by K E Osborn
The crowd erupts into a frenzy, finally seeing the girls as they make their way to the front of the stage with their lighting cues.
“Shut up and do your job,” I reply while I take a deep centering breath and look to the control panel to get to work myself.
“Hey, Colorado. How you all doing tonight?” Effa asks.
Alana spins a Jungle on the DJ set effortlessly. She’s so talented as it takes loads of skill to get the sound perfect. It’s basically a rearrangement of two copies of the same music to form something new and different.
The crowd erupts into a flurry of excitement, cheering and stomping, and while it isn’t the same deafening noise when they play to a packed out stadium, it’s still loud enough. Smiling as they scream for the girls, I can’t help but feel proud to be a part of this. Proud of them.
“I think you might have heard of us? We’re a little band called Luminous, and we’re here to rock your fucking socks off tonight. So hold on to your seats, ‘cause we’re about to blow this joint,” Effa cheers as Alana leads into their first song Falling.
The lights dim, and Kristy starts with the heavy percussion at the same time as Andi and Casey come in with their guitars. The music lighting up the amphitheater with a massive electric rock beat—one that Luminous has perfected so well. The vibration of the loud music beats through me as I continue to work, glancing up occasionally to watch Effa sway and move to the beat of the introduction of the song. The way her body glides with the notes is effortless, and I wish I were up there with her, wrapping my body against hers. Her hair flowing so perfectly over her shoulders as she picks up her guitar and hoists it over her, makes her only look sexier.
I need to fuck her and make her mine.
Effa starts to strum along to the song, the added electric guitar only making the essence of the song more intoxicating. She steps up to the microphone, and I take a breath, holding it, waiting for her husky, sensual voice to belt out the first verse. She opens her mouth letting the words caress the nighttime air, and they hit me like a ton of bricks. It shocks me just how stunningly beautiful her voice really is. It washes over me, caressing my body and wrapping me up in her silky smooth mezzo-soprano tone. Moving from the low to high notes with ease, it’s almost operatic vibe suiting her.
Effa’s stunning, and as the music encompasses me, I find myself stopping and just watching her in her glory. Her body moving, flowing, and dancing in an ease that comes naturally to her. My endorphins kick in, and I stand in awe taking it all in. Watching her from the rafters is different, it’s dark, and I can’t see properly, but this, gaining a view from behind the performance is pretty fucking epic.
The lighting is working wonders for their performance, illuminating her in just the right way to highlight her legs through her summer dress, making her look all the more tempting. She heads into the bridge of the song, the percussion deepening, the bass becoming louder and thumping harder with every beat, my heart along with it. She really is a storm, and I’m fast becoming swept up in her wake.
“Mercs… Mercs, fuck! I know you have a raging boner right now, but fuck, bro, we have a job to do,” Tank jabs, working double time on the lighting while I just stand here staring.
I turn seeing him working frantically, and it’s enough to bring me back. “Shit, sorry man.” I rush forward and make quick work of the task at hand.
The song continues, and I have to control myself not to listen or look. Tempting as she is, my job needs to take precedence right now. Tank was right, I do have a raging boner. I didn’t even realize I was getting hard watching her. Fucking hell. I’m going to have to control that shit.
Attempting to take in the music for my lighting cues and nothing else, I focus on the task at hand and get on with my job—this is what I’m here for, this is what I’m paid to do. I need to keep focused when I’m working. Otherwise, if I fuck up the lighting, I might not have to worry about them losing me, I might need to be more worried about them firing me.
I must focus only on the job at hand and not fucking the gorgeous angel on stage.
I’m on a high.
The crowd has all but dispersed, and the music has dulled to a slow, barely noticeable wind down instrumental, while I finish packing up the gear with the crew. The girls are off with Luke in the Red Rocks Music Hall of Fame, doing a small meet and greet with some VIP’s and ticket winners.
The concert was a huge success, and the crowd loved them. It’s hard not to, they exude confidence, they have a stage presence that captures your attention, and they draw you in. Luminous is the only name they could have, it suits the band perfectly.
