A Chance for Love

by Max Hudson

  “A Chance for Love”

  M/M Gay Romance

  Max Hudson

  © 2019

  Max Hudson

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is intended for Adults (ages 18+) only. The contents may be offensive to some readers. It may contain graphic language, explicit sexual content, and adult situations. May contain scenes of unprotected sex. Please do not read this book if you are offended by content as mentioned above or if you are under the age of 18.

  Please educate yourself on safe sex practices before making potentially life-changing decisions about sex in real life. If you’re not sure where to start, see here: http://www.jerrycoleauthor.com/safe-sex-resources/ (courtesy of Jerry Cole).

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner & are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Products or brand names mentioned are trademarks of their respective holders or companies. The cover uses licensed images & are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any person(s) that may be depicted on the cover are simply models.

  Edition v1.00 (2019.11.13)

  http://www.maxhudsonauthor.com

  Special thanks to the following volunteer readers who helped with proofreading: Bob, Jon Niehus, E.W. Gregg, RB, Naomi W., Jenny and those who assisted but wished to be anonymous. Thank you so much for your support.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  He couldn’t have been happier to get off that stage. It would be a lie if he denied the allure of the performance, but after a while, it just seemed to get old.

  The truth was exhaustion and nonstop travel. The truth was hard work that never seemed to feel as fulfilling as he thought it was going to be. This was supposed to be art, but it had just been something that he pumped out on-demand, songs that meant nothing anymore.

  “Sold out.” He made his way into the small room that had been set aside for him to have privacy as he said the words. And he knew that they were true.

  The jeans he wore were made to look old and worn, but they were brand new and still felt too stiff. His red t-shirt hugged the muscles of his chest. An outfit that was too designer to actually be as casual as it pretended to be. It was fake. And he hated it. But he had to wear it.

  He had barely a minute before a knock sounded on the door. “Backstage passes are coming in.” It was the voice of Eddy, his stage manager.

  Chance walked over to the door and opened it up. “How long do I have?”

  “Not very long.” Eddy had that old headset that he wore for every concert. The man knew exactly what he was doing with everything that had to do with a production of this size. The man was great at his job.

  But right now, it seemed that his job was to drag Chance out of hiding backstage. “I’m on my way.” He didn’t want to make anyone’s job more difficult and having to refund backstage passes wouldn’t look good for anyone there.

  “You can take a couple of minutes if you need it while I give a quick tour.”

  The star felt a lot better about that. “Thanks.”

  “Figured as much. This tour’s been pretty tough on all of us.”

  “I know it has.”

  “But we’ll get through it.” Eddy offered a smile as he walked away from the door. “I’ll send someone for you when we’re ready for you.”

  “Thanks. I owe you one.”

  “You already pay me far more than you owe me. Don’t worry about it.”

  “I pay you what you’re worth. This is above and beyond.” Chance shrugged. “Maybe we should get you a raise.”

  “Part of my job is making sure all parts of the show are in good condition. But I wouldn’t say no to a raise.”

  Chance laughed. “And I’m a part of the show.”

  “Can’t run without you.”

  “Pretty sure they could.” He shrugged. “You guys do all of the actual work.”

  “You always say that, but you’re the face on this whole thing. You lose and we all lose our jobs.”

  “I mean, it may be able to run without me. They could just find someone else.”

  “Cultivating talent takes time.”

  “They say that.”

  “That’s because it’s true.” Eddy was grinning. This was an old conversation that they had many times in the past. It was no secret that Chance could get a little tired at the end of a long tour.

  “Can I buy my way out of this with a body double or something?” Chance laughed.

  The stage manager smirked as he turned back for a moment. “You wouldn’t be the first guy that had thought of that. It didn’t really work.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because there’s no way that they can answer all the questions and things like that. You would have to get a really good one that looks just like you.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind then.”

  And with that, Eddy walked away, leaving Chance alone once again in his dressing room.

  And Chance had a chance to think. Which he hated. He hated every moment of this. He didn’t like the fame or the swarming fans. He didn’t like the music, but no one seemed to realize that. He just did what everyone expected him to do. Like a trained monkey on a trapeze act.

  As he sunk into his chair the worry seemed to wash over him. And he reached for a small book on the table. It was old with worn leather. The kind of thing that didn’t fit with anything else in the room.

  He had kept the book for years now. A large journal with several hundred pages. Something that he had kept even after it had proven obsolete, He flipped through the pages and looked at the text scrawled in sloppy handwriting across the page.

