The auditorium is huge, ten thousand capacity and we are completely sold out. I stare out across the bare floor, the doors yet to be open. The house lights are up making the stage unbearably hot. Sweat was already clinging to the nape of my neck, by the end of the night I would be a sodden mess of black and green hair. The cleaners are doing the final clean of the seats in one of the sections of the upper balcony. Someone screeches a noise through an amplifier, to which another person yells all sorts of profanities at them.
"Scarlett darling, there you are."
I turn around to see Estelle walking out, teetering in those killer heels that she looks like she is going to fall out of. She fluffs her short blonde bob into place as her heels click along the floor. Estelle has always been one to dress like she is twenty years younger, but I never say anything, although I think she gets more action than I do.
"Hey Estelle."
"My replacement will be here to meet you tonight."
"Great." I mutter. "Sure you still want to retire?"
She chuckles. "Oh my dear, I am so looking forward to a very long holiday. Even got my tickets booked, ready to find a bit of toy boy action."
I grin, so typical of Estelle. I really wish she wasn't retiring from management. I owe my fame to her, my success, everything I am, it is because of her. She is a woman that is focused and driven and she expects the same from her clients.
"Well, if you see my career dying, I want you to come out of retirement, you hear me?"
"Oh you." she playfully slaps at me. "You will be fine."
She looks at her watch. "Well my dear, time to get ready."
Half way through the gig, I settle the crowd down, wanting to have a little bit of quiet. I look out at the sea of bodies, crammed into each other, in the distance it is a blur so many people. They look hot and bothered, sweat soaked hair.
"We should put the fire hose on them." Candy looks at me with a cheeky grin.
Candy is a cheeky trouble maker. If there is something she can occupy her time with that happens to be naughty, then she's in on it. Usually she's the ring leader. I nod at her as she puts her guitar down.
"Go and see what you can find."
Turning back to the crowd I point at them. "Are you hot and sticky?"
They all roar, cheering, the people in the front waving their hands, gesturing for the water. I see Candy pulling a fire hose out from the side stage.
"Ready guys?"
The water gets sent through the air, sprinkling down on them, Candy struggles with the hose as one of the security personnel comes out to help her.
"You realise the fireies will probably turn up now?" Asher says as he stands beside me, watching Candy.
"Yep." I chuckle.
Asher had that twinkle in his hazel eyes, it was like he beamed his thoughts just by the soft smile and adoring eyes. We had our thing several years ago, both of us deciding that work came before anything else but when I looked upon him I could see that he was never my forever after. Asher was a man that liked to have the groupies fawning all over him and I was just as bad. Neither of us were ready to settle. Both him and Eddie were my eye candy to keep the fan girls swooning. Sure they were great at their instruments but what sold me about them was more than their talent. Candy however was different, although she was the cutest bundle of pink hair on the planet, she was here because she was my best friend and she was a great guitarist.
I look out at the now soaked crowd as the water is shut off. Candy looks like has just run a marathon, puffed but grinning like a mad man.
"Is that better my friends?"
There is a resounding yes from the boisterous crowd.
"Excellent."
The crowd roars, a wet t-shirt flies up at the stage and slops onto the floor in front of me.
"Who is having a no t-shirt contest without me? Is it you?" I point and grin.
Suddenly a woman appears on a man's shoulders, no shirt on.
"There you are." I chuckle again.
"Nice." Asher says beside me, clearly enthralled by the large breasts on the woman.
He picks up the shirt and wrings out the water, tossing it back into the crowd.
"My peeps, I have a big thank you to dish out."
I turn to the side of the stage.
"Estelle! Get that skinny arse of yours out here."
She's shaking her head from the side, about to die of embarrassment. Asher pulls her onto the stage over to me. They wolf whistle at her, clapping and cheering.
"Settle down guys."
The crowd starts to lull.
"This is my manger Estelle, who is retiring tonight and I wanted to say thanks to her, she is the person that I owe so much to." I turn to Estelle. "Have a great holiday, make sure you have a lot of sex with a lot of hunky guys and don't get any diseases." she laughs at me. "Everyone, Estelle!" she bows to the cheering crowd and scurries off the stage, now thoroughly embarrassed.
"I think maybe Estelle's favourite song to send her off hey guys?"
Asher grins at me as he starts the familiar twang of the opening riff Young blood.
After two hours of singing I am beat, my body tired, my throat sore. My mother says that I put too much into my performances but she doesn't understand, these kids have spent a lot of money to see me perform, I owe them my best. As I pass through the corridor to the dressing room I hear Eddie and Asher making plans for the night. On the town, find some girls, screw the night away. I almost run into Candy as she storms out of the dressing room.
"What crawled up your arse?"
"Men." she huffs in disgust.
Her long pink hair flicks around her as she thumps up the corridor, shouting how much she hates men, doors slamming in her wake. Candy makes me laugh, she has a new man every week, ending the relationships as soon as they become a problem. Never sticks them out, first fight and they are done. Maybe it's Candy that's the problem my mind sniggers.
Estelle waits for me in my dressing room, her replacement has arrived. She hadn't said much about this person, all that I know is that I now have a male manager, he hasn't worked for the company for very long but apparently is completely competent. Apparently my sarcastic mind scoffs.
My dressing room is lit rather dull, one of the bulbs blown. I see Estelle talking to a man in a suit, his figure slightly hidden by the poor lighting.
"Scarlett..." Estelle greets me in her usual dramatic fashion. "This is Lucas Cole, your new manager."
I stare at this guy as he steps into the light, holy hell he is a stunner. Taller than me, even though I am in heels, dark brown hair, roughly spiked, piercing blue eyes, a rather thick three-day growth. He walks over and shakes my hand, his is icy cold. He looks at me from under his eyebrows, a slight smirk on his face. I think I might have just melted into the ground.
"Ok." Estelle clasps her hand. "I am off. Come here gorgeous." she hugs me hard.
"Send me a postcard."
"Will do." she says a little wistful.
She teeters in those heels, striding out of the room. Left alone with mister says nothing but oh so gorgeous. The door slams shut, no wind, no person shutting it. I turn and look at Lucas, his eyes darken and in an instant he has me pinned against the wall. His breath cold on my skin, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I realise that something is so very wrong. He moves in closer to my neck, I can feel his sharp teeth scrape along the skin. I try to struggle from him, but he is so heavy on me.
"Get off me."
He puts his hand over my mouth, still icy cold.
"Quiet or you will be dead."
Moving back to my neck, I feel the pain of him sinking his teeth into me. They cut through my skin, sinking into the flesh. I can smell blood as I smack at his hard body. A tear trickles out of my eye as I feel my blood being drawn out of my body. He looks at me, moving slightly on my body so that I can feel his arousal. Warmth dribbles down my neck, blood?
"You are very tasty Scarlett."
"What are you?" I whisper very freaked out.
The room around me begins to darken, my eyes get hazy. They move in and out of focus, Lucas watching me with a grin, my blood on his lips.
"What do you think I am?"