Not Quite Juliet: A Club Imperial Novel (Silver Soul Book 1) (4 page)

Nadine dragged me over to the bar, and hauled me onto a stool. It was the perfect seat to watch the band on stage and Nadine was seated perfectly to ogle and flirt with her new interest.

I’d missed curtain up. But that was kind of okay. I didn’t have to wait for Nick D to appear. He was already waiting for me and singing.

Ah, Nick D.

Anyone who knew me knew Silver Soul was my favorite band. They were a local favorite with a few CDs under their belt, and they had no desire to be known as anything more. Nearly every member of the band had a life they liked off stage, so there was no reason for them to do anything more than enjoy being in the band, and enjoy the little bit of extra fame it brought them. They did keep their private lives private and even on their more in depth interview—

—which I had on my iPod for my listening pleasure whenever the mood struck—

—they were less than forthcoming about who they were offstage. The one with the biggest mouth was Dave, the lead guitarist. He had bigger dreams, but I also thought of him as the Band Dick. Because he was, no matter how awesome his guitar skills were.

And while he was certainly shredding on stage right now, I immediately looked to his left and fixed my eyes on Nick D, ear humping me with his incredible voice. I took a good hard gander at his deliciously lean body. That was one of the things I really admired about Silver Soul. They looked incredible on stage and never felt the need to rip shirts off, or have their asses hanging out of baggy pants.

Again, not that I would mind ogling that lovely ass of his.

Since Nadine was totally focused on her conqueror and flirting her way into his pants, I took the liberty of unabashedly eye-humping Nick D and pretending the song he was singing,
As if
, was meant just for me. Private audience of one.

He had a sultry voice in a dark tenor that caressed the sounds through the microphone. Someone said he reminded them of Rod Stewart and I wanted to backhand them. His voice had some of the same tonal qualities, but none of that distracting gravel. His hair was rock star long –not 80s hairband long, but not short either, coming to about his chin, and I was envious of those gorgeous dark brown locks. His eyes were shut, lost in the sounds around him as he pumped out the lyrics in perfect time and tone, but I knew behind the hair there were two of the most gorgeous aqua-hazel eyes. The dark rim of hazel circled and set off the lighter, bright center.

Oh, I had long ago memorized those gorgeous eyes. I wanted them to stare at me.

I sighed and leaned into my hand. I loved the group, and I was infatuated with Nick. This was worth the jerk at the Club.

Stat startled me when he hit the gong and called last round at 11:15. I didn’t even realize I had been staring and listening that long. Nadine laughed when I jerked away from the stage and looked at her. “I always knew you liked him, I didn’t know you could completely shut everything else out.”

“Yeah, well, I worked on it this time,” I said. “I didn’t need to be a witness to your flirtings.”

“You’re funny,” Nadine said. She turned back to Stat and we both gasped.

Half the club wanted a last-call drink. They were surrounding the bar four and five deep and Stat looked like he didn’t know what to do. He was working as fast as he could, but he was going to lose this battle. Big time. He was going to have to close the bar in fifteen minutes, and it was impossible for anyone to serve a hundred people in that amount of time.

I ducked under the bar’s counter cap, and motioned Nadine under with me. “You do bottles only. No tap, no mixes,” I said to her. I stood up and yelled to group. “Bottles only! Line up here!” I pointed to Nadine. I stepped over to the tap. “Mixes and tap here and there!” I pointed to me and Stat.

Stat looked at me. “What are you doing?”

“Helping,” I said, stepping up to the bar and taking the first order.

It seemed everyone understood that anything more complicated than a two or three ingredient drink wouldn’t get them served, so everything flowed easily. And at eleven thirty-five, Stat put the last beer on the counter and put up the closed sign. He looked at me and grabbed something off the counter and shoved it in my hand. “Thank you.”

I looked down, and there was a hundred dollar bill in my hand. “No, man, I can’t take this, that’s your tip.”

“You just saved the club a massive fine,” he said. “Take it.”

I looked at Nadine. “What about her?” I asked. “She helped too.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “I have a very different idea for showing this beauty my gratitude.”

“Oh, gag,” I said, laughing, and ducking back out to the bar stools.

“Hey, Morgan,” Nadine asked. “Could you drive us to Stat’s house? He walked, and it’s late...”

