Chapter 18 – Just Being Friendly

I spent the next few days settling into my new life. I’d finally unpacked my bags so my apartment felt more “homely” without boxes and suitcases. I’d gotten to know Taylah and Dave a little better. When I invited them over for dinner, Dave laughed hysterically when I confessed my first impression of them was that they were swingers. He assured me that while they were quirky, they didn’t “swing” that way. The band was busily writing new material for a new album so my job was fairly easy. Keeping their private lives out of the press was mainly the top priority, while still maintaining public interest in the upcoming album. It was a difficult dance, knowing how much to disclose and when to pull back, but I relished the challenge.

It was my first day in my new office; I had woken early and gone for a jog around Central Park, the cold air stung my lungs as I struggled to suck in breath. Ughhhhh, I was going to need to find a gym until spring at the very least. The old PR Company was doing a handover so I was working closely with one of their representatives until I was brought up to speed.

Handling a band for a finite period like a tour was a lot different to taking the reins completely and working with them on a day to day basis. I dressed in my SABA long sleeved woolen dress; its delicate fabric keeping me warm yet it was so soft that didn’t scratch my skin. I pulled on some opaque tights and some knee-high leather boots. After applying makeup and taming my hair into a French braid, I grabbed my bag and phone and commenced the short walk to work.

I had been given an office in Chris’ building, which seemed logical as we would need to have frequent meetings and be working closely together. I was also glad, given I didn’t know many people in town, that I was able to say Hi to some familiar faces each morning. While I was happy to work alone, I still craved contact with people. I entered the dark grey building and pressed the button for the 25th floor. Various people shifted into the elevator, juggling their large takeaway Starbuck’s cups, briefcases and mobile phones, while seemingly ignoring their fellow combatants in the concrete jungle.

I smirked as I stepped out on my floor. I was greeted by its immaculately clean and modern design. Its simple lines accentuated Chris’ business philosophy - there was no place for clutter or bullshit, both physically and metaphorically. I glowed as I ambled down the halls; the airy crispness energizing me. People looked up and nodded hello when they noticed me. I got a few “welcomes” and a few “how you going’s?” but mostly everyone kept to themselves as I walked to the last office on the left, the one which had been designated as mine.

I was surprised my office was currently occupied by a cute, slender blonde who was busy chatting on the phone. Her gentle English accent sounded overly polite and sophisticated. She turned as she heard me enter and held up a finger gesturing for me to “hold on a minute” while she finished her conversation. I placed my coat and bag on the provided rack as I waited patiently for Mystery Brit to explain who she was and what she was doing. She finished her call and stood up; I noticed we were approximately the same height, though she must have been a couple of years younger than me. Her face was smooth and round, her dark rimmed angular glasses framed her sparkling blue eyes. She was youthful and fashionable, her clothes on the cutting edge of European design, her blonde hair cut into a sharp graduated bob. She was adorable, probably not the adjective the girl wanted to hear, but nonetheless what I saw in front of me!

“I’m Sydney. You must be Lexi! Pleased to meet you.” She strode to the doorway where I stood. “Good to hear someone with a pair of bollocks is taking over. I’m your intermediary, helping the transition and all. Chris has told me a lot about you. I’ve been looking forward to your arrival. Girl Power!” Her accent pierced the room and made me grin.

“Yes, I’m Lexi. Nice to meet you Sydney. So you worked for the old PR firm?” I inquired as I sat down in my newly vacated chair.

“Yeah I worked for them, if you can call it work. A bunch of misogynistic wankers. I was relegated to coffee run more times than not.” She rolled her eyes as I smiled back, entertained by her description of her former employers.

“Well I can assure you, you won’t be getting my coffee, I rarely drink the stuff,” I laughed as Sydney settled into the chair opposite me.

“Not a coffee drinker? What the hell’s wrong with you? If I could, I’d hook up an intravenous line. I don’t mind a tea every once and awhile but I’d die without my morning latte.” Her lips parted as a wide smile spread across her face.

The day went at lightning speed. Sydney was hilarious; her wicked sense of humour was peppered with British slang. She had nick names for everything and everyone. Her diligent work ethic was almost as good as mine, and to say she was thorough was an understatement. I commented more than once that she’d missed her calling as an attorney.

