by Claire Adams
I laughed and went back to applying my eyeshadow and eyeliner. After a moment, I regarded my reflection and adjusted the little black dress that I’d brought along just in case Grace wanted to go out. In our many years of being friends, I had learned to be prepared for anything with her because the unexpected was almost always the case when we went on little trips like this. Grace loved her spontaneous ideas and, more often than not, those ideas involved getting dressed to the nines and hitting cocktail bars and clubs. In that way, “spontaneous” had become, well, kind of predictable to be honest. But hey, it was still fun.
I studied my reflection. The dress hugged my curvaceous figure quite nicely and made my ass look great, if I did say so myself. I didn’t go anywhere without this dress being packed. It was my go to dress.
“You’re looking really hot,” Grace commented, looking me over as she grabbed her heels out of her bag. I waggled my eyebrows at her then did the same, sitting on one of the double beds and slipping on a pair of silver stilettos. “Keep it up and we both might get laid,” she added with a mischievous grin and a quick wink.
“Nah. Not tonight, Grace. I'm just not feeling it. I’m way more interested in dancing,” I assured her with a shrug. Honestly, I was much more focused on the job possibility we’d talked about earlier. In fact, my thoughts had been focused almost entirely on that since she'd first told me about it. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of finding a job in the music industry earlier. Now, all I knew was that I had to get this job somehow. My mind wasn’t really on guys. Especially, not players at a club that were only good for a one-night stand. That wasn't exactly what I needed in my life at the moment.
“Right, well, I’m sure we’ll do plenty of that, too,” she giggled, clearly a little buzzed from the pre-game cocktails she had already polished off. I, on the other hand, had barely taken a few sips of one. Grace was definitely the party girl out of the pair of us.
“You ready?” I asked. She nodded and stood up, twirling to show me her own skimpy, sleeveless dress. I quickly gave her an approving thumbs up and a grin. Grace did the same for me as I posed in a joking manner before I grabbed my purse.
“Which club are we going to?” I asked as we headed down the hallway toward the elevator.
“Le Venin Lounge,” she replied with a smile. I wanted to sigh, but instead, I simply returned the facial expression back at her. I really should have known that would be her choice. It was her favorite club to go to whenever we came down to San Diego, and like the other aspects of her so-called spontaneity I've mentioned, it was also becoming a little predictable. Really, I hadn't even needed to ask.
Le Venin was French for “The Venom” and the interior of the club — from the entry to the bathrooms — was done up in plush red and black. In a way, it kind of reminded me of what I imagined an upscale vampire club would look like, if such things actually existed. I was pretty sure that that must have been the vibe the designers were going for when they planned the place.
Truth be told, despite all the complaining I did about it in my head, I was actually fairly fond of the club, as well. We always ended up getting our drinks covered by the guys there without too much effort on our part, so there was always that to look forward to.
Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the club, and I followed Grace straight to the bar when we walked in. Sure enough, a couple of guys nodded in our direction, and a few minutes later, free drinks were placed in front of us. It had to be a record on our part. I leaned over close to Grace’s ear and said, “I told you this dress always works.”
We smiled as we took our drinks and offered an appreciative nod to the guys, with Grace throwing in a playful wink just for the fun of it.
“The one on the left is pretty cute,” she all but shouted to me over the music as she took a sip of her cocktail. I nodded in response.
I had to admit that neither of the guys were bad looking, but I was really just interested in dancing and having some fun tonight. Not that I couldn’t do that while dancing with a guy who didn’t mind buying me a drink or two. Of course, I didn't want to lead anyone on or get their hopes up for something that just wasn't going to happen. Still, I'd have to at least have a chat with them, even if that's all they got out of me. Not that I had a choice since Grace was already motioning for them to join us.
Both guys came over at Grace’s encouraging smile, and the one she’d been eyeballing started chatting her up immediately. The other guy seemed a bit shy, so I motioned to the dance floor and held my hand out for him. He took it and followed me out to an empty spot among the crowd. The club was thumping with a heavy beat, and I let him dance up on me, grinding and gyrating my backside against him as I took a drink.
“You’re beautiful. You live around here?” he shouted.
Ugh, he was actually trying to make conversation. Well, I couldn’t be mean, even if I wasn’t interested; he had paid for my drink, after all, and was being nice enough so far.
“Thank you. And no, I’m from L.A. We're just down here for the night,” I responded.
He slipped his hands onto my waist and brushed his face against my shoulder, so he could speak closer to my ear and not have to shout so much, I suspected. “Oh? Just for the night? That’s too bad.”
“Yep, just needed some time away and a girls’ night out.” I took another sip, not really wanting to continue chatting. He seemed to take the hint and turned me around, rolling his hips against me and smiling. I had to admit, he was quite handsome with his light eyes and perfectly styled head of dark, wavy hair.
“That’s cool. My name’s Devin,” he said with a wink.
“Nalia. Nice to meet you, Devin,” I smiled at him and took another sip. “Thanks again for the drink.”
“It’s no problem, no problem at all! There's plenty where that came from. Let me know if you want another.”
