Jay had spent a good several hours at the bar, helping set up for the show that evening, and then sound check. It had left him in a...less than savory mood. The lead vocalist was a spoiled brat, and since Jay was the only one in the band who wasn't related to or somehow friends with him, he was the one who caught all of it. At least after tonight, he'd never have to deal with any of them again. In fact, if he hadn't have told a certain someone about this gig tonight, then he wouldn't even have shown up.

The things I do to go home with someone... He shook his head lightly as he strapped his bass on and took his position. While he had a similar black tee shirt with the sleeves torn off, black ripped jeans, and black sneakers, Jay was the only one whose hair wasn't dyed black, or naturally black, for that matter. To him, it was the music that mattered. He didn't mind uniformity, but there was a such thing as getting stupid with it.

Six thirty came, and the band struck up right on cue.

'Shot through the heart
and you're to blame,
Darlin' you give love
a bad name~'

Though Jay hated the lead vocalist, and the guitarist, and the drummer, he had to admit they at least were good musicians. The guitar's notes tore through the air, followed by Jay's bass, thumping out the rhythm as they played through the first song. He may not have had any real chemistry with the band, but he was doing it for the music. As long as no one saw them interact outside of the show, who would know?

As he played, he let his thoughts drift as he got lost in the rhythm of the music. He really didn't scan the crowd yet. Right now, he was doing one thing he loved, and playing was actually improving his mood as a smile crept back to his otherwise neutral facial expression.

Rachel had had no problem with watching Kevin on Saturday evening. In fact, Lee hadn't been able to help but notice, when she had found out that it was for a date, Rachel seemed more excited than Lee was.

But just because Lee was excited to go to the bar and see Jay play bass, didn't mean that Lee knew what to wear. That's why there were at least 20 different outfits strewn across her bed, rejected. But finally Lee settled on a red halter top and a black skirt that came to mid thigh. Paired with her black boots that came to just below her knees, Lee thought it worked; not too fancy, but enough her that she liked the outfit.

Because of the difficulty choosing what to wear, Lee could already hear the live music playing when she walked up to the doors of the bar at 6:50. The good news was that because it was still early, there was no line to get in.

As soon as she was inside the bar, Lee's eyes darted up to the stage. Sure enough, there Jay was playing. And Lee felt a slight wave of relief. Despite what he had said before he had left the apartment a couple days earlier, there was a small part of Lee that had worried he wouldn't actually be here.

Flashing a slight smile up to Jay, unsure if he actually saw it, Lee made her way up to the bar. Unlike most times she had been here, Matt was not behind the bar, but that was not very surprising since he was more the owner.

As she waited for service, Lee slipped her leather jacket of her shoulders.

”Damn Lee!” turning, she saw that Matt had stopped a few feet back and was just staring at her, shaking his head slightly. ”I swear, you're more beautiful now than that first night you walked in here.”

”Really, Matt,” Lee asked as she moved to sit down, though a slight blush did cross her cheeks. ”When has flattery ever got you anywhere with me?”

Lee saw Matt shrug as he started to walk around the bar. ”There's always a first time for everything,” Matt said as he moved to one of the fridges behind the bar that the beer was kept in.

A moment later, he was returning to the bar, across from where Lee was sitting, with two bottles in hand. ”Plus, it's true,” Matt continued as he opened the beer, handing one bottle to Lee, keeping the second in his own hand. ”Now, please tell me that you're staying and not running off to Canada again any time soon.”

Jay didn't see Lee as they wrapped up the first song. And the second. And the third. Then again, if she did no-show, he couldn't blame her. After all, he didn't even tell her his real name until after he'd bedded her, and even then he told her then split.

The fourth song started, a little more laid back, but the backing rhythm provided by Jay's bass was pretty prominent, accompanying the soft guitar as the haunting vocals cut through.

'Night....falls and I'm alone.
Skin....chills me to the bone.
You turned and you ran.
Oh slipped, right from my hands...'

At that moment, he noticed her over by the bar talking to...Matt? Or was it Mike? But as good as she looked, he really didn't care what his name was. The rest of the song was spent just looking in her direction as his fingers knowingly danced over the strings.

