I look on stage. Vanessa seems surprised at the response, and she leans down and gives Titus a kiss on the cheek. At that moment I would give everything I have to be a piano player in my sixties. She whispers something in his ear and the next song begins.
It’s just as sultry and incredible but at least now that I’ve gotten past the shock of her, I can function a little bit. I make the drinks for Patti, and Mike at the bar is making drinks, too. I wonder if the customers just couldn’t order during the song or if the servers just couldn’t move until after it was over. Either seems pretty plausible and either speaks to the power of that incredible girl up on stage.
Her set is remarkable, and by the time she’s ready for an hour break, everyone is still entranced by her. She’s absolutely amazing in every way, simply perfect. She makes her way to the back and I slide a drink her direction.
“What makes you think I drink wine?” she asks playfully.
“You do,” I say. “Red wine. Every now and then you’ll drink a white wine but only when you’re with a friend who pours it.”
She smiles her lovely smile and she says, “You’ve got me all figured out, don’t you?”
I laugh and say, “I could spend a hundred years and I don’t think I’d figure you out. I was right about you killing it up there, though.”
She smiles, and her face lights up in a wonderfully beautiful way that somehow also seems dangerous, like something explosive lurks right beneath the surface of her incredible eyes. God, she thrills me. I remind myself that I barely know her, and she most certainly isn’t interested in a man like me when there are endless options for a girl like her.
And then Helen walks up to Leo and says, “I love you Daddy!” Leo gives her a kiss.
I notice Vanessa’s face when it happens, the longing that crosses her eyes and the way her breath catches for just a second.
She’s a little.
Or at least she wants to be a little girl.
My heart starts beating so quickly I pour myself a drink to steady myself. Then, to hide the fact that I’m about to do that, I pour another three, one for Leo and one for each of the girls. I call Leo and Helen over and pass out the drinks.
I lift up my glass and say, “To Vanessa!”
Leo and Helen repeat the toast and I down the shot. It calms me down a little bit but the sight of her as she smiles and stares at me after the toast just sends my heart racing all over again.
What if she really is a little girl?
That thought makes the image of her face linger in my mind long after the club has closed and long after I get back home.