ACE

Y et another night of debauchery lay before us.

Sunset Dreams was the hottest strip club in town and the boys and I had been itching to try it out for a while now. My band mates and I were regulars at another place across town, but it had recently burned to the ground in a mysterious fire. Actually, there was nothing mysterious about it. The LA gang wars and organized crime were at an all-time high and shit was going down left, right and center. We were lucky that Desolation Sound—our band, hadn’t made the news when it happened. Two guys from one of our rival bands had been there that night and they’d been ripped apart in the media the following day. The grunge scene didn’t typically co-exist with the seedy nightclub scene, but only because we had publicists and a manager that helped keep all our transgressions out of the public eye. What happened in the band, stayed in the band. Or at least it was supposed to.

So, there we were heading Sunset Dreams; myself, our lead singer and my best friend Jax, our bassist Gage and our drummer Rocco. And, of course, our current manager, Devon. Devon was new to our group and was still keen on us never being seen in public without him. Forget the fact that we had five bodyguards all around us. Devon thought it was his job to protect us at all times. He was very keen, but that would fade. We weren’t an easy group to manage. Jax had a serious drinking and drug problem, and although we all partied hard alongside him, I was beginning to think that he’d completely lost control. He was a mess for most of this last tour and seemed to be blocked in his songwriting. Even though there were talks of Rolling Stone magazine naming us the band of the year, I could also feel the impending descent of our dreams hovering just around the corner, if Jax didn’t get it together soon.

When Jax and I had started the band, it had purely been about the music. The music of a generation of lost kids. Kids who had been abandoned by their parents and left to their own devices. We hadn’t grown up to desire the things they had, the office jobs and high-powered suits. Instead, this was our rebellion at being forgotten, our response to the justification that work and money meant family and love. Fuck it all. We didn’t want any of it.

Okay, maybe we wanted the girls. Fine. If I was being honest, fame and money weren’t it, but the opportunity to have any girl we wanted? Definitely. I mean, come on now, find me a fifteen-year-old boy didn’t want that!

We started Desolation Sound in Jax’s basement back in Kelowna, BC. Eventually, we made it to the local club scene and soon enough we were touring the west coast of Canada. Then came Seattle and we knew that we’d finally made it to the big time. It didn’t take long to have groupies and girls that followed our tour bus, as we played in different cities every night.

Before we knew it, our albums that had gone gold then platinum and we were on top of the world. The grunge scene was ours. Okay, so we shared it with Nirvana, Soundgarden and Smashing Pumpkins, but still we were in the top four.

That type of success comes at a price, and we had to blow off steam somehow. Like all the rock stars that had come before us, partying was how we did it.

“Boys, over here!” called out a slimy short guy in a burgundy suit with a leather tie as soon as we exited the van. Devon would have preferred that we traveled in a limo, but Jax wouldn’t be seen dead in one. He was a bit set in his ways like that.

So a van it was. We got out and looked around. Yet another dark alley that led to the back door of the seedy club.

I slung my guitar over my shoulder and pulled out a smoke.

“Why do you lug that thing everywhere?” Rocco laughed. “You don’t see me carrying around my drumsticks.”

I smirked. “That’s because drumsticks aren’t impressive, dude. A guitar…” I waggled my eyebrows at him. “A guitar is for the ladies.”

“You’re such a moron.” Gage chuckled, slapping me on the back as he passed Rocco and I and made a beeline for the slimy dude at the door.

“We’re getting a private section in the back, Ace!” Called out Devon as the guys followed him inside. “No random serenades. You keep your guitar on your body at all times.” He warned.

I rolled my eyes. Between body guards and a manager, it was like having parents with us.

“Yes, Dad.” I muttered, making my way up the steps and into the club, past the sleaze ball by the door.

“Ace Novak! Welcome. I’m happy to have you.” The man grinned.

Ugh. What a loser. His hair was slicked back, and he oozed slime with every word he spoke.

He ushered us all into the cramped hallway and shut the door behind us. “Before we head over to the private area of the club, I’d just like to introduce myself and give you a brief tour.” He began.

“Please follow me. I’m Ron, the owner and manager here. I wanted to give my appreciation that you boys have visited my establishment this evening.”

I looked back at the guys and rolled my eyes. Ron continued on, as we all marched behind him. Jax was first, and he kept us all in stitches as he imitated Ron’s hand gestures right behind him.

