Everything She Needs (The Everything Trilogy) (28 page)

My lips curved in a small smile, glad that Holly wanted to have my back with this guy. “Sure, let me find out what the deal is first, he may want to know if I’ll pole dance or something.” Brett was taking a swig of beer when I said that, and it sprayed out of his mouth.

As he wiped himself down he groaned, “
Hell, it better not be. I’d have to get myself a season ticket to his places.” Holly swatted his head.

“You men, all l do is think with your dicks
,” she retorted, knowing that Brett was only teasing me.

I showered and headed to bed, and for the first night since I broke up with Alfie, I felt okay about waking up the next day. I tried not to think about all that, and imagined what this famous night club owner wanted from me. I wasn’t going to appear too keen though, so I wasn’t going to ring until after college tomorrow. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.

Campus life without Will and Alfie around felt more than a little bit weird. I had become dependent on Will to a large degree, but didn’t realize it until he wasn’t there most days.

I enjoyed the classes and threw myself more into my studies. There was only one week left until the end of the semester before Jack and Elle would be arriving. Easter was late this year, so the holidays ran into the middle of April.

I met Mandy and Neil at a small diner after college to grab an early dinner. Mandy was really excited about the Louie Dyer ‘thing’ and prompted me to call him whilst she was with me.

She didn’t want to wait for the lowdown on why he had given me his card. I couldn’t see what all the fuss was about, maybe because I had no real clue about this guy.

He was just a guy in a bar that asked me to perform for him. Sounds like a script for a poor porn movie when I thought about it like that. I smirked as I punched out the number.

A woman with a thick New York accent answered the phone and when I asked for him, she took my name and left me with some bas
s heavy dance music for several minutes.

When she came back she
checked I was still there and told me that she was connecting me to his line. A deep velvety voice came over the line. “Hey there,” he said…nothing else.

I squeaked out, “Hi, this is Lily from the ‘Open Mic.’”

He chuckled softly. “I know who you are, you gave your name to get connected to me, remember?”

Duh, I felt really stupid, but pressed on.
“Sure, sorry, of course I did.” I wasn’t sure what to say next. “Your card.” Shit, this was getting worse, I became tongue-tied. “Sorry, let me start again.”

He chuckled softly. “No, let’s not, I gave you my card
, right? Lily from the ‘Open Mic,’ Janis Joplin and Fiona Apple numbers, right?”

I sighed, but controlled my breathing.
“Right.”

“Here’s the deal, Lily. I like your voice. You have some good qualities, and you’re a talented musician. Plus, you look pretty damned hot, a very sexy girl.”  I swallowed hard, blushing.

As he continued, “I have a resident rock band that plays at my clubs. They are one female singer down, since theirs got herself hot for, and pregnant by, a US Marine. She’s leaving the band and moving across the country. So the guys in the band are looking for a replacement. I want you to audition for it.” I was floored, me in a rock band?

I looked at Mandy who had pushed her ear next to my cell and was listening in
on his conversation with me. She was mouthing, “Oh.My.God.”

I pressed on, “I’m a student.” It was all I could manage to say.

“Well the commitment is three nights a week, one at each club. I have two other acts that alternate, so there is room to schedule in for exams and other commitments. I’m sure your studies will fit around that, I know the college gives dispensation for students to gain practical experience.”

We chatted on for another ten minutes, and I agreed that I would do the audition the day after tomorrow. He was getting the band to email the information and song choices for the audition.

When we’d set up the audition and business was done, he didn’t linger on the phone.

Mandy stared at me
, and she looked as if she was going to go into cardiac arrest any minute.  I have to say, until I looked at her, I hadn’t realized that I probably looked the same way. My heart pounded in my chest, and my breathing was erratic with excitement.

Mandy screamed with excitement and everyone fell silent in the restaurant and turned to stare at her. “What?” She threw her hands up in the air at them smirking. “Have
y’all never been excited before?”

Mandy was fabulous. She helped me rehearse
, and by the time I was going to the audition, I was as polished as I could be in the time I had to practice. The band wanted me to sing Mumford and Sons ‘Lover of the Light’ and Paramore’s ‘Now.’

They weren’t exactly my taste, but when I started to rehearse them, I quickly understood the relevance of their choices. The first was full of deep tones and slow tempo, and was a lower pitch. The
second, a faster paced, rock tune and was in a higher key. They would show the band my versatility and range.

Mandy was funny, every time I ran through
them, she was gushing, “Awesome.” I didn’t even have to bribe her to say it. She had a friend who was a personal stylist, Megan, who transformed me for the audition.

I wanted my hair cut, but Mandy told me that as Louie had liked what he saw, I shouldn’t play around with my appearance to that extent, in case it didn’t appeal to him.

Megan dressed me in a short, black spandex dress, which I was dead set against initially. However, with a sheer white, silk baggy blouse draped over, it gave just an outline of my figure underneath.  It was perfectly teasing and gave me a sexy, disheveled kind of look.

My legs were now a beautiful golden
color, so she just topped them off with my pair of red killer heels. She made my hair a little wilder, keeping it curly, and used eyeliner and kohl to give my eyes a smoky effect.

Mandy and Holly came with me for moral support. Holly wanted to come into the venue with
me, but I drew a line at that.  I was a big girl; like Louie said, all grown up, and I could at least do this part on my own.

The band was made up of four guys and the missing girl. Shawn on the drums, Lennon on lead guitar, Digs on
bass, and Cody on lead vocals. Sometimes he played the keyboard too.  I would be expected to play guitar and sing with Cody, and sometimes do back-up vocals.

I tried really hard to look cool, but my insides were freaking out and I inwardly chanted to myself,
you can do this
, as I approached them.

