by J. O Mantel
“Oh, yes of course the Dark Falkon concert is this weekend, isn’t it?”
“Yep! Sure is,” Sienna replied.
“You know Jake, it’s not too late for you to join us you know, I’m sure there are still tickets available.”
“Actually…they sold out,” Sienna said.
“Really?”
“You're surprised?” Sienna asked.
“A little.”
“Ivy, it’s their first ever concert in Vegas. The sponsors and marketing team have been promoting the crap out of this concert since it was announced six months ago.”
“Well that’s okay, I’m sure they’ll release another show.”
“I highly doubt that. You heard them on the Ellen interview, after Vegas, its Europe, then Asia and then Australia. The only way to get a ticket now, is to fly halfway around the world.
“Oh, well isn’t that just a damn awful shame,” Jake replied, sarcastically.
“Totally. I can see the disappointment in your eyes,” Ivy said.
“Oh seriously, will you two stop it. Look, Jake, I know you don’t think very much of the band, but please, keep your opinions to yourself.”
“What? Sienna, it’s a free country, I’m allowed to voice my opinion. And besides, I’m not saying anything bad about them, I just don’t care for their music. I know there are people out there who will say the same thing about my music.”
“He has a point, Sienna.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“I’m not on anyone’s side, Sienna. I’m just saying that he makes a point. Not everyone is going to like their music. It’s a fact of life.”
“Yeah, yeah! Ok, I get your point. Now can we please just drop the subject?”
“Fine by me,” Jake replied.
“And me.”
There was quiet. Pure silence all around. Neither Jake nor Ivy dared say another word in fear that Sienna would bite their heads off.
“Have you started packing yet, Ivy?”
“Started? I finished packing two days ago. Don’t tell me you haven’t started yet?” Ivy asked.
“I’ve made a start, I may not be finished, but that’s beside the point.”
Sienna grabbed them all some more drinks and sat down on the sofa next to Jake. She was wearing the same white shirt and boxers that she always wore around the house whenever she was having a “lazy” day. She had shaved her legs and as she sat down, the shirt had ridden up, showing the top of her black lace panties. Jake didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed that she was semi-clothed although, he could see through her shirt and noticed that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her breasts were sagging and his first reaction was an erect cock.
He stood up abruptly, heading into the kitchen to get himself a drink. He stared at the two of them, Ivy knew instantly why he had reacted the way he did, but he tried to hide his reaction from Sienna.
“Everything okay, Jake?” Sienna asked.
“Yeah, fine. Sorry, I just really needed a drink.” There was a knock on the door, everyone looked at each other, but no one bothered to move. “I’ll get it, shall I?” Ivy said, getting off the sofa and heading for the door.
Dick was standing in front of her, he was dressed in jeans, a black Tee and black Doc Marten boots.
“Oh, hey! What are you doing here?” Ivy asked, slightly confused as she leaned forward and kissed Dick.
“You told me to meet you here, remember? We were going to head out for lunch with Sienna.”
“Oh, yes! Now I remember. Come in, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
Ivy closed the door behind Dick as he made his way inside the living room.
“Hey, Sienna,’ he said as he walked past.
“Hey!”
“Dick this is Jake. Jake this is my boyfriend, Richard.”
Jake stood up and looked at Dick. He held out his hand, acknowledging him.
“So this is Richard. Ivy hasn’t stopped talking about you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Richard.”
“Please, call me Dick,” he replied as he grabbed Jake’s hand and shook it firmly. Jake noticed Ivy blush out of the corner of his eye.
“You're a lucky man, Dick. Make sure you don’t let her slip through your fingers, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan to.”
The two of them exchanged some friendly smiles, Ivy was still blushing. She wasn’t used to having so much male attention, even if it was only for a few seconds.
“I’m going to get myself ready, I won’t be too long.” Sienna ran to her room, shutting the door behind her.
Jake looked a little depressed, even though today was supposed to be about Dick and Sienna getting to know each other, Ivy couldn’t help but feel sorry for Jake.
“Babe, you don’t mind, if Jake tags along with us today, do you?” Ivy asked.
“No, not at all. It would be good to have another man around, to be honest.”
“Hey, Jake. Dick and I were thinking, why don’t you join us for lunch?”
“Seriously?”
“Sure, why not?”
Jake didn’t say a word. He looked at Ivy, and Dick acknowledged his acceptance to the invitation with a smile.
“Jake?”
“Huh?”
“What do you think?” Ivy asked.
“Look, I’d rather not to be honest. I would be out of place all on my own.”
“You won’t be on your own. You can pair up with Sienna.”
Sienna's bedroom door opened and she made her way over to the rest of them. She was wearing a short black mini skirt and a T-shirt that Ivy thought was far from appropriate to wear for a lunch date.
“Sienna, what is that you're wearing?”
“You like it? I do too. I just don't know if I should be tugging it down, or pulling it up,” she replied, adjusting her cleavage.
“Taking it off would be more appropriate. Sienna, we're going to lunch, not a club.”
“You're right, maybe it is a little inappropriate.” She turned and walked back to her room, she returned a few seconds later with a shawl covering her shoulders.