We ate lunch together at my desk, ordering in from a local Chinese delivery restaurant, devouring our delicious noodles directly from the box.

“So the Viking has a new girl he’s seeing. Just to let you know she’s in some trashy day time drama so there will probably be photos,” she mentioned while cracking open a Fortune Cookie.

“The Viking?” I asked, my brows scrunched together in confusion as she handed me a cookie to open.

“Alex, the tall, Nordic looking one. I have to say I’d be happy to roll over and find him in my bed.” She smiled as she gave me a wink. So his new mystery woman was an actress, how appropriate.

“Marcy?” I inquired as I crumbled my fortune cookie in my hand. I looked down at the disintegrated crumbs and fished out the tiny white message.

“Yeah Marcy Bryant... her agent has been calling for weeks to try and get a “meeting” with Alex. Earlier this week he finally agreed. I think she is more interested in him being arm candy than anything else but hey, whatever floats your boat.” Sydney rolled her eyes.

“I’ll look into it.” I smiled as I packed up our empty containers and cleaned up my desk.

“What’s yours say?” Sydney asked pointing to the crumbled fortune in my hand.

“Oh, they are such bullshit.” I took a breath as I read it aloud. “Never regret anything that makes you smile.” I scrunched it again before tossing it away with the rest of our trash.

“Huh, that’s a good one, I got this lame one,” she paused before reading “You will be hungry soon - order more take away.” We both exploded with laughter.

“It does not say that!?!” I squeaked in between hysterics.

“Look at it, it does. I got short changed on the fortune! Bloody brilliant marketing though!” she laughed as she held out her tiny white paper for me to read. I shook my head with disbelief as I read it for myself, it was marketing genius!

I spent the rest of the afternoon googling Marcy Bryant. As predicted she was blonde and looked like the stereotypical soapie starlet - fake boobs, fake tan, fake nails and lots of collagen. If her lips got any bigger she’d be able to kiss her own ass. Perhaps this was her plan? Ugggghhh, whatever! If that’s what Alex was attracted to then he could HAVE her and her big ass lips! I giggled at the thought. My phone buzzed silently on my desk interrupting my cyber stalking.

- So friend, got any dinner plans? Alex xx

I rolled my eyes. It was almost as if he had some kind of sixth sense and knew when I was thinking of him. I actually didn’t have any concrete plans, though heading out to dinner with Alex was not a good idea. Dave and Taylah had mentioned heading out to a club and checking out a band tonight but I had been pretty non-committal. Still it was better than hanging out in my apartment by myself. Guess that made up my mind for me.

- Well friend, I’m checking out some band in town with some other friends. Sorry, maybe some other time. Lexi xx

- Well maybe seeing as we are “friends” I could join you and your other friends? What’s the band? I like to check out the competition :-P

I smiled; I had really missed his messages and his sense of humour. Maybe we could be friends? After all I was friends with Matt and that had worked out well. Of course we had never slept together, so there wasn’t that complication, but still surely it counted for something.

I craved Alex’s presence in my life again. I knew we couldn’t have the uncomplicated relationship I’d hope for (my feelings made it complicated) but I wanted to be close to him. I also had to keep in mind he was “seeing” other people, so sex wasn’t an option either. I sighed, my mind was so conflicted.

- Don’t know who they are or where we are going, sorry. I wouldn’t say they are your competition though, just some local guys. I’ll let you know the time and place later. See you tonight Lexi xx

- See you tonight. I can give you a ride if you like?

Hmmmm. I wondered what kind of ride he had in mind? NO! Stop it Lexi! Focus! He was referring to his car, he knows you don’t have a vehicle here and was being polite. Still, part of me couldn’t help myself.

- Only if I’m allowed to drive

- No one drives my car Lexi

- Well then I guess I’ll meet you there, talk later. Lexi xx

- Let me know if you change your mind. Alex xx

I pondered over the last message; I could read it a couple of different ways. I wondered if he knew this before he had hit send. I tried to push those thoughts from my mind, sometimes words were just that - words, no double meaning. I sighed as I tried to get my mind back on my work and not on that sexy Viking who now completely occupied my thoughts. It was going to take some effort.

