“That was amazing!” Brooke said looking deep into Ethan’s eyes.
“You’re amazing, I’m a lucky man.” said Ethan.
“We should join the others at the club.”
“Ok!” she said as she gave him one more kiss.
They got dressed and walked to the front door. Ethan set the alarm and then left as he locked the door behind them.
They got into his car and drove to the club. Brooke noticed the time on the dash.
“It’s after 2 AM, the club is closed!” she noticed.
“My brother owns it. We are fine!” he said as he smiled at her.
They arrived at the club to see streams of people leaving and many cars leaving the parking lot. Ethan pulled into a spot marked reserved 24 hours. He got out and opened Brooke’s door and held her hand to help her get out.
He pushed his key fob and listened to the chirp indicating the car was locked.
He walked up to the front door and saw James standing there.
“Good evening, Sir!” said James in a low husky voice.
“Evening James. Everything ok tonight?” he asked.
“No problems tonight, Sir!” he said calmly.
“Good to hear!” he said as he gave James a pat on the shoulder.
They walked in the front door and he held her hand as he walked up the stairs to the private room that overlooked the club.
“James is our head of security. He’s a good man, loyal, and hardworking! He’s been part of the gang a long time.” he said as they walked up the stairs.
Ethan opened the door to see a dozen people in the room. Hunter and Octavia, the crew and a few friends.
“Evening all!” He said as they entered. “You all remember Brooke?” he said as they walked in.
“You were gone a while. Did you get lost?” asked Hunter jokingly.
The waitress came by and placed a Bud in Ethan’s hand.
“May I get you a drink?” she asked Brooke.
“Crantini please, if you have!” she said quietly.
“Of course!” said the waitress as she walked away.
“We stopped by the recording studio. Brooke said she could sing, and I got her a spot on Monday night’s open mic. But I couldn’t wait to hear her talent so we took a detour!” he said to everyone listening to his story.
“And?” asked his brother.
“She is going to win this thing! She has the voice of an angel! Trust me, there is no competition.” He explained.
Hunter had a vested interest in the competition for a number of reasons. One, it brought a large crowd to his club every Monday night, where it used to be pretty quiet. And two, he made sure the open mic only presented people who had talent.
There were secret auditions for all the contestants and only the ones who made the cut got a spot on the mic on Monday night.
Hunter was intrigued by his brother’s boastful remarks of his new found lady friend.
“Can you sing a Cappella?” he asked looking into Brooke’s eyes.
“Of course!” she said without a blink of an eye.
“Show me!” he said putting her on the spot.
The waitress appeared with Brooke’s Crantini.
“Thank you!” she said as she had a sip to calm her nerves.
She stood up and cleared her throat. The crowd of the room fell completely silent as she took a deep breath and began.
“Let me call you sweetheart
I'm in love with you
Let me hear you whisper
That you love me too
Keep the love light glowing
In your eyes so true” she began to sing.
At this time the entire audience was mesmerized by her voice. You could hear a pin drop as they waited anxiously for the chorus.
“’Let me call you sweetheart
I'm in love with you
Keep the love light glowing
In your eyes so true
Let me call you sweetheart
I'm in love with you…”
The crowd erupted with applause. A couple of the guys from the crew whistled wanting more. Brooke grabbed her drink and had a sip.
Ethan smacked his brother’s shoulder with the back of his hand.
“What did I tell you? Voice of an angel.” He said.
Hunter stood and proceeded to clap his hands.
“Why? Why are you not making records? That was absolutely stunning!” Hunter said as he looked at Brooke.
“Thank you!” She said.
She then went on to tell Hunter the same story she told Ethan over dinner the night before. How she was singing her entire life, winning local talent contests.
“But Odessa is a small town, and we don’t get a lot of talent scouts!” she finished explaining in her Texas drawl.
Hunter grabbed his phone and made a call.
“Phil! Hunter! Monday night, put Brooke last on the card. She is going to bring the house down!” he said.
Hunter put away his phone. Brooke thought that was a rather short call at almost 3 AM.
Hunter looked at Ethan.
“You done good bro!” he said.
“Jorden won’t be very happy! She’s got some serious competition now!” Said Hunter with a wink to Ethan.
Brooke wondered to herself who is Jorden?
Chapter 8 – Open Mic
Brooke and Paige arrived at the club just after 8:30 PM. The open mic started at 9 and she wanted to make sure they got there in plenty of time.
They walked up to the front door and as usual James was there. There was a small line waiting outside the door tonight.
“Good evening Miss Brooke!” he said as he opened the door for them.
“Hi, James! It’s so good to see you!” she said as she smiled at him and they walked in past the line.
“You know the bouncer?” Paige asked.
“Paige, there has been so much happening in the last few days, I may have missed a few details!” she said.
They made their way to the seating area. The club was set up differently. There was the main stage, where the DJ had been in previous nights. But it was set up with a solo microphone and a spotlight shining on the mic. There was a cliché maroon velvet curtain behind the stage and there was a table with 4 chairs on the dance floor directly facing the stage.