“There! That's better.” She said, grabbing her purse.
“Sienna!”
“What? It’s just lunch, not a funeral.”
“So what do you say, Jake?” Ivy asked.
“I'll pass, thanks guys. You lot go ahead without me and have fun.”
“Jake, get your male, white tooshie to your room and get dressed, NOW!” Sienna demanded.
“No, I think I'll-”
“Did you not hear what I just said?” She asked again.
It was pointless. Jake was not in the mood to be spending his afternoon having lunch with Sienna and Ivy, but he knew Sienna wouldn't give it a rest.
“You're still here?” She asked.
“Seriously, I-”
“Jake, if I have to tell you one more time, I'm going to shove these thick nine inch heels so far up your ass, you won't know what hit you.”
“Fine,” he said frustrated. Standing up, he frowned at Sienna and made his way to his room.
“That always works,” Sienna laughed.
Jake returned a few minutes later wearing torn jeans, a jacket and a white t shirt. His hair was wet and he had styled it with some hair gel.
“There! Was that so hard?” Sienna asked.
“Shut up!”
“So, we're all set?” Ivy asked, opening the door.
“Yep!” Sienna replied.
By the time they reached the restaurant, the four of them were starving. They found a table by the corner and sat down. Jake sat down next to Ivy and Sienna grabbed the seat next to him so he was in between both of them. She crossed her legs and Jake couldn't help but let his eyes wander over her smooth, silky thighs. Ivy noticed the awkwardness that Jake was feeling and she nudged him on the shoulder. Clearing his throat, he grabbed the menu and read through the list.
After placing their orders with the waitress,
Dick poured the girls some wine, while he and Jake had a beer each. Jake tried very hard not to draw any attention towards Sienna, but his eyes got the better of him at times.
“So, Jake. Ivy tells me that you're a singer,” Dick finally spoke.
“Um…Yeah, that’s right.”
“What type of songs do you sing?”
“Mostly rock. I’m actually part of a band, Lightning Ridge.”
“Oh! Have you got a CD out, or something that I could listen to?”
“Actually, as a matter of fact, I just picked up our first album from the studio earlier. I can give one to Ivy to pass on to you.”
“That would be great, thank you.”
Their meals arrived and the four of them ate without saying much at all. Jake looked at Ivy, a smile swept across his face as he watched her and Dick together. He was happy to see that she was finally with someone who made her happy. He would always be grateful to her for keeping his feelings about Sienna a secret. As he sat there, Sienna pulled out her phone and read her text message from Jesse.
“So, Jake. I’m not sure if Ivy has told you that I’m actually a music reporter for the New York Times newspaper.”
“Actually no, she never mentioned it.”
“Oh?” Dick looked at Ivy.
“Sorry, it, must have slipped my mind,” she said, leaning forward and kissing him on the lips.
“That’s not fair,” Dick said.
“I know, but you love me.”
“Anyway. Jake, how would you feel about doing an interview for my column at the paper?”
There was immediate silence. Even Sienna put her phone down and gave them all her full attention.
“Jake?”
Jake hesitated. Being interviewed was something that he had never thought about before. He and the band were so busy recording the album that none of them even stopped to think about interviews. Lightning Ridge were nobody’s, no one had even heard of them, not until they had performed at the charity benefit, anyway.
He sat there, pondering over the million thoughts that were going through his head. Obviously he would need to talk to the band, but maybe this was exactly the sort of publicity that they needed. After the charity benefit, the band had received a few calls about performing at other benefits. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to have Dick interview them.
“Jake, what do you think?” Ivy asked.
“It’s not something that the band and I have really thought about. We’ve spent most of our nights practicing and recording the album that none of us ever thought about interviews.”
“I think it would be great publicity,” Dick added.
Jake was silent, he looked around at all of them thinking about Dick’s offer.
“Look, let me talk to the band and see what they say and I’ll get back to you.”
They finished their meals and sat around the table talking for hours before Ivy stood up and reminded Sienna that she still had a suitcase to pack. Jake shook hands with Dick and kissed Ivy on the cheek before he and Sienna made their way out the door.
####FRIENDSHIP####
By the time they got home, it was late in the afternoon. Sienna went straight to her room and grabbed her suitcase. Jake changed out of his clothes and into his boxers and a Tee, he had no plans for the rest of the night and decided to stay in with Sienna.
“Hey! Would you mind turning the radio on?”
“Huh?” Jake asked.
“The radio. I need a bit of noise, I can’t pack when it’s too quiet.”
Jake turned on the radio and Dark Falkon’s Way Back Home was playing.
“Quick, turn it up,” Sienna yelled from the bedroom. Jake turned up the volume and grabbed himself a drink. As the song came to an end, DJ Rob came onto the radio.
“And that was Dark Falkon’s latest hit, Way Back Home. And they are doing really well on the Billboards charts at the moment. Their third album has just hit number two and Way Back Home is currently sitting at number three. Maybe it has something to do with their first ever world tour that is coming up. Speaking of which, we are giving one lucky listener and a friend an amazing opportunity to see the band live in concert when they perform in Vegas, this weekend. This is the last opportunity to see the band before they begin their world tour.”
