We did our sound check; everything was going well tonight. Then we went backstage to hang out and grab a drink.
“Hey, you guys sounded good.” The sound engineer was backstage. He was older than us, wore wire rimmed glasses and had a small gut. But hearing this boosted my ego, and my nerves calmed down.
“Yeah? Thank you,” I beamed, hoping this was the start of an amazing night.
“Yeah, really. Where are you guys from? I haven’t heard of you.” Dude grabbed a sandwich and sat down to eat. He was a chatty one, now, wasn’t he?
“We’re from southern Cali. This is the first stop on our tour,” Ted said as he looked over the table heavily laden with food. He glanced at the sound guy with a small, quick smile. Then he grabbed a turkey sandwich and sat down to eat.
“You’re going to go over big here. Perfect sound for this crowd,” the sound guy said as he took a huge bite of his sandwich.
That helped to reassure and comfort me. I had worried about what kind of crowd the club would draw. This sound guy was pretty cool, and I wished I had time to talk to him more. But the show was going to start soon, and I needed to think about my belly. I always ate a little something to energize myself before taking the stage.
I went over to the table, grabbed an apple, and crunched down on a crisp bite. The sweet juice hit my parched throat, and I ate the whole thing down quickly. I couldn’t dive into those sandwiches yet. I was just too nervous. My stomach was a mess of anxiety, like Mexican Jumping beans, I needed to calm the fuck down. I decided to eat more later, after our set, but I saw that Hunter’s rider had been fulfilled. We had more food than we would ever eat. They were supposed to donate leftovers to the local shelter.
They announced us on stage, and, as we ran to our places, I gave my boys a thumbs up. We’d pulled off to the side of the stage before this moment and fist bumped. Booyah! We were so ready to make sweet music. Our lives were changing, starting with this very first show.
I began with a strum of my Gibson, and everyone in this place hushed and looked eagerly towards the stage. Marko tapped his foot and hit his drumstick on the side of his snare, one, two, three, he counted us in, and Ted set the beat. When we finished our second song, I walked up to the mic.
“Hello Portland!” I screamed out into the crowd, and they roared. “We wrote this next song. Everyone has to have a dream, you know.” And with a genuine smile, went straight into the lyrics of Rock Star.
“I dream of being a Rock Star.”
We were playing in the pocket, grooving on our tune. I looked out in the crowd and saw they were singing along with us. They must have been playing it on the local radio, because the kids knew every word. My emotions got the better of me, and my heart seized up inside my chest. This was what I had dreamt of my whole life! Tears streamed down my face. I looked over at Ted who wore a huge. happy grin. I couldn’t be happier as I sang the second verse. My nerves calmed down, and I was on a super high.
When the night was over, we had belted out all our songs. It was a ninety-minute set and sweat poured down our faces. My shirt was sticking to me, and I couldn’t wait to get outside to cool off. We walked to the front of the stage and took our bow. I looked to one side, and we bent deeply at our waists at the same time. Then we left the stage. We all hugged each other, rejoicing in our success behind the stage. Our first night couldn’t have gone any better. I just wished Hunter was here with us to make it a perfect night.
Once we broke everything down and dragged our instruments to the van, I took a few minutes to cool off outside before I took my place in front of the stage, selling our six-song CD. I wasn’t going to stop until I had sold to everyone who wanted one. Fans swarmed my table, and I took time to chat with the ones who wanted a piece of me. And of course, I signed every CD I sold.
Young, giggly teens flirted with Ted and Marko, and I saw some of them slip pieces of paper in their pockets. It made me giggle, I hadn’t even thought about these two young men and their sex appeal. But there it was smack dab in front of me. They were drawing their own crowd. I noticed Ted took a hold of one redhead’s hand and started gently pulling her out the back door. My mind flashed to Hunter. I wished, with a sigh, that I could be with him. Watching Ted with this girl, well, I just really didn’t want to know what he was doing with her behind the scenes.
