CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The girls find their way back to the floor in order to see the show from a floor view this time. There’s something about being in the crowd and still knowing that she’ll get to sleep with Ash again that strokes her ego. When the girls make their way back through the crowd, a man flags them down and brings them over to the VIP section. They walk up the stairs and get a great view of the band. Before they can ask him why he let them up, he’s gone, blending in with the crowd below.
Jewel shrugs when Alyssa looks at her. “Maybe it was the band’s idea?”
A few of the VIP members are commenting about how the show is taking too long to start and that they didn’t pay for the concert so that it could start late. While some are complaining, others are distracting themselves with booze, conversation, phones and smokes.
One of the guys sitting near Alyssa and Jewel comments to his buddy about how he wishes Ash swung the other way. The other guy seems offended, and happily shatters his dream by reminding him of all the women that get pulled back for Ash, and how Ash’s reputation is with women..
“He’s like the Russell Brand of rock!” another chimes in.
The first guy mumbles, but returns to a happier demeanor after he starts sipping his martini. It isn’t too much longer before Jewel can hear the man making out with someone. She assumes it’s the same guy he was talking to.
Alyssa pokes Jewel and gives her a wink, “See, you’ve got the guy everyone, including other guys, is dreaming of.”
Jewel just rolls her eyes and points Alyssa to the stage as everyone in the crowd goes wild and starts screaming. Ash has walked on stage. The excitement doesn’t die down as Ash starts to talk. Iron John, the drummer, has to make some noise before the boisterous crowd simmers down enough for Ash to speak audibly.
Even all the way up on the second floor, Jewel can see that Ash looks distracted while he gives the band introductions. His body language and tone seem distant, like he’s focused on something that just happened offstage. His attitude doesn’t change for the first verse of the song but it doesn’t take too much longer for the music to bring out his wild personality. It’s a gradual change, but Jewel is happy that he can get back into the mood of his music. Before much longer he’s dancing around on stage, head banging, ripping his shirt and throwing things into the crowd.
By this time Jewel is starting to get a better sense of Seven Raven’s songs. On occasion she can guess the words to the choruses. They’re catchy and deep. Jewel can see how Ash has poured his heart into the songs. It touches her as the lyrics bring up his drug addiction and rough life. She remembers him telling her everything back in the hotel room, as he got dressed, but she also remembers how he gave her the hotel key again. She starts to realize that he was pretty sincere with her, but she shakes the thought, knowing that it will ruin her only-here-for-sex mindset that she’s been barely able to maintain.
As she watches the show she notices someone with a tray of drinks pass by. Snatching up one of the highball glasses from the tray, she gives it a whiff and knocks it back.
Mmm, kamikaze!
She sits back and watches Ash sing and notices the band’s chemistry. The concert is going really well, with the crowd amped up and happy. His shows are always so amazing, and while he sings…
Gah, I can’t help but to be turned on by him…
She bites her lip as she finishes her thought, but shakes her head to regain normality in case Alyssa is looking. When she glances at her friend though, she can see that Alyssa is doing the same thing. Jewel just laughs.
When the show is over and Ash and the band are exiting the stage, Alyssa grabs Jewel impatiently. They march off toward the dressing room. It’s tough making their way through the tightly packed crowd and the friends get separated more than once. Finally, when they make it across the club they meet back up.
The guy who is selling merchandise tells them that they are blocked from the dressing room tonight. He’s dressed in one of the band’s t-shirts and black cargo pants. He is tall and very blonde, with a rather large stature for someone of his height. Jewel gives him a confused look, but Alyssa speaks up.
“The Tailor, ight?” Alyssa asks.
The tatted-up rocker only nods his head as he hands them their hotel room keys.
“I was told not to let you through. But here are your hotel room keys for the night, limo will be outside.”
“The Tailor can’t be that unpopular,” Alyssa begins, in an attempt to get her way. “I know a few women if you’re interested. They’re a bit adventurous, you could even have a three—”
The Tailor cuts her off and turns them around apologetically. From the expression on Alyssa’s face she seems a little bit offended, but she’s quickly distracted as she notices a couple of men walking determinedly toward them in the distance. Before the girls can step away, they notice the grim reaper leather vests the men have on. The large men have the hooded coke dealer in custody. They quickly push him past the Tailor and toward the dressing room.
The poor guy already has bruises on his face. His lip is busted open and bleeding. The dealer notices Jewel and Alyssa and makes a desperately terrified face before he is gone from view. The two men shove him into the dressing room and he stumbles forward before falling.
Jewel hasn’t seen either of these two men before, but she knows what their vests mean. She grabs Alyssa by the arm and ushers her away from the scene. Whatever is about to happen, Jewel doesn’t want any part in it, and she knows it’s best if Alyssa doesn’t know either.
“Did you see that?” Alyssa asks.
“Yes. We basically got some poor dude bea—”
“No, not him. The Tailor! What an asshole!”
“Oh,” Jewel replies, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. Of course she was more offended by being turned away.
“I can’t believe it.”
“Alyssa, he probably doesn’t have issues getting girls, or threesomes. You weren’t offering him anything he couldn’t already get.”
“But—”
“Come on. Let’s just go. You can sulk over the Tailor at the hotel. I just want to get out of here.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Alyssa finally agrees, her face lighting up at the reminder that they get to take a limo. With that, the two of them make their way through the still crowded club to get to the limousine parked outside. The driver has already become familiar with them and greets them by their names as they get in. He asks them about the concert. They make small talk during while on the road in order to avoid thinking about what they just witnessed.