by Lionel Law
Renee laughed in spite of herself. “Well, at least you said you’d stick around through the third set. Thanks for that.”
“After that dynamite second set? How could I not? That was just pure awesomeness, and I couldn’t believe how great you looked up there behind the table. You really looked at home, and more comfortable than you did all day on Monday.”
“Well, despite the outward appearance, corsets and steampunk are a lot more comfortable than wool suits. In fact, I think all bank executives should be rocking a top hat and goggles nowadays. Adds that sort of blend between professional and kickass.” Renee tapped her own pair, which were currently resting on her forehead. “You’d probably look good in a pair.”
“I might, but goggles aren’t really my thing,” he replied, coming closer and tapping at the lenses. “Tell me, in that dark room, how do you see anything with those ruby red lenses?”
She could feel his presence within arms length, and fought to control her breathing. “Well,” she said, resisting the urge to run her hand over his torso, which she could see from the slightly sweat dampened fabric of his shirt was impressively muscular, the way it clung to his skin, “the biggest thing is that my equipment is really bright. I mean, my laptop that runs a lot of it is kept at full brightness, and most of my controls and stuff are also lit up. I do admit it’s sometimes hard to see out in the crowd, although Bang Bang does a pretty good job of keeping the lighting where I can read the crowd well. You’ve been pretty visible out there, by the way. You turn away any more hot women, and the society pages are going to be buzzing with rumors about you tomorrow.”
“Oh, you’ve been keeping an eye on me then?” he teased, smiling down at her. She felt heat flush her face again and looked down, only to feel his fingers on her chin. She lifted her eyes, to see him smiling at her, pleased. “Well then, I guess we have more to talk about. But I think your break time is almost up. Can I catch you back here after the last set?”
Renee was almost too stunned to reply. Grady Voelker was hitting on her? “Yeah, for sure. Listen, Grady…. uh….”
“Later. Get out on stage, and show me what you can really do. I’m interested in hearing your Asian and American remix skills.” Grady turned and left the back hallway, and Renee had to take a few moments to gather her wits. Chugging the last half of her bottle of water, she made her way out to the stage, and settled in behind her equipment again.
The manager had been right, the drop-off from the second set was bigger than normal, but not as big as she expected. Her reputation as a DJ was growing, and she could see more than a few people in the crowd who she recognized from other shows she’d done. It felt strange to know she was getting real fans, while at the same time pleasing her. “All right all, Litezout comes back at you with a Bang Bang special. Here’s one that I just mixed and tweaked for you all, a little bit of Europe, America and Asia coming at you.”
The two songs were actually a bit old, but the combination was brand new as she blended Swedish house music with Vietnamese dance pop. The result was innovative and daring, and she could tell the crowd ate it up. The set flew, as she led the crowd on a high energy dance mix that toured the world, never letting songs from the same country repeat. Brazil blended with Japan which transitioned into Korea and Russia, before American hip-hop married to Chinese C-pop and carried the rest of the show. The beats flowed well as languages flowed and lifted, most of the lyrics totally incomprehensible to most of those in attendance but nobody caring. When the final lights came up and Renee pulled her goggles off, her face ran with sweat, and the crowd roared. In the back, by the bar, she could see Grady Voelker standing on a barstool clapping as hard as he could, leading the cheers and starting a call for an encore. The cry swept the crowd, and Renee felt tears come to her eyes. No crowd had ever called for her to encore before. Finally, she held her hands up and the group quieted down a bit. “Okay guys, uhh…. wow. Okay, I’ve got one that it totally new, I’ve never even tried it out before, but since you all have given me so much love, I’ll see what I can do for you.”
Settling in behind her table one more time, she left her goggles down around her neck, and launched into an experiment she’d just completed the week before. The song started off mellow, as she let the rock opera piano of Jim Steinman lead before getting swept away into the tweaked samisen of Japanese music. The two played off each other in a slower, slightly romantic melody while still having the expected energy of a club song, and she let her mood flow. When the last whispered words wafted out of the speakers and came over the crowd, the entire group thundered with applause again, and she bowed.
