When we got on the shuttle, I was relieved the couple sat in the back so I couldn’t see them anymore.
“Geez, Gia, you were really getting into the porn show out there!” Dana blurted.
“Yeah, you have got to get laid,” Brittany chimed in.
My face turned red but I smiled because I knew they both had valid points.
“Leave her alone, she lives a pretty sheltered life,” said Jo, knowing that my day consisted of work, going to the gym a few days a week, a frozen dinner, and maybe a date with my vibrator before bed if I wasn’t too tired.
“I wanted to look away,” I whispered, “but I couldn’t. It was like the time Dana wore those hideous hot pink shiny pants to the fair, very entertaining.”
We all laughed, even Dana. She was a good sport and she realized a couple days later how ridiculous she had looked.
The shuttle pulled up to the gate and we all glanced at each other, grinning, ready to start our weekend.
Chapter 4
After entering the gate and trading in our tickets for wristbands, we decided to get drinks. There were little bars set up all around the arena, along with t-shirt shops, tattoo and piercing joints, and eateries. We grabbed our first round, made a toast to the weekend and watched through a Plexiglas wall as a chick was getting a little rose tattoo on her shoulder.
“We should all get matching tattoos!” said Brittany excitedly, “Or maybe belly button rings!” She was still young enough to want those things, but the rest of us agreed it wasn’t going to happen, no matter how drunk we got.
We heard the announcer getting ready to introduce the first band, so we made our way to the crowd of thousands in front of the stage.
“Do you wanna have a good time?” the announcer yelled into the microphone. The crowd went wild.
“I said do you wanna have a fucking good time?” he screamed again. The crowd roared louder. I got goose bumps and those butterflies were back.
“Here they are—Trixter!” The crowd exploded as the four band members ran out on stage and started belting out one of their biggest hits. Everyone, including the four of us, began singing along and dancing. It didn’t take long for some guys to come over and start dancing with us. The one I got stuck with was about six and a half feet tall and reeked of skunk. I was checking out Dana’s dance partner, nice ass, tan, muscular guy with really white teeth, she seemed pretty happy. Jo and Brittany were more so dancing with each other and the guys around us seemed pretty happy about watching that. I had to get away from this skunky dude, so I grabbed Dana to head to the restroom and get another round. She told White Teeth she’d be right back and he winked at her.
“I’ll be looking for a new dance partner when we get back,” I told Dana. “That guy is giving me a headache.”
“Mine will do for now,” said Dana, “until someone better comes along.” She smiled a devilish smile. “I can tell he’s a little too straight-laced for me!”
The bathrooms looked like porta-potties, but when you entered them they were much nicer, they even flushed. They had attendants who went in and wiped down after each person came out and there was soap, hot water, towels, and hand sanitizer by the entrance. They were also separated, men’s and women’s, although I think the men’s actually were porta-potties. As I walked out of mine, I happened to glance across to the men’s and there he was—Jason. My butterflies were back.
He didn’t see me right away, so I followed him to the sinks, came up behind him, and whispered right behind his ear, “I saved you a dance.”
He swung around so fast he almost knocked me over. “Hey, gorgeous!” he said and gave me his usual peck on the cheek. It felt so good to see him. He looked amazing in his faded jeans and Crüe shirt, which emphasized his muscles, and those lips—yummy! The smell of him made me start to salivate. I was so relieved to have run into him, now I didn’t have to dance with Skunky anymore!
Dana walked up. “Hey, Jason, you’re just in time to buy us a drink,” she teased.
Jason laughed. “Of course I would love to, but, uh, I’m kind of with someone tonight. Sorry, Gia. I would’ve loved to get that dance—maybe another time, okay?” Just like it was no big deal, like I was just any girl, no one special. My heart sank, the butterflies flew away.
“Sure,” I said, trying to mask my heartbreak. I wanted to say, “Please don’t go, be with me tonight. I need you, I’m lonely and horny and you have been in my thoughts since I saw you in the garage, what about the ‘unfinished business’ we have?” But I didn’t, of course.
“Have fun girls, and be careful. There are a lot of drunk guys out there tonight,” and he was off.
I felt like an idiot. Here I’d been thinking of running into him, dancing with him, touching him, kissing him, even fucking him this time, and he’s “kind of with someone tonight.” What the hell does that mean, anyway? He ran into some bimbo up here and knows she’s a sure thing, so she trumps me? Screw him, he’s nothing but a he-whore, even though he makes me feel so good when he calls me gorgeous and touches me every time he sees me, screw him!
Dana could tell my mood had drastically changed. “Gia, what’s wrong?”
“Let’s get a drink; I’m fine,” I said.
I made a beeline for the nearest bar. Dana had to jog to catch up. “Sweetie, what happened? You know you can tell me anything, did Jason say something to upset you?”
“No, I was just reading into something that wasn’t there, that’s all. I just really don’t want to talk about it, and I don’t want to be around Skunky anymore, either, so I hope you weren’t too attached to White Teeth.”
