aTRACKion

Chapter Six

I think I have just lost half my body weight in sweat. I am buzzing, but I need water. I've left Nancy on the dance floor, outrageously frugging with some guy from Newcastle. Doug DiCarto has now finished his set, but I'm certainly in no hurry to finish this night. I have energy I didn't even know I had. I'm still so pumped, I'm even standing at the bar, jigging on the spot, waiting to get served.

"I told you I would see you and your hips again, didn't I?" Standing right behind me, is the reason why I am so damn pumped.

Even though I know I look all hot and sweaty, even though my hair is damp around my temples, forehead, and at the nape of my neck, and even though my mascara has probably smudged beyond belief—I am sassily confident as I turn to face Doug DiCarto. "Well, I have a professional interest in you, don't I?"

He stares down at me, cocking his head to the side as he does. Just as he's about to say something, a group of lads are eager to meet their god. "Man, that was so awesome!" One lad is now patting him hard on his shoulder.

"Total respect, dude! Total respect!" Another is now wanting to touch the genius that is Doug DiCarto.

"Yeah, you were bad-ass up there, man...absolute bad-ass." Another tries to squeeze in his praise between the praise of his two hyped up mates.

"Thanks guys." Doug graciously says, making it obvious that he is now keen to talk to me, because he slowly turns his back on them.

They all kind of hang around behind him, chatting loudly about how he's 'totally cray', 'bang on', 'the bomb diggity', 'ear candy', 'quality', 'legendary', and many other forms of idolatry praise that they can come up with. And after his amazing set, I get their need to speak to Doug. I get their need to express just how much his music has touched them tonight. I feel just the same, and when I'm about to pour some more of that praise all over him, a girl behind the bar beats me to it. "You nailed it up there, Doug. Totally smashed it tonight." Is it just me, or is she breathing in hard so that her boobs look all perky and there?

"Thanks, Amber!" Doug throws her one of his devastatingly cute smiles. And it's then that I realise it's not only me who is on the receiving end of those devastatingly cute smiles of his. In amongst the dancing, the feeling free, the vodka and the admiration, I seemed to have forgotten that. His flirting isn't exclusively for me. It's actually for any female with a pulse. It's a sobering thought. It's a sobering realisation. But I'm a big girl. And if Doug DiCarto wants to sprinkle a little of his flirtation all over me, I am happy to sprinkle a little Fenner flirtation back all over him.

"What can I get you, Doug?" Little Miss Perky Boobs, asks all cutesy-tutesy like.

Now standing closely beside me, he is annoyingly now being very gentlemanly. "What do you want me to get you and Nancy to drink?"

"Just two waters, please?" I'm now wiping the perspiration away from my neck, trying to look less sweaty than I already know I am.

"Three waters, Amber?"

"Sure thing." She flashes him a wide smile. Flashing a smile that's almost as perfect as her perfect perky boobs. Oh god, kill me now! I'm turning all petty and jealous. What the hell is wrong with me?

I just need to turn around. I don't need to see Little Miss Perky Boobs and Doug Delectable flirting with one another. So I turn around, and watch everyone dancing and still enjoying themselves. After the flirty exchanges, Doug hands me my water. "Where's Nancy?" He asks, screwing the lid off his colder than cold drink.

Trying to spot her through the heaving dance floor, I can't see her anywhere. "She's in there somewhere, dancing with some Geordie guy." I'm holding the chilled plastic bottle against my neck, enjoying its coolness against my hotter than hot skin.