Cocktails, Rock Tales & Betrayals

by Archer, Julie

  “Now, I seem to remember you said something about needing a wardrobe makeover,” said Olivia, tucking the card back into her purse. “Although you look fabulous, as always.” Olivia ran her eyes over Caro's simple outfit of faded jeans, high-heeled boots, a crisp white, slightly-too-big shirt, and dark blue blazer. “But not ‘rock chick’ enough really, if we're going to a gig tonight.”

  The shopping trip turned into something more than just finding an outfit for that evening, and Caro returned to Nic's flat later with several bags full of clothes, shoes, and boots. As she emptied the contents onto the bed and looked around the sparse storage space, she wondered how practical it was for her to stay there long term. Not that Nic had given her any kind of deadline for finding her own place, but she didn't want to outstay her welcome or be a passenger for too long. Maybe tomorrow she'd turn her attention to house hunting.

  Her phone vibrated with a text from Jonny Tyler.

  Looking forward to seeing you tonight, babes, it's been a while & Blood Stone Riot are a good draw xx.

  She stared at it for the longest time, her head reeling.

  With a jolt she realised it wasn't just Jonny she was looking forward to seeing that night.

  Chapter Four

  A Tuesday night at The Vegas was usually pretty quiet and uneventful.

  Except for this particular Tuesday night when the next big thing in rock music, or so rumour had it, were playing what was supposed to be a low-key gig. Word had got around and the club was heaving.

  Blood Stone Riot.

  With the ink barely dry on their recording contract, and billed by the popular music press as achingly hip, the band were destined to challenge the masses with their take on the rock genre. Hard-edged enough to satisfy fans of guitar solos and drums, cool and edgy enough to entice lovers of lyrics and well-worked melodies.

  Alik Thorne; perfect frontman, the triple threat lead singer, guitarist, and song writer, with an ability to captivate and win over even the frostiest of audiences.

  Nate McKenna; lead guitarist, effortlessly creating melodic riffs with a gritty quality that identified the Blood Stone Riot sound, drawing on the greats of rock to make himself the best he could possibly be.

  Billy Walker; bass guitarist, providing the rhythmic and harmonic foundations of the songs, underpinning them with dirty, sleazy bass lines, bringing lead guitarist and drummer together.

  Dev McLaughlin; drummer, occupying the space as the mad drummer, quiet in every other part of his life, except when he was behind his drum kit.

  Strong friendships forged over the seven years or so since they had met as teenagers as well as an almost telepathic ability to know what the others were thinking onstage.

  They were a formidable quartet.

  * * *

  Leaning against the bar, Alik casually observed the activity going on around him. Recently refreshed from the short break in Mallorca that he'd been told to take by Griffen Price, the band's tour manager, he was fired up by the prospect of the next few months of activity for the band. Griffen had seen him indulging a bit too much at one of Edie's parties and advised that he should get away and detox for a few days. Edie Spencer-Newman and her events were pretty legendary - at least for the gossip mags - and his girlfriend certainly wasn't backwards in sharing the recreational drugs that she was able to procure.

  He and the rest of the band had been at the venue since six, sound-checking before the bar opened to the public and ensuring that their kit fitted into the somewhat compact stage area. Despite having played there a number of times before and already knowing exactly how the stage plan worked, Alik was a perfectionist and wanted everything to be just right.

  He was psyched, gig-ready, and couldn't wait to get out there.

  The audience usually loved him.

  The audience that evening would also consist of his girlfriend, seeing him play live for the first time. It wasn't a scene that she was familiar with and he wasn't sure how she would fare in his world.

  * * *

  It had been about nine months since Caro had last been in The Vegas, but it felt like yesterday. It hadn't changed, and there was a comforting, easy, familiarity about it; the small, sweaty, upstairs that had a tiny stage and a simple long bar at the back of the room. It may have had a lick of paint and a few new band posters adorning the walls, but in the main, it remained as it had when Caro had been at university in North Ridge. For a long time, it had been the only venue in town that catered for live rock music, and The Indigo Lounge would immediately be a rival for it. If The Indigo Lounge was half as successful as The Vegas, Caro would be eternally grateful.

