Less than ten minutes later, there was a sudden burst of commotion in the center of the club.
Susan sucked in her breath and smiled. “Oh, my God, there they are!”
I turned toward the stage as the band, Venom, emerged from the crowd and stepped onto it.
“Wow,” I replied, feeling a little breathless myself. I couldn’t see much, but I had to admit that it was a little exciting to know that they were actually there and going to sing.
“Let’s go,” said Susan, grabbing my arm.
“Where?”
She looked at me like I was clueless. “Hello?! By the stage.”
“Are you kidding? We’ll never get close,” I said, pointing. There were already dozens of people fighting to get closer and more appearing from other parts of the club. To me it wasn’t worth the fight. “No way. Susan, people are going to get trampled and I, for one, am not going to be one of them.”
Her shoulders slumped. “You’re right. There’s no way we’ll get near them. Jesus, would you look at all of the people there already? It’s insane. Where in the hell did they come from?”
“Some of them were in the basement,” said Brian, pouring pink shots for a couple of girls who didn’t look much older than us. From the way they were embracing and kissing each other, they were obviously more than just friends.
Embarrassed, I quickly looked away.
“The basement?” said Susan. “What’s down there?”
“Private parties,” he said with a sly smile. “I’ve never been to the basement, personally, but I’ve heard things are pretty intense down there.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “If you know what I mean.”
I didn’t know what he meant and wasn’t sure if I wanted to ever find out. “Let me get this straight, you’ve been here for a while and you’ve never been down there?”
“It’s very elite. Even for the employees that work here. I guess you could say that most of us haven’t ever seen the basement. You need a special invite from Faye, even if you work here.”
“That’s really bizarre,” I replied, shaking my head. It made me wonder if my cousin had somehow ended up down there.
The lights dimmed even lower in the club, and I watched as a tall, dark-haired guy began to speak into the microphone on stage.
“Good evening, everyone,” he said. “Sorry to interrupt your partying -”
“We love you, Slade!” screamed one of the lesbians standing next to us. Then, both she and her girlfriend lifted their tops and flashed the band.
My jaw dropped.
“Classy,” mumbled Susan.
“Wow, well, thanks,” replied Slade, still staring toward us. “You’re making me blush.”
The two girls giggled and lowered their tops.
Slade began talking again. “The real star here tonight is that very lovely lady who invited us to come and play at her club. Now… a little birdy told me that it was a special occasion, and we just knew that we couldn’t leave Montana without wishing her a wonderful birthday. Everyone, give it up for Faye Dunbar!”
The crowd began to clap as one of the glass windows opened up in the balcony, where a group of people sat, drinking champagne and watching the stage.
“Stand up, Faye!” hollered someone in the crowd.
An elegantly dressed woman sitting in the balcony stood up and waved.
“Happy Birthday, Faye!” hollered a group of people in the back.
“Thank you!” she answered, beaming down at everyone.
“Faye, Birthday Girl, this song is for you,” said Slade as the band began to play the familiar jingle.
Slade put the microphone closer to his mouth and began to sing. His voice had a rich, deep timbre and it gave me goosebumps. I suddenly wished that I could get a closer look at him, but from the distance we were at, I could barely make out Slade’s face.
“God is he gorgeous,” said Susan, stirring her drink.
“I wish I could see him better,” I pouted, squinting my eyes.
“You still need glasses, don’t you?”
“Probably. They’re not that bad, though. It’s just the lighting in here.”
“Right… You know, maybe I should drive home tonight?” she said, smirking. “I’d like to wake up tomorrow in someplace other than the coroner’s office.”
“Whatever. My eyes aren’t that bad. Seriously.”
“If you say so…”
I turned back toward the stage. “Is he really that cute?”
“Hell yes. Look, don’t worry,” she replied. “You’ll see him soon enough. V.I.P., remember?”
“Exactly.”
“Just don’t forget why we came,” she said, winking at me.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean a guy like that could make you forget to go home, if you know what I mean,” she replied.
My eyebrows shot up. “What? Are you saying that you think Melody may have really gotten together with Slade?”
“I don’t know. It’s possible when you look like Melody. She could get any guy in town, why not a hot, single musician?”
“He’s single?”
“From what I hear. Although, it wouldn’t matter. Not these days. Rock stars like that always have girls hitting on them. I’m sure Slade sleeps with a new fan every night.”
I agreed.