“Everyone, please welcome to the stage Callie and The Turtledoves!” The crowd went wild with raucous cheers. They jumped to their feet as we ran out on the stage and took our places. Marko counted us off, one two three, hitting his drumsticks together to start us on the downbeat, and we began our first set. I looked out to the audience, and everyone looked so happy, huge smiles stretched across their faces, bodies swaying to the music. My heart beat to Marco’s drums, boom boom!
I was in heaven.
I couldn’t believe they knew us! I mean, we had never played this town before, but the crowd knew the words to all our old songs. I was so blown away. I could hardly believe this was happening. The room was packed with hundreds of people. Hunter even hired someone to sell our CDs. He said I shouldn’t be doing that anymore, that my only job was to sing. He always said, “All you have to do is look beautiful. Your voice tells the whole story.”
Of course, right now, I had to keep an eye out for Gaby, too. Tenny and him had bonded so we shared our time with him. She couldn’t be responsible for him 24/7, and anyway, we had worked it all out. I got time with Hunter, too. Sexy time was our private time, and I appreciated him more than ever. He was my rock, my role model, my everything!
I’m gonna be a rock star, I sang, the crowd cheering. They were all standing up, clapping over their heads, and the place was rocking out. The song was number 1 on local radio. I looked to my right to catch Hunter swinging his hips back and forth. He noticed, and a huge, broad smile broke across his beautiful face, his dimple popping. This was the first song the Doves wrote that could rocket to the national charts. Tears filled my eyes when I realized how big this moment was.
We were back, motherfuckers. I lifted my fist to the crowd and started jumping up and down. My heart pounded and sweat poured down the back of my shirt. I was in my element. Life couldn’t get better than this.
When the show was over, and we had taken our final bow, they called us back for an encore. I was covered in sweat and smiles. “Lip is awesome. I couldn’t be happier with the sound, right?” I looked between my Doves, and they both nodded.
“Absolutely. It’s great to have someone at the board that knows what they’re doing.” Ted said with a big grin. He carried a hand towel that he threw over his shoulder.
“Having a road manager makes a huge difference. Even sound check went smoother,” added Marko, his eyes sparkling brightly in the backstage lighting.
“It feels so good to be back on stage, singing my heart out with you two bums.” I laughed loudly, squeezing their hands.
We chose ‘Time Heals’ for our encore. It started out slow and steady and built to a crescendo. It was our rock anthem. I sang the chorus. We will heal! Yes, we will! We will heal in time, and the crowd went crazy, stomping their feet and whistling. My heart felt like it was going to burst.
I ran off stage after our second encore. That was it for the night. I was totally, completely wrung out, damp with all the exertion. “I can’t wait to cool off outside,” I said.
“Great show tonight.” Lip congratulated us. The two new crew were handling the tear-down, and all I had to do was take a breath of fresh air and cool off. I met them briefly tonight. I thought Maggy looked a tiny bit familiar but in that I-don’t-know kind of way. Maybe she looked like someone I used to know, but I didn’t spend much time thinking about it.
David jerked his chin up in the air and said, “Hey Callie, thanks for taking us with.” Seemed like a cool dude. I wouldn’t really be spending time with them, I had so much else going on, I didn’t really think about them at all.
Hunter handed me a towel. As I wiped my face, he said, “You were amazing, sweetheart! Best show EVER!“ His enthusiasm was infectious, and pretty soon we were all hugging and cheering for a “job well done.”
Tenny and Gaby were tucked away on the bus, and I didn’t have to worry about him. The band was going out after this. “We need to celebrate, you guys!” I beamed, excitement rushing through my veins. I took another long swig of water from the bottle Hunter handed me.
“Babe, go change so we can get out of here,” he whispered. I grabbed another towel to wipe my arms. I couldn’t wait to get out of these soggy clothes.
“I need to say hello to the fans, H. I can’t just leave right now.” He slung an arm across my shoulders, and I was still in ‘show mode’ with my heart pumping wildly and adrenaline still affecting me. We went out to the front of the stage where someone was selling the CDs. Fans started to line up to take pics with me, snapping their phones and giggling wildly. This space must have held over 400 people. “I can’t believe we sold this place out, can you, Hunter?” I looked around the darkened room that had emptied out slowly. The lights were dimmed, and the smell of weed hung thickly in the air.
“It worked, babe. Everything worked tonight.” Hunter gave me a sexy-as-sin grin.
Ted and Marko joined us out there. They had changed out of their show clothes and had thrown some fresh sets of jeans and tee’s on over their muscled bodies.
“Hey, Ted, stand right here, I think some of those girls are trying to catch your eye,” I said, teasing him because we all knew he was a lady killer. As he stepped to the side where I pointed, a girl came up to him and boldly said, “Hey Ted, whatcha doing after?” Their heads met together, and it looked to me like they traded numbers on their cells. Made me laugh.
“Marko, come sign some of the CDs with me.” As I directed them to their positions, one of the fans, a girl in her twenties with, blonde hair and, blue eyes who, looked like she was a cheerleader type when she was in high school, sidled up next to me and said,
“Callie, you are my hero!” My mind exploded. I couldn’t believe it. I never thought in a million years that this could be my life.
“Oh, honey, there are so many other people who deserve that title but thank you so much.” I hugged her sweetly before she ducked her head and smiled a cute little smile. “What’s your name, honey?” She turned back around and gave me another bright grin.
“It’s Bridget.” And then she was bounding away. I watched her walk out by herself. I hoped she’d be okay on her own.
It made me think of the time I met Frank Avalon. He was an incredible performer from years ago, but he still had rabid fans that followed his shows. He told me once, “This woman came backstage and asked for my autograph. She told me meeting me was the biggest moment of her life. Made me sad for her. If I was the biggest moment of her life, what kind of life had she had?” Now, I totally got what he was trying to say. There was nothing so special about us. We just used what God gave us when we were born.
