AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Excitement rippled through the crowd. People were grinning, gazing up at her like she was about to impart some great wisdom. The anticipation was building, just how she liked it.
“Ooh, it’s a little warm in here, isn’t it?” she murmured. She slipped the plaid flannel off of her left shoulder and the audience went wild.
Giselle nodded. “Oh yeah. It’s only getting hotter.”
She unbuttoned the flannel down her chest and shrugged it off, letting it drop to the stage behind her. Underneath, she was wearing a much more revealing ensemble that made the crowd cheer and whoop. Giselle was pleased to see even Asher and Blaze staring at her in awe. She wore a black mini skirt and matching crop top, showing off her ample cleavage, taut stomach, narrow waist, and long, luscious legs. There was a faint glittery sheen to the fabric that made her sparkle like a constellation under the roving spotlights. She had a black choker around her neck with a tiny gold heart at the throat, which matched the gold eyelets of her platform boots.
“That’s much better,” Giselle cooed into the mic.
Jimmy picked up the beat as Matt began strumming out a catchy melody. Giselle started to tap her foot to the beat, popping the mic off the stand as she strutted to the very edge of the stage. With the first song of the set building up behind her, she leaned down almost close enough for the audience to touch her.
“And remember, kids: good girls have a future, but bad girls… we have fun,” she said, the end of her sentence picking up a little vibrato as she broke into song.
“Good luck telling me what to do! No matter what, I’ll never be like you,” she sang passionately. “The tighter you hold me, the faster I run. The lies that you sold me are over and done. I’m not afraid to take life by the neck, and if you get in my way—then, boy, you’re next!”
“You’re next, you’re next, you’re next!” chanted the crowd in synchrony with Giselle.
“You’ve never seen a girl quite like me. I won’t stay quiet and I won’t be easy!” she sang, her head tilting back as she shouted the last few words.
“I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!” the audience shouted back at her.
Giselle’s heart pounded. Adrenaline rushed through her veins. She felt free and light as a cloud as she bounced from one end of the small stage to the other, singing her heart out. She was elated to find that the majority of the audience had to be diehard fans, as they sang along with every single word. Nothing could make Giselle feel more powerful, more alive. The stage was her kingdom, and these were her subjects. She was in complete control of the situation, holding these people in the palm of her dainty hand.
Admittedly, it was even more satisfying to know that Asher and Blaze were there watching, feeling the enthusiasm from the crowd. She wanted them to understand how seriously she took her job. Sure, she was impetuous, passionate, and loud. But she hadn’t found fame by accident; it was hard work and dedication. It was her whole life. She needed them to see how strong she was on her own, how much her fans loved the songs she wrote. Maybe she would give the guys a chance, but only after they understood just exactly who they were messing with.
The show seemed right on track to do just that. Every song was met with elated cheers and chanting along. The crowd was loving her, and Giselle felt almost drunk with power. That is, until later on in the set, when suddenly the crowd seemed distracted. One by one, Giselle watched the onlookers slowly turn away from the stage and look back toward the entrance. It had been closed for a while now, once the bar reached full capacity, but now the door was open. The door man was talking to someone just out of Giselle’s sight, but she could tell by the crowd’s reaction that this newcomer was something special.
Special enough to draw their attention away from her.
But Giselle couldn’t have that. Not tonight. Not with Blaze and Asher watching. She looked over to see that even the two songwriters were looking toward the door. Giselle felt anger bubble up inside of her. Who the hell was causing a commotion and taking attention away from their performance? Surely, it had to be some drunk guy starting a fight, or a desperate wannabe trying to squeeze into some standing room. But when the door man didn’t immediately dispatch them and send them on their way, Giselle began to worry it might be something more serious. Perhaps the cops were there on a noise violation, or worse: a gang of paparazzi out to capitalize on how easily accessible she was in this unusually small venue.
Despite her worries, Giselle didn’t miss a note. She performed her heart out, even as she lost parts of the crowd. She was relieved when she noticed Asher and Blaze weave through the crowd to the entry, looking determined. They were going to fix things. So Giselle turned her full effort back on recapturing her audience. All it took was a little extra oomph in her vocal delivery and a cheeky little jump that caused her mini skirt to flare up and reveal a couple more inches of skin to re-engage the whole room. Before long, they were all jumping up and down, singing along again. Giselle became wrapped up in the performance, and it wasn’t until after the show that she realized she hadn’t seen the newcomer actually enter the bar.
Nor could she find Asher or Blaze.
But she and the band moved on to the next portion of their evening: signing albums and posters for the fans. Giselle sat on the edge of the stage with Matt and Jimmy on either side as people queued for their five seconds of face time. Despite the interruption, Giselle was feeling great about the performance. In fact, in the excitement of meeting fans, Giselle had almost forgotten the whole thing. Until Asher and Blaze came hurrying up to her, with worried expressions on their handsome faces.
“Fantastic show,” Asher whispered to her as she signed another album.
“I know. We killed it. We always do,” she quipped confidently.
“Yeah, you did a good job,” Blaze admitted. “But we’re not here to compliment you.”
“Excuse me?” Giselle said.
“We’re trying to warn you,” Asher hissed. “That girl who came in and interrupted the set—she’s still here and she’s coming right for you.”
“So what? I’m not afraid of some random drunk girl in a bar,” Giselle snorted.
“She’s not random,” Blaze said.
“Probably not drunk either,” added Asher.
“Okay, why are you guys being so weird about this? Are you, like, in love with her or something?” she groaned, rolling her eyes.
Asher and Blaze exchanged nervous looks.
“No, but she… well, we’re not sure how you two are going to get along,” Asher rambled. “Or why she showed up here to begin with.”
