And worth every cent we pay him.
“Goodnight Luminatis, you’ve been Phoenix, and we’ve beenLuminous,” I shout, strumming the final chord before the waterfall intensifies, which is our cue to slip offstage, hidden from view.
The crowd’s eruption is deafening, vibrating through my entire body in a wave of pure elation.
Backstage, the girls gather around me, all of us breathless and giddy, feeding off the crowd’s energy as they stomp and chant our name like a war cry.
We burst into laughter, grabbing each other in a group hug, riding the high. This was our loudest crowd reaction ever, and yeah, we nailed it tonight, but the visuals? They pushed it over the top.
That’s all Mercs.
The guy I met this morning.
The guy I haven’t stopped thinking about since watching him haul gear around like it weighed nothing, then peel off his shirt to reveal a ridiculously fit body. Those abs. That ink trailing down his arm. He was so distracting, I had to force myself to look away. Pretty sure he didn’t even notice me. Hell, he only realized I was there when I clapped.
But now I can’t stop wondering...
Was he up there in the rafters? Watching me? Thinking about me like I’ve been thinking about him?
“Effa? Earth to Effa?” Kristy snaps her fingers in front of my face, jolting me back to the now.
I blink and look around. All the girls are staring at me, the crowd still chanting in the background. “Huh? Sorry, what?”
“You were amazing tonight.” Kristy’s smile is full wattage. “And that lighting? Holy shit. Has anyone actually met the new guy?”
“I did,” I say, tilting my head. “This morning when I came in.”
Casey claps her hands, bouncing on her toes. “Ooh! What’s he like? Is he hot? Should I shag him? Keep him in line?”
I wrinkle my nose as Andi rolls her eyes, and both Alana and Kristy cross their arms. “No. Don’t screw him,” I suggest flatly.
Casey pouts, lips curled. “Ugh, so he’s a troll like Dennis? Why can’t we get hot roadies around here?” she whines loud enough for the nearby crew to glance over with raised brows.
“Casey… shh! And no, he’s the opposite. Actually, really, really good look—”
“Yes!” she jumps in.
“But we’re not messing this up. He’s way too good at his job to risk losing him because one of us decided to get handsy.”
“Nooo, Effa. I love you, but the groupies are getting stale. I need new meat,” Casey insists, wiggling her brows.
“Jesus, Casey. You sound like a nympho. Chill out,” Andi scolds.
“But I am a nympho! I can’t help it if I love the D,” Casey shouts without an ounce of shame.
The roadies glance over again, all grinning now, and she winks at Benny, our guitar tech, who promptly blushes and scurries away.
“Okay, you love the D, we all love the D, but Mercs is off limits. Got it?” I state firmly, and they all eye me with amusement.
“Mercs?” Alana asks.
“Yeah, that’s what he goes by. A nickname, I guess.”
“Sounds like a luxury car,” Alana quips.
“That’s what I said.” I giggle, and the others smirk.
Luke walks over holding a cooler bag. “It’s short for Mercury, his last name. And no, no relation to Freddie. I checked.”
