The Necklace - The Dusky Club, June 1962 - Linda S Rice (books to read fiction txt) 📗

other side of the room were screaming now for more songs as Sandra led Susan up the stairs out of the club, then down an alley, and into the room above the stage area. The club itself was at the basement level.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said with a quirky grin on her face and winked.

“What in the hell is it with all the winking?” Susan thought again. “Must be a British thing…”

“See you tomorrow, Sandra,” she waved.

Sandra was a little worried as she walked away. Should she have warned her about how the boys make wagers? It was clear as clear could be they’d made one on Susan and James for tonight. But, this American girl seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders. She figured she’d find out tomorrow if James charmed his way up into her hotel room and had his way with her.

 

Chapter Four

The Wager

James was the first to come up from the stage into the practice room above, taking his guitar off as he entered the room. He picked up a towel that was lying on a chair and wiped the sweat off his face.

Susan was standing by the door leading in from the alley, her purse strap over one shoulder, the purse itself clutched tightly in both hands. She was trembling and hoped he wouldn’t notice. She could barely fathom how she had got here. Everything had happened so fast. She’d expected just to watch him sing to a crowd of screaming girls, watch from afar, and just drink in the sight of him. But now, to be in a room alone with him, standing just a few feet away... It was breath-stealing.

He threw the towel back onto the chair and glanced over at her as he shrugged off his leather jacket, pulled the black t-shirt up and over his head, then reached for a dingy white, long-sleeved shirt that was hanging on a hook on the wall.

She looked like a frightened sparrow ready to take flight. Standing in her dress in the light of the practice room, she looked even lovelier than she had sitting at the table in the dim glow of the club. The pink dress fit tightly over nicely rounded breasts and was cinched in to show a trim waist. The skirt flared out at the hips and dropped down to a point just below her knees. Unlike the girls who frequented the Dusky…mostly groupies who followed bands around the clubs in Brighton…this girl was a breath of fresh air. He had to stop himself from wondering what was hidden under the pretty dress.

Her eyes grew as big as saucers as he bared his chest, and she inhaled a large quantity of air, holding it in her lungs before slowly exhaling as she watched him reach for the dingy white shirt. Holy crap! She thought she might faint. He was so overwhelmingly attractive. All she had dreamed of and fantasized him to be, only more. It seemed as if a thousand butterflies had been let loose in her stomach and were beating their wings, frantically trying to get out. She felt her seventeen-year-old hormones begin to awaken and wondered about the role they might play in her trip into the past. It was a worrisome thought after what Sandra had told her about James always having his way with girls. Yikes!

“Ian and Derek are still down out front with the girls,” he said, buttoning up the shirt then fastening the buttons on each cuff.

“Is that where you’re supposed to be right now ?” she asked breathlessly, mesmerized by the sight of his hands and nimble fingers.

“No, I’m supposed to be here getting ready for our date,” he responded, looking up at her while he tucked his shirt into his leather pants.

“Our date?”

“Yeah, we can call it a date, you know.”

She gathered herself together, thinking it was terribly presumptuous of him to assume he was taking her on an actual date.

“Hmmmm...” she said, letting her purse fall back to her side and folding her arms in front of her. “Just a short date for a cup of tea is all.”

He smiled at her, “Of course...Luv…”

A few minutes later, he had his gear packed and locked up in a chest that was bolted to the floor and wall.

“Keeping my gear here for practice tomorrow. Phil, the owner, has a flat upstairs, so it’s all safe and everything. Ready to go?”

“Sure.”

He motioned her out the back door and down the side alley. Just as they were coming out of the alley, three of the girls who had been on the other side of the room in the club came out the front door of the Dusky and glanced in their direction.

“Well, well, lookie there!” Susan heard one of them say.

“Let’s go,” said James, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the street away from the club.

She adjusted the shoulder strap of her purse as it started to slide off her shoulder. His hand was warm, and held hers tightly. She felt weak in the knees just thinking about it, hoping she wouldn’t trip and fall flat on her face.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Away from here,” he said as they swiftly turned a corner.

He looked behind them. No one was following.

“Do you always have to look over your shoulder like that?” she asked.

“Most nights,” he said. “Some of the girls like to follow us and offer us, well, um...they follow us.”

“I see,” was all she could think to say.

A few blocks later, they came to a tea shop.

“It’s open all night for the sailors coming in off the ships. Most of them go hang out at the pubs closer to the docks, but this is where they come if they just want a good cup of tea and some quiet. Brighton is a busy shipping port, you know.”

When she didn’t answer right away, he said, “Well, of course, you know, being a history buff and all.”

