Crystal (2 page)

‘Come on, we can do this,’ she told them. ‘And anyway it can’t be as bad as the gig we did at that wedding.’ The girls all smiled at the memory. By the time they had got on stage, the wedding guests were all caned and instead of dancing to the girls’ repertoire of disco hits, which included ‘It’s Raining
Men’, ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Celebration’, songs usually guaranteed to get everyone on the dance floor, one of the very pissed bridesmaids had demanded they sing ‘Lady in Red’. When Belle asked sarcastically if they looked like Chris de Burgh, all hell broke loose. Some of the guests started pelting the girls with food and when they made their escape the guests turned on each other.

‘Yeah,’ Belle said dryly, ‘I don’t imagine Dallas ever loses control.’

Dallas (he was always known simply as Dallas; no one ever used his second name) was the most feared of the judges on
Band Ambition
– a tough-talking American with an acid tongue capable of making grown men weep. Dallas told it like it was and took no prisoners. He had taken Simon Cowell as his role model and was frequently even more straight-talking than
The X Factor
judge. He was in his late twenties and boyishly good-looking, but seemed much older as he was so ambitious and driven. He had been an extremely successful A&R man for a leading record label but when they refused to sign up two of his newest discoveries he had resigned and started his own label. The two groups his old label didn’t have faith in went on to be massive in the States. A year later he’d made his first million and now his label was one of the most successful in America; five years since he started up he was a multimillionaire.

Just then a girl wearing a headset and carrying a clipboard came their way. ‘Number 275?’ she asked briskly. ‘You need to move to the pre-audition area. You’ll be on soon.’ As the three of them made their way there, Crystal felt more nervous than she had in her life. This had to go well for them; if it didn’t they may as well take it as a sign to jack it in – they’d tried everything else. They sat down in the corridor, taking their place next to the two acts waiting in front of them. Everyone was subdued, whispering occasional comments, straining to hear the act performing behind the huge double doors at the end of the corridor.

‘Girls – how are you feeling?’

They looked up to see Tess, the bubbly red-haired presenter clutching a microphone, standing with a cameraman pointing a camera right at them.
Wow
, Crystal thought,
this is the real deal. They were going to be on TV.
She was about to answer when Belle got in first.

‘Really nervous,’ Belle replied, flashing her best stage-school smile.

‘Well, good luck!’ Tess replied. ‘Though I should warn you that you’re the hundredth act the judges are going to see today and so far they’ve only put one act through!’

‘Cheers for that,’ Crystal muttered when Tess had trotted off to deliver a blow to another nervous group of contestants.

‘Come on,’ Tahlia said. ‘We can do this!’

And then, after a further agonising twenty-minute wait, it was their turn and the three of them were walking into the huge conference room, empty except for a large table, where the three judges – Sadie Park, Dallas and Charlie Reynolds – sat in a row. All three stared at the girls and Crystal had to fight her nerves.
Come on
, she told herself sternly,
you’ve wanted this all your life, don’t fuck up now.

‘Hiya,’ she called out much more confidently than she felt, remembering from watching past contestants how important it was to give off a star-quality vibe and not look as if they were apologising for even being there and taking up the judges’ time.

‘And who are you?’ asked Sadie Park. She was a forty-something ex-singer who’d been massive in the eighties and then reinvented herself as a manager of several very successful boy bands. Her image hadn’t evolved since her singing days and she still dressed like a rock chick – wild blonde hair, heavy black eye make-up, tight jeans and T-shirts. She was as tough-talking as Dallas, but was known to have a sweeter side too.

‘We’re Lost Angels,’ Crystal replied.

‘Oh, I like it!’ Sadie answered smiling. Dallas remained stony-faced. ‘And what are you going to sing for us?’ she went on.

‘“Hole in the Head”,’ Belle replied.

‘Off you go then,’ Sadie said.

Crystal softly counted them in ‘One, two, three.’ And then they were singing – a little tentatively at first, but gaining confidence and strength. Just as they’d started the third verse and were well into their stride Dallas shouted out, ‘Stop! We’ve heard enough.’

The girls looked at each other in dismay; had he really thought it was bad? Crystal squeezed Tahlia’s hand as she saw her friend’s eyes had filled with tears.

‘So how did you think that went, girls?’ Dallas addressed them in his LA drawl.