The guys were sitting in a round booth near the stage when I walked into
the main dance floor area. No one moved as they watched me walk towards them, each appraising me from their own perspectives. When I reached the table, Louie stood up. “Hey, glad you’re here. Let me introduce you to the guys.”

He went around the table singling the guys out one by one
, and I was picking out things about the appearance of each individual that would help me remember who was who.

Lennon
,… fair hair… good-looking, lead guitar… green t-shirt. Digs,… black mohawk, I didn’t need anything else, I’d remember him, he was weird looking and covered in ink. Cody,… lead  vocals…. sometimes keyboard… smooth talker… charming… requisite great looks and mussy hair. Shawn,… drummer… massive muscles… goatee beard.

I wondered briefly what they were thinking about me. Louie glanced around the guys and asked if they were ready to hear me. Cody answered for all of them
. “Hey Louie, if she sounds like she looks I’m gonna have to learn to jump around the stage with a permanent hard-on.” He said that as if I wasn’t even there.

Shawn chuckled and muttered almost to himself, “
And I’m never glancing out towards the crowd with her in front of me, if I’m gonna keep my percussions on the money.”

I
blushed, but stared straight at them, then quipped, “Well, I don’t have to worry, none of you are my type, so I’ll do the best I can to cover any of your mistakes if you get distracted by me.”

Louie chuckled loudly
. “I love it, sassy too! Didn’t I tell you she was a find? Any girl that can sing as well as she can and isn’t interested in getting jiggy with you guys is definitely on the short list.”

Cody winked at me
, and I felt embarrassed, but I saw that his action hadn’t gone unnoticed by Louie and the other guys. So I knew I needed to stand my ground.

I knew the last thing they needed to see was any weakness in me. So I got bold. “Sorry, don’t waste your time flirting with me Cody.  I
’m not fucking lead singers. Been there, done that, and I got very bored of the drama. I don’t mix business with pleasure, besides, with what I’ve been used to,” I paused for effect… “anyway, like I said, I wouldn’t bother.” I looked at my nails and shook my head for extra effect.

They all cracked up laughing
, and Louie shook his head and gave me a broad grin. “Beyond my wildest dreams, honey, I can’t wait to hear you sing up there, get to it.” He nodded at the guys, and they all took up their instruments, and I had to sing with them.

I was able to anticipate when to sing and when to leave it up to Cody. No one told me the arrangement they had chosen, they just wanted to see if I could find a fit myself with the song.

We sang ‘Lover in the Light’ for the second time, the first being with Cody. This time it was with me playing rhythm guitar alongside Lennon’s lead guitar arrangement.

I was as nervous as hell, but soon I soon as I was in touch with the music I relaxed.  It gave me the extra confidence to be more extroverted on stage with them.

Cody was smiling at me when I played and sang, and Lennon nodded and winked at Cody, when I had sung it the first time. We sang through the second song ‘Now’.

It was much faster paced and new to me, but the tempo and speed weren’t a challenge. When we were done, Cody and Louie sat talking whilst I sang again with Lennon taking over Cody’s vocals.

Louie called us down when the song finished.

He waved over a stunning Miami-beach-type
girl and told me to follow her for some refreshments whilst the band discussed me. I was feeling really nervous, I didn’t realize how much I wanted to play with these guys until I had a taste of it.

I wondered how I’d done, and I only hoped I
met their expectations after Louie’s build-up of me to them.  The girl gave me a coke and I quickly took my cell out of my bra to text Holly.

Lily: Didn’t make any mistakes…they’re all deliberating now, sitting at the gallows waiting. Did myself justice, whatever the outcome, please share with Mandy.

I slid the lock on my cell and tucked it back in my bra. I only waited another five minutes until the pretty girl appeared and flashed me her expensive dental work.

“Follow me. Mr. Dyer is ready for you now.” I stood and smoothed the spandex dress down. I was sweating buckets inside it. I followed the girl back to where they were waiting for me. Louie waved me over. “Come sit down, honey.”

The guys scooted around the seating, bunching up to make space for me. I sat on the warm leather seat where Digs had been sitting and felt a little odd at sitting where he had been, I still found him weird-looking.

“What are you frowning for?” Louie grinned
. “We loved you. It’s unanimous.  Even poor Cody agreed, although his ego needs stroking.”

The other guys started laughing
, and Cody took it in good part. “Yeah, Daddy’s gonna have to get some sugar later to make up for that,” he joked.

“Sugar… daddy… seriously?
” Lennon teased, “Dude, no wonder you’re not getting laid much lately.” They all roared with laughter again.

I guessed I was going to have to get comfortable around these guys. They may be talented, but I could tell that innuendo was the male adult equivalent of toilet
humor for small boys.

The guys talked about where they rehearsed and were keen to fit in with me as much as possible. The band was their lives. They rehearsed daily and played three nights a week.

It suited them as they were all working on an album with the promise that one of Louie’s friends would produce it for them, if the quality was good enough.

I spent the next week rehearsing nonstop for my debut with
XrAid, the band. The guys were really nice when I got to know them. They were all very funny and good-natured. Lennon was the most serious one, but still had a great personality.

Cody wasn’t really the stereotypical cool, hard drinking, hard partying lead singer of a band. He was quite a sensitive guy that loved his art, and spent hours and days between gigs, drawing and painting.

Maybe I wasn’t being fair to lead singers everywhere. Alfie wasn’t typical either as far as I saw. The few public assholes that did run with that lifestyle, perhaps tainted the reputation of others.

My life seemed to go from a zero when Alfie left to full throttle. Who would have thought I would be singing in a rock band at the start of the year?