It was going to be a slow lazy night, I'd decided. I'd looked around the audience, and though some were still arriving, there wasn't much to get up for. The fat guy with the beard was obviously a jazz fan. He was, at least, paying attention. I smiled at him and nodded. The first two numbers had been a bit rough, I thought. That was usually the case, though. It took awhile to get into the right mood. Some nights you never got there. It looked like this was going to be one of those nights.
Marcus had launched into 'Autumn Leaves', weaving a just recognizable melody around the song's falling chord progression. I listened to his playing, with admiration. As usual, he was technically flawless. On this night, though, he sounded mechanical. Near the end of his intro, I picked up my horn, looked up and saw her.
She burst in like a gust of cold air in autumn. Talking animatedly to her companion, she seemed agitated. I watched her purposeful stride. She wore a long red skirt, slit above the knee. It danced around her like eddies in a wind. Her thin white blouse revealed a full pair of breasts barely contained by a lacey black bra. Around her neck, she wore a rope of vintage pearls, beautifully framed by her long straight hair. My heart stopped for an instant and my throat constricted, forcing me to swallow hard. Generated from some primal emotion, a surge of electricity shot up my spine from my cock to my brain and my knees buckled. I watched her take her place beside her companion and missed my cue. I looked at Marcus and Kerry, the Bass player. They were playing already into the next chorus, anxiously waiting for me to start. I put the horn to my lips and released some notes. After the first few messed up notes, my playing became inspired. During solos, I thought of her, seeing her naked body in my mind. In between solos, I watched her from my perch on the stool.
It was clear that she was not happy with her companion. They seemed to be arguing over something and it was clear that she didn't even know I existed. No matter, whether she knew or not, she was inside me stoking my fire. My solos soared, taking a direct line from emotion to horn. The rest of the band, affected by my passion, was also cooking.
After dinner, the lights went down. The girl in the red skirt argued more vehemently now with her partner, as I wailed to Gillespie's: 'A Night in Tunisia', causing him to become increasingly furious. He left eventually, with a flourish, knocking his chair over on the way out.
She turned her back on him and sat there, red faced, fumbling in her purse for something. Next time I looked, she was gone. Our first set was up and the guys went to the back for their complimentary dinner. I usually looked forward to the free dinner thing but tonight I wasn't hungry. I bribed the bartender into pouring me a triple scotch and went to the front of the club and looked for her. She wasn't there. Feeling alone, I looked around for a cigarette machine. I normally don't smoke but this was one turning into one of those bittersweet nights were a smoke just seems appropriate. I opened the pack, leaned against the wall, and chain-smoked one butt after another, looking up into the cool autumn sky and avoiding contact with the steady flow of guests coming and going. I awoke from my reverie on hearing the band start up.
I reached the stage just in time. 'My Funny Valentine' was playing and I had the lead. When I turned around, she was there, one leg crossed over the other. One side of her red skirt draped lazily over a long, muscular thigh. 'My Funny Valentine' never sounded so sweet. She smiled sardonically, perhaps she knew the lyrics, but her eyes shone energetically, daring me to connect with her. I played that song to her and every song after that. The light reflecting from her face passed through my pupils, translating themselves to electrical impulses along the way that organized themselves into a permanent representation in my brain. By the time she walked to the stage, I felt I knew her.
My heart raced as she walked towards me. I was in between solos and she came right up to me, reaching out to hand me something. She took my hand in both of hers, when I reached down for the note, and held me captive for a long moment. I felt like she was looking into my soul. The more I tried to not look at her breasts the more I was forced to do so. Her nipples were hard and I could see them quite clearly through her thin lace bra. She dragged her fingers across my hand, leaving me holding a slip of paper. Looking down at the note, I read "I Wish I Had You." I recognized it as a Billie Holiday tune. I watched her walk elegantly back to her table and sit down before turning to pass the request to Marcus. It was at that point, I realized the whole band was looking at me. Marcus winked as I passed him the note.