Too Many Rock Stars: Violet's Story (Access All Areas 1)

I shrugged. I’d never given Razer the brush-off. He had his place and that place was well established in the friend zone.

Still, the sight of Alex did give me a bolt of pleasure. I'd have to watch out for him or I'd end up doing something stupid. Damn his soulful eyes.

Earlier in the week to book him in for a gig. I hadn’t expected him to come into the bar before then. He didn’t seem like the type to just pop in for shits and giggles.

He’d definitely not been lying about his experience and I wanted to get him on the roster soon as possible.

"It's just you? No band?" I’d asked him when I called.

"Just me at the moment. I'm trying to get some guys together but no one has measured up until now. So, I'm a solo act."

He'd sighed as though the solo thing was weighted with meaning.

"We'd get a better a crowd with a full band," I said. His demo had been with a band, not solo stuff. "But I'll put you on. You never know, it might be the best way to get to know some local musos. I'm sure you'll find someone."

I didn’t want to tell him that I’d had a last-minute pull out for Saturday night and urgently needed someone reliable.

That had been the last time I’d heard from Alex until today.

He sat down beside me and smiled again.

"Do you know any cellists?” he asked. “I have some ideas for a cellist in the band."

I thought through the entire roster that had played in the club. No cellist. I could reel off a list of a thousand guitarists, almost as many bass players and drummers. Keyboards weren't so common but still plentiful. Hell, I even knew a few piano accordion players and a dude who played the combs, but this wasn't the sort of place that attracted cellists. It sounded a bit wanky to me.

Those eyes, I couldn't keep looking at him or I'd forget all my carefully made promises to myself. Damn it, Alex made me question if I could maybe take a night off from that vow.

Nope. I couldn’t.

I rushed back to my office where I was safe until it was time to go upstairs to the band room. On quiet nights like this, I worked at the door collecting the money and stamping wrists in between organizing the bands. Another cost-saving for Chuck.

Alex came up to join me but I realized I had to check on the second band.

They should've been setting up already. I knew them though, and they were slackers. I'd have to kick some rocker butt to get them out there. They could cut their set short if they didn't get onstage soon.

I called Babs to take over from me.

"I could do that for you," Alex said, poking at the cash box while we waited for Babs.

"Don't touch that!" I yelled, snatching the cash away from him.

Why had he even suggested that? Seriously, the guy was cute and all but I would not be leaving someone who wasn't staff in charge of the money.

"Sorry," he said, putting his hands in the air as though to suggest he wouldn't dream of touching anything.

I handed the money over to Babs and headed backstage. Maybe I'd been too harsh with Alex. He might've just been trying to help but you couldn't be too careful.

As I opened the door to the backstage room, the smell of pot almost knocked me out.

"Hey, you bunch of useless stoners," I yelled at them. "Get yourself up on stage now!"

A few foggy grumbles greeted me but they did start moving. I noticed the opener band hanging around in the hallway, probably afraid to enter the band room with those guys taking over.

"Just a moment," I said to them and got a chair to prop the door open and air the smell out.

I thought Alex would be gone when I got back out but he waited in the same spot. He even had another beer for me.

“Anyone come in?” I asked Babs.