The last song before their break featured more guitar and vocals, but he still had fun with "Sweet Child o' Mine." Once it was done, he set his bass down without a word to the band as they went one way and Jay went the other, towards the bar.

He figured he may as well have a drink and get a little buzz going before the next song.

Lee took a sip of beer as she shook her head at Matt. ”Not anytime soon,” Lee said, then turned to look over at the stage. Only to see Jay looking at her as well. A bit unexpected after some of the things he had told her, but Lee still flashed a smile at Jay as she listened to him play.

”But seriously, Lee.” Apparently, listening to Jay play was a tad distracting, because as she heard her name, Lee realized that she had missed what Matt had been saying. Turning back to Matt,a smile still on her face, though a touch smaller, she made an effort to hear what he was saying.

”This is perfect timing for you to come back. My manager quit a month ago, and I already paid to go on vacation next month.”

”You can't seriously want me to run your bar for you,” Lee said incredulously as she looked across the bar at Matt.

”Why not?” Matt asked. ”Who better to trust with it than the person who trusted me to not put her into debt to buy the place in the first place?”

”Yeah, but I don’t know anything about running a bar,” Lee admitted.

Matt simply waved her concern off. ”I can teach you everything you need to know about the bar,” Matt said with a smile. ”With how amazing you are in everything else, I’m sure you’ll pick things up quickly.”

It was then that Lee heard the music stop, and Lee looked over to see Jay setting his bass down. ”I'll think about it Matt,” Lee said as she stood up. ”But I've got to go say hi to someone. I'll let you know in a day or two, okay?”

Without waiting for an answer or reply, Lee stood up grabbing her coat in one hand, her beer in the other, and made her way toward Jay.

Coming to a stop in front of him, Lee simply looked up at him, no smile, just a slight head tilt. ”I'm sorry, do I know you?” Lee asked before she gave him a teasing smirk. ”I mean, who are you tonight? Jay? Russel? Tyler? Eric?”

Lee was in front of him before he made it to the bar, and the look she originally gave him made him quite nervous. But to his relief, she smirked, and he thankfully realized she was teasing.

"Oh, I'm only Tyler on Sundays. And you don't wanna know what goes on when I'm Eric," he said as straight and seriously as he could, but had to crack a smirk at the end. He looked her over, taking her in from up close.

"Nice to see you. Looking good as ever," he said smoothly before slowly making his way to the bar and ordering a beer. Once he had it, he went back to her, sipping on it.

"So...what do you think so far? "

It was then he realized that in his torn black shirt and ripped black jeans...he looked like a total clown compared to her.

Lee nodded before she let out a small laugh. ”Only on Sundays. I'll keep that in mind.” so he could take a barb and give right back. Lee couldn't help but think that was a good thing. Apparently with her, that kind of teasing was necessary.

Then Lee noticed Jay checking her out. She couldn't help it, she raised an eyebrow at him even as she held her arms out to her sides slightly. ”Oh, so does that mean you approve?”

But before she got an answer, Jay was stepping around her and heading to the bar. Turning, Lee followed him slowly. She would need a refill at some point, and bring closer to the bar would make that easier.

It did not take long for Jay to make it back to her. ”To be honest, you're better than I expected,” Lee admitted. ”It did take a few changes to decide on the outfit. I figured i should tone things down a bit. I didn't want to distract you too much while you're playing.”

He smiled, sort of enjoying the little bit of banter between them. It was nice, refreshing, and even fun. "So, you're saying you expected me to suck?" he jabbed playfully, quirking a brow. "Though that would have made it a lot easier for you to pick on me about, huh?" He leaned against the bar, looking at the time before finishing his beer. Then his eyes briefly wandered over to the rest of the band, who were all just sort of huddled together at a table, talking amongst themselves.

He chuckled again at her comment. "Trust me, you were going to distract me no matter what outfit you wear," he murmured with a wink. Then, he leaned in and whispered, "After all, I've seen what's under it~" Then, he saw the band get back on stage, so he too gave a bow before setting the empty mug on the bar and heading back to the stage and strapping on his black bass as they got ready to play their last few songs.

The guitar opened up nicely before Jay and the drummer joined in, soon followed by the vocalist.

'She was a fast machine
She kept her motor clean
she was the finest damn woman
I had ever seen...'

