My Night with a Rockstar

by Mankin, Michelle

  Geoff rushes to her rescue and she stands, allowing him to pick up the tray and the broken glass. I’m irritated. I was enjoying myself. She turns her head to face him and I catch my breath. Her big eyes are soft and expressive. Her lips are plump and wet. Did she just lick them? I can almost see them glisten from here. Is she a model? She definitely has the legs for it. She places an angelic hand on Geoff’s arm to thank him and blows a loose strand of hair away from her face.

  I don’t believe I’ve ever seen her here before. I think I’d remember her if I had. She steps into the shadows where she’s working, and I can’t see her as well. There’s an empty table in her section and I move as I speak.

  “Small detour.” I amble toward her, assuming Dave is close behind. I slide into the empty booth, unable to take my eyes off of her. She speaks to the couple at the table.

  “I’m so sorry. Let me get you two new beers.”

  She hurries off toward the bar without even noticing me. She’s careful as she tries to avoid bumping into anyone. Standing patiently behind a group of men at the bar, she waits to order. Does she not know where the staff goes to get drinks?

  “Why are we sitting here?” Dave asks. “I thought you hated booths.”

  “Shh.” I wave him away. His words are making it harder for me to see her clearly. She must be new. I mean, I haven’t been here in months, but still. She looks like she’s never waitressed before. Who the hell hired her? Better yet, did anyone train her?

  One of the guys at the bar starts to fan her skirt and she spins to regard him, clearly uneasy. I bolt from my seat and hurry toward him.

  She turns back to the bar to get the drinks. I grab the guy by the back of the neck, leading him away from her as I push his head toward the floor. My bouncer, Tyrus, sees the commotion and joins us.

  “Hey. You’re Lucian Kane.” The speaking friend is apparently not as drunk as the others. It’s only eight-thirty. What kind of imbeciles get trashed this early? The one who can still talk, follows us.

  “Yeah, I am.” I return my attention to the man in my grasp. “Who the fuck do you think you are disrespecting one of my girls that way?”

  “Who me? I wasn’t disrespecting nothin’. I was just admirin’ the sway of her skimpy sssskirt. You make them wear that so we look, right?”

  “You can look, but you never ever fucking touch. Do you understand me? You’re going to apologize to her or you’re going home. Capeesh?”

  I feel him nod under my grasp, so I let go. He straightens his shirt as I point to Tyrus. “Make sure he says he’s sorry to the new girl or he’s out of here.”

  Tyrus nods and I walk back to the booth. As I slide in, I watch him tap the new girl on the shoulder. He seems to ask for forgiveness. Tyrus stands behind him with his arms folded across his chest. She nods and twists her body away from them as she focuses on carrying the tray.

  “What was that all about?” Dave asks.

  Holding my hand up to silence him, I repeat, “I said shh.”

  She places the drinks on the table next to ours and almost seems relieved when it’s over. She’s timid as she approaches us and pulls a little pad out of her pocket.

  “Hi. Welcome to church. I mean, Miracles. What can I get for you?”

  I stare at her for a moment and give her my signature grin. Years of photo shoots has taught me that this particular smile of mine drives the girls wild. She blows the hair away from her eyes through her bottom lip and shyly smiles back. She’s fucking adorable. “Aren’t you supposed to tell us your name?” I ask.

  “Oh, yeah. Blaire. My name is Blaire.” She pulls at her name tag to show me.

  “Are you new? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before.”

  “Is it that obvious? Ugh.” She pulls at the hem of her skirt as if it will somehow make it longer.

  “I take it you don’t like the uniform?”

  She sighs loudly and tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She isn’t wearing a stitch of makeup and yet she’s more beautiful than any girl I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen plenty.

  “To be honest, no. I hate them.”

  “Why?”

  She pauses for a moment and stares directly into my eyes. Her chest rises and falls rapidly. Am I making her nervous?

