Excitement surged through the crowd as they streamed through the cold night air and into the open doors of the auditorium. Music was already billowing out, pre-recorded from previous concerts, and the chatter was nearly as deafening as the live performances would be later. Buffy practically jumped out of the car, slamming her door and giving a little bounce as she raced to grab Angel’s hand.
“I’m so, so excited!” she exclaimed. His fingers were cold in her hand, and so she squeezed tighter, both to warm his hands and because she couldn’t contain the adrenaline rush that had been creeping up on her all day.
“I know!” he smiled at her, squeezing her hand in return. “It’s going to be an amazing show!”
“I still can’t believe you did this for me. Thank you so, so much again, for the tickets!” She was glowing with enthusiasm, and he couldn’t help smiling as he took in her shiny hair, and sparkling eyes. And that outfit! His Buffy usually dressed conservatively, but tonight she was dressed the part of the rock groupie to the hilt, in ripped jeans and a red velvet halter top with an oversize cross that twinkled with black stones tied around her neck with a black velvet ribbon. Her blond hair was loose and tumbled over her shoulders in waves. Overall, she looked absolutely amazing. Not that she wasn’t always nice looking, but when you had been together for as long as they had, it was easy to forget on a day to day basis just how incredible the other person can be.
Buffy sighed and closed her eyes briefly in pleasure, as a small frisson of anticipation ran down her back. This was going to be so incredible. Finally, she was going to get to see Blue Flame in person, and more importantly, see him up close! A brand new British band, they had just come out with their first cd and were doing their first American appearance on the late show when Buffy had seen them for the first time. Their sound was intense, a far cry from the teeny-bob pop that had taken over the radio waves of late, but not so hard that it hurt to listen. The beat was racing, the guitar riffs were vehement but the melody soared. And the lead singer, Spike Giles…..At the first close-up, Buffy had developed an instant crush. His soulful blue eyes seemed to pop out of the tv screen and stare right at her, and his voice, by turns pure and gravely, raised goosebumps on her arms.
Her husband, Angel, was very indulgent of her crush. He liked the music, too, and had even bought them a pair of fifth-row tickets for this concert. He could afford to be indulgent; after all, they had been married several years and together long before that. He had even been her first boyfriend.
Buffy chattered excitedly as they made their way inside the auditorium and found their seats. It wasn’t long until the lights dimmed. Buffy was instantly on her feet, cheering with the rest of the crowd, as finally, Blue Flame took the stage. They weren’t the main act, just opening for a more well-known band, but from the level of the crowd’s enthusiasm, it seemed like many of the audience had come for them alone.
Buffy jumped up and down wildly, showing an abandon she hadn’t found in years, as the band played it’s opening number. Her breath nearly left her as she watched Spike prowl around the stage. Hands were reaching up from the front row, and he smiled seductively as he grasped each one. Imagining how those hands would feel sent a sudden spurt of arousal careening through her body and her cheeks warmed in embarrassment. But what the hell, it wasn’t like she was ever going to act on it, even if she had the chance.
After the first song, the lights dimmed, and Spike stood at center stage, alone with his guitar, in a wash of blue from the spotlight. The crowd went even wilder as he struck the first chords of one of the band’s most popular songs, but quickly hushed as he sang and played with a plaintiveness that wasn’t present in the song’s recording.
LOVE I NEVER WANNA GIVE YOU UP
YOU‚RE LIKE A MILLION DOLLAR RUSH
RUNNING MY BRAIN
WASTE AWAY, ON NIGHTS WE CAN‚T REMEMBER
I FLOATED THROUGH DECEMBER
ON A DESOLATE WAVE
I‚M NOT ALONE, I HEAR A VOICE
I‚M NOT ALONE
ELEVATING HIGHER , THAN I‚VE EVER BEEN BEFORE
TRIPPING ON A WIRE, CATCH YOU WHEN YOU FALL
All too soon, the set was over. The stage went dark and the lights in the auditorium came back up as the stage crew began to set up for the next performers. Buffy’s eyes were glazed over and she was only slowly coming back down from the high the performance had given her.
“So, do you want to go?” Angel asked again impatiently.
“Huh?” Buffy responded, blinking her eyes. “Go where?”
“To the lobby.” He repeated slowly. “They’re having a meet and greet with the band.”
“A-what? You mean, with them?! I can meet them!” An all new wave of excitement flooded her veins. Meet them? Talk to them and possibly touch those incredible hands…No, no, no. Bad Buffy thoughts!
“So, do you want to?”
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” Her body kicked into action, and she was practically down the aisle, pushing people aside in her rush, before he could catch up, grab her hand and plunge into the crowd.
*********************************************************
Spike Giles was having a hell of a night. The crowd response had been overwhelming. So many people, singing along, screaming his name….And now this, the meet and greet set up by his PR manager, Cordelia, so that he could get to know his fans better. The line snaked all the way through the lobby and practically back to the main doors of the auditorium. Spike and his band had been shaking hands, giving hugs and signing autographs for at least half an hour already. The main act was about to start, and no one showed any signs of leaving the queue. And everyone was so enthusiastic! There were people here of all ages, and Spike tried to give each of them something special to remember. After all, they were the reason he was even able to put this tour together in the first place. Just think, less than a year ago, the band was still playing in bars. Then Xander, his drummer, had gotten the bright idea to upload some of their music to a website devoted to new artists. The internet response had been overwhelming, and two months later, they were signed.