“Not at all, we’ll get our drinks, go get the girls, and move to a new spot, a hot spot, a Gia’s-gonna-get-her-groove-back spot!” She always knew how to get me to smile. I felt like this night could be salvaged. Thank goodness I have Dana.
***
As we were waiting in line for drinks, the band started singing one of our favorite songs. Dana and I were singing and dancing along. I noticed this guy, this really hot guy, kept looking my way. I figured he was trying to figure out who the two spazzes were dancing in his beer line. But as we got closer, my eyes caught his and he smiled. I looked around, thinking I had to be mistaken. There must be a really hot girl he was looking at. But, no, when I looked back, he was still looking at me and smiling! My face turned red and the butterflies were fluttering. He was behind the counter, helping the two scantily dressed, very pretty bartenders. Was he a barback? Whatever, I don’t care, he’s smiling at me and he’s absolutely hot!
While I was trying to process all this, Dana noticed. “Holy shit, Gia, that God behind the counter is totally checking you out!” She looked at him, then at me, then back at him again. Our eyes stayed locked on each other until one of the half naked girls said something to him and he grabbed some ice and dumped it in her sink.
“Do you know him?” Dana asked.
“No, but I want to,” I said in a half whisper, still watching his every move.
“The way you two were looking at each other, I thought maybe you knew him, from way back or something. Gia, take a breath, for crying out loud.”
I hadn’t noticed I was holding my breath, but I knew I was standing very still, like if I moved I would wake up, and I definitely did not want to wake up yet.
“Four Michelob Ultras, please.” I heard Dana’s voice. I hadn’t even noticed we were up.
“I got those,” the babe behind the bar said. His voice was super sexy, I wanted to jump over the bar and straddle him.
I looked at him and our eyes locked again. “That’s really nice of you,” I said, “but you’re gonna be broke by the end of the night if you’re this generous to all the girls.”
The girl at the register giggled. I wasn’t sure why, but he responded, “I’ll take my chances, besides, that’s the only round I’ve offered to get so far tonight, so I think I’ll be okay.”
“And why are we so deserving of your generosity?” I couldn’t believe I
was able to carry on this banter, what with my heart racing, butterflies fluttering, and knees about to give out.
“Well, what kind of guy would I be if I didn’t buy the girl with the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen a beer?”
I blushed, still locked into his stare, not believing what he had just said, right here in front of all these people, who were now looking at me, probably thinking, what the hell is that guy talking about, she doesn’t have the most beautiful anything. I didn’t want to look away, but I had to, I was losing my confidence, feeling embarrassed.
“Thank you,” I managed to mumble, “that’s really sweet.” I sounded like an idiot, what happened to the clever banter I had just moments ago? I get the best compliment I’ve ever gotten from the hottest guy I’ve ever seen, that sounded as sincere as could be, and I turn into a dork. Nice, real nice. I’ll be alone for the rest of my life.
“You’re welcome, enjoy,” he said and his walkie talkie started blaring something about a fight and with a quick smile at me, he rushed off.
“Next!” The half naked girl brought me back to earth. Dana and I grabbed our beers and started back to find the girls.
“Gia, you have got to find that guy again, he’s totally into you, and he is seriously smoking hot,” she slowed down as she said ‘seriously smoking’ and pronounced them very meticulously.
“I know, right?” I said because I couldn’t say anything else, I was still in idiot mode, just trying to remember every word he said and exactly how he said it so I would never, ever forget it.
When we reached the girls, they grabbed their beers like they hadn’t had liquid for days and continued their girl-on-girl dancing show, which seemed to please everyone around us.
“I’m gonna say good-bye to Kevin and then we’ll find a better spot!” Dana shouted to me so I could hear her above the music. Oh, her and White Teeth must be on a first name basis.
“Okay!” I yelled back, shaking my head up and down enthusiastically. I needed to make sure our new spot had a clear view of that bar we were just at because as soon as he returned, I was going to become very thirsty. Dana was close when she called him a god. He was Herculean. I could see him dressed like a Roman gladiator, the brown leather body armor that ended about mid-thigh, leather wrist cuffs and arm bands that held tight around his huge biceps, leather sandals that laced up the calf hugging his perfectly toned leg, and the bare thighs, so strong and powerful, pulsating with each step. A matching leather headpiece with gold medallions and his dark hair spilling out all around it, yes, I could picture it so clearly, even though I hadn’t actually seen his bare legs or chest, I was quite certain they matched the tan athletic build of his upper body. The t-shirt he had on was plain black and just said “Staff” on it, just like fifty other dudes running around this place had on. Of course, none of them were filling it out the way Hercules was.
“Let’s roll!” Dana interrupted my Roman fantasy.
I led the way through the crowd because I had to be able to see him when he returned to the bar. I stopped when I found a hole big enough for the four of us to stand. There were some really cute guys around, so it would do.
“Jo and I will go get another round and use the restroom before the next band starts,” Brittany said as she grabbed Jo’s arm and headed back through the crowd. Dana and I started making chit-chat with the people around us, having a great time. I was feeling buzzed and on top of the world. I didn’t know if it was a contact high from Skunky or the compliment from my Roman gladiator, but either way, I was glad to have this feeling, especially after my run in with Jason.
