He took a gulp of beer. “Hey, baby. What’s your favorite Cold Fusion song? I’ll sing it for you at the show tomorrow.”
She squealed. “Oooooh. Will you say my name, too? It’s Brenda. Brenda Butler.”
Tyler smiled. “If I remember it. What song?”
She pressed her hand against his cock. “Oh, it doesn’t matter. Any will do.”
“Yeah, but what’s your favorite?”
“Uh, I just love them all. I’m such a big fan of your music. Uh, how about the one that’s on the radio all the time. That’s my favorite one!” She was smiling so brightly up at him.
Right. He brushed her hand away from his cock. “You mean Slutty Girls? That’s your favorite song?”
She laughed, completely oblivious to the fact that he had just made up a song. “Yes! That one. I just love it. Will you sing that one for me?”
Twenty minutes later he was doing a line of coke. Easy chicks had never bothered him before. These weird thoughts and feelings had been dragging down his entire night. It made him uncomfortable. Everyone wanted a piece of him, but they didn’t really give a shit about him. But now, the blow was kicking in and he felt invincible again. And whatever had gotten him so fucked in the head, didn’t matter any more.
When it started to wear off later that night, he bumped a second line. Sometime after that, Tommy came over to him with a new beer and somehow Tommy fucking knew. Tyler registered the look of disappointment on Tommy’s face, but by that time, he didn’t give a fuck. He was feeling on top of the world again. Things were set right. His odd feelings about the people surrounding him had melted away. It was time for fun.
The bodyguard had driven him and a random girl he grabbed at the last moment back to the hotel. He had no idea what had happened to Brenda Butler and he didn’t care. He had been partying too hard to notice.
Back at the hotel room, Tyler started feeling jittery and anxious again. Even while the girl with the huge tits writhed naked on his bed, he couldn’t shake the smothering feeling. If he had more blow, he would do it, no question.
Instead, he kicked the girl out of his room. He tossed her clothes on the bed. “Sorry, honey. But it’s not going to happen tonight. I’m just too fucked up.”
She tried to persuade him for a little bit, but eventually gave up. “So, you don’t mind if I tell my friends that we had sex, do you? I’ll tell everyone you were really good.”
He pulled her handbag off the floor and gave it to her. “Tell them whatever you want.”
It wouldn’t be the first time some chick posted stuff all over the internet about him that wasn’t true. This one had even insisted on a picture of them together. He wondered if he looked as fucked up in it as he felt.
When she left, he broke out the tiny liquor bottles in his room’s minibar, hoping they would settle him down some. They didn’t and he felt like fuck for hours as he came down from his high.
***
The banging in his head wasn’t going away. And it wasn’t in his head. Someone was banging on his fucking door.
“Tyler, if you don’t open up right this instance, I’m going to come in and get you.”
It was a woman, but he was still so groggy, he had no idea who it could be. The TV was on without the volume, so he grabbed the remote from the nightstand and clicked it off. He hadn’t been able to sleep all night. He must have finally passed out when the sun was coming up. He glanced at the alarm clock. It was 2 PM. Fuck. That was probably bad.
The banging finally stopped and his head lolled against the pillow again. He sank back into a senseless stupor until he heard an unpleasant screeching way too close to his ear.
“That’s it. Time is up, buddy. You’re just going to have to deal with whatever you’re trying to sleep off.”
He poked open an eye and saw Katie standing over him. She looked as gorgeous as ever, even with the death glare she was sending him.
He smiled. “Mmm. Have you changed your mind? Or is this just an awesome dream I’m having?”
She frowned as she looked him over. “Really, Tyler? Were you that drunk last night? You didn’t even take your pants off?”
“Disappointed?” He could feel his cock pressing against the tight denim jeans. Guess it was back to life.
She looked exasperated. “Can you be serious for just one moment?”
He scrubbed at his face with his hands. “How did you get in here anyway?”
“Your bodyguard has a key card to your room. What does it matter? You’re totally late! The whole band is at sound check right now. And they’re pissed. Rightfully so. And so am I. Get up already!”
