by Alex Wolf
I loved showers. They were relaxing and one of the few times I was alone. The stress practically flowed out of my body. I washed up, wrapping a towel around my head and drying off before I pulled on my robe and tied it in a knot. I brushed my hair quickly and headed out to the kitchen, inhaling the fresh aroma of the coffee.
She always made it strong and a little sweet, just the way that I liked it. I slipped into one of the barstools and reached for the cup as she slid it across the marble countertop.
“Thanks.”
She smiled and nodded. “I’m going to shower too. Then we can get ready.” She grinned once more before going back to her room.
I took a long sip. I hadn’t had coffee since this morning before class. It was a miracle I made it through the day. Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything more than a protein bar either. My stomach growled, and I grinned as I set the cup down and went to get another one to hold me over.
Valerie hollered when she was ready, and I headed into her room. She was blow-drying her thick, straight hair in her bathroom. Music blared through her Bluetooth speaker.
“Is this one of the bands?”
She nodded, looking into the mirror. “Nine Muses.”
I had to admit, they had a great sound and his voice was raspy in that sexy way. I was a sucker for good music, but I didn’t see bands too often. I just used it as background noise if I was working on something.
“Aren’t they great?”
“He’s got a nice voice.”
She flipped her hair up to run a brush through it and smirked into the mirror.
I smirked back.
Valerie dried my hair and used her straightener to give it a sleek look before glancing at the make up on the counter.
“Sit.” She smiled.
Within the hour, I looked like a different girl with black liner in a pointy wing and heavy mascara. She added some shimmer to my face and slipped a dark pink lippie into her purse for later.
I wore a black dress with cute cap sleeves and a ruffled skirt that ended mid-thigh. Valerie insisted that I wear some of her chunky Mary Jane shoes as she slipped into a gray dress with thin straps and a loose skirt that flowed around her thighs. She was gorgeous, I had to give her that.
I smiled at her again before I glanced into the mirror. I looked good but knew tomorrow it would all be nothing but a reminder of the work I didn’t finish.
We left the apartment and took her car to a little bistro down the road for a quick bite. It was decent and affordable for my budget from tutoring.
My parents paid for school and a small part of the apartment, but they couldn’t afford to give me a lot of pocket money. My brother started college this year in San Diego, so they had to make sure we could both get an education.
Valerie was always generous. I was lucky to have her. Her parents had a lot more money, and she was their only child—a spoiled one at that.
I sipped a dollar margarita as we waited for our food, listening to her talk about the night before with Miller.
“Are you really just friends?”
She nodded. “Yeah. We like to hang out. It works.” Miller worked nearly every night at a bar, so they rarely spent an entire evening together. “It’s fun. Maybe you need a ‘friend’ too. Work out some of that stress.” She laughed when I raised an eyebrow at her.
“I’m good. I’ll save that for after graduation.” I had too much to do to even consider something like that, though there were times that I missed sex. It’d been a while. My second year at college with a guy I briefly dated. Not very memorable.
“Whatever you say.”
The waiter set our plates down.
I was starving and dug right in.
She stared at me and shook her head while I inhaled everything on the plate. Once it was cleared I looked up at her half-eaten meal.
“You done?”
I shook my head and slid a middle finger up at her.
“Come on.” She laughed and paid the waiter.
The venue was just a block over, so we joined the other people on the sidewalk heading that way. There was a crowd wrapping around the side of the building and down the street.
We did what we always did. Waited and people watched. Valerie looked around at everyone. It was mostly college students and a few older couples.
I leaned against the wall, already tired and ready for a nap after the big meal.
We got to the front and Valerie handed the tickets to the man before they searched our bags. Once through security, we walked inside and figured out where our seats were before getting drinks at the bar.
The older theater was charming, and I loved the vibe as I glanced around. There was enough light to make your way through, but it was dark enough to feel the excitement. I followed Valerie into the main room. Everyone took their seats as the place filled with voices and laughter. Valerie led us to our seats just to the right of the center of the stage, two rows back.
“I’m impressed. Where’d you get these tickets?” I had to lean in close to hear her over the crowd.
“A girl in my business law class had them but was going home this weekend. I bought them since I’ve been wanting to see these guys. She gave me a great deal.” She beamed as people wandered across the stage to set up.
I sat back and sipped my drink, taking everything in. Usually, if I treated myself to a concert it was in the nosebleeds or far away from the stage.
This was definitely better than working on a paper at home.
The lights went out.
Screams and cheers boomed through the room.
I shivered and looked around when Valerie gripped my hand. A blue light came on that barely lit the stage and silhouettes appeared like shadows moving through the haze. I tried to see more as I leaned forward. A slow drumbeat started as a light shone on a guy behind a large set and the blare of guitars filled the room. When the man behind the mic began singing, I recognized his voice from the song playing at the apartment. It was even raspier and sexier in person. The lights came on all at once.
There he was.
A tall lean body filtering through the smoke.