“Anything you want or need tonight, you come straight to me and I’ll make sure you have it. From drinks to dinner…to perhaps a little dessert.” His words lingered in the air as his hands motioned to the stage where some redhead was gyrating in her string panties, her fake boobs like two round torpedoes, pointed straight at us.

Ugh. He was gross. I had nothing against the dancers, but at least I didn’t refer to them like a meal. My mom had a rough time of it growing up and had left home at an early age. She’d found herself in a bad place and was forced to spend a few years dancing on stages like this. I suppose it had left me with a soft spot for girls who were struggling to make it on their own.

My friends like to rib me about the fact that when I liked a girl, I fell hard and fast. I loved women but also wasn’t blind to my deep-seated desire to save them. It had got me into trouble many times with gold-digging girls who just wanted to hang on the arm of a rich rock star.

“And if ever…” Ron was still talking. “If ever one of your guys wants to give a little impromptu…”

“Let me stop you right there,” Devon interrupted.

But I couldn’t resist the urge to ruffle Devon’s feathers. “Yeah, I’m in!” I called out as I removed my guitar from my back and held it up, grinning. “I never leave home without her. She’s an extension of my arm.” I said proudly.

Gage laughed. “Yeah, I’ll bet. Does she give you hand jobs too?”

The guys all chuckled at my expense.

“Hilarious Gage.” I mumbled as I moved to the stage and sat down and strummed a few chords. Since it was between sets and the stage was empty, I assumed it was fine.

“Ace!” Devon called to me frantically, but Ron had already moved towards the mic with a massive grin on his face.

“No names!” mouthed Devon from the crowd, his hands clawing at his face in despair.

I kept my head down as the lights moved off of my corner and on to the main stage.

“Friends!” called out Ron. “We have a special musical guest here tonight. My good friend… Jonny.” He winked in my direction. “is going to play a little tune to usher in our next dancer. Help me welcome ‘Candy’ to the stage!” He announced as the spotlight turned to the corner.

Applause broke out as my fingers strummed a tune. I was instantly transported from reality into the depths of the music. The notes, a blur of melodic sound reverberating through the smoky club, soothed my nerves. I could hear the rest of the band calling out in their drunken stupor as I played, cracking jokes at Devon’s expense. Devon, our manager, was having a coronary. Terrified that someone would catch on and recognize me, he paced back and forth, chewing his nails. I didn’t give a shit. If I couldn’t grab my guitar and play a few notes in a club now and then, what was the fun of fame, anyway? Granted, Sunset Dreams was a strip club and both myself and the band were already wasted, but I knew how to be careful. Keeping my eyes down and my face out of the light, I continued on. Lost in the moment, I barely noticed when the curtain opened and a dancer stepped into the spotlight. It was only when the whistling began that I allowed my eyes to wander to the stage for just a moment.

Holy hell… who was that?

Her figure was soft and inviting, with curves that commanded attention. Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders in waves with intermittent pink streaks flashing through the blonde. Those eyes, which seemed to sparkle from within, were immediately locked on mine. She winked before turning her head and it sent a spark of electricity through me.

My fingers continued to play, but my eyes never left her. This was no ordinary girl. She exuded poise, confidence and an ethereal beauty that I’d never encountered before. She didn’t belong here. I felt a strange pull towards her that I couldn’t explain. Almost as if I already knew her. Perhaps had always known her…

I broke my gaze only to glance at my fingers moving across the frets, but when I looked back up, her dance was over and she was already disappearing behind the curtain.

I didn’t waste a second. My feet followed her of their own accord.

“Holy shit buddy!” Gage slapped me on the back as he came running up behind me, his touch jolting me back to reality. “Did I just catch you floating towards that stripper like a teenager who just got a glimpse of his first pussy?” he chuckled. “You know Devon might never recover from that stupid stunt, right? The crowd was staring…”

I could hear his words, but they sounded like they were light years away. I needed to see that girl again. She was a goddess, her beauty more than just skin deep. Something about her called to my soul. And my cock. Holy shit, I was hard as a fucking rock.

“Dude!” Jax was beside me now. “Jesus man, you’re standing by the stage door like a lost puppy with a hard on. Control yourself!” He motioned downward to the uncomfortable tent in my jeans.

I draped my guitar in front of me, a half-assed attempt at concealing my desire. “Who was that?” I whispered.

“Your next mistake, that’s who. Come on, let’s get out of here before we get mobbed.” Jax replied.