excited and so was she, but there was also a nervous knot in her stomach that she couldn’t seem to push away.
Chapter Three
Tuesday through Thursday at work flashed past in a blur. The law firm wasn’t giving her a single moment’s break, but she was glad to have the distraction. She had way too many things that she didn’t want to think about. She had even been so busy that she had forgotten to call Aralia back about shopping.
Friday morning rolled around to find Caroline finishing her last touches of makeup, leaning over her sink and staring in the mirror, getting ready to leave for work. Admiring her handiwork, she smiled at herself and grabbed her purse and keys, taking off for the elevator.
“Hi, Jeremy!” Caroline greeted her doorman as she stepped off the elevator.
“Miss Caroline, you’re looking gorgeous this morning,” he said to her as he opened the front door for her.
“Thank you!” She smiled as she waltzed past him, hopping into the waiting cab.
She only spent a few minutes at the Java Jolt this morning, taking her coffee to go. George asked her if she was excited about the concert and made her promise to tell him every detail on Monday. She agreed and tried to downplay her excitement, even though secretly she was a bundle of nerves. Dipping out of the store, she hurried down the block to work to make sure she got there on time.
Work was sluggish and she caught herself dragging her feet to match her mood. Fridays were always like this at her law office. All the senior partners took off early for their weekend houses, so there was only a small crowd of paralegals and other administrators around, clearly bitter about having to pick up the slack.
Luckily for Caroline, the ever bubbly Aralia came prancing through her office doors around three o’clock in the afternoon to take her out shopping. Caroline looked around to check that none of the senior bosses were around to see her leave early, but deemed it safe. She quickly cleaned up her desk and followed Aralia down to the New York City streets.
“Where are we going?” Caroline asked her, once they were walking down the city block, wallets ready to be used and abused.
“Let’s hit 5th Avenue, pick out a few things at different places. We can compare them back at your place. Jackie said she already had something perfect to wear, so she is just going to meet us tomorrow for the concert. You don’t even know how excited she was when I told her we were going to a Logan Clay concert!” Aralia giggled. “And front row? She nearly peed herself.”
“Hey, you were just as bad when I told you over the phone,” Caroline quipped back at her, but laughing too.
“You have no proof of that.” Aralia wrinkled her nose at her friend and then both girls burst out laughing, heading toward 5th Avenue.
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“What about this one?” Caroline was standing half naked in the large dressing room with a partially clad Aralia, holding a giant stack of dresses and outfits. Caroline was holding a gold sequined short dress up in front of her and pinching it around her waist to give an example of what it would look like on her.
“Are you kidding? With your pale skin, you might as well just turn into a sparkling ice sculpture,” Aralia teased her. Caroline pretended to pout, tossing the dress into the reject pile. She pulled on a blue strapless dress that stopped just below her bottom, along with some thigh high black boots. She stood in front of the mirror and tossed her hair over her shoulder, admiring herself.
“This is the one. What do you think, Caroline?” Aralia asked, spinning in a slow circle.
“You look awesome, Aralia. My blue dangling earrings would go so great with that outfit. Do you want to borrow them? I can bring them with me tomorrow,” Caroline offered.
“The ones you wore to 80’s night at the bar a few weeks ago? Hell yeah, I could rock those in this outfit. Damn, I look good.” She grinned confidently at herself in the mirror.
Caroline was jealous of her. She wished she felt that confident in everything she did and wore. She knew she was beautiful, but she still felt insecure at times, especially when she was standing next to this Italian bombshell with her voluptuous curves.
“Try these, Caroline.” Aralia tossed a few garments at her.
Caroline caught them and held them up to get a better look. It was a pair of skinny leg, leather pants with an oversized, off the shoulder green top that made her hazel eyes shade green in the mirror. She put on the outfit, examining herself in the mirror while standing on her tippy toes. She was attempting to see what it would look like once she was in heels. She had to admit, she looked pretty sexy in this outfit. The pants highlighted her long legs and the shirt was casual and comfortable, but also showed hints of skin. Showing just enough to make you want to see more.
Maybe enough to make Logan want to see more. Caroline thought, blushing.
Aralia gave her a thumbs up, then went back to rustling around in the pile of clothes. Unable to find what she was looking for, she poked her head out of the dressing room and called the sales lady over.
"Could you please bring an assortment of strappy, black high heels?" she asked the woman politely. It only took a few minutes before they had five or six different kinds in front of them. Aralia glanced through them and picked out her favorite two.
“Here, try these two on with that outfit,” Aralia commanded.
Caroline knew not to argue with her when it came to clothes, Aralia had the best fashion sense of anyone she had ever known. Caroline tried on the first pair, but the back dug into her heel, so she quickly rejected them. Caroline wanted to look good, but she didn’t want to suffer all night for it. She pulled on the second pair and strapped them up. They were shiny black strappy sandals that brought her up about four inches and really accentuated the angle of her bottom in the leather pants.
