The Show

Once Jennifer dropped that bombshell on her friend, the girls decided to stay in for the afternoon (Gail took a pass on the sedative; she wanted to be crystal clear for the evening). Gail wanted to know every detail of what had happened between her and Richie. They talked for hours, ordering up food and drink from downstairs. Finally, around 5:00, Gail stood. “Well, I think I need to go get ready,” she said. “I still can’t believe I’m going to meet David. You’re sure?”

“Hell yeah, I’m sure. Listen, bring your stuff up here after your shower,” Jennifer said. “We can get ready together. It’ll be like college.” Gail agreed, and half hour later, the two girls were dressing unselfconsciously in Jennifer’s room. They compared ink, and Gail lamented she had a couple more to go before she was caught up, making Jennifer laugh. Gail oohed and aahed over Jennifer’s cat’s-eye contact lenses, then popped in her own, which were deep purple to match her outfit for the evening.

The makeup around Jennifer’s eyes was flawless, making her really look like the cat who swallowed the canary. Gail’s was understated, and made her look like a model. Once their makeup was done, they applied a light dusting of body glitter to their chests and backs, so they’d sparkle subtly when the lights hit. Then, they slid, slithered, and slinked into their clothes.

Jennifer had her outfit she purchased yesterday. A low-slung miniskirt of softest suede, wrapped sarong-style around her hips, and held closed with a jeweled buckle. The black beaded vest she purchased hugged her curves tightly, and ended a good four inches above the waistline of her skirt. The double-necked guitar tattoo was fully exposed, and Jennifer smiled as she looked at it. She slid on 4” stiletto CFM shoes that, paired with the skirt, did indeed make her legs look a mile long.

Opening her room safe, she took out her jewelry for the night. A ruby-and-diamond cat-collar encircled her throat, with matching dangly earrings worn in all the holes in her ears. A wrist cuff and anklet completed the bejeweling. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Unrolling the rollers from her hair, she shook out the fat, glossy curls. They bounced enticingly when she moved. Oh yeah, she was gonna get some attention tonight.

So was Gail. Her hair was gorgeous, and she had woven in subtle silver strands throughout her hair, so it seemed to be shot through with moonlight. She had on a halter-style top with deep cleavage, in a purple just a shade or two lighter than eggplant. A perfectly matched skirt, barely covering her ass, accompanied it. Jennifer could just see part of the Taz at her hip. A thick silver and diamante belt hung loosely around her waist, just at the waistline of the skirt. She had diamond earrings (studs in the top and long waterfall drops for the lower), an amethyst and silver pendant that hung between her breasts, and two silver Italian charm bracelets. She also had a Celtic band wrap-around arm bangle on her right arm. Perfectly tinted 5” CFM shoes completed the outfit.

“Damn, Hath,” Gail said, as they looked at each other in the mirror. “We are fucking HOT!”

“No shit,” Jennifer agreed. “Oh, listen, Rich doesn’t know I was going to tell you about him, so none of the others know, either. You can play it however you want, depending on how you feel when we get backstage.”

“Good,” Gail said. “I have no idea what the hell I’m going to say to any of them when we get back there. This was so much easier when I didn’t know we were ACTUALLY going to meet them.”

Jennifer looked at her friend. “Should I not have told you?”

“Hell no!” Gail pouted. “I can’t believe you waited so long to tell me in the first place!”

“Sorry, I didn’t know what Rich wanted to do.”

“You call him Rich, huh?” Gail asked smiling.

“Yeah.”

The women went down to the lobby, and a hush literally fell over the place. They held hands and made little bows, then went out to their car. They had the same driver as they did the night before, and he shook his head. “You girls make me sorry I’m married,” he said. They just giggled and settled into the seats.

When they got to St. Mary’s, they went to Will Call to pick up their tickets. The representative from the radio station took one look at the pair of them and asked them if they’d be photographed as the contest winners for their website and other publicity. They shrugged “why not” and took shots alone and together, posing with their tickets, cutouts of the guys, and the various DJs and on-air personalities. They were having a helluva time.

A staffer led them to the front row. Everyone they passed, women and men alike, turned to watch their passing. When they were at their seats, the staffer gave them their passes on lanyards. “Don’t lose these,” he said.

