Big Easy Escapade (5 page)

After their kiss, the redhead flipped Wendy’s
bachelorette sash. “Congrats! When’s the big day?” She was the bald
guy’s height, compliments of her high-heeled shoes, with fiery-red
hair swept into an up-do reminiscent of the ’60s. A white satin
ribbon crowned her hairline and wrapped back to the deep
undertones. Her pale, unblemished skin was completely free of
makeup, yet she looked beautiful in her cut-off shorts and
T-shirt.

“In a month, and thanks.” Wendy held out her
hand. She introduced herself, then said, “These are my friends,
Vivian, Lucy and Kate.”

The girls said hello and waved as the new
Blue Balls were handed out. Tattoo guy offered a toast: “To hot
women suckin’ blue balls!”

The girls laughed and turned ’em up.

“Thanks for the shot,” Lucy said and toasted
the bald guy. She turned to Red. “I’m totally diggin’ the hair.
Love the color!”

“Thanks, it’s called Jamaican Spice. My
hairdresser had to talk me into it, but it’s kinda been my shtick
ever since.”

The guy set down his empty test tube and held
out his hand to Lucy. “I’m Jason, by the way, and this is my
fiancé, Daisy.”

“Fiancé? When are y’all gettin’ married?”
Wendy asked. “And congrats!”

Daisy gave Jason a squeeze. “Next week. We’re
road-tripping to Vegas.”

“Oooooh, I love Vegas,” Vivian said, eyes
wide. “Are you doin’ the drive-through or something more
romantic?”

“We’ll see when we get there.” Jason pulled
Daisy close and gave her another kiss, no dipping this time. When
they pulled apart he said, “Anyone need a Hand Grenade? I hear they
kick ass.”

“No way, not after those two shots,” Lucy
waved him off, “but I would love to have one of the cups they come
in.”

Jason ordered two Hand Grenades and tipped
his way to two more cups. He handed a drink to Daisy, then handed
Vivian the empties. “Waste of a couple good cups, if you ask me.”
He winked.

Vivian tossed one of the cups to Lucy, then
turned to Jason and Daisy and their full, neon Hand Grenades. “Be
careful with those, they can cause you to blow up, if you know what
I mean.”

The band started playing “Let’s Get Drunk and
Screw,” another Buffett favorite, and Lucy headed out into the
street, singing along and using the bottom of the Hand Grenade cup
as a mic. Vivian joined her, and the six took the party onto busy
Bourbon.

Vehicle traffic was blocked off, and people,
many with drinks in hand, ambled from bar to bar. People on
balconies beckoned to women on the street, offering beads for boobs
and had several takers.

Vivian stepped around a puddle and pointed
her makeshift mic to it. “That stinks! It’s the one thing about
Bourbon I could do without.”

Daisy sidestepped the puddle. “Just watch
where you step. I already messed up one pair of heels and just
bought these.”

“I love those, by the way,” Lucy said,
admiring her three-inch wooden platforms with dark silver,
crisscrossed leather straps, adorned with silver studs. “Those are
hot! I might need some.”

“I got them at the coolest boutique.
Shoe-Be-Do on Chartres.”

“How were the prices?” Vivian asked.

“For handmade shoes, not bad, and they’re
having a great sale. I got these for 40 bucks!”

“We’re so hitting that tomorrow,” Lucy said.
“But for now, I need karaoke.” She pointed to a place called Voodoo
Vibes and crossed the street, cutting off a group of guys, one of
whom spilled his beer. “Sorry,” she called, but he didn’t seem to
notice.

One of the guys, wearing a giant green and
yellow foam cowboy hat, scooped Wendy up and swung her around.
Before she could react, he dipped her back and laid one on her.

Wendy tapped the guy’s shoulder, but he
didn’t let up. Kate snapped a picture* while everybody around
whooped and egged him on. He finished the kiss and spun her about.
She looked dazed but shook her head and yelled, “Woo!”

“Happy bachelorette party,” he said, then
gave her a strand of his Happy St. Patrick’s Day beads and kissed
her once more on the cheek before continuing down the street with
his buddies.

Jason, Daisy and the girls grabbed a table in
Voodoo Vibes, and a shot girl approached with test tubes in a
variety of colors.

“Would anyone like some Voodoo Vexes?” She
pointed to the purple tubes, then to the green. “Or here we have
our Voodoo Viagra.”

Daisy held up her Hand Grenade. “I’m set,
thanks.”

“What else do you have?” Kate asked.