  Since meeting Olivia for lunch, she had managed to get her hair done and take a power nap before getting ready to go out. Nic and Olivia were meeting her there later, taking a rare opportunity to grab some dinner together first.

  Jonny Tyler was waiting at the door for her, a grin on his face as he clocked her.

  “Welcome back, babe,” he said, gathering her into his arms and locking his lips on hers. “I've missed you.”

  Two girls walked past, shooting daggers at Caro. No doubt at least one of them would have slept with Jonny; his reputation preceded him. As a promoter, he was well known on the North Ridge music scene and extremely popular, not least for his ability to get into places for free. He always had a cheeky grin that went with his slightly dishevelled appearance, spiky blond hair that he was always raking a hand through, and excessive charm. The free-flowing compliments didn't hurt, either.

  “Gotta love that welcome home,” said Caro, as they made their way inside, hand in hand. The bar was already packed with punters. Her gaze immediately fell on Alik Thorne, standing casually by the bar. Steering Jonny away from Alik, she tried to ignore her mind screaming at her to go back in the other direction.

  * * *

  Edie Spencer-Newman shuddered as she sipped on her glass of slightly-too-warm Chardonnay. It had been years since she had drunk anything quite so distasteful, but The Vegas wasn't exactly a venue renowned for its wine list. The beer-and-shots bar definitely wasn't high on her list of venues to frequent. But when Alik had suggested that she see him play live, she hadn't exactly been able to say no. So far into their relationship she had managed to avoid places like this, making sure that she took Alik to dinner or met him in a wine bar she felt comfortable in, or inviting him to parties at friends' houses. She was eternally grateful that she had managed to persuade the team at Pretty Rich Things not to film her that evening. This definitely wasn't the way she wanted her glamorous life to be portrayed. The reality TV programme followed a cluster of both self-made and inherited wealthy young men and women who were trying to make their own way in the business world. In Edie's case, this was the opening of her own designer boutique, The Magpie. The little vintage boudoir-inspired shop had taken up a great deal of her time, as she sourced the chicest, most feminine, and, most of all, most expensive items that would appeal to her target market. Despite being pretty lazy when it came to work, she had thoroughly enjoyed scouring the internet and visiting suppliers to source the products and garments that would create the exclusive theme of the shop. Hanging out in seedy rock bars was not something that would resonate with her fans.

  She looked around - taking in the clientele - seeing mostly leather and tattoos, and held her Prada clutch more tightly. Not a designer label in sight, except for her Pucci-inspired print shift dress, which still made her stand out from the crowd despite it being one of the more subdued garments in her extensive wardrobe. However, it was a wardrobe that wasn't built for the rock scene. Perched uneasily on a bar stool, Edie wondered how much longer she would have to wait. Alik had just texted her to say he was backstage, which hopefully meant they would be starting soon.

  “Hey, you didn't tell me you were coming tonight.”

  Like a beacon of light, Olivia Cole appeared beside her. She had been helping Edie with the PR for The Magpie and had become a firm friend over the last few months. Olivia's wo
rk had been amazing, already creating a buzz about the place, and anticipation was high.

  Edie smiled. “Alik invited me, but I'm not sure this place is for me.” She noticed Olivia was dressed similarly to her and was comforted by that fact. After all, Olivia was definitely more PR than rock, even though she would be working with Alik and the band. A couple of women walked past, heading towards the mosh pit close to the stage, clad head to toe in black, with matching pierced noses and heavily-studded ears. They cast a suspicious glance in Edie's direction.

  “The lead singer is my boyfriend,” Edie said, making sure they heard her.

  One of them laughed. “Yeah, whatever, as if Alik Thorne would look at someone like you. I reckon he'll be seeing more of me later.”

  Edie watched in horror as the two women headed off towards the front. There was a flurry of activity as they heard a couple of guitars being tuned up

  Olivia grabbed Edie's arm and pulled her closer towards the stage. “You'll be fine, their bark is usually worse than their bite.”