“Sweetheart,” Jennifer answered. “There is no chance of that.” Gail made a kissy face at him, and he blushed and scurried away.

When the lights dimmed, and “The Feeling” took the stage, the crowd went crazy. Jennifer didn’t know any of the songs, but danced along with Gail, and generally had a good time. When they were done, the techs had the stage switched in record time. Jennifer and Gail were directly in front of the gleaming white mic stand. They took a deep breath as the house lights went out.

The crowd started to clap and whistle. Gail and Jennifer joined hands when the satellite players took the stage.

When Tico came on stage and waved, everyone screamed. David took the stage next, and Gail nearly broke Jennifer’s hand squeezing it. “God, he’s just gorgeous,” she said, eyes glued to the keyboardist.

When Richie took the stage, the roar got louder. He looked for Jennifer in the front row and his step faltered. Jesus what the hell was she wearing? He winked at her and strapped on his guitar.

Jon came out on stage, arms raised, accepting the screams as his due. Beauty got strapped to his chest, and Lost Highway kicked off the night. Jennifer and Gail sang and danced their asses off. All the way through the first seven songs, the guys were on fire. Then Jon took the mic.

“David’s gonna sing this next one for you,” he said, and Gail swooned.

“Easy girl,” Jennifer said to her. When the opening bars of “In These Arms” started, tears sprang to Gail’s eyes. Jennifer really couldn’t blame her. David’s voice was such a good match for this song. The passion he put into his performance was moving.

When it was Richie’s turn to sing, he exchanged words with Jon, who then turned and said something to the others. He took the mic again. “If it’s alright with you, Richie’s gonna sing a little something now.” The crowd screamed, and Jennifer’s heart started pounding. “It isn’t what he planned to do,” Jon continued, “but it’s a song that has special meaning to one lovely lady out there.”

Gail looked at Jennifer. Jennifer’s face was a mask of a mixture of joy and pain. “How ya’ll doin’ tonight?” Richie asked. The crowd went wild. “Yeah, I know, I know, me too. So, this song,” he started the opening riffs to Never Say Goodbye, “has special meaning to a very special friend of mine. I hope she enjoys this.” He turned from the mic and counted in the song.

Tears filled Jennifer’s eyes as Richie’s voice skipped and slid over the notes. When he sang the second verse, the tears spilled from her eyes, and Gail wrapped her in a hug. The two woman swayed together, as Richie sang.

Remember days of skipping school, racing cars and being cool
With a six pack and the radio, we didn’t need no place to go

Remember at the prom that night you and me we had a fight
But the band they played our favorite song and I held you in my arms so strong

We danced so close, we danced so slow
And I swore Id never let you go
Together - forever

Never say goodbye, never say goodbye…
You and me and my old friends, hoping it would never end
Never say goodbye, never say goodbye…
Holding on - we got to try. Holding on to never say goodbye

During Richie’s solo, Jennifer looked up at him, and he caught her eye and smiled. Jennifer mouthed ‘thank you’ to him, and he nodded before singing the bridge and the final chorus. The crowd went crazy, singing along but Jennifer only heard Richie. When he was done, he flicked his pick at Jennifer, and it landed in her cleavage. He smiled and pointed at her, and she laughed, plucking the plastic from her sweaty chest and clutching it closely in her hand.

After a few more songs, they did Prayer, and left the stage. When the crowd was good and riled up, they came back on stage for three more songs, ending, of course, with Wanted. The sight of Richie in his trademark Stetson made Jennifer’s heart soar. He really was glorious, and God help her, he was hers. For now at least.

When they made their bows and blew their kisses, Richie aimed his at Jennifer, who blew them right back. They watched the guys leave the stage, and sighed. “Oh, that was fanTAStic!” Jennifer gushed, looking at her pick. She was going to have it turned into a necklace so she could wear it under her clothes all the time. “I can’t believe they did NSG,” she said, fresh tears springing to her eyes. “That was a wonderful surprise.”

“I can’t believe David sang,” Gail said. “That was just fucking great. What the hell are you doing?”

“Sending a quick message to the girls on the board,” she answered, typing furiously on her Blackberry. “Letting them know the show rocked.” They sat for a couple minutes, catching their breath. Soon, a tall man in black came for them.

“You girls ready?” he asked.

They looked at each other. “As ready as we can be,” Gail said. “Let’s go.”