And then his face.
I couldn’t look away, like I was caught in a tractor beam.
I stared at the tall, muscular man behind the microphone.
My breath hitched, as I looked him up and down slowly, longing to get my hands into his tousled brown hair. It was that look that was messy but perfectly styled. A look that few men could pull off.
He wore faded jeans and a thin white t-shirt as he leaned forward, singing something about a girl with turquoise eyes. She sounded beautiful the way he described her, and I smiled as I tried to see his face in the light. He had tanned skin and a great body. It stirred something deep inside me.
He grew more interesting with every song. His voice had a huge range from low to high, and you could feel his emotion in every word. I was a shaking mess by the time the set ended and leaned back as I took a deep breath. I looked over at Valerie, who was giving me a knowing smile.
I laughed and leaned over to her. “I’m getting a drink. Want anything?”
“Yeah. Whatever you’re having.” She had to scream for me to hear her.
When I got back, we watched the headliner. They were a good band but lacked the soul that Nine Muses had. I’d never been to a show where the opener overshadowed the headliner. Jesus, his voice and the music haunted me, and I imagined him in my head the rest of the show. When the lights came back on, I let out a slow breath and grabbed my purse to leave.
Val raised her eyebrows at me. “I know what bar they hang out at. Wanna go?”
My exhaustion was replaced with a low hum of energy flowing through my veins and I slowly nodded. She smiled and stood, slipping her purse over her body before walking to the door leading to the street.
My heart thumped in my chest as we joined the other people spilling out of the venue, wondering if I’d have a chance to see him again—or maybe even
meet him.
Valerie shoved through a large crowd milling on the sidewalk, tossing a big smile over her shoulder.
I hurried to catch up.
David
I stood against the wall sipping a beer as I looked over the people that came backstage to hang out. There were more women than men.
They were all drinking and laughing when I felt eyes on me. I glanced toward the door and noticed a curvy blonde smiling my direction. She shifted her hair over her shoulder, looking like they always did.
I took another swig and glanced toward the other guys in the band. They were caught up with some groupies and I assumed they’d be occupied for a while.
They were trying to get me to go to a club, but I just wanted to go to our usual spot—the local bar I’d been hanging out at for years. A dive with pool tables and booths scattered around. A place where I could get some privacy.
In the beginning the attention was awesome. It grew old fast.
Basically, I just wanted calm. With the way we were soaring up the charts, the days of dive bars were going to be gone soon. I wanted to hold on to what little I had left for as long as possible.
I was rich from a trust fund my grandparents left me when I was eighteen. I didn’t need the money we were going to be earning soon, but the fame was something we all wanted for the sake of our music.
It wore me down, but the women were a perk. Being the lead singer, I was the mysterious guy—the one everyone saw first—the face of the band. The other guys had plenty of game, but I could look like Steve Buscemi and still get laid whenever I wanted.
I walked across the room and nudged Jake, our drummer. He looked up at me with a curious smile.
“Let’s get out of here. Hit Frank’s for a beer.” I spoke in a low voice, so no one would hear us.
All it took was one of these chicks to get wind of where I liked to hang out and it’d be ruined forever.
Jake stood and told the others we’d see them tomorrow.
They all knew where Frank’s was if they wanted to show up. We made our way out of the room and into the crowded hallway. Women stared at me as we passed. I was still riding the high from the show, but I wanted to hang out with my best friend tonight. I didn’t want the attention and to hear their stupid questions and ridiculous giggling and shit. Half of them couldn’t name most of our songs. They just wanted to fuck a rock star.
We walked through the back door and I led the way to the sidewalk. Frank’s was just down the street and I tugged a beanie over my head as we moved away from the theater. It seemed as though the crowd was too busy to notice us as we walked, and I breathed out slowly. “That was a great show!”
“Yeah. Awesome crowd.” Jake looked ahead to see the small run-down building. “You’re going to be headliners soon.”
“Looks that way.” I walked up to the doors and pulled one open. We went inside and looked around.
I breathed out a sigh of relief.
It felt like home.
I strode up to the bar, looking around the half-full room as I tugged the beanie down a bit lower. I took a seat and Jake joined me after ordering a round of beers. My eyes roamed to the TVs scattered around the bar, catching some highlights from the hockey game earlier. When I looked at the other end of the bar, there were two women were sitting at a booth. One had blonde hair with bright pink ends that hung down her back. She was pretty, but it was the other one that caught my attention.
A pale redhead with smoky eye makeup and a dark lipstick. She looked away when our eyes met. Maybe she was shy, but fuck, she was beautiful. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
I caught myself leaning toward her before straightening up. I didn’t know what it was about her. Maybe it was because she was different. She didn’t look like the typical groupies that hung around the band.
I looked away so I wouldn’t stare, but my cock strained against my zipper. My eyes rolled back over to her. It was impossible to look away.
