Page 68 of Dragged Home for Christmas

I couldn’t have found a more perfect man.

Mike stood in the wings, his heart pounding. There was just Miss Dixx’s final number—whatever that was—and then it would be him. He peered through the curtains.

There seems to be even more people out there than last night. How is that even possible?Phil was playing during what was supposed to be a costume change.

Cherry joined him. “Have you seen Anthony?” she whispered. “Her costume’s still on the hanger, and no one’s seen her since her last number.”

Mike shook his head, then cocked his head as applause broke when Phil came to the end of his piece. “Maybe she’s already out there.”

“We’d know about it if she was,” Candy said as she joined them, Luscious behind her.

“Honored guests,” Phil began. “Please join me in welcoming… Michelle Fluffer!” The girls glanced at one another with wide eyes as the applause erupted.

Mike stared at Sam. “Whodid he say?” He peeked once more—and stilled.

What the hell?

He grinned. “Oh, you need to see this.” Mike pulled back the curtain as Phil helped Michelle to climb onto the piano, wearing a figure-hugging red halter-neck dress and matching stilettos. Sparkly earrings dangled, catching the light, as did the long blonde wig she wore. She reclined, moving as sinuously as a cat, the thigh-length split in the dress revealing long, toned legs encased in sheer stockings. She propped herself up on one elbow, holding her mic in the other.

Phil moved his fingers over the keys, and a familiar melody filled the air.

Mike shook his head. ““Makin’ Whoopee”. Perfect.”

“Wait a minute.” Candy gaped. “She’s not going to…”

“She freakin’is,” Cherry said with a gasp. “Oh my God.” The next moment, rich, full tones filled the air, every word clear as a bell. One look at the faces of the occupants of the front rows showed they were captivated by her, their mouths open.

Mike remembered the scene from the movie. He also recalled his dad commenting at the time that Michelle Pfeiffer was one beautiful woman.

Michelle Fluffer was a stunner.

Her voice filled the room. She focused her gaze on Phil as she crawled toward him, as though she was stalking him. Phil appeared equally mesmerized by her performance, and at one point he mistook his fingering, quickly getting himself back on track. As the song drew to a close, he stood and held out his hand to aid her descent as she climbed down from the piano. Then he played a few more bars and she sat beside him, repeating the final three lines before leaning back against him, her head on his shoulder.

She brought the house down.

Mike clapped until his hands stung and hollered until his throat was raw, his cries mingling with those from the audience. Candy, Cherry, Luscious, and Ashley stood with him, all of them grinning when Phil stood and Michelle put her arms around his neck, drawing him closer to kiss him on the lips. That only served to ramp up the cries from the crowd to fever pitch.

Then it hit him.

How the hell can I follow that?

When the applause died down, Michelle held the micup to her full red lips. “Now for our last number, we’ve got something special for ya. Would you all put your hands together and give a huge P-town welcome to someone making her debut here tonight… Cheap Trix!”

Ashley positioned herself at the tablet and gave him the thumbs up.

Candy handed him a mic. “You’re going to be astounding.”

Lord, right then he’d settle for his lips being in sync with the lyrics.

Mike took a deep breath and sauntered out onto the middle of the stage. The spots focused on him, and the sudden explosion of applause took him by surprise. He raised his hand to wave at the audience, and noticed who filled the front row: Phil, Kris, Stephan, Gabe, Harry, and so many others that he’d met since his arrival in P-town, standing there with upturned faces. Mike managed a grin.

Then the music started, for which he was profoundly grateful. The crowd reacted instantly with a delighted roar when he gripped the mic and launched into “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. They began to clap along as he moved across the stage, and it wasn’t long before everyone joined in, singing their hearts out.

Candy, Cherry, Michelle, and Luscious all had mics, and they backed him, dancing in time to the music. When he got to the last chorus, Mike turned to face them, and as he uttered the finalyou, he pointed at Candy, who beamed at him.

The audience went wild, and Mike was officially done. He stood there while they called for more, his legs trembling, hands shaking. Then he held his hand up for quiet. When he could hear his own voice again, Mike cleared his throat.

“I want to thank each and every one of you for beinghere tonight, to watch me step into my uncle’s shoes.” He glanced down and chuckled. “Literally.”

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