The Final Note (DJ Series Book 1)

by Helen J. Barnes

  “No, I’m flaming not. Who said that?” Corrine asks with her hand on her hip.

  “I was just filling Alannah in on the shit between you and Regina,” Macy explains and I see Corrine visibly relax in front of me.

  “That cow, don’t get me started. I know I should have warned you, Lana. She is one spiteful cow. Don’t let her get to you, babe. What you and Dayton have going is none of her business so don’t let her get involved, avoid her.”

  I’m quite taken aback by the whole thing. Sure, I didn’t think Regina and I were going to become firm friends but she sounds borderline psycho to me. One question screams at me though.

  “Why does she feel she can lay claim to him though? Have they got a history?”

  Both girls shake their heads vehemently. “No, nothing like that. She just thinks because he works for her daddy and they have a working relationship she has some sort of say about what happens in that club.”

  The penny drops, the light pings on in my brain. Of course! Escarra. Regina and Barros Escarra. Lexis is her dad’s club. I don’t just add over pampered princess and a judgemental bitch to her list of dislikeable attributes. I add spoilt brat and power crazed cow, too. I curl my lip at the thought of having to meet her again, suddenly Lexis loses some of its appeal. The fact that they don’t have a history is a huge relief though.

  “Don’t let her worry you, babe,” Macy says, giving me a pretty masculine thump on the arm.

  “I’m not worried about her. I just don’t think I’m going to like her.” The smallest part of me is a little intimidated by her. Not the disapproving looks or judgement. It’s the fact that she is Miss Perfection that bothers me. I feel kind of inferior in the looks department.

  “Not many people do like her, sweetie. Well, not women anyway. She’s great with men, the lads seem to love her but she only has eyes for Dayton,” Macy informs me and I see Corrine give her a warning look that tells her to stop already. Corrine must know I’ve never had to fight for a guy before and the idea of having to isn’t appealing. That’s not to say I’m not ready for a battle. Especially if it’s for a guy like Dayton.

  We all bond further over drinks in a couple more bars. Luke surprises me with how popular he seems with the ladies, being stopped almost as often as Dayton was today. I figure he’s a social climber and Dayton seems to be the person they all want him to introduce them to. Brent is a really likeable person and is almost as chivalrous as Dayton, holding the door open for us girls and carrying the trays of drinks. I find him easy to talk to. Dina seems to as well because they are flirting, dancing together and he never lets her vodka and coke glass empty.

  Around midnight we head up to Lexis and I join the back of the lengthy queue, hoping we aren’t going to be waiting a long time because I’m eager to see Dayton and feeling pretty brave with a few drinks in my system. Although I’m not drunk, I’ve just got that happy buzz and the urge to dance.

  “Alannah, come on,” Luke calls and I turn to see the group has headed straight for the front of the queue. I’m quickly hustled past a mountain of muscles with an ear piece in. He’s all dressed in black and Luke thanks him. I note we aren’t searched and pay no door fee. I stand in the club foyer and wait for Corrine while she checks a jacket into the cloakroom.

  “Can we start downstairs, please? I wanna see what kind of crowd I’m playing to tonight,” Brent asks and we make our way up a small flight of wide stairs to huge double doors. As Luke pushes the door open the music and heat hits me like a tidal wave. I can see nothing for the flashing laser lights and sea of dancing bodies. I stand taking in the room which is almost full to bursting and I can barely make out the clubbers at the back of the room for plumes of strawberry scented smoke that billows out over the crowd. That’s when I see the DJ box above the bar on the right-hand side of the room. I see Corrine wave at me from the bar and I push through the clubbers to join her and order a drink.

  Brent and Luke are deep in conversation and Brent suddenly looks a little apprehensive and nervous, knocking back a double shot of vodka. I order a bottle of VK blue and feel Ross tap me on the shoulder and point to the ceiling indicating they’re going upstairs. I follow them to a narrow enclosed staircase on the opposite side of the room to the bar and DJ box. I’m last to start up the stairs with Dina behind the rest of my friends when I look up and see Regina coming down the stairs. She has stopped halfway and is handing out hugs to the guys. She looks stunning even in skin-tight jeans and a black Lexis t-shirt with knee-high boots. Her hair hangs in glossy loose blond waves over her shoulders and down to her breasts, her eyes seem to shine with smoky make up and lashing of kohl eyeliner.

