CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Fae gently, and with a hint of trepidation, led me back into the party room. I could hear Rebecca and Bradley following behind me. I would have thought everyone knew what was going on, but they all looked preoccupied, including Dex, who was in the corner and talking to Jimmy like nothing had happened. I let out a sigh of relief at that and looked down at Fae’s kind face.
“I’m really sorry about that,” I said.
“Don’t worry about it. You think you’re the first person Jenn has had a problem with? Believe me, you’re not.”
I smiled with relief and a touch of embarrassment. If it weren’t for Rebecca and Fae, Jenn and I would be involved in the world’s biggest and most disgraceful catfight. I would have kicked her ass and she would have fought dirty. But at least now it was all out in the open and done with. As much as she denied it, she knew we all knew the truth and that was all I needed.
I let out a huge breath and Fae gave me a quick hug before sauntering off to Jimmy. I wondered if she’d later fill him on to what happened. Probably. I just hoped it didn’t damage my reputation any further. In one evening I would become known as a smartass, a shoe-kicker, and a brawler. This really was one hell of a Christmas party.
I was standing beside the small stage, gathering my thoughts and composure, as the MC came back out in his cheesy cheap suit.
“So,” he bellowed into the mic. The DJ shut the house music off. “I think it’s time for karaoke again. Now before you complain, I think it’s safe to say that dancing has become a bit of a liability tonight.”
The MC wiggled his bushy brows at me and I rolled my eyes, blushing once again. Everyone in the room laughed and one person hollered. Without turning to look, I was pretty sure it was Rebecca.
“OK then,” I said underneath my breath, and stepped on to the stage. I held my hand out for the mic. “Well, if we’re going to do this, let’s do this.”
I was still so angry and frustrated, the adrenaline coursing through my veins, that I needed something to distract me, even if that meant making another fool of myself in public.
The MC looked surprised but handed the mic to me. “All right, looks like she’s going first. Just no kicking moves, OK?”
Everyone laughed again, and I smiled sarcastically at him until he got off the stage and walked over to the machine.
“What do you want to sing?” he asked, about to flip through the songs.
“Soundgarden!” Dex yelled from the back of the room. I looked over everyone’s head and saw him giving me the OK sign and smiling cheekily. He had sat back down at the table beside Rebecca and Emily. Of course he would say that. He wanted to hear it ever since I told him I did a Chris Cornell impression. Actually it was more of a parody than an impression…
“Ah, a Seattle favorite,” the MC said, and touched a few buttons on the machine. “You got it, Dex. We don’t have much selection here, so it’ll have to be this Pretty Noose.”
Luckily “Pretty Noose” wasn’t the hardest song to sing and I knew it by heart so I didn’t need to look at the lyrics. I nodded, swallowed hard, my eyes avoiding the crowd, knowing that again everyone was looking at me. As the “wah-wah” guitar intro flowed in, I quickly kicked off my shoes beside me, not risking it. And I waited.
I nodded my head in time to the cymbal hits, my fingers dancing beside me to guitar. Then the drums and sound burst in and I put the mic to my lips, and sang (overdramatically) along.
By the time I was done with the first verse, my voice was warmed up and I was singing/imitating the shit out of the song. My voice was surprisingly powerful and clear, only cracking at certain bits. The Riff Raff crew at the front were clapping already and letting out little woos. I was too embarrassed to look at my table, so I kept my eyes closed and channeled as much energy into my “performance” as I could. I acted like I was being hung from a noose and headbanged along with the beat.
When I wasn’t doing that, I was acting like I was at a drum set. When I imitated the noose for the second time I looked over at Dex. He was watching me, not smiling, just looking amazed. I took that as a good sign, then fell dramatically to my knees just in time for the guitar solo, which I pretended to play (even though I was never able to play it well in real life). I air-guitared and everyone cheered. I reached back and pulled the rest of my hair loose, so when I got back up to my feet, I was able to headbang with abandon, my black tresses flying everywhere.
Near the end of the song, everyone was singing along (like the true Seattleites they were) and I finished it off by giving a dramatic, “Yeah!”
The room erupted into applause. I stood up straight, my knees shaking against each other, and brushed my hair off my face. I beamed at the attention. I couldn’t help it.
“Great job miss…miss…” the MC said as he came back on the stage and took the mic from me.
“Palomino!” someone yelled from one of the tables.
“Ah yes, round of applause for Miss Palomino. Now, who is next?”
I exited the stage, grabbing my shoes as I went, just as some forty-something woman from the animal show hopped up. I walked barefoot over to the bar and leaned against it while putting my dreaded shoes back on my feet.