Tyler got out of the bed and stretched. “Why didn’t he wake me up hours ago?”
Katie handed him a bottle of water. “He’s not your babysitter, Tyler. And neither am I. His job is to make sure you’re safe out in public. And my job is to create a TV show around you. Not to drag your sorry ass out of bed. You’re lucky I didn’t come with cameras.”
Tyler took a long sip of water. There used to be a time when he could do lines of coke all night and not feel any ill effects the next day. This time the come down was hard and the high he had felt the night before had been way too short.
“Yeah, the guys are going to be pissed. Scott, too. It’s not a great way to start the tour.”
Katie agreed with him. “Scott was on a rampage. He said he would have loved to have come and knocked some sense into your head, but he was too busy with the band. And the sound check. So you better hurry up and get ready. You have five minutes before we leave.”
Tyler dragged a hand through his hair. “Where’s my bag? There it is. Okay, I’ll just hop in the shower.”
When he came out feeling half alive, Katie was waiting for him. “Is that your only bag? Where do you keep all your clothes?”
He zipped up his toiletry bag and dropped it into his only luggage, a small carry-on bag. “We have to travel light on tour. Most of our wardrobe gets hauled around and unloaded in our dressing rooms for each stop. We don’t carry much on the bus.”
She was chewing on her lip. “Oh. I hope I didn’t bring too much for my bus. I have three suitcases with me. And a shoe bag. It’s a long tour with not much opportunity to do wash…”
Tyler laughed. “Three? Where the hell are you going to put all that shit?”
Katie shrugged. “This bus thing is new to me. I guess I’ve got a lot to learn. All right, we’ve gotta go. You know they’ve begun filming at the sound check. You’re missing out already. Don’t you want to be the star of the show?”
Tyler felt a hint of misgivings stirring in his gut. “I don’t know anymore. Usually I’m so juiced to get started on tour, but this time I’m just not feeling it.”
Katie’s eyes widened with surprise. “What?! Tonight is going to be my first Cold Fusion concert. I’ve been really excited about it and I’ve got really good seats. So don’t’ mess this up for me.”
Tyler felt the familiar thrum of excitement stir in his veins. “What’s your favorite song?”
She blushed before answering. “Well, I really like Here to Stay and all the popular ones. But my favorite is Sweet Oblivion. It just speaks to me. The lyrics are so deep.”
Tyler raised a brow. “It’s probably not about what you think.”
Katie opened the room door. “Well, it’s my favorite. Now let’s get going. I got you a turkey sandwich while you were in the shower. I remember how much you liked them.”
***
Tyler sat back against the leather seats in the car. His head was clearer after his shower and a bite to eat, but now he was starting to sweat.
“Can we turn the heat down? It’s fucking hot in here.”
Katie frowned. “Does every other word out of your mouth have to be ‘fucking’? I like to swear now and then too, but if you do it all the time, it starts to lose its impact. Plus, we’ll have to bleep you out a lot.”
Tyler cracked open his window. “Impact or not, it’s fucking h
ot in here.”
Katie glanced over at him. “It’s freezing outside. I hope you’re not getting sick or something.”
His fingers tapped against his knee. “No. I’m good. Just anxious to get this whole thing rolling. How did Nick seem? I haven’t talked to him since the disastrous engagement party.”
Katie paused before answering. “I was worried about him, but he seems good. Not that I know him all that well.”
Tyler wondered what Katie thought of the whole affair- Nick being blackmailed into marriage; only to call it off at the last minute and have a shocking sex tape released starring Nick and his stepsister. Tyler had been alternately pissed at Nick and then jealous of all the attention he was receiving. The whole thing was weird, especially since he’d known Allie since she was a little kid.
“Is that kind of personal stuff going to get on the show?” Tyler asked.
“Anything you guys do on tour could get shown. But this Nick thing is different. We won’t make mention of it on the show for our own reasons. It’s already generating huge buzz though. I can’t lie and say this wasn’t a God’s send in terms of publicity for Rock Star Diaries. And we would probably exploit it if it fit our narrative.”