While he played, Jay occasionally shot Lee a wink or a sly grin as the song continued.

Jay was having fun with the teasing, and Lee grinned at him. ”Expect you to suck? Not quite. And don't worry, I'm sure I'll find something else before long,” Lee finished with a wink. ”Just give me a bit of time.”

And apparently she was going to distract him while he was on stage regardless of what she was wearing. ”If I had known that-” Lee started to say, but cut herself off when she felt Jay lean in and whisper in her ear. Even before she had heard his words, Lee's heart had started to beat faster. He had seen that, hadn't he?

Unfortunately, before either of them were able to do or say anything else, it was time for more music and Jay was heading back on stage. While he was getting ready up there, Lee turned to the bar to get another drink. By the time she had the beer in her hand, the music had already started.

Turning, Lee stood and just watched Jay play as she sipped her beer. She didn't even spare a glance at the rest of the band, to be honest, if it hadn't been for Jay, she never would have been there to listen to them. So Lee stood there leaning against the bar letting the music wash over her as she watched Jay play. He really was pretty good.

Jay was now in a considerably better mood than he was when this night had started. At least now, he had something to look forward to when the gig was over. And honestly...he found himself counting down each and every song. The sooner he could get paid and never have to see this band again, the better.

The next couple of songs were songs Jay had never heard before rehearsing with this band, and he had to say, he wasn't going to listen to them ever again. They featured a heavy guitar, but almost no bass part had been written at all. But, Jay decided to spice things up a little. He'd stay on key, on beat, and even took care not to steal the show; he was just giving himself something to do by adding extra notes to each run, experimenting with octaves, and occasionally adding in a little slap bass for good measure.

Occasionally, he'd catch a dirty look from the guitar player or the vocalist, but he really didn't care; he wasn't doing anything wrong, this is just what they got for picking a song where the bassist phoned it in.

Finally they reached the last song, but it didn't take too long for Jay to realize that they'd cut the sound to his bass. Oh well, looked like he was done here. Once he was certain that's what happened, he calmly set his bass down and walked off stage, to the bar, to get another beer.

"Apparently, they didn't like my playing as much. Had me muted," he explained as he took a swig of his new beer. "And I'll be damned if I just stand up there and look pretty."

After the first song of the second set, Lee didn't particularly recognize the next songs. Probably because the songs weren't all that good. Jay, however, was definitely making them sound better, and Lee couldn't help but be a little impressed with his improvisation and was sure that it showed in her smile.

But as the next song started something seemed off. She could still see Jay playing, but there was no bass in the song. Frowning, Lee finally took a look at the rest of the band, and none of them seemed to be looking very happy with Jay.

As Lee looked back at Jay, it seemed that he had realized what had been done as well. And was setting his bass down mid song. Lee just stood and blinked as she watched him walking off the stage.

And simply shook her head as Jay came up beside her. ”I did notice that,” Lee said. ”You we're good, but that was really ballsy walking off in the middle of the song.”

Lee was still shaking her head slightly at what had happened. But then she stopped and looked up at Jay thoughtfully. ”I guess this means you're done for the night? Oh whatever will we do now?”

"I've been around the type before," he explained. "Usually having the sound cut is a show of dominance. By just standing there, or by freaking out, you give them said dominance. But you walk off, and you show they have no power over you." He took another swig of his beer.

"It does mean I'm done, but I've still gotta get my bass after the show. And I kind of want to be quick because I don't know if they'd be the type to kick my bass over or something. Just a warning...it might get ugly." His voice was oddly serious, though he didn't think too much bad would come of it. At least he hoped.

"Well, I have a few ideas...if you're game..." He winked, but then he started for the stage. Once the song ended, he'd made it up, grabbed his bass, then got the case from the back. Once it was put away, he made his way back to the bar to finish his beer. And lo and behold, as soon as he finished it, the prick vocalist had walked up to him.

"I hope you realize we're waiving your pay for the evening!"

"And I hope you realize I have the owner of the establishments mail my checks personally," Jay said coolly. "Do yourself a favor, though. Don't fight in front of the lady." Jay looked at the guy; he hadn't even bothered to learn his name, but he stood a good several inches taller than the guy, and had at least thirty pounds on him. Plus there was that little thing that only two people in the room knew about.

