I was excited to see Guns N' Roses perform. Axl had been in many bands before, but none that have even come close to being this successful.
"You can sit where ever you want- Back stage or side stage." Axl said, as he drove down the Sunset Strip.
"I think I'll sit in with the crowd." I commented while taking in the scenery. This really was a beautiful but shady city.
"In with the crowd? Really?" he questioned.
"Yeah, I'd like to see the show how they see it- so I can understand the fascination." I chuckled.
"Suit yourself, baby." Axl crooned.
A few short minutes later, we pulled up in front of the Whisky. Axl parked the car on a little side street and we walked in the side entrance.
Almost immediately, Axl was greeted and engaged in conversation by the bartender and someone else, who I could only assume to be the owner of the place. I took the opportunity to scan the place again. There was already a band onstage, but I could tell it was towards the end of their set. I was wondering what band it was when Axl interrupted my thoughts.
"Anastasia." His lips snapped to form my name and I turned my head to see what he wanted.
"This is the owner of the Whisky, Mr. Elmer Valentine." Axl introduced.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Valentine. Anastasia Fisher." I said politely, offering my hand.
Axl finished speaking with Mr. Valentine, telling him Guns would be ready to go perform on time. He pulled me towards backstage.
"Fuck Ana, what the hell is wrong? I called your name like three times in a row and you didn't even realize. Is something wrong?" Axl questioned.
"No, nothing." I answered back.
"We go on in about 15 minutes. I have to go get the guys. Come on." Axl instructed, pulling me through a door.
Strung randomly throughout the room was the rest of the band, all preparing to go on stage. My eyes immediately flicked to Duff, who was fingering the strings on his bass. When he noticed me come in, he stopped and shot me a little grin. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and I broke the eye contact quickly, surveying the rest of the room. Steven was smoking a cigarette, and Izzy was playing a little ditty on his guitar. Slash was tuning his guitar. I watched Axl take a seat in a big chair.
"Alright fuckers, are we ready to go on?" Axl questioned, but didn't wait for an answer. He then turned to me, taking my hand and pulling me down onto his lap. I straddled him carefully.
"Valentine said he would save you a seat at the table with him and his guests. I told him you wanted to sit in with the crowd." Axl grinned, pulling me into his chest.
"Thanks." I said breathily in his ear. I leaned up, shooting him my sexiest smile. I could feel the eyes burrowing into us, and it wasn't Axl's.
"You should be careful saying things like that." he warned.
"Even though we've only just started this relationship, keep in mind, I've known you for a very, very, long time. And I've wanted that-" he eyed my ass suggestively. "For a very, very, long time."
He grinned, and I blushed. "Well maybe if you're good enough, you won't have to wait much longer" I smiled and inconspicuously shimmied on his lap. I knew in that moment that we weren't going to do much sleeping tonight.
"Shit, Ana." he huffed, but then came back to his senses.
"Why the hell do you gotta do that to me? We gotta get out on stage. I love you." he smiled, kissing my cheek innocently. I got up off his lap and was acutely aware of the eyes in the room returning back to whatever they were doing.
"I love you too, be careful." I responded and headed for the floor.
I scanned the room to find Mr. Valentine and a few of his guest, who were sitting at the first table to the left of the stage. I stepped down off the stage and approached the table confidently.
"Mr. Valentine." I regarded him kindly. "I appreciate you allowing me to sit with you."
He offered me a smile. "Of course, anything for Axl." he paused and looked to the stage, where the lights were dimming. The guys were just about to come on.
"Can I get you something to drink? It's on the house." he offered.
"Sure. I'll have a vodka and cranberry on the rocks." I answered. I watched Mr. Valentine snap his fingers, and a waiter came running over to take the order.
Suddenly, in the shadows on stage, I saw the figures start to appear. First was Izzy, then Axl, then Steven, then Slash and finally Duff.
"Do you know where you are?! You're in the jungle baby!" Axl screamed, and they busted into a song. What a funny thing to say.
"You know, those boys are going to be really famous one day." he said, after the waiter had left to get our drinks.
"One can only hope." I smirked, and a silence ensued.
It was broken minutes later by Mr. Valentine himself.
"So what is it that you do?" he questioned. I watched as the waiter returned with our drinks.
I sipped my vodka and cranberry slowly. "I just moved here from Indiana. My mother just recently passed away. I'm currently unemployed, but I should be looking for a job soon."
"I'd be happy to offer you a position here, as a part of our wait staff. We're always looking for pretty girls like you to waitress, or tend the bar if you would rather." he commented, and I felt his eyes look me up and down.
I felt the need to curl up in a little ball. I didn't realize he would be so creepy, but I knew the perfect way out of this.