Oh yeah, he was hoping to get laid all right, and it certainly already looked like his friend would with Grace. For a brief moment I did actually consider it, but one-night stands had never been my thing and besides, I had too many other things on my mind. Plus, this guy seemed more sweet than smooth, unlike his friend who was already making out with Grace in a booth. I’d hate to mess around with him and give him hope when I had no interest in relationships at the moment. That would have been cruel and selfish on my part.
“I think your friend seems to be getting along pretty well with mine,” he laughed, nodding toward the booth where the two were sucking face.
I grinned. “Yeah, I think that’s a safe assumption to make.”
“Need a refill?” He motioned to my empty glass, and I nodded, thanking him and following him back to the bar. Grace eyed me over the guy’s shoulder and gave me a thumbs up as the guy she was making out with nibbled at her neck. I couldn’t help but laugh at my wild friend.
Devin and I both got another drink and sat at the bar for a bit making idle chit chat. I think he was picking up on the fact that he probably wasn’t going to score tonight with me, but he didn’t seem to mind and was still interested in hanging out. I found it a little refreshing that he didn’t assume buying me drinks meant I owed him something. So, after a bit more chit chat, I ended up playing his wing man when I spotted another girl eyeing him from across the bar.
“I think she’s checking you out.”
“Huh?” On instinct, he looked around, then looked embarrassed as he had been talking to me. I motioned toward the girl subtly, however, and he looked. “But I’m talking to you.”
“Yes, and you’re a really sweet guy, but I don’t live here and I'll probably never see you again. She might, though. And trust me on this, I’m fairly certain that chick is digging on you and that you should ask her to dance. In fact, if you don't, you might be wasting a really great opportunity.”
A confused expression came over his face, like he was unsure of what to think of my help. “You think I should go talk to her?”
I nodded, giving him an encouraging smile.
“Yes, really! I’ve had a lot of fun dancing with you and chatting, but I think that girl is into you, and like I said, maybe she’s local,” I added. “Trust me, I know that look she's been giving you. I know exactly what it means.”
His eyes lit up.
“But I don’t want to be rude and leave you here alone.”
“I’ll be fine! I promise. I came here to dance and I got to do that, and I have my drink to keep me company until those two are ready to go. I just have too much on my mind right now to think of doing anything else. Besides, something tells me that even though you might feel like sticking around here for quite a bit longer, those two are gonna be ready to leave pronto.” I motioned back toward Grace and his friend.
He laughed, then asked one more time if I was sure. I nodded and watched him get up and talk to the other chick. She gave him a wide, inviting smile and placed her hand on his chest as she laughed at something he said. Oh yeah, that girl would be much more appreciative of his efforts tonight than I would.
Twenty minutes later, Grace came up and grabbed my arm, the guy she’d been sucking face with behind her, arms wrapped around her waist. “This is Jackson, by the way.” She had a giddy look on her face that I had to fight not to laugh at. It was clear her mission had been accomplished. She’d found an acceptable suitor to keep her company for the night and was ready to get out of there and take care of business. “You ready to go?”
“Yep, let’s go.”
“Where’d Devin go?” Jackson asked. I nodded toward him and the other girl, already kissing on the dance floor.
“I think he’ll be fine,” I said as he glanced in our direction. I gave him a thumbs up, and he grinned. “Oh yeah, he’ll be just fine.”
Jackson made his way over to Devin and had a few quick words before the three of us headed out of the club, this time walking down the beach to our hotel. Grace and I took off our heels because walking in the sand in heels was a terrible idea. I could just see one of us tripping and going face first in the sand in our tipsy states.
Jackson seemed like a decent enough guy, even for a one-night stand, goofing off and making us laugh on the way back, at one point actually tripping himself by not paying attention. Grace and I giggled at him before she helped him back up and dusted the sand from his ass.
When we reached the hotel, all three of us went up to the room. I went into the bathroom and changed into a comfy t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants then grabbed my iPad. “I think I’m going to head to the lounge area, give you two some alone time,” I told them, slipping on some flip flops.
Grace mouthed a “thank you” and winked at me. I only nodded my head, grabbing my door key on the way out. There were some comfy-looking, red couches in a little lounging area on our floor, and I made myself comfortable on one, popping in my earbuds and putting on a movie.
Despite the distraction, my mind wandered to the job possibilities Grace and I had talked about earlier, and I couldn't help but smile. I had a good feeling about it. I wracked my brain, trying to remember the name of the agency Grace had mentioned earlier while we were getting ready, but my mind was still a little foggy from drinking.
It took a few minutes, but I finally remembered: North Star Entertainment Staffing Agency. I Googled their site and clicked the link, looking it over, and found a place to apply for more administrative type roles with musicians and bands. I couldn’t believe I hadn't known before know that jobs like this were an option. I doubted I would get the job, but it couldn’t hurt to apply, and maybe Grace would be able to give me an extra boost to get me noticed. Either way, I decided to apply then and there. After all, I had plenty of time to kill while I was hanging out in the hallway lounge.
