Chapter Nine
Chelsey
“Wow, that was awesome,” said Susan as we walked back over to the bar. “I still can’t believe that you wanted to fight our way over to the stage. I definitely wasn’t expecting that one.”
“Neither was I,” I replied, still shocked myself. But, after he’d started to sing, something had come over me. Like a moth to a flame, I’d been drawn to Slade’s voice, wanting to get as near to it as I could. He’d swept me away with the lyrics, and the emotion in his words had touched me deeply. I could see why he had so many fans, especially female ones.
“Did you see the way he stared at you?” remarked Susan. “The guy looked like he wanted to jump your bones!”
My eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“He was hot for you. Even his eyes looked like they were on fire.” Her forehead wrinkled. “Actually, it was kind of weird how they glowed. I’m sure it was some kind of stage act with contact lenses or whatever.”
“Yeah,” I replied, having noticed the same thing. Ethan’s eyes had glowed the same way, and again, I blamed it on the lighting.
“Anyway, now I bet you can’t wait to meet him.” She smirked. “Hell, I bet he can’t wait to meet you. I mean, wow… the way he looked at you. I thought he was going to leap off of the stage, throw you over his shoulder, and carry you to his man-cave.”
My stomach grew warm with that idea. “Shut up. He did not.”
“He was definitely lusting after you. You should be thrilled.”
“Slade wasn’t lusting after me,” I said, trying not to smile. I had to admit, the idea was making me tingle.
She giggled. “You’re such a virgin.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you’d have told me all the gritty details by now.”
I blushed.
She pointed. “And you wouldn’t be blushing.”
“Whatever,” I said as we stopped back by the bar.
“Hey,” said Brian, handing Susan her martini. “You forgot this. I saved it for you.”
“Thanks,” she replied, winking at him.
“We should go up to the V.I.P. now,” I said. “Before it gets too late. I really don’t want to stay here too long. I have a lot of studying to do tomorrow.”
“Sure, but let me finish this first,” she said, stirring the martini.
“I take it those Cosmopolitans are pretty strong,” I said, noticing how shiny her eyes were getting.
Susan grinned. “They are but they go down smooth.” She held out the glass. “Try some? Just a sip?”
Not wanting her totally wasted by the time we met the band, I extended my hand. “Sure, I’ll help you.”
She handed the glass to me. “They are so… yummy,” she said. Susan lowered her voice and gave me a lopsided grin. “Kind of like the bartender.”
Chuckling, I gulped down most of the drink and then shivered. It was really strong.
“Hey,” she pouted as I handed her the glass. “You hardly left me any.”
“Sorry,” I replied, feeling my stomach get warm. I smiled as the heat spread to my cheeks. “I see what you mean. Those are damn good.”
“Would either of you like another one?” asked Brian, handing an older guy next to us a bottle of beer.
“No,” I said, grabbing my purse from the bar. “I think we’re going upstairs.”
“But, we’ll be back,” said Susan, smiling at him flirtatiously.
“Hey,” I asked leaning toward Brian. “Just curious… you mentioned that you were working last night?”
“Sure was. In fact, I’m here most nights until close.”
Feeling more comfortable with him, especially now that the booze had loosened my tongue, I lowered my voice. “Did you see a blonde around my age here last night? About as tall as Susan with long hair and big blue eyes?”
“Yeah and even bigger boobs,” said Susan.
Brian burst out laughing. “Sounds like half the girls who were here last night.”
And tonight, I thought, looking around again.
“What’s her name?” he asked, wiping the top of the black-marbled bar with a towel. “Maybe it will ring a bell.”
“Melody Williams,” I said.
His forehead wrinkled. “Hmm… Melody…. blonde hair and stacked, huh? Can’t say that I recognize the name, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t here. Last night was jam-packed.”
“Oh, she was definitely here,” I replied. “Her friends, Veronica and Taylor, verified that.”
He swung the towel over his shoulder and gave me a curious look. “So, why exactly are you looking for this chick?”
“She’s my cousin and now she’s missing. She supposedly took off with some guy last night and hasn’t made it home yet.”
Brian shrugged. “Maybe she’s still with the dude and just forgot about checking in.”
Susan grinned wickedly. “Exactly. Maybe she’s just too busy gettin’ busy to think about anyone else right now.”