  We stand behind the guys waiting for them to move up the stairs but after a minute or so when it becomes apparent they aren’t ready to end their impromptu staircase meeting just yet Dina takes my elbow and pulls me past them, that’s when Regina spots me. I get a cold glare and I don’t even attempt to smile in acknowledgement. It’s obvious she isn’t pleased to see me, but to be fair, I’m not pleased to see her either. She turns her attention back to Brent, a reassuring hand on his arm as she offers him sickly sweet smiles. Corrine and Macy are standing at the top of the stairs waiting for us outside of the double doors, Macy looks a little put out and when I look back I see Miss Perfection is laughing at something Ross has said, her hand on his shoulder, fiddling with his shirt collar.

  “Let’s go, ladies,” Corrine instructs before opening the door. The bass line of the music hits you like a sledgehammer, I can feel it in my chest and the atmosphere in the club is electrifying. Again, the lights and lasers disorientate me a little and all I can see is a swarm of clubbers dancing to the fast tempo of the trance track that’s being played. A fresh plumb of smoke is blasted out onto the sea of hundreds of clubbers who all have their hands in the air reaching up as if to try and touch the DJ.

  My eyes follow up to an elevated DJ box, high above the crowd like a god. I move further into the room trying to see if it’s Dayton who is playing and Corrine pulls me to the left side of the room to a bar three people deep. The dance floor is elevated by a few steps and blocked off from the tables on the outer edge of the room by hot pink metal railings. The bar is lit up with pink and purple lights and the club logo is on the back wall. I turn back to the dance floor and see the DJ box on the opposite side of the room. It is Dayton playing and he looks fabulous in a red t-shirt, a look of concentration across his handsome face. He has the headphones around his neck and one of the ear pieces held to his ear with his shoulder.

  The beat drops out of the track as a really uplifting melody kicks in and the whole room seems to stop and put their hands in the air, whistling and cheering. Dayton looks up from the decks and smiles, obviously on a huge high and he interacts with the crowd below. I see Luke join him in the DJ box and he greets him with a slap on the back before turning back to the crowd. As a drum roll of thumps kick in Dayton fist pumps the air before a loud crash booms out around the club. The music builds to a pinnacle high before it explodes.

  The crowd erupt, cheering and dancing. I’m swept up in the music and am enjoying being faceless in a sea of people to observe Dayton with anonymity. Macy taps me on the shoulder and tips her head to the back of the room. I see she is indicating an area with thick pink rope blocking it off from the rest of the club. It must be a VIP area because a member of security stands at the entrance. We make our way over and the bouncer instantly steps aside, offering Corrine a broad smile before he playfully smacks her bottom as she passes.

  The area is plush with huge leather booths, separate rest rooms and a private bar that offers snacks and refreshments. I’m quite taken aback by how luxurious it is. I never imagined I’d be welcomed in a place like this.

  Ross and Brent set up camp in one of the private booths whilst we ladies go to the restroom. It’s pretty busy and the queue is pretty long so Corrine drags me in the cubicle with her.

  “How hot did Dayton look on those decks? My god, I was re
ady to swoon like a fan girl.” I giggle and Corrine nods but before she can reply someone from the next cubicle drops in on our not so private conversation.

  “Tell me about it, honey. What I wouldn’t do to that man, I get moist just watching him work.”

  She sounds horribly drunk and I bite my lip to contain my laughter but just the look on Corrine’s shocked face breaks me and I snort.

  “Did you hear about last weekend? Someone actually threw her knickers into the DJ box with her phone number written on the tag,” someone else pipes up out in the queue.

  “How desperate? Dayton would never go with anyone so low as to throw her underwear at him,” a third person chimes in.

  “He gave them to Luke!” Voice number two giggles as Corrine and I exit the cubicle and wash our hands. Macy gives me a wink before clearing her throat.

