Page 22 of Wild Tonic
As she caught Poppy glaring across the room at them, Clem thought it most unlikely.
While waiting for the band to begin, Clem carried on chatting to Eva. When Poppy went to the bathroom, Eva introduced her to Caro, the owner of The Indigo Lounge, and Yulia, who was the drummer’s girlfriend. Both of them were polite, but as soon as Poppy returned, they both went back to talking to her. Poppy made no further attempt to speak to her.
Shortly after nine, the lights dimmed and Blood Stone Riot took to the stage. The crowd, obviously used to seeing the band play, roared in anticipation. Eva pulled Clem up and they stood at the edge of the VIP area.
The man on the stage was definitely not the man Clem had met at the wedding. Nate strutted about the stage as if he owned it, handling his guitar like a weapon. As the music began, Clem lost herself in the moment. Blood Stone Riot’s sound was far removed from her usual choice, but there was something about it—and the band—that drew her in. Her eyes never left Nate as the set went on. She watched his fingers racing up and down the neck of his instrument. For an instant, she wished she were the guitar and Nate was playing her like that. A tingle shot between her legs and she pressed her thighs together to try to alleviate the feeling.
“He’s good, isn’t he?” Eva whispered in her ear.
Incapable of anything more, Clem nodded in response, unable to tear herself away. The set went on, and Clem was unaware of anything else except Nate. His t-shirt was soaked through with sweat from the effort he put in, and clinging to his muscular chest.
“You see that?” Poppy’s voice broke into her reverie. She was pointing at the very front of the crowd. “Those girls there? They’ll be hanging around afterwards, waiting for a photo opportunity, a selfie with their very favourite guitar player. And Nate, being the obliging kind of person he is, will agree to all of them. When one of them flashes her tits for him to sign or slips him her number, do you think he’ll remember you’re up here waiting for him?”
“Poppy,” warned Eva. “You’re not being fair.”
“Aren’t I?” Poppy raised her eyebrows. “I think I’ve been around this band long enough to know what goes on afterwards, don’t you?”
“Nate’s not like that.” Clem protested, despite the uneasy feeling in her stomach brought on by Poppy’s words.
“You and he have been together, what? A week or so? If he can fuckhis wifeover by shagging around with a groupie when he was on tour, then don’t expect him to bring you flowers, sweetheart.”
“That’s enough,” snapped Eva. “Poppy, leave the girl alone. She’s done nothing to warrant that.”
“I think I should go.” Clem grabbed her bag, fumbling to find her phone and call the Uber driver.
Eva stopped her. “You don’t have to do that. Poppy’s only having a bit of fun. Stay, have another drink, and wait to see Nate.”
“Nate was the one who was always having fun. Leaving me at home to hold the baby, literally.” Poppy drained the last of her wine. “Who do you have to sleep with to get a refill round here?” She waved her empty glass around, narrowly missing clunking it on the side of Clem’s head. “Oh, wait, sleeping with the guitarist ought to get you somewhere.”
Deep down, Clem knew that Poppy was only being so harsh because she was drunk. It didn’t stop her comments stinging any less though. Despite the fact she really wanted to see Nate after the gig, to tell him how amazing he was, she couldn’t stand being around his ex any longer. Grateful for Eva’s support, she turned to her newfound ally.
“Thanks for tonight, Eva. It’s been lovely to meet you. You too, Caro and Yulia. Hope to see you again.” Before she left, she faced Poppy. “Shame I can’t say the same thing about you.”
Chapter Fifteen
It wasn’t usual for Dean to ask Clem to meet him for a drink. They chatted over email, message, calls and in face-to-face meetings when things were too important not to see the whites of the other’s eyes. She was pretty sure that everything was fine with the business. Okay, she may have neglected it a little since getting together with Nate, but Dean would have let her know if there were any problems. Just in case he quizzed her about anything, she quickly read through the latest emails he’d sent.
It was a couple of days before her shoot with Cordelia Lyons, so Clem assumed it was going to be to do with that. She had already arranged to see Nate later after the whole gig debacle, and they were meeting in Smith’s again. Rather than trek across town, she suggested that Dean join her there first.
He was already waiting for her, nursing half a pint of lager. Given that his drink of choice was usually a fine red, something serious must be up.
“Hey, Dean, how are you?” Clem leaned down to kiss him on both cheeks just as he stood up and they clashed awkwardly somewhere in between.
“Snowed under, as always, but good. What do you want to drink?” He smoothed down his suit, back in big brother mode.
“A large Chablis, please.” Clem dropped her bag on the floor and sank down into the chair opposite her brother. She reached into her bag for her phone and spotted a message from Nate telling her he was on his way. A smile crept across her face as she replied.
Dean returned with her drink and another half of San Miguel. He sat down again, fiddling with one of the beer mats.
“What is it?” said Clem, getting straight to the point. “Is there a problem with Cordelia?”
Her brother shook his head. “That’s all fine. She’s really looking forward to it. The hotel’s all booked and she’s got a crew in place. You’ve sorted the hair and make-up artists, right?”
“Yes, all done. I’ve gone with the usual crew.” Clem made a mental note to check in with them as soon as Dean had gone, to confirm the final details. “If it’s not that, then what?”
“This guy you’re seeing. He’s quite a bit older than you, isn’t he?”
“Nate? He’s almost thirty. I wouldn’t call that quite a bit older than me.”