 

~~~~~~

 

I had called Taylah before leaving work and informed her of the addition to our group. She seemed excited that I was joining them tonight and was completely fine with Alex crashing our “date”. She gave me the details of the gig so I could pass those on to him and she told me she would buzz me when they were ready to go. She’d assumed I was traveling with them and I happily accepted the offer.

I sent Alex a brief message letting him know the details after speaking to Taylah and got a very lukewarm response.

- 10pm @ Joe’s Pub 425 Lafayette Street. Band is called Insipid. Lexi xx

- Thanks. Alex

Perhaps he was having second thoughts? Either way, this was not my concern. I had made a decision which had stopped it being my concern. I turned on my iPod and listened to the demos Dave had emailed me of the band we were seeing. He was producing their album but the tracks I heard were from their self recorded EP. They were rough and unpolished but still sounded pretty decent. It was heavy on guitars and the lead singer growled through most of the lyrics, but overall it was fairly marketable. I sang to the chorus as it came around for the third time, laughing at the words being overtly sexual and suggestive. My thoughts turned darker as I remembered Marcy, I wondered if she knew of Alex’s plans for the evening? Maybe he was going to bring her? I laughed at the thought of her being surrounded by grungy rockers, far beyond her comfort zone. If it’s one thing I was, it was adaptable.

I slithered into my new True Religion jeans - I was thoroughly enjoying New York and it’s the shopping. I had already given my credit card a battering and I had only been in town a week. I matched them with some chunky studded ankle boots and a simple fitted black tank that skimmed the top of my waist, exposing a small amount of skin between the hem of my top and where my pants clung tightly to my hips. I may have grown older but I was still a little girl who loved to play dress ups when it came to clothes.

I used my straightener on my tangled mane so that it was smooth and flat. It seemed longer now the curls were gone as it fell against my back. I liked it, it was easier to manage and more fitting for the type of band we were seeing. I kept my make-up simple, accentuating my eyes with a dark eyeliner and painting my lips with a nude gloss. I chuckled at my reflection, I felt like I could potentially be part of the band.

Taylah gave me a whistle when I opened the door to greet her, her eyes travelling over my denim clad legs. We laughed about the logistics of “getting them off in a hurry” as we walked down to the undercover garage, Dave chiming in that he was happy to watch if we wanted to experiment. Taylah gave him the “what is it about guys watching two girls that is so exciting?” look as he playfully kissed her as we climbed into his BMW M5.

We chatted on the car ride over about Taylah’s latest obsession with duck egg blue, Dave rolling his eyes when she mentioned repainting their kitchen for the third time in as many years. Dave filled me in on the history of the band we were heading to see; they were from LA and named Nirvana and Soundgarden as their biggest influences. They were young, early to mid 20s and had just been signed to a minor label. He laughed loudly explaining they probably weren’t even walking when the whole Seattle Grunge scene exploded but he admitted they made it work, as there seemed to be this push for all things retro these days.

We were lucky to find on-street parking not far from the venue but I immediately regretted my decision not to bring a coat as I stepped out of the car. My teeth chattered as I darted to the entrance, my heels click-clacking behind me as I ran. The bouncer at the door unashamedly stared at my cleavage before flashing me a smile and raising the red rope, Dave and Taylah following close behind me.

“Did you give him my name for the list?” asked Dave as we pressed through the crowd in search of a vacant booth.

“He didn’t ask.” I smiled, a wicked grin teasing my lips.

“He was too busy staring at her tits!” laughed Taylah as she waved to someone in the distance she apparently knew. I turned my head to look at what had garnered her attention and I saw him. Alex. Looking amazing as always in tight black jeans, tight black v-neck t-shirt and black boots. He tilted his chin in acknowledgment as he sauntered over to us, his eyes heated as they scanned my body up and down.

“Hey, Alex!” shouted Dave over the current band playing, “What’s shaking brother? Haven’t seen you in a while. How’s the band?” Dave continued while giving him a friendly slap on the back.

“Hello Dave, Taylah.” He nodded at my new friends before turning his head back to acknowledge me. “Lexi.” He accentuated each letter as it slipped off his tongue.