  “Well, I’m sorry, ladies, but I have it on very good authority from one of his closest friends that he is off the market,” Macy pipes up and all heads turn to her, the hand drier stops blowing and silence descends.

  “So, who is she then?” someone from the cubicle asks and I give Macy a wary look.

  “She’s from Salford and works in law. She is absolutely stunning, too. She didn’t have a clue who he was when they first met, she’d never even been to Lexis before,” Macy continues.

  “The lucky bitch. If she had met him here she wouldn’t have got within arm’s length of him with bitch tits around,” an older woman in her late forties pipes up from the end of the room. She is employed by the club and provides samples of designer make up and perfumes for clubbers to use for a small donation.

  All eyes turn to her and there is a murmur of agreement going around the room. “Maybe that’s why the mystery woman decided to throw her knickers at him then, to piss Regina off?” I chuckle.

  “Maybe they were Regina’s knickers?” Corrine gets everyone giggling and the atmosphere returns to normal. We go back to the booth and thank the guys for our drinks. That’s when I notice Regina standing behind the private bar. I can practically feel her eyes burning into my back and sure enough I’m getting a cold glare from across the room. I simply look away, not wanting to lower myself to her level. I go stand on the edge of the dance floor and admire Dayton from afar.

  I see the way he controls the whole crowd with the tracks he plays, the way he holds every one of them in the palm of his hand and works them. When the music changes and the breakdowns kick in they go nuts for him and the pleasure is evident on his face, he’s getting a huge adrenaline rush from them, and them from him.

  When the next DJ comes up into the DJ box to relieve him for his break Luke exits first, coming down the staircase to where a member of security is stood and a small group of people are gathering. When Dayton comes down the stairs I watch on in surprise as they all move forward to him, wanting to speak to him and get their minute in his company. It’s so strange to see people crowding around him like a celebrity.

  He poses for a few selfies and shakes hands with a few men, kisses a few women on the cheek and declines offers of drinks by point to his bottle of water in his hand. I’m smiling to myself, remembering what he said about the attention sometimes getting too much for him. It takes him at least five minutes to get across the dance floor and as he makes his way over towards the VIP area he spots me. I give him a small wave and he offers me a sexy grin before saying goodbye to a group of four girls who are hanging on his every word. He pushes past the clubbers and stands before me.

  “Alannah, I’m so glad you came. You look amazing, sugar,” he compliments before pulling me to him and kissing me quickly on the mouth. “Let’s get a drink, what would you like?” He takes my hand and leads me to the bar. Regina sees us coming and I can see she wants to curl her lip but she doesn’t, she offers Dayton a megawatt smile instead.

  “Amazing set, Dayton. I bet you’re ready for a drink after that, babe?” She instantly pulls out a bottle of Budweiser and pops the cap.

  “Thanks, Regina. What are you drinking, Alannah?”

  “I’ll have a VK blue, please.” I perch on a stool next to him, my short purple tube dress hitching up my thigh. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Dayton. Regina puts my drink in front of me.

  “Enjoy, this one is on the house.”

  “Thanks, Regina. Come on, Lana. I wanna say hi to the others.”

  He takes my hand again and as I slide off the stool I get another icy look from Regina.

  Dayton is met by a round of applause from the gang at the booth and he looks modestly embarrassed. “Give over, you fools,” he chuckles before letting me sit down first and he slides into the booth after me.

  Brent looks positively sick with nerves now and Dayton slaps him on the back. “You ready for your slot, Brent? Only half an hour until you’re on.” The smile slides off Dayton’s face when he sees the ashen white pallor of Brent’s face. “Luke, you dumb ass, I told you not to let him drink too much before his set.”

  Brent looks at Luke through unfocused eyes before turning to Dayton. “S’not his fault, Dayt, t’was me who drank too much. M’sorry, man.”

  Dayton looks like he’s trying not to swear when he runs his hands over his face and rakes his fingers through his hair. “Shit, Barros is gonna be furious. Do you know how hard it was for me to convince him to give you this shot?”

