by Dale, Lindy
Henry smiled. “I couldn’t think of any other excuse to see you again.”
Daisy looked into his eyes. He seemed so genuine. “You’re making me blush.”
“It suits you.” He took a sip from his water bottle. “So, how’s Marsha? Recovered from her ordeal?”
“She’s fine. I found the hole where she escaped this morning and patched it up. She won’t be getting out again any time soon.”
“That’s good to know. Did Avery like her photo?”
“She’s already printed it and stuck it on the wall above her bed. No doubt she’s cropped me out. She can’t wait to get the hat. She said to say ‘thank you’.”
Henry nodded. “Anytime. You know, I had a really good time last night. It was nice to be treated like a human and not a sex object.”
Lucky he didn’t know what had been going on inside her head for most of the evening then. Daisy could lay odds that the dreams of those girls would pale in comparison to the fantasy she’d devised while doing the dishes that morning.
“I felt so comfortable in your home,” he continued.
“I noticed. There was no bread left when I opened the pantry this morning.”
Henry gave her a playful punch in the arm.
“Hey, did you get your VIP bag?” he asked, glancing around on the floor. All the other guests had been handed the bag containing a signed limited edition program, a tour t-shirt and cap and a fan only CD as they entered the marquee.
Daisy’s heart dropped back where it belonged. He was only being nice to her because she was a fan. She’d been silly to think otherwise. Their two worlds could never coincide. “Yes, I did. Thanks. I left it next to the bar. Avery will love it.”
“Cool. Don’t forget to take it home with you.”
“Mmm.”
Just then, Georgia appeared. Between now and the last time Daisy had seen her she’d reapplied her lipstick. Her mouth was now the colour of a ripe plum and looked every bit as edible. “There you are, darling.”
Sliding between them, she put her hand gently on Henry’s elbow and leant into the side of his body. She handed him the sunglasses he wore for the first part of the show before throwing them to the audience. “Come on. It’s time to do your warm up. Show time in ten.”
“Thanks George. You’ll make sure Daisy gets to her seat at the side of the stage, won’t you?”
Georgia’s body stiffened. “Of course. Now, get to it.”
Chapter 7
This was absolutely unbelievable, Daisy thought, as she sat perched on the stool that had been provided for her side stage, her bag of merchandise propped up on the floor beside her. Not only was she attending her first ever rock concert but she was also doing it as a special guest of the star. How would she ever tell the people at home? Nobody was going to believe this. Pulling her camera out of her pocket, she checked the settings. She’d need photographic evidence that was for sure.
Next to her, one of the stage crew was fiddling with a bunch of cords.
“Is it okay for me to take photos?” she asked.
“Sure, just don’t take them when the lights are dimmed. We don’t want the audience to get a flash from the side of the stage. Not that any of them would notice,” he added with a laugh.
“Thanks.”
The man bustled off with his load.
As the minutes until the show ticked down, Daisy became more and more hyped. Around her, crewmembers were making final adjustments to lights and sound while the support act finished up. A huge set of stairs appeared at the back of the stage and smoke machines were turned on to warm up. Every now and then someone would stop to give her a friendly smile or explain what they were doing. Daisy thought it was nice that they were trying to make her feel welcome when she was so clearly in the way. Henry must have told them to do that.
Then the support act finished and left the stage. This was it. Any minute now and she was going to see her idol. Live. Wriggling like a child in a car seat wanting to be let out, Daisy watched the light show that had begun above her head. Pulsing rays spurted into the sky. Images of Hawk Moon that had to be at least three metres high swirled above the crowd next to an automatic countdown clock that signaled the time left before the show started. One minute and fifty-eight seconds. This really rated as the best days of her life so far. Her cheeks ached so much from involuntary smiling she felt as if they’d become paralysed. Her feet jiggled on the rail of the stool. It was like the day her and Jack had got married. Her cheeks had ached then too. Not so much lately though.
