In Plain Sight (WeHo Book 11)
Page 3
Memphis nodded as she cut in “Man In the Box” by Alice in Chains. She kept the techno background, but it became very obvious to the patrons that someone else had taken over the DJ’s booth. Chloe opened the double windows, which had everyone on the dance floor turning around and looking at the booth. Memphis grinned, waving to the crowd. Chloe got on the mic and announced who they were dancing to—there were only a few cheers. Memphis didn’t seem to care; she was busily enjoying herself with her music.
Chloe watched for a while, but figured out quickly that if she wanted to get any closer to the fast becoming famous DJ, she’d better learn a thing or two while she was at it.
“Okay, show me,” she said, stepping back to the table.
Memphis smiled, stepping back to let Chloe move in front of her again. She stayed for the next hour, showing Chloe different ways of doing things, their bodies very close, pressing against each other as Memphis guided her hands. Chloe found the whole thing very erotic. When they finally took a break, she led Memphis to the bar, where she bought two shots and they drank them down. She then took Memphis’ hand and led her to the bathroom. Taking her into the largest stall, she turned and kissed her.
Memphis slid her hands up Chloe’s body, her mouth moving sensually over the other DJ’s. Chloe pressed closer, her arms up around Memphis’ neck. At one point, Memphis turned her around, so her back was to Memphis’ chest. She moved her hands up under Chloe’s shirt, moaning against her ear when she realized Chloe had no bra on. Her fingers ran over hard nipples as Chloe reached down to grip Memphis’ thighs, pressing back against her. As Chloe’s movements became more frantic, Memphis slid one hand up the girl’s short skirt and found herself breathing heavier as she realized the girl didn’t seem to care for undergarments at all. Within seconds of Memphis’ fingers sliding against her wetness, Chloe was coming.
Chloe immediately turned around, fastening her lips to Memphis’, unbuttoning her jeans and sliding her slim hand down to touch her. Memphis pulled Chloe closer, her lips going to Chloe’s neck as she moved against the girl’s finger, coming moments later.
Afterwards they smiled at each other, kissing a few more times as they headed back into The Club. It was a fun night.
Two nights later, Memphis lay in bed in Toronto with yet another agile female next to her, naked and asleep. She was just dozing off when she heard her phone ping. She recognized the sound of the Messenger chime. She hesitated. She’d already told Oliver she wasn’t going to be his go-between anymore, but he’d told her that Kiery22 was hardly talking to him, so she was curious to see if it was Kieran messaging him now.
She picked up her phone and, tapping Messenger, saw that it was indeed Kieran. She opened the message.
Kiery22: I thought I’d let you know that I got an interview for that job I applied for. I know you’ve been really busy, but I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I am that you thought I was saying something negative about Memphis. I have all the respect in the world for your friendship with her, and have no problem with her being gay. I think I’m bisexual, so it would be silly for me to think there’s something wrong with her. Anyway, just wanted you to know.
Oh-Liver23: I’m here.
Memphis’ lips twitched. She knew she was probably really stupid for doing this, but she felt bad. She had an issue with people thinking being gay was weird or wrong, and she knew she’d been unfair to put that on Kieran.
Kiery22: Oh! It is great to see you… well, see you typing again, anyway.
Oh-Liver23: It’s good to see you typing too. So you got the interview huh? That’s great!
Kiery22: I know, I’m so happy! Oh and I listened to that song you told me about too.
Oh-Liver23: Which?
Kiery22: Elastic Heart. I really like it!
Oh-Liver23: I’m glad. Did you listen to anything else by Sia? She’s a really great artist.
Kiery22: I did, I like Free the Animal and The Greatest too.
Oh-Liver23 – Okay, now I have another group for you. Have you heard of Muse?
Kiery22: Nope.
Oh-Liver23: Okay, listen to their album The 2nd Law, it’s incredible.
Kiery22: You’re going to raise my iTunes bill significantly!
Oh-Liver23: I can actually send you the song digitally if you want me to.
Kiery22: You can?
Oh-Liver23: Like magic.
Kiery22: That would be wonderful!
Oh-Liver23: give me your email address
Kiery22: It’s KH22@yahoo.com.
Oh-Liver23: Okay, give me a sec.
Memphis went into Oliver’s email account and sent the files, figuring he’d probably never even know about it. Then she went back into Messenger.
Oh-Liver23: Okay, sent.
Kiery22: That’s really neat that you can do that.
Oh-Liver23: A trick from my sound engineer roommate.
Kiery22: Well, thank Memphis for me.
“You’re welcome,” Memphis murmured, grinning.
The girl next to her stirred, opening her eyes. “Hmm?”
“Sorry, babe, not talking to you.” Memphis mentally rolled her eyes at herself.
She had a naked woman in bed with her, and she was chatting with some girl in England. Was she really nuts?
Oh-Liver23: Hey, I need to go right now, but I’m sure we’ll talk again soon. Okay?
Kiery22: Okay
Oh-Liver23: You too.
Memphis shut down Messenger and set aside her phone. She touched the girl next to her. Minutes later they were having sex, and Memphis was in her element again.