Smartly, the guy backed off, returning to his friends to help them pack up. "See? I know how to cover my ***," he said to Lee, once everything was over and done with. "Sorry about that, though. So...where were we?" His sly smile returned.

Jay didn't seem to troubled by what had happened. Apparently, things were much different than she had ever thought on the rock side of performing.

And then Jay was warning her that unfortunately things might get ugly depending on how the band reacted to him walking off the stage. This was, however, the most serious that Lee could remember Jay sounding. He was really concerned about what might happen, about what she might see.

It was really sweet in a way.

Before she knew it, Jay was making his way back to the stage as the song ended to get his bass. Not that Lee could blame him; if it had been her guitar up there, she wouldn't want to risk the band kicking it over. But Lee didn't think that Jay would want her help, so Lee stayed right where she was at the bar and waited for him to come back.

Seeing Jay return, case in hand, Lee smiled. So far so good, she hadn't seen any sort of altercation so far. ”So, I'm pretty sure I'm game,” Lee said, nudging Jay's arm with her shoulder with a smile. ”What are some of those ideas?”

Unfortunately, it seemed that she had thought to early that they had avoided an altercation, as the lead singer approached saying they weren't going to pay Jay for the night. Lee raised her eyebrows at that, but it seemed as though Jay had things will in hand and the man walked away shortly after that.

When Jay turned back to her and apologized, Lee couldn't help but laugh a bit. ”You call that ugly? I was expecting a first fight or something.

“But where were we?” Lee then questioned, looking up at Jay with a gleam in her eye. ”I think you were about to tell me what you thought we could do with the rest of our night.”

He smiled a little. "I did say might. Luckily he was obviously out of his league. I really don't like fighting, or confrontation, for that matter. Especially not with a lady around. That and when it comes to me...well you and I know something no one else in this room does." He chuckled, leaning back against the bar a little as he looked down at her.

"Well...most of my ideas involve the same thing," he said slyly, adjusting his grip on his bass as their eyes met. "The only real question is whose place we're going to." He gave another smile before pushing himself back to a standing position, though warily eyeing the rest of the band as they continued to pack up. The lead guy was talking to the other two, though in this room he couldn't quite pick out what was being said because of all the chatter.

But there were more important matters at hand. Looking back to Lee, he offered his hand. "Maybe we could discuss ideas better outside?"

Jay did have a point, her head said might get ugly. Lee was glad. Though she was had seen much worse than she has been expecting, Lee was glad that it hadn't turned out that way.

Looking up at Jay as he vaguely didn't explain what his ideas were, Lee smiled. ”Kevin's home, so definitely your place tonight.”

But Jay kept looking over to the band, keeping an eye on them. At least he had been until he looked back to her, offering his hand as he suggested that they talk outside. Finishing her beer, Lee slipped her coat on as she smiled up at Jay. ”I think that's a good idea,” Lee said as she took Jay's offered hand before starting to walk out of the bar. ”But it is a bit cold out. You might have to keep me warm.”

He nodded when she informed him that it'd be his place tonight; he was okay with that. After all, he was sure they'd passed the judging phase when they first met. Hopefully, anyway. He let his thumb gently stroke her hand as they walked outside, and then it dawned on him that he didn't have a jacket. And he couldn't shift because he had to carry the bass.

"It's not too terrible a walk, but we'll still have to keep each other warm," he said as they stepped outside and he braced himself against the chill as the air bit against his bare arms and the exposed flesh on his legs. He bit back a few curses, thinking how at least in dog form he had fur. Pulling her close, he once again tightened his grip on the bass case.

"Really wouldn't be so bad if not for the ****ing wind," he muttered as they walked. Luckily, his apartment was only several blocks away. After awhile, he turned down a side street and after a while they reached the apartment complex. Leading her upstairs, he set his bass down to unlock the door. Once inside, he walked over to the closet and set his bass inside.

The rest of the apartment was small, but cozy; there was little to separate the living area from the kitchen. Beyond the kitchen was a door leading to the bathroom, and on the left, not far from the closet, was the door to the bedroom. The apartment was lived in, obviously by a bachelor, but it wasn't atrocious by any means.

"Welp, my humble abode," he replied after closing the closet door.