  It was his secret heaven. A place that hid the things that he knew no one else wanted to see. His fingers caressed the cover, almost as if it was some kind of lover.

  But it wasn’t long until word came that he had to leave. There were others coming backstage that he had agreed to meet.

  He walked out of the room and went to shake hands and hug the fans. He couldn’t blame them for his trouble. They were the reason he would never have to worry about money ever again. So, he had to thank them. He owed them that much. They deserved at least that much.

  Still, he found it grating to handle. They fawned over songs written to be trivial and fun. They never meant anything. The songs with repetitive lyrics that slowly drove him to madness.

  It wouldn’t do any good at all to focus on that, he had to focus on himself at the moment. “It’s nice to meet you all.” He let himself be shown away.

  “Wait! Can I get an autograph?” The woman who asked was pretty in a way that most people could appreciate it. Had he been a different man, he might have been tempted.

  “Sure.” Chance couldn’t help but smile a little bit, taking her sma
ll book and signing his name. “Who can I make this out to?”

  “Emmie Smith.” She was grinning as he personalized it. “I’ve been a fan of yours since the first album you did.”

  “It’s always nice to meet a fan.” Chance fought to keep his smile going.

  “Thank you so much.”

  “It’s not a problem. I wouldn’t be anywhere without my fans.” He felt a twinge of guilt for having forgotten the fact that his fans were so important to his life. He wouldn’t have anything at all. “You guys make all of this possible.”

  She beamed as he finally was dragged away. They were heading on a further tour of the backstage area and would be given a few small souvenirs. It was a nice gesture of t-shirts and beer cozies that didn’t actually mean much at all. And he would be safe and sound back in the room as people packed up from the event.

  Chance headed right for the small room so that he could relax until the crowds moved out and he could get out of the venue safely.

  Once inside he looked at his calendar. No free time for the next week other than a few hours every couple of days. His life was like this more times than not. “Why do you even look anymore?”

  He was interrupted by his phone buzzing. The screen lit up with a familiar picture. A message from his agent.

  How’s the tour going?

  Seems to be on track. He wanted to tell the truth, but it wouldn’t do any good.

  Awesome. Got something for you in El Paso.

  What’s that? El Paso was the next city on his list. He would be there for all of two days. One day to rest and then the big show the next one.

  I know you’re not a huge fan of talk shows, but the show hasn’t sold out yet. Was thinking we could get you on the morning show there.

  You really think that’s gonna work?

  Better than nothing.

  He wasn’t a huge fan of that response, but then, Susanne had a point at least. It was better than nothing. And every butt in a seat was better for his career. When do I need to be there?

  3 am.

  That’s an hour after we’re scheduled to arrive. He thought about it then sent off another text. What if we’re delayed?

  They know that might happen. They get that you’re on a tight schedule.

  When am I supposed to sleep?

  You can sleep afterward.

  I usually sleep on the road.

  I know, sorry.

  He sighed heavily. He didn’t like the way this was going. How many appearances am I expected to do?

  This will be the last one.

  You said that last time.

  I know I did. I mean it this time.

  Chance wasn’t sure how much he believed that. And he had good cause not to. He paused before answering the text, not even knowing what he was going to say to the woman. After a few more minutes he found the right words to say. And it wasn’t as nice as it should have been.

  This has got to be a joke.

  You don’t have to do it. I can always cancel.

  He sighed. There were so many expectations of this life, but he was out there and living a dream that most people would give up body parts to achieve. He shouldn’t be ungrateful. And it was true. He would have the rest of the day off. It would be easy enough to rest then. I’ll do it. Set it up with my itinerary guys.

  Will do. How’re you doing?

  Been a long tour.

  I know. But a few more weeks and you’ll be free and clear.

  Until it gets extended again.

  I’m sure that’s not going to happen.

  You say that every time.

  Lol. I know. Look, it’s good that you’re popular, right?

  Yeah. It is. You know I love my fans.

  It’s a great group of fans.

  He put the phone away and leaned against the back of his seat. One more thing that he was going to be expected to do. And that meant that he was going to have to leave even earlier.

  Quickly he shoved the few items that he had into his bag and slipped out of the room. He was heading straight for his bus which should be pulling up any moment now. People had time to leave the concert and now he was safer to leave.

  He had to get on the road, which meant the stage guys would have to handle all of the packing without him. Not like he was ever much help. Those guys had the entire thing down to a science, but he certainly liked to feel like he was more than a pretty face for the audience to fawn over while he played some overdone song.

  Still, he knew that the fans loved the song and the label knew what people would love. They were in the business to make money, not to make art. So, they encouraged what sold well.

