Painless (64 page)

Brandon grinned while slapping my shoulder vigorously, “A number of the major art magazines have already called. They’re asking to interview you, Christos. You’re going to be the talk of the international art world by tomorrow morning. I told you before, if you ever painted a portrait of Samantha, it would be your Mona Lisa. Now you have it.”

“Mona Lisa?” I chuckled. “You know the Mona Lisa looks like a dude in drag. At least you could’ve said Evening Mood by Bouguereau. The girl in that painting is actually a woman, and she’s beautiful.”

“But that painting isn’t nearly as famous,” Brandon smiled. “Regardless, this portrait of Samantha is going to make your name, Christos. I know it.” Brandon marveled as he gazed at the painting on the wall.
 

He was entranced by it. I think knowing it sold for so much cash made it that much better in his eyes. I couldn’t blame him. Brandon tore himself away from the painting and said, “Will you be sad to say goodbye to it when the buyer takes possession of it, Christos?”

“Nope.” I smiled down at Samantha, “I get to keep the real thing.”

“I will,” Samantha said. “I love looking at it.” She glanced back at the painting.

“No need to worry, Samantha,” Brandon said.
 

I frowned, “Why’s that?”

Brandon grinned, “You guys will never guess who the buyer was.”

“Who?” I asked. It couldn’t be Wentworth.

“L.A. M.O.M.A.,” Brandon grinned.

My jaw dropped, “No fucking way.”

“What’s that?” Samantha asked.

“The Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art,” Brandon grinned. “To hang in their permanent collection.” No wonder he was so stoked about selling my painting. This was a huge feather in Charboneau Gallery’s cap.

I said to Samantha, “You know what this means,
agápi mou
?”

She shook her head.

I grinned, “The whole world is going to see my painting of you.”

Her eyes goggled and she started laughing. “I knew it!”

“What?” I was confused.

“Everyone’s going to see me naked!”

I laughed and so did Brandon.

“No,” I grinned, “everyone’s going to be inspired by your bravery.”

Samantha rolled her eyes, but I leaned down and kissed her passionately anyway. The crowd around us, which was still a bustling mass of men and women in fancy black tie evening wear, started to applaud and hoot.

Me and Samantha continued kissing under the spotlight for a long time in front of everybody.

It was a perfect evening, all the way around.

The only thing still bugging me was whether or not I’d made enough money after giving Brandon his cut to pay back Hunter Blakeley. If I lost his civil suit against me in court I was going to owe him enough cash to fill a bank vault. I noticed Russell hadn’t mentioned the trial when he’d said goodbye tonight. He probably didn’t want to spoil my evening.

Man, why did I have to hit fucking Hunter in the first place? It’s not like I didn’t already know I could kick his ass ten times over.

Oh well.

I’d worry about it tomorrow.

Now it was time to gather everyone up and go celebrate someplace else. There was no way I was letting Hunter Blakeley ruin my perfect evening.

No fucking way.

Besides, what where the chances of running into him tonight?

Chapter 28

SAMANTHA

The band on stage at the Belly Up Tavern rocked the house. The place was packed. After the crowd at Charboneau Gallery had finally thinned, we all drove here to unwind and celebrate.

Christos and Jake knew the bouncers outside, so they let me, Madison, Romeo, and Kamiko all sneak inside to see the band. But they made us promise not to order any drinks. Christos and Jake told the bouncers they’d keep an eye on us.

The Belly Up was a combination bar and music venue. It had a really big stage at one end, and two bars at the other. A huge great white shark statue hung over one of the bars on cables and surfboards lined the walls.

“I’ve never been in a bar before,” I hissed to Madison.

“What?” she shouted.

The band was so loud, I don’t know why I was whispering. I leaned over to her ear and said loudly, “I’ve never been in a bar before!”

“Me neither!” she hollered. “Isn’t it awesome?!”

I nodded.

We danced casually, swaying to the music.

Romeo randomly started twerking, his butt thrusting behind him as his arms extended in front of him, stirring the butter churn. It didn’t make any sense because the band played rock, not hip hop. I started giggling instantly.

“What are you doing, Romeo?” Kamiko laughed.

