Nicole turned to the girl with a single smooth flourish and said, “A ‘fatty’ I may be, Madame, but at least everything on my body is natural and original. You won’t find an ounce of silicone or acrylic on any part or portion of my anatomy. Can you say the same? I also happen to make my money with my brain, not my body. Can you say the same? And while you are pondering these two pivotal questions, let me rush to assure you; I do not believe that Spyder has an interest in me because of his recent, very sweet serenade.” She paused here, lifting her chin to proud effect as she added, “If anything this belief spurns from the fact that, I know him personally and he’s made it very clear that he’s interested.”
Rather enjoying the look of abject shock that crossed the features of the stunned stripper, Nicole returned her attention to the stage; where Spyder and his bandmates continued to belt out their signature brand of music, singing, dancing and playing to the crowd as their set continued for another solid hour.
Aside from being aroused and intrigued by Spyder’s sensual performance style, Nicole reveled in both the humor and the richness of his lyrics. Indeed, despite their simplistic titles, many of his songs showed strong lyrical structures and well-constructed bridges; and, in some cases, he injected a strong dose of heart and sentiment into his songs.
One of his ballads, titled “Lonely Hearts,” even managed to pull at her own heart strings, as it told the story of a young man looking for love in what often proved to be a cold, lonely world.
She wondered if, just perhaps, this particular song was autobiographical in nature; and judging by the way that the tune’s lyricist now stared at her with deep, soulful eyes, enunciating every lyric as he seemed to sing to her alone, she knew without a doubt that her assumption was correct.
Once again Spyder knelt by the side of the stage and treated her to a soulful serenade, staring deep into her eyes as he sang of his heartache.
Finally the set came to a close, and the band retreated backstage; leaving their audience to scatter as individual members sought their own personal pursuits. Some retreated to the bar to order drinks, some fed the jukebox with coins and took to the dance floor, still others paired off in kissing couples and took leave of the club.
Personally, Nicole liked this third option; it was one that she herself hoped to pursue the moment that her sexy, gorgeous rocker emerged from his dressing room.
She in fact felt his absence oh so keenly the moment he cleared the stage; and she sincerely hoped that, the moment he reappeared, the two of them could retreat to a private place and explore their newfound feelings for one another.
Her heart pounded and her body brimmed with hard, raw desire as she contemplated everything Spyder: his beauty, his kisses, his talents—he seemed every inch the perfect man. And, as an added bonus, he seemed to know a good woman when he found one.
“Oh, I’m sure that many people—including the good ol’ model flock now seated at the table directly behind mine, a fact which does precious little to add to my comfort and enjoyment this evening—would far prefer to see him with a super model,” she mused, adding with an affirming nod, “but they don’t know him like I do.”
After ordering several Shirley Temples and heaving a sigh of relief when the flock finally flew, apparently giving up on the band and escaping instead with some extremely elated roadies, a suddenly restless Nicole stood from her table and roamed around the club; stopping to talk with other fans of the band and make a few random jukebox selections before finally perusing a row of autographed musician photos that lined the basic wood paneled walls of the Rock Pile.
“Ah, so the Journey tribute band Long Road Trip played here at one point. How did I miss that?” she mused, all the while sneaking a sideways glance at the backstage