I smiled back. “Hello Alex, I hope you haven’t been waiting long?”

“Not at all.” He smiled before turning his attention back to Dave, “Band is doing great man. James and I have had some solid writing sessions. We’re hoping to start laying down some tracks after New Year’s, get the new album out in March/April” I watched and listened as both men chatted amicably about their upcoming projects. Dave suggesting Alex come over and “Jam” one night and possibly do some co-writing with him. Taylah saw yet another person she knew and flagged her over to say hello. I politely greeted Isabel who was also an interior designer, as they discussed the virtues of Caesar stone versus granite.

I looked hungrily at the bar; its high, mirrored shelves were filled with copious bottles of different shapes and colour. The heat of the packed club stoked my thirst as a bead of sweat travelled down my back. I excused myself from the group as I decided to brave the crowd and attempt to get a drink. I felt Alex’s eyes follow me as I walked through the maze of bodies. It was getting pretty crowded and people were jostling for a drink, so I almost didn’t notice when a hand stretched out to grab my waist. I whipped around to find Sydney standing behind me.

“Lexi! Hey! What are you doing here? This place is crazy huh?” Her beaming face glistened slightly from perspiration.

“Sydney!” I hugged her, “I was about to punch you!” I laughed. “My neighbour Dave is producing the next band, thought I’d come by and check them out.” Sydney nodded as she strained to hear me over the thumping bass.

“Really? He knows them?” She grinned excitedly. “The lead singer is super hot. You think you could get me an introduction?” She looked at me hopefully with puppy dog eyes.

“Sure,” I giggled. “Should be no problem, but you know they are like teenagers right?” I frowned.

“He’s 23 Lexi - I’m not breaking any laws!” Sydney smiled, “Besides if you get them young they are generally more “energetic”, saves me money on a trainer.” She winked and I laughed at her seemingly reasonable explanation.

“Alex is here too.” I leant in and whispered in her ear, keeping all emotion out of my voice.

“Guess, Marcy gave him a kitchen pass,” she whispered back. I struggled to contain my laughter.

We finally made it to the front and ordered some drinks. I assumed Dave and Alex would probably have a beer so grabbed those as well as an extra cocktail for Taylah. Sydney helped me navigate through the horde to carry the drinks back. Dave’s face lit up when he saw the ice cold long neck in my hand, “Thanks Lexi! You must be a mind reader,” he mumbled as he took a long swig of his beer, Taylah squealed with delight when I handed her a cocktail that matched her top perfectly .

“Yes, thank you Lexi,” smiled Alex as he brought the bottle to his amazing lips, his eyes locked on mine as he took a slow mouthful of his drink, sending a shiver through my body.

“Hello, Sydney.” Alex smiled after he swallowed his beer, Sydney shouting back a greeting as she sipped her drink. I introduced Sydney to Dave and Taylah, telling Dave she was a huge fan of the band. Dave listened intently as Sydney’s accent thickened with excitement as she spoke about her favourite song. Dave was only too willing to introduce us after the show. Sydney’s grin widened at the prospect.

Alex slid up beside me and whispered discreetly in my ear, “So how does this friend thing work? By the way you look amazing tonight.” His breath tickled my neck.

“I’m not entirely sure, and thanks,” I whispered back, watching his lips twist into that wicked half-grin that ignited my core.

“Here I thought you had it all worked out. You seemed to have a plan.” His hand brushed along my arm, igniting my skin.

“My plan right now is to see this band.” I pointed out the young, grungy foursome who were about to take the stage. He looked up as he settled in behind me, his hand resting casually against my hip. I glanced down at his hand then up to his astonishingly clear eyes. I cocked my eyebrow as I gave him a questioning smirk.

“Just being friendly,” he smiled as he turned his attention back to the stage.

“Whatever.” I mumbled as I faced the energetic front man who was taking his position in front of the mic.

“Good Evenin’,” bellowed the heavily tattooed singer trying to work the crowd in to a frenzy. The girls at the front of the stage were more than happy to accommodate by screaming and yelling out their I love you’s. The drummer counted the band in with his sticks before they launched into their first song. The crowd erupted as the sound exploded from the amps. Sydney smiled at me as she pointed out the object of her affection (though I was sure it was more lust than anything else). I nodded as I acknowledged that while he wasn’t my “type” he had a certain something. Alex rolled his eyes at the guitarist’s salacious hip thrusting; I had to admit he reminded me of a cheesy 80’s hair band. He was trying entirely too hard.