My skin is still prickling from the electro-charge of the concert, feeling the energy from the stage, teamed with the ambiance of the outside atmosphere, this is something I will never forget. Tonight was a first for me. I’ve never seen a concert done in the middle of a mountain range, but I’m so fucking glad I experienced it.
We’re almost packed up, and I have no idea what the plan for tonight is. We’re a little under half an hour away from Denver and the hotel, so I’m not sure if we will go back there as we have our flight first thing, or if there’s some sort of after party. Who knows? I’m sure someone will tell me what the plan is. I’m new to the way they do things around here.
Suddenly, a round of whistling and cheering echoes through the back of the amphitheater and I turn to see the girls, and Luke, walking through with big smiles. Effa looks stunning, her hair not as perfect as before the show being now slightly tainted by a thin layer of sweat at her hairline, but still, she looks incredible.
“Whoa, you girls were on fire out there tonight. This Colorado air agrees with you,” Jay calls out, his hand racing out and slapping Kristy’s ass, a resounding whack filters through the air as she grins at him.
“Why thank you, Jay. You’re looking mighty hot yourself,” Kristy coo’s leaning in close like she’s about to kiss him. He closes his eyes and puckers up and just as they are about to kiss she laughs breaking off and leaves him hanging. We all laugh as he falls forward but catches himself.
“Soon, Kristy… soon my love,” he calls out as she walks off turning back to him and putting her two hands up to form a heart shape. We all smile as he sighs like he’s madly in love, and blows her a kiss. She catches it with a smile then turns around and keeps walking with the rest of the girls.
“He’s going to end up being one of those guys that appears mysteriously naked in your bed one day when you walk in,” Casey speculates as Tank nods emphatically.
“I wouldn’t give him that idea, ‘cause yeah… he would,” Tank replies.
Effa walks up to me, and everyone else disperses.
“Hey…” I reach out for her hands, taking them in mine.
She smiles wide as warmth spreads through my hands moving up my arms and into my chest. “Hey, you. Thanks for the superb lighting tonight. It was stunning, absolutely perfect.”
“Thanks. I had great music to time it to.”
She giggles. “Smooth talker. Now come with me, I need to wind down.”
Effa grabs my hand and begins to walk off, dragging me with her. We head off behind the stage toward a giant rock formation.
“Effa, I’m all for hanging out, but I’m needed to help the guys finish packing up,” I admit, then mentally kick myself instantly for saying it.
“Mercs, I love that you’re dedicated to your work, but Tank can handle one night. Surely? I mean you were practically done, right?”
“Yeah, true, he knows what he’s doing.”
She jumps up on her toes and smiles wide. “Great, ‘cause it’s late, the stars are shining, there’s not a cloud in the sky and I want to climb some rocks.”
I look her up and down, taking in the flowing long summer dress she’s wearing. “Umm… in that?”
Effa giggles. “That’s why I need you… and your amazing company, of course.”
“Of course…” I chuckle, and she leads me over to a giant formation of rocks. I glanc
e up at it and take in a deep breath.
She grins wide. “Yes, this will be perfect.” She walks to the side and feels up the edge of the rock. “Okay, so I’m thinking you go first.”
The rock has got to be three or four times taller than me. I’ve never rock climbed in my life and to be quite honest I never thought I would. Especially, not without safety gear—in the damn dark. I turn to Effa. “I’m not sure this is such a great idea—”
“Why? You chicken?” she asks poking me in the ribs.
Fuck!
Chapter Twelve
EFFA
I knew the rock formations behind the amphitheater were huge, it’s called Stage Rock, and I knew it would be the perfect place to carry out my plan, I just had to get Mercs on board. But I had no idea he’d be such a pussy about it.
I giggle to myself looking at his horrified expression as he gazes up at the formation trying to figure out how to climb it. “Oh c’mon… it can’t be that hard, can it?”