Heading to the back, the manager and staff that wasn’t working to clean up, greeted her with applause. “Amazing show, great finale,” the manager told her. “Listen, sorry I was on your ass before. You keep doing shows like that, and you’re welcome here any day of the week.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind next time I need to get my car fixed and am desperate for some extra cash,” she joked, earning a smile and a handshake from him. “Seriously though, all of you, thanks. I know the whole thing depends on you more than me. You kept the drinks flowing, the crowd happy, and the place going smooth. Thank you again guys.”
She waited in the back another ten minutes, until she was sure Grady wasn’t going to come see her again. Slightly disappointed, she reached behind her back to untie the knot on her corset, and headed out into the now almost empty club. She was shocked when she saw Grady on stage, standing behind her table, looking out at the floor. “It’s a great view up here. And the tech geek in me is still tweaking out over this gear.”
“Well, most of it is Bang Bang’s,” she said. “I just have the laptop and two boxes. I carry it in and out using a hand cart like you’d use for luggage going through the airport.”
Grady nodded, and looked it over again. “Still….. hey, do you like fish tacos?”
“Excuse me?”
Grady turned and smiled. “I said, do you like fish tacos?”
Renee blinked, and didn’t know if it was because it was almost two thirty in the morning or because Grady was so handsome, but she felt like her brain was stuck and she was unable to answer. Finally, she nodded. “Yeah, of course. What San Diego girl doesn’t?”
Grady waved his hand in acceptance of the wisdom of her answer. “True enough. I was wondering if you’re busy this weekend?”
Renee felt floored. Grady Voelker, the most handsome man she’d ever met, had just spent the past four hours wading through a sea of hot women, and he was asking her out? What the hell? “Uh…..”
His face fell, and he pursed his lips. “Sorry, I guess I overstepped my bounds.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I did come on a bit fast. And the girl at the bar said you were mostly interested in black guys. Still, it was worth a shot.”
Renee shook her head, surprised. “Whoa, wait. Sorry, it’s just that you surprised the hell out of me. I’ve never been asked out after a set before. But I’m sorry, I do have sets tomorrow and Saturday night.”
Grady’s face lifted, and he smiled. “What about Sunday?”
Renee thought about it, and shook her head. “Nope, I’m free Sunday.”
“Great.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Reaching inside, he handed her a card. “This is my personal cell phone. What’s your number?”
“Ah, five eight two, six seven one four,” Renee said, taking the card and holding it without reading. “Where did you want to go?”
“I read a review, saying that The Brigantine has a great fish taco. I’ve never been there, and wanted to give it a try. You game for a culinary adventure?”
“Sure,” Renee replied, grinning. “You don’t mind picking me up? I live in City Heights, you know.”
“Not if you don’t mind,” Grady replied. “Well, I’ll let you do your thing, I’d probably break half of this if I offered to help clean up. Good night, Renee. And I look forward
to Sunday.”
“Me too, Grady. Me too.”
Chapter 3
Renee was worried as six o’clock approached on her watch. She’d fussed and fretted over her clothes for the past two hours, trying to decide whether to go for something that would hide her size in looser clothes or something similar to her DJ gear, which cinched in all of the areas she didn’t like. Finally, at five, she’d messaged Grady, asking what he was wearing. Chinos and a casual shirt. Nothing fancy. U?
A surprise, she’d sent back, not mentioning it would be a surprise for both of them. Finally deciding on a pair of shorts and a loose top that hung pretty well on her, she’d just slipped her feet into her sandals when Grady knocked on the door of her apartment. “Coming!”
She opened the door, and one again had to control herself, looking at Grady standing in her doorway. He was wearing a black button down casual shirt and tan chinos, with a pair of sunglasses cocked up on his forehead. A pair of brown slip-ons finished the ensemble. He looked like someone who should be in the Land’s End catalog. “Hey,” he said, giving her a smile. “You look great.”