Brooke looked up to the private room overlooking the club, but the lights were out. Ethan said he would meet her at the club as he had a few things to take care of prior to the open mic.
The waitress came by and they ordered a Crantini and a Bud.
“Are you nervous? I would be totally nervous!” asked Paige. “I mean, you shouldn’t be! You are amazing!” added Paige.
“Shut up! You are going to make me nervous!” she said.
The waitress returned with the drinks.
“14 bucks please!” she said.
Brooke gave the waitress a 20.
“Keep the change!” she said.
“Thanks!” replied the waitress as she walked away.
They each had a sip of their drink when a man in baggy jeans and a black and white T-shirt that had written “Crew” on it walked up to the mic.
“Test! Test! One Two Three!” he said into the mic.
“Ladies, may I join you!” said Ethan as he stood by their table.
Brooke stood up and gave Ethan a welcoming kiss.
“Please join us!” she said.
“You look stunning tonight!” said Ethan as he looked at Brooke.
“Thank you! I’m so excited!” Brooke was dressed to the nines for the show.
“Paige, do you remember Ethan?” she asked.
“I do! Nice to see you again!” she said as she shook his hand.
“Looks like we are about to get started.” said Ethan.
Just then Hunter walked on to the stage.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome! Tonight is the second to last night of the open mic contest, and I promise you,” he said before paus
ing. “Tonight will be a night to remember! We have a fantastic line up for you and it starts right now, with LA’s own Jorden Ponetti!”
There was huge applause from the crowd as Jorden walked onto the stage. She nodded towards a man sitting behind a table controlling the music background for the singers.
Music began to play and she started to sing Desperado by the Eagles. Ethan, Brooke, and Paige listened to the performance and applauded once finished. The performance was absolutely amazing! Brooke wondered if she could beat that performance, Jorden was phenomenal. She had been in this position countless times in her life growing up.
One contest after another she found herself waiting, listening to the competition and telling herself in her mind that she had this. She was going to entertain the audience. She knew she could do it. After all, all her life she was taught if you believe you can do something, you are right. And her confidence was at an all-time high.
Ethan sat with them and listened to the evening’s performers. He kept his arm around Brooke the entire night and Paige looked over and saw how comfortable they were with each other. She was happy for her friend.
Hunter appeared on stage, applauding as the last contestant walked off.
“Keep it going, that was a fantastic performance of Tom Sawyer by Rush!” he said. “And now, for our final contestant tonight. I am delighted to introduce to you Brooke Andrews!” he said.
Brooke walked to the stage and as she passed Hunter he whisper to her.
“Knock their socks off hon!” as he walked off the stage.
She smiled as she liked the vote of encouragement from Ethan’s brother.
She nodded to the music man signaling she was ready.
But no music played. Brooke stood there motionless.
Then she began to sing. A Cappella to Whitney Houston’s I will always love you.
You could hear a pin drop, the entire room was staring at her bold intro.
She paused after her a cappella introduction to the song. There was not a sound in the entire club. She looked over to the music man and gave him a nod.
The background music started and she continued to sing.
Brooke took the mic out of the stand and placed the stand to the back of the stage as sax solo rang out through the speakers. She started to walk throughout the audience as she began to sing again.
The audience was in complete awe of her performance.
She walked back to the stage, grabbed the mic stand and placed it back in the center of the stage and put the mic in the holder. Everyone in the audience was holding their breath for the big note and key change of the song.
Nailed it, a perfect performance! Everyone was in love with Brooke Andrews.
The club erupted! The loud applause, the whistles from the crowd almost overpowered the sound system and her singing.The crowd was on their feet. The applause was thunderous! The crowd stayed on their feet and continued applauding.
Hunter walked on to the stage and took the mic from her.
“What did I tell you? The best-undiscovered talent in LA right here! Every Monday night!” he said as the audience would not stop cheering for her performance.
Hunter stood there and waited for almost 5 minutes before the crowd settled down enough so they could hear him wrap up the night.
“That’s it for tonight folks. Next week is the last week of the contest. Come on down and bring your friends for another amazing night of undiscovered talent! Good night all!” he said as he turned off the mic and placed it in the holder.
Hunter walked to the table that Ethan and ladies were sitting at.
“Brooke, I am speechless! I knew you could sing, but fuck! That was beyond perfect! Whitney herself would be proud!” he said flooding her with compliments.
“Thank you! That’s very kind of you to say!” she said smiling.
Her smile was from ear to ear as she always felt fantastic after knocking a crowd on their ass.
“Well, I’ve got to go! My lovely lady is waiting for me!” said Hunter as he dashed off.
Ethan, Brooke and Paige all sat at the table and celebrated clearly the best vocal performance of the night. The clock stuck 2 AM and there were but a handful of people left in the club.
“Care to go for a drive my dear?” Ethan asked Brooke.
Brooke looked over to Paige unsure how to reply.