“Hell yeah, Caroline. You have to get those. That outfit is perfect!” Aralia gasped, looking Caroline up and down.
Aralia put her original clothes back on, handing the sales lady her dress and boots to ring up. She couldn’t help but wonder what Logan would think when he saw her, if he saw her that is. Caroline couldn’t believe herself but she actually wanted him to find her attractive.
“Come on, Caroline, give the sales woman that outfit so she can ring it up,” Aralia said, snapping Caroline out of her thoughts.
She obliged and got back into her original outfit and handed the clothes to the sales woman. A few minutes later, the two friends were walking out the glass doors of the store, both with several shopping bags hanging from each arm. The sun had already set at this point and the girls decided to part ways and get some rest before the concert
tomorrow.
Chapter Four
The next morning, Caroline slept much later than normal, soaking in the luxury of her plush blankets and the sun shining through her blinds. She lay there for a while after she had awoken , letting her mind drift to the concert. She was becoming more excited by the minute. There was no denying it anymore, she wanted to see Logan again. She knew that it was definitely one-sided and that these tickets were probably just him being civil, rather than an attempt to see her again. It didn’t matter to her anymore, she was determined to enjoy the evening anyway.
Worst case scenario, she would listen to some great music and watch a sexy rocker dance on stage. Didn’t sound so bad even if it was just that. She smiled as she remembered how Aralia had picked out three pairs of lace underwear from the store yesterday. She planned on throwing them at Logan when he was on stage. Caroline was not that adventurous, but loved living vicariously through Aralia’s bravery.
Aralia was a bartender now, but she came from a wealthy family with the same upper class lifestyle as Caroline had grown up with. She was just born a wild spirit, who enjoyed tending bar to socialize and dazzle people with her famous and unusual drink concoctions. Making martinis was an art form to Aralia, and she loved being the center of attention every night.
She had dropped out of college after only one semester, which her parents never let her hear the end of. Despite that, Caroline was still jealous of Aralia’s strong will and ability to enjoy every moment until she had squeezed the very last drop out of it. Caroline watched the clock tick by as she lay there until she decided it was about time that she got up to start her day. After an hour of household chores and grabbing some breakfast, Caroline grabbed her sketchbook and headed out to the park to spend the afternoon drawing and relaxing before tonight.
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Aralia knocked on Caroline’s door at precisely six o’clock, which was really saying something since Aralia was usually late. She had her own concept of time and just showed up whenever she felt like it most days.
“Ta da! How do I look?” Aralia asked, spinning in a circle in her blue dress and thigh high boots.
“Just as good as you did yesterday when I saw it on you.” Caroline chuckled at her friend’s dramatic entrance.
“Yes, but I grow more gorgeous by the day, darling. Didn’t you know?” Aralia grinned and pranced into the apartment, surprisingly agile for someone in thigh high boots. Caroline rolled her eyes and picked up some earrings she had laid out on a side table.
“Here are the blue earrings I was talking about.” She handed them to Aralia. Aralia quickly scooped them up and stood in front of the hall mirror, putting them on. Caroline finished putting on the last touches of makeup and pulling on her heels.
“All right, I am ready to go. Where is Jackie?” Caroline asked, putting her wallet from her purse into a sparkling silver clutch.
“She is going to meet us at the south entrance,” Aralia said, heading to the door. The two girls left the condo and took the elevator down to the lobby. As the doors opened, the doorman’s eyes widened at the sight of their outfits.
“My word, you ladies look spectacular. Fun night ahead?” Jeremy asked them, as he held the glass door open for them.
“Isn’t every night with me fun?” Aralia winked at him, as she flounced out the door.
The two girls got into a waiting town car that Aralia had ordered to take them to Madison Square Garden for the night. The concert didn’t start for another two hours, but the women wanted to get there early in order to hit up a nearby bar beforehand. After about twenty minutes in New York City traffic, the town car pulled up to the curb and the girls hopped out. Jackie was waiting there for them and squealed when she saw them, rushing forward with arms wide. She was wearing a sparkling silver sleeveless top with bright pink skinny pants. To top off her ensemble, she was wearing clear platform heels that looked like they had just walked off a strip club stage.
“Jackie!” Aralia hugged her and Caroline moved in between them to hug Jackie, too.
“Caroline! I can’t believe that you got us these tickets! This is going to be AMAZING! How did you ever manage front row? Logan Clay, holy shit. He could have me any day of the week!” Jackie said, jumping up and down, like a young school girl, fawning over her favorite celebrity. Caroline broke out laughing at her and Aralia joined in, pushing the girls toward the bar.
“Just good luck, I guess. Come on, let's get to the bar before Aralia shoves us over.” The girls walked two doors down to a local pub, parking themselves at the main bar. The bartender slid some coasters in front of them and turned on the charm, partially for better tips but also because there were three scantily clad, beautiful women in front of him.