“This?” she asked, genuinely surprised. She looked down at herself, and thought about running to the back and changing. “I don’t know. I seriously couldn’t decide what to wear.”
He laughed and nodded. “I understand. Well, it works for you. You know, every time I see you you’re wearing a different look, and every time I think you look very pretty.”
“Really?”
“Really. And your choice is perfect, I hear The Brigantine is semi-casual, like a family restaurant or something. We’ll both fit right in. Shall we?”
He offered his arm like a gentleman, and Renee had to reach up to take the offered forearm. “I hope you don’t mind, but I left the Lotus at home today,” he said, leading her towards the stairs. “I use it when I have to be a businessman, it fits the profile, but I brought my Jeep today. I like it for weekends and when I just want to get out some.”
“No problem for me,” she said as he led her down stairs. In the parking lot, he led her over to a normal looking yellow Jeep, holding the door open for her. She climbed in, and started in surprise. The seat was as luxurious as any she’d ever sat in, and was almost comfortable enough to be a recliner. Grady came around and climbed into the driver’s seat. “You’ve customized this quite a bit.”
“The seats? Yeah, I had them refitted. I actually have a modular design on them, so that if I want to take this thing out into the desert I can. I got with a Baja car designer in the area, and he installed a changeout system, I can go from these for city driving to a four point harness for off roading in ten minutes. Maybe if you’re ever interested, we can give it a try.”
“I’ve never done it,” Renee admitted, “but it sounds good. Let’s get some fish tacos first though.”
Grady grinned and started the engine, which rumbled to life with understated power. Whatever he’d done to the inside, he’d modified under the hood just as much. She wondered for a moment just how many factory parts were still in the vehicle, but decided it didn’t matter much. “So how’s the ad campaign going?” she asked, trying to think of a conversation opener. She realized that besides having a ton of money, good taste in cars and even better taste in music, she didn’t know much about him. “I mean, when is it hitting the air?”
“Next month,” Grady replied. “But to be honest, I leave the office totally behind on weekends. My father was consumed by running his companies, and in the end it led him to an early grave.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “Can I ask?”
“When he died?” Grady said as he made a right turn. “Sure. It was ten years ago, when I was in high school. It shook Mom and I up pretty hard, but we’ve gotten over it. In fact, she got remarried last year to a really good guy, a doctor in Seattle. They’re happy together, so I’m cool with it. In the mean time, Dad’s companies passed into a corporate trust until I turned twenty four, and I took over last year.”
“Wow, that must have been a busy couple of years. You must have had to jam a lot of learning and education into those nine years to be ready to take over a bank,” Renee said, thinking about her high school only education. “Where’d you go to school?”
“I did my undergrad work at Hawaii, then my Master’s and Doctorate at Stanford. I chose Hawaii because my best friend at the time was totally into environmental stuff, and he wanted to study volcanoes. Where better than Hawaii? Kinda was a struggle adjusting to the more intense study atmosphere at Stanford though. But, I got through it.”
“I’d say. You’re twenty five and have a Doctorate? I didn’t even know they offered PhD’s in business.”
Grady shook his head and laughed. “It’s not in business. I got my PhD in mechanical engineering. As for the bank, that’s just part of the corporate portfolio. I prefer to spend most of my time building dreams and making new things, and let the corporate officers who are more interested in that sort of stuff run the business side. As the CEO though, I had to do that ad campaign. I’ll probably never even see a balance sheet on it. But like I said, no more business talk, okay? Tell me about you.”
“Me? Nothing too much. I grew up in San Diego, but didn’t have the grades after high school to qualify for any scholarships. I thought about community college for a while, or maybe a JUCO, but as I did, I just couldn’t think of anything I really wanted to go into that required the education. So, I decided to follow my passion and go into the DJ business. The commercials and modeling, well….”