I waved my hand. “Yeah, fine. Clean it up and lock it down.”

I looked back at the stage and realized the house lights were up. I sighed and resettled on the stool. I had missed the end of the act. They always played my favorite song last or next to last. This was the first time I’d ever been at Downbound and missed it.

Stat and Nadine went to town on cleaning up the bar. I was getting tired of watching the two of them flirt outrageously, and I wanted one last drink before I dropped them off at Stat’s love nest so they could get action. I popped behind the counter, and bent down to grab a cider out of the fridge. As long as I didn’t pay for it and did an IOU, the club wouldn’t get charged the fine.

“Can I get beer, Stat?” someone asked from above and behind me. “Tab it?”

I glanced over at Stat and he nodded. “He’s good for it,” he said.

“What do you want?” I called.

“Something I can chew on,” he said. “Got an oatmeal stout?”

“Yup.” I grabbed his stout and my cider. I closed the door and turned around to put the beer on the counter.

Nick D was sitting at the bar waiting for the beer in my hand
.

I lost my balance and slipped on a wet napkin parked in a puddle of beer. My foot wrenched out from under me, and I actually flew up into the air landing flat on my back on the slip-proof mat. My breath slammed out of my lungs.

“Fuck me,” I gasped, as the air rushed back in. I pressed a hand to my chest. I hated having the wind knocked out of me. A second later, I tried sitting up and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Take it easy. Slowly,” it coached.

I did and then looked up.

Nick D was touching me
.

The air I had gotten back into my lungs betrayed me and made me start hyperventilating.

“Slow, slow!” he directed. “That was a hell of a fall.”

Oh. My. God. Nick D had just watched me plant my ass on the floor. In beer and peanuts. I wanted to just die.

“Can you stand up?”

I nodded and looked at Nadine, whose mouth was hanging open and her eyes were as wide as saucers. She watched as Nick slipped his hands under my arms and helped me to stand up. He moved one hand to my elbow, and led me out of the bar over to a chair at a low table nearby. I sat down, and was finally able to start breathing normally again.

“Are you okay?” he asked, putting the cider in front of me after twisting the cap off.

I nodded, grabbing the cider and taking a sip.

He smiled at me. “I’m going to guess you weren’t planning that acrobatic display?”

I shook my head.

Stat walked up next to him. “Dee tells me Morgan here is your number one fan.”

Traitorous bitch. I shot daggers at her.

“Well, Morgan,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to come to the rescue of a damsel in distress. Especially since I put you there.” He held out his hand. “Nick.”

I couldn’t believe he was offering his hand to me. I took it and shook it. “Morgan.”

“Ah, so you do talk,” he said, laughing. “Really, are you all right? Do you want to go to the hospital?”

“No, I’m fine,” I said, and took a hard swig on the cider. “Just mortified.”

“You’re really a fan?” he asked.

Inside, that little inner voice had solidified and was screaming like a girl at a Beatles concert. She was fist pumping and dancing around and yelling, “Yes, yes! We are superfan number one! Touch us again!” I slapped her and smiled at him. “Yes, I am. I’m a bit of a fangirl.”

“I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting one so calm,” he laughed.

“I spent my energy on my mating display,” I quipped.

He threw his head back and let out a loud and melodious laugh.

I finally felt the humor seeping back into my bones. My lungs were also starting to work again, and I tried collecting myself a bit. This was the chance of a lifetime. I was sitting at the same table as Nick D and having a damn beer. Life didn’t get better than this. “I’m sorry.” I finally recovered enough to apologize correctly. “I just really didn’t expect the lead singer of my favorite band to be standing on the other side of the bar.”

“It happens in clubs,” he winked. “Was it my imagination, or were you helping the utterly inept Stat before?”

“Hey!” Stat objected.

“Yes,” I answered. “He got bum rushed.”

“So you bartend?”

“Yes,” I said.

“She’s one of the best at Imperial,” Nadine said.

NO! Oh, God, no. Why did she have to open her mouth and tell him
where
? It wasn’t that I was embarrassed by it, but I had long ago realized people just had the absolute wrong idea about Imperial, the people that worked there, and the lifestyle in general. I didn’t tell people where I worked, just that I bartended on the side. I put my head in my hands. “Uff da. Thanks for that, Dee. Really.”