“Trying to lasso me a man!” He grinned and looked around, but the only people watching him looked horrified. Romeo didn’t care. He twerked away like crazy.

I glanced back at the stage and noticed the drummer and the bass player looked familiar. I turned to Madison and shouted, “Hey, aren’t those two guys Jake’s friends?!”

“Yeah!” Madison shouted, “That’s Lucas Summer on bass and his brother Logan on the drums!”

“They helped Christos and Jake move my stuff into the house!” I shouted.

Madison nodded.

The band was really good. The song they were playing started to speed up. The whole house was rocking in time to the music.
 

Logan was going crazy on the drums. He looked like a wild animal. A total contrast to how shy he’d been the day I’d met him. What was that old saying? Still waters ran deep? Or was it hot shy guys made great rock drummers?
 

Me and Madison really got into the music, banging our heads like idiots until our hair twirled around. We were both laughing and dizzy and had to stop.

I almost tripped over my platform sandals, but Christos caught me in his arms and stood me up.

He hollered, “Me and Jake are going to get some drinks! Do you guys want anything?”

“We told those bouncers we wouldn’t drink!” I hollered uncertainly. I mean, I’d be happy to have a drink or two. I didn’t plan on getting drunk. But I didn’t want to get anyone in trouble.

“You’re such a good girl!” Christos quipped.

“I can be bad!” I grinned.

“Now?! Or do I have to wait until later?!”

“Uh…” I didn’t know how to respond to that. I hadn’t been thinking of getting down and dirty on the dance floor. “Maybe you can have Romeo twerk for you?!”

Christos took one look at Romeo, who was in a jerky twerking trance, and blurted laughter. “No!” Christos shouted. He kissed my cheek and said, “You can show me how bad you are later!” He squeezed my butt and I jumped. “Me and Jake will get you guys some waters! And you can share my drink, if you want!”

“Okay!” I smiled as the two of them squeezed through the crowd toward the bar.

The next song the band played was a slow, heart wrenching ballad. The lights on stage faded to a mellow blue to match the mood of the music. Lucas sang on the mic at the front of the stage while playing his bass guitar. He had a smooth, sexy voice. I’d already thought he was cute with his surfer good looks and blue eyes, but hearing him sing, I had no doubt drooling packs of women chased him everywhere he went.

Based on what I could make out of the lyrics, I think the song was about a guy whose girlfriend had died or had left him. I wasn’t sure which.

Lucas and Logan sang the heartfelt chorus together, in perfect harmony:

“When I awoke

You did fall asleep

Now your eyes are closed, and

I can only weep.”

“Why did you go, girl

I just found myself

Now I’m all alone, and

I really need your love.”

The brother’s voices blended fluidly, expressing a sorrowful sense of loss perfectly. They were both total heart throbs.

After Lucas and Logan sang the chorus a second time, the spotlight shifted away from them toward the other side of the stage. It stopped on the guitar player, who I finally noticed was a young woman with long flowing hair. If I had to guess, she was about my age, maybe a little older.

She had been hiding toward the side of the stage for most of the show, not really calling much attention to herself. She was acting so shy, she almost seemed fragile. But when it was time for her guitar solo, she stood at the front of the stage, inches from the crowd.

The spotlight glimmered blue diamonds off her guitar. I saw arms from the crowd reaching up to touch her like she was a pagan shaman performing a magical ritual. Maybe she was. I thought she might be distracted by the reaching hands, but she was in her own world, totally focused. She played her heart out.

The sound of her electric guitar poured out of the speakers like a human wail, the gut wrenching sound of tears and heartbreak and it swept me away. This mystery girl seemed like she was so full of sadness that she couldn’t contain it any longer, and the only way she could release it was through playing her guitar.

I was in total awe of her ability to grab my emotions and connect mine to hers with such immediacy.

As her guitar solo built to a crescendo, she threw her head back, her long hair dangling behind her, her eyes closed, her face overwhelmed with pure emotion. She wasn’t fragile at all. She had to be strong and courageous to channel all the emotion inside her and project it through her guitar with such honesty and vulnerability.

 
I felt chills coursing through my body and my eyes were suddenly hot and brimming with tears.

