“Don’t worry about it,” he drawled. “Finding out you are a woman and not just a feral cat was payment enough.”
With that he sped out of the parking lot. I stood speechless by now operational car. I didn’t know whether to feel grateful or offended. As I climbed in my car, I decided to be grateful… that I’d never have to see that guy again.
Chapter Thirteen
I had almost forgotten the debacle by the following afternoon, when I showed up at the club to rehearse for my set. Honestly that was my favorite part of the day. The house band took direction well, and none of them bothered to hit on me, almost like they had been strongly advised not to.
I knew it was more than that, though. They were working musicians, like me. This was their job, and they were all pretty serious about it.
Lee was on drums, and he had a knack of playing anything he could get his hands on. He was married with a couple of kids, which meant he, like me, just wanted to collect a check and avoid all the club craziness.
Sammy, the guitarist, was both knowledgeable and versatile, who had no fewer than four different guitars to perform a long list of songs. He was barely twenty-two and single, but music was his focus. He also wasn’t a bad background vocalist, who could harmonize with me when needed.
The band was rounded out by Julie on violin and Derrick on bass. They were a couple themselves, so they were content to leave the chaos from the time we exited the stage. We were all working separately toward a similar goal, but it wasn’t like we were going to hang out or socialize beyond the club.
It was a far cry from the Hollis Five, but we gelled well together.
I could usually tell how well we were performing from the scowl plastered on Jacinda’s face as she watched us from behind the bar. After a while, I began to aim for it. What the hell, right? She was determined to hate everything I did anyway.
I was on my third song when I heard Gay’s voice from the floor. I turned to face her and sucked in a breath when I saw the good Samaritan from the night before standing right next to her… wearing a Southern Nights security T-shirt.
“Lacy, I’d like you to meet our new bouncer, Jonah Riley.”
I glared at him immediately. So this was his game, then. Nice Guy, Phase One: Innocently Infiltrate Your Target’s Environment. “Is that right?”
“After the hullabaloo last night at the stage door, I realized I had to hire reinforcements so that you could get safely from backstage to the exit. I told you that your act would excite the crowd.”
I scoffed. My act had dick to do with that and we both knew it. “I think that had more to do with what I was wearing.”
Gaynell was nonplussed. “Speaking of which, we need to talk about what you are wearing tonight.”
That never bode well. “I can pick my own clothes.”
“Of course you can,” Gaynell said. “If you want to go shopping at the local flea market, that is. I make superstars here. If you want to dress like a bartender, I can put you behind the bar. But if you’re going on the stage, you are going to damn well look like you belong there.”
We stared each other down for a minute before I relented with a sigh.
“Let me see the set,” Gaynell said as she held out her hand.
Shit. I had hoped to avoid her micromanagement for one night at least, but apparently she was still one step ahead of me. I said nothing as I walked to the stand covered in sheet music. They were mostly pre-approved songs… with a surprise thrown in at the end. Gaynell’s leafed through the pages, staring down her nose, ever the bridge of her glasses. “What’s this?” she asked when she got to the last few pages.
I stood a little straighter. “It’s my song. You know, the one I auditioned with.”
Gaynell took the pages out of the stack, handing everything else back. “We talked about this. No new music until you’ve proven yourself and developed a following.”
I glared at her. “So… when? When you have to hire two bouncers to protect me instead of one?”
Gay’s eyes met mine. “You got it.” She turned to the clean-cut cowboy at her side. “Come on, Jonah. Let me introduce you around.”
I stared after the both of them with a deep frown on my face before I turned back to the songbook to find a replacement for the song she took.
It wasn’t the only battle I had to pick with her that day. When Gay returned from dinner that evening, she had a garment bag flung over her arm, which she dropped off at the stage. I unzipped it and withdrew a teeny little skirt I could tell immediately would barely cover the curve of my ass. Clearly that had been her objective.
“Those assholes are going to try and see up my skirt,” I told her with a shake of my head.
“Yep,” Gaynell agreed. “And Jonah will stand as a barrier between. The more appealing we make you, and the less accessible, the better for your brand.”
“My brand? What am I? A set of tires?”
“You are a product, baby girl,” Gaynell said. It was the wrong thing to say. Every word grated like sandpaper across my skin. “The sooner you accept that, the happier you’ll be.”
It hadn’t been the first time I had been told that, to happily toe the line and goosestep my way right into infamy. “Fuck that. I’m not wearing it. Period. It’s not me.”
“It’s not supposed to be,” Gaynell said. “I think you’ll find, the more famous you get, it’s not a bad idea to have a disguise. This,” she said, referring to the stage, “is completely different than your real life. It has to be.”
A deep, male voice intervened. “I won’t let anyone get to you,” the man named Jonah promised as he ambled up to the stage. Gaynell offered him a grateful smile as he made her case for her. “No one will see a thing. I promise.”
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. “No one but you, I guess.”
His eyes narrowed as he looked me over. “I’d have to be interested enough to look, darlin’,” he smirked.
My mouth clamped shut as I glared down at him. This was clearly Phase Two: Fein Disinterest. I was now supposed to work harder to gain his approval, inevitably tasking me to be the one chasing him.