She looked at me, and half a second later realized what she’d said. She completely wilted.

I glanced over to gauge Nick’s reaction. He had an eyebrow up and a smirk on his face. “Well. You must meet some very interesting people.”

“Yeah, like best friends who don’t know when to shut their yaps,” I said, looking straight at her.

“I’m sorry!” Dee cried.

“I’ll tell you what,” Nick said. “Let’s you and I go get a bite to eat and you can tell me what I’m supposed to know about your place of business, and we can let these go off and do... whatever.”

Holy ever mother-loving tacos with cheese. Nick D just asked me out. I had to bitch slap that inner voice this time, and gather my wits to answer. “I’m supposed to drive them to Stat’s house.”

“I’ll drive,” Nick said. “Do you trust the Mouth over there with your car?”

“Hey!” Dee said, indignant.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Stat, are you good to lock up?” he asked.

“Might not happen right away,” Stat answered, sliding an arm around Nadine’s waist.

Nick made a gagging noise. “Just make sure the front door is locked before you get naked. No one wants to see that shit.”

Nadine blushed bright red and covered her face with her hands. Nick looked satisfied with her humiliation, and I certainly felt the same way. He stood up and offered me a hand. “Come on, grab your drink. I have to grab some stuff in the back and we can head out. I have no interest in seeing Stat’s naked ass nor wasting this beer.”

I took the offered hand and nearly swooned. Swooned. Who the hell swoons? I stood up and followed him through the mostly empty club as the staff was sweeping and pushing tables around. He didn’t let go of my hand as we wound through the tables to the door stage right.

This time, the little bitch in my head slapped me. I was being led backstage by the man I had a severe fangirl crush on, and we were going out for food and a chat. I almost dropped my cider at the realization. I was walking backstage with Nick D. I realized I had an obligation to women everywhere at that moment—and I fulfilled it.

I dropped my eyes and I gazed upon the most gorgeous denim-clad backside I had ever seen. He walked just enough to press those firm globes into the denim and release them a moment later with the next stride. The cloth hugged him, and it was one of the most delicious sights I’d ever seen in my life. Squeezable Tush. I wondered if I could bottle it.

“Enjoying the view?” he asked.

My eyes shot up to his, where he was peeking over his shoulder at me about to push the door open. Fire rushed into my cheeks. Let’s see, I had proved I was graceless, easily flustered, worked at a BDSM club, and had absolutely no stealth to even grab a glimpse of the World’s Most Fantastic Backside. I’d probably dump the soup down the front of my shirt.

His eyes sparkled mischievously, though, as he looked at me. I took a chance. “Hmm. It could be a little better. Could you just turn to the right a little?” He laughed, and obliged me.

Oh, it was a perfect ass.

And, before I realized what I was doing, I had wrapped a hand around one firm cheek and squeezed. I had to go with it, at that point. So I enjoyed it: I squeezed several times. Oh, if this ploy didn’t work, I didn’t have a ride home.

Instead, his magnificent laugh rang out again, and he grabbed my hand. He pushed the door open and motioned me through ahead of him. I smiled and walked by him into the backstage I had dreamed about seeing since I’d heard their first album two years ago.

He slapped my ass.

I gasped, jumped forward and spun around. He was smirking, the smile lines crinkling around his gorgeous eyes. “View ain’t so bad from here, either,” he said, and grabbed my hand again. “Come on. Dressing room is just ahead. I need my jacket.”

I walked along next to him. I was speechless. He was flirting with me! The inner idiot got up and started doing the Dougie and I had to push her into a chair and tie her there; there was absolutely no reason to think he was being anything but silly after he caught me ogling his butt. I tried to put it out of my mind, but my buttcheek was pleasantly warm from where he had made contact. It tingled and I liked it. Of course, I was completely in ‘like’ with this guy anyway.

He pulled open another door on the left and motioned me into the room.

The rest of Silver Soul was finishing up their packing. The rest. Of the band. I came close to swooning again.

“Hey guys,” he called.

They all looked up. Four pair of eyes belonging to some of the sexiest men in Pittsburgh: Vatori, Dave Mull, Ript and Van the Animal. They all looked shocked at him standing there, and then looked double shocked when they saw me standing there.