‘I think it was okay,’ Crystal replied. ‘The beginning was a little weak, but we picked up and, yeah, I think we did all right. Better than all right.’

‘Well, you’re correct about the start,’ Dallas replied dismissively.
God he was mean
, Crystal thought.

‘Sadie, Charlie, what did you think of Lost Angels?’ he demanded, saying
Lost Angels
as if it was some kind of infectious disease. Crystal had never quite understood why people so often hated Dallas before, as she’d always thought he was fair and could recognise talent. But standing in front of him, with her dreams in the balance, and him looking as if it was all too tedious for words, she totally got it. He enjoyed playing the role of a total 100 per cent bastard! To him this was entertainment.

Sadie was the first to speak. ‘I have to say that I really liked you, girls. I thought you were great!’
That was more like it
, Crystal thought.

‘Okay, what about you Charlie?’ Dallas asked the third judge. Charlie was an attractive blonde in her early thirties and had been in a very successful girl band that broke up three years ago after some bitter in-fighting between the girls and their management. There were rumours that she and Dallas had been an item a year earlier, a rumour which neither had confirmed or denied, but the fact was that she hated him now.

Charlie seemed unimpressed and without looking at Dallas replied, ‘Girls, you were okay, but I feel I’ve heard it all before. You just weren’t particularly special. It’s a no from me.’

Bitch!
Crystal thought hardly believing her ears. So now it was all down to Dallas. There was a pause – Dallas liked making people wait and Crystal stared at him, willing him to put them through. His face was totally unreadable as he looked at each of them in turn. Ever since Simon Cowell had perfected his deadpan look, it seemed that one of the judges on each of the other reality TV shows always tried to copy him. Dallas was the best yet. Finally, just as Crystal thought she would have to make a plea, he spoke. ‘Well done, you’re through.’

The girls screamed and hugged each other, then thanked the judges and raced out of the room.

‘We’ve
got
to celebrate tonight!’ Belle declared as they left the hotel. ‘You should come and meet Max. I’ll get him to reserve us a table in the VIP lounge.’ Max was Belle’s new boyfriend. She’d met him a month ago when she was out clubbing and had become completely besotted. Belle liked her men rich and good-looking and Max ticked both of those boxes. He had been a top Formula One racing driver but two years ago had been involved in a serious crash. He was in a coma for a month, and when he recovered he suffered from recurrent blackouts which ended his career. Instead he’d turned to business and opened a club in London that had become the latest celeb hangout.

‘Okay,’ Tahlia replied happily, while Crystal frowned – meeting Belle’s new boyfriend was not her idea of a fun night out, she’d much rather be with the girls. She could guarantee Max would be arrogant and full of himself. And she didn’t like the prospect of Belle showing off her new man when she, Crystal, had been single for five months after ending a yearlong relationship that had been going nowhere.

‘Well, Crystal?’ Belle demanded, ‘Max knows loads of hot single men.’

Crystal shrugged. ‘Okay,’ she mumbled. ‘But I don’t need fixing up with anyone, I’m perfectly happy being on my own.’

‘Yeah right,’ Belle shot back. ‘You wouldn’t say that if you’d been getting the kind of sex I’ve been getting lately.’

Four hours later Crystal was sharing a taxi with Tahlia to Max’s club in Covent Garden, called Max’s.

‘God, how egotistical naming a club after yourself,’ Crystal sniped.

‘Chill, babe, we’ll drink champagne and then leave them to it; we deserve a treat after today,’ Tahlia replied and Crystal couldn’t help smiling.
She was right, they were through! It was so exciting.
There was a queue of people already waiting to get into Max’s and for the first time in her life Crystal marched to the front and told the doorman that they were on the guest list. Once inside they looked round for Belle but there was no sign of her.

‘She’s probably having a celebration shag,’ Crystal muttered darkly. ‘Come on, let’s go to the bar, I’ll buy you a drink.’ She had just ordered a vodka and cranberry for herself and Bacardi and Coke for Tahlia when a confident male voice behind her said, ‘No, that won’t do; these ladies have got to have champagne and by champagne I mean vintage Cristal!’ She turned round ready to tell the man that they could buy their own drinks when she found herself face to face with one of the most drop-dead gorgeous men she had ever seen. He smiled at her and said, ‘Hi, you must be Crystal. I’m Max. Belle’s still getting ready. And hi. Tahlia, right?’ He moved forward and lightly kissed them both on each cheek and Crystal found herself thinking
lucky Belle!
He was dark-haired, with such deep-brown eyes they almost looked black, a sexy mouth and the kind of classically good-looking features male models usually have. But she’d been right in the taxi; there was something arrogant about him. ‘Come on,’ he said, ‘I’ll take you through to the VIP area; we need to toast your amazing success!’

