The following story can best be classified as "Creative Non-Fiction." The events the story are based upon ones that took place, but the names (where included), locations and descriptions have all been changed to protect the innocent (as they used to say on "Dragnet").
This is part 2 of a 4 part series, the first part being 'First Chance at Fifteen Minutes of Fame.'
All characters in the story are at least 18 years old.
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Second Chance at Fifteen Minutes of Fame
I am working the alley between the front of the stage and the crowd, tasked at keeping fans off the stage or getting too close to the performers. Tonight, the venue is packed with a General Admission show featuring three bands, including two up and coming acts and the headliner who made it big with their first album going platinum and this it the tour supporting that record.
With General Admission, the floor seating has been forgone and the press of bodies against the barrier has been threatening to collapse the fence and allow the audience access to the edge of the stage instead of keeping them six feet back. Rabid fans that close to the artists is a security nightmare and most of the staff is on the front line as the third act starts.
This is the sixth concert I have worked this week and with so many bands playing the venue, I have grown complacent about who is on stage and concentrate on the crowd. There are always hotties on the other side of the barrier who I can stare at and flirt with between songs, girls who are willing to do anything to get backstage and will tease you with stories of what they want to do to me.
That is when I hear her.
I am mesmerized by the voice of the lead singer of the band. I have copies of their debut album, both on vinyl and cassette tape, and I play it almost everyday. I know I should not look, but I am so close to the voice I feel in love with and had to have the album to listen to her crooning.
She is right above me when I turn. She is stunning, so much more beautiful than the photographs with the album. She belts out the lyrics as I stare, unable to take my eyes from her, taking in her five foot two inch frame, her long, curly, deep brown hair teased so high it adds another four inches to her stature. Her minimal makeup is perfect since it is the first song, her brown eyes wide and expressive, lined heavily with mascara. The little black dress she has on is the same one as in all the photographs and would become her trademark wardrobe choice and is so short I can see up it right to the apex of her legs where tiny black silk and lace panties cover her core.
She looks down at the end of the song and sees me staring. She gives me a stern look and wags her finger from side to side, but then gives me a smile when I don't look away. If she didn't want people to stare at her lithe body, she shouldn't show it off. She backs up to start the second number and I turn towards the audience to get back to work. A group of guys on the front row are staring at me and one says, "She was flirting with you." I disregard the comment initially, but keep thinking about it through the rest of the show. Even the girls in the audience wearing similar little black dresses fail to garner my attention.
After the concert is over ant the venue is empty, I stop by the Green Room to grab a beer before the ride home along the canyon road over the hills between where I am and my apartment closer to my primary day job which pays the bills. The Green Room is packed, a rare occurrence this long after the show. I see members from all the bands, so I don't plan to stick around after retrieving the beer. I cannot find one, only coming across a bowl of punch and a stack of cups. I am not sure if I want to try the punch, but without a beer in sight, I take a chance. I can always take the other route home, the boring one with fewer curves if the punch is too strong.
I am retreating to a corner to be out of the way to enjoy my drink before leaving when I see her. She looks up at the same moment from the group of band mates she is with and our eyes meet. Again, I cannot take my eyes from her and keep looking until another group of people wander into the line of sight. When they pass, she is gone.
"You were staring again," a soft voice intones behind me.
I turn towards the voice and the first thing I see is the top of her hair. I am nearly a foot taller she is and I look down at a face even prettier than from across the room. I gulp a mouthful of punch, liquid courage to face her.
"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," I croak. I only get the one choice of statements and I have to tell her the truth. She blushes and looks down. "I'm sorry if I-"
"No," she interrupts. "A girl always likes to receive a compliment." She takes a sip of the punch and I can discern no reaction to the high alcohol content. "But, I'm a mess," she continues."
"A beautiful mess," I reply. She blushes again. I notice her cup is empty and mine is nearly there. "Do you want another?" I ask, holding up my cup. She nods and I step away to get refills, having to get two for me because I need all the courage I can muster. If this girl wasn't famous, I would have no problem talking with her, but she is a headliner.
She is still in the place I left her when I return. I stop a few feet away and look her over again, still not believing I am talking with her, or would be is if I steeped up.
"You are staring again," she says, closing the distance I was so reluctant to cover.
"I'm-"
"Don't worry," she interrupts me. I hand her the cup. She takes a big drink and so do I. She raises a hand and points at my black, Harley Davidson tee shirt I have changed into after the show. "Do you have a bike?" she inquires. I notice her fingernails are cut very short and the bright red polish is chipped on the ends, probably from playing her guitar all evening long.
"Yeah," I reply, nodding to break my gaze at her hands.
"Take me for a ride," she states. Not a question if I would do it or even if it is here. More of a command, as if this girls is used to taking charge of the situation. That is probably a major contributor to her fame, more so than talent because there are a lot of talented musicians who are not famous.
"What about...this?" I spread my arms, indicating the party, the band, everything.
"They'll wait," she replies. "Besides, the next venue is less than a hundred miles from here." I look down at her feet and spot tennis shoes, a surprise when she is still in her little black dress and had not been wearing shoes on stage.
"Okay," I say and take her hand, surprising myself at the bold action, and lead her outside through the empty employee entrance. I dig through my saddlebags and pull out a denim jacket for her plus my leather coat.
I straddle my bike, kick start it and help her climb on. She is all ladylike as she settles on the seat, tucking the back of her dress under her bum in the process. I start to roll and she grabs me, wrapping her arms around my waist and leans her head on my back. She orients herself to the area and starts suggesting roads to go down until I take her through town and along a closed road. I stop atop a bluff, overlooking the Bay and the River Delta. The lights glimmering in the water at three in the morning are something to look at, a very romantic spot I had discovered a few months previously.
"I love this view," I say softly, taking in the quiet solitude of the night. I dismount the bike and sit sidesaddle so I can look at her.
She points across the bay. "I grew up over there." I try to follow her line of sight and from the best I can determine, she is pointing at the City.
I notice she is shivering, so I pull her across my lap and open my jacket to pull her tight against me. She sighs and leans into my chest. I take a chance and tilt her head up with a finger under her chin and kiss her. The first one is tentative and soft. Her arm slides up and around my neck as she starts kissing me back. I slip my arm around her waist beneath the jacket as our tongues meet. The kiss grows deeper and more passionate.
We alternate sessions of kissing with times of sitting together, silently, gazing at the lights and the stars, and commenting about an ocean going vessel moving silently down the River and into the Bay. With the sky brightening with the dawn, I look at her and say, "We'd better get back."