“Shit! Jake, turn it up. Quick!” Sienna yelled as she stormed out of the bedroom and made her way over to the living room. She grabbed the phone from the counter and stood by the radio.
“Sienna, give it up, you’ve been trying to win this competition for weeks now, and you can never get through, besides you’ve already bought your tickets.”
“I know, which means I have nothing to lose, right?”
“Ok, folks! For all you Dark Falkon fans out there, here’s your chance to win this exclusive prize. Now check this out, this is what one lucky winner will receive. You’ll get airfares, flying American Airlines, five nights’ accommodation at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas. We’ll also throw in five hundred dollars spending money, you and a friend will also get front row tickets to the concert at the MGM Grand. And now for the best part, after the concert you will have the chance to get up close and personal with Mr. Lukas Dark himself. That’s right, you and Lukas Dark, alone back stage, with our all exclusive back stage pass. Now all you need to do is correctly tell me the names of all the band members in Dark Falkon and the name of their first album. Be the tenth caller through now on 555-0176.”
Sienna frantically hit the keys on the phone and dialed the number. It was busy. She tried again, but the line was constantly busy. She was almost ready to give up when finally, the call was connected.
“Hello, WDHJ, who am I speaking with?”
“Oh my god. This is Sienna,” her voice was nervous and she couldn’t stop shaking.
“Hello, Sienna its Rob here. How are you doing today?”
“I’m very well, thank you. Really nervous and excited that I finally got through.”
“Well, congratulations on being the tenth caller through, Sienna. Now are you a big Dark Falkon fan?”
“Um…Yes! I’m a huge fan. I have every single one of their albums.”
“Well hopefully that will help you. So tell me, Sienna, how would you and one lucky friend like to go and see Dark Falkon in Vegas?”
“Hell yes!” she yelled.
“Ok then, Sienna. Now all you need to do, is correctly tell me the names of all the band members and the title of their first album.”
There was a slight pause. Sienna looked at Jake who shrugged his shoulders and looked at her completely clueless.
“Ok, there’s Lukas Dark, Dave, Tyler and Matt. And the name of their first album was Sunset Strip.
There was that awkward silence, the same silence that Sienna heard every single time something was about to happen. And then suddenly, Rob spoke; “Sienna?”
“Yeah?”
“Congratulations, you’re our winner. You and a friend are off to Vegas to meet Lukas Dark and Dark Falkon.”
Sienna screamed down the phone, it carried through the speakers and echoed through the entire house.
“Congratulations again, Sienna!”
“Thank you so much.”
“It’s our pleasure, Sienna. Stay on the line and we will get all your details. Meanwhile, let’s get right back into the music, here’s some Christina Aguilera.”
The radio played the voice within while Sienna gave her details to Rob. Jake stared at her, he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen her so happy, even when she was with Jesse. She hung up the phone and ran over to Jake, she threw her arms around him and squealed.
“Oh my god, can you believe this?” she asked.
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Oh my god, I have to call Ivy, unless of course you want to come with me?”
“What? Me?”
“Sure, why not? I’ve already bought the tickets for the concert, Ivy can use mine and take Dick, and you can come with m
e and be my date, so it’s not a total loss. It might be a great opportunity for you to meet the band, I mean you and Lukas could talk about your music.”
“I highly doubt that. No, I think I’ll give it a miss. You and Ivy can have a good time without me.”
“Okay, your loss,” she said, excited.
“Not really,” Jake muttered under his breath as Sienna picked up the phone and called Ivy.
Jake finished his drink and walked towards his room. He stopped by the fireplace and looked at the photo that was resting in the middle of the mantel piece. It was a picture of him and Sienna, taken on her thirtieth birthday party. He picked it up and traced his finger over Sienna’s face, he could hear her quietly humming the tune to Way Back Home from her room as she got changed.
He took a step closer and saw that the door was slightly ajar, he peered inside and caught a glimpse of her in her purple lingerie. He sighed in frustration and then placed the picture back on the mantel piece, he removed his top and walked into his room, shutting the door behind him. He lay down on the bed, his hands resting under his head as he stared at the ceiling.
Ivy had told him that there was no reason to be jealous of Lukas Dark, but then Jake remembered Sienna telling Ivy that Lukas was available after he revealed on the Ellen interview that he was single and looking for love. Now, with the two of them about to jet off to Vegas, Jake began to wonder, maybe she did have a chance with Lukas, after all.
Sienna and Ivy placed their bags on the bed, they walked straight over to the window and checked out the view.
“Holy crap, this is amazing!” Ivy said.
“Yep! It sure is, I’ve heard it’s even better at night,” Sienna said, looking out the window also.
Neither of them had been to Vegas before, and it was quite a sight, for both of them. They stood at the window for several minutes admiring the scenery below them. They were both a little tired, it was only a five hour flight from New York, but with all the excitement over the past couple of days, Sienna had barely slept.
“Hey, I might crash for a bit. I’m really tired from the flight, and I don’t know about you, but I really want to check out the streets of Vegas, tonight.”
“What time is the show tomorrow night?” Ivy asked.