In another three days she’d managed to get to Yuma, Arizona. She’d hitchhiked part of the way, until the man who’d picked her up tried to attack her. He’d gotten a couple of really good kicks to the face. No man was ever going to touch her again as long as she lived. She’d run from the truck stop, right into a woman who’d seen how terrified she was. The woman convinced her to go inside the nearby restaurant with her.
“What’s your name, sweetpea?” the woman asked. She was older, like a grandmother type.
“Patty,” she mumbled between bites of the hamburger the lady had bought her. She glanced at the breakfast menu in front of her. “Patty Benedict.”
“It’s awfully cold out there for a dress. Where are your parents, Patty?”
“They’re at a hotel down the street, but we ran out of money so my dad’s sending for some back home.”
“What were you running from then?”
“Oh, there was this dog, it really scared me,” she said, without missing a beat.
“Well, I have a bag of clothes in my car from my granddaughter’s extras. Some of them might fit you if you don’t think your parents will mind.”
She nodded vehemently. “I know that they won’t mind, but I should get your name and stuff so my dad can thank you for your kindness.”
An hour later she had three pairs of jeans, a warm hoodie jacket, and three T-shirts. One of them had Rainbow Dash on it. She liked that one the best. She also had a hundred dollars in her pocket, because the really nice old lady had said it should help her parents out. She debated buying a bus ticket to Los Angeles, her ultimate destination, but she didn’t know if she’d need money for anything else. She found the Yuma bus station and checked on the fare to LA. At only thirty-five dollars, it was a tough choice. She thought about how long it would take to get there if she continued to walk—and if she hitchhiked, she might be attacked again, or even killed. She needed to get to Los Angeles. Finally she decided to take the bus.
At the next stop, a teenage girl got on and sat next to her. She had blue hair and wore wild clothes, but she smiled at her and even shared her bag of chips and her soda.
The blue-haired girl had an MP3 player and played music through the tiny speaker. She was completely fascinated by the sounds coming out of the sma
ll gadget, and it showed on her face.
“You like this?” the girl asked.
She nodded, her eyes wide.
“I’m Jenna,” the girl said, holding out her hand.
“Angie Lee.”
“Where ya headed, Angie?”
“San Diego,” she said smoothly. “You?”
Jenna smiled. “Oh, I’m off at El Centro.”
They spent the next few hours listening to different types of music. Jenna introduced her to bands like Def Leppard, Poison, and Ratt, and singers like Whitney Houston and Madonna. Her eyes just grew wider and wider as she listened to each new song.
“Don’t you listen to the radio at home?” Jenna asked.
She shook her head. “We don’t listen to music like this.”
“What do you listen to?”
She shrugged. “Mostly gospel.”
“Oh, yuck!” Jenna made a face. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I like your music much better too.” She smiled her first genuine smile in many months.
Just before the stop in El Centro, Jenna turned to her. “You know, I actually have two of these. My parents are divorced, so they’re always trying to outdo each other. So why don’t you keep this one?” She held out the MP3 player.
“Really?” she asked, her blue eyes wide.
Jenna smiled. “Yeah. I even have headphones and the charger. You’ll need power though,” she said, looking in her bag.
She leaned forward and hugged Jenna with all of her might, as slight as that was. She suddenly realized how good Jenna smelled. When she leaned back, Jenna was gazing at her with an odd look in her eyes. Before she knew what was happening, Jenna leaned forward and kissed her. It was soft and sweet, and made her want more. When their lips parted, she looked at Jenna, her eyes wide. She reached up and touched her fingers to lips.
“Was that your first kiss?” Jenna asked, smiling as if she liked the idea.
“From a girl, yes,” she said, her eyes still wide.
Jenna winked. “Well, I’m glad I could be your first. You’re so pretty, though—I’m sure I won’t be the last.”
She blinked a couple of times, surprised by the compliment. The next thing she knew, the bus was stopping. She got up as Jenna stood, reaching out to hug her again. This time she was the one to initiate the kiss. Jenna reached out to touch her face.
When their lips parted, Jenna smiled widely. “You learn fast.”
“Thank you.” She held up the MP3 player. “Thank you for this and for your kindness.”
Jenna nodded. “Take care of yourself, Angie.”
“It’s Cassidy,” she said, telling the truth for the first time.
Jenna’s eyes narrowed, but then she nodded. “It’s prettier.” She winked, then turned and left.
Cassidy sat back down, feeling sad for a few moments. Then she examined the MP3 player and saw that it had Jenna’s home address on a sticker on the back. Cassidy smiled as she plugged the headphones in and put them in her ears. She spent the rest of the trip listening to music and imagining what her life would be like in Los Angeles, the land of music and movies.
The little old lady in Yuma received an envelope containing a hundred dollars in cash two months later.
Jenna received cash as well, and a note that simply said, “Thank you.” It was signed “Cassidy.”
Chapter 2
“Billy, I love ya, but I swear…” Memphis muttered under her breath as Billy Montague once again changed her mind about how she wanted to hear the playback on her monitor.
“Are you hearing me, Memphis?” Billy called from the stage.
“Everyone heard you, Billy,” Jerith put in. They had been in sound check for an hour.
