“Johanna!” I shout. There. Now I really look like a red bell pepper.
“What! Imagine that you take a chance on him! Even though you still have Danny up there... Gee, I can’t think of my brother licking anybody!”
“Jo! Where did you come up with this stuff? Who’s been licking you around?”
It’s her turn to go purple. Caught red-handed!
“Me? Stop being silly. So one can no longer make a treat for a friend without raising your suspicion.
Sit down as Mimi won't wait for you much longer.”
Mimi takes the cue and leads me to sit in the chair, handing me a suitcase full of colored glazes while she starts with my foot. After much fiddling, I choose a light pink.
"No way! You're not going to put that color on! If I let you paint the nails in pink, George will kill me.
"And what color would the madam suggest I paint my nails?” I ask, frowning.
"Lend me that.” She doesn't even wait. She gets the case out of my hand hard, making Mimi miss and get a steak off my foot. Oh, damn it. "Not this one...Neither that one... No...Here! Perfect!”
She extends a metallic red enamel, almost the color of a love apple.
"But it's so red.”
"Now you’re a new woman. Forget the pink and throw yourself in the red. You're going to look great in tonight’s dress. Don't come fighting, girlfriend. Take it.”
“All right.
I know it’s no use trying to argue.” I sit back on the chair while Mimi takes care of my feet. I try to relax by going over the songs for the show in my mind.
***
Once again and since Danny is away, I use his office as a makeshift dressing room.
This time around, I’m putting on an all-black glittering dress, with a back neckline so deep that I cannot wear a bra. My lingerie is nothing but thong panties in black lace which I bought while shopping with George. He just knew it. I needed a piece of lingerie that took care of my self-esteem.
High sandals and a pair of long earrings complement the look. Once again, my hair is loose, with large curls and the makeup enhances my eyes.
When I finish getting ready, I seize the emptiness of the room and think about my life. I need to toughen up and face Danny or just forget him for good. I know Alan’s very keen, but, though I like him, deep down, the guitar man of The Band doesn’t arouse that sort of feeling in me. Without mentioning that he’s even more of a womanizer than Daniel. The amount of women holding on for him at the end of each show is ridiculous.
I walk about the room, looking at the photos on the shelves, and I find a photo of us, when I was sixteen years old and Danny, nineteen. He was already quite tall at the time. It was when he came back from college for his first summer vacation. I spent the whole month stuck upon him like a piece of gum. He seemed to be happy with my presence. He kept hugging and cuddling me. Back then, I really thought something else was bound to happen. However, suddenly, he changed. He got more serious, farther and more... protecting, I think. I don't know what happened that summer, but something had changed in Danny's behavior toward me.
A knock on the door pulls me off my memories. I put the picture in place and I go and open it.
"Oh, you look beautiful!” George walks into the room, all excited. I smile at him because it's impossible not to smile when George is with me.
“Thank you. Is it time?”
"Ten minutes left. Do you want anything? Water? Champagne? Candy? Alan's licks?”
“George!” I scold him, but I'm interrupted by Rafe's entrance, who came to call me for the show.
I find it amazing that Rafe hasn't been hooked by anyone yet. He's a beautiful, serious, mature guy. That guy who takes responsibility. He's not a womanizer, quite the contrary. He’s got the "perfect guy" style. He and Jo would make a lovely couple, but should it cross Danny’s mind, it will be a problem. What a jealous man, hey?!
"Julie, you look beautiful. Are you ready?”
"Thank you, yes I am.” I smile and he gives me his arm as the perfect gentleman he is. We walk backstage and Rafe excuses himself to go talk to someone. I look forward and see Alan coming towards me and looking me up and down with a malicious expression.
"Do you want me to ask him if he wants mayonnaise to go with it? Because those eyes are eating you up...” George whispers in my ear.
"George, my God!”
"Maybe I should offer condensed milk instead. It's tastier when you li...”
“George!” I scream and he gets a fright. Wow, he’s obsessed with Alan's lick!
"Hi, babe!” Alan speaks as he approaches.
"Hi!”
He gets even closer.
"You look even more beautiful than last time. How’s that possible?”
If he gets any closer, he's going to be glued on me. It seems like our guitar man hasn’t got much of a notion of what is private space.
“Thank you.” I smile and push him away slightly. “Are you guys ready? Shall we start?”
“Beautiful, I’m always ready.” He winks at me and goes on to stage. God, these men want to drive me insane.
I take a long breath and hop on to the stage. The bar is full and people start clapping at us. I smile at the audience and place myself in front of the Mic.
We chose to open the show with a more romantic ballad. Alan starts playing the first chords of “Come Away With Me”, by Norah Jones.
I close my eyes, immersing in the song. Once again my thoughts wander off towards Danny.
Come away with me in the night
Come away with me and I will write you a song
Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can’t tempt us with their lies
Daniel
I park in my spot at After Dark. Zach and I got back from San Francisco a day earlier than expected. The return was quite troubled, because of a lot of turbulence on the flight. And Zach was a lousy traveling companion. He barely opened his mouth to talk, all the time paying attention to his cell phone. Just to make matters worse, our bags ended up on the treadmill on the other side of the airport.
I got home, took a quick shower and put on jeans and a black T-shirt. I was late, so I didn't even shave my untrimmed beard. A week away from the bar left me quite anxious. And, I must confess, I’m hopeful to see the hot blond singing tonight.
I get off the bike, a BMW 1600 GT. I'm not the flaunting type of guy, but when After Dark started to thrive, I allowed myself the luxury of investing in the bike of my dreams.
I walk through the parking lot and, as I approach the door, I hear the first chords of “Come Away With Me” being played on a guitar. I open the door and I'm surrounded by a hoarse voice that's singing.
I feel a shiver from head to toe. I look at the stage and see the silhouette of the blond in the video, swinging in front of the microphone to the same slow pace of the song. I feel dazed, like never before... Or rather, as I feel when... My subconscious pushes away those thoughts and I center all my attention on the blond.
She moves on in the song and I feel trapped. I can't look away, and I can't stop myself from moving further to get any closer to her.
It's like I'm being pulled by an imaginary rope without being able to look away from the stage. She's even more beautiful live. She’s fair-skinned, her body is breathtaking, with a thin, marked waist and breasts that would fit perfectly in my hands. She subtly turns to the side, turning her back slightly to me, and I see the perfect butt emphasized by the deep neckline of the dress.
I feel numb. As she sings, her voice seduces my senses, and all I can see in my thoughts is her image, lying on my office desk, naked, whispering this maddening song in my ear.
I hear the champagne burst open and try to remove that thought off my head. Stop it, I scold myself. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I go to the bar counter, trying to regain control. I wave to the bartender, and all of a sudden I realize Ju's not at her post today.
"Justin, where's Julie?” I ask the bartender, who doesn't take his eyes off the blond on stage. He moves his chin forward without saying anything. I hear the blond sing. This woman's voice is driving me crazy that I can't even think straight.
I turn myself to the stage again. She holds the microphone and her lips pout a little, whispering the song.
I feel excited. A whole lot. Rather more than that, I'm overwhelmed by the seductive magic of this woman's voice. As if I were a mermaid at sea, her singing surrounds me and I barely realize that I'm walking towards the stage.
That moron Alan plays the final chords of the song and the blond whispers Come away with me ending the song. She turns towards me, opens her eyes, smiles and... Holy shit!
It's Ju!