“Three-for-one wells and domestics.”

“I’m up for a beer,” Vivian said. “Anybody
else?”

Wendy and Kate raised their hands, but Lucy
said, “I’ll take a vodka tonic.” Lucy grabbed a songbook from the
table next to them. “Who’s singing with me?”

“We all need to go up there!” Vivian said.
“Even you, Daisy!”

“I’m more of a dancer than a singer, but
sure!”

“I’ll stay here and rock the air drums,
pretend I’m on stage,” Jason said.

“Are you in a band?” Kate asked.

“I’m the drummer for 12 Stones.”

“You are?” Lucy asked. “I saw y’all in Denver
with Panic of the Disco. I loved that song ‘Anthem for the
Underdog.’ It totally rocked!”

He nodded. “Cool.”

“Is that the concert where the concrete chunk
fell on your head?” Vivian asked.

“That’s the one.”

“You could have been killed!” Kate said.

“Don’t I know it!” Lucy said, rubbing her
head. Then she went back to flipping the pages of the karaoke book
with frenzy. “We need some rock! Oh, I know, Rush! Can you kick it
to ‘Dreamline’?”

“Hell, yeah,” Jason said.

Lucy turned in the request and their drinks
were delivered. Lucy’s came in a giant plastic cup that had the
Voodoo Vibes logo surrounded by musical notes.

“Now that’s what I call a drink!” Lucy said
and took a long sip.

“Jason, are y’all on tour right now? Is that
why you’re here in New Orleans?”

“Actually, 12 Stones is from NOLA. Right now,
Daisy’s the one on tour.”

“Are you in a band, too?” Kate asked her.

Daisy smiled and shook her head. “I have a
different talent. I’m a burlesque dancer.”

“What’s that?” Wendy asked.

“It’s basically a stripper, but I don’t get
all the way naked. Plus, I’m in a lot of competitions.”

Jason squeezed her knee. “She’s up for
newcomer of the year in the Exotic Dancer National Championships.
She’s amazing.”

She smiled at him and placed her hand on
his.

He picked it up and kissed it. “We’re on a
cross-country exhibition ending in Las Vegas where I know she’ll
win. Nobody can compete with her. She’s fantastic, a true athlete
on the pole.”

“That’s amazing, congratulations!” Vivian
said, then raised her beer. “To Daisy! Our new friend and
soon-to-be grand champion dancer!”

The DJ announced their song, so the girls got
up and boogied their way to the stage. Vivian looked down and
couldn’t believe who she saw.

S
itting
front and center at a table beyond the stage at Voodoo Vibes was
Adrienne Russo. Her tan hadn’t faded a bit since Vivian and the
girls met her and Al, her boisterous husband, in Playa del Carmen a
year and a half ago. They owned a restaurant in Chicago’s Little
Italy neighborhood that Al inherited from his father who had
inherited it from his father. Al and Adrienne had been a huge help
in getting unjust murder accusations cleared up, and they and the
girls became friends for life.

Despite the humidity, Adrienne’s hair was
styled to its usual perfection and her bling was still blinding.
Earrings, necklace, bracelet and a ring of silver and blue
sapphires sparkled, and then there was the wedding ring —
kaboom!

“Hey!” Vivian called and waved to her just as
the guitar licks of “Dreamline” began, so the girls got into
position in front of the microphones.

Lucy belted out the song, with Vivian and
Daisy singing the lines off the prompter best they could. Kate and
Wendy mostly danced in the back. Jason, true to his word, played
stellar air drums at their table.

Song over, Daisy went back to the table while
Vivian hopped off the stage and hugged Adrienne’s neck. “I can’t
believe it! What are you doing here?”

“Came in to see family. I saw on Facebook you
girls were here, too. I had a feeling I’d run into you!”

Lucy hugged her, too. “Where’s Al?”

“He’s with his cousin, Gino. This is his
wife, Michelle.”

“Come sit with us!” Kate said.

They pulled up two more chairs, and Vivian
introduced Jason and Daisy. “We met Adrienne in Playa del Carmen on
our first girls trip.”

“Look out for these girls,” Adrienne joked.
“They’ve got killer instincts.”

“Ha ha ha,” Vivian said. “He’s spoken for, so
in no danger of any of us. Daisy’s his fiancé.”

“Congratulations! Are you getting married
here in New Orleans?” Adrienne asked.

Lucy picked up her giant three-for-one vodka.
“Actually they’re here for Daisy’s big show. They’re on their way
to Vegas.”