Since I was most interested in the positions they offered in tour management, I bluffed here and there on the application, adding a few things to my resume that, if checked out, would fall right through. But I didn’t care. I had to do everything in my power to ensure that they would at least give my resume a second look. Either they would call me or they wouldn’t.
It also had a spot for me to add a headshot. So, I found a good picture one of Grace’s photographer friends had taken of me and uploaded it. It made a decent professional headshot.
Once I had finished applying, I curled up on the couch, watching the movie and waiting for Grace to give me the all clear. Instead, at some point I drifted off to sleep, thinking about how amazing things could be. A new career, a few connections in the world of music, hell, maybe even a new, rock star boyfriend… Who knew? All things were possible at that moment.
CHAPTER FIVE
Owen
Talon and Jay sat on one side of the table, both looking like hell. I wished I could have said I was surprised that they’d drank themselves into a stupor again last night. I wasn’t though, not even a little bit, unfortunately.
So here we were, sitting in a nice restaurant, and they still had their sunglasses on, with their hair strewn all crazily about like some drugged-out ’80s rock stars. Well, come to think of it, they weren’t too far off the mark, they just happened to be in the wrong decade. Seeing Talon drink, I admit, did make me a little wary, but he promised me he was doing nothing else and that he wouldn’t take it to the extreme. All I could do was trust him.
“So you get any leads on assistants yet?” Talon asked, taking a sip of soda. “And, why do you insist on going out for brunch? We are not high society debutants, ya know. Hell, I'm normally still sleeping at this hour.”
The others laughed and chimed in with similar jibes. I merely shrugged in response. “Since when is it a crime to like breakfast food close to lunch time?”
Talon smirked across the table at me and took a bite from his eggs. “It’s not. It’s just weird that you called it 'brunch' when you set it up. I mean, come on, dude, who uses words like that?”
I ignored him, shaking my head. “No guys, no leads just yet. However, I do intend to check some online later that Mike sent me. So, we might have someone soon. And then I can quit worrying about all this crap!”
“You gonna find a hot assistant?” Talon waggled an eyebrow, peeking over his sunglasses. “She'd better be easy on the eyes, dude. Seriously, don't let me down on this; I'm looking forward to it.”
I frowned at him. “I’m going to find a good assistant, Tal. Whether she happens to be hot or not is irrelevant. Whether she can keep her cool and do her job in spite of you dumbasses will be the real question.”
“I definitely think you need a hot assistant,” Jay added. Talon nodded his agreement, taking a few more bites.
“Why? So you can harass her and show her your ‘giant’ dick?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
The others snorted into their drinks. Talon’s grin only widened. “No. I was thinking so you can show her yours. I think you seriously need to get laid, bro. It might go a long way toward helping you lighten up a little.”
I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “How about nobody shows her their dick, guys? How about that?”
They all laughed, but my expression didn’t change. “I’m serious. No fucking around with the assistant. Any of us. Deal? Let’s do things right and not fuck this up. The last thing I need is for our assistant to quit halfway through the tour because she was harassed to a point of no return or she got burned by one of you idiots. We can't afford to have that happen, we really can't.
“We're gonna be on a crazy schedule, and any fuck ups could make the entire thing crash and burn. And you all know this as well as I do. So can we please agree to just leave the assistant alone and let her get on with her job?”
“Deal,” Jeremiah piped in immediately.
“Deal,” Jay said. The look on my face convinced him that I was serious, and he knew from years of experience when to quit messing around, and when to back down.
Talon, on the other hand, hesitated. After a moment, which I am certain he waited for just for dramatic effect, he agreed. “All right then. It's
a deal. I promise I won't show her my anaconda – even though she's the one who's gonna be missing out.”
All three of them agreed to the no sex with the tour assistant pact, and I felt somewhat relieved. My brother could be quite the horn dog, but if he made a promise, he did always keep it. We finished off brunch, chatting a little more about the tour, as well as adding a few more things to our to-do list. The other guys left, and I drove Talon and me back to my place.
“I’m really excited about this tour,” he said as he stared out the window.
“I know, man. I told you we’d do this if you got clean last year,” I smiled. “I’m pretty excited about it, too. I can hardly believe we’re actually doing it. I've got such a great feeling about this. Just feels right. Ya know? Just like the old days, before we hit it big. It's almost like going back in time, in a way.”
Talon smiled, pulling out a cigarette and rolling down the window. “I just really needed this. The band back together, us all hanging out again. Thanks, Owen. I really mean that.”
“Love you, man.” I patted his shoulder.
I did love my baby brother. We’d always been close and, to a certain degree, I knew he still looked up to me. He always had, especially when we were kids. When I started a band, he wanted in. He’d slaved over the drums, learning how to play just so he could be a part of it, and in the process, had turned into an amazing drummer.
And last year when he overdosed, it had really scared the hell out of me. The thought of losing him had almost killed me. I couldn't imagine a life without my kid brother in it, and that had come so close to being a reality.
That was the point at which I begged him to get into treatment and get clean, and I realized he was missing things in his life and hurting to the degree of trying to fill those voids with drugs. Without the music, he'd simply found another outlet for his pain. So that was another factor in my decision to get the band back together.