Hello,
There will be some songs included in this chapter. I suggest, as I wont be copying out lyrics, that when the title comes up, to play the music whilst reading. This is how I have written it and so it might be an interesting experience. Enjoy.
Chapter Four
The room burst into applause as the band of three women and a young man entered the stage. Piper smiled and waved at the small crowd, settling herself on a stool centre stage and taking up the mic. Alex was blown away by her effortless beauty. Her short blonde hair was swept to one side and the ends loosely curled. She wore tight leather pants and a pale pink vest that hugged her waist and flowed loose around her hips. Alex's eyes were glued to the small spot where the top was slightly risen, exposing a triangle of creamy skin on Pipers hip. Nichols snigger brought her back to reality. Looking up, she saw black winged eyes glinting out at the audience.
"Hey everyone! Thanks for coming out tonight. I'm so happy to be here, so happy to be doing this. I would like to introduce my band. Can I get a big hand for Bennet," the young man was sat at a set of pale pink and black drums, and allowed himself a little solo as the crowd watching whooped and clapped. A group of women in the middle of the room were particularly loud, making Piper laugh.
"Over here we have Tricia and Mari," the woman on the keyboard and guitar cheered with the crowd, "and my lovely Cindy, backing me as always." the crowd clapped and cheered for the girls, Polly one of the loudest. Alex and Nicky smirked at her, and she disregarded them, pointedly cheering louder. "You ready to have fun?" a general cheer emerged from the eagerly waiting crowd, a loud "You bet!" from one of the booths at the back punctuating it. Piper laughed again, a beautiful tinkling sound that ran straight to Alex's core. She shifted, surprised. The music started.
P!NK - Beautiful Trauma
Taystee was on her feet almost immediately, joining some others who were already on the small dance floor in front of the stage, cheering Piper on as she sang her opening words. Alex was shocked. She didn't know what she had quite expected Piper to sound like, but her voice was lower, sexier than she could have imagined. Polly rose slightly in her seat, moving to sit on her feet so she could see over the back of their booth into the one behind without being too obvious.
"Who are we spying on?" Nicky whispered loudly, but Polly only shushed her in return. The room was captivated, watching Piper who was stood centre stage, only her lips moving. Alex was drawn in by those lips, so pink and plump and begging to be trapped between Alex's. The drums were a welcome relief, releasing the audience from the captivation of Pipers mouth. She could feel Nicky moving her body to the beat beside her, her eyes almost as wide as Alex's as they watched Piper sing, moving around the stage with grace and such sexiness.
"Oh God, give me strength." murmured Alex. The outfit perfectly accentuated each curve of the blonde's long, toned body. Alex wanted to get up on the stage and sway behind her, feel Piper pressed up against her front, hold her hips, her waist, her perfectly round breasts. Move her hand down to stroke the exposed skin of her hip. One step at a time, Alex laughed to herself.
"She's not bad eh Stretch," Nicky muttered in her ear. "not so much Taylor Swift after all."
Alex laughed, "How have we not heard of her before? Look at all these people, it cant just be by chance."
"I don't know, but she's got a few new roadies tonight." Nic winked at her best friend, then turned to Polly. "So, if you are not manager, what roll do you play here Holly?"
"Its Polly. With a 'P'. And I am best friend and body guard. So behave yourself."
"Oh yeah, what are you gonna do if I don't?" Nicky leant forward, her tits now fully displayed through the top of her shirt for only Polly's benefit, and biting her bottom lip, her grin shining through her eyes and raised eyebrows.
"Wouldn't you like to know."
Nicky grinned at her for a moment, before turning away slyly and saying, "Nah, I'm good." Polly didn't seem to know what to do with this. She frowned at Nicky. Confusion and, maybe, frustration crossed her features. Alex felt for the girl. Nicky knew how to play women, how to get inside their heads and make them lust for the small crazy haired woman whilst their boyfriends and husbands waited at home none the wiser. Polly seemed to be trying to come up with a retort, but gave up after a second and turned back to watch Piper, who was now moving around the stage, interacting with the small audience in front of her. Nicky gave a small chuckle.
Alex admired how comfortable the blonde looked, how free. Alex longed to know what that kind of freedom felt like. She was no singer herself. She had taken a few acting classes back in high school, but it hadn't lasted long. Apparently a lanky brunette who wore glasses could not fit into the sparkly and musical world that was high school drama club. Her mum had been so disappointed.
Another small wave of grief washed over her, before she pushed it away quickly and drained the rest of her beer.
"Another round?" Stella shouted over the music, collecting up the empty beer bottles and heading towards the bar. Alex watched her go, aware of how annoying she found the stranger. She didn't know why, but she felt like she was a threat. Maybe it was just the last remaining nerves Alex had felt from earlier. Polly caught her eye, and smiled.
"She's just jealous."
"Of what?" Alex's eyes moved back to watch Stella's back, waiting at the bar for their drinks.
"Of you, mostly. Piper's been talking about you all day." Alex's eyebrows shot up at this news, her eyes snapping back to Polly's face, who was trying to look nonchalant, her eyes routinely darting to the table behind them. "Don't tell her I told you that though. She'll kill me." Alex felt her grin spreading across her face. Nicky laughed at her and shook her head.
