"Give it up for Black Diamond!"
He pumped his fist and ran off the stage. The lights came up and I stepped forward and gripped the mic in my hand.
The next hour went by in a haze. The crowd responded to us as if we were world famous. For that hour at least, it felt like we were.
I let everything else go as the music moved through me. I felt an electric current passing between myself and the audience. Back and forth the energy zapped us all with its power, gathering force until I could almost see it.
I had never felt so alive in my life.
By the time we finished our second encore the crowd was going wild. I released my grip on the mic and realized my hand had cramped into place from holding onto it so tightly. The band ran off the stage to the green room. Immediately we were hugging each other and laughing with the euphoria of it all.
There as no question about it.
We were a hit.
I chugged a bottle of water as everyone kept jumping around. I felt limp, like a wet noodle. But it was more than that.
In that last moment, as the house lights came up, I’d seen him.
Jake Delancey.
He was here. He'd seen the whole show too, I could tell. Something about the fact that he'd seen me like this made me feel exposed, vulnerable in a way I’d never felt before.
Naked.
"I have to get out of here."
"Wait! Elle where are you going? We need to celebrate!"
"I just need some air. I'll be back."
I brushed past Tom and ran out into the alley behind the club.
I was bent over, trying to catch my breath when I heard footsteps behind me.
"You were great tonight."
Oh fantastic, now Tom was standing behind me in a dark alleyway. Why the hell had I come out here again? Jake Delancey. Of course. How did the expression go? Out of the frying pan…
My whole body tensed up, ready to fight or flight. I didn't think he'd get too aggressive with me but I couldn't be sure. And I was really, really not in the mood for his bullshit right now.
I turned and gave him a half hearted smile.
"Thanks."
"I'm serious, Elle. With the right help, you are going to be a big star. You've got 'it.' In spades."
I took a deep breath.
"Yeah, well you were a big help. Thanks for packing the house."
He stepped closer, running his hand over my shoulder. I knew rationally that his hand was warm but it felt like ice. Cold, slimy ice.
"All I had to do was put a picture of you on the flyer. You're so beautiful."
I swallowed and stepped back a little.
"Thanks, Tom. I think I need to get out of here. I just want to go home."
His eyes narrowed and he grabbed me. He moved so quickly I barely had time to react.
"I don't think so, babe. You still have to pay the piper. I was going to take you someplace nice to celebrate but a brick wall will do just as well."
“That’s not funny, Tom.”
He smiled at me coldly.
“I’m not joking.”
I started to scream as he pushed me up against the wall. I felt his breath against my ear as he pressed against me, his hands on my ass and my tits.
“Get off me!”
I was trying to kick him, to fight, but he was too strong. He laughed as I hit his shoulder in vain.
“Relax sweetheart, I just want a taste.”
That’s when I heard the voice. The low, deep, angry and blissfully familiar voice.
“I don’t fucking think so.”
The next thing I knew I was leaning against the wall and Tom was lying unconscious on the ground.
Jake Delancey had just laid him out with one punch. It was that fast. One, two. You’re out.
"Are you alright?"
I stared into the bluest eyes this side of the Atlantic. How had I not noticed how electrifyingly blue they were before? They practically glowed in the dark alleyway.
"Elle? Come on. Honey you are scaring me."
"I'm alright. Thanks."
He smiled and took my hand.
"Let's get the hell out of here."
“Yes.”
His bike was parked at the mouth of the alley. I climbed on behind him without a word. I noticed that he'd brought two helmets this time.
Confident bastard, wasn't he?
It didn’t matter though. Right now, I wanted him. Cocky or not. I needed something solid to hold on to, and only Jake would do.
I leaned forward as he revved the bike. This time I didn’t have to be told to wrap my arms around him or hold on tight. I pressed my chin onto his shoulder, raising my voice so he could hear me.
"I still don't like you, Delancey."
He glanced back at me and winked. Right before he pulled into traffic.
"I know."
Chapter Seventeen
Jake
I paced around my bedroom, feeling something I’d never felt before. Not once, in my entire life. It was a feeling as foreign to me as French, a language I didn’t speak a lick of.