“What kind of show?”

Daisy answered. “It’s a burlesque
exhibition.”

Adrienne and Michelle looked at each other
and smiled.

“My husband owns the French House,” Michelle
said.

“What a small world,” Kate said.

“I met Gino,” Daisy said. “He’s really nice.
It’s an awesome club, one of the nicer ones I’ve danced in.”

Adrienne tugged on Wendy’s sash. “So who’s
the lucky guy?”

“Same guy I was dating in Mexico — Jake. He’s
from North Carolina.”

“Yeah, I remember you talking about him.
That’s great, I’m happy for you. When’s the big day?”

“Only a month away!”

Michelle looked at her watch. “I hate to meet
and run, but the guys are expecting us to be home by 2 a.m.”

Adrienne nodded her head. “Okay, okay. I’m on
a short leash tonight. Are y’all coming to the show tomorrow?”

Vivian shrugged. “We didn’t know about
it.”

“You’ve got to come. We’ll reserve you girls
and Jason a table down front. What do you say?”

“Sure, why not!” Lucy said.

The other girls nodded.

“We’ll be there!” Vivian said, then they said
their goodbyes to Adrienne and Michelle.

After some bad karaoke, everyone decided it
was time to hang up their beads and boas for the night. They all
walked down Bourbon toward Canal together since Jason and Daisy’s
hotel was only a few blocks from the Hotel De Lis.

The streets had started to clear out and
trash was strewn about. As they walked, Daisy told them more about
the show and her competition.

Vivian noticed a dim light coming from a
small alcove of a building and got an eerie feeling. “What’s
that?”

As they got closer, she saw a petite lady
with long, black hair sitting on a milk crate at a makeshift table
that held a small candle. “Would you like to know more about your
future?”

Vivian shuddered, immediately recognizing the
woman. “Let’s go.” She grabbed Kate’s elbow and pulled her
along.

“I want to know more about my future,” Lucy
said as she sat down across from the woman.

The rest of the group stopped in the street,
close by.

Kate turned to Vivian. “What’s wrong?”

“I swear that’s the lady who read my aura
when I was here in college. She totally freaked me out. She told me
Rick would hurt me very badly and I should leave him. She knew his
name. I hadn’t said a word. I ran away, upset, and a few hours
later she popped out of nowhere and asked if I was okay, which of
course I wasn’t.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m totally talking to this
lady,” Wendy said. “I have so many questions. I want to hear what
she says.”

“I’ll see what Lucy thinks,” Kate said. “I
might do it.”

After a while, Lucy stood up and walked
over.

“How was it?” Kate asked.

“She’s better than my shrink.”

“I’m goin’ next,” Wendy said, then walked
over to her.

“What’d she say?” Kate asked Lucy.

“You aren’t supposed to talk about it. But I
will tell you there are big changes coming in my life.”

Vivian rolled her eyes and groaned. Kate
clapped.

“How much was it?” Daisy asked.

“Only 15 bucks and soooo worth it.”

“For that, I’ll probably do it, too.”

After several minutes, Wendy finished up and
Kate went next.

“Anything you’d like to share?” Lucy asked
Wendy.

“She sees a lot of travel in my future, and
I’m livin’ to the ripe ol’ age of 92.”

“It’s all that good, clean living,” Vivian
laughed.

“Right,” Lucy smirked.

Vivian turned to Daisy. “So where are y’all
from?”

“We started out from Trenton last week, had a
stop in DC, Charlotte, then Atlanta, but originally I’m from
Minneapolis. Jason’s a Jersey boy.”

“Man, that’s a lot of stops,” Lucy said.

“We’ve got five more on our way to
Vegas.”

Kate finished up and Daisy sat down on the
milk crate. Vivian watched as the fortune-teller took Daisy’s hand
and began her reading. Daisy was there for almost 10 minutes when
her expression turned from amusement to questioning. Jason saw it
and took a few steps closer. Shortly thereafter, the reading was
over and she joined the group.

“What’d she say that pissed you off?” Jason
asked.

Daisy waved her hand. “Oh, my job puts me in
danger, blah blah blah.”

Jason pulled her close and nuzzled her neck.
“I’ll keep you safe, baby.”

“Oh Bam Bam, not in front of the children,”
she joked but turned into his embrace.

Vivian was about to start walking toward
their hotel again when the fortune-teller came her way.

“I want to read you again. No charge.”

Vivian waved her off and took two steps back.
“No, no, no. I’m not ever doing that again.”