This young woman was amazing.
 

After she finished her guitar solo, Lucas and Logan sang the chorus again, but with new words.

“Now it’s time to heal

Time for me to live,

But it’s hard for me to say…”

Then Lucas sang a line by himself,
 

“It’s time to let you go…”
 

followed by Logan singing,
 

“I’ll never let you go…”

Together, they sang,
 

“Again. No, not again.”

Based on the lyrics, I wondered if Lucas had lost a girlfriend and Logan was trying to hold onto the one he had? It was all so mysterious.
 

The only thing I knew for sure was that I was crying and laughing when the song ended. I couldn’t get over how much the band had moved me with their music.

Everyone in the bar cheered and clapped.

A second later, the band ripped into a new song, totally upbeat, and everyone was dancing to the steady, rocking groove. The girl on guitar did another guitar solo toward the end of the song, playing a million miles an hour. People cheered the whole time she played.

This time, instead of looking like she was going to explode with sadness, she had a look of primal rage on her face. At the end of her solo, she hit this one long note that sounded like a scream. She held her free hand up in the air while the note vibrated endlessly.

I couldn’t help myself. I cheered as loud as I could, “Yeah!!”

It was incredibly exciting.

When the song came to a close, the band made a ton of noise, strumming their guitars and hammering the drums at the same time. The stage lights flashed through every color of the rainbow. Then, on cue, the girl and Lucas both jumped in the air. They strummed their instruments a final time when they landed back on the stage. The drums stopped at the exact same moment, the band went silent, and the stage lights went dark.

Everyone in the bar roared their approval.

When white stage lights came back on, illuminating the band, Lucas Summer shouted over the mic and pointed at the guitar player, “Victory Payne on lead guitar, everybody!” He clapped his hands over his head, applauding her while his bass guitar dangled from his shoulder strap. People whistled and screamed. “We’re Lucas and Logan Summer! We’ll be back in a half hour for some more music! All right!!!”

The crowd cheered again as the band walked off the stage.

I turned to Madison and said, “That girl was incredible! I’ve never seen anyone play guitar like that before!”

“Me neither,” Madison said.

“And she’s a girl!” I cheered.

“I think I’ve got a girl crush,” Romeo said genuinely.

Kamiko said, “I thought I was your girl crush.”

“What did they say her name was again?” Romeo asked.

“Victory Payne,” Madison said.

“That’s her name?” I scoffed. “It sounds fake.”

“I think her real name is Victoria,” Madison said thoughtfully. “Victoria Payne.”

“Do you know her?”

“I’ve met her through Lucas and Logan once before. She’s really nice. You’d like her.”

===

CHRISTOS

The bar was so busy, I was still waiting for our drinks when the band took a break.

“I’ll be right back,” Jake said. “I’m gonna take a piss.”

I nodded.

A minute later, someone tapped me on the back. I turned around and Tiffany Kingston-Whitehouse stood right behind me.

“Hey, stranger,” she smiled. She wore standard Tiffany garb, which meant a tight top and tighter skirt. She loved to show off her body whenever she had the chance. I couldn’t blame her.

As usual, she seemed happy to see me. “Hey, Tiff.” Had it been a month ago, I would’ve given her a quick brush off, but after the way she’d told Samantha’s tribunal the truth about her ‘stolen credit card’ I was inclined to be nice. “How they hangin?” I grinned.

“Perky as ever,” Tiffany winked, subtly thrusting her chest at me. She wasn’t exaggerating. She did have an amazing rack, which I knew was the real deal. But she didn’t need anyone reminding her how good she looked. Her ego was plenty big enough already.

Changing the subject, I said, “I saw your mom and dad at my solo show tonight. How come you didn’t come? You usually do.”

“Oh,” she glanced awkwardly away, “I, uh, sort of thought maybe I should leave you alone. So you could, you know, enjoy the show. With, uh, Samantha,” she rolled her eyes like it took everything she had to talk nicely about Samantha.
 

That was progress. Sounded like Tiff was turning over a new leaf.

“What happened to you calling her Scumantha?” I grinned. “She told me about that, you know.”