“Just kind of happened?” Grady asked, grinning. “I can see why. Those eyes must have caught some talent scout’s attention.”
“Yeah, they’re my best feature,” she admitted. “But I’ve always had two strikes against me with my height and weight. Acting is kind of limited too since Hollywood, even as it opens up, is still favoring lighter skinned black women over ones who look like me. I mean, even Tyler Perry movies are lighter than I am.”
Grady laughed at the obvious joke. “True, but things are changing. Are you really interested in acting?”
“Not really. I mean, sure there’s some glamour to it, but I know I’m not the sort to be able to fake my emotions the way professional actors do. Besides, I enjoy music more than filming. Music is a lot more interesting, I think.”
“I was surprised at your choices and your reviews. No offense, but most of the black DJs in town focus on hip hop and RnB. Your mixes were totally different.”
They pulled into the parking lot at The Brigantine, and climbed out. Grady took her arm again as they went inside and were seated at a reserved table in a quiet corner. “You know Grady, you’re not what I expected,” Renee said as they sat down. “When you came into the shoot, I saw a playboy. Rich for sure, wearing that Italian suit, and driving a car that maybe a thousand people in the USA has. Then at Bang Bang, dropping your black card, it really was weird. But on the other hand, you talk and act like a normal guy in a lot of ways. I mean, as much as that Jeep of yours is nice, it doesn’t look out of place at all in the parking lot outside.”
“I honestly detest people who make their bank accounts the main focus of their lives. I’m not going to shun having the money I do. I’ll admit that I inherited most of it from my father, but I’ve busted my butt as well. Instead though, I take pride in my work, and in what I can do with myself and who I can be. I think the same is for you. When you talk about being on stage, you’re animated, you’re excited, and you’re proud of what you do. Meanwhile, the modeling and acting is just kind of dismissed. I think even if the finances were reversed, and you were making most of your money from the shoots, you’d be the same, right?”
Renee was taken aback at his insight and honesty. She smirked and nodded. “You’re right. Still, it’s rare to meet a man like you.”
Their waiter came, and Renee ordered. She felt a bit self conscious in ordering the size of dinner she did, but when Grady ordered twice as much, she didn’t feel
so bad. “Wow, you must have a very advantageous metabolism to eat that much and look like you do,” she said as the waiter walked away. “I feel like a total softie, and I’m always fighting my weight.”
“You look great to me,” Grady replied softly, looking into her eyes. “In fact, I think you’re very pretty.”
Renee was glad again for her darker skin which hid her blushing at his compliment, and took a sip of her lemon water. “Thanks. I do try and stay active, I mean I do yoga three times a week and go bike riding and all, but I’m not as thin as a lot of other women.”
Grady reached across the table and took her hand. “I’m not here with other women though, am I?”
The rest of dinner almost floated by for Renee, as she and Grady talked and enjoyed getting to know each other. She was surprised to find that despite their different current lifestyles, they shared a lot in common. In fact, their high schools had been bitter sports rivals. She and Grady had even once stood across the field from each other on opposite teams. “You did the high jump?” she said, impressed. “I always thought it looked like a fun event. I remember whenever we ran against you guys the jumpers looked like they had the most fun, flopping over onto that big pad. Wait…. did you have the nickname of Angel when you jumped? You had the CIF record your senior year?”
Grady nodded and smiled. “Yeah, that was me. I hated the nickname myself, but someone gave it to me and it stuck. I mean, Angel is a girl’s name, you know? You don’t exactly get a reputation as a masculine guy with a nickname like Angel.”
Renee laughed and took a bite of her fish taco, which she admitted was one of the best she’d ever eaten. The tilapia used was flaky and juicy, exactly what she wanted. “I don’t know, there were quite a few girls on our team who wouldn’t have minded the nickname. In fact, I’m sure more than some of them would be jealous of me right now.”