  “They’re too short. I went to Catholic school and this is not what we wore. What kind of man makes grown women parade around in tight schoolgirl uniforms? Are we trying to attract pedophiles here? I feel like a piece of meat rather than a human being. Obviously the owner doesn’t have a sister or any respect for women for that matter, or he wouldn’t force the women of this bar to dress this way. But that’s just my opinion.”

  Dave covers his face to hide his smile and I nod my head to her in amazement. No one has ever said a word to me about the outfits. She just became even more fascinating.

  “I agree. He must be a real asshole. Is he here? I can speak to him on your behalf if you’d like.” I look around the bar as if I’m searching for him. Does she know who I am?

  She smiles. “Thank you. That’s so thoughtful, but I heard he can’t take criticism. Supposedly he thinks he walks on water or something.”

  The smile drains from my face and Dave snort laughs as he takes a sip of water from the glass on the table.

  “Have you ever met him?” I ask, diverting her attention away from Dave and back to me.

  “No. I’ve never even heard of him. But that’s probably on me. I was never allowed to listen to his kind of music.”

  “Allowed?” I question. “His kind of music?”

  “Long story,” she says. “Anyway, what can I get for you?”

  “No really. I’m interested. Please explain.”

  She glances over her shoulder at her other table. “I really need to get their order.”

  “They can wait.”

  She shifts her weight from one foot to the other and I can tell this is going to be an issue. Scratching my chin, I decide to take care of this myself. I slide out of the booth and walk over to her other table.

  I crouch down next to them and whisper so she can’t hear me. “Hi. How are you tonight?”

  The woman almost chokes on her drink when she sees me. “I really need to talk to your waitress for a moment. Can you not mention my name and wait an extra couple of minutes for your order? It’s on me. Drinks too.”

  They fall all over themselves. “Absolutely. No problem.”

  We shake hands and I walk back over to her. “They don’t mind. Now please continue.”

  She glances over to them. They wave and smile. The man cups his hand to his mouth and yells, “Take your time!”

  “Umm. Okay. What did you say to them?”

  “That’s not important.”

  “But…” She’s worried. I can see it.

  “I’m buying their food and drinks. Now please answer the question.”

  “Oh. Wow. That’s really nice of you. Umm… What was the question again?”

  “You said you weren’t allowed to listen to the owner’s kind of music. What does that mean?”

  “Right. Well, my parents said rock-and-roll was the music of the devil. They said it led to sin and fornication. It wasn’t allowed in the house.”

  “Fornication, huh?” I question. “Do you have something against sex?”

  Her big brown eyes bulge. “No. Well… I mean… I think making love can be a beautiful thing between two married people.” She fidgets nervously with the pad in her hands and stares at it as if it’s the most intriguing thing she’s ever beheld.

  As much as I’d like to press the issue, I also don’t want to upset her. I can sense she’s extremely uncomfortable. My newest song, “Alabaster” starts to play over the sound system. I take the chance to change the subject.

  “I think this is one of his songs. Do you like it?”

  She listens intently for a moment and closes her eyes. I can’t help but stare at her body when she’s not looking. Her skin is toned and tan. I wonder
if she has tan lines or if she suns in the nude. I have to force myself out of the gutter. I’m not sure why. I’m usually perfectly content there.

  She opens her eyes and shrugs. “It’s fine.”

  “Fine?” I ask.

  “It doesn’t have much heart and he mumbles a lot. What is he even trying to say?”

  Dave shakes his head in disbelief as he regards her.

  “There you are. Why are you sitting over here?” Nadia asks.

  I smirk. I guess it’s time to come clean. “I wanted to meet my new waitress.”

  Nadia does a double take at her and rolls her eyes. “Jesus, Lucian. She just started today and you’re already trying to get in her pants?”

  My brows furrow in irritation. Even if she’s right, why would she say that out loud? It pisses me off.

  “Lucian?” Blaire questions, swallowing hard. “As in Lucian Kane?”