  All of a sudden, there was noise, in Edie's opinion anyway, and Alik appeared on the stage, bathed in a single spotlight.

  “Good evening Vegas!” he roared. Edie thought it sounded as if he was pretending to play Las Vegas rather than North Ridge. “Thanks for coming down tonight. This is ‘In It For The Craic’.” She watched as he whirled across the stage, microphone in hand, with the guitar, bass, and drums crashing around him.

  As the set progressed, Edie started to enjoy herself. Despite the fact that the music was so far away from being her sort of thing, she couldn't help but be enthralled by Alik and how he could hold the audience in the palm of his hand. She hadn't really known how talented he was, not to mention how popular the band were. She realised she would probably have to fend off all sorts of female attention for her man.

  * * *

  Much as she wanted to, Caro couldn't tear her eyes away from Alik.

  The presence he had onstage in a larger environment than Juju's was overwhelming.

  She watched him prowl across the stage, shirt undone, showing off his gorgeously-muscled chest and tattoos. She could remember his touch, the way his fingers caressed her skin, his lips on hers, the thrust of his cock inside her.

  Glancing around at the rest of the crowd, she bet there were many women who were experiencing the same feelings. Or at least wished they were.

  She felt Jonny's arms slip around her waist and momentarily felt a brush of unwarranted guilt. She and Jonny had never been exclusive, never claimed to be something that they weren't, just hooking up when it suited them both and they happened to be in the same place. She speculated whether her decision to move back to North Ridge had sent a different message to Jonny. One that said she was ready to settle down.

  Maybe she was.

  But maybe it wasn't with him.

  * * *

  Onstage, Alik took in the audience, his eyes scanning over the crowd in the club. Usually, he wasn't able to pinpoint anyone he recognised, but in amongst the people near the mixing desk he thought he spotted Olivia. With Jonny Tyler. In the last couple of days, his mind occasionally flitted to the night he'd spent with her, how simple their evening had been, talking, drinking, enjoying each other.

  Particularly the enjoying each other part.

  In the back of his mind, he knew he was comparing her to Edie. One night spent with someone who appeared to be so similar to him, versus his beautiful, elegant, monied girlfriend. They were a bit of a cliché, the rock star and the rich girl, and whilst he had initially enjoyed the novelty of them being so different, it was starting to wear off a little.

  Shaking his head and focusing on the gig, he whirled across the stage, putting both women out of his mind.

  * * *

  Blood Stone Riot's short set was a success. The crowd was buoyant after they had finished, still bouncing around as the DJ played retro rock tracks to end the evening. The band had packed up and moved into the tiny VIP area, where Alik spotted Jonny Tyler again, this time chatting to Nic, accompanied by two women. As he approached them, he realised that he hadn't been hallucinating and that one of them was Olivia, although a very glammed-up, rock version of her.

  In contrast to the flowing summer dress she had worn, she was now poured into a pair of tight black jeans, paired with an off the shoulder black chiffon top and skyscraper heels. Her make up was dark - smoky eyes and a matte lipstick - and her caramel-streaked hair was artfully styled as if she'd just tumbled out of bed.

  He remembered that look on her too.

  “Hi Alik,” said Nic. “You know Jonny, obviously, and this is...”

  “It's okay, Olivia and I have already met, said Alik. He felt a tiny stab of jealousy at Jonny’s arm still around Olivia’s shoulders.

  “Er, no we haven't,” said the other woman. “Not in person, anyway, although I have been sort of working for you for about a month. I'm Olivia.”

  Alik looked between the real Olivia and the pretend Olivia who, at least, had the decency to look suitably embarrassed. He looked at her. “Care to explain what's going on?”

  The pretend Olivia looked Alik directly in the eye. “Maybe we could ask Nate the same question,” she said.

  “Nate?” Nic frowned at Alik. “When did you meet Caro?”

  Any further explanation was cut short when Edie joined the group, air kissing Olivia and kissing Alik on the lips before linking her arm through his.

  “What's going on? What did I miss?” she asked, oblivious to the tension hanging over the group. “You were amazing, babe.”