He chuckled. “Exactly. Once they come up for air, you’ll hear from her, I’ll bet.”
“I hope so,” I replied, still not too sure myself. No phone calls from Melody, well that was one thing, but the texting thing disturbed me. She was addicted to her keypad and should have texted somebody by now.
Just then, my own cell phone began to vibrate. I pulled it out of my purse. “It’s my mom,” I said to Susan, staring down at the text. I sighed. “They still haven’t heard from Melody.”
“Crap,” said Susan. “I was hoping that you were getting some good news.”
“Me too. She says she’s staying with my aunt overnight,” I said as I began typing a message back, telling her that I was still out with Susan and would be home later.
“Is your dad staying, too?” she asked. “Or is he going to start badgering the police to start looking for her?”
I shoved my phone back into my purse and zipped it up. “I’m sure they’re going to file a Missing Person’s Report. It’s been almost twenty-four hours since Melody’s friends saw her.”
She bit her lower lip. “I know what Brian said and all,” she said as we stepped away from the bar. “But what if something seriously bad has happened to her?”
“That’s why we’re here,” I said. “To see if anyone remembers seeing her, or the guy she left with. Melody kind of stands out in the crowd, you know? I would think that someone would remember her.”
“She definitely thrives on attention. So, um… are you going to ask the band if they know anything?”
“Well, I’m going to try,” I replied as we took the stairs. “I mean I didn’t exactly come here to ‘ooh’ and ‘ah” over these guys. I’m here for answers.”
“Ditto. Hey, maybe we should have asked Ethan? I didn’t even think about that.”
“I did, but not until after he left. Unfortunately, it’s too late now.”
“Shit,” she said, looking back toward the entrance. “We should have asked the coat-check girl. I didn’t even think about that!”
“If it’s even the same one from last night.”
“Doesn’t hurt to ask.”
“We’ll, do it on the way out.”
“Good thinking. Hopefully Slade will remember something about her, too. I’m sure Melody made her way to the front of the stage to get his attention.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me,” I replied, picturing her making goo-goo eyes at him. After seeing and listening to him tonight, however, I couldn’t exactly blame her.
When we reached the top, there were three rooms marked “V.I.P.” We stepped toward the one with two security guards.
“Yeah, um… I think we’re supposed to give you this,” I said, holding up the card from Ethan.
The taller of the two, Bill, a guy with a blond ponytail and goatee, took the card. “You say Ethan gave you this?”
I nodded.
“Yeah,” said Susan, her eyes big. “Don’t worry, we?
??re not going to stay long. Just want to meet the band and maybe get an autograph or two.”
The other security guard, Mason, a dark-skinned man with soft brown eyes and a friendlier face, leaned over and looked at the card. He read it and then smiled at us. “Huh… well, I guess it’s your lucky night.”
“It appears that way,” I replied, as Bill handed me back the card.
“Or maybe not,” said Bill under his breath with a smirk.
“What was that?” I asked, looking up at him. With his thick lips and beady eyes, he was far from attractive.
Mason laughed. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just jealous.”
“Screw that,” said Bill. “I’m not jealous of those guys. I get all the chicks I want. I don’t need to be in a rock band for that.”
“Whatever. I’ll escort you two inside,” said Mason, turning back to us. “There might be some crazy shit going on in the V.I.P.” He smiled wickedly. “And you lovely ladies might just need some protection from the animals in there.”
I looked at Susan nervously, wondering what we’d gotten ourselves into. There were a lot of rumors about the club. Creepy ones.
Mason looked at my face and burst out laughing. “Hey, I’m just messing with you. You look like you’re about ready to take off running.”
I forced a smile. “No. I’m fine. I knew that you were joking.”
He tilted his head. “You still look a little apprehensive. Don’t be. Nothing bad will happen to you,” he grinned wickedly, “unless you want it.”
I glanced at Susan, who was also smiling.
“Come on,” he said, stepping back so we could enter the lounge. “I’ll introduce you to Venom. I have a feeling they’re going to be happy when you two walk through the door.”
“Really?” asked Susan.
“Hell yeah. They love meeting their fans.”
“We’re kind of new fans,” I said, hoping that nobody would ask me about the music or which song was my favorite.
“That’s even better,” said Mason, walking us down the hallway. “The band just loves fresh meat.”
I sighed. “Great.”
Chapter Ten
Chelsey