Then Henry appeared beside her. He had assumed this look of quiet confidence ~ quite the opposite of what she’d expected ~ but it did nothing to dampen his sexiness. If anything he looked sexier than ever. Sort of rough around the edges. It made her want to hug him and make him soft again.
“Thanks again for inviting me,” Daisy said. Hesitantly, she placed a hand on his bare arm. She could feel his skin tingling with adrenalin. “Good luck or break a leg or whatever it is that rock stars say.”
Henry didn’t reply. His eyes travelled down to where her fingers warmed his arm. The corner of his mouth tilted a little.
“Show time,” he said and taking his microphone from a crewmember, he flipped his sunglasses over his eyes and strode out onto the stage with his arms raised in salute to the audience. The crowd went crazy and he stood centre stage for a second savouring the moment and looking like a modern day god.
As Henry, now definitely Hawk, launched into his first number ~ the song that had been the beginning of it all for him ~ Daisy sat in awe.
No wonder he loved it so much. No wonder people got hooked on fame. The noise from the crowd made her feel like a rock star and she wasn’t even on the stage. Henry must feel like the King of the World.
*****
Two hours and three encores later, a sweaty Hawk Moon exited the stage. Sucking in air to recover his breath, he locked his fingers on the top of his head and paced for a bit, appearing to listen to the still deafening roar from the crowd. As if on cue, people began to gather, congratulating him on the performance, giving him a towel to wipe his sweat, handing him a cup of steaming herbal tea and a bottle of energy water. He looked exhausted but pleased.
“It went off out there, right?” he asked one of the crew.
“It was rockin’ Henry. We got some awesome footage for the DVD. Haven’t seen a crowd reaction like that since the show in Paris.”
“Yeah, that was the night they threw undies at me.”
“And that girl somehow got through the security barrier and got on stage.”
“I’d forgotten about that,” Henry chuckled. “But I think this one was better. What’d you think, Daisy?”
Daisy, who until then had been so mesmerised by the entire concert she’d been unable to even sing along, pulled herself together. “I thought you were brilliant. But then, I’m no judge. I’ve never seen you live before.”
“At least you’re honest. Some of these guys will say anything to keep me happy. Right boys?” He gestured to the crew.
“Never!”
“You know we only tell it like it is.”
“Yeah, right,” Henry laughed, holding out his hand for Daisy to get off her stool. “Come on, Daisy. We’ve got a party to go to.”
Chapter 8
The journey from the Sandalford Estate to Yallingup, where they were to eat dinner was an ordinary car ride by any standards, if Daisy didn’t count the fact that she was in a limousine with Hawk Moon, surround sound stereo and a fully stocked mini bar. The conversation began with a blow-by-blow recap of the concert’s highs and lows. Daisy, being the concert novice, didn’t feel qualified to offer her opinion especially seeing as the only one she could give consisted of one word sentences like ‘awesome’ and ‘fabulous.’ Instead, she sat listening to the differing accounts of what each person had thought.
“Well, I dunno what it was,” said the man that Daisy now knew to be the bass guitarist of Henry’s band (how was s
he to know? He looked like a different person without the leathers and makeup.) “But you were on fire tonight, Bro. If I didn’t know better I’d swear someone put some happy juice in your water bottle.”
“Yeah,” another band member agreed. “And that impromptu solo at the end. Seriously, man we have to write that into the set.”
Henry looked pleased but said nothing. He merely glanced over at Daisy, an almost shy grin on his face.
“What about you? You having a good time?” he asked her, quietly.
“The best. If I ever go to another concert, it’s going to have to be fairly amazing to beat the experience I’ve had tonight.”
“Good.” Henry said, before sinking into a reflective silence.