Tyler grunted derisively. “It’s all about the show for you, isn’t it?”
She glanced at him warily. “Yes. This show is important to me. It’s going to make or break my career. And if it succeeds, it’s going to be good for you, too. I thought you were onboard with all of this?”
Tyler squirmed in his seat. He wasn’t sure why he was acting like such a moody bastard. Ever since he heard about Rock Star Diaries, he’d gotten all turned around in the head. Actually, it was since he’d met Katie Winston. She’d made him question everything.
***
Adrenaline pumped through Tyler’s veins as he waited in the wings, letting the anticipation build. The screams from the packed stadium vibrated inside his chest and had his heart pounding with excitement. Nick glanced his way as he paced across the stage, fiddling with his bass guitar. Tommy was settled in behind the drum kit taking a long drink of his beer. They were all pretty pumped. While months on the road could wear down even the most enthusiastic musician, the first show back was always exhilarating. Getting that high, that validation from the fans was beyond description.
The band waited patiently for him, knowing his entrance would whip the crowd into a crazed frenzy. Alex played a few licks on guitar and the fans screamed their appreciation. Everyone was on their feet, waiting for him. They began chanting his name. “Ty-ler, Ty-ler, Ty-ler…” It was almost time.
Tyler savored the moment for one last breath, feeding off the energy of the crowd. He turned his black leather cuff so that the silver buckle was on the inside of his wrist. He wasn’t very superstitious, but he liked to twist it for good luck before every show. The bracelet had been a gift from Hailey; she had picked it out just for him, telling him that it would make him look like a real rock star. He felt a pang of anguish when he thought of her, but quickly shook it off. It was time to be a real rock star, for Hailey.
Tyler stepped out onto the stage and even before the spotlight found him, the crowd let out a mighty roar. Nick was grinning as Tyler strode past him towards center stage, obviously as caught up in the moment as he was. Tyler nodded to Alex, who had stepped up to the front edge of the stage just steps to his right. Alex played a few more guitar licks to the crowd’s renewed delight.
Tyler pulled the mic stand close to him. Thousands of eyes were watching his every move, but he didn’t feel any nervousness. Not like in the old days when he needed multiple shots of alcohol just to face the crowds. He knew Rock Star Diaries was filming. They would only show very small snippets of the concerts, but he guessed this had to be one of them. Still, it didn’t bother him.
He hadn’t planned what he was going to say. He never did. “Hello, Toronto.”
A giant rumble of approval echoed through the Centre.
“You sound like you’re ready tonight.” He waited a beat for the roar to subside slightly. “That’s good. ‘Cause we’re ready to bring this place down.”
The crowd answered him enthusiastically. He didn’t need to stoke the fire any further; the fans were already teetering on the edge of control. Tommy started counting in the band with his sticks. Years of playing together had attuned them all to each other; the band behind him instinctively knew when Tyler wanted to start.
The crowd reacted when the first few guitar notes pierced the air as they instantly recognized the song. Tyler cupped the microphone with two hands and waited as the fans settled into the music. Soon he was lost in working the stage as he belted out the lyrics to their latest top hit.
They played four fast-paced songs in a row. Now it was time to change it up a bit. He returned his microphone to the stand and headed across stage to the piano. He had swapped out a song and added Sweet Oblivion to the set list. No one had minded too much. It was just another guitar for the techs to tune for Alex, but none in the band had objections.
Sweet Oblivion was a song Tyler originally wrote on the piano years ago. Back in high school, before they picked up Alex, Tyler had played lead guitar. But it was clear from the start when Alex joined that he was a much better player than him. Now Tyler concentrated on vocals and performing for the audience. But he always felt completely in the groove on stage when he played an instrument, either guitar or piano.
He only played piano in a few of their songs, especially on tour, but the audience always seemed to love it. They hadn’t played Sweet Oblivion in concert for years.