***
The girls got back just in time for the next band to be announced. We all loved them and knew all their songs. We sang along, as did most of the crowd. We shoved our drinks up in the air every time we wanted to emphasize a word or phrase and danced with each other and everyone around us. This was my thing, my favorite thing, outdoor concerts with good friends, having a few drinks, laughing, and carrying on. I made sure to keep checking out the bar, no sign of him. What was I going to say to him when he came back? Was he ever coming back? What if I never saw him again? No, I couldn’t think like that, we were here until Sunday and he worked here, so I had to run into him at some point, didn’t I? I wasn’t going to get obsessed about it, I was just going to continue to have as much fun as I wanted and whatever happened, happened.
All the lighters went up in the air as the band was acoustically starting their most popular love song. The guy behind me that had been dancing and flirting with us all night grabbed me around the waist and pulled me in to him to dance. He seemed very sweet and non-threatening, so I went with it. It was nice to hold his hand and sing to each other with goofy faces as we were pretending to hit the high notes. Every once in a while he would twirl me around and hug me back to him. This was one of the things I loved about this place, sharing a good time with someone I’d never met, didn’t even know his name, probably would never see again, but felt close to at the moment because of our mutual love of a song. He dipped me at the end, what a doll. I kissed him on the cheek and gave him a little wink. He winked back and we all started bouncing up and down as the next song blared out. This must be their encore, two big hits, make the crowd go wild and remember why we loved them so much, and “good-night, see you next year, keep-rockin’!”
“Wow, what a show!” Dana yelled at me, although the music had stopped and we didn’t have to scream anymore.
“I know! I’m having such a great time!”
“Me too,” Dana said, quieter this time. “One more band to go tonight and then we get to do this all again tomorrow and Sunday, life is good!” She had a drunken smile and looked as though she was having some kind of spiritual moment.
I laughed. “You look like you’re feeling as good as I am. Shall we get another round and use the bathroom before the next one starts?”
“Absofuckenlutely!” she said with a wicked grin.
The four of us took off, we made sure to have our new friends save our spot, as we loved it there. I could see Brittany leading us through the crowd, her double-Ds thrusting out, showing her the way. All the guys were google-eyed and making whistling noises at her, which she was eating up like crazy, but hey, if ya got it, flaunt it. Jo was right behind her, a huge smile on her face as she turned to look at me and made sure I was keeping up. It looked like she wasn’t feeling any pain. And behind me, Dana was singing out loud. As she walked by, people either sang along or looked at her disapprovingly, but those were the sober ones, and there weren’t many of them. She didn’t care, that was one thing about Dana, she was who she was and she didn’t give a shit what you or anyone else thought about it. I adored her.
We finally made it back to our spot, having had the best damn time enjoying each other’s drunken company on our trip to the outer circle. I brought a beer back for my dance partner, who was really surprised by this, shocked actually. It made me think he must’ve dated some real bitches and I felt bad for him. I could imagine him being bossed around by some high-maintenance girl who couldn’t even bring the poor guy a beer. I’d have to be sure to give him some extra attention, boost his ego, and show him not all women were like that. He was cute, not a total dazzler, but his personality made him more attractive than if you just saw him on the street. I liked him, not in a I-want-to-fuck-him-right-here-right-now kind of way, but I felt comfortable around him and considered maybe kissing him later.
I lit a cigarette and leaned my head back to blow the smoke up to the sky, most people around me were smoking, but no one wanted it blown into their face. I took another drag and blew it upwards again, my dance partner asked for a drag.
“Well, I should know your name at least if our lips are going to be sharing the same spot,” I teased. “I’m Gia.” I held out my hand to shake his.
“I’m John,” he said as he gently took my outstretched hand, and instead of shaking it, put it to his lips and kissed it.
“You’re quite the gentl
eman, John, if that’s your real name. Nice to meet you.” I handed him my cigarette, not caring that we were sharing spit. I had pretty much decided I was going to kiss him later, anyway.
“Now why would I give a girl like you a fake name?” he said and took a drag.
Before I could answer, he took my face, ever so gently in his really soft hands, put his mouth to mine, and exhaled the smoke. As I caught on to what he was doing, I inhaled, leaned my head back and blew it upwards. As I looked back at him, he took another drag and blew it up to the sky. I didn’t know why, he was kind of an odd little character, but that was somewhat erotic. He handed the cigarette back to me.
“A girl like me? What do you mean by that, John?” I asked, curious.
“Girls who look like you—beautiful, I mean—and have the confidence you do. I can tell you’re a fun-loving, thoughtful, romantic woman, and well, usually women like you don’t give guys like me the time of day. So, I really am John, and it’s really nice to meet you, too.”
Yes, he was kind of odd. He thinks I’m confident, ha! You should have seen me turn into an idiot after the last compliment I got, and a “romantic” woman? Most men would’ve used the word “sexy,” but John would probably never use any part of the word “sex” in front of a woman because he was a gentleman. But he did put his lips to mine and exhale, maybe he’s into some kinky shit behind closed doors.
Losing Control (Losing Control Series Book 1) Page 2