  Now he had more money than he knew what to do with, but it all felt empty.

  Within moments of climbing into the bus, the wheels were humming down the road and he had settled back into the large bedroom. The place set aside for the star. Technically he had a home, but he spent more time on this bus than he had ever spent in that house.

  He was not looking forward to the show. But it was something that needed to be done. Instead of focusing on all of the bad parts of it, he chose to stick with the thought that renting a car to get him there would end with him having a little more freedom before his show. Maybe he would actually have a moment to explore the city. He started making plans about it as he struggled to sleep.

  There was a lot going on, and he was normally up a lot later than this. He was one of those people that needed time to unwind from all of the stress that surrounded him on a daily basis.

  Eventually, the hum of the road lured the sleep to come. It had always been easy for him to sleep in a vehicle. The lullaby of the open road and something about this life that he definitely didn’t regret. A life spent traveling and exploring when he could.

  Chapter Two

  “Is that a chair?” Devlin squinted out the passenger side window of the truck. He was trying to see something on the curb, but the sun was shining too bright to give him a good look at it.

  The woman beside him shrugged. “Hard to tell from here.”

  “Damn it.” He stopped the truck and pulled over to the side of the road trying to get a better view of it.

  “Want me to go check?” The woman was tall and broad-shouldered, but still young and blond.

  “Yeah. Go check.” Devlin nodded at her.

  The woman didn’t pay attention to the nod, as soon as she heard him start to speak, she hopped out of the truck and picked up the chair, holding it up to the open window. “Think you can do something with this?”

  “Yeah, I think I can.”

  “Any specific way you want this loaded?”

  “Not really. It has really nice wood, it just needs a new finish. Just toss it in the back. I don’t think that’s gonna hurt it.”

  She did as she was asked and then climbed back into the cab. “I really don’t see what you see in this junk.”

  “I guess I just see the potential in it.” Devlin shrugged. “What does it matter, Annie? You’re getting paid anyway.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

  “Probably not enough though.”

  “It’s chump change.” She grinned as she peered out of the window at the side of the street.

  “I know. I still got to make a living.”

  “It’s only a few evenings a month, and I do it mostly as a favor and to get a free dinner.”

  “Free dinners are better than paying for dinner.”

  “You ever consider getting an employee?”

  “Sure, that could work.” He shook his head. “When sales actually got more reliable.”

  “You could probably get more done if you got someone to help with this stuff.”

  “I’ll think about it, but money is kind of tight right now.”

  “Money is always tight.”

  “That’s what I get for being an artist. At least I can pay my bills.”

  “That’s good at least.” Annie shrugged. “Sorry, it’s not perfect.”
<
br />   “Business is slowly improving. I’m actually managing to move through my stock as more people hear of me.”

  “Then maybe you can hire an assistant soon.”

  “That would allow me to work a lot harder on churning out product.”

  “You should start considering how much that would cost.”

  Devlin nodded. “Look. I hear what you’re saying. Maybe I could even trust this part of the job to the assistant.”

  “Did you just tell me you hear what I’m saying?”

  “I also agreed with you.”

  She laughed loudly. “Now you’re thinking.”

  “I’ll see how many hours I can afford to put into this.” He sighed heavily. “I’ll have to talk to the accountant.”

  “Wow, that sucks.”

  “Talking to the accountant is never a pleasant experience.”

  “Yeah. That whole numbers thing.”

  Devlin couldn’t help but laugh about that. It was the truth. The accountant cared more about numbers than he did about the art. Still, it was a necessary thing.

  Thump, thump, thump. The sudden jerk caught them both off guard as the sudden sound of loose rubber hitting the road at a high rate of speed hit their ears.

  “Damn it!” Devlin carefully navigated the truck over to the side of the road.

  Annie winced. “Ouch. That sounds like your tire.”

  “I don’t think I hit something.” He leaned back for a moment as he took a deep breath. “This is the last thing I need right now.”

  “You’ve got a spare, don’t you?” Annie hopped out of the truck and looked at the passenger side front tire. “It’s in bad shape.”

  “Yeah. I do. It’s in the back of the truck.” Devlin followed her out of the truck and started to dig in the back of the truck to dig out his spare. He hoped that he still had it. It had been so long since he had to deal with it.

  Annie pulled out the jack from the toolbox while Devlin managed to get the tire out.

  But the moment that it was put down, another problem realized itself. “The tire is flat.”

  Devlin groaned as he looked at it. “I guess we got to call someone.”