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He laughed. “It’s on the house. You and Chase don’t pay for drinks here.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Dave mixed while I patiently waited for Chase to notice me from the other side of the room. The bar was crowded, but I was perched in perfect view of the stage. I was also in perfect view of the scantily clad blonde, tanned, and toned girls who were excessively flipping their hair and laughing obnoxiously loud to catch his attention.
“Why does every girl’s modus operandi to get attention always involve ear-piercing pitch, and hair primping? It’s like watching birds on Animal Planet.”
“Don’t pay them any mind,” Dave advised. He sat two glasses in front of me, one pink and one yellow, along with one martini glass filled with another pink liquid. “Okay, so, these are your basic girly drinks: this one’s a Malibu Bay Breeze; this is an Amaretto Sour; and this is your classic Cosmo. If you don’t like any of these, I’ll go back to the drawing board.”
I took a sip of the Bay Breeze, and bobbed my head in approval. I tried the Amaretto Sour, and tipped my hand from side to side, unsure if I liked it enough to drink an entire glass. I took a sip of the Cosmopolitan, and my left eye involuntarily closed. “I definitely don’t like this one.”
Dave looked surprised. “You don’t like vodka. You’re from New York. Doesn’t everybody there drink Cosmos?”
“Does everyone in California drink kale juice and say, “Surf’s up, dude,”?”
He laughed. “Okay. That’s fair.”
Chase finally spotted me. A wide grin spread across his face as he jumped down from the stage. He walked past the group of blondes without so much as a look in their direction. His eyes were too busy surveying my body as I stood to give him a hug.
“Hey, man. You’re girl’s a pisser.” Dave motioned to me with his thumb. “I’m going to like having her around to keep me company.”
“Don’t get any ideas. She’s mine,” Chase joked. He wrapped his arms around me. “You look incredible.”
“I wasn’t sure what people wore here.” I motioned to the half-naked blondes, who were now watching us in dismay. “But I guess sluts dress like sluts, no matter what state you’re in.”
“It’s true,” Dave chimed in.
Chase shook his head. “My eyes are going to be glued to you and only you tonight.”
“Should I throw my bra at you? Oh, maybe you can sign my boob! It will make you look like a real rock star in front of the guys from the record label.”
He scanned the bar until his eyes settled on a man in a suit sitting at the opposite end of the bar. He tilted his head in his direction. “That’s the guy we’re looking to impress tonight.”
“You already impressed him, otherwise he wouldn’t be here. Remember that.”
Chase turned back to me, his hazel eyes sparkling with excitement. “Did I tell you how happy I am that you’re here with me?”
I pulled him in for a lingering kiss. “Knock ‘em dead, baby.”
He winked, and vanished into the crowd.
The flock of blondes standing by the stage were now staring at me, and talking into each other’s ears. I laughed to myself, as I thought about how at home that actually made me feel. I sat back down on my stool, sipping my pink drink, and starting to feel more at ease in my surroundings. I had already made friends with Dave the bartender. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be as bad as my anxiety swore it would be.
Dave came by with another Malibu Bay Breeze to replace the almost-empty glass in front of me. “This one is compliments of Mr. Suit and Tie down at the other end of the bar.”
I met eyes with the man, and flashed my best smile as I raised my glass to thank him. He raised his glass, and nodded slightly. That had to be a good sign. I couldn’t wait to tell Chase.
“Do me a favor,” Dave said, leaning in. “Don’t take drinks from anybody except for me. Got it?”
“I’m from New York, remember? You don’t have to worry about me.”
He grinned. “I know, I know. I just had to say it.”
The strum of the guitar signaled that it was show time. The crowd cheered as the lights dimmed.
Chase’s voice came on the microphone. “Underground, we’re back!”
The cheers got louder.
