I could almost hug Razer. He'd actually done it, gotten a crowd in here, just on his word that that night was pumping.
I looked around for him.
I got a glimpse of him in the middle of the room with a bunch of people. They were all doubled over, laughing. Then more people turned up at the door and I lost sight of him.
A while later, I saw him again with two guys at the bar. One of them slapped him on the back while the other nodded. Who even knew what that was about? Then a couple of girls came over to join them. One of the guys handed Razer a beer.
Then a girl came over and dragged him away. He shook his head at the first group as though to apologise. He really did have a charisma that got people flocking to him, an air that said he was a star, yet still one of them. Alex, on the other hand, always had an aloofness about him. He had fans, not friends.
Another rush of people came through the door and I lost sight of him again. One of them fumbled through his wallet, then his pockets, trying to find his cash. I smiled and told him it was okay, even though inside I shouted at him to just hurry the fuck up so I could get back to watching the band. Because it was the band I wanted to watch.
The second last band had come on stage and the room was buzzing, that kind of energy you only get once you reach a critical mass of people. That magical feeling when the crowd and the band become one. That was perfect.
Razer had turned this around from a disaster to a top night.
I had to stay on the door until the last band and Sally hadn't come to relieve me. The bar was way too busy, that's why. I picked up my beer glass. It was truly empty. Not even slops in the bottom for me. Any other time, I'd have that guy hanging around wanting to get me drinks but, when I really needed one, he was too busy with other people.
Even though I understood that, if he'd called people to come down here, he needed to talk to them. I got another glimpse of him, standing at the back of the room, arms folded as he leaned against a pole. He had some short guy with him. I knew that guy, he had a show on a local radio station, but I could never remember his name. God, when Razer folded his arms like that, the muscles bulged. Buff guys weren't usually my type but there was something mesmerizing about watching his tats move as the muscles rippled.
As I watched him, memories of that night in the rain came back to me. How he'd carried me back to my apartment, then later. If Chuck hadn't called, what would've happened? Was it possible to have something like that happen without it messing up the rest of your life?
Finally, Razer came back over and sat himself on the edge of the table. I didn't even yell at him for it since I was so grateful. His eyes twinkled as he smiled at me and I smiled back. God, that hint of dimple did things to me.
"I got you a drink," he said. "Well, truthfully, I told Sally I was getting drinks for both of us."
"Thanks," I said, taking the beer from him.
For a moment, our hands touched and a shiver went through me. I didn't even want to examine that. It was just gratitude.
"Lots of rumours going around about this place. People heard the place is going under. You'd think the club had been boarded up and emptied out the way people have been talking. Weird stuff, Violet. Does Chuck have any enemies? Because it sure looks that way."
I had no idea of anyone in particular but I bet he had a ton of enemies. Chuck was the kind of guy that attracted enemies like honey attracts flies. I mean, if you are a total jerk, that's what happens.
I looked up at Razer, brushing my hair out of my eyes.
"Thanks for tonight," I said. "You really helped out a lot."
"Aw, it was nothing, Vi. I couldn't have you sitting here looking all depressed. If I can help, you know I will."
My gaze got caught in his and a warmth flooded my body. I didn't want to break that moment. It was like we connected and, for once, I didn't feel like it was a bad thing. He'd been so great lately that I'd begun to see him as not just another self-centred rocker but as a friend. Maybe, at times, more than a friend.
I was about to reach out for him when some guy in a Grateful Dead t-shirt came over a slapped him on the back, handing him a beer.
All those emotions seemed to dissipate into the crowd, out of my grasp. What had happened there?
Chapter 16 RAZER
I hadn't helped Violet out to score points with her. I'd have done it for anyone. There was weird shit going on at the club and I loved that place. I didn't want it to go under, that's for sure.
I hadn't done much anyway, just called a few friends.
Still, if Violet felt more warmly toward me because of it, I didn't mind.
The way she’d looked at me at the end of the night, I could've pushed things further. It wouldn't have taken much but I'd have never known if she was just being nice out of gratitude and relief or if she wanted it. That wasn't how I wanted to play this. You take advantage of a woman when she's in emotional distress and you aren't much of a man, in my book.
I walked into rehearsal feeling on top of the world. I didn't need a stupid competition to win her over and she only seemed to get annoyed when anyone mentioned it anyway. She would be mine. If fate and higher powers existed, they'd make that woman realise that we were meant to be together. Still, one good night wouldn't save the place. I had to think of better ways to help Violet.
"Are we rehearsing or are you lost in a daydream?" Bill asked when I got to the studio.
He wasn't kidding. I had to get my eyes on the prize. The prize that was making sure our performance was as solid as it could be. Competition or not, we needed to be the best band around. I couldn't let Alex steal everything from me.
"How are things going with Alex?" I asked Dazza. I wouldn't pump him for information but, if he offered it, I would listen.
"He's a slave driver. We rehearse for hours. Then he makes me practice on my own for hours. But they have much better food at their rehearsal studio than we do."
That wouldn't be hard, since we had no food at all.
