The noise spewing from the bar could be heard a half a block away. My spirits were much better than a week ago. And now after that call from Apple, I was even more anxious to see if my mystery blonde was inside.
A text from Haven said I could find her at a table by the bar. I spotted her quickly, and took a glance around the other tables searching for my supposed stalker. The bar was more crowded tonight than it had been last Friday, and no one looked familiar among the droves squashed into the space.
“Hey. I saved you guys a table.” She stood to give me a hug. “Where’s your crew?”
“They’re right behind me.” Once we pulled apart, I swept over her pretty pink blouse and dark denim jeans. Her brown curly hair was still pulled back, but not in the normal messy way. “Wow, you dressed up for the occasion… heels too.”
“That’s why I’m sitting. My feet are killing me.”
“And is that eye makeup? You like this guy.” Her response was a shrug. “Where is he? Did he stand you up?”
“Shut it, Mooner. He’s been here with me for the past few hours and just left. He has to be at the hospital at five a.m. tomorrow.”
“You didn’t tell me he was a doctor.” Her eyes cut down to her almost empty drink. “What?”
“He’s a nurse.” My mouth gaped open at the irony. One of our favorite movies was Meet the Fockers, and one of our favorite scenes was De Niro ribbing Stiller over being a nurse. Before I could say anything she reached over and poked my chest with a rigid finger. “Don’t.”
“Oh come on, you have to admit that’s funny as shit.”
I cracked up laughing, and a lazy smile broke through before her false anger turned into full-blown laughter as well. “It took everything I had not to laugh when he told me. And not because I think his profession isn’t extremely admirable. But all I could think of was you imitating De Niro.”
In my best De Niro voice, I said, “Not many men in your profession… are there Greg?”
“Do not embarrass me when you meet him!”
“That is a promise I can not keep. Sorry, Perv.”
A scowl altered her features. “Speaking of perverts, I have a beef with you.” I rolled my eyes knowing what was coming next. “Why did I get a string of text messages from Joyce tonight?”
“I told her to get my itinerary from you.”
“Yes, I know that. Why does she need your itinerary?”
“Because I’m horny.” I shrugged without apology.
After releasing a sarcastic puff of air combined with an eye-roll, she went on to say, “Is that why you’re interacting with that caller? Hoping to score with Apple? I thought it was about the show.”
“That depends on who Apple is.” I glanced around the bar again searching for the blonde I believed was messing with me on the air.
Haven followed my gaze. “There are at least fifty girls here who fit her description.”
“Yeah, I see that.” She picked up on my disappointment.
“You think it’s the girl you ran into last Friday night?” On my nod, she added, “I missed the show tonight, what did she say?”
I gave her a rundown of our conversation, including the part she purchased a ticket to the ball. “Oh, by the way. Thank you so much for reminding me of that,” I said with sarcasm dripping. “Until Natalie brought it up in our meeting today, I had forgotten about that damn thing.”
She waved a hand at me in dismissal. “It’s on your calendar app that you never look at.”
“That app hates my guts.”
“According to you, every app hates your guts. Maybe the fact you can’t remember to charge your damn phone half the time is the real problem. Back to your mystery lady.” I could see a newfound concern in Haven’s eyes. “How do you feel about her being there?”
“Should be fun.”
“If he doesn’t end up dead, chopped into pieces, and thrown into the river,” Natalie said as she approached our table.
“Yes, with thousands of others at the ball you think this chick will tie me up, drag me out, and murder me? Hell, at least that would make for an interesting evening. Make sure you two eulogize me properly.”
“Can I wear red to your funeral?” Haven added.
“And I’ll wear yellow.” The girls exchanged wide grins as Haven stood to hug Natalie.
“Sit.”
“Just for a second.” She looked at me and added, “We need to go do Daryl’s traditional shot.”
“What is the deal with this shot?” Haven asked.
“Long story. The radio station he was with before Galaxy had a massive layoff just as Daryl purchased a pricey apartment. Bad timing. He came here that night and did a shot with his ‘fuck everyone’ toast. The next day, he applied to Galaxy and now thinks that shot he drank was the reason he got the job.”
“I get that,” Haven admitted. “I’m very superstitious.”
“Don’t tell Daryl that, he already has a crush on you.”
“Me?” Haven said as I said, “What?”
“Oh shit. Do not tell him I told you that either! He’ll kill me.”
“Daryl’s not Haven’s type,” I offered. “She’s hung up on a nurse named Elliott.”
“The apartment guy?” Natalie asked.
“Yeah.”
“We need to catch up. Last I heard, he was hanging a few pictures for you.”
Haven blushed… blushed? Who was this woman?
“It’s been… interesting.” Her eyes cut to mine and she changed the subject. “So, why are you convinced Apple is going to murder Vaughn?”
Turning back to me Natalie said, “I worry she’s crazy.”
Haven nodded with a chuckle. “Vaughn does attract crazy. Has he told you about Joyce?” Natalie looked confused, forcing Haven to say, “She’s flying across the country to go to the ball tomorrow night.”
“Correction. She’s flying across the country to fuck me.”
“Right. A bootie call from the Dragon Agent,” Haven said, dismissing my claim with a wave of her hand.
“I thought you didn’t have an agent?” Natalie directed to me.