Mercs looks at me and raises his brow. “Effa, you’re pretty important. I don’t want you hurt by falling—”
“Then I’ll go first, and you can catch me if I slip,” I clarify while sliding past him, hoisting my dress up my hips. A little rock climbing doesn’t scare me. Plus, I have ballet flats on, so I should be able to climb the rocks easily.
“Effa,” he warns in that gruff voice of his, but I reach up grabbing the first rock I can see so I can use it to lever myself, then shove my foot into a gap. “Shit!” Mercs murmurs under his breath.
“You’re so tense, Mercs. Live a little,” I tease looking down at him, as I hoist myself up and onto the rock completely, holding on tight to the red rock face. It feels cold and gravelly against my skin, but I know I can do this. Mercs’ hands come up around me as I start the climb.
Moving my foot into another gap, I climb easily. It’s a workout, but it’s relatively easy for my tiny frame to maneuver the rock face. I’m close to the top, and I look down to see Mercs watching me with his hands up ready to catch me if I fall. “See, not so hard. Right?” I climb the last part and hoist myself over the ledge with an “oomph.”
He chuckles while shaking his head. “Would it be bad to say that kinda turned me on?” he calls out.
I burst out laughing. “No. You were just staring at my ass, so that’s a compliment. Now get your butt up here, chicken boy.”
He cracks his neck to the side. From what I’ve seen, Mercs is generally a tough guy in most situations but seeing him wary of climbing a rock is kind of cute.
“I’m coming,” he calls out, reaching up and grabbing hold of the rock face. I watch his hand placements as I lean down over the edge so I can help if I need to. He lifts himself up, his muscles flex, his biceps bulge, and I smirk while watching his arms and how amazing they look right now. He’s so strong, and I hadn’t realized how fit he is until right now.
He continues climbing, and I smile at how well he’s doing. His eyes focused on the job at hand. His feet finding the right divots and his hands gripping on the right rock juts. For someone who’s never climbed before, he’s fast doing a great job.
“You’re doing well. Watching your arms flex like that is a massive turn on, Mercs,” I cheer to encourage him, but all it does is distract him, and his foot slips on the rock making him drop a little. I gasp, but he quickly regains his footing. My heart races in my chest as he places his foot back in a stable position and keeps a level head.
“It’s all good,” he affirms looking up at me with a smile.
I take a deep breath as he climbs the rest of the way up the rock and slides over the edge with ease. I wrap myself in him, smothering him in an embrace as he lays on his back, and I rest my head on his chest.
He chuckles and holds me to him as we both lay in silence holding each other. Mercs smooths my hair back and brings my face up to plant a soft kiss on my lips. “That was a little crazy,” he murmurs against my lips.
“Yeah. Thinking about it now, maybe it was.”
He looks past me up to the sky and exhales. “But this view is worth it,” he marvels.
I turn around, looking up at the clear night sky to see a galaxy of glistening stars and smile. “Yes. This is why I wanted to come up here… for the view. I knew it would be amazing. I wanted to feel close to the heavens… with you,” I admit sitting up next to him.
He slowly sits up, wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me to him gazing up at the stars. “It’s beautiful, Effa. Worth the headache of getting up here. Being this close to you is a paradise all of its own.”
“Why Mercs, that was pretty sweet. Have I turned you all soft?”
He snorts. “No. Beer, boobs, football, grunts, belches and shit,” he mocks making me burst out laughing.
“You’re all class with a sexy ass,” I chuckle, and this time he laughs.
He looks back up to the stars. “I think that star right there, that really bright one next to the moon...” He points to it, and I nod looking at the giant light in the sky. “I think that should be our star. It shines as brightly as you, and so no matter where either of us are in the world, whatever we’re doing, we can look at it and think of this night and know we’re both connected. Even if we are a world apart.”
My smile falls, and I look at him and sigh. My heart jumps into my throat, knowing precisely what he’s talking about. Even if we become a thing while we’re on tour, when it ends, what then? We might only have this time together, so I better enjoy it while I can. Whatever this is. I wrap my arm around his knee and hold onto him, we’re locked together as we both stare up at the stars not saying a word.