Taystee was already making friends with some of the ladies wearing 'Chapman' shirts, the ones who seemed to have a massive crush on the drummer. She called over to the table, trying to encourage them to come dance, but both shook their heads and motioned for her to go have fun. "No way you're getting me up there. I'm not drunk enough for that. Unless you wanted to dance Holly Polly?"
"Fuck off Nicky." Polly replied, her eyes trained on Piper.
"Straight girls." Nicky murmured under her breath.
Alex was watching the women on the dance floor, and remembered her promise to P to get her an album. She made a mental note to ask Piper after the show. Looking up, she noticed that the blonde was staring right at her, and gave her a mischievous grin. She smiled back, giving a little sassy hip thrust in Alex's direction and winked just as the song came to an end, and Alex joined in the cheers as Piper smiled round the room.
"Thanks guys. I'm loving this group right here. Let's go."
Piper had been watching Alex, or as much as she could see of Alex through the bright lights pointing in her face, throughout the first song, trying to slyly gage her reaction. She watched as Alex turned to watch Nichols flirting with Polly, saving that away for later so she could tease her best friend. Then she saw Stella watching Alex. A wave of jealousy hit. She had known Stella ever since she had approached her and offered to team up the year before. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Stella had the contacts, she had the experience, and Piper was desperate for any help she could get. It had seemed to work out great. Within the year Piper started to form a following, and eventually she was getting regular shows and requests to perform from bars. Her manager had tried it on with her a few times, but despite her good looks and charm, Piper just was not interested. They had fooled around once during an after party, but the singer had made it very clear that could never happen again.
Then she noticed Polly glancing at the table behind her own, and through the lights Piper could just about make out notebooks and a shiny silver label that filled her stomach with butterflies. Alex had almost made her forget that scouts from Roost Management were there. This was a massive deal, and Stella had been running the band into the ground with rehearsals to make sure they were ready for this evening. Polly was right, Alex was a distraction. A sexy, dark, alluring, and very welcome distraction. She hadn't realised she was staring until green eyes shone out to her from the crowd, and crinkled in a grin. A exhilarated thrill ran through Piper's chest, making her heart pound in her chest, and she flirted as best she could whilst a room full of strangers watched her, throwing a wink and thrusting her hip in Alex's direction as the song ended.
"Thanks guys. I'm loving this group right here." Piper shouted above the clapping, suddenly recognising Taystee from AVDV down on the dance floor in front of her, and gave her a smile. "Let's go."
Piper knew how to work a room. Alex respected how she easily made conversation with the crowd as if she were having an intimate conversation with each of them. She laughed and smiled as she sang, sharing silent jokes with her band. Every now and then she would catch Alex's eye, and the brunette was sure she noticed a rosy blush spread across the high cheekbones of the blonde, but in the stage lights Alex wasn't too sure.
Polly's incessant turning to glance at the table behind was driving Nicky crazy.
"What did you take girl? Seriously, I want in. I really would rather you shared than sitting here jumping all over the place." Polly scowled at her, before sinking lower into the booth and moving close to Nicky and Alex.
"There are scouts from a massive label behind us. If Piper impresses them tonight, they might sign her. She's been working so hard for this. I've been trying to work out what they think, but nothing."
Nicky couldn't help herself, standing slightly to look into the booth behind them, but Polly yanked her arm hard to pull her down.
"Seriously woman! Don't be obvious!" Nicky held up her arms in defence, laughing.
"Okay, okay. So they're a big deal."
"Very." She turned suddenly to face Alex, face creased into an almost childlike seriousness. "Piper can not mess this up because she has a little crush on a stranger. I need this as much as she does. If you get in the way, I will make it my personal mission to hunt you down and make you pay." Alex and Nicky burst into fits of laughter, making heads turn from the tables near by. Alex, seeing the look on Polly's face, tried to control her breathing a little.
"Polly, I promise, if I do manage to get in the way of this, deal, then it wont be my fault. The ladies love me." she winked, sending Nicky into another round of booming laughter. She swore she heard Polly mutter "supercunt" under her breath, making both women laugh even more. Stella, who had disappeared off to 'network' a couple of songs ago, returned to the table with a questioning smiles.
"Seems I'm missing out on all the fun." She squeezed herself into the booth on Alex's side, picking up a beer from the tray that was being routinely refilled by the bar staff.
"Holly here seems to think Alex might get in between Piper and her massive music deal." said Nicky. Stella raised her eyebrows, apparently surprised by this news.
"I don't know why. Usually take a little more than just a pretty face to get in Pipers way."
"What is your problem?" said Alex suddenly, turning as far as she could to face Stella face on.
"I don't know what you mean."
Alex leaned in, "What? Afraid of a little competition?". She raised her eyebrow in a challenge, but Stella only tried to stare her down.
"Okay, okay, enough. Doowwn boy." said Nicky, pulling her friend away. "It's not worth it stretch. Beside, you hardly know blondie." Alex said nothing.
The current song ended, and Piper waited until the crowd hushed a little.
