“How do you always get them to spend over one hundred dollars? That lady came in looking for one thing, and you sent her out of here with twelve different items, including fancy gift bags.” Indie shook her head.
“It’s a gift.” I shrugged and went back to sorting the new voodoo dolls we all made the night before.
* * *
That night I headed to Bourbon Street with my three best friends and roommates. We were the Voodoo Doll Sisters, a hot and popular indie rock band. At least one night a week we played in various clubs around the French Quarter in New Orleans, or NOLA as the locals called it. Our gig that night was at Bourbon on the Rocks, one of the most popular clubs in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Kat, the oldest of our quartet at only twenty-five, smacked her gum while she drove the van to the club. “Ladies, I know we’re headed to a major recording deal if we can just get in front of the right people!” She spent most of her spare time researching the agents and where they liked to hang out on Bourbon Street.
“I found a booking for a group of recording executives from a large New York agency. They’ll be here in just a couple of months for a conference. If we can get our band booked to play even one gig in front of them, they’ll be begging us to sign on the dotted line.” She slapped the steering wheel.
Indie asked, “How’d you find out?” She blew a bubble while twirling the long pink strands of hair mixed in with her natural blonde locks that went down to the middle of her back.
“Hmph, while you girls were flirting with the bouncers at the last few clubs we played, I was schmoozing all of the booking agents. In the process, I was able to get our band booked into a few of the hottest clubs in town, Bourbon on the Rocks, being one of them.” She eyed Indie over her shoulder before looking back at the road.
I was in the front passenger seat and laughed. “You mean you made out with all the booking agents in town!” I put my hand up for Indie, who gave me a high five.
Kat sat up straight. “Not all women have to use sex to get what they want. I happen to be extremely good at needling men until they give me what I want.” She pursed her lips and kept her eyes on the road. Kat was beautiful. She was 5’ 7” with long brunette hair. We all died strands of our hair different colors, hers was electric blue. Which helped her blue eyes to stand out even more.
“Oh come on, Kat. Don’t be mad. Jenna was just teasing you. We all know you’re the best at negotiations, which is why you’re the band’s manager.” Sam replied. She was the fourth member of the band. At twenty-one, she was also the youngest.
“Exactly! Kit Kat, I know you would never do anything like that just to get us gigs. We’re all too talented to sell ourselves for bookings.” I twisted in my seat so I could reach over and pat Kat’s shoulder.
Kat shook herself and said, “Alright Dolls, this is it! If we kill it tonight, we’ve got it! I think we should do that new song.”
“Not tonight, Kat. It isn’t ready. I don’t want to play that one until we have it perfected.” Sam exclaimed.
“Sam, you know that song better than any of us! Are you saying that we aren’t ready for it?” I turned around, tilted my head, and looked at my younger band mate.
Sam’s eyes opened wide and she shook her hands in front of her. “Uh, ah… NO! I would never say that. You guys are all so much better than I am. It’s just that, I don’t feel comfortable with the song yet. You know I need more time for new music, to feel it and learn it intimately. I can’t just pick up an instrument and play something like Indie does.” She pursed her lips and looked at her hands in her lap.
“Oh no you don’t! You’re practically a one-woman-show Sam. You can play any instrument you touch. None of us can do that. And if you weren’t so shy, you’d probably be the lead singer. Right girls?” Indie put her arm around her best friend and adopted sister.
“I would be more than happy to play guitar and be back-up vocals, Sam. You just say the word, and you can front the band.” I was the lead singer of the band and on occasion played the guitar.
“And have all those guys staring at me? No way! I’ll stick with my bass and being ignored. All of the guys want the lead singer or the chicks who play drums.” Sam shook her head. We all knew she was wrong, but we decided to let her live in her bubble.
“I say we do it. Sam you’ve already perfected the song. What more do you need? Come on, it’s totally awesome and those record guys will love it!” I poked Sam in the arm and smiled at her before turning back around to look out the front window.
Sam couldn’t resist smiling back. “Alright, Jenna. But I warn you. I don’t feel like I really have it yet.”
Kat activated the left turn signal to pull down the back alley of the club. “Sam, you have this. You’re the only one who can play the song on all instruments. I’ve heard you sing the entire thing by yourself, and I was moved to dance. Girl, you got chops. Don’t ever let yourself think you don’t.”
We all hopped out of our dusty blue 1969 Ford conversion van as soon as Kat stopped it behind the club. “Man, this old rust bucket sure has seen us through a lot.” Indie ran her hand along the dented rear fender. “I remember this dent. Kat, you were teaching me to drive back when I was only fifteen.” Indie smiled and patted the van.
“What’s with the reminiscing, Indie? That was ages ago. Come on, we have to unload this bucket of bolts and get set up before we go on in,” Kat looked at her wristwatch. “Thirty minutes! Let’s get a move on girls. Fame and fortune wait for no one.”
“Except the Voodoo Dolls!” We all chimed in together. It was our mantra. One day, we would have both fame and fortune.
I peeked through the red velour curtain that hid us while we set up our equipment on stage. My eyebrows rose and my mouth formed an “O”.
“What? Who’s out there?” Kat asked.
“The place is packed, wall to wall muscle! It’s full of men with arms the size of my thighs!” I pointed to my purple fishnet stockings that matched the color of my hair. “Looks like a convention of body builders. It’s standing room only out there.” I pointed to what lay beyond the curtain separating us from the testosterone filled room.
“Kat, where are all of the women? The only females I see are the waitresses,” I asked when I opened the curtain just enough to peek one eyeball through the only thing protecting us from all of those men.
Kat walked over to the curtain and peered out. “Don’t worry. It’s a party of some sort tonight. A closed party in fact. The owner assured me there would be recording guys here tonight too. Just relax and enjoy all of the hot guys checking you out.” Kat nudged me to take my place.
It was odd playing in one of my favorite clubs. This was our second time performing here and it was just as nerve-racking as the first time.
After taking her place stage left, Kat tuned her electric guitar. I stopped before taking my position center stage. Indie, the group’s free spirit, walked up to the front of the stage. She opened the curtain and stepped out.
“Hiya!” Indie winked at a table of men who were ogling her. She blew them a kiss then turned around and strutted to her drums.
The men whistled and pounded the tables as they downed their shot glasses of amber liquid.
“That’s how it’s done, sister. Now get your butt out there and get things started.” Indie smacked my backside, then I yelped and jumped.
I took my spot in the front and nodded to the stage hand who started to open the curtains. Then Indie counted “One, two, three, slamming her sticks together before launching into our first song of the night.
End of Sneak Peek
Magic’s Not Real is available on Amazon
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
> Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
New Orleans Magic: Urban Fantasy Series (The Voodoo Dolls Book 1) Page 14