Tyler leaned into the mic that was mounted on the piano. “I’ve got a real treat for you tonight. This song is for a friend of mine. This is her first Cold Fusion show and it’s her favorite song… It’s one of my favorites, too.”
He heard some fans screaming out his name and a few sharp whistles. He tuned out the noisy crowd and started with a slow tempo, then seamlessly incorporated the melody into the rhythm. The band supported him, but backed off enough to give him the spotlight with the vocals and piano.
As his fingers flew over the keys, he wondered what Katie was thinking. Was she impressed with the band? With him? What did she think of him now, in front of all these people who were screaming out his name? Was she impressed or was she still just thinking about her damn TV show?
The band was starting to come in harder as Tyler drew the audience further into the song. Tyler just let himself flow naturally with the moment. He didn’t care about the people who would watch him on TV. Those weren’t the real fans. They didn’t know him. He felt connected to the people in the stadium who were singing along with him. They understood him.
The song ended to insane applause. Since this was the first real break in music since the set had started, Tyler stood up from the piano and strolled back to the mic stand. “Thank you… So, how’s everyone doing? You want some more?”
The crowd cheered; their enthusiasm wasn’t lagging at all. Alex played a riff from the next song on the set list and the crowd reacted wildly. Tyler grabbed his guitar from the stand and stepped back allowing Alex to take lead vocals.
Playing dual guitar was complicated; they just couldn’t both play the same thing. Usually Alex let Tyler play the melody line while he filled in and complemented his playing expertly. It was a skill Tyler would never master like Alex had, an innate talent to improvise so effortlessly.
But he was freer to roam the stage as Alex took lead vocals. When Alex had the spotlight, Tyler liked to move closer to the fans. He wandered to the right side of the stage and began searching the crowd. Wondering where Katie was.
He had his shades on, but with the bright lights sweeping intermittently across the crowd, he could see the faces of the fans in the first couple of rows. He had no idea where Katie was, but he felt sure she was watching. He really wanted to see her expression. Would she be staring at him raptly with the same star struck expression like almost all of the girls in sight were at t
he moment? He wanted that validation from her. If only he could find her.
He spotted her. She was standing aside from the crowd behind some metal barriers on the right side of the stage. She was watching. Not screaming and jumping up and down like the other fans. She was watching. Quietly. Intently. Not singing or swaying to the music. Just staring up at the stage. Watching him. Not the whole band. Just him. With a look in her eye- a look that made his jeans feel too damn tight. A sultry gaze that sparked off a riot of fluttering deep in his gut. He couldn’t remember the last time he wanted a particular girl so damn badly.
The next time he circled to Katie’s side of the stage, she was gone. He tried to ignore the disappointment that he felt, but it clung to him. The intoxicating exuberance he felt moments ago was suddenly gone.
Tyler continued playing guitar as if on autopilot while Alex sang in the center of the stage- taking his spot. Alex was getting a good reception from the crowd; he always did, but that had never bothered Tyler before.
It seemed like ages until the song finally ended. Normally, Tyler addressed the crowd during this transition in their set while Alex changed guitars and settled back into his spot, but this time Tyler didn’t feel like it. The band covered his silence with improvised riffs. He needed to get his shit together.
And he did. It shouldn’t matter to him what one person thought of him, not when he was surrounded by thousands of adoring fans. He focused on the audience in front of him and fed off their mood. This was the one place in the whole world that he wanted to be. That he needed to be.
They were nearing the end of their set when he happened to see Katie again. A renewed rush of energy tingled in his blood. She had moved backstage and had been watching them play from the side of the stage along with Scott. She was still watching him. He couldn’t help but smile, even as he was singing. He felt her presence for the remainder of the set, even if he didn’t glance over again. Her gaze lingered on him, searing his skin with its heat. All he could think about was having her. And now he was sure that she was definitely interested despite her words to the contrary. By the time the set was over and he was thanking the audience, his cock was throbbing with insane desire.
Rock Me: Sexy (New Adult Rockstar Romance) (New Adult Rock Star Erotic Romance) Page 6
