“Yeah,” he replied. He didn’t look reassured. That was the thing about these artist types. They needed lots of reassurance.
“Hey, dude, you guys are the best new band out there. Remember what happened with Radiohead?” I said, naming one of my all-time favorite bands.“Yeah, they had a hit with Pablo Honey. But it wasn’t until OK Computer that they really got the respect they deserve.”
“I know, you’re right,” he said, looking up on the stage where his bass player was still setting up.
“You guys pretty much ready to rock and roll?”
“Pretty much,” he answered, but I could see he was no longer listening to me. I followed his gaze.
Finally, I thought, watching Sage strut in wearing a pair of low-slung jeans and a midriff-baring sea-green tank top that showed off her flat, tan stomach and brought out the green of her eyes. Zoe was lagging along behind her, looking pretty cute herself. For Zoe anyway. Not that she wasn’t cute, but she didn’t, let’s say, show off her assets. She’s got a nice little body, Zoe, though you’d never know it. But tonight I could see the T-shirt was a bit tighter than usual. And she had some killer heels on with her jeans. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Zoe in heels.
I don’t think Zoe has ever been in heels. She looked pretty damn uncomfortable.
“Hey,” I said, leaning in to kiss Sage and then Zoe. “Did Ray comp you at the door?”
“He did,” Sage said, winking at me. Then I saw her look at Les. “Hi,” she greeted him. Probably because he was gawking at her. Sage had that effect on men.
“Sage Daniels, Zoe Keller, meet Les Wolf, lead singer and the brains behind Nose Dive.”
Sage beamed her usual fifty-watt smile, which I think might have blinded Les, judging by the way he stood there, tongue tied. “Nice to meet you,” Sage was saying. “Nick has been raving about you guys. I can’t wait to hear you jam.”
Good old Sage. Laying on the charm, as usual. I was glad, too, ‘cause Les was still hemming and hawing over the contract. The more warm and friendly he felt toward me—and my friends, who are an extension of me, right?—the better.
Seeing that Les had finally recovered enough to hold up his end of the conversation Sage had engaged him in, I turned to Zoe.
“So how’s it hanging, Zoe?”
“It doesn’t hang, Nick, remember? At least not in these jeans, it doesn’t.”
“Yeah?” I said, leaning back to check her out. Wow. Those jeans were tight. Who knew Zoe had such a nice ass? Maybe I had underestimated her. “Well, you’re looking pretty hot.”
“Thanks,” she said, her face a mixture of pleasure and embarrassment. “I think.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m taking a page from Sage’s book. Actually, I’m taking clothes from Sage’s closet. I showed up at her apartment in shorts and sneakers and she threw a hissy fit. I just wanted to be comfortable, but she accused me of being depressed.”
“Depressed? Why would she think that?”
She shook her head, gazed off at the stage. “I had a little run-in with Myles. Nothing major.”
I put an arm around her. “Ah, Zoe.”
“Don’t ‘Ah, Zoe’ me. I’m fine. We just had a…a disagreement. It really wasn’t anything.”
I looked at her, noticing she had a touch of makeup on, too. “Don’t worry about him. You could have any guy you want.”
“Yeah,” she said, looking away.“It’s not him I’m worried about.” Then her eyes narrowed.“Look at that girl—she’s wearing shorts.”
I turned and saw the tall blonde she was referring to.“Uh, those are hot pants. It’s a little different.” I looked at Zoe again. Actually, I leaned around to look at her ass. “So these are Sage’s jeans? I can’t believe you fit into them.”
“Thanks a lot,” she said.
Oops. Now she looked pissed at me. “I mean, you look good, Zoe. You should dress like this a little more often.”
“Forget it,” she said. “Do you know I had to lie down on the bed to get these pants zipped up? And the only reason I could fit my ass into Sage’s jeans is because these are a little too big on her. And these shoes, Jesus. I thought women had evolved since the days of stilettos?”
I laughed. Zoe. She was funny when that femi-nazi side came out. Not that I ever called her a femi-nazi. Actually, I did once. She nearly clubbed me. “Hey, listen, I’m glad you came,” I said. I meant it, you know? There were very few people you could count on nowadays and I was appreciative of Zoe and Sage’s support. They were the two people in this world I knew I could rely on. Not like some of the other people I’d invited to this gig, I thought, glancing around.
“Hey, don’t sweat it, Nick,” Zoe said, as if reading my mind. “It’s not always the crowd that counts. My first documentary got zip in terms of distribution, but I garnered a pretty nice critics award. Really bolstered video sales.”
See, that’s what I love about Zoe. The chick’s got integrity. She knows firsthand what it’s like to get behind what you love, even if the world isn’t behind it initially.
Les sidled up to us. “Could you excuse us for a moment?” he said to Zoe.
“Sure,” Zoe replied. “I’m gonna get a drink. Nick, you need anything?”
I pulled a twenty out of my pocket. “Get me a beer. A Stella Artois. And get yourself whatever you want.”
Zoe looked at me with surprise. “Thanks, Nick.”
See? I could be a good guy in times of plenty. Okay, semi-plenty. But I was working on that. I turned to Les.“Oh, dude, sorry man. You need anything from the bar?”
“Not from the bar, no,” Les said, a gleam in his eye.
“Oh yeah? What can I do for you, buddy?”
“You gotta hook me up with that
