‘Look!’ Pippa pointed and the pair of them burst out laughing as Felicity gave them the thumbs-up from the side of the stage where she was proudly standing, wearing the helmet.
‘I might have known!’
Looking back towards the stage, Elle said, ‘He reminds me of someone.’
‘I know, I thought the same,’ mused Pippa. ‘I don’t usually forget a face.’
Elle’s breath caught in her throat as she grabbed Pippa’s arm.
‘It’s him!’
Pippa gasped as the same realisation hit her. ‘It is!’
The incredibly attractive man from the 425 bus was now standing in front of them wearing nothing but a red thong.
‘It looks like he’s been reunited with his rucksack!’ Elle laughed.
Dan – aka the man from the bus – moved to the front of the stage, and the women started shoving each other, their hands thrust forward trying to grab hold of his leg. His eyes twinkled at every girl in the room.
‘Look at them – they’re falling at his feet,’ observed Elle.
‘It’s like he’s seducing them with his eyes.’
‘And the rest!’
Dan hooked his finger under the red thong and pulled it down slowly, gently teasing the crowd. ‘They’re like a pack of wild animals!’
He turned his back towards the crowd and glanced over his shoulder. Elle’s eyes caught his and one side of his mouth lifted in a sheepish smile before he shot her and Pippa a cheeky grin. They both squealed with laughter.
‘I think he’s recognised us!’ Pippa shrieked.
‘I think you might be right!’
The crowd was still yelling ‘OFF, OFF, OFF.’
Dan faced the screaming girls and whipped off his thong. Elle had never heard noise like it. The lights went down and the room fell into darkness. It was at that moment that Elle felt something being thrust into her hand as boisterous applause filled the room and the lights snapped back on. The stage was empty and Dan was gone. The crowd began to disperse in every direction.
‘That was the best half-hour I’ve had in a while. What have you there?’ Pippa asked, looking down at Elle’s hand.
‘A card,’ Elle said, flipping it over and reading it. ‘A business card – for Daniel Jones, Entertainer.’
‘He was definitely that. Where did you get it from?’
‘Someone put it in my hand when the lights went out.’
Pippa cocked an eyebrow. ‘There’s some writing on it,’ she said, squinting at the handwriting.
‘What does it say?’
‘Meet me at the stage door in twenty minutes.’
Pippa grabbed hold of Elle’s arm and squealed, ‘Elle Cooper! Grab your coat – you’ve pulled!’
ChapterTwenty-Six
Once the performance had finished, another set of doors at the back of the room was flung open, leading to a disco that was now open to the general public.
‘Shall we go for a dance?’ Pippa asked, grabbing her drink.