“I don’t. She wanted to be my agent, but I fucked her instead.”
“Classy,” Natalie quipped.
“It was her idea,” Haven responded, lifting her eyebrows practically to her hairline. “The first thing she said to Vaughn was you’re either going to hire me as your agent, or your going to fuck me.” Natalie’s shocked expression was met with a curt nod. “Yep. A real class act. I guess she picked up on the fact Vaughn tends to think with is dick a lot.”
Natalie scoffed. “What man doesn’t?”
“Okay, enough talking about me like I’m not here.”
Haven laughed at my expense. “So, how is Dragon Agent going to like hearing you’ll have a secret admirer waiting for you to arrive to the ball, Cinderfella?”
“Cute.” I shrugged. “Joyce couldn’t give a shit. As long as my attention is on her, she isn’t at all intimidated by other women.”
“That’s true. First time I met her she scared the shit out of me. Are you sure she doesn’t have a dick of her own swinging between her legs?”
“I’m sure,” I offered with a devious smile.
“Ugh. On that note,” Natalie said as her gaze landed on someone behind me. “Daryl is here.”
“Let’s go do this.” I turned to Haven. “What are you drinking?”
“A Malibu Bay Breeze.”
“Be right back.”
Two steps away from the table a tall redhead stopped me with a hand on my arm. “Are you… Vaughn Lair?”
“That’s me.”
“I just love you!” she squealed, causing everyone within ten feet to look our way. She gripped my arms, and her long red nails scored the leather of my jacket. “I can only come with clitoral stimulation, which means I’m faking it most of the time. What am I doing wrong?”
“Why don’t you call the show Monday night. We’ll talk about it then.”
“Oh, I can’t do that. I’m too embarrassed!” Yet screaming in the middle of a crowded bar wasn’t an issue. I stepped away hoping she’d get the hint, but her grip tightened on my arms.
Natalie looped her arm through mine. “Babe, they’re waiting for us at the bar.” Without apology, she steered me away from the redhead. When she felt my gaze, she looked up with a wink.
“Babe?”
“You’re welcome.”
On our approach, Daryl handed me a shot. “What the hell?”
“Sorry, I got side-tracked. Haven is here.”
“Haven is here?” he repeated, looking around and forgetting his stupid tradition.
“Aren’t you back with Carla?”
His eyes cut to Natalie. “Well, not exactly back. We’re just talking… and we had sex last night, but…”
“Can we get on with this?” I cut in, lifting the shot glass waiting for his stupid toast.
“Oh, sorry.” Daryl ensured all eyes were on him, and raised his glass, saying, “Fuck everyone!”
We all threw back the tequila, and just as he did last week, ordered another round.
I motioned to the bartender and threw a hundred dollar bill on the bar. “I need a Stella, a Malibu Bay Breeze, and another round for these guys.”
Taking my beer and Haven’s drink, I took two steps before Daryl said, “Tell Haven I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Me too,” Natalie said, snatching another one of the freshly poured shots and tossing it back. I lifted a brow at her atypical behavior. “What? It was an exhausting week.”
With a shake of my head I walked away, and when I reached the small table my steps faltered seeing Haven sitting with four blondes.
She looked up with a scheming smile and took her Malibu Bay Breeze from my suspended hand. “Here he is. Vaughn Lair, meet my new friends.” She pointed to each woman, rambling off names that I ignored.
“Nice to meet you all,” I said with a forced smile, before turning my scowl toward my annoying assistant.
As Haven asked if they heard of the shock jock at Galaxy Radio that was “heating up the airways,” we managed to have an entire wordless conversation with just the expression on our faces.
Me: “Who the fuck are they?”
Haven: “You wanted me to find your Apple.”
“You’re on the radio?” Blonde number three asked.
“I am.”
“Wait… did you say Lair?” one of them asked Haven.
“I did. He’s Jack’s cousin.” Haven chuckled at my glare just at three of the four blondes shrieked at once.
“Fuck,” I mumbled to myself while still standing awkwardly at the table. Two girls occupied the chairs closest to Haven, leaving me with no other choice but to sit in between the rest of the cheerleading squad.
“Holy shit, you’re as hot as he is,” blonde number one said, scanning her mascara-laden eyes up and down my torso. She turned to blonde number two. “No dimples, but look at his dark brown hair, his steel gray eyes. They could be brothers.”
Beside me blonde number three licked her lips while staring at my crotch. “He has eyes?” Her comment caused a chorus of giggles. “Can you sing?”
“No.” I sipped my beer, glaring at Haven as she curled her lips over her teeth.
Natalie and Daryl walked toward our table. He had a pint glass in one hand and his other outstretched toward me. “So, this is where the party is?”
“We were just comparing Vaughn to his cousin Jack,” blonde number four said.
“I never met Jack,” Natalie replied. “But I can assure you Vaughn can run circles around him in the dirty talk department.”
Haven couldn’t contain her amusement as she encouraged the giddy, drunk blondes to forget the rock star and to get to know the other sexy Lair. She rambled off the station phone number, and told them details of my show, bringing up the hottest calls from my past in L.A. Natalie and Daryl played key rolls in torturing me as well, mentioning things I had discussed on air since arriving to Galaxy.
And the entire time all I could think of were ways I could get back at them.