His lips gently caress my temple, and I lean into his kiss. This is a nice moment, and I want to live in this time we have a little longer before reality kicks my ass and we have to go back to the real world and fall from this heaven on earth.
We’re all in the stretch pink Hummer on our way back into Denver. Mercs is riding with us, along with Tank and some of the other crew—there’s about twenty of us altogether. The back is packed, but it sure is making for a fun ride. As I smoke on my usual after show joint, Mercs is watching me with drawn eyebrows, as he sits next to me in a shroud of smoke.
He leans into my side as I puff on the last of my joint. “Do you do that after every show?”
I blow the delicious smoke away from him and turn back with a nod. “It helps me relax and unwind. Plus, I kind of grew up on the stuff.”
He nods and leans away from me with a slightly agitated appearance, a stark contradiction from the looks he was giving me on top of the giant rock. Furrowing my brows, I stub the joint out in the ashtray and take a sip of my Mike’s Hard Strawberry Lemonade alcopop, the tangy lemon mixed with the sweet berry hitting my tongue giving a refreshing burst to my pallet.
I feel like maybe the weed use is a bit much for Mercs, and if he doesn’t like it then perhaps I could tone it down. I don’t need it, I’m just used to doing it. It’s more habitual than an addiction for me.
I turn to him and smile. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s been a long day.”
I rest my free hand on his knee and give it a little squeeze. “Stay in my room tonight?” I whisper to him under the noise of everyone else chatting in the Hummer.
He rests his hand on mine with a polite nod. I loop my fingers with his.
The car pulls up into the underground hotel parking garage, and I sigh knowing I’ll be able to talk to Mercs when we get to my suite.
Raoul pulls open the back door, and everyone starts to file out one by one, and I let go of Mercs as he slides out of the car. I follow, and we walk through the back entrance and into the lobby.
My stomach is fluttering with butterflies. I’m not quite sure if it’s from a bad set of herbs, or if my energy with Mercs is just vibing wrongly, but something feels off as we all file toward the elevators in a rowdy ruckus of noise and laughter. Mercs and I are the only two quiet ones of the bunch. I press the elevator call butt
on and patiently wait while Mercs stands beside me holding my hand.
“Fuck! You two look serious, you guys have a barney or something?” Casey asks as she hangs off one of our groupies.
Mercs furrows his brows. “Barney? Like the dinosaur?” he asks with a smirk.
“No, it’s Aussie slang for argument. And no, we’re good… right?” I ask.
“Yeah, Effa and I are good. No problems or purple dinosaurs to worry about here,” he jests making everyone laugh.
Luke and Andi both eye us with concerned looks.
“Good, let’s keep it that way. If Effa’s screwing shit up let me know and I’ll straighten her out,” Luke chides.
I bring my hands to my hips in response. “Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side, Luke.”
“I’m on the side of the band, Effa. And you screwing around with the best lighting technician we’ve ever had… is concerning me,” Luke cuts out honestly.
Mercs clears his throat. “Luke, what Effa and I choose to do is our private business.”
Luke’s brows furrow, like he’s not sure what to answer with.
So I decide to break the tension. “You have nothing to worry about, Luke,” I defend.
The elevator doors open and I step in pulling Mercs’ hand and dragging him with me. No one follows, they’re all too busy talking and having fun, so we head off on our own. The doors close, and I look at him.
“That wasn’t awkward at fucking all,” Mercs mumbles under his breath.
“Yeah I agree, Luke was out of line. I’m sorry about him, but you have to realize he’s only trying to do what’s right for the band and us girls.”
“I get that. Let’s go to your room, I want to talk to you about something.”
We walk down the hall to my suite. My shoulders tight with tension, so tight they ache and are in need of a good massage especially after tonight’s performance. My stomach is churning wondering what Mercs wants to talk to me about.
The crew must have caught the next elevator and their noise is echoing down the hall as they step out and approach, but I don’t want to be held up by them, so I quickly pull the room card out and swipe to open the door.