I plugged in my guitar and checked that the guys were ready. We'd been working our guts out on the new song. It had to be perfect when I played it for Violet. It had to break down the walls she'd built around her heart and that was a big ask for a little song, but I believed I could do it.
By the end of rehearsal, my head was filled with dreams of playing that song and having Violet fall into my arms. In those dreams, my guitar conveniently disappeared the moment she decided to fall so that I didn't have to deal with it. She’d cling to me, breathless with wonder at the depth of my love for her. In that moment, she threw away all her stupid rules and realised just how right we were for each other.
Without even thinking, I headed to the guitar shop. On the way, I bumped into Alex.
I grimaced at him. I didn't want to actually greet him because I couldn't stand the guy but I couldn't just ignore him either. A grimace was enough of an acknowledgement. To be honest, I almost didn't recognise him, since he was done up in a fancy suit and tie. Not the rocker image he usually kept up around the club, that's for sure.
He gave me a half-smile in return. I wasn't going to stop but he kinda waylaid me.
"Just give up now," he said. "You don't want to humiliate yourself. There's nothing you can give Violet. You have no job, no future. Within a few years, you'll be a washed up rocker with just dreams of past glory."
I snorted.
"You give up, mate. I've not seen her all that interested in you either. I'll have a future. A future you can only dream about. And that future will be painted violet."
He rolled his eyes and started to walk off. I grabbed his arm before he could go.
"I have no idea where you came from and what's going on with you but I'd bet my last dollar there's some nasty stuff in your past. If you think I'll let that shit anywhere near Vi, you are a bigger fool than you look. I mean it. She's a sweet girl under that rock hard surface and if you let your black heart hurt her, I'll take you down so fast, you'll think you ran into a bulldozer."
&nb
sp; He tried to laugh it off but I'd seen that flicker of fear in his eyes before he could readjust his expression. I'd been spot on about that nasty stuff, that's for sure. And he definitely didn't want Violet knowing about it. I'd tried to tell her a few times that Alex had some crap in his past. He'd been riding high on his success with his old band, and you don't just ditch that and move to a new town to start over without a good reason.
As he walked off, I yelled after him, “And that Les Paul too. She’s my baby and, as far as I’m concerned, you are just babysitting her until I get her out of your hands.”
Chapter 17 VIOLET
"So, have you thought any more about this competition," Chuck asked. "You're going to agree in the end so you might as well stop beating around the bush. You've made your 'feminist' stand and all that."
Maybe, if I brained Chuck with a rock, all my problems would be over. I wondered what would happen to the club then. Would it be obvious if I started asking him about his will and who his beneficiaries were?
Things had been getting ridiculous with those two guys. At least they’d stopped bringing me stupid gifts. I didn't have time to worry about stuff like flowers. And then the chocolates. I don't like taking gifts from people. It forces some kind of obligation onto you. And I really hate obligation. I liked being free to do my own thing in my own way. And my own thing was often napping. If someone found a way to gift naps, I'd be all over that.
He looked at the sofa as though he wanted to sit down. I hoped he did. I hoped he sat right in the hole and got a stick up his butt. That'd teach him to hover around my office.
"The competition is stupid." I didn't really want to go into all my arguments against it again. If he'd not understood the first fifty times, he sure as hell wouldn't understand if I told him again.
"Violet, I don't think you appreciate the dire circumstances we are in."
"I don't think you appreciate how I've been working my guts out to get us out of those dire circumstances. And, to be frank, Chuck, I think you could do a bit more yourself. I'm not your clean up crew. You're still driving that fancy car. Even if it is leased, it's still a financial drain. You can get a decent pushbike cheap."
"Have you done the rosters for this week?"
Typical Chuck, changing the subject when it looked bad for him. I nodded and handed them to him.
"And you've sent them out to the press?"
I nodded again. Of course I had. This was my job. I did it every week. Why was he suddenly here interfering? Why did he keep fidgeting? He made me uneasy. He was stalling for time and that meant he had unpleasant business. I owed Chuck and that debt went deep but he was the one who'd been so adamant about me not dating rockers when I took this job.
"Good."
I looked at him, waiting for him to leave. I had work to do.
He walked toward the door and then paused.
"The way things are going, I'm going to have to get rid of some staff. If we don't have a big money spinner like the competition, I think Carlie will be the first to be let go."
Huh? Was that a threat? That shit pig, how dare he stoop so low? If I had a bolt-cutter, I'd cut his nuts off.
Chuck had a hard edge to his mouth, as though daring me to protest.
"That's blackmail."
"It's business. Sure, things are going okay now but it's not nearly enough. Increase profits or cut costs. That's the way of business."
"Why Carlie? She works harder than anyone."
"And I pay her more than anyone. Think about it, Violet. I'm not saying you have to do this but, if you want to save the club, it might be the best way."
The nausea rose in my stomach. Chuck was willing to throw anyone against the wall to get his own way, that was for sure. If he got rid of Carlie, he'd be cutting his own throat though. Surely he should've been able to see that. I was half-tempted to call him on it. If I stubbornly stuck to my guns, he'd back down. Maybe.