“Go! I’ll see you later!” She said, “Or in the morning!” she said with a laugh.
Paige left the booth and Ethan and Brooke walked behind her. Paige walked to her car as Ethan watched from a distance to ensure she got to her car safely.
Ethan opened the passenger door for Brooke and let her get in. He started the car and they drove off.
“Can I ask where you are taking me?” she said.
“You can! But I won’t tell you.” He said as he looked over at her and smiled.
Chapter 9 – Overcoming fear
Ethan drove to one of the well-known race sections that he had driven many times. He pulled over a few blocks before the on-ramp to the highway.
“Now, I am going to hop on the highway, and we are going to travel very fast!” he said to her warning her of what is about to happen.
“Oh Ethan! No! I’ll be sick!” she said nervously.
“No, you won’t. This car is a perfectly crafted piece of machinery. It is built to do one thing. Go fast! Unlike other production cars, when you go fast, they shake and they are off-balance, and easily lose control and wreck.” He explained.
“You will be in the seat of luxury and it will be like floating on a cloud. Keep your eyes wide open and watch. This is a thrill ride you don’t want to miss.” He said.
He saw the fear in her eyes.
“Trust me! Please!” he said.
His steely eyes melting her heart as he looked at her. The nerves were replaced with butterflies.
“Ok! I’m trusting you not to kill me!” she shouted at him.
Ethan leaned over and kissed her.
“DEAL!” he said.
He put the car into gear and drove off. She watched as he shifted through the gears, hitting the on-ramp at 80 miles per hour.
A few seconds later he was on the highway and he was well over 100 miles per hour. There was but one lonely car ahead of them. He shifted into sixth and hit the gas. The car hit 150 miles per hour and he could see Brooke nervously sitting beside him. Her eyes were wide open and unable to blink even if she wanted to.
“You ok babe?” He asked with a chuckle.
“I haven’t puked yet!” she replied.
He flew by the one car that was ahead of him.
“See that glowing blue button on the dash?” he asked her.
“Yea?” she replied.
“HIT IT!” he commands.
Brooke leaned forward and pushed the button. Her body snapped back to the seat as the car jolted forward fast. She looked over as Ethan had both hands on the steering wheel as he was locked and looking straight ahead. She looked at the dash and saw the speedometer reading 212 miles per hour.
“OK! Stop! That’s fast enough!” she said scared.
Ethan focused on the road ahead and said nothing.
“Please baby?” she pleaded with him.
“Ok, hit the button again.” he said with a smile.
She leaned forward and pressed the button. The car began to slow down quickly. Ethan let the speed drop to 90 miles per hour and by the time he took the off-ramp, he was down to a reasonable 60 miles per hour.
The off-ramp was not the normal off-ramp that they took during most races. It was quite a few miles further down the highway. Ethan took a few more turns and soon was on a single lane of highway that was pitch black.
He had just left the city limits and was approaching the hills just outside the city. With a few twists and turns, he drove up the hill to the top and parked in a small empty parking lot overlooking the city.
“Wow! This is beautiful.” She said as she looked at the lights of LA below.<
br />
“You survived your first speed test! And I didn’t kill you!” he said as he looked over to her.
“OK, that was pretty thrilling!” she said shyly.
Ethan got out of the car and sat on the edge of the front of the car. Brooke joined him. She walked in front of him and leaned her back into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her as they gazed out over the lights in silence.
“Thank you!” she said after a long pause of silence.
“For?” he said puzzled.
“The open mic. I never did thank you properly!” she said.
“You are most welcome! You were fantastic!” He said.
She turned to face him slowly. She looked into his eyes and kissed him. Lust erupted as it always did when they kissed. Ethan’s strong callused hands found her full breasts as he gave them a hard squeeze.
Ethan held her tight and kissed her deep. Her arms wrapped around him and in no time at all she wanted more. She quickly unbuckled his pants and slid them off.
She reached down and took his engorged cock into her hand. She dropped to her knees and took him into her mouth. Her tongue caressed the underside of his cock as her mouth clamped around his dick and she began to suck him.
It was not long before she felt her lover grow even larger inside of her mouth as she continued to blow him. Every time her head bobbed up and down on his dick. A few minutes later she had him rock hard and his fingers were running through her fiery red hair as he looked down to watch her suck him.
He clenched a fistful of her hair as he began moaning out loud from her talented tongue. “Your mouth can do all kinds of amazing things, can’t it?” he groaned in pleasure.
Ethan started to moan. Her tongue massaging the underside of his dick as she sucked him tight in her mouth was edging him nearer to climax. He kept a firm grasp on his fistful of her hair as she continued working on his dick.
She could hear him moaning louder and louder. She could taste his sweet juice on the tip of his dick. She knew she had him right where she wanted him. She relaxed her throat and pushed his cock into the back of her throat. That was all he needed to erupt again. She clamped down on his dick and swallowed every drop that he could produce.
Racer: 10 Seconds or Less (North Side Kings Book Book 2) Page 4