AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Molly came out in a tiny T-shirt that skimmed her ribs and a rainbow skirt that teased her ankles. She was barefoot. This time she didn’t even bother with the pretense of her little flats. The outfit gave her a relaxed vibe that belied the woman behind the facade.
She knew how to play the game.
Tonight, she was playing sorceress. Her long hair was down in a tumble of waves with little braids and charms sparkling everywhere. Even her makeup was bits of smoke and glitter. Effortlessly sexy, she absorbed the emotions in the room and gave them back just what they were looking for.
It was eerie as fuck.
Her usual microphone was replaced with an old-school box one tucked into a stand that could be used for sitting or standing. She waved and smiled before sitting in a big red chair center stage. She pulled her feet under her skirt and settled into the corner. “Hi, guys.” She glanced
over to the rest of the band. “We ready to do this?”
Just like a fucking princess.
The crowd lapped it up like a starving kitten on a saucer of milk.
Jules and Elle glanced at one another and a secret smile passed between them. They never tried to steal the limelight. They didn’t need to, since their instruments did it for them most of the time.
Having a band that was almost equal in testosterone and estrogen had taken some getting used to. It made for some interesting crowds, to say the least. And tonight was no different. Ryan could see some dudes out in the audience along with the usual complement of ladies.
They blasted into the set with a stripped-down version of “Exile” and moved into their hit song from the first EP, “Lick,” where Molly brought it down into the gutter with her sultry, lazy voice.
He and West swapped seats halfway through the set and he scampered backstage to find the cart. He grabbed the trombone and the French horn and came out with them in each hand like guns. He aimed them at Mal, and he thundered into his kit with a beat that shook the stage.
Michael and Elle amped up their acoustics to create an almost electric feel. Then it slowed and Ryan curled his fingers around the French horn and pushed into the recesses of his mind for the notes he hadn’t played in years.
The crowd was quiet and murmured with confusion.
The band understood this song might be a stretch, but it had been so damn cool when they’d heard the Foo Fighters cover it, they’d been strumming through their own version of it on the bus for a week. Seemed like the perfect time to play it live.
Michael and Elle extended the guitars to let Molly introduce the song.
“You might not know this one, but one of our favorite bands covered it. Dig it up, it’s worth a listen. We hope ours is too.” She closed her eyes and whispered through the opening lyrics of “Baker Street”.
The melody built and soared as West pounded on a side set of drums with Mal. Ryan ran off the stage and found the sax and hit the brass section of the song with every bit of the passion this song inspired in him. In all of them.
And yeah, maybe one particular woman was doing some inspiring of her own. Whether or not, she was there.
She was in his head. Always.
Ryan stood on his chair and followed Michael’s wailing guitars until the room reverberated with the drums and the sax and the strings. Blending together until the instruments and the voices became a heartbeat of sound.
The crowd took a hot second to get in on it, but they were soon on their feet, arms in the air with their lights held high. The perfect backdrop to the jamming they were doing onstage.
Molly’s soft voice rang out in the middle of it all, with Elle doing a masterful job on backup vocals. They all harmonized and extended the end until it became more than the five-minute monster it usually was, and into an eight-minute jam. It was hella fun and totally them.
From there, moving into the harder rocking “Delirious” seemed natural. That song was also them. Just a different side. They were still figuring out all of them.
He was sweating his ass off for what was supposed to be a stripped-down acoustic show. Instead it had turned into an epic battle between drums and guitar, as Mal and Elle fought with each other every song. Pulling out amazing pieces amongst the standard setlist it could have been tonight.
Molly settled back in her chair. She bent the microphone stand arm to her mouth, then untied one of the colorful scarves that she always hung on the stand as decoration. “You guys up for another cover?”
There was a hoot and a whoop from the back.
“Well at least that guy wants it. How about the rest of you?”
The crowd roared and she slowly tied her scarf around her head. “Now, if you don’t know this one, you’re dead inside.”
The crowd laughed.
