by J. O Mantel
“Eight p.m. And then afterwards is the meet and greet, and I want to look my best.”
“Of course you do,” Ivy added.
They unpacked their suitcases and put away their clothes. Sienna changed out of her travel clothes and into something more comfortable. Ivy was tired but she was too excited to sleep.
“Babe, how can you possibly think about sleep? This is Vegas. VEGAS! The one place we have been talking about since we were teenagers. We’ve never had the opportunity to be here because our work lives didn’t allow it. And now that we are finally here, all you can think about is sleep?”
Sienna rolled over and looked at Ivy, she was exhausted, she could barely keep her eyes open.
“Ivy, I’m exhausted. You know I’ve been waiting for this concert for months, it’s the only thing you and I have been talking about. Look, I’m only going to sleep for a couple of hours, I just need some shut eye. We can go out on the town later tonight, and explore the sites of Vegas. We’ll have all day tomorrow too, since the concert isn’t until tomorrow night.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right,” Ivy said. She had to admit, she too was feeling a little tired and could do with some shut eye herself. It was, after all, her first time in Vegas and there was a lot that she wanted to see.
Sienna rolled over and after a few minutes Ivy could hear her breathing heavily. She was sound asleep. Ivy went to her own room and changed into her pajamas before crawling into bed. She felt her phone vibrate as she placed it on the bedside table, she read the text message; Miss you already, babe. I hope you have a great time and I can’t wait until you get back. I love you, Dick x.
A smile swept over her face as she read the message. Love! They had been dating for just over two months now and it was the first time he had told her that he loved her. Meeting Dick was the best thing that had happened to her in a very long time. He made her happy, he made her smile, and he made her feel good about herself. She lay there and remembered their first date, it was right after his shift at Dominos, she never imagined that things would turn out the way that they have.
As she lay there, for reasons that she couldn’t explain, she started thinking about Jake. While she and Sienna were in Vegas, Jake was home, all alone. Ivy couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, Sienna was about to meet the one guy that Jake was so jealous of, and although Ivy had assured him that he had nothing to be jealous of, now that they were finally in Vegas, she wasn’t so sure anymore.
I miss you too. Just arrived at our hotel and having a rest before Sienna and I head out for a night on the town to see the sights of Vegas. She had no idea what made her do it, but without thinking, she finished her text with; I love you too xx.
It was a couple of hours later when the girls woke up. Ivy quickly changed and made her way into Sienna’s room.
“Hey, babe are you awake?”
“Yeah, I’m just changing, come in.”
Ivy walked into her room and was shocked to see that Sienna had actually made the effort to make herself look good. She was wearing casual denim jeans and a black blouse that, for once didn’t make her breasts pop out. Her hair was in a neat ponytail, and she was wearing her tan colored cowgirl boots.
“Don’t say it, alright!”
“I didn’t say a word.”
“You didn’t have to, I could see it written all over your face.”
“I was going to say that you actually look really nice. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with this many clothes on before,” Ivy laughed.
“I don’t know whether I should be insulted or flattered,” Sienna said.
The two of them finished getting ready, they grabbed their bags and headed outside.
“What shall we do first?” Sienna asked.
“I don’t know, it’s just after six p.m., so maybe we can get a bite to eat. There’s quite a few restaurants around.”
They made their way to the Italian restaurant which was located only two blocks away from the hotel.
“Have you heard from Jesse since we’ve left?”
“Yeah, he text me earlier when we were at the hotel. He misses me and just told me to have a great time. What about you, have you heard from Dick?”
“Yeah, he messaged me earlier too actually.” Ivy took out her phone and showed Sienna the text message from Dick.
“Oh wow! The ‘L’ word,” Sienna said.
“Yep. Do you think it’s too soon?”
“Hun, you’ve been with the guy for just over two months. I’m not really the best person to be giving you relationship advice. Jesse and I have been sleeping around for three months and neither one of us have said the ‘L’ word to each other. But it’s different for him and me. I mean we’ve already had sex, more times than I can count and that’s what makes it different for us. You and Dick are still…I don’t know, for a lack of a better term…getting to know each other.” She poured them both some wine and they continued talking.
“Yeah, I get what you're saying, and that’s what scares me the most with Dick, the sex.”
“What do you mean? Wait, is he pressuring you into having sex?”
“No! It’s nothing like that, he’s actually being a real gentlemen.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Like I already told you, I’m just really nervous about the first time, you know I want it to be special.
“Hold on a second, the first time? I thought you told me you weren’t a virgin?”
“I meant my first time with Dick, I want it to be special.”
Sienna let out a sigh of relief, she and Ivy had been friends for a while, and she was relieved that Ivy hadn’t kept something as big as that a secret.
After finishing their meals, the girls decided to hit the strip. It was their first night in Vegas and they wanted to do some serious shopping. They headed back to the hotel and changed out of their clothes.
“I don’t know if I have anything suitable to wear tonight.” Ivy said.
Sienna searched through her suitcase throwing piles of clothing onto the floor and bed.
“Here, try this,” she said, throwing a blouse at Ivy.
“There is no way that is going to fit me, Sienna.”