“Okay, okay, easy,” Memphis said into the mic at her lips. “Give me a sec, okay?”
Her hands flew over the mixing board, tweaking this knob, adjusting that lever.
“Okay, beautiful, give me that chorus again,” she said, smiling engagingly.
Billy sang the chorus, and started nodding as soon as she finished. “Exactly! That’s what I was looking for an hour ago, Memphis!”
“Well, the important thing is that we found it now,” Memphis said, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. She made a note of the settings on the board, then looked up.
“Thanks, Billy! Next!” she yelled, then put her hand over the mic and winked at Xandy.
Xandy’s sound check, as usual, went completely smoothly. The girl was so sweet; she never demanded anything.
“Xandy, do you mind if I try something?” Memphis said.
Xandy smiled. “Of course not.”
“Of course not, she says, like she’s not the talent…” Memphis said softly, making Xandy grin.
Once again her hands moved over the board. After a couple of minutes, she looked up at Xandy. “Okay, honey, give me a good high note.”
Xandy sang out clearly, immediately looking shocked at the way it sounded. “That’s amazing!” She glanced over at Wynter and Jordan, who were both nodding.
“Hey, Memphis?” Wynter said, shading her eyes to block the stage lights. “Sign me up for that one too.”
“Me too!” Jordan called, grinning.
Memphis chuckled. “Okay, ladies, one at a time.”
She made some more notes then called Wynter up. They spent another two hours doing checks and rechecks, and finally it was time to go back to the hotel. Memphis put her headphones in and cranked up the latest music she’d downloaded, the soundtrack from Suicide Squad. “Wreak Havoc” by Skylar Grey came on. She loved it—she had from the moment she’d heard it. The chime of Messenger interrupted the song.
She opened the app. Naturally, it was Kieran looking for Oliver. As usual, he wasn’t answering. Memphis figured she had about three hours before she needed to be back to prep for the show.
Oh-Liver23: Hey honey, how are you?
Kiery22: Hi! I’m good! I had my interview today.
Oh-Liver23: That was today? How did it go?
Kiery22: Good, really good. I’m excited!
Oh-Liver23: That’s awesome, I’m happy for you.
Kiery22: … Ollie?
Oh-Liver23: Yeah?
Kiery22: You know how you keep wanting to… you know…
“Holy Christ, she doesn’t mean…” Memphis muttered. She knew Oliver had been pressuring the girl for cybersex.
Oh-Liver23: You mean… sex?
Kiery22: Um, yes.
Oh-Liver23: Yeah, but it’s not really that big of a deal Kieran, that’s not why I chat with you.
“Like hell it’s not why he chats with you, but it’s not why I do.”
Kiery22: But I’d like to…
Oh-Liver23: Now?
“Fuck me…” Memphis rolled her eyes. This wasn’t her forte—how did you type sex? “I fuckin’ hate you, Oliver. I hate you, hate you, hate you!”
Kiery22: If you still want to…
Memphis thought about saying no, but she worried that Kieran would take it wrongly and feel like it was her that he was saying no to. She didn’t want to give the girl a complex.
Oh-Liver23: No, I still do, I just didn’t want you to feel like you had to or something.
Kiery22: You’ve been very patient
“My ass, he has. Bugging you about it every time he talks to you doesn’t really count as patient, babe.” Then she thought about it. When she talked to Kieran she never mentioned sex, and she figured she talked to her just about as much as Oliver did. It was a wonder the girl hadn’t noted the differences in their styles. But that might be why she had the impression that he was being patient.
Memphis grinned. “Serves his ass right, if I do this and he doesn’t get to.”
Oh-Liver23: So set the scene for me. Where are you?
Kiery22: In my bedroom. I’ve got candles lit and I’m sitting on my bed.
Oh-Liver23: It’s night time there, isn’t it?
Kiery22: Yes, it’s around ten
Oh-L
iver23: is it cold there?
Kiery22: It’s raining.
Oh-Liver23: Nice… does it rain hard there?
Kiery22: Sometimes, tonight it is.
Oh-Liver23: Do you have windows open?
Kiery22: No
Oh-Liver23: Can you open them?
Kiery22: Yes
Oh-Liver23: Open them
The cursor blinked while Memphis waited for Kieran to come back. She closed her eyes and imagined a candlelit room, rain outside, the sound of it hitting the roof, the pavement. When she opened her eyes again she saw that Kieran had returned to her keyboard. “Here goes nothin’.”
Kiery22: They’re open
Oh-Liver23: What are you wearing right now?
Kiery22: Nothing
Oh-Liver23: Wowwww… that just got a very visceral reaction
Kiery22: I love that you know words like that
“Oliver doesn’t. And I wish I’d been lying.” Memphis felt a little uncomfortable.
Oh-Liver23: You should love that you just got me hot
Kiery22: I love that too…
Oh-Liver23:
Kiery22: Oh… talk about hot…
Oh-Liver23: If I was there, I’d caress that beautiful body, my hands moving from your hips, up your torso, skimming the sides of your breasts, sliding up your neck to hold your head… I’d lean down and kiss your lips softly at first, and then stronger, sucking at them, pressing closer to you…