could envision all sorts of things I shouldn’t.
“Dude,
chill out, would you?” Court said to Angus as she slapped him on his arm. “The
world isn’t going to end if we’re a minute late.”
“Don’t
‘dude’ me. If it wasn’t for you three, we’d be on our way.”
“Come
on, enough with this. Let’s go,” I muttered, wondering what I’d gotten myself
into going with this lot of crazies.
True
to form, Red had scoped the place out beforehand. The VIP entrance was as he
said, and impressive. Red had been a road manager for me until I’d gotten ill.
Amadeus had hired him before an interloper stole him away from us. These days,
with us off the road, he was doing just this—providing security detail to
people like us. It was good to see a familiar face.
Red
led us through the back of the house and into the club. The place was already
packed, leading me to believe word had leaked out about Ethan performing this
evening. Our table was in what they referred to as a VIP reserved area. It
definitely had its advantages. The view of the stage was spectacular, and free
of the crowd that would be standing to get a better view of the evening’s
headliner.
As
everyone settled in and ordered their drinks, I craned my neck, searching for
Beth. My actions were obvious, because the four of them started giggling. Even
Angus.
“Dude,
you have it bad. She’s probably in the back with Ethan.” Angus snickered.
“I
don’t know what you’re talking about. She said she’d meet us here, so I was
looking for her.”
“Tell
that to someone else, Dame.”
“I
see her. Red’s bringing her now.” Britt giggled.
“Behave
yourself,” I hissed at my kid brother. Brat and trouble maker.
“Always.”
He snickered.
“Sorry,”
Beth said as she joined us. “This place is mad. You wouldn’t believe the record
execs here wanting Ethan’s attention.”
“I
didn’t know he was shopping for a new label,” I replied.
“He
isn’t. This last CD is his last with the one he’s with. So everyone assumes he’s
a free agent.” She leaned next to me and whispered, “Something he wants to
discuss with you.” I caught that sweet scent she wore. It did mad things to me.
I noted out of the corner of my eye that everyone was watching us. Let ‘em.
Angus especially.
“I
take it this would be good for us both?”
“Yes,
he thinks so.”
“I
can’t wait to hear his ideas.”
Remembering
my obnoxious brother was sitting right there, I introduced Beth. “Beth, you
remember my brother, Angus, don’t you?”
“Yes.
Who could forget Angus Tudor and his romps across the football field or through
the hallways buck naked,” she said with a smile. This could be fun. Someone who
remembered Angus and his escapades.
“Beth
Asher,” he replied with a grin. “It’s good to be remembered for all the right
reasons.”
Beth
sat down next to me. The three of us chatted about school antics.
Finally,
Ethan’s time came. The lights dimmed, and he could be seen in outline waiting.
There was already electricity in the room, and once he was introduced, the
place went wild. He was clad in black leather pants and wearing only a matching
vest. It exposed his tatts and bad boy image as he launched into his first song.
Glancing
over, I noted Beth singing along. No doubt who his biggest fan was.
While
I’d been doing my own research of his music, familiarizing myself with what he
wrote and what he didn’t, I was utterly amazed at his guitar playing. And live
was even better. The boy could shred with the best of them.
I
was mesmerized, watching him. My son. He was doing the exact same thing I have
all these years. I didn’t get to be around when he was growing up, but I damn
sure wasn’t going to miss out now.
The
next thing I knew, I heard Ethan calling out to me from the stage. What the
hell?
“Damien
Tudor, come on up here and join me.” That was the tail end of his statement. I
suddenly had everyone at the table urging
“Dude,
chill out, would you?” Court said to Angus as she slapped him on his arm. “The
world isn’t going to end if we’re a minute late.”
“Don’t
‘dude’ me. If it wasn’t for you three, we’d be on our way.”
“Come
on, enough with this. Let’s go,” I muttered, wondering what I’d gotten myself
into going with this lot of crazies.
True
to form, Red had scoped the place out beforehand. The VIP entrance was as he
said, and impressive. Red had been a road manager for me until I’d gotten ill.
Amadeus had hired him before an interloper stole him away from us. These days,
with us off the road, he was doing just this—providing security detail to
people like us. It was good to see a familiar face.
Red
led us through the back of the house and into the club. The place was already
packed, leading me to believe word had leaked out about Ethan performing this
evening. Our table was in what they referred to as a VIP reserved area. It
definitely had its advantages. The view of the stage was spectacular, and free
of the crowd that would be standing to get a better view of the evening’s
headliner.
As
everyone settled in and ordered their drinks, I craned my neck, searching for
Beth. My actions were obvious, because the four of them started giggling. Even
Angus.
“Dude,
you have it bad. She’s probably in the back with Ethan.” Angus snickered.
“I
don’t know what you’re talking about. She said she’d meet us here, so I was
looking for her.”
“Tell
that to someone else, Dame.”
“I
see her. Red’s bringing her now.” Britt giggled.
“Behave
yourself,” I hissed at my kid brother. Brat and trouble maker.
“Always.”
He snickered.
“Sorry,”
Beth said as she joined us. “This place is mad. You wouldn’t believe the record
execs here wanting Ethan’s attention.”
“I
didn’t know he was shopping for a new label,” I replied.
“He
isn’t. This last CD is his last with the one he’s with. So everyone assumes he’s
a free agent.” She leaned next to me and whispered, “Something he wants to
discuss with you.” I caught that sweet scent she wore. It did mad things to me.
I noted out of the corner of my eye that everyone was watching us. Let ‘em.
Angus especially.
“I
take it this would be good for us both?”
“Yes,
he thinks so.”
“I
can’t wait to hear his ideas.”
Remembering
my obnoxious brother was sitting right there, I introduced Beth. “Beth, you
remember my brother, Angus, don’t you?”
“Yes.
Who could forget Angus Tudor and his romps across the football field or through
the hallways buck naked,” she said with a smile. This could be fun. Someone who
remembered Angus and his escapades.
“Beth
Asher,” he replied with a grin. “It’s good to be remembered for all the right
reasons.”
Beth
sat down next to me. The three of us chatted about school antics.
Finally,
Ethan’s time came. The lights dimmed, and he could be seen in outline waiting.
There was already electricity in the room, and once he was introduced, the
place went wild. He was clad in black leather pants and wearing only a matching
vest. It exposed his tatts and bad boy image as he launched into his first song.
Glancing
over, I noted Beth singing along. No doubt who his biggest fan was.
While
I’d been doing my own research of his music, familiarizing myself with what he
wrote and what he didn’t, I was utterly amazed at his guitar playing. And live
was even better. The boy could shred with the best of them.
I
was mesmerized, watching him. My son. He was doing the exact same thing I have
all these years. I didn’t get to be around when he was growing up, but I damn
sure wasn’t going to miss out now.
The
next thing I knew, I heard Ethan calling out to me from the stage. What the
hell?
“Damien
Tudor, come on up here and join me.” That was the tail end of his statement. I
suddenly had everyone at the table urging