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

Violet came over before I hit the stage. She looked even better than I'd remembered. Her short dress and boots were almost as sexy as those skimpy shorts. Some girls just look good no matter what they do and she was that type. With her hair in a thick braid and barely any makeup on, she still was as sexy as hell. A bit tired, though. I’d heard about the bastard who owned this place. I bet he worked her into the ground.

"You ready?" Violet grinned and all the tiredness dropped from her face.

"Yep, pretty much. Just me and my guitar. Are you sticking around for the set?" I tried to look like I didn't care but I sure as hell wanted to impress her. Without that, I'd not have a chance in this town and I'd sure as hell not have a chance with her.

She nodded. "I'll be watching. You've got a good crowd in tonight. That's going to impress Chucklehead Chuck. He's all about the money at the moment."

She was checking me out. She tried to hide it but her gaze was all over my body. The thought of her thinking about me warmed me up. It gave me an extra edge. This would be a good night.

I walked out onto the stage, fully aware of the cheers going up for me. I'd have them eating out of my hand before I was done. I didn't look around until I got to the center of the stage, though, then I gave a short salute.

I sat down on a stool and got out my guitar, scanning the room before starting into my first song so I could fix Violet in my sights. The combination of a slow love song and a meaningful look had gotten me a long way in life.

I started with a slow number, getting into the groove of the place. In the chorus, I caught Violet's eye and slowly smiled.

She was watching, not talking to anyone. I had her full attention and I meant to keep it.

I followed that up with a faster number, hoping to get a few more people crowding up to the front.

I'd waited too long to play again. I’d missed that rush from the crowd. With each song, the hollow part inside me filled up.

I finished my set to massive cheers and grinned, knowing I'd done it. She hadn't taken her eyes off me all night.

I gave the room another salute before picking up my guitar and heading off stage. I wanted to go running to her for her opinion but I'd make her wait.

Chapter 8 VIOLET

I’D KNEW ALEX WOULD be good when I listened to his demo but I had no idea how that would translate to playing live. It'd been a bit of a risk putting booking a solo act on a Saturday night but he'd won the crowd over. He didn't just play guitar, he used it to manipulate the emotions of everyone in the room.

And he had a big enough fan base to make Chuck happy. All in all, a successful night.

The final band of the night tried to follow Alex’s performance but they fell flat. The audience had spent all their emotions on Alex and had nothing left to give. I guess that meant more bar takings, so Chuck would be even happier.

It bugged me that I had to even consider Chuck's feelings but if it meant the difference between him selling the club or keeping it going, I'd do just that.

I headed downstairs, planning to get the cash safe then go back upstairs but, as I walked through the dimly lit storeroom, something grabbed my arm.

I screamed.

"Shhh, it's only me."

"Alex? What the fuck are you doing?" My heart pounded and anger rushed to the very surface of my being. He'd scared the bejesus out of me. I hated walking through that storeroom. The light was always broken.

"I was looking for you. You disappeared."

"You shouldn't be here. It's off-limits."

But Alex had his arms around me, pulling me closer. My heart still pounded but it wasn't just with fear this time. His breath brushed my neck and his body pressed against mine.

"Is this off-limits too?"

I wanted to say yes and push him away but I could barely breathe. That buzzing in my lady bits grew more intense. I didn’t relax but I didn’t resist either. I just let him hold me for a while.

He put his hand on my chest and felt the pounding of my heart.

"I really did give you a fright," he said. His voice purred with a smugness at my reaction.

As he moved his face closer to mine, I smelled it. In his hair and on his body. Subtle but pervasive, that rocker smell.