“Hmmm, you're right.” She fumbled through her clothes again and pulled out another lace, black blouse.
“Actually, try this. You know what, keep it. It doesn’t sit right on me anyway.”
Ivy looked at the blouse and her eyes widened.
“Of course it doesn’t sit right on you. It’s my size, my color and my style. Sienna, this is the top I was checking out the other day when we went shopping. It was too expensive. Hun, I can’t accept this.”
“Yes you can.”
“No, I can’t.”
“Yes you can! Ivy just say thank you.”
“Thank you, Sienna. It’s beautiful, I love it.”
“You're welcome.”
They finished getting changed and headed outside once again. They walked along the strip, stopping occasionally to stare inside clothing stores.
Vegas looked beautiful at night, the buildings lit up the sky, there were people everywhere and the atmosphere was pleasant. There was so much energy and excitement around and it was hard to find anything to be upset about.
Sienna grabbed Ivy by the hand and dragged her into a clothes store.
“Sienna, what are we doing in here?”
“Come on, you can’t expect me to spend five days in Vegas and not buy anything.”
Sienna purchased a brand new soft leather jacket, took advantage of the store’s embroidery service, and had her initials sewn onto the left front in a dark maroon satin colored thread.
They walked into several stores, everything was too pricey for Ivy, but that didn’t stop Sienna. Anything that she saw Ivy checking out, she bought it for her.
By the time they finished shopping it was well after ten p.m. The girls were now starting to get very tired, but they still had so much of Vegas that they wanted to see. A
cross the road, there was an Elvis tribute show and a few doors further down there was also a Liza Minelli tribute show. By this time tomorrow evening, the two of them would be sitting in the front row at the MGM Grand Concert Arena watching Dark Falkon perform.
After buying a cappuccino each, the girls slowly headed back to their room at the hotel. They unpacked their bags and lay their shopping out on the beds. “You know, you spend way too much money on me,” Ivy said, admiring the new clothes that Sienna had bought for her.
“That’s what friends are for. Besides, I’m here to stop you from making the wrong decisions when it comes to clothing. I mean that would be some serious fashion suicide. Anyway, we have a big night tomorrow, we better get some sleep.
####FRIENDSHIP####
Ivy and Sienna spent most of the following day preparing for the concert. Ivy put on a short black skirt, black heeled boots and the new blouse that Sienna had bought for her. Sienna was wearing the new leather jacket she had bought last night whilst they were shopping on the strip, a black mini skirt, a burgundy Tee and her brown heeled boots.
“Hey, you look hot!” Ivy whistled as Sienna stepped out of the bathroom.
“So do you, I’m glad I decided to give you that blouse. It really does look better on you than it does on me. And hey, you do have a decent rack when you wear the appropriate top,” Sienna added, looking at Ivy’s cleavage. The blouse had definitely done its justice for her tits.
“Thanks, babe. I have to admit, I never thought I’d say this, but I am actually proud of my tits, I think I can give yours a run for their money.”
“I highly doubt that,” Sienna said, adjusting her bra.
They finished getting ready and grabbed their bags. It was only a short walk to the MGM Grand from their hotel. As they walked across the street, they could see the queue of people who had lined up to see Dark Falkon. Ivy and Sienna both had back stage passes which they wore around their neck. As they approached the entry door, security looked at their ID tags and moved aside, allowing them access inside the arena.
They made their way to towards the front of the stage, the arena was already starting to get full of people as they all made their way to their seats. A security guard showed Ivy and Sienna to their seats, they were directly in front of the stage, in the center. People continued to enter the arena as Ivy and Sienna sat down and looked around.
“Holy shit this place is huge.”
“It’s amazing, right?” Sienna said.
Sienna looked around, she couldn’t believe that she was actually sitting in the front row at a concert of her favorite band, in Vegas. Looking up at the stage, she could see Lukas’s trade mark golden microphone and guitar in the center of the stage. To the left of the stage were the drums that Dave would be playing, Matt’s guitars were lined up in the center at the back, and to the right, was Tyler’s golden grand piano and other electronic keyboards.
The arena was still lit with the main lighting as people still made their way to their seats. There was some minimal colored lighting on the stage, shades of blue, green and red lighting blended in with the spotlight that shone in the center. LED lighting lit up the words ‘Dark Falkon’ in the backdrop as they flashed and lit up the stage.
Ivy checked her phone for messages, Sienna looked over at her and sighed, “Babe, what did we say? No phones, remember? Tonight is about you, me and Lukas. We are here to have fun.”
“Sorry, I was just checking.”
“Dick knows where you are and that you're with me. You can message him after the show.”
“I know, but I just miss him. I haven’t heard from him since we arrived yesterday.”
“Hun, he’s probably just busy. The guy does work hard, and besides he knows what time it is and he’s probably realized that you're already at the concert so he doesn’t want to bother you.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right.”
“I know I’m right. Now will you stop worrying about Dick and have a good time.”
Ivy didn’t argue, she put away her phone and looked around. The arena was now almost completely full, and she turned her attention to the stage. At that moment, the lights in the arena dimmed and the stage was completely alight and full of color. There was a loud roar and whistles from the audience as Ivy and Sienna fixed their eyes on the stage.