Then I thought of Carlie. She sure as hell couldn't afford to lose her job just for me to prove my point. And it'd be awful working here without her. She was like a sister to me. More than a sister. She was the one I went to with my problems. She'd always been there for me. Always willing to lend me a tenner to get through to pay day and share clothes and listen to my whinges about Chuck.
"Do you really think the competition will be enough to save the club?"
He paused. "Maybe not save it. But right now we are in a code red situation. The needle's pushing against the edge. Something like will push us back to a code orange. Give us some breathing space."
I sighed. Why was I the one being pimped out? A date with me wouldn't even be a joyful thing. Those guys had some image of a fun Violet who could be won over with love. But I was bitter and resentful Violet.
"You know what this means, don't you? The dating thing? It's crossing that line you told me never to cross."
Chuck took off his sunglasses. That meant serious talk time with Chuck. He wanted you to see his eyes.
"Violet, I think I can trust you to keep this on the right level, if you know what I mean. You might need to encourage these guys a little but if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes. Maybe wear a little makeup. Shorter skirts." He gave me a look. "Maybe not any shorter than that, actually. I know you can manage this without losing your head. Just teasing them a bit. Get them interested. You're a girl, you should know how to do that. But remember, no sex and no dating. Play the game."
I gulped. Chuck was levels of wrong. He was a total jerk and I should've kicked him in the nuts but he held the two prime cards. I owed him big time and I needed to save Carlie's job. Of course, he was right. I could keep my head but I didn't want to encourage those guys. That would be living a lie. Hell, those guys didn't even need encouraging. This whole stupid situation would continue, whether I agreed or not.
“Carlie would just be the start too. If you don’t agree to this, I’ll have no option but to sell the club.”
He walked out in that way he did when he’d made a point. I was so angry that I wanted to resist agreeing just to piss him off. But Carlie… and the club.
Chuck would be sitting in the bar, waiting for me to approach him. I had to do it. The whole thing had gotten beyond ridiculous.
I stormed out of my office before my common sense kicked in.
Chuck sat at the bar, like I thought. He looked up expectantly as I walked up to him. In fact, the whole crew was there. Alex and Razer on opposite sides of the bar. Jackson in his corner. Probably good that they all heard it together.
I walked behind the bar and turned Carlie’s music off. It’d been death metal all week and, without it, the silence in the bar made your ears ring.
I clapped my hands together to get their attention.
"Okay, I'll agree to the bloody deal. If that's what it takes."
I twisted my mouth. The whole idea made me crawl inside but it would be a huge draw for the club. People loved that shit and it'd mean that Alex and Razer would be working like crazy to save the place. If I had to be sacrificed, then I’d do it.
“Hell yeah,” shouted Razer and moved closer to Chuck.
Alex grinned but didn’t say anything.
“Oh, I’ve got to stick around to watch this,” Jackson said. “Things are going to get interesting.”
I spun around. “And where the hell else would you be? You have important business elsewhere that requires you to get off that stool?”
He just raised his glass to me.
"There will be ground rules. One date. A date only. No sex. Not even working towards sex. Sex is not the prize here."
“Sex is so going to be the prize,” Jackson muttered under his breath.
I ignored him and looked from Alex to Razer.
They both nodded. A little too quickly. That kind of agreement where they actually think they could convince me otherwise but there was no otherwise in this situation.
"I mean it. There will be nothing, not even a kiss."
"If the
re's no kiss, it's not a date," said Razer. He gave me a meaningful look that made me blush. No one need know that we'd already kissed.
"The man has a point," Alex added.
"One kiss. A goodnight kiss. That is all. Oh, no splitting the bill. If I'm doing this, it'll be an old fashioned date."
Alex and Razer nodded.
"Let's make this more interesting," Alex said. "Since you aren't that keen on dating anyway, this shouldn't bother you. How about you agree that you will never date the loser. The one who loses this competition is no longer seen as a man by you."
For some reason, I glanced at Razer when he said that. Did I think of him as man? Well, apart from that one time, in the rain. But I wanted that memory stored so far in the back of my mind that it no longer was a memory at all. I didn't want to think of either of them as men. I wanted to think of them as rock merchandise to save this club.
I shrug. "Doesn't bother me one way or the other."
But Razer didn't seem bothered. A strange look came over his face, like the sun rising over the horizon.
"You're going to do this?" he asked. “You are really going to do this?”
I nodded.
"I'm going to win your love," shouted Razer, pumping his fist in the air. "I'm going to win your love with ROCK!
Chapter 18 VIOLET
It was all well and good to come up with this brilliant plan to compete for rock glory, but implementing it was a whole other issue.
Firstly, I had to get both guys together to agree on dates. You'd think I could just pick two random Saturday nights and that would be end of it but that was far from the truth of the situation.
Every date I picked was wrong for some reason.
"There's that festival on the waterfront that night," Razer said about the first date I picked. "That's going to drain off some of our crowd."
He'd perched himself on the edge of my desk, pushing some papers aside. I really didn't feel comfortable with that but, when I'd told him to move it, he'd got up and paced the room for a few minutes then had sat back down. The sitting was much preferable to the pacing. It was like having a caged animal in my office.
Too Many Rock Stars (Access All Areas #1) Page 8
