Valley of the Dudes Read Online Free PDF

nervous.”
     
“I have a feeling that Cody will be a huge smash tonight,” Rush said. “When I
     
first heard him sing this morning, I stopped dead in my tracks.”
     
As Rush said this, the lights dimmed and music started to play. Roy lifted his
     
drink and took a hard swallow, then raised his glass and smiled at Rush.
     
The first singer was Joey Delaney. He was tall and lanky, with short brown hair,
     
deep blue eyes, and full round lips. When he started to sing, Roy leaned across the table
     
and said, “On the far right wall, next to the stage door entrance, there are two people
     
sitting at a small table. The blond guy is Joey’s boyfriend, Anderson Sheppard. The thin
     
woman is Joey’s sister, Harriet Delaney. Harriet is Joey’s manager, and she’s not fond of
     
his boyfriend, Anderson.”
     
While Joey sang, Rush slowly turned to see the two people. The blond guy was so
     
attractive he looked like porn star material. The thin woman had medium-length hair,
     
parted on the side, with thick chunks of blond. The blond guy watched Joey sing with
     
true adoration. He leaned forward and smiled as if Joey were the only man in the room.
     
The woman sat up straight, with pinched lips, and watched Joey’s performance with a
     
critical eye. Rush whispered to Roy, “They guy is gorgeous. But the sister looks uptight.” Roy laughed. “She was born with a broomstick up her ass. Trust me, that is one
     
tough bitch. Cody isn’t very fond of her.”
     
When Joey was finished performing, Cody stepped out on the stage. The minute
     
he opened his mouth to sing the audience went silent. And it wasn’t just because Cody
     
had a smooth voice with perfect pitch. He was calm and at home on stage, as if he was
     
singing to one person instead of hundreds. He knew when to smile, he knew how to move
     
his arms and legs without appearing awkward, and he knew just how to make his eyes
     
sparkle beneath the lights. He had an unusual style that was hard to pigeonhole. He
     
slipped between cool-rocker and slick-swing artist without trying too hard. When he did a
     
slow ballad, he did it with a style of his own that couldn’t have been duplicated by
     
anyone else. His biggest gift, aside from his looks and his voice, was that he knew how
     
to claim a song and make it his very own.
     
At the end of the show, Joey and Cody did one number together. The song was a
     
slow, easy version of an old Sonny and Cher hit single. Though they both had different
     
voices and different qualities, they blended well together. Joey was more on the
     
wholesome, boy-next-door side, and Cody had that rugged rock-star quality. Fans would
     
want to cuddle with Joey, and they’d want Cody to throw them down and ravish them on
     
the floor. Cody knew how to exaggerate certain words and sounds in a new, trendy way.
     
When he sang the word, “don’t,” it sounded like “jia-ownt.” And Joey, with his well
     
trained voice, knew how to articulate each lyric to perfection. When they were finished
     
singing, the audience stood to applaud them both, with loud cheers and whistles.
     
Rush watched Roy stand to applaud. He smiled so wide, and with such
     
satisfaction, the dimples in his puffy cheeks appeared. While they were clapping and Joey and Cody were taking bows, a tall swarthy man with short sandy hair crossed over to
     
their table. He put his arm on Roy’s shoulder and murmured something into Roy’s ear.
     
Rush just stood there staring at the man. Rush had never seen a better-looking human
     
specimen in his life. This guy had the sharp chiseled features of a male runway model,
     
the strong square chin of a true aristocrat, and the sleek, sturdy body of an athlete. His
     
hands were large and his fingers were thick. His skin had a slight tan and his eyes were
     
pale green.
     
When the applause died down and Joey and Cody walked off stage, Rush was still
     
standing, staring at the