  I stand and reach out to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you, Blaire. Thank you for your honesty. I’ll take everything you said into consideration.”

  Stomping away, I can’t hide my anger. Even if sex is always on my mind, that’s not at all how I wanted to come across to Blaire. Nadia ruined everything. She must think I’m a pig. I shake my head as I climb the stairs to my table.

  As I sit down and pour myself a drink, I have to wonder. Why do I care what she thinks in the first place?

  Blaire

  I noticed him the minute he walked through the door. How could anyone not see him? I swear I heard an audible gasp at his presence. I’ve never seen anyone so charismatic that they command attention just by walking in a room. He is by far, the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in real life.

  When I dropped the tray and all the glasses crashed on the floor, I prayed he didn’t see me. I couldn’t even get myself to check. I just pretended he wasn’t there. But then he sat down at one of my stations. I was so flustered, I went to the wrong spot to get drinks. What are the chances out of the whole bar he’d choose one of my measly three tables?

  What was I supposed to say? I don’t know how to talk to men. I mean, I have five brothers and I’ve talked to men here and there, but no one person has ever made me so nervous just by existing.

  When I finally got up the nerve to approach his table, I could barely speak. His dark facial hair framed his mouth perfectly and when he spoke, it was like he was singing to my heart. You’d think that might have been my first clue, but nope.

  Was God testing my sweet tooth by shaking candy in my face? I blame Jesus for my love of beards. After all, he was the only man besides my daddy and brothers I was allowed to love. I’m sure that’s all this is. It’s just the facial hair.

  I’d always been attracted to guys, even though I was never allowed to date. The most I’d ever done was kissed Jack Jones behind the lake tree in seventh grade. After we kissed, I felt like I’d committed a mortal sin and I somehow convinced myself I was going to get pregnant from it. I swore if I wasn’t pregnant, I’d never do it again. And I haven’t. But that’s mostly because no one in my town would dare come near me.

  If my daddy didn’t scare them away, then one of my brothers would. The whole town knew I was promised to Jesus. He had no competition. Guys were afraid to look at me, let alone talk to me for fear of burning in Hell. I was like the plague. But tonight, for the first time in forever, a guy didn’t seem afraid to talk to me. It was the longest conversation I’d ever had with a man who wasn’t a priest or related to me.

  Ugh. How could I not know? Of course he owned the bar. Of course he was the infamous Lucian Kane―the man with a city named after him. I always knew I was naïve, but this just takes the cake. How could I possibly think he was just a normal everyday man? He stands out like a peacock in a chicken coop.

  Patti talked about him and his music most of the time she was training me. When she said he was attractive, I brushed it off. She described a dark, twisted man with tattoos. He sounded repulsive. I never imagined dark could be so beautiful.

  “I didn’t know. I’d never seen him before.”

  Patti rushes over when Nadia raises her voice. I’m shaking from head to toe. She tries her best to calm me by placing her hand on my elbow. I think about all the honest, yet nasty things I said to him about the uniforms and his music. I feel like I’m going to pass out.

  Nadia stares at me like I have three heads. “How in the fuck did you not recognize him?” She turns to Patti. “Where did you find her, Losers-R-Us? Did a spaceship land and you decided to hire the first alien you saw?”

  Nadia is even more intimidating than the head nun at the convent, and I thought she was bad. “I am so sorry, Miss Nadia. I can go apologize to him, if you think it’ll help.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I don’t know what you said to him, but clearly he’s very angry with you. I think it would be best if you stayed as far away from him as possible. Do you understand?”

  “Yes. Don’t go near him. Got it.” Patti tightens her grip.

  “And it’s just Nadia. No miss. Fucking dumb ass.”

  Nadia huffs away. I’ve heard more swear words today than I have in my entire twenty-one years and eleven months on Earth. This may look like a church, but it feels like Hell.

  “She was way too harsh. Just ignore her. I think you’re doing an amazing job for your first night.”

  I cringe as I turn to face Patti. “You’re a terrible liar.”