Abruptly, Spike jumped up on the table in front of him and shouted to the crowd. “I love my life!” The crowd laughed and cheered at his antics. A little sheepish at his own display of emotion, he climbed down, exchanged laughing looks with his band members, and turned to greet the next person in line.
“Hi there, luv!” He smiled at the young girl in front of him, who seemed to have momentarily lost her tongue. She couldn’t have been more than nine, and was adorable with dark, curly hair and big brown eyes.
“Go, on Sarah,” urged a woman Spike took to be the little girl’s mother. “I’m sorry,” she apologized to Spike. “She absolutely loves you, but she’s a little shy.”
“That’s all right.” Spike smiled and kneeled down so as to be more on her level. “That’s a very pretty name,” he said. “Would you like me to sign your cd?” Awestruck, Sarah held it out, finally giggling when he winked at her.
“There you go, luv. How about a hug?” He opened his arms and gave the little girl a gentle squeeze.
“Thank you!” she said shyly. As the line continued down, he could see her excitedly gesturing to her mother, her shyness gone now that she was no longer addressing him directly.
“Hi!” The next person in line greeted him excitedly. He turned to reply, only to have his breath stolen by the gorgeous creature waiting for his attention. She was petite, with honey blond hair, bright green eyes, and the biggest, most enchanting smile he had ever seen. Her jeans just skimmed her hips, and the red tank top clung to her body, showing off a hint of the curves that hid within.
“Well, hello luv,” he purred, coming to his senses after what felt like an eternity of drinking her in.
Her smile became even brighter. “Hi!” she said again. “I just loved your performance! You are amazing! I just love you!” Charmed by her excited babbling, Spike reached out to draw her closer. He was giving everyone hugs tonight, surely it would do no harm to have this girl in his arms for a moment. As he pulled her into a loose embrace, his hand accidentally brushed the skin underneath her short top, and his hand literally jerked. Touching that soft, silky skin set his body on fire. And look how perfectly she nestled into his arms. Arms, heads, hips, everything going where it should, like pieces of a puzzle.
He opened his mouth to ask her name, when an amused male voice spoke over his shoulder. “Okay, Buffy, there are other people in line!”
She pulled away from his arms to smile at the tall, muscled, dark-haired man standing nearby, and Spike immediately felt the loss of her warmth. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I guess I just got carried away!”
“That’s okay,” he automatically replied. Of course she was with someone. Girls like that didn’t wander around unattached for long. But still…
“So, Buffy,” he drawled. “You liked the show?”
She giggled again. “We loved it. Could I ask you…”she hesitated.
“Anything, luv,” he smiled at her, his blue eyes lighting up in answer to her laugh. God, what a sweet sound.
“Would you sign my jeans?” she asked in a rush.
“Your jeans?” he was momentarily taken aback. He had signed lots of things tonight, but no articles of clothing yet.
“Yeah,” a faint blush painted her cheeks. “They’re my favorite pair.”
Actually, this was a very good idea. This meant he’d get to be close to her again, touch her again. “Absolutely, I will,” he replied, and pulled a chair around from behind the table. “Lift your leg up here, luv,” he instructed.
Laughing again, and with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, she did as he asked. Her jean clad leg was warm, and he was close enough to inhale her sweet scent again as he signed. He even managed to brush her bare skin through the rip in the knee of her jeans. He could swear he felt her tremble as his skin made contact with hers.
“Maybe I should be jealous!” The dark haired man was laughing in an easy way that showed jealousy was the furthest thought from his mind.
Buffy looked up at him and rolled her eyes. “And we’ve been married how long?” she retorted teasingly.
Married? Bloody married? Abruptly, he let her go. “All done,” he said. “Nice to meet you!” No matter how beautiful and desirable she was, if she was married, she was off the menu. He would not be that guy.
Still, he couldn’t help watching as she moved down the line, smiling brilliantly and charming the rest of his band. Even Oz, who despite having a great, if dry, sense of humor, hardly ever laughed, chuckled along with her. She was graceful, and sweet, and gorgeous, and…..Married. Spike rubbed his eyes, suddenly feeling a little weary. Surely this would be over in another hour or so, and then he could persuade some single girl to help him forget this very beautiful but un-single one. After all, he met so many attractive women, it shouldn’t be too hard to forget about one. Right?
*****************************************************
Later, in the car on the way home, Buffy tingled all over thinking about how close she had been to Spike. Those hands that she had daydreamed about had been around her waist, on her thigh, had even touched her bare skin! His embrace had been wonderful, exciting and somehow comforting at the same time. Of course, not that there was anything wrong with Angel’s embraces, she thought guiltily. Quickly she looked over at him and smiled.
“That was great, wasn’t it?”
“Um hmm,” he answered distractedly. Traffic was moving quickly, and his thoughts had already turned to the work he still had to do at home before going into the office the next day.
Buffy knew him well enough to deduce where his mind was. “Do you have to be in court tomorrow?” Angel was a senior associate at one of the biggest law firms in the state, and she was never certain of his schedule from one day to the next.
“No, but it’ll be a busy day even so,” he replied.
“But you don’t have to do anything tonight, do you? It would be great if we could go to bed at the same time,” she tried a seductive smile, but he wasn’t looking.
“Not tonight, Buffy. I’ve got things I have to finish before I go in tomorrow. You understand, right?”
“Of course,” she said quietly. He turned his attention back to the road, and she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, her dreams drifting again to blue eyes and a soulful voice with a British accent.
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!