Ewww.
“I heard ‘Rock Star’ on the radio. It’s an awesome song!” one of the fans said. She was totally cute, dressed in low-slung jeans and one of our t-shirts with ‘Callie and The Turtledoves’ emblazoned right across her chest.
“I love that song.” The guy next to her smiled a broad, beautiful smile. I looked into gorgeous hazel eyes. “Who wrote it?” he asked.
“Where do you go next?” a shy young man asked. I answered every single one of them. It was exhilarating to meet our fans.
When I had spoken to everyone, I found Marko and Ted at the van. We drove back over to our hotel, all we wanted was a shower and some food. We were starving after exerting so much energy. We made plans to meet after our showers so we could eat together.
“Ted, what was that back there?” I asked with a giggle. I was referring to that redheaded girl he seemed to be taken with.
“Aww, just a fa …" Ted mumbled, but I knew there was a bigger story there.
“Did you get her phone number, huh dude? Are you seeing her later?” I poked him in the side and snuck a peek to see him blushing. I knew I was right.
“Umm...errr..yeah,” Ted whispered. He gave me a bashful smile.
I got back to my room and stripped off my soggy clothes. Just as I was about to step under the hot water, my cell pinged. I rushed to grab it before it went to voicemail. “Hello, yeah, hello?” I about yelled. I was certain it was Hunter checking in like our own personal mother hen. The heat from the shower filled the room with steam. I grabbed a towel to wrap around my naked body.
“Hey kid, how did it go?” He sounded eager.
“It went great! Hunter, I wish you were here. They sang with us! They knew ‘Rock Star.’” I was exhilarated. “We were good! We really were. I sold a shit ton of CDs and talked to a bunch of concert goers. The T’s sold well, too. I’m about to jump in the shower.”
Hunter gasped. “I knew you could do it! That’s awesome. I’ll let you go. Just call if you need me.” Just like that, he was gone. We had ten stops to get through before he could meet up with us.
I dropped the towel and stepped into the steamy shower. As the water cascaded over my breasts, I daydreamed of kissing his gorgeous lips. I wanted to attack him and pull those jeans off his lean, muscle-bound body and follow that pronounced V. But I knew better, he was our manager, I kept reminding myself. And nothing good could come out of a dalliance with him. The steam filled my lungs as I bent over to catch my breath. I was determined to stay focused on our shows, tonight couldn’t have gone any better.
I roughly dried off with a towel and grabbed some street clothes, a little blue cotton dress and strappy sandles. I threw them on and then met up with the boys at the hotel café. We were famished. Playing took so much out of us, and we always needed to refuel after a show.
“Callie, you were amazing tonight!” Marko looked me in the eyes and my heart melted. He hardly ever said stuff like that, so I took it to heart in a big way.
“Thanks, dude. I thought you were both amazing!” As we congratulated each other, I thought that this was it. This was the best moment of my life.
The waitress came by just then and dropped platters in front of each one of us. We dove right into the delicious-looking food. Talk was sparse as we attacked our plates spilling over with toast, eggs and waffles.
We ate quickly and, as soon as dinner was over, all we wanted were our beds.
“Night girl,” Ted called as he turned the key in the door of their room. I watched them disappear as I pushed mine open. I was exhausted and couldn’t wait to crawl into bed. It was soft, and the blankets were plush. I cuddled down and fell fast as
leep with Hunter swimming around in my mind.
I dreamt of him, of my gorgeous hot manager.
Somehow, I needed to stop all this fantasizing, but sexual frustration and Hunter intertwined to make it impossible to do anything to stop it. Bit by bit, day by day, I began to really feel my desire for him grow, and secretly prayed he wanted me too.
Chapter 14
Hunter
I had been checking in with Callie daily. It sounded like everything was going so damn well. The club managers were happy, and Callie was already out of CDs. I packed up a new box of their sample discs and overnighted them to the hotel they’d be staying at tomorrow night. I was starting to think I should hire an assistant. I got my % from the advance and could afford it. Someone had to keep the home fires burning while I was away for so long.