The ensemble as a whole was passable. You could see they were young and inexperienced; the performance seemed over-rehearsed and slightly clichéd. The singer, while oozing confidence, did not have the stage presence or talent of James or Alex. The rest of the band looked slightly uneasy. While being competent, they were far from polished.

The crowd cheered loudly through the set. The girls screamed feverishly when the singer pulled off his shirt and continued to sing topless. Alex observed silently, his hand fixed to my side as he scanned the band, paying close attention to the guitarist’s fingers as they travelled up the fret board. I relaxed into his chest, the close proximity of his body strangely reassuring and yet exciting. Dave looked on like a proud father, I gave him the thumbs up and he shot me a beaming smile.

“Thank you and GOOD NIGHT,” hollered the singer, raising his arms dramatically as he dropped his microphone to floor. The feedback squealed before someone finally cut the sound. Alex frowned, shaking his head as the singer grabbed a random girl from the audience, giving her an opened mouth kiss as he walked off the stage.

“Young and enjoying the fame,” smiled Dave. “They have a lot to learn. Come with me, I’ll introduce you guys.” He led us over to the edge of the stage where a large, angry looking bouncer stood guard. “Hey man, these guys are with me.” Dave gestured to us as the bouncer stepped aside to let us through.

We walked through the dark backstage area. While littered with a few fans and groupies, it was nothing like the backstage of a Power Station show. There was no real organisation and the band didn’t even have a dressing room; they just congregated out the back, sitting on road cases as they dried themselves off with towels.

“Zander, great show man! I got some people I’d like you to meet,” Dave called out to the tall, tattooed singer who was high-fiving the bass player.

“Dave, so glad you made it! Great show! Sorry about throwing the mic, I know that shit pisses you off!” winced Zander as he embraced Dave in a manly hug.

“Yeah just remember dude, you need to pay your dues before you start acting like a rock star,” laughed Dave as he slapped Zander hard across the back.

“Well you guys know Taylah, but this is my neighbour Lexi and her friend Sydney.” Dave pointed to us as the band nodded and smiled. “This is Zander, the singer. Johnny on guitar, Ben on Bass and Danny on the drums.” He gestured to each of them before turning back to us.

“And Alex here decided to come check you guys out too.” Dave grinned as the band’s face lit up with the realization they had a celebrity in their presence.

“Alex, big fan” gushed Johnny as he seized Alex’s hand. “That second album was off the chart, was that a Strat you were playing?” he questioned as he ignored the rest of us. I didn’t blame him; Alex was amazing on the guitar.

Alex was exceptionally polite with the guys, humouring both Johnny and Ben as they discussed chords and progressions. Zander smiled as he slung his arm around Sydney’s waist.

“Hey Sydney, enjoy the show?”

Sydney giggled as she hugged him back.

“What about you Lexi? See anything you like?” Zander smirked as he eyed me up and down. Alex glanced at us curiously as he watched our exchange.

“Not bad.” I smiled sweetly before continuing, “But you really need to lose the over-inflated egos and perfect your craft.” The four members stared at me dumbfounded. “Truth is gentlemen, shaking your junk will only get you so far and then you are going to have to back it up. You have something here, be smart about it.” Sydney shot me a horrified look as Dave nodded in agreement.

“Lexi is a publicist” qualified Dave, “She represents Alex and the guys. You should listen to her.” Alex looked amused as he turned to listen, unable to suppress his grin.

“You’re English?” snapped Zander as he tried to place my accent. I could tell he had been expecting a very different reaction and was pissed.

“Australian, actually.” I confirmed.

“So you want to represent us?” asked Danny cautiously.

“You couldn’t afford her!” laughed Alex, “Trust me though, she may be a hard ass but she knows her stuff. Perhaps she just needs to work on her delivery.” He winked, easing the tension. Zander’s frown disappeared as Alex continued “First time I met her, she had some choice words for me too.” I laughed as I remembered that day, it seemed like it had been a lifetime ago.

Sydney smiled as she interjected; “If you guys need representation, I’d be happy to work with you,” before fishing out her card. Zander’s smile returned as he regarded Sydney’s offer, not sure if he was interested in representation or something else.