By the time they reached the house that Georgia had rented for Henry and his entourage during their stay, the place was already glowing bright enough to be seen in outer space. Up-lit bulbs sent spirals of silver light through the eucalyptus trees along the drive and into the sky and the house itself was lit like an over-the-top Christmas tree with hundreds of spotlights trained on its walls and garden. It looked to Daisy like they’d cost more to run for one night than she earned in a week. Personally, she tried to save electricity in order to do her bit for the environment, not waste it on frivolous things like outdoor lighting. But then, she didn’t have a house like the one in front of her.
The house itself was breath taking. Long, sleek and white, it nestled into the sand dunes and surrounding garden camouflaging itself from the big world outside. Large banks of windows gave a view straight through the house to the pool and ocean on the other side. It was magical but just how did you go about getting showered or changed in a place like that, Daisy mused. Surely, anyone standing in the garden could see everything if you had the light on. It’d be like showering at the gym only a hundred times more public.
The limousine containing Henry, Daisy, Georgia and the others turned down the bitumen driveway and edged its way to the front door which instantly sprang open, spewing a few groupies and some of the crew onto the terrace in a game of adult chasings which seemed to involve taking off items of clothing as you ran. Loud whoops and hollers that sounded more like a footy match than a party, echoed through the quiet of the garden. Heavy dance beats followed in their wake.
“Looks like the party started without us,” Henry said, leaning to look out the window.
Daisy’s eyes widened as one of the men threw a girl to the grass and began to kiss her earnestly. Another tipped a bottle of water over them and they ran back into the house, semi-naked. What was she supposed to do now? Ignore it? Laugh along with the others who were catcalling out the window? Daisy had absolutely no idea. But these were Henry’s people and she was his guest so she guessed she had to suck it up. And anyway, she was positive it wouldn’t all be an orgy. Or would it?
The car came to a stop in a covered portico outside the house and the door was flung open revealing two girls, identical twins, wearing the tiniest of bikinis ~ matching, of course. Their huge sets of matching breasts bounced like rockmelons in a string bag as they leant into the car and reached across, grabbing Henry by either hand.
“Come on, Hawk,” the sisters giggled. “Steve’s been doing shots for twenty minutes already. We think you need to catch up.”
Trying not to choke, Daisy attempted to extract herself from the large mouthful of brunette hair extensions and boob that were pressing into her face. She thought she was going to suffocate. This was worse than having her face sat on by the bully when she was in Year Six. Did these people have no manners? Couldn’t they have waited a minute while she got out of the car?
“Um, excuse me,” she mumbled. “Do you think you could…?”
Sighing, she sunk back into the leather of her seat. Clearly, they couldn’t hear her, or if they had they were ignoring her. Either way, she’d have to wait until they moved of their own accord. She hoped it’d be soon.
With more giggling and adjusting of the breasts and bums that were falling from their suits, the girls dragged Henry over the top of Daisy and out the door of the car, where he landed on the ground with a thud. He rubbed at his knee and cursed under his breath.
“For God’s sake, girls,” he scolded, brushing himself down and standing, “Was there any need for that? I could’ve got out by myself. I don’t need a freakin’ entourage.”
“But we are your entourage, Hawk!” one of the girls exclaimed. “It’s like totally our job to help you out and do the little things for you.”
Henry groaned. “Well, yes, but that only applies to massages and getting me the paper. Not dragging me into the dirt. You’ve embarrassed me in front of my date.”
Date?
Daisy stopped, one leg out of the car and one leg in. Her ears pricked up like Rex’s when he thought he heard a rabbit. Nobody had told her this was a date. Suddenly anxious, she looked back to Georgia wondering what her reaction would be to Henry’s admission but the other girl had already opened the opposite door and disappeared into the house. Was it possible they were one of those ‘open’ couples that didn’t date exclusively? Or maybe she’d read their relationship wrong, something she was fairly good at if she considered her own with Jack. Whatever, Daisy had to know. She could never go out with a man who was seeing other girls. It wouldn’t be right.
Deciding to try and stay calm after such a shock, Daisy got out of the car and looked about her. That cedar-lined ceiling really was spectacular.