I put an ad in the online publication of Music Rock and had already gotten a bunch of resumes. I needed someone to handle my mail and other details while I was out on the road for the next eight weeks. I thought this was a great solution. I emailed the people I was interested in interviewing and set up times for us to talk. If I liked them on the phone, then I would set up an in-person get-together. I didn’t have much time left to make my decision. Right now, it was between Paul and Bella.
It was almost time for me to meet up with the Doves. I packed my bag and let everyone know I was leaving. I would keep up with my business from the road. They weren’t the only act I had signed this year, but I knew they were the real deal. I was putting almost all my effort into Callie and the Turtledoves. We had to be ready to explode onto the scene. Life was going to change big time for all of us, and I wanted the Doves to be as ready as they could be. And I would be there to keep them levelheaded.
I grabbed my cell phone and slid my thumb over Callie’s name. She picked up right away. “Hi kid, how’s it going?” So far, they hadn’t had a single complaint. Living on the road could be bone-weary, and I just hoped they could make it all the way to the end without too much trouble.
“It’s amazing, Hunter!” she about yelled in my ear. I could tell she was happy as hell. I hoped the brothers were just as thrilled. I’d been meaning to check in with them and made a note to call Ted tomorrow.
“How are Ted and Marko? I keep meaning to ask.” I hoped they were as happy as she sounded. I visualized her standing naked while we talked. “Hey Callie, you want to switch to video chat?” I needed to get that image out of my head. Damnit, this girl had gotten a hold of my balls. Thank God, she had turned eighteen, but really, I needed to stay away from her for other good reasons. It was against everything I stood for, a policy I set into motion long before there was a Callie and the Turtledoves. And it was bad for business, getting involved with clients was a death nail to my career.
She came into view, wearing a sweet grin. She was so freaking cute, beautiful really, but the excitement that radiated from her made her even more adorable.
“Hey, there you are!” I gave her a wink and a nod. I was so proud of all of them. The club managers had the best things to say about their performances.
“Hi, how’s it going? You getting ready to leave? I can’t wait for you to get here.” Her face read ‘happy.’ She was so enthusiastic every time I talked to her. I believed her. We had been having some amazing video chats since they left. I’d learned a lot about who she was as an artist. I had to say, her passion for music was inspiring, matched only by my own. We talked music almost every time we connected. Sometimes, though, it got personal. I learned more about Callie the longer they were away. She told me about her school days and what inspired her back then.
“Yes, I’m all packed. I’m catching the redeye in a couple of hours. I have a room in the same hotel where you’re staying. We should have breakfast in the morning.” I meant all of us, but, just in case, didn’t mention the Doves.
“Yes! Ted and Marko look forward to seeing you too.” Well, there went that stupid plan, right up in smoke. “Call me when you wake up. And Hunter? Be safe.” She always said some shit like that. Stay safe, like, what could possibly happen to me?
“Okay, Callie girl, I’ll see you in the morning.” We gave each other bright, exhausted, smiles and swiped off the phone.
I’d been giving myself pep talks ever since they left. I was so attracted to Callie, but I really needed to stop. Me getting physically involved was just plain stupid. I meant fuck! I want to, I really do. I got hard when my mind flicked to her gorgeous face and sexy-as-sin body. I fantasized about her every day, and at night, when I went to bed, I wacked off thinking of her gorgeous body. But I was a bad manager, BAD! I couldn’t make any moves on my client. It was going to be one of the hardest things I had ever done but keeping my hands to myself was imperative. My no-touch policy was going to test me, and it would be tough to enforce, if not impossible. It was going to be challenging, that’s for fuck sure.