We’d just see how disinterested he was. I grabbed the garment bag headed backstage. Twenty minutes later I reemerged. I finished off the leather skirt with some thigh-high boots and a red tank top. I wore a studded Fedora, which I kept dipped low in front over my eyes, like his cowboy hat from the night before.
His tongue practically lolled right out of his head as he stared at me. I sashayed past him with a smirk of my own. “You might want to roll your tongue back in your mouth, Mr. Disinterested.”
Though I was loath to admit it, her wardrobe choice fit the set the night. I was opening for some British band, so, unlike the rednecks the night before, Southern Nights was filled to capacity with edgier, alternative rock fans.
True to his word, Jonah stood right in front like my own personal pit bull. His wide shoulders were squared as he stood, feet apart, wrists locked, facing outward toward the audience like he was protecting the crown jewels of England.
Sadly, it all appeared to be working. The crowd was even more receptive than they had been. They flocked to the stage to hear the music and watch me sing like I was anybody. And, since I had my own security detail between me and the crowd, it gave me a little more freedom to let myself go, to give more of myself to the performance.
It was a killer set and I was in high spirits as I raced off stage to make room for the next act. My good mood was quickly torpedoed by the lead singer of the headlining act. Reggie Simmons had made quite a name for himself in music, and not just because of the way he could sing. He had swagger and a lot of it. I had watched him during rehearsals as he preyed on the female employees of Southern Nights. He loomed over everyone at 6’4, with tattoos on every exposed inch of his skin up to his neck. His eyes were bright and intense as his mouth curved into a smile whenever a girl got a little too close to his web.
Since he was
waiting for me when I finished, I knew I was the next victim on his list. His eyes met mine as I hurried offstage, trying to brush past him where he stood leaning against the wall. “That was brilliant, love,” he murmured as he trailed me. “Where’ve you been hiding?”
I tried not to roll my eyes. Yet another rock god promising to make all my dreams come true. As if.
I didn’t answer so he curved his large hand around my arm to detain me. “Hey, now. Don’t be shy.”
I glared at him. “I’m not shy. I’m just not interested.”
He shrugged. “Up to you. But you really have something, love,” he said as loomed over me like a vulture waiting for his prey to gasp her last breath. “Go on the road with us and I guarantee it will launch your career.”
It was a line as old as music itself. “I’ve heard that before.”
“Nah,” he said as his fingers stroked my arm. I shuddered and tried to inch away, but he was undeterred. “Come back to my suite tonight. Five star hotel, imported champagne. You’ll see that I’m like no one you’ve ever met.”
“I’ve heard that, too,” I said as I wrenched myself away. I ended up spinning right into the broad chest of Jonah Riley.
“Need some help?” he asked as he glared over my shoulder at Reggie, who didn’t take well to the intrusion.
“No, mate,” he said. He pulled my arm back and tried to wedge himself between us. “We’re good.”
I slipped out of his grip toward Jonah. “I need to change.”
“Nah, baby, you’re fine just the way you are,” Reggie said. His large hand landed on my hip.
“The lady said no, mate,” Jonah told him, though Reggie glanced him over like so much rubbish. “Come on, Lacy,” Jonah said, extricating me from the handsy Brit.
“Thanks,” I said as I followed him to the dressing room. “This is why I don’t want to dress like a slut for my shows. Every guy who watches assumes it’s true.”
“Not every guy,” he said softly. Our eyes met briefly before I had to turn away.
“Gaynell isn’t going to be happy,” I said.
“Why not?”
“You cater to the talent, don’t you know? Big act like that? They get whatever they want.”
Jonah chuckled. “Well, call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think of women as party favors. You get to decide for yourself if he’s worth your time.” Our eyes met again. “And he wasn’t.”
I had to snicker as well. “Right?”
We reached the dressing room and he turned to me. “I’ll wait out here.”
I quickly escaped to transform back into the Lacy I knew, the girl who wore jeans and T-shirts, who didn’t bother with makeup or fussed with her hair, preferring to keep it all tucked under a knit cap so I could draw as little attention to me as possible when not on the stage.
I completed the look with a pair of sunglasses. He glanced me over before he said, “Excuse me, miss? Can you tell me what happened to the slutty rock goddess?”
I laughed. “She’s hanging in a closet like she should be.”
He led me away from the backstage area where Reggie had turned his attention to other targets. The room was filled with pre-selected groupies, who lapped up any extra attention they could get. I could hear Reggie chat them up as we passed by. “Ever done it in a limo, love?” The girls would giggle and shake their heads. “Would you like to?”
I nudged Jonah to keep him moving. The original plan called for us to wait until the next act started, but I wanted to get as far away from Reggie and his posse as possible. Jonah ended up tucking me under his arm and led me right out the side door.
We walked right through the crowd of about a half-dozen drunks waiting for one more peek at the sex kitten in the leather skirt without one incident.
They didn’t give one rat’s ass about the Emo girl in the knit cap, sunglasses and ripped jeans.