“Oh look,” Sienna said, looking at Ivy, “These must be the original seats that I bought.” There were two adjacent seats that were vacant next to her.
Dave walked onto the stage and made his way towards his drums. There were many whistles and squeals from the audience as young girls yelled “marry me” or “you're hot.” He smiled and sat down, gently tapping the drums with his sticks.
Tyler was the next one to walk onto the stage, there were more whistles and squeals from the crowd as he made his way over to his piano and sat down. He too began playing the keys, in time to the beat that Dave was banging on his drums.
The crowd continued their clapping and roars of cheer as Matt made his way on stage slowly. He turned and looked at the crowd and smiled as he picked up his guitar and starting strumming it to the beat that Dave had set. As they continued to play, the lights on the stage dimmed even lower and soon only deep shades of a golden spotlight filled the center of the stage.
With three of the four band members on stage, the crowd started chanting “Lukas, Lukas,” and clapping as the music in the arena got louder and louder. Ivy and Sienna started chanting and clapping with the crowd.
“He knows how to hype up an entrance, doesn't he?” Ivy asked.
“He sure does.”
Everyone continued chanting and clapping as the band played their instruments waiting for Lukas. The chants and clapping got louder and faster and suddenly the entire arena was in total darkness. The stage suddenly came to life and the crowd exploded as Lukas Dark stood center stage, his gold guitar strapped around his neck at his back. There were whistles and screams from the crowd, the lighting on stage reflecting off his shoulder length golden blonde hair. The crowd continued cheering, Lukas smiled and swung his guitar around.
He strummed his guitar and sang the lyrics to one of Dark Falkon's earlier hits. There was instant silence from the crowd and every now and then the occasional “I love you, Lukas” and whistle could be heard through the crowd.
Sienna sat there, her eyes not moving from the stage as she stared at Lukas. His eyes wandered through the crowd, throwing a brief smile here and there as he continued to sing.
“Wow! He's amazing!” Sienna said.
“He's ok,” Ivy replied, sarcastically and laughed.
Sienna couldn't help but bop along as Lukas performed on stage. Dave belted on his drums, while Tyler was a hit on the piano. Matt gently strummed the strings on his own guitar and performed the backing vocals, but all the attention was on Lukas.
“I’m coming home, baby I’ll be holding you soon,” he sang.
Lukas finished the song and there was a roar of applause from the crowd. Sienna and Ivy both stood up and jumped up and down, cheering and clapping their hands frantically.
“Good evening, Vegas!” Lukas yelled through the mic.
“It's an absolute pleasure to be here. How are we all doing tonight?”
There was a roar from the audience.
“You know, people always say that they want to have the dream job, a job that they love. I can honestly say, I'm one of those people. I love that I can wake up every morning and do my job knowing that it makes people happy and feel good. My band and I couldn't think of a better place to kick off our world tour than here in beautiful Vegas. So tell me, are you all ready to have a good night?”
Once again, there was a roar of applause and cheer from the audience. Sienna whistled loudly, almost deafening Ivy and Sienna looked at Lukas.
“Man! He's fucking beautiful.”
“A step up from Jesse, huh?”
“Jesse who?” Sienna teased.
“Let me introduce you all to the band, on th
e drums we have Mr. Dave Reeves.”
There was a loud roar from the audience as Dave belted his drums.
“Tyler Smith on the piano.”
There was another roar from the audience as Tyler hit the keys on the grand piano.
“Mr. Matt Wills on backing vocals and bass guitar.”
Matt strummed the keys on his guitar, Lukas walked over to him and started strumming his own guitar as the audience came to life with a roar of cheer once more.
“And then, there’s me…Lukas Dark.”
The noise from the crowd is deafening when Lukas introduces himself.
Dark Falkon performed some more of their older hits and then started on their more recent tracks. Sienna knew the lyrics to every single song and sang with the band, along with the rest of the arena. Ivy felt a little awkward, she wasn't a huge die-hard fan of Dark Falkon like Sienna, so she didn't know the lyrics to all their songs. In the end, she just decided to go with the flow, it wasn't as if anyone could hear her anyway.
“Thank god, I really need to pee,” Sienna said as the intermission commenced.
The girls headed out into the lobby and joined the queue of waiting women who were all lined up outside the ladies bathroom.
“So, what do you think?” Sienna asked.
“About?”
“My hair? The concert, Einstein! What do you think?”
“You mean Lukas. Meh! He's ok!” Ivy replied.
“Just okay? He's amazing if you ask me.”
“Well, I wasn't asking you,” Ivy said, sarcastically.
“What's up your ass?”
“Nothing! Sorry,” Ivy said. She really missed Dick. They had never been apart for more than a day since they had been together. The queue slowly moved forward and the girls both took out their phones and checked for messages.
“So much for no phones, huh?” Ivy said.
“I said no phones during the show, the intermission does not count.”
Miss you and wish you were here with me x Ivy text.
Sienna checked her phone; Hope you're having a great time. Can’t wait to see you when you get back. A smile crept on her face as she read Jesse's message.