She glanced up and blushed when I caught her. Whispering to her friend, they both looked over with nervous smiles and Jake let out a groan.
“What was that about not being recognized?” He shook his head.
I shrugged. “It’s two girls, not a fucking gaggle.”
“The ginger’s hot.”
My face tensed, and I ground my teeth. “Try again.”
Jake sipped his beer. “Staking a claim?”
I turned to him slowly. “Yeah.”
He snickered. “Of course you are.”
“Let’s send them a drink.” I waved the bartender over.
He leaned toward us, and I asked him to take the girls two of whatever they were drinking. I slid a twenty over.
He got to work and delivered the drinks, then nodded at me as he went to help another customer.
The girls smiled and held up their glasses in thanks as I stared the redhead down for a moment. I was a bit surprised.
She hadn’t walked over and thrown herself into my lap like most girls did.
Good. A challenge for once.
Finally, after several exchanged looks, I had to break the seal and headed to the bathroom. When I walked out, I wasn’t paying attention and crashed into a warm body. I stumbled and pressed her up against the wall with my chest.
“Jesus, what the fuck.” I pushed myself away and looked down to see the redhead, flushed pink and gripping my arms. “Oh.”
“You don’t have to be an asshole.”
I backed up a step and reached for her forearm. “You okay?”
She yanked it away and scoffed. “Fine. Thanks for the drink.”
She started to walk away and I grabbed her by the arm and spun her back to me. “I said I was sorry.”
Her eyes were deep green and big as she stared back at me. I didn’t want to move. Just breathed her in. There was a hint of cherries like body wash or something.
She stared down at my hand then back up at me. “I need to go. Nice show.” She started away from me.
“You a fan?”
“My friend took me. Hadn’t heard of you before.” She looked into my eyes and then at my lips.
I considered kissing her. Just to see what she’d do. I smirked. It was going to be fun fucking with her. She was shy and sassy, and I figured she definitely had a wild side to her.
The quiet ones always do.
The one thing that intrigued me about her—she didn’t fawn all over me.
“Have a drink with me.” I nodded toward a booth.
Her eyes widened then she shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Really? Interesting.
I backed away from her slowly. “I get that you’re afraid of having fun. Probably have some studying to do anyway.”
Her face tightened.
Struck a nerve there. Better keep it up.
She looked around like she was searching for someone to rescue her. Probably so she could run back to the library. I could tell by her type. Studious and responsible, the kind that shouldn’t have anything to do with a guy like me. But, I was her fantasy. She was into me and didn’t like that she was.
She was a Rubik’s Cube, and I decided right then that I was going to fuck her tonight.
“It’s just a drink.” I leaned down to her ear. “It’s not like I’m going to fuck you on the table.”
Her heartbeat sped up on her neck and a slight gasp parted her lips. “One drink. Only because my friend will kill me if I say no.” She glared up at me. “Nothing will happen, though.”
I grinned. “Sure it won’t.”
I gestured for Jake to join me as I walked to the booth. Her friend practically tripped over her feet running over to meet us.
I slid in next to the redhead and her attitude.
Jake took a seat by the blonde.
It was going to be too easy. The blonde was practically jizzing her pants looking at Jake. She was the key. It’d happen in three simple steps: I talk her into something, she gives Red shit about it, I’
m balls deep in Red.
That was the key to my evening being a success.
We introduced ourselves to them and the blonde informed us that they knew who we were before giving us their names. The blonde was Valerie and the snarky one next to me was Bristol. They were roommates and local college students, both graduating in a few months.
I pressed my leg against Bristol as we chatted. She moved away every time I did it.
Jake and Valerie flirted back and forth.
They seemed occupied, and I slipped an arm around Bristol’s shoulders as I smiled down at her.
She glared straight ahead but didn’t move my arm.
I breathed in the cherries again. I wondered if her sweet little pussy tasted the way she smelled. She couldn’t get rid of me now if she tried.
“What song did you like best?”
She let out an exasperated sigh.
It was a test. Most fans would tell me that they liked the latest hit, or they’d make up some bullshit because they didn’t even know the songs. Maybe she’d be different.
“There was one about a friend that you had to say goodbye to. That one. You actually looked like you felt something when you sang it.”
I raised an eyebrow. She became more attractive every second. Most people didn’t like that song, and it was my favorite too.
I looked away, still surprised by her choice. “Wrote it when a friend died a few years ago. It was brutal.”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to bring up old wounds.” Bristol was a girl that actually looked like she meant things when she said them. It was an endearing quality.
Most people wanted something from me. She seemed to want nothing to do with me after the hallway incident.
“It’s okay.” I changed the subject and traced a finger slowly over her shoulder. “What are you studying?”
She shrugged my hand away. “Elementary education.”
“You have to study for that?”
“Jesus, you’re an asshole.”
I laughed. It was so easy pressing her buttons. “What? It’s a legit question. How hard can it be to break a graham cracker in half?”
She didn’t respond.
Good for her.