“You really have a way with words,” laughed Alex as he pulled me aside.

“If I recall correctly, it didn’t seem to bother you,” I huffed.

His eyes flared as he whispered. “On the contrary, I am constantly bothered by you.” His lips twisted in his famous half grin.

“Can I buy you a drink?” offered Johnny, his eyes grazing the top of my cleavage.

“Sure.” I humoured him as he led me back to the bar leaving Alex and the rest of the group. His hand travelled down my back as he guided me through the crowd.

“So how long have you been stateside?” He casually asked as he flagged down the bartender.

“About a week,” I answered hoping I hadn’t offended anyone by leaving.

“I love your accent, it’s sexy.” He leaned into me, his eyes traveling down to my cleavage again. This guy was predictable, I’m sure it was my “accent” that he found sexy considering he couldn’t peel his eyes away from my tits. I turned my head as I rolled my eyes.

“Whatcha havin’ sweetheart?” the bartender leered.

“Vodka Martini,” I answered dryly.

“and I’ll have a Coors,” added Johnny.

Ordinarily I might have been attracted to him, he was very good-looking and from his earlier display of hip-thrusting he was probably more than adequate in bed, but since I’d been with Alex I had been more discerning in my choice of bed fellows, however no one had met my expectations. Damn it! I was already bored with this guy and I had committed to a drink. I searched my mind for a reasonable excuse to leave without offending him, after all it wasn’t his fault he didn’t stand a chance. I came up with nothing; clearly I’d lost my edge.

“Hey girl, there you are!” Taylah had squeezed through the crowd to find me, “We’re heading home. I have to meet a client in the morning. You want a ride?” she glanced at Johnny who was playing with his beer label.

“Yeah, I have an early morning meeting too Tay, let me just say good bye to everyone.” I breathed a sigh of relief that she had given me an out. I slammed down my martini, my eyes watering from the kick of the potent alcohol, before thanking Johnny and wishing him luck. He mumbled a “good bye” clearly disappointed that the evening had not taken the direction he had anticipated and I went in search of Sydney and Alex.

Sydney was still backstage, having happily captured the attention of Zander. I waved goodbye from the door, not wanting to interrupt. She waved back, I was sure I would get the low down later. The rest of the band had dispersed and were drinking at the bar; Alex was nowhere to be seen. I pulled my phone out.

- Hey just saying Goodbye. I can’t see you. Did you leave? Lexi xx

- Thought you left already, enjoy the rest of your evening. Alex xx

What, he couldn’t have said goodbye? I thought we were trying to be friends. I shook my head as I pushed my phone back into my bag, and walked to the front entrance where Dave and Taylah were waiting. I took a breath as I stepped outside into the freezing cold, once again cursing my decision to not bring a coat. Taylah was amused as I decided to run the short distance to the car.

I settled into the backseat and let my body relax. My mind was tangled with different thoughts, all of them revolving around Alex. I could still feel the tingle on my skin where he had placed his hand. His scent still intertwined with mine on my clothes. The smooth ride of the car threatened to rock me into a peaceful slumber as I shut my eyes and surrendered to it. My brain hurt from over-thinking.

I woke as we pulled into our parking garage, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as they adjusted to the harsh halogen lights against the stark white concrete. Dave parked in his designated spot and switched off the ignition. “Thanks for coming tonight Lexi. It’s always good for them to hear another perspective.” He laughed as he watched a yawning Taylah climb out of the car.

“Sorry Dave, I didn’t mean to be so brutal. Sometimes I just say what I think. Occupational hazard.” I smiled, hoping he hadn’t mistaken my honesty as rudeness.

“Not at all, I’ve been telling them for a while that it takes more than nice hair to become successful, but they are a big fish in a small pond so I think hearing it from you might carry some weight.” He took his wife’s hand as he led her to the lift.

“Thanks for the intro, Sydney was on cloud nine.” I pressed our floor button as the doors closed.

“No problem Lexi, anytime.” The elevator rose up quickly and gave a loud ding as we reached our destination.

“See ya Dave. See ya Tay.” I yawned as I fumbled with my keys.

“See ya Lex,” mumbled a sleepy Taylah.

“See ya, Lexi.” Dave waved as he opened their door.

Another night alone. I sighed. I couldn’t help but wonder and secretly hope that Alex was spending it the same way.