“Five years ago?” he guessed, looking a little more at ease now that I was saying more than one-word sentences and grunts.
“Sounds right. For that business conference or something…” I said.
“Right.” He nodded. “Remember those two cocktail waitresses from the club?”
I groaned.
Will laughed out loud and slapped me on the back. “You were so drunk, you passed out face-down on the couch.”
“That was the last time I had Jaeger,” I said, shaking my head and making a gagging noise.
“You left me to entertain them,” he said with a grin. “And that was my first threesome.”
I rolled my eyes. “So glad my pain could be your pleasure.”
“And pleasure it was!” he said proudly. “I wonder what we will get up to tonight!”
“I’m just staying for the show and going back to the hotel,” I said.
“Boooring.” He sighed.
“It’s been a long day,” I said, pressing the button on the traffic light as we waited to cross the street toward the hotel that Will was playing at.
“Hey, I thought the meeting went well today?” he asked, a hint of worry in his voice, bringing musician Will back to silent partner Will. It was funny how easily he could slip between the two juxtapositions.
“It did. Practically signed, sealed, delivered,” I assured him.
“Good.” He nodded.
We entered the hotel lobby, the ceiling covered in chandeliers so large, you couldn’t see the plaster above. We continued walking the white marble floors toward the venue that had a line out the door and wrapping through the right side of the hotel.
“Are they all here foryou?” I asked, raising an impressed brow.
“Nah. I’m just the opener. I bet no one knows me,” Will said with a shrug. “Not yet,” he added with a smile tugging at the corner of his lip.
We walked toward a side entrance where security let us to the dark backstage area. We navigated our way through, trying not to trip over cords and drumsticks and amps. I looked past the red velvet curtains and out toward the venue that looked to be already full.
“This is pretty big, man,” I said.
“I know.” He nodded nervously, picking up his guitar from a nearby stand. It was the same one he’d had since college. “I better get warmed up. Find a spot at the bar.”
I gave him a slap on the back and headed for the side stairs. I pushed through the crowd of people all eagerly trying to get closer to the stage, overdressed, as usual, in a sea of ripped denim and different shades of black shirts. Luckily, I found a lone seat at the bar and ordered a glass of the most expensive scotch they had. As I took a long sip, the strum of Will’s guitar filled the room, causing a roar of applause and excited yells. He didn’t introduce himself, just went into song, and had the crowd in the palm of his hand almost immediately.
It was the song Juliet and I had danced to at the club back in New York, and a rush of memories from that night came back to hit me like a damn baseball bat. It was funny how music could do that to you. Take you back to a time and place, haunting you with vivid memories like the way her blonde hair swayed under the club lights as she danced her body into mine. I took another long sip of scotch, downing the rest of the drink, and raising my hand for another.
With a new frosted tumbler in hand, I pulled my phone from my jacket pocket to see if I had any texts or emails from her, but it was radio silence. Had I expected anything different? I had shut her out, and with no explanation. She probably hated me now. I couldn’t blame her.
As Will switched to a more upbeat song, my phone buzzed in my hand, and I eagerly looked at it, hoping Juliet had somehow read my mind all the way from the East Coast. But it wasn’t her.Instead, it was an unknown number and I had a sinking feeling that whatever had just come through was far from good. I slid my thumb across my phone’s screen and opened the message. There was a photo attached that I tapped to enlarge.
I peered down, trying to adjust my eyes to the brightness of the screen in the dim venue, and the dark image on my phone.
It couldn’t be…
I looked closer.
That was my building. Brandfield Enterprises.
And there, in the window, was Juliet with me cupping her breasts and taking her from behind, our faces contorted with pleasure-filled moans.
