I shake my head. I knew she couldn’t resist. I’ll get that spark to ignite in her if that’s the last thing I do. I quickly hit reply.
I knew you’d pull thru. Incidentally, we caught that creep. He won't be spiking anymore drinks. Talk details tomorrow at the club, nine thirty.
Buzz.
Thank God. I owe u 1. 9:30 OK.
“Jake?”
“Just some club business,” I half-lie to Sophie, sitting back and relaxing on the couch with a satisfied sigh. I wrap my arm around her shoulder. “Now, where were you saying you wanted to go? I’m thinking Sunday would be a great time for some ‘us’ time.”
Roxy
“Lalalala . . . la la lah lah-la,” I sing, doing my vocal exercises to open my throat. Standing in front of the mirror in my room, I know I look stupid, but it’s what I have to do. Ever since agreeing to perform, I’ve been getting my voice in shape, torturing Hannah and Mr. Felix with my late night and early morning exercises.
I’m going to have to change into my outfit soon. It’s my first night where I perform my own set, and I’m feeling the nerves. “Mimimimimi . . . eeeeoooahhhchchch—” I cough and start choking a little. I pushed that last low note a little lower than I really needed to. “Fuck.”
“Damn, girl, sounds like you’re gargling a mouthful of cock,” jokes Hannah. “Keep that up and Mr. Felix might decide to attack. He’s about to lose it in here. He’s rolling around and giving me faces.”
Going to the door, I look over to see Mr. Felix mean mugging me, looking like he wants to scratch my face off. I’ve already learned to avoid making the ‘ssss’ sound with my vocal exercises if he’s around. The last time I did it, he hissed back and nearly clawed my leg to pieces. This time, though, it helps. I place my hands on my hips and throw my head back and laugh. “Oh, I so needed that, thank you. I can’t believe I’m so nervous!”
Hannah chuckles. “If it helps, I am too. Still can’t believe you agreed to do this, but at the same time, I’m happy for you.”
I’m excited. I still can’t believe I’m getting to do it again. I’d given up on it. And I know I shouldn’t have accepted Jake’s offer because of everything it entailed, but being up there on stage brought me back to life. That place in my spirit I thought I’d lost forever is back.
“Thank you, Hannah. And thank you for being there tonight.”
“Don’t thank me, just please don’t sound like this on stage? The free drinks can only go so far.”
I laugh and go get ready. I already know exactly what outfit I want to wear. It was the same one I wore for my best performance ever at Trixie’s. With a frilly, lightweight skirt that’ll flare some when I spin and a sparkly red top that hugs my curves, I feel sexy. I pull up the thigh-high sheer stockings and boots that complete the outfit, giving myself a once-over in the mirror. “Oh, yeah,” I tease, shaking my hair side to side. “I’m gonna have them in the palm of my hand!”
You know what you want in the palm of your hand . . . and in your mouth, my inner voice says, and I blush, thinking about it. Kinda shaped like a microphone too, with a long, hard shaft and a flared head that you want to . . .
I curse myself to focus on the task at hand. Just as I finish lacing up my left boot, my phone rings. Checking, I see it’s Mindy. “Hey, babe!”
“Ooh, someone sounds excited. What’s going on?” Mindy asks. I bite my lip. I haven’t told anyone about this, but Mindy’s always been supportive of me.
“Well, I’m getting ready for an event,” I answer.
“Oh? Who’re you going to see? I’m glad you’re going out to have some fun.”
“Uh, it’s for me,” I say nervously, holding my breath while I wait for her to reply. “Min?”
“Roxy, I’m so happy for you!” Mindy exclaims, and I feel relief rush over me. “I always thought your totally giving up singing was too much. So tell me, what’s the gig?”
“Nothing big, just a local nightclub,” I reply. “It’s a bigger place than Trixie’s, but really, it’s just a once a week little gig. About an hour total.”
“Just a little gig,” Mindy mocks me, laughing. “So you’re going to tear up the stage and break hearts for an hour. Remember, I’ve heard you. You’re gonna have everyone eating out of the palm of your hand.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Mindy laughs. “Come on, don’t be nervous. Just go out there, Rox the place out, and tell me all about it tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay. I promise, we’ll Skype tomorrow or something.”
From out in the other room, Hannah yells. “Move your fat ass! You’re gonna be late!”
Mindy laughs. “Yeah, you two match up. Okay, Roxy, love you. Talk to you later.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
Club Jasmine is packed, with cars stretching all the way down the street from the overflow lot. The line out the front is enormous, and I’m so thankful that Jake arranged for Hannah and me to be brought around the back.
“Nice to see you again, Miss Price,” John the security guy says. “And you too, Miss Fowler.”
“John, I’m beginning to feel like you’re my personal bodyguard around here,” I joke, trying to allay my nerves. It’s not working. I can feel my chest get tight and I’m starting to pant.
“Hey, Rox?” Hannah says, patting me on the shoulder. “Just relax. Get it together. You got this shit.”
“It’s harder than I thought it would be,” I say. “It’s been so long since I did a real show.”
“If it helps, I think you have an amazing voice,” John says as he passes Hannah’s keys to the valet. “You’ll do just as well tonight as you did before.”
“Yeah, what James Bond said,” Hannah jokes. “You performed great last time. There’s nothing to be scared about.”
I gulp, taking deep breaths as John leads Hannah and me through the back of the club. He leads us to a dressing room, opening the door. Jake’s inside, and he gets up, looking so fucking handsome in his black suit, emerald green shirt, and blood red tie. “You look amazing,” Jake says, even though I’m wearing a trench coat. “But what’s wrong?”
“Can you please tell Miss Heart Attack here that she is beautiful and she can sing the face off any diva?” Hannah says. “She’s been gargling cock all afternoon she’s so nervous.”
Jake looks at me with concern. “Should I be jealous? Do I need to beat someone up?”
I smile, and he pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me gently. His lips pressed against mine cut off my worries in an instant, and I feel myself melt into him. He pulls back, looking me in the eyes, his voice low and comforting. “Go out there and kick ass. I’m rooting for you. I know you’re going to be great.”
Looking into his eyes, all I see is sincerity. He truly means it. His words and his touch and presence calm me down and my heart rate steadies. I feel safe in his arms. “I’ll do my best.”
“Oh, so that’s all it takes?” Hannah mock complains. “Fuck, next time, I’ll lay a kiss on you back at the apartment. It’ll save me some stress!”
I chuckle, looking up at Jake. “I don’t think so, Hannah.”
Jake smirks and lets me go. “Come on, Hannah. I reserved a spot in the VIP section for us to watch from. Let’s get up there and get ready.”
Jake and Hannah leave, John giving me a nod as he closes the door. I take off my coat and get ready, checking my makeup and sipping some water. Just as I finish stretching out, I can hear Nathan in the front of the house, getting everyone hyped.
There’s a knock on my door. It’s John. “Miss Price? You ready?”
I grin. For the first time, I see his face change expressions when he sees me in my stage outfit. “Let’s Rox.”
I go to the wings, swallowing my nerves as Nathan turns toward me. “And now, Club Jasmine, by popular demand . . . she’s baaack. Roxy!”
Swallowing my nerves, I go out on stage, waving to the lights. I can’t see shit. The lights are dazzling, and the crowd goes silent.