Her Superhero Lover

Renee was almost too stunned to reply. Grady Voelker was hitting on her? “Yeah, for sure. Listen, Grady…. uh….”

“Later. Get out on stage, and show me what you can really do. I’m interested in hearing your Asian and American remix skills.” Grady turned and left the back hallway, and Renee had to take a few moments to gather her wits. Chugging the last half of her bottle of water, she made her way out to the stage, and settled in behind her equipment again.

The manager had been right, the drop-off from the second set was bigger than normal, but not as big as she expected. Her reputation as a DJ was growing, and she could see more than a few people in the crowd who she recognized from other shows she’d done. It felt strange to know she was getting real fans, while at the same time pleasing her. “All right all, Litezout comes back at you with a Bang Bang special. Here’s one that I just mixed and tweaked for you all, a little bit of Europe, America and Asia coming at you.”

The two songs were actually a bit old, but the combination was brand new as she blended Swedish house music with Vietnamese dance pop. The result was innovative and daring, and she could tell the crowd ate it up. The set flew, as she led the crowd on a high energy dance mix that toured the world, never letting songs from the same country repeat. Brazil blended with Japan which transitioned into Korea and Russia, before American hip-hop married to Chinese C-pop and carried the rest of the show. The beats flowed well as languages flowed and lifted, most of the lyrics totally incomprehensible to most of those in attendance but nobody caring. When the final lights came up and Renee pulled her goggles off, her face ran with sweat, and the crowd roared. In the back, by the bar, she could see Grady Voelker standing on a barstool clapping as hard as he could, leading the cheers and starting a call for an encore. The cry swept the crowd, and Renee felt tears come to her eyes. No crowd had ever called for her to encore before. Finally, she held her hands up and the group quieted down a bit. “Okay guys, uhh…. wow. Okay, I’ve got one that it totally new, I’ve never even tried it out before, but since you all have given me so much love, I’ll see what I can do for you.”

Settling in behind her table one more time, she left her goggles down around her neck, and launched into an experiment she’d just completed the week before. The song started off mellow, as she let the rock opera piano of Jim Steinman lead before getting swept away into the tweaked samisen of Japanese music. The two played off each other in a slower, slightly romantic melody while still having the expected energy of a club song, and she let her mood flow. When the last whispered words wafted out of the speakers and came over the crowd, the entire group thundered with applause again, and she bowed.

Heading to the back, the manager and staff that wasn’t working to clean up, greeted her with applause. “Amazing show, great finale,” the manager told her. “Listen, sorry I was on your ass before. You keep doing shows like that, and you’re welcome here any day of the week.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind next time I need to get my car fixed and am desperate for some extra cash,” she joked, earning a smile and a handshake from him. “Seriously though, all of you, thanks. I know the whole thing depends on you more than me. You kept the drinks flowing, the crowd happy, and the place going smooth. Thank you again guys.”

She waited in the back another ten minutes, until she was sure Grady wasn’t going to come see her again. Slightly disappointed, she reached behind her back to untie the knot on her corset, and headed out into the now almost empty club. She was shocked when she saw Grady on stage, standing behind her table, looking out at the floor. “It’s a great view up here. And the tech geek in me is still tweaking out over this gear.”

“Well, most of it is Bang Bang’s,” she said. “I just have the laptop and two boxes. I carry it in and out using a hand cart like you’d use for luggage going through the airport.”

Grady nodded, and looked it over again. “Still….. hey, do you like fish tacos?”

“Excuse me?”

Grady turned and smiled. “I said, do you like fish tacos?”

Renee blinked, and didn’t know if it was because it was almost two thirty in the morning or because Grady was so handsome, but she felt like her brain was stuck and she was unable to answer. Finally, she nodded. “Yeah, of course. What San Diego girl doesn’t?”

Grady waved his hand in acceptance of the wisdom of her answer. “True enough. I was wondering if you’re busy this weekend?”

Renee felt floored. Grady Voelker, the most handsome man she’d ever met, had just spent the past four hours wading through a sea of hot women, and he was asking her out? What the hell? “Uh…..”

His face fell, and he pursed his lips. “Sorry, I guess I overstepped my bounds.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I did come on a bit fast. And the girl at the bar said you were mostly interested in black guys. Still, it was worth a shot.”

Renee shook her head, surprised. “Whoa, wait. Sorry, it’s just that you surprised the hell out of me. I’ve never been asked out after a set before. But I’m sorry, I do have sets tomorrow and Saturday night.”

Grady’s face lifted, and he smiled. “What about Sunday?”

Renee thought about it, and shook her head. “Nope, I’m free Sunday.”

“Great.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Reaching inside, he handed her a card. “This is my personal cell phone. What’s your number?”

“Ah, five eight two, six seven one four,” Renee said, taking the card and holding it without reading. “Where did you want to go?”

“I read a review, saying that The Brigantine has a great fish taco. I’ve never been there, and wanted to give it a try. You game for a culinary adventure?”

“Sure,” Renee replied, grinning. “You don’t mind picking me up? I live in City Heights, you know.”

“Not if you don’t mind,” Grady replied. “Well, I’ll let you do your thing, I’d probably break half of this if I offered to help clean up. Good night, Renee. And I look forward to Sunday.”

“Me too, Grady. Me too.”