For the next hour the three of them chatted away. Max was charming and easy to talk to, with a dry sense of humour Crystal immediately got. He seemed confident, totally at ease with himself and the world – the confidence Crystal had seen before in people who’d always had money and who’d never known what it was like to struggle to pay the bills. He was wearing an expensive-looking black suit, and the cufflinks on his white shirt looked as if they were real diamonds.
A bit flash
, she thought,
but tasteful flash
. He had a London accent but every now and then would slip into talking proper. He intrigued her. She couldn’t remember enjoying a man’s company this much in ages, or being so instantly attracted to one. And was it her imagination or did his eyes seem to seek hers out? She found herself engaging in classic flirtatious behaviour, flicking back her hair, and straightening her back so her breasts stood out more. She was pleased that she’d made an effort and worn one of her favourite dresses, a short black silk one, showing off her long slim legs, low cut at the back to reveal more tanned skin. And then she stopped herself:
this was Belle’s boyfriend for fucksake!

Max pulled out a packet of cigarettes and offered them to Tahlia and Crystal and Crystal found herself accepting one, even though she had promised the girls that she would give up.

‘Ah, come on!’ Max said to Tahlia’s protests. ‘One won’t hurt, will it?’

‘You’re bad,’ Crystal said, smiling at him as he lit her cigarette.

‘Yes, I’m the big bad wolf, didn’t Belle tell you?’

Crystal’s stomach flipped and she took a drag of her cigarette, resisting the urge she had to reply, ‘
And I’m Little Red Riding Hood, why don’t you eat me all up?
’ God what was happening to her? Had five months of celibacy turned her into a nympho who wanted to shag her friend’s boyfriend? Of course she didn’t! She tried her best to tell herself that it was purely the excitement of the day’s events that was
making her feel like this. Probably even if Max looked like Shrek she’d have fancied him. But then again, maybe not . . .

She was saved from her thoughts by the arrival of Belle, looking way too gorgeous in a silver Biba mini dress. ‘Sorry I’m late,’ she said, throwing her arms round Max, then sliding on to his lap, making Crystal feel quite faint with jealousy. After that Crystal just wanted to go home, but Max continued to look at her and she detected more than a flicker of interest in his eyes.

So what?
she told herself,
he’s a player, he’s probably like that with all women,
but she was unable to resist sneaking glances at him when she thought no one noticed. Their eyes locked and his seemed to say
I want you as much as you want me
. Crystal was the first to look away.

That night in bed he was all she could think of. She let her imagination run away with her, taking her to a place where he wasn’t with Belle, where he was free to be with her, and they were free to do what they wanted to each other . . . It was a delicious fantasy, but frustrating because that’s all it was, and that was all it could be, right?

‘
OH MY GOD,
do you think this is it?!’ Belle was pointing out of the coach window at what looked like a stately home – a grand, imposing building set in several acres of beautifully landscaped garden. It looked to Crystal like the kind of place you’d see in films. She couldn’t imagine anyone actually living there. She was just about to reply ‘No way’ when the coach turned into the drive. So this really
was
Dallas’s house – the venue for the second stage of the competition. The contestants had been divided into three groups – each made up of eight acts. Charlie had taken her bands somewhere in Surrey, Sadie’s were in Spain and Dallas’s category were in Oxfordshire. All the acts would have a week to impress their judge.

Everyone filed off the coach and hung around outside it looking nervous, unsure of what to do next. Crystal wondered if she should go and knock on the door. But then a woman in an expensive-looking suit, who Crystal recognised as Dallas’s PA Jenny, opened it and invited them inside. Lost Angels were the first in. Crystal felt like a little girl in a fairy tale – she had never been anywhere like this in her life – okay, she had been round a couple of stately homes on school trips but that was as a visitor, not a guest. The entrance hall was vast, with an ornate stone fireplace at one end and a large, elaborately carved wooden staircase at the other. Richly coloured rugs covered the stone floor.