"Have you guys had fun tonight?" she asked, the room responding enthusiastically. "We definitely have. We have one more song for you all. Let's see if we can get these last few up on their feet." she smirked out at the audience who were still hidden behind the safety of their booths, including Alex.
Piper had been watching her throughout the set, and noticed that something had gone down between her and Stella. Stella had gotten herself a reputation in the club and bars Piper performed in, for getting any girl she wanted. Hell, she could give Nicky a good run for her money, from what Piper had heard back at AVDV the night before. Yet seeing the way she had looked at Alex, Piper felt a little safer in the knowledge that she wouldn't be fighting for the attention of the brunette anytime soon. Still, she decided to take a little risk. It was the last song after all, and she knew how much audiences loved it when the singer came down to party with them.
P!NK - Raise Your Glass
"Two, three, four." Mari sprang into life life behind her, the others following suit. Piper loved this song best. She couldn't help bouncing around as she sang, and loved how the audience would join in. It was clear to everyone how much fun the band was having up here, and this song ended the set perfectly. She saw Polly suddenly appear in the ever growing crowd on the small dance floor, grinning up at her. So many people had decided to get up and dance for this last one that they were blocking the route between the tables now, some at the back choosing to stand on the seats in their booths and dance along. Piper was elated, filled with a renewed sense of confidence. She glanced over once more to the table where Alex and Nicky sat. She was pleased to see Stella had now gone, and both women where dancing where they sat. "Not good enough." Piper cheekily thought to herself.
There was such a dense group near the foot of the stage, Piper wasn't sure she would be able to venture into their depths. She held out her hand to Taystee, who had been dancing the night away right in front of her. Taystee took her hand, a slightly elated but confused look on her face, and Piper pulled her up to stand next to her.
"Girl!" Taystee grinned, breaking out once again into a dance. A few other eager dancers followed suit, including a slightly reluctant Polly. Piper squeezed her hand reassuringly. This seemed to have given Piper enough room to make her way down off the stage. She turned to her band, giving them a meaningful nod and wink, before stepping down into the crowd, dancing with everyone around her. From down here, she couldn't see Alex, or, she noticed with small relief, the group from the label. Polly made her quick escape from the stage to join Piper, taking her hand and spinning her round, pulling her slightly towards the where they knew that Alex would be. However, excited fans were crowding, and made it hard for Piper to get through. She saw an empty booth to her right, and seizing the opportunity, jumped up. Fans around her cheered as she sang from her make shift stage, somewhat unbalanced on the soft platform of the seat. She looked up to see Nicky laughing at her, and Alex with the widest grin on her face. Now was the time. She continued to dance, interacting with the people watching around her, waiting for the chorus to kick in. Then, with a great spurt of confidence, jumped off the seat into the space in front of her, trying to look cool but slightly unbalanced, making Polly roll her eyes before catching her friends hand to make sure she stayed on her feet.
Keeping Polly's hand in her own, she made her way slowly to their usual booth. Alex raised her eyebrows suggestively as her and Nicky jigged to the beat in their seats. Piper took a seat on the table top, half turned toward Alex, her heart racing. Glancing to the next table, she could see that some of the representatives from the label were up and dancing too, and a wave of relief washed over Piper, helping her to relax further into the song.
Alex was overwhelmed, having Piper sat so close to her on the sticky table top. She desperately wanted to reach out and pull the blonde closer to face her. Alex had to remind herself that they were in a room full of people, and, despite her strong attraction to this woman, they were near strangers to one another still. It was like Piper had heard her thoughts, and suddenly spun round to face Alex, moving her legs to either side of the brunettes body, trapping her where she sat.
"So if you're too school for cool," sung Piper, looking at her straight in the eye. She could feel Nicky digging her almost painfully in the ribs and smirking, whilst she was frozen with unexpected nerves and lust, "And you're treated like a fool. You can choose to let it go. We can always, we can always, party on our own." Piper smiled widely and winked, before suddenly turning once more to jump of the table.
"So raise your… oh fuck!" the blonde laughed. She had been so flustered getting so close to Alex, flirting so outrageously, that she had started singing before the cue. She heard the audience laugh with her as the band caught up. She turned to see Nicky and Polly in fits of laughter, Alex smiling widely, although looking slightly stiff in her seat. She also caught sight of Stella out the corner of her eye, not looking amused at all as she stood at the bar.
"Can't please them all." Piper thought, and she sang and danced her way back to the stage. This time it was Taystee's turn to pull Piper back onto the stage. More people were up there since Piper had gone down onto the dance floor, and it was a little crowded, but the band loved it. It made them feel like they were part of something bigger, sharing in something greater. Piper looked at them each in turn, seeing them absorbed in the music, enjoying the attention of the dancers. Perhaps not Bennet so much. He had maybe a few too many women surrounding his precious drum kit. Taystee had jumped down to rejoin the dancers on the floor, and some others went with her. Piper felt the grin spreading across her face as the song came to an end. This was perfect, and maybe one of their best performances yet. Even if they didn't choose to sign her, the people from Roost seemed to have had a great time, and that's what counted for now. She stole one last look at Alex. Not such a distraction after all.