Jonah and I were able to walk unnoticed all the way to my car in the corner of the parking lot. I tossed my backpack in the back seat. “I guess Gaynell really does know what she’s doing.”
He shrugged as he glanced back at the large musical empire she had created within the 15,000-square foot club. “She’d have to.”
“Well, thank you anyway. Without your intervention, I would have taken a sip of ‘imported champagne’ and likely woken up in England.” I hopped into my car and he shut the door behind me.
“My pleasure.” Our eyes met when he knelt down to my open window, which had been broken for about two months.
That was the next thing on the agenda to fix.
His voice was soft. “Maybe we could go out for lunch or something some time.”
I sighed. It had been so nice up until that comment. “I don’t do lunch.”
“Coffee?”
“I don’t do coffee.”
Those bright eyes studied me. “That’s unfortunate. Any reason why?”
God, he was such a man. As if my saying no wasn’t reason enough. Phase Three was clearly persistence. I gave him a direct look. “Yes.”
The comment hung, unjustified, in the air for a moment. “Fair enough,” he finally said as he straightened.
I sighed. He really did seem like a nice enough guy. He was willing to give up so easily, just because I said so. That was unexpected. And welcomed. “It’s nothing personal,” I offered, though I kept telling myself I owed him no explanation at all. “My life is just really... complicated.”
He nodded as if he understood. “I guess I’ll see you next Friday, then.”
“It’s a date,” I said softly. It was all I could offer.
I revved the engine and headed home.
Chapter Fourteen
It took me by surprise how many times I thought about Jonah during that week. I couldn’t quite figure him out. He wasn’t like the rest of the opportunists that had filled my life since I was twelve. After that first night when he manhandled me, I thought for sure that he was the kind of guy who was ready to force his will over mine, thinking he knew better than I did how to protect and take care of myself. Take care of the little woman and all that jazz.
But the second night he was willing to simply back me up when I needed, and step away when I asked.
I wasn’t used to guys like that.
He really was from the country.
He didn’t show up on Thursday, like I thought. Briefly I wondered if Gay had canned him because he had intercepted me from Reggie. I knew better than to ask, though. I didn’t want anyone to take my simple curiosity as interest.
Sure, I couldn’t stop thinking about him, but it was more because he was an anomaly. It was kind of like finding a new exhibit at the zoo.
Another security guard escorted me to my car that night, following all of Gaynell’s protocol – which included not talking to the talent.
It should have made me happy, but it only made me think of Jonah again. I tried to shrug it away as I crawled into bed that night, but I ended up tossing and turning anyway.
I was a little jumpier as I headed to Southern Nights on Friday, when I suspected I’d see this unusual man again.
Rehearsal dragged on throughout the afternoon. I jumped every time the door of the club opened. What the hell was wrong with me? I’ve never been one to gush over a good-looking cowboy, and I saw no reason whatsoever to change that now.
But that night, when he walked up to the stage, I felt my heart skip a beat anyway.
This made Jonah Riley the most dangerous man in the club… and he was the very one tasked to protect me.
It made me edgier than usual. When Gay tried to get me into a corset, I was ready to put my foot down. Like I needed to give anyone the wrong idea about who I was and what I had to offer.
“I’m not some prostitute!”
“Lacy Abernathy can be whomever she wants,” Gay said. “But Blaze knows how to pack a house.”
She handed me the program for the evening. My mouth dropped open as I looked down at the paper. I had no idea how far
Gay was willing to go to change me until I saw the artist rendering of my new alter ego, sporting that damnable miniskirt she had gotten me into the week before. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Gay’s expression darkened. “No, I am not fucking kidding you. When you signed the contract to work here, you gave me creative control to help your career in whatever way I thought best. This isn’t my first rodeo, honey. I know what I’m doing. And if you had any idea what you were doing, you wouldn’t need to sing for me.”
Anger steeled my spine but there was little I could say. We both knew that I needed this job. As much as I hated to admit it, money was reason enough to sign myself over to her. I knew everything else was all part of the punishment for what I had done to her precious Tony Paul.
It didn’t help that everything she was doing actually worked.
Gaynell held up the garment bag. “Welcome to Southern Nights, Blaze.”
I snatched it and stalked to the dressing room, which I paced for ten minutes straight trying to figure out what I could do to wrestle back some of my power. My first choice was throwing this new outfit, and my contract, in her face, both torn to shreds. Sure, she could sue me but I had no money or assets to seize. It was still impossible to get blood from a turnip.
Mama and I could get out of this dead-end town once and for all. I just needed to admit that Mama was right about my dead-end dreams.
Worse, I’d have to admit Gay had finally won. And it was that thought alone that prompted me to change into an outfit for the show. I wore her damned corset… over a T-shirt.
She wanted me to meet her halfway? I’d fucking meet her halfway. I stayed hidden until I heard her announce over the speakers, “For the first time anywhere, Southern Nights is proud to introduce our very own Blaze!”
I sent a special signal to the band as I headed onstage, so they launched into an alternative set that I had created after the debacle the week before. If Gay wanted a badass, I’d give her one.
On my terms.
Southern Rocker Chick Page 19
