Shiraz (5 page)

Alexa waved that off with her free
hand while the other cupping a goblet of wine. “I’d rather your
first experience be a live show like this one, anyways. Going to a
show in person is an experience nobody will ever be able to capture
with just the speaker on the back of their bloody phone. Half of
the people here were as glued to their screen as they could have
been to the music.” I nodded in agreement.

Antonio went on to talk about our time
together in the hospital, and just when I had started to feel like
a part of the conversation my bladder generously reminded me of how
much wine I had consumed tonight. I wasn’t sure if they had their
own private bathroom, and having already been invited back, I
didn’t see any harm in excusing myself.

I stood up and turned back to the door
I came through, making sure to shut it behind me. I remained facing
the door when I heard footsteps approaching. I stalled feeling some
odd sense of responsibility to make sure nobody was trespassing
that wasn’t allowed back here. I was a little put off by the lack
of security, but it must have been late enough that they had
already shooed the rest of the crowd out of the
building.

The footsteps rounded the
nearest corner. I froze in place, not sure who was skulking around
back here. I wheeled around, eager to confront the source, then we
collided, leaving me stuck between a door and a broad chest clad in
a sleeveless black shirt.
It was
him
. Ryan Michaels stumbled backward, not
interested in knocking me over. “That could have hurt. Are you
lost?”

I dug deep into my throat and could
not find the right words anywhere. “No . . . my friend is Alexa’s
friend, we . . . we came backstage, I’m not a groupie or anything--
not that I couldn’t be, but that isn’t why I came
back--”

The drummer smirked. He had at least a
five-inch height advantage over me even with my pumps, and he must
have weighed at least two hundred pounds without an ounce of
visible fat. All those years of swinging drumsticks for hours on
end had done wonders for his arms, which looked like a 3D map of
the Grand Canyon. A day and a half of stubble had accumulated
across his chin, which looked like he chiseled it himself. His eyes
hypnotized me, cocoa-colored irises so intoxicating I nearly forgot
what an ass I had just made of myself.

“
Relax, I wasn’t judging
anything.” His deep English accent sank into the walls of the
hallway which suddenly seemed a lot narrower than when Antonio had
first taken us back. “Let me try this again. Hello, I’m Ryan. I
think you saw me beating things on stage with my hands not too long
ago.”

He offered his hand; a coarse and
calloused collection of skin that felt like home when it grasped my
own.  

“…
Er…Melinda. Alexa’s
friend Antonio calls me Mindy, but nobody else does. I kind of
prefer it that way.”

He began to chuckle. “Hell, Antonio is
your friend? Why didn’t you say so? That earns you an immediate and
permanent backstage pass with us!”

I’m certain he was attempting to sound
reassuring and comforting, but my lungs were still floundering for
oxygen. “How . . . is there another bathroom back here?” Our hands
still glued together.

He pointed in back of him bringing his
triceps up to the light, so beautiful how they looked so masculine.
“Second door on your left.”

“
Okay . . . can we just
pretend this conversation didn’t take place and I introduce myself
with actual dignity next time?”

He brought his hand back to his chin
in a curious movement. “I don’t know how I feel about that. You
already exposed me to your real personality, whether you like it or
not.  I’ll owe you one when you come back inside . . . you are
coming back, yes?”

His eyes bored into mine the way I
swore they had done from the stage. I was regressing in speech yet
again. “Yeah, I’ll be there,” trying to keep it cool.

Ryan waited until the very last second
possible before breaking eye contact and opening the door to the
band’s room. I slowly stepped toward the door he pointed out,
wishing there was a cold shower waiting instead.

I emerged from the bathroom after
fixing my hair and makeup. I was positive I had sweated most of my
makeup off during my encounter with Ryan, and was terrified I would
look like my head was made of clay when I walked back
in.

As soon as I stepped back into the
band room, I heard Antonio howling even louder than normal,
obviously having drunk a bit more since the show had ended. I
wasn’t worried as he always let me drive if he overdid it, and he
more so loved taking over my couch and sharing it with whichever
cat decided to keep his company. Alexa had conveniently invited
Ryan into the conversation, sending my nerves into distress all
over again.  

“
Ah, Melinda . . . sounds
like you and our drummer already met. Did you leave your jaw
outside the door?”

My face boiled red. A joke
had already been made?
Thanks
jerks.

“
She’s only kidding,” Ryan
quickly added as he patted on the couch for me to sit next to him.
“Anyone with an ego as big as our singer here needs to get as many
of their kicks out as possible.”

“
Fuck off, Ringo,” she
joked in response.  

This time I was laughing too, admiring
how fast the attention was taken off of me.

“
Would you like something
to drink, Melinda?” she asked pointing to the table topped with
booze, wine, and alcohol. “Still plenty here that we need to finish
up before the night is over,” Ryan added as he stood up to help
himself.

“
I . . . yes, please.
Whatever red wine is back there would be great.”

Before making his own Ryan grabbed the
unopened bottle of wine, popped the cork after ripping off the
seal, and poured almost an entire glass full just for me. I
suddenly felt like royalty. The conversation came naturally as the
night went on. Alexa had been singing since childhood, going
through opera lessons and becoming drawn to the sound of musicians
who incorporated instruments not normally heard in typical rock
bands, like the flute. She and Ryan formed the band ten years ago,
and went through a few guitarists and bassists before forming what
they consider family now. Observing the chemistry between them all,
it definitely showed. Broken Griffin has an amazing sound unlike
anything a naïve rock rookie like me has ever heard.

Throughout the dialogue we had all
exchanged, I had the overwhelming impression of someone sizing me
up like a freshly grilled sirloin. I did everything within my power
to keep this talk going. Alexa admired Antonio and his career,
sacrificing our own personal time to help those who really need it.
Antonio was an actual actor who had done theatre and appeared in
music videos, I was just a boring nurse. I briefly thought about
acting once upon a time, but I had the stage presence of a newborn
puppy.  