Over these past few weeks, I had really gotten attached to this beautiful would-be star. Especially once she turned eighteen my imagination ran wild. I felt myself waiver from my commitment to not touch her. I just wanted to grab her and kiss her with all of me. I dreamt of making out with her as my hands travelled over her silky skin. Even now, I got lost in her eyes when we talked, and I could see in my mind’s eye, what she looked like naked. My hand grabbed a hold of my dick, and I rubbed one out on the spot.
She had perky, full breasts and a perfect-as-fuck ass. I loved that ass of hers. Flawless, plum-shaped half-moons looked so inviting. I wanted to grip her tightly and pull her luscious body against me. I wanted to strip her bare, grab her, and never let her go. I might be in trouble here. I might be falling for my client. I tried like hell not to let this happen, but sometimes the heart just wanted what it wanted, and I wanted Callie, damnit.
I didn’t know how I was going to stop from touching her. I promised myself it was all fantasy, and I would never break this pact with myself. We all had to stay focused on the shows, on the music and on the album, they needed to record. The reaction to their sample CD was surprising, and local radio was picking up on ‘Rock Star,’ playing it repeatedly. I couldn’t ruin our momentum and fuck up everything cuz of my dick.
Since the moment I signed that record deal, I told them to write every single day while they were out there. We needed ten to twelve awesome, number one songs to go on the album. I wanted to call it ‘Rock Star’ by Callie and the Turtledoves. My fantasies took over, and I could see her first gold record, her awards, her appearances. I couldn’t wait for the world to discover them. And they would, no doubt about it. I was absolutely, positive they would!
If I got involved with her, things would get messy. I had to stop letting myself think of her in that way.
I told myself to get my shit together. Grow up, Hunter, she’s not yours.
Well, obviously, she was my act.
And that’s where it needed to begin and end.
Chapter 15
Callie
Hunter was flying in tonight, and I could hardly wait! We had been flirting every night since I left. I crawled into bed and then called him to video chat as I cuddled down in the blankets. I knew he was starting to think of me more as a woman since I turned eighteen. Marko and Ted took me out to celebrate the day after my birthday. We didn’t have a show, and it was perfect to have a night off.
We went out to dinner for a delicious platter of steak and baked potatoes. I slathered mine with butter and sour cream, topped off with some chives. I freaking loved that potato and wondered what they did to make it taste so amazing.
When we finished eating, our waitress brought over a small birthday cake with eighteen burning candles. I looked from Ted to Marko, and my eyes blurred with tears. I’d loved these guys since I was twelve years old. Look how they’d outdone themselves. They made me feel so special. Marko gave me some new strings for my Gibson, and Ted gave me a blank book to write all my song ideas in. Best birthday ever.
After dinner, I swiped to video chat with Mama, and there she wa
s--my beautiful mother holding my brother Gaby, feeding him a bottle. I said, “Mama, let me see Gaby.” She held him up so I could see his wispy blonde hair and his sleepy eyes. Aww, I missed him so much. I missed his baby smell and cuddling with his tiny body gurgling happily. At seven months old, I knew I wouldn’t hold him again until he was almost a year, and it made me sad. I would miss so much.[SO14]
“I just called to say goodnight and that I love you.” I gave her a smile.
She said, “Oh honey, I miss you.”
This was my first birthday away from my family, and I wished I could hug them. But Mama had a BIG surprise!
“Honey, Daddy and I made a decision last night. I’m so excited because we’re coming to see one of your shows!” She was stumbling over her words, talking so fast. I guessed she really was thrilled about this new development.
“Mama, that’s amazing, I can’t wait to see you.” I said, excited with her news. “You’re bringing Gaby, right?” I crossed my fingers.
“We were going to leave him home, honey.” Mama said quietly. I knew she was worried about my reaction.
“Please, “I begged, “please bring him with you. I miss him so much. I just want to cuddle him up and smell that baby smell.” I giggled, there was no way to say it any better than that.
“I’ll talk to Dad, but if it means that much to you...” Mama caved pretty quick. I was willing to have a tantrum if she didn’t acquiesce.
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