I do not lay claim to any works by Laurel K. Hamilton or Sherrilyn Kenyon. That said. Here goes. Oh, it’s still PG for rating I think. Also, I do not work for the station.*grin*
By
Nathan
Two weeks and one soundboard later, Ellen
managed to make a halfway decent jock out of me. The weekend before Halloween I
was left to my own devices. Ellen took the weekend off and I missed the
distraction.
It was almost airtime. I had the play list
ready, interlaced with some stuff of my own choosing, Mitch be damned. Knowing
that he was somehow connected to Acheron, perhaps he already was.
Myra, who was on air before me, stepped out of
the studio, cell phone glued to one ear, bitching at her boyfriend. She looked
at me and winked. She was the senior DJ and got to choose which hours she
worked. Course it didn't hurt that she looked like she just stepped off the
cover of Maxim either, blonde, blue eyed, and oozing sex. Hey I may be eighty,
but I was trapped in a twenty-year old body for eternity, or until whenever
some daemon got lucky.
Myra closed the cell phone and smiled. “I put on
four ads. Should give you time to set up.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” I couldn’t help
smiling back.
“I was new once.” With that she kissed my cheek
and left me standing there with my heart racing.
Sighing I walked into the studio to set up for
the first hour of a long night. Still,
I liked talking to the people that called in to request music. It made it a little less lonely. I slid the
headphones into place and pulled the mike up just as the last commercial
finished.
“Hello listeners. Welcome to the night. Let's
get things started. Give me a call and let me know what you'd like to hear.
I'll do my best to get it on for you. Now, how about a little Duality? Here's
Slipknot.”
I took the headphones off and turned up the
speakers, so that I could hear the end of the song approaching, just like Ellen
had taught me. The phone rang.
“93X, what can I play for you?”
A distinctly feminine voice replied, “Breaking
Benjamin.”
I couldn’t help asking, “Just what are you
breaking him of?” I was rewarded with a shy laugh, though she didn’t answer my
question. “Yeah I'm sure I can get that on for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Sure.” I replied as I pushed the next
button, “93X.”
So it went until around midnight. I had cued up
a couple of ads and one song and went to get a Dr. Pepper. I came back to see
the switchboard lit up like Christmas. The third call I answered was a guy with
a question.
“93X.”
It had become almost a habitual hello at this point.
“I have a question,” came a male voice from the
line. See I told you so.
“Okay shoot.”
“Hmmm, I need some help with some music.” He
sounded young, mid twenties maybe, almost timid.
“What kind of help?” I questioned the young man.
He hesitated, as if he was unsure how to answer. Maybe it was on air fright. I tried to talk him through it. “What
do you need it for?”
“The routine I'm doing…. for a stage routine. I'm a dancer.” His
voice sounded a bit soft for a stage performer but maybe he had non-speaking
roles.
“You're a dancer?” I was trying to get a clear
picture of what he was asking me for.
“Yeah, at a club.”
I was puzzled.
“What kind of club has...Oh, yeah...never mind. How old are you?”
“Twenty four.” He sounded almost defensive like
he’d been asked that one too many times.
“You don't sound twenty four.” Of course a
little voice in my own head piped up, ‘and you don't sound eighty either
moron.’
“I'll just go.”
Shit, he sounded defeated. Maybe I could help
him. “Wait. It's okay. Let me cue up some more music. Okay?”
“Okay.” He didn’t sound too convinced but at
least he stayed on the line.
I set up another three songs and two ads just to
make sure. I told the other callers to hang on. Then went back to the 'dancer.'
“What's your name?” Guess I should have asked
before, but the station got so many calls a night, Ellen had suggested I not
try to keep track.
“Nathaniel.” The young man answered, causing me
to pause. Small world I guessed.
“So what type of music are you looking for?”
“Something hard and loud but with a beat I can
move to.” He explained.
Okay that narrowed it down. Not. I tried to get
more information. “Slow, like Pink
Floyd. Or fast? Heavier? Like Disturbed. Or something in the middle like
Seether, or
Default?”
“I don't think I've heard those.” Great, he
sounded unsure of my help again.
Sighing, I tried to explain, “I can't suggest
music if I don't know what you like.”
“You could come and see my set. We could talk
about it. I have to go now. I'm up next.” He sounded rushed.
“Wait. Where is this club?”
“It's Guilty Pleasures. Everybody knows it.” He
answered then hung up.
I kept thinking to myself that it was a joke.
New guy, let's send him on a wild goose chase. I put the call behind me and set
up for the rest of the morning.
I'd ask Myra about the place, maybe Mitch. I
could check it out on Sunday, my only day off. I'd asked for that specifically,
less time to think. I always went to church on Sunday to light a candle for
Paul, even after all this time.
At work the next night I looked for Mitch only
to find him gone for the weekend. It was one of the perks of being owner I
guess. Myra was there. So I asked her.
“Do you know anything about a club called Guilty
Pleasures?”
Well that earned me a raised eyebrow before she
responded. “It's a strip club in the District. Why?”
So I told her about the call. “Have you been
there?”
She grinned, “Oh yeah. Lots of eye candy, very
nice. A good distraction after a long week.”
“Thanks.”
“You are not going down there. Are you?” She
looked surprised.
“I hate to pass up an invitation.” I shrugged.
“You wouldn't last ten minutes in the District.”
She told me as she laid her hand on my arm. “Yeah you look like you can take
care of yourself, but it's a whole different world there.”
“Yeah, I've heard. Vampires and werewolves, oh
my.” I grinned. “I'm not as naive as you think.”
I walked into the studio and began to set up for
the night. She followed apparently intent to on protecting the new kid on the
block. “Let me go with you. At least
maybe I can steer you out of trouble.”
“I don't think your boyfriend would like that.
Besides I can handle myself.” I put my headphones on so that I couldn't hear
her yelling. You have no idea about different worlds.