  “Dayton,” Ross says quietly before nodding his head towards the bar where Regina is heading in our direction. “Brent, look alive.” We all drop silent as Miss Perfection slides up to the table with a blindingly white smile slapped across her face.

  “Any empties, boys?” she breezes but nobody has finished their drinks. “Oh, and just to be clear, there are no drinks to be consumed on the dance floor.”

  “We know this, Regina,” Corrine says in a tone you would use with a child. Macy and Dina are looking at Regina with pure loathing, surely she can feel the vibes blazing from this booth? Even the men seem on tenterhooks.

  “Seems not everyone got the message.” She turns to me. “You took your drink with you out there. Make sure you don’t do it again.”

  I am about to reply but Dayton steps in before me. “It’s her first night, Regina, cut her some slack. I’ll look after her, don’t worry.” He offers her a sweet smile, which she returns and places her hand on his shoulder.

  “Thank you, babe. I knew you were going to say that.” Then she flicks me a glance of disapproval.

  I resist rolling my eyes at her and look over the table at Corrine who is practically snarling.

  “Brent, no vomiting on my floors, boy. Move it!” Regina barks suddenly, taking us all by surprise, including Brent who snaps his head up and slaps his hand to his mouth. He bolts towards the restrooms which provokes chuckles from the men at the table but us women trade sympathetic glances. “Dayton, how the hell is he supposed to play like that? Dad is going to be livid. Would you be a complete darling and try to sort him out?” She practically flutters her eyelashes at him.

  Is this bird for real? I don’t know about Miss Perfection, Miss Schizophrenic sounds more appropriate.

  “Of course, Regina. I’ll go check on him in a few minutes,” Dayton assures her whilst flicking a glance of irritation to Luke who simply shrugs.

  “Thanks, babe.” Regina smiles before running her finger down his cheek. “You’re an angel.” She pouts before flouncing off back to the bar. I get a twist of jealousy in my stomach and I curl my lip, trading a glance with Corrine.

  Out of nowhere Dina starts clapping and bouncing in her seat. “I fluffin’ love this track, come on, ladies, we have got to dance.”

  There is a flurry of activity around the table as we are all shuffled from our seats. “Let’s go, Lana,” Dina squeaks, taking my hand and pulling me away towards the main room.

  “Are you coming?” I call back to Dayton but he shakes his head.

  “I’m gonna check on Brent first. You go enjoy yourself.”

  I can’t help but feel a little gutted but out
on the dance floor I’m soon swept up in the music as I rock my hips in time to the music. The bass and the atmosphere are intoxicating and I pop out some moves with Corrine. I close my eyes and go with the flow, grinding with Corrine and letting the euphoric sounds take me away. When I open my eyes I come face to face with Dayton who is standing before me, watching my every move, his lip caught between his teeth. I give him a lazy grin before I feel his hands slide around my waist and pull me gently to him.

  I straddle his leg and rock my body against his. He is firm and solid beneath my palms and he moves in perfect time with me, running his hands up my back and causing lust to ripple from my core. Just the feel of his hands on my body is doing explosive things to my libido. I turn in his arms and press my bottom into his groin, swaying my hips and pushing my back to his chest. He gathers my hair and pulls it back over my shoulder before placing a chaste kiss on the side of my throat and inhaling my hair.

  I close my eyes and revel in the pleasure of feeling him against me whilst I run my nails up his denim clad thighs. “You look good enough to eat, Alannah Matthews. You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”

  I smile and turn my face to his, tipping my chin and putting my lips to his. He returns the kiss and I turn in his arms, pulling him to me and going up on tip toes to deepen the kiss, needing to taste him. He explores my mouth with his tongue, making me groan and press the length of my body against his. He smiles against my mouth. “I take that back, you know exactly what you’re doing.”

  “Of course I do,” I tease before kissing him again, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

  Someone clears their throat and pulls on Dayton’s shoulder. “If you’ve finished, Brent is asking for you. He’s finished throwing up,” Regina snaps and Dayton looks at her in surprise.

  “Oh, shit, yeah. Sorry, Alannah, I’ll be right back,” he says to me before turning and following a very pissed off Regina.