"I'd have to talk to Axl about it. He's pretty picky about keeping an eye on me, but I appreciate the offer." I answered politely.
It was true, Axl was picky about everything. I'm sure he'd be picky about the place I worked and the people I associate with, I just haven't seen that side of him in action in regards to me just yet. After all, he knows better then I would about the things that go on at this place.
"You'd be in good hands here. I would keep an eye on you. Axl knows that. I'm sure there's no where else he'd rather you work." Mr. Valentine commented.
I wondered silently if Axl knew how big of a flirt Mr. Valentine was, despite his old age.
"I'll have to talk to him. I know they have some stuff planned for touring coming up." I responded.
I listened to Slash's guitar scream over the rest of the band and sipped my drink slowly. Man could he play. In fact, the whole band was pretty damn good. They really jelled together, and in turn, they sounded very good.
"That was a song from our upcoming debut album 'Appetite for Destruction'. It'll be out in a few months- it's almost done, so look for it then." Axl told the audience, taking a swig from his beer bottle.
They lit into another song, and I was captivated by the entrance. It was hard hitting and attention grabbing. Another great song. Before long, I was interrupted in my stupor.
"How long?" Mr. Valentine questioned, startling me.
"Excuse me?" I responded, because I genuinely didn't know what he was asking.
"How long have you been with Axl?" he clarified.
Well, I could tell him the truth or I could stretch it a little bit.
"I grew up with him nearly my whole life in Indiana. We just started dating exclusively only recently." I added.
Silence, once again.
"What's a girl like you doing with a guy like him?" he asked. I was confused.
"What do you mean?" I questioned.
"You can't tell me you haven't seen his terrible temper in action." Mr. Valentine smirked.
I rolled my eyes. "He has a temper, but he'd never do anything drastic." I told him.
The rest of the gig went smoothly. Mr. Valentine was such a flirt, and it was unsettling. He talked my ear off nearly the whole time. I couldn't help but feel like I was being thrusted into this new lifestyle, and it wouldn't be dissipating anytime soon.
I wandered backstage to find Axl and the rest of the band, but Axl was already heading towards me.
He met me halfway. "Hey, I was just coming to get you. Did you like the show?" he smiled, wiping his face with a towel.
"Yeah, you guys killed it, but it would have been even better if I wasn't getting my ear talked off the entire time" I offered him a smile, and he wrapped me into a tight, sweaty hug.
He chuckled. "Yeah, that's Valentine alright. He tries to fuck anything with a pussy."
Axl put his arm around my waist and lead me towards the band room. "I tried to ignore him and hope he would take the hint, but he offered me a job here instead." I shrugged my shoulders.
"Of course he did. Notice how the wait staff is all chicks? It's so he can have some ass to look at all day." Axl chuckled again.
"It would be an easy job. He said he'd make sure to keep an eye on me." I slid my hand in Axl's back pocket.
This statement caused Axl to burst out laughing. "Over my dead body!"
He continued to laugh. "Sure he'd keep an eye on you, right up until he has you bent over the bar after closing time."
This caught me off guard and pissed me off. I was a grown woman, and I could look after myself.
"It's not hard to say no." I crooned, my eyes shooting fire. Axl stopped in front of the band's door so we could talk.
He shook his head in disgust. "You don't get it, Ana. 'No' isn't enough with him. In the couple years we've been playing here, I don't have enough hands to count how many waitresses he's driven out of this place. Trust me when I tell you, it's not a good place to work."
"I can take care of myself, Ax. I need a job for christ sakes! If he gets out of hand, I'll let you know and you can fuck him up." I tried, leaning against the wall.
Axl locked eyes with me. "No best friend of mine- or girlfriend for that matter- will work for that piece of shit, Anastasia. He's a scum bag. I've known him long enough to know that."
Was this our first fight as a couple? Cause it sure felt like it. I wasn't going to back down. "Then why would you leave me with him for the entire gig if you knew that all along?" I shot back.
Axl's eyes pierced right through me. I felt like I was going to melt under his gaze. "I was there to watch you. Whether you noticed or not- I'm not sure, but Valentine did. I kept an eye on you all night, which is why he didn't try anything right off the bat."
I looked at the ground in silence. Axl was right, but I didn't want to give up this fight. I could take care of myself, but I respected that Axl was looking out for me.
Axl's expression softened, and he began to speak. "Listen, Ana, I know you want to work. We'll find you a job, just not here. You're too beautiful and innocent to deal with that asshole trying to seduce you every chance he gets. You're mine, and you're not going to deal with that every day- I know what I'm talking about. Trust me, please baby." he beckoned.
I just stared at him for a few seconds, drinking in his intoxicating scent. It was a strange mix of sweat and cheap alcohol.
"Okay, Axl."