When I ran out of lines to contribute
to this conversation, I curiously glanced around the room. The
other band members had formed their own little sects with family
members and friends, not totally exclusive but uninviting of the
obvious popular kids in the room.  Antonio and Alexa continued
to loudly converse as if they were the only ones in the room. If
Antonio wasn’t gay, Alexa would be his soul mate. At no point did I
feel Ryan’s eyes glance away from my body ever since he handed me a
glass of wine.

Before any of us realized
it, the Avalon was shutting its doors for the night. Antonio, as
much as I loved and trusted him, was in no condition to drive me
home. He was singing "Phantom of the Opera" with a glass still in
his hand. Alexa surveyed the scene, and said, "I think I will play
the role of babysitter for our resident bard tonight. Ryan, do you
think you could be a dear and provide Miss Melinda with a ride
home?"
Shit.

I just about choked on my final sip of
wine, but I fought to keep that release cough in. I was more than
ready to protest, claiming I had much less to drink than my "date"
for the night and could take Antonio home myself, perhaps arranging
to drop off his car, but that was looking like a battle waiting to
be lost.

"If you are comfortable
with it, Melinda, I would be happy to give you a lift."
 Ryan’s invitation was phrased so that there was no room for
debate. Had it not been for the top-shelf wine I likely would have
put up more of a protest. As it stood, I was not going to turn down
a free ride home, especially by someone as cute as
him
.

"Are you sure, Antonio?" I asked. "I'm
sure we could also squeeze you in, make sure you get home in one
piec--"

"Oh Mindy I am fiiiiiiiiiine, don't
you worrrry. Me and Alexa have a tune of catching up to do, take
your chariot home and get some rest."

He said tune instead of ton? Yeah,
he’s done for the night. I looked at Ryan square in the eye,
something he already anticipated. He wore an interesting smile
across his lips, ready to grant a request I hadn't even thought to
ask. I was old-fashioned and never got in a car with strangers, but
at this point in the night Ryan was no longer a random
musician.

I finished what proved to be the final
sip of wine for the night, setting down the glass on the same table
where Ryan had first picked it up. Realizing how much of a mess I
have made I didn't envy the Avalon staff members who had to clean
up after every act who came through this place. I made sure to give
Antonio a giant hug, thanking him for finally convincing me to join
him for what was already an incredible night. He kissed my cheek,
smacking his lips and ensuring me, "you are in good hands." I
caught another smartass remark as he winked at me as I was just
about to make my way out with Ryan.

“
Shall we?” Ryan politely
asked, waving his hand in the direction of the exit. I gulped,
hopefully not audibly. I let myself out of the room just after
saying goodbye to everyone else.

Ryan drove me back in a luxury rental
car. He must only be going back home tomorrow as I don’t see why he
would stay here especially with how expensive a rental car costs on
a daily basis. The front seat might as well have been on a first
class seat on a airplane as it was soft and cushioned enough to
have put me to sleep if my teeth weren’t chattering. At every
stoplight we hit, my thighs expected his hand to rest on one, a
quick little feel in the middle of the drive, but that didn’t
happen. He wasn’t budging despite my exposed flesh, even more
visible thanks to the leather interior hiking up my
skirt.

Not much conversation had been traded
between us. He must have been able to sense my nerves since every
time I checked my peripheral vision he wore an amused grin on his
face. A part of me became skeptical if he would blow right past my
apartment and abduct me somewhere where they would never find me,
but I secretly enjoyed that thought.

Just as I thought we were only half
way there we were actually on my street. I pointed to where he
could pull nicely next to the curb pleasing me with an easy walk
straight to the front door. The car rolled to a complete stop then
he applied his emergency brake since the hill I live on is somewhat
steep.

“
I really enjoyed our time
together tonight,” he said, not looking me in the eye but staring
out the windshield even though I faced him.  

Still feeling a buzz, “I
had a blast! I
really
hope Antonio didn’t drink too much. He works tomorrow and I
can tell you from experience what a pain in the ass a hangover is
to have at a hosp--”

“
Are you okay to
drive?”

My brow furrowed.
“Er…what?”

Ryan unbuckled his seatbelt and eyed
me. “I asked, are you okay to operate a vehicle? I know you had
plenty of wine tonight, as did I, but I need to be sure you can get
yourself somewhere.”

I was confused. “What . . . do you
mean? I’m home, so, heh, I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere else
tonight.”

He must be drunk himself because I’m
fucking confused. He removed his right hand from the steering wheel
and dug into his right side pants pocket. A card emerged placed
perfectly between his pointer and middle finger. He turned to me
after letting out a deep sigh, darted his eyesight directly into
mine, and he spoke,

“
I’m giving you the key to
my hotel room. Hawthorne, room 932. I am not going to ask you to
come with me in this car because that would be borderline
entrapment, so I need you to think long and hard to be sure that
you, Min, actually want to be there. I saw you on the balcony from
the very moment you stepped onto it. I watched you move, I watched
you smile, I watched you laugh, I watched you drink, and I watched
you watching me. And now I am telling you Min, that I want to do
more to you than just look. You have the face of an angel too
naughty for God and too ambitious for the Devil. You have a body
that deserves to be painted on the ceilings of cathedrals. I am not
going to be in town for very long, but before I leave, I want to
devour every inch of you.”

I am speechless. He called me Min, how
sweet.

He continued talking as he inched
closer to my lips. I could taste and smell his breath, so warm and
inviting. Every word that left his lips set my skin on fire. If
these seats were something else other than leather my hands would
have torn into them as my nails are already half way through the
top layer.