Stephanie left with her guitar, and the booth fell into a brief silence.
Everyone was either intentionally or unintentionally staring at him. Jessica was looking at him too, with an inexplicable smile on her face.
Luca felt a bit awkward. He wanted to explain but thought better of it. This was a situation that couldn't really be explained.
"Alright, alright, I'm not a good guy. You don't have to look at me like that," he said, surrendering to the situation.
"Hahaha~"
The women couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"So, does that mean it's true that you grabbed that girl's butt outside the Rose Ritual Bar and got caught in the act?" Joy teased with a bright smile.
Luca shrugged. "If I told you I lost my balance and accidentally grabbed her, would you believe me?"
"No!"
The women all shook their heads in unison.
"Luca, so you like petite girls?"
"No way, his girlfriend Lima is a supermodel."
"So, he has a pretty mixed taste."
Listening to their chatter, Luca slumped back on the sofa, defeated.
At that moment, the heavy metal music in the main hall stopped, and the crowd that had been wildly dancing on the dance floor dragged their tired bodies back to their seats.
Thump, thump~
Billy and a few others from the crew returned to the booth with slouched shoulders, collapsing onto the sofa like dead fish, exhausted and drenched in sweat.
Luca chuckled to himself, wondering if they would have danced until they dropped if the music hadn't stopped.
"Billy, at your age..."
"Better than sex!"
Luca was about to tell Billy to take care of himself, but before he could say anything, Billy sighed in satisfaction, as if he had just experienced an intense thrill. Luca decided to keep quiet.
Don't pretend you're sorry
I know you're not
You know you got the power...
A four-person band took the stage and started playing the Backstreet Boys' "Drowning." It was an adult ballad, slow in rhythm. The band was called SGBand, and the lead singer had strong vocals, almost as good as the original.
But by now, most people in the nightclub were too tired from dancing. Everyone had started drinking and chatting, and there wasn't much interest in the band's performance. Even when they finished, there was only sparse applause.
"Wow~ Luca, look, the girl you grabbed is going on stage!" Joy suddenly shouted.
Luca glanced at Billy and the others, feeling embarrassed, and turned his head.
"Joy, what's this about Luca grabbing someone's butt?"
Billy and a few others who weren't around earlier finally heard about the incident and asked curiously.
"Nothing, just listen to the music," Luca tried to change the subject.
"Haha, Billy, this is a funny story. Let me tell you."
Joy began to embellish the tale, turning Luca into some pervert with a bad habit of grabbing petite girls with big butts. She made it sound like Fannie, the girl on stage, was the victim, and she had just come to confront him.
After hearing the story, Billy and the others looked at him with wide eyes. "Wow, Luca, so this is the kind of person you are!"
Luca couldn't be bothered to explain anymore. He waved his hand and said, "Fannie's about to perform. Let's give her some applause and support."
He raised his hands and clapped hard a few times to show his support.
The others in the booth joined in, and Joy even let out a loud whistle.
On stage, Fannie waved towards them and began playing her guitar.
I know I may be young
But I've got feelings too
And I need to do what I feel like doing...
Fannie was singing Britney Spears' "I'm A Slave 4 U." Her voice was lovely, with a raspy, sexy edge.
But even with her performance, few people in the venue were paying attention. Most were busy with their own conversations, and in some spots, the noise even drowned out her voice.
She stood there like a small sapling on a deserted island, at risk of being overwhelmed by the waves.
"She sings well, but she's not suited for this kind of nightclub performance," Jessica said lazily, resting her chin on her arm as she watched the stage through half-closed eyes.
"Yeah, she's too small, not curvy enough, and her voice isn't powerful. She doesn't have that 'wow' factor, so of course no one's paying attention to her. Well, except for you, Luca!" Joy teased with a smile.
"Luca, is she really the girl you grabbed?" Billy asked, scratching his chin in confusion.
Luca gave him a tired look, not even bothering to explain.
"Haha, Luca, I'm curious. You never seem interested in someone as hot as Jessica. How could you go for a petite girl like that?"
Billy's voice was loud, and everyone in the booth—Jessica, Joy, Blake, and the others—looked over.
Luca rubbed his forehead, wishing he could sew Billy's big mouth shut. Couldn't they discuss this in private? Why bring it up in front of Jessica?
"Wow, look!"
Just as the situation was becoming awkward, there was a sudden commotion from both their booth and the crowd.
Luca looked towards the stage and saw Fannie suddenly taking off her jacket. Then, she took off her T-shirt, leaving her in just a black bra on stage.
She held the microphone, shaking her hair, and belted out the climax of "I'm A Slave 4 U":
Like that
Do you like it
Yeah, watch me now...
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as soon as she removed her clothes.
"So cool!"
"Yeah, amazing!"
Gradually, all eyes in the nightclub were on her. People began to appreciate her music and started clapping along to the beat.
The small figure on stage grew larger and larger, becoming the star of the night.
"Fannie, you are the best!"
Luca shouted, saluting the brave girl.
When he turned around, he found Jessica, Joy, and the other women in the booth all staring at him.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"She learned that from you," Jessica said with a strange look on her face.
"Yeah, Luca, you've corrupted that poor girl," Joy teased.
"No, she's way braver than me," Luca waved it off and turned back to listen to the music.
I'm a slave for you
I won't deny it
I'm not trying to hide it...
The song on stage came to an end, and the crowd erupted into applause and cheers.
The once unnoticed little girl had become the undisputed star of the night. The next performer couldn't match Fannie's boldness, and the crowd quickly lost interest, leaving the stage cold once again.
"Let's go."
"Yeah, let's."
With the drinks finished and the dancing done, the crew decided it was time to leave.
After retrieving their coats from the lockers, the group left the nightclub.
As Luca drove out, he spotted Jessica standing at the entrance. A thought crossed his mind. "Hey, Jessica, the night is still young. How about coming over to my place for a drink?"
Jessica looked up, her electrifying eyes coldly staring at him.
Just then, a Mercedes-Benz pulled up beside them. Jessica opened the door, got in, and, before closing the door, flipped him the finger.
Luca laughed. After being teased by Jessica several times tonight, he finally got a little revenge.
"Haha, nice job, Luca!"
Billy's car pulled up next to his, and through the window, he laughed. "That's how you do it, man. If you want to get with her, you've got to make a move!"
"No, I don't want to get with her. I was just messing around."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"You're not cool!"
Billy shook his head, didn't even say goodbye, and drove off.
Luca shrugged and slowly started his car.
"Hey, Luca, can you give me a ride?"
(End of the Chapter)