“Hi, ladies, I’m Wade. What can I get you to drink tonight?” he asked, particularly focusing his attention on Aralia and her enormous assets.
“Gin and tonic for me, handsome,” Aralia shot back, not missing a beat. She leaned forward and gave him a flirty smile.
“I’ll have a beer. Whatever is on draft,” Jackie said to him. He nodded at her, but his eyes never left Aralia.
“Jack and ginger for me,” Caroline chimed in. Jackie turned to look at her with a puzzled look on her face.
“What happened to Miss Lightweight, who always orders a vodka cranberry, hold the vodka?” Jackie teased her. Aralia looked at Caroline suspiciously as she blushed.
Caroline smiled deviously. “Just felt like mixing it up a bit.”
The truth was that she really needed some liquid courage before seeing Logan. Her stomach was in knots, as if filled with butterflies crashing into each other. Her cheeks turned even more red as she thought about him, a fact that did not escape her girlfriends. Aralia squinted her eyes at Caroline, studying her for a second, then took a big gulp of her gin and tonic, banging it down on the bar.
“Alright, fess up. What the fuck’s going on here?” Aralia demanded, her hands on her hips. Jackie turned and faced Caroline with one brow raised.
“What are you talking about?” Caroline innocently tried to dodge the inquiry, but both of the girls had picked up the scent and were not going to let it go.
“There is definitely something that you are not telling us, Caroline. What is going on with this concert tonight?” Jackie echoed Aralia’s accusation. Caroline sighed, took a few gulps of her drink, then turned to the girls.
“Okay, I got the tickets from Logan,” Caroline said, blushing again. She turned back to her drink and finished it off. She immediately lifted her finger to signal the bartender for a refill.
“What do you mean you got them from Logan? Logan Clay?” Aralia squeaked.
“Logan Clay? Musician, hottie hunk, cover of every magazine, Logan Clay?” Jackie gawked at her in disbelief.
“Yes, we met on Monday at the Java Jolt and he gave me the tickets. We didn’t really get along that well. He was so full of himself, I wasn’t very impressed,” Caroline explained rapidly, hoping she could avoid talking further about it.
Aralia rolled her eyes and laughed at Caroline. “Oh well, sorry your golden helmet is too heavy, Miss Priss.”
Jackie didn’t say anything because her jaw had practically hit the bar in shock. Caroline grinned guiltily, snatching up her second drink that the bartender had just dropped off. The girls continued to tease her for the next hour, but Caroline kept a lid on her true feelings of attraction for Logan. She didn’t even know how she felt, so she really didn’t want to embarrass herself by talking about her silly romantic fantasy. They enjoyed a few more drinks before deciding it was time to head over to the concert.
Chapter Five
The concert hall was packed full when they arrived with almost no room to move. When the women first entered the arena and showed the usher their tickets, they were surprised not to have to fight through the crowds. Instead, the usher escorted them behind some red velvet ropes to a separate hallway that headed down the length of the auditorium.
They walk
ed to the end of the hallway and took a right through some plush golden curtains, which led them out to the front row by the stage. He showed the women their seats, which were literally front and center. Caroline’s nerves began escalating rapidly, because there was no way that Logan would miss her now. She ran her hands through her hair, fluffing it out, hoping that it looked okay. She pulled on her blouse, rearranging it several times until she found a way that looked the best, or at least not the worst.
The crowd was already extremely loud, but the moment the lights dimmed and spotlights tagged the stage, they began to roar. Aralia and Jackie jumped up and waved their arms in the air, screaming along with the crowd. Caroline followed suit, but stood rather awkwardly swaying side to side with her arms around her waist. She was just as excited as her friends, but didn’t want to seem like a groupie in heat if Logan were to see her. She laughed at herself for that thought, doubting that he would even remember her. With all these fans in the crowd, there was no doubt in her mind that she would be just another blip on his radar of fans.
Music started coming out of the speakers and the lights went completely dark as a hush came over the crowd, eagerly anticipating the start of the show. Suddenly fountains of fire and sparks roared up from the back of the stage, illuminating a sole shadowy figure. Guitar chords pulsed out of the amplifiers and roared through the crowd, a heavy rock and roll solo lasting about forty-five seconds until the lights flashed on. Logan stood still in the spotlight on the empty stage. The room roared with excitement at seeing him as he looked out on his fans with a sexy grin.
The other band members suddenly became visible in their own smaller spotlight, music streamed out of the speakers. Logan swaggered forward to the front microphone with the dramatic manner expected of rock stars. He swung the guitar he had been playing around his back, grabbed the microphone, and began to sing. Caroline was at most six feet away from him, but still drowned in the crowd of girls screaming and singing along to his music.
Logan Clay: A Forbidden Rockers Box Set Page 10