“Fuck me,” Dex exclaimed. I looked up and smiled at him. He was standing beside me, still looking awed.
“It was your song, Dex,” I said.
“You…you…”
I gave him an expectant look.
“You’re going to put me to shame when I go up there.”
“Pffft,” I said, and turned back to the bar to get the bartender’s attention. I got it right away. He was tall, wiry and cute and grinned at me.
“What can I get for you, gorgeous?” he asked, his hand sliding over the glasses beneath the counter.
“I’m getting it,” Dex said, leaning against the counter beside me, his shoulder pressed up against mine. He threw a fifty in front of the bartender.
I raised my brow at him, trying not to laugh. “High rolling, are we now?”
“Just keep it under ten bucks,” Dex said with a wink.
I nudged him playfully and told the bartender to pour us both a Jack and Coke.
“Rubbing off on you again, am I?” Dex asked.
I rolled my eyes and turned around to survey the room. Jenn was back at the table now beside Bradley. Dex followed my eyes and sighed.
“I know,” he said slowly.
I eyed him quizzically. “Did you hear about what happened?”
“What happened?” he asked. He seemed sincere.
“I’ll tell you later,” I said quickly, not wanting to get into it here. Not until after everyone had cooled down.
“Always with the later, Perry. What if there is no later?”
I gave him a strange look. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he started, reaching across the bar and handing me my drink, “we really oughta start living in the now, don’t you think?”
He raised his glass. I raised mine. We clinked. I was about to take a sip but he said, “Uh-uh, Perry. You have to look me in the eyes. Otherwise it’s seven years bad sex. For both of us. And we can’t have that, can we?”
I blushed again and looked deep into his eyes. He was looking at me like he never had before. His dark brown beautiful eyes that were so familiar to me had suddenly changed. There was another layer there, this one filled with things I didn’t dare dream about. Longing, passion, lust and intensity. I wondered how sudden the change was. Maybe he had always looked at me like that and I was only just noticing.
We both took a slow sip of our drinks, not taking our eyes off each other. He smiled, his lips twitching in an almost predatory way. I couldn’t say I wasn’t returning the same look.
“Uh, sir, your change?” the bartender’s voice penetrated the space between our interlocked eyes.
Dex tore his gaze off of me and smiled at the bartender, unamused. “Yes, thanks.”
He swiped the change from him and tossed a ten dollar bill on the table as a tip.
I felt awkward and off guard so I straightened up, instinctively smoothing my hair behind my ears. “You are a high roller,” I joked, my voice uneven.
He smirked at that but it couldn’t dissipate the awkwardness and sudden tension between us.
“Guess we better join the others,” he said, clearing his throat. He walked toward the table. I followed.
To their credit, Jenn and Bradley weren’t talking to each other. Bradley was busy texting someone and Jenn was involved in small talk with a woman at the table next to them. As I took my seat, Rebecca and Emily broke out into little claps.
“Huzzah!” Rebecca said giddily. “You’re a rock star, Perry!”
I waved at her bashfully. “Oh come on, that was a piss-poor impression.”
“No, it was awesome,” Emily shot in.
I took my seat as Dex took his and he whispered into my ear, “What did I tell you about taking a compliment?”
I nodded. I smiled gratefully at Rebecca and Emily. It was a hard thing to accept but I was learning. I don’t think I had ever been complimented so much in my entire life. This evening had almost become the high point of my existence.
“Well, it’s my turn now,” Dex said and abruptly got out of his seat. The song had just ended (another person attempting to sing to Elton John) and the last singer was coming off the stage to polite golf claps.
I watched Dex saunter his way to the front of the stage, swaying a bit and bumping into the occasional chair. The booze was starting to kick in with him.
Rebecca placed her hand on mine and gave it a quick squeeze.
“How are you doing?” she asked sweetly, her eyes flitting to Jenn and back. I didn’t bother following them. I was avoiding looking in Jenn’s direction like I’d get some eye disease if I did.
“Good,” I answered, then remembered the way Dex had looked at me only moments earlier. “I think. Maybe better than good.”
She smiled quickly. “Good.”
We turned our attention to Dex, who was now on the stage and whispering something to the MC. The MC nodded, looking impressed, and then plugged a few things on the machine.
“He’s quite the singer,” Rebecca said, loudly this time, so that Jenn and Bradley both looked at her. She nodded at the stage and suddenly Dex had everyone’s attention.
The song he chose started to play. It took a while for me to recognize it. It was “This Guy’s In Love With You” by Herb Alpert, written by Burt Bacharach. An old song and one I didn’t know too well, but it somehow suited Dex and loungey/crooner act just fine.