  “Did you really not know who he was?” She tries not to laugh.

  Walking toward the darkest corner I can find, I lean against the wall, hoping I can disappear into it. “No. I truly didn’t.”

  The look on Patti’s face says it all. I feel I need to explain so I start rambling. “Books were my only friends growing up. If not for my books, I’d probably know even less about life than I do now. That’s what happens when you’re sheltered your whole life. The public library is the only reason I no longer believe my period was God’s way of punishing me for kissing a boy. But obviously, the library didn’t teach me everything. If my library had any books about Lucian Kane, I certainly never saw them. I wasn’t allowed to read those books or listen to rock music. You see, when I was little―”

  Patti lifts her hand in the air to stop me and then glances over her shoulder. I assume she’s looking for Nadia. “While I’d really love to hear all about your library, maybe it would be best if we saved the ‘get to know you better’ portion of the evening for later.”

  I nod in agreement but my mind wanders. Maybe it’s best if I keep my past to myself. No one has really ever known the real me. My family never wanted to hear my thoughts or ideas. No one cared that I thought about becoming a teacher instead of a nun. As my father put it the one and only time I brought it up, “The subject is not up for discussion.” When Daddy said no, the matter was closed. Maybe I should close this discussion too.

  Patti waves her hands in the air to get my attention. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. Don’t worry.”

  I’m suddenly reminded why I’m hiding in the corner of a bar. “I said horrible things to him, Patti. Please forgive me. I hope you’re not in trouble.”

  She shrugs. “It wouldn’t be the first time and certainly not the last. Come out of the corner. The worst is over.”

  I shake my head and hug myself tightly.

  “We both knew this was probably going to be a one-night thing. If I knew I only had one night someplace, I’d say whatever I felt too! I wish I could have been there. Good for you for speaking up!”

  “When I’m nervous, I have no filter. I wish I would have kept my mouth shut.”

  “I’m sure you’re making it sound worse than it really was.”

  “I told him only a man trying to attract pedophiles would make women wear schoolgirl uniforms.”

  Patti purses her lips and scratches her head. “Kinda true. I never thought about that.”

  “Then I said I’d heard he thought he walked on water.”

  Her eyes bulge. “Well...”


  “And for the cherry on top, I believe I said his music had no heart and I couldn’t tell what he was mumbling about, or something. Why can’t I be a normal person?”

  She stifles a laugh. “Oh shit. You said that? Did steam pour out of his ears?”

  I cringe.

  “And for the record, what is normal? Look around. Different is in.”

  Slinking down the wall, I close my eyes. I take the dishrag off my hip and place it over my face. I’m so embarrassed.

  “Listen, I have to get back to my tables. Are you going to be okay?”

  I pull a corner of the towel away from my eye to look at her.

  She laughs. “Let me know if you need anything. You’ll be fine. I’ll get the food order for your table. Take a minute, then brush yourself off and get back in the game.”

  Pulling the rag off my face, I wring it in my hands and take deep breaths. I watch Patti take the order and bring the food to the couple Mr. Kane spoke to. I can do this. I just need to focus. After a few minutes, a couple of women sit down at the booth where Mr. Kane was seated. I force myself out of the corner to go take their order, tucking the rag into my waistband.

  Before I can introduce myself, one of the girls asks, “Do you know if Lucian Kane is here? We heard he’d be here tonight but we haven’t seen him.”

  See, Blaire, normal people know who he is. “Yes, he’s… somewhere.” I glance around. I have no idea where he went.

  “Do you think we could send him a drink? Is that allowed?”

  “I’m not sure. Actually, I’m new. Let me find out.”

  “Cool. I read he likes whiskey so we want to send him that. Like, up to twenty dollars.”

  The girl in blue pulls out a compact and begins to check her makeup while her friend in red keeps talking to me. They must have had years of training in cosmetics to be so good at it. They look like supermodels from magazines. I’ve never worn anything other than ChapStick.