Page 10 of Love Me Till Wednesday

Dougie turned to see who was interrupting his seduction routine, inadvertently loosening his grip on Lisa as he did so.

She took the chance to free herself and dashed out of the lift. ‘Please could you show me how to get to the Awards after party?’ she asked the waiter.

She knew exactly how to get there, but it was the best excuse she could come up with on the fly.

‘Of course, madam.’ The waiter indicated the staircase. ‘Shall I lead the way?’

She nodded and followed him, glancing back to see a fuming Dougie glowering at them.

As they arrived outside the party room, Lisa turned to her knight in shining armour. Nick, according to his name badge. She looked at him properly for the first time. Her friend, Mel, would say he was exactly Lisa’s type: tall, slim, blonde-haired, probably from a bottle, but that didn’t matter. What really grabbed her attention were his piercing blue eyes.

He looked concerned. ‘Are you okay, now?’

She nodded. ‘Thank you. Again.’

He smiled. It was an appealing smile accompanied by a twinkle in his eyes. He looked like he’d be fun to spend time with. If she were single, she’d have flirted with him.What do you mean if you were single? You’re planning to be single very soon, thanks to Pete’s bedroom activities.

Lisa heard herself saying, ‘I owe you a drink. What time do you finish?’

In her head, her mother’s voice admonished her, “Nice girls wait to be asked”. But there was going to be no more nice Lisa. She wasn't going to stand quietly by like a shyschoolgirl waiting to be picked for the hockey team. She was new, confident award-winning Lisa now, and new, confident, award-winning Lisa didn’t wait to be asked.

‘There’s a bar on the street opposite,’ Nick said. ‘Not many mainstream music fans know about it - it’s mainly filled with jazz aficionados. It’s called Jack’s. Shall we meet there? I’ll be there at ten.’

‘Sounds perfect. I’ll see you then.’

‘I’ll look forward to it.’ He grinned and headed back up the stairs.

She watched him walk away, admiring the rear view as much as the front. Perhaps this evening wasn’t going to end badly after all.

9

Lisa checked her watch. Ten o’clock already. She was going to be late. Hopefully, Nick was a patient man.

She’d pretended to be the life and soul of the party, determined to mingle with all the partygoers to make the most of tonight’s win. But now the effects of the champagne were wearing off, the introvert inside her was craving solitude. The idea of lying on a comfy bed to gather her thoughts and plan what to do next was so tempting. But that reminded her of what had been happening in that bed earlier. She screwed her eyes up, trying to remove the image of Pete’s bare backside from her mind.

Buck up, Lisa. Nick doesn’t deserve to be stood up.She could manage just one quick drink with him as a thank you, perhaps get his number if he was as lovely as he looked, and then she’d return to the hotel.

The rest of the band were busy. Unsurprisingly, Pete hadn’t put in an appearance at the party, Jonny was chatting up a famous DJ, and Tez had gone home to his girlfriend. Ed was the only one keeping Lisa company now.

‘I feel like I’m getting a migraine - I need some peace and quiet,’ she said, getting up.

‘Yeah, alright. Do you need me to get you anything?’ Ed was mid-cigarette and didn’t look like he wanted to move from the sofa he was lounging on.

‘No!’

You said that a bit too quickly.‘I don’t want you to miss out on the fun. See you tomorrow,’ she added, giving him a peck on the cheek before walking out into the corridor and heading upstairs to the hotel’s foyer.

Jack’s Bar was tucked away in the side street opposite the hotel, exactly where Nick had said it would be. The only clue to its existence was a small sign over a solid black door. She’d never have dared to go in there usually. In fact, she probably wouldn't have noticed it at all.

She tentatively walked inside. There was a bare brick wall in front of her with a staircase to her right leading down into a basement. The entrance might not be welcoming, but the sounds floating up the stairs were. Talking and laughter mixed in with traditional jazz.

She headed down the stairs. It was like stepping onto a film set of a 1920s New York speakeasy, except the extras were dressed in contemporary clothing. Her eyes naturally followed the long length of the shiny pewter counter to a pool of light cast by one of the Art Deco glass lamps above the bar. In the pool of light sat Nick. It was as if the universe had highlighted his presence specially for Lisa.

He was lost in his thoughts, staring into an almost empty pint glass, turning it around slowly on the counter. She found him even more attractive now he’d replaced his waiter’s white shirt and tie with a battered black leather jacket and a dark t-shirt.

He must have sensed her looking at him as he raised his gaze towards her and beamed. That smile again. It sent a rush of warmth to all the right places. It was a while since Pete had had the same effect on her.

Lisa made her way through the crowd towards him.

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