Both of them had crestfallen expressions on their faces. "Dude, not cool," Mike said, while Matt shook his head disappointedly. Big cocked an eyebrow up at James who just shrugged. The M's rarely made sense to them.
"Whatever." He glanced down at his watch and saw that it was time to get this show on the road. "Let's go, dickheads. We've got a crowd to entertain."
"Charming venue," Russell said, turning up his nose as he took in the tiki-themed décor. He picked up his fruity beverage that came in a festive tiki glass and sipped, his eyes going round as he swallowed. "Though this concoction is delish," he exclaimed, taking another hearty gulp.
"Don't be such a snob, Russy-bee," Maggie warned, breaking into a smile when she saw the guys take the stage to the applause of a few eager members in the crowd. James winked at her and she blushed, her smile brightening even further.
"My God, you two are so schmoopy!" he ribbed, catching the exchange.
She grinned into her drink, not caring one bit about his teasing. Date number two had gone even better than the first and she was tumbling for James Keller at an alarmingly fast rate. They opened with Hard to Handle and Maggie bobbed her head and sang along with the band, pleasantly surprised by the voice coming out of Big's mouth. Fire Extinguishers were much better than she'd expected.
Russell leaned in and grinned like the Cheshire cat. She recognized that look in his eyes. "What?" Maggie asked, one perfectly shaped brow arched sky high.
He leaned forward dramatically and folded his hands on the table. "Will our darling Alisha be attending tonight?"
"Ye-es," she said, drawing the word out slowly. "I've told you that five times already—once she's done with her show. Why?"
Russell looked towards the stage and then back at his blonde friend. "She'll be a goner once she hears that voice coming from that man," he pointed.
Maggie turned her eyes towards the stage and listened more closely, realizing that he was absolutely spot on. "I think you're right, Russell. The key to Alisha's heart is definitely through her ears. Maybe then she can put this Gregory business behind her once and for all." The duo shared a conspiratorial grin and fluttered their fingers together in their own brand of a high five.
Alisha stepped out of the cab and looked up at the neon sign outside of the bar. After double checking her texts from Maggie to ensure that she was, in fact, in the right place, she paid the driver and headed for the door. The final strains of a Mellencamp song rang through the air as she showed the bouncer her ID, holding her hand out to be marked by the rubber stamp. She smiled in way of thanks and made a beeline for the bar, desperately needing a drink to unwind after two shows of her own that day.
She was later than she'd planned on being, having gone back and forth about whether or not she really wanted to come. Then there was the indecision over her wardrobe for the night, which was patently ridiculous seeing as it was a cover band playing in a tiki bar. But in the end, her curiosity about Fire Extinguishers won as did her white lace-trimmed tank top, black leather jacket, skinny jeans and red high heels. And if she spent a little more time on her hair and makeup than normal, it was only to avoid Russell giving her a hard time and nothing at all to do with the man playing a mean guitar on stage and singing Mustang Sally.
The bartender handed Alisha a bottle of beer and she took a healthy pull from the top as she scanned the bar for her friends. She walked closer to the stage and finally got a good look at Big who was standing in the center performing. Oh. Her heart pumped just a little harder and in time with the rock notes of the old classic. The graveled edges of his voice had the corners of her lips turning upward as she moved closer still to get a better view. James pounded away on the drums, a look of happy concentration on his adorably handsome face.
Alisha felt a hand firm on her arm and turned to find Maggie, who then launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around her neck. She staggered back laughing, wrapping her arms around her friend.
"Yay, you're finally here!" she yelled over the music. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show."
"Sorry—got hung up after the show," Alisha smiled.
Maggie gave her the onceover and whistled. "Getting dolled up, no doubt. You look hot!"
Alisha felt her cheeks blush. "It's just a tank top and jeans."
"And come fuck me heels," she added with a wry grin. "Hoping to get your groupie act on after the show?" She poked Alisha playfully in the stomach. "You might have some competition. Just look at all of these women salivating over him."
"You're ridiculous and so far off the mark."
"If you say so," Maggie said doubtfully.
"I do. Where's Russell?"
Maggie giggled and pointed over to their table where Russell was downing another Tiki Punch and dancing in his seat.
"Is he—?"
"Bombed out of his gourd? You betcha! He's going to be so mad tomorrow when he realizes he consumed approximately ten bazillion calories." They both let out a hearty laugh and Maggie grabbed Alisha's hand, weaving through the crowd over to the table. "Don't they sound great? We're having so much fun—but it's even better now that you're here."
"All you wanna do is ride around Sally. Ride, Sally, ride."
His voice really was good, and he looked like he was having a blast performing. She smiled fully when she looked to the stage. "They do," she agreed, dropping her bag on the table.
Russell looked up with wide, glassy eyes and a bright smile on his boyish face. "İAy caramba, mamacita! Muy caliente!"
Alisha smirked, which gave way to a full-blown grin.
