“Right, sorry,” Jimmy chuckled sheepishly.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
They had roughly six hours to practice before the club opened, and another two before Jimmy would be due on stage. They ran through the whole set dozens of times, Jimmy struggling with the unfamiliar Sinatra tune in particular.
As Dario ran him through the set for the millionth time, Jimmy found himself thinking about what they had discussed earlier. The day he met Cold, and Cold had wrapped his hands around Jimmy’s neck, waking something deep inside of Jimmy that he never knew was there. He didn’t know if this submissive temperament was the best possible version of himself, but in a way... it felt like it was.
He had never tried so hard to please someone before, pushing his body and his mind beyond what he had ever thought possible. He loved every second of his self-discovery, and Cold always left him aching for more. Most important, he had never been as happy with anyone as he was with Cold.
Now here he was, only a few hours away from performing in front of a live audience. No one had ever believed in him as much as the gangster did, and Jimmy didn’t want to let him down.
The band arrived shortly before opening and Jimmy was thrilled to practice with such talented musicians. They only had enough time for a few brief rehearsals, but he felt better about his performance already. Rowena had returned to catch the last song, the one by Halsey, and squealed excitedly, jumping up on stage to grab Jimmy and pull him into a hug.
“Oh, my God! Roddy’s panties are going to fuckin’ drop!”
Jimmy patted her shoulder awkwardly, sensing Dario’s eyes drilling holes into his back. “You should really be thanking Dario! I mean, I really couldn’t have done it without him!”
“Aw! Dary!” Rowena released Jimmy to immediately glom Dario, smooching his cheek and wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you so much! Unnph, it’s so good!”
Dario looked positively euphoric, mouthing a silent ‘I love you’ to Jimmy and hugging Rowena back. “Anything for you, Roe.”
Rowena teased his hair a little, then had her attention back on Jimmy, snapping her fingers. “Okay, now! I took the liberty of getting you a tux because I’m what? Amazing. Now, come on. I’ll show you to your new dressing room.”
Following Rowena backstage, Jimmy managed to catch one last glimpse of Dario’s blushing and blissed out face. He wondered if that’s what he looked like around Cold, shrugging off the thought as Rowena led him to a moderately sized dressing room. It looked as if it had once been used for storage, with several boxes and sundries still stacked up against the far wall.
Hanging on a clothes rack was a slick black garment bag. Rowena had also procured some hair styling products and cologne, lined up across a small vanity.
“Here ya go, sweetie! Get ready and come find me at the bar. We’ll get you a bit of liquid courage and some food, okay?”
“Wait!” Jimmy looked around quickly, frowning. “Did you bring me any other shoes?”
“Wear the Chucks!” Rowena drawled, planting her hand on her hips. “They’re black! Trust me, it’ll look so good!”
The door shut, leaving Jimmy to start getting dressed alone. He fixed his hair and sprayed on the cologne, checking himself out the mirror. Rowena was right, the sneakers totally worked.
Finding her at the bar, he immediately got her approval and a Long Island iced tea to go with it. The club filled up quickly as the hours ticked by, Dario leading the band throughout the evening, his piano always stealing the show. Jimmy was impressed; Dario really was incredibly good. But as much as he was enjoying the music, there was still no sign of Cold.
“Are you sure he’s coming?” Jimmy asked, his voice strained with worry.
Rowena rolled her eyes, squeezing Jimmy’s shoulders. “Yes, I told him what time you were going on, and he yelled at me about messing with your schedule, and blah blah blah.” She wagged her hand, imitating a yapping mouth. “Don’t worry about it, it’ll be fine.”
Jimmy didn’t feel reassured at all.
“Just keep your eye up on that booth,” Rowena soothed, running her nails through Jimmy’s hair, nodding to the private box overlooking the stage. “He will be there. Now, finish your drink and get your cute butt backstage. It’s almost time!”
Jimmy gulped down the alcohol, giving her an obedient salute as he headed to the back. The band had taken a brief break, and he saw Dario hurrying up to him. He had changed into a tuxedo too, gold and black, and also happened to be wearing Chuck Taylors.
“Nice kicks!” Dario laughed, giving Jimmy a high five.
“Yeah, you, too!” Jimmy smiled nervously.
“Remember. Make me look good, okay? You got this.”
Jimmy watched Dario hurry out in front of the curtains to take his seat at his piano, waiting for his cue to go. He heard the first few notes of ‘The Way You Look Tonight,’ took a deep breath, and stepped out onto the stage, smiling brightly at the audience as his heart dropped into his intestines. Holy crap, that was a lot of people. Even with the lights shining down on him, he could still see that there was quite a crowd.
He glanced up at the private box overlooking the stage.