“You okay, Daisy?” Henry asked, his tone showing more concern that she was used to in a man.
“Yep. Fine.”
“Coming in?”
Daisy bit her lip. She looked around. This was so grand but grand was about as far from her life as polar bears living in the tropics. It was all very well to sit side stage at Henry’s concert, to be his personal guest but did she really want to go inside the house with him? As his date? Was she ready for what was going on inside? She’d read stories. She’d seen Almost Famous years ago at the movies in Bunbury. She wasn’t a fool.
Deep down, Daisy knew she was a small town girl. A trip to the movies was a big day out for her. And despite getting pregnant at seventeen, she’d lived a sheltered life until Avery had gone off to high school. Since then, she’d learnt all types of things she was seriously convinced she didn’t need to know, thanks to her daughter’s new life in the city. But did she want to take her life this one step further? Or was she going to sit around like a sissy and wonder for the rest of her life about the could-have-beens? She had no idea where this thing with Henry was going ~ or if it was even a thing. A cute smile thrown in her direction and a kiss on the cheek didn’t necessarily mean he liked her. It could simply be that he was affectionate with his friends.
“Daisy?”
Disengaging himself from the two little limpets that held him firm, Henry turned back towards the car, where Daisy was still standing staring at the pattern of wood on the ceiling.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Daisy gave him a weak smile. “Guess I’m a bit overwhelmed. This is so far out of my comfort zone.”
“You don’t usually stay out this late?” Henry teased.
“I don’t usually go out. Period. I’m more of a homebody.”
“Funnily enough, I am too. I just don’t get to go there very often.”
Henry took her hand. It was big and warm and it made her feel secure. Even the tips of his fingers, hardened with calluses from years of playing guitar, felt nice.
“Don’t worry. I won’t leave your side. And any time you want to go home, say the word and Joseph’ll take you. Come on…”
“But what about Georgia? Won’t she be upset?”
A deep furrow formed on Henry’s brow. She could see him trying to fathom out her cryptic question. Then he began to laugh. “You didn’t think? Georgia and me? After all the things we talked about last night, you think I’m the big rock star who waltzes in and claims any girl he wants? I’m wounded to the core.”
He pounded his heart with is fist, his face looking equally clownish and pathetic.
“You haven’t answered the question.”
Henry became serious. “Georgia’s my personal assistant. End of story. My life’d be shit without her telling me what to do and where to go, not that I’d ever tell her that. It inflates her own self-importance out of all proportion when she thinks she’s right and she can become a tad difficult to live with.”
“I can imagine.”
“There’s never been anything between us other than a professional relationship. I’m as single as they come.” His eyes twinkled as he looked down at her. “Well, I have been for a while. That could change, I suppose.”
Daisy tingled. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him. Henry was interested in her. As a woman. He wasn’t interested in having as many girls as he could.
“But Georgia’s in love with you. Doesn’t that make things awkward?”
“George’d like it to be something else, I know that. But I told her a long time ago that friends are all we’d ever be. I couldn’t be in a relationship with her. She’s the bossiest woman in the world,” he grinned. “I’d end up killing her.”
Daisy nodded. She liked that Henry was being so honest.
“Now is there anything else we need to clear up before we go inside, Your Majesty?” Henry asked.
“Don’t think so.”
“Good. ‘Cause it’s bloody cold out here.”
*****
Despite what Daisy had expected from her initial exposure, the party wasn’t that Rock ‘n’ Roll. When they got inside, Henry disappeared for twenty minutes to take a shower and everyone else sat around chilling and listening to music while Henry’s chef cooked them up a late night barbecue. Out on the terrace, the twins had the stereo blaring and were taking it in turns doing bombs into the pool followed by body shots with a man Daisy assumed was Steve, but there was nobody having crazy unprotected sex or taking drugs. There wasn’t even anyone smoking. It was a bit of a let down really.