  Alik watched Caro's eyes narrow slightly at Edie's appearance. Interesting.

  “I'm guessing that Caro is Caro Flynn, right?” said Alik. “The same Caro Flynn that's been running a pretty successful rock bar in Mallorca and is Nic Santino's business partner.”

  She nodded. “Then you can understand my reticence about telling a random musician in a bar my real name, Nate.” She emphasised the name to make her point, keeping her tone cool.

  “Then you can also understand why rock stars might not want to be completely truthful about who they are,” said Alik, matching her tone. He leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear, “In case they end up with a kiss-and-tell girl. I guess I know now that the tat on the back of your neck is about you and Jonny.”

  The two of them held each other's gaze as they reached stalemate, an uncomfortable silence descending over the rest of the group.

  It was Nic who broke the tension. “I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, but I definitely need a drink.”

  * * *

  As the group dispersed, Olivia grabbed Caro's arm and steered her towards a quiet corner.

  “You and Alik Thorne? How did that happen? And when?”

  “It was just a one-night thing,” said Caro. “My last night in Mallorca. He told me his name was Nate. I never thought I'd see him again. I guess we kind of played each other and it wasn't until the flight home that I realised who he really was.”

  “He obviously didn't mention that he was with Edie.”

  Caro looked over to the bar, where Alik was standing with Edie. She gave Edie a cursory once-over. The pretty silk shift dress and matching heels and bag reeked of money, and for a moment Caro wondered how on earth Edie and Alik got together. Alik, with his love of body art, festivals, and dark, dark music, seeing this King's Road princess - they just didn't make sense. She realised he was watching her. He raised his glass in her direction and then leaned over and whispered something in Edie's ear before nuzzling her neck. Caro didn't know how to react. In her head she had told herself it was a one-off, but seeing him again that evening, playing properly plugged-in with the rest of his band, had caused an involuntary ripple to course through her body.

  She forced herself to look away.

  “What are you doing to do?” Olivia asked.

  “About what? Alik and Edie are clearly a couple and I'm with Jonny.”

  Olivia stifled a giggl
e. “Well, whatever happened on that one night seems to have had more of an effect than anything, sorry, anyone has had on you in a long time.”

  Caro's romantic experiences had, in the last couple of years, been sporadic to say the least. Her focus had always been on her business and making that a success, leaving little room for anything else. That wasn't to say she had lived like a nun - far from it - however relationships hadn't always been top of her agenda.

  Which was why hooking up with Jonny, which happened as and when, suited her just fine.

  If only she could just ignore the fact that Alik Thorne couldn't take his eyes off her.

  Chapter Five

  Alik was sitting on the sofa in just a pair of boxers, his acoustic guitar cradled in his lap as he fiddled with some lyrics. Despite the late finish after the gig, he and Edie had gone on to an all-night bar to meet some of her friends for late drinks. By the time they had got back to his flat, he hadn't been able to sleep. He was still wired from the performance and bumping into Olivia - no, Caro. Not to mention the creative streak that was demanding to be listened to. The song was the one he had recently showcased at Juju's and was turning into something that definitely wasn't Blood Stone Riot material.

  In fact, it almost felt like a love song. Or as much of a love song as Alik could write.

  Fresh in his thoughts was that night with Caro. Having such a strong connection with someone after only a short time didn't usually happen to him. Prior to Edie, there had been a string of short-term, tour-type girlfriends who would be around for a few days or weeks and then be gone.

  His mind turned to Edie, sleeping soundly in his bed, blissfully unaware that he was thinking of another woman.

  He knew they had their differences and the things that they held dear were poles apart, but there had been a level of attraction that he couldn't fight. They had first met at a house party, somewhere in Notting Hill, hosted by a friend of a friend, and he had gone along with Billy, more to keep him company than anything else. They had got wrecked and he had seen this blonde vision who had captivated him the moment she walked into the room. They had flirted outrageously for the whole evening and ended up getting breakfast at a nearby greasy spoon the following morning before arranging to see each other again.