‘Yes, of course,” she responded. Yikes! She hoped he didn’t know a whole lot about history or that he wasn’t going to ask her any questions about it. As they sat down, she started to feel nervous again and began playing with the silver ballet shoes on her necklace.

“And what’s that?” he asked.

“What’s what?”

“What’s on the end of your necklace?”

“Oh! It’s ballet shoes,” she said, holding it out to show him. “They’re pointe shoes, you know, toe shoes.”

“So, are you a ballerina then?”

“Not really; I just take classes and teach sometimes, and I’m in a recital now and then. I always wanted to be a real ballerina, but I don’t have the right physical attributes.”

“Which means?”

“I’m…um…not flat enough in the front.” For what seemed like the millionth time, she wished she could unsay the words. She blushed.

“Oh,” was his only response, not wanting to ask anything more when he saw her face tinge pink.

They spent the next hour talking over their tea, Susan sharing stories and information about America and James telling her a bit about his life. Susan told him about losing her father at a young age, and James talked about losing his mother when he was fifteen. She could tell it had affected him deeply. He sat staring into his teacup for a full minute before looking back up at her.

“I don’t talk about it much...when you told me about your father, it made me think about her...I still miss her,” he said.

“I’m sure you do,” she said, reaching out instinctively to put her hand on his. She could sense his pain at the memory.

“Did your dad ever re-marry?” she asked.

“No desire to,” he responded. “Although it’s been five years, he hasn’t met anyone else fine enough to replace Mum. He’s okay being a single man. He loves music as much as I do. He taught me most of what I know. He’s a good bloke.”

She looked at her watch. “Hey, it’s after 2:30! I need to meet Sandra at ten. She’s going to take me shopping, and then I’m going to take her to lunch.”

“You’re going with Sandra tomorrow? I thought I could show you the sights,” he said, sounding disappointed at her plans. Then he smiled to himself as he thought it was unlikely she’d be meeting Sandra anyway after spending the night with him. He was going to walk her to her hotel after all, and then…

“Well, she asked me, and I said I’d go. She seems like a very nice girl. I like her a lot.”

“How about the afternoon? Would you like to come and hear us practice? Mindy comes to all the practices.”

“Oh, you mean Derek’s wife?” she blurted out before she could catch herself. She knew Derek would end up marrying a girl named Mindy.

He looked a little startled. “Well, no, she’s not Derek’s wife...yet that is. But he’s pretty taken with her, you know.”

“Oh, well, I was just guessing, I suppose. What time is your practice?”

“3:00. Then we take a break for supper and come back to the club at 11:00 when we start our first set.”

“Wow! That’s pretty late to start!”

“That’s because two other bands are on before us. We like being the last band because we can play as many sets as we want and as late as we want. The other bands only get an hour each.”

“So...okay, maybe I’ll come to your practice. I’ll see how the day goes. How do I get back to my hotel from here? You took a lot of turns; I’m kinda lost.”

He pushed some money onto the table and stood up. “Allow me to escort you, my lady,” he said, making a small bow.

“Thank you, kind sir,” she responded, smiling shyly and giving a little curtsy.

She linked her arm in his, and they left the tea shop.

Her hotel, as it turned out, was almost eight blocks away, a good ten-minute walk. It was a tall building, nearly the tallest in town, at six stories. Built in the early ’20s, it had an old-fashioned elegance and charm. They went into the lobby, stepping onto the plush carpet, and Susan turned to go to the elevator, stopping for a moment to tell him good night.

“So, I might see you tomorrow then,” she said.

“Oh, I’ll just walk you up to your room, if that’s okay,” he said, starting towards the elevator.

“Actually, I can find my way to my room just fine, but thanks for offering,” she said, stopping in the middle of the lobby next to some sofas and chairs.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s very gallant of you to ask, Sir James, but a lady never allows a gentleman to escort her to her boudoir...and you are a gentleman, aren’t you?”

She smiled up into his face.

“Sometimes,” he responded, his eyes roving over her.

She shivered. “Well, I appreciate your being a true gentleman tonight then. It was very nice to meet you...and thank you for the tea...I enjoyed talking to you.”

“And I to you. Promise me you’ll come to the practice tomorrow. Mindy will be there, and you can get to know her. She’s a great girl.”

“I don’t know if I should. If all those girls were to find out...”

“Quit worrying about the other girls. I’m a gentleman; I can protect you, you know.”

His eyes were laughing.

She couldn’t help but laugh herself.

“Okay, okay...so I guess I’ll come to your practice then. Will you sing a song to me?”

“But of course, my lady. I’ll sing something special for you. Can I kiss you goodnight?’