After the last fan said their goodbyes, and I had changed my clothes, I was ready to get the F out of here and find a wonderful place to chill. I couldn't wait to get some food; I was always starving after a show. We all were. We were going out to dinner, kind of a band meeting slash party. We definitely wanted to commemorate our first show back.
“Let’s get going!” Lip yelled, and we all trooped out of the space after thanking the manager for all his help. Everyone was joining us for dinner except the new Lip hires. They had just started with us, and we really didn’t know them. We were off to a restaurant for some real food tonight. I was so sick of hospital and road food and wanted a plate of comfort. We headed for “The Sink.” Someone told us it was great food with a relaxed atmosphere.
I ordered some delicious sounding food, lobster mac and cheese, steak and salad. When the plate was placed in front of me, I noticed a small piece of paper sticking out from underneath it. I knocked Hunter with my shoulder, and when he looked at me, I pointed to the paper and nodded. “What’s this?” I worried my lip.
“Let’s see. I’ll look, babe.” Hunter pulled out the white lined paper that felt more like cloth and read it aloud. ‘I saw you tonight. You rock my world. Watch your back. #yournumberonefan. MSK.’
Who the hell was MSK?
“What the fuck? What is this?” Hunter growled. This didn’t sound good. My heartrate t
icked up. Fuck me! My hands started trembling, and the food in my mouth turned to ash.
Lip looked startled, and the Doves put down their forks.
“What could this mean?”[SO28][SO29] I didn’t know who this #yournumberonefan could be, but I’d gotten a few notes from her, and it started to really worry me. I looked round the restaurant, hoping I’d see someone suspicious. Hunter’s eyes swept the area.
He said, “Lip, look at this.” He showed him the note. Lip stood and started walking out toward the edges of the space. He checked out the people milling around. His menacing presence soothed my frayed nerves.
After Lip walked the entire restaurant, he came back to the table and sat down. “I didn’t see anyone that looked suspicious.” He shrugged his shoulders. He looked into my eyes, and I knew he saw my increasing fear. “Don’t worry, Callie. I got you.” But I WAS worried, I was freaking the fuck out. Was someone following me? Was this #onefan stalking me? Could it be one of the fans I met just hours ago? I was mulling over all the possibilities I could think of.
Hunter grabbed my hand and whispered, “Callie. I’ll protect you.” Then he raised his voice so everyone at the table could hear. “Hey everyone, let’s not let this ruin our meal.”
We all nodded in agreement and dug into our plates with gusto. After a show, we were starving, all of us had exerted so much energy and needed to refuel and replenish our bodies.
But I was worried. I was freaking out inside. I just hoped things didn’t go south. I was having such a good time. After everything we had been through with my family, we deserved a night off. I decided to put this out of my mind. I’d talk to Hunter about it later.
But tonight? Tonight, we celebrated the Turtledoves. I’d worry later.
I was sure I'd worry a lot later.
Chapter 46
Hunter
Fuck me! This was such crap. Someone was messing with Callie big time. I wouldn’t stand for it. We went to our hotel room after dinner. I ripped my shirt off and threw it to the ground. I was steamed. I was so angry that it felt like fumes were rolling out the top of my head. I suddenly realized; it was fear attacking me. I was scared as fuck. I took a deep breath in and tried to calm down. I couldn’t come at Callie like that. This anger would get me nowhere.
“Maybe that note didn’t mean anything?” Callie chewed on the inside of her mouth. I could see how shaken she was, and wished I had something better to say. I wanted to reassure her that everything was gravy. But I wasn’t going to lie to my girl, I just couldn’t.
“Well, maybe we’re overreacting?” I tried to settle us both with a calm, soothing voice. But if one more thing happened, I’d have to figure out what to do. I was a man on a mission, to protect my girlfriend. I couldn’t just ignore this but what could I do?. Maybe the tour was cursed? “I mean, maybe whoever wrote that note wasn’t really trying to threaten you. Maybe it was someone’s warped sense of support?” I placed my arms loosely around her waist and then tipped up her face to me with a finger under her chin. She wore a dubious look on her pretty face. “Let’s not go down that road yet, okay babe? We should just let it go. It could mean nothing, and I don’t want us to get all crazy about it if it doesn’t mean anything.” I softly kissed her sweet lips.
Callie looked me in the eye. “But what if... what if someone is watching me?” Her mouth trembled, and I saw real fear in those gorgeous, deep blue eyes. “What if I have a stalker?” That’s what I was worried about too, but I didn’t want her to know how terrified I felt. I tried to act nonchalant, but I thought I was failing miserably by the look on Callie’s face. Maybe she did have a stalker, someone who meant to do her harm. Oh, fucking hell! I had to stay vigilant here and watch out for her, but was that enough? Was I man enough to protect her?
“Never be alone, babe. Always have someone you trust with you. Can you do that?” I snuggled down into her neck and took a deep breath. She smelled so intoxicating, like lilies and warm, cool breezes. I wished we didn't have this bullshit to worry about. Honestly, I had no idea if we had something real to be concerned about or not. But I was keeping my eyes wide open, and I swore on all that was holy, I’d keep her safe. “I’ll protect you, babe.” I hoped I could keep this promise, that she could depend on me.
“Well, it sounds easy, but I'll miss my alone time. Maybe we should go to the police?” Her hands dampened against my back. Damn, she really was going into overdrive fear.
“We don’t have much to go on, baby. Let’s just keep you safe and watch out for anything weird, okay?” I pulled back and saw her fear grow. She was freaking out. I was concerned but believed we’d get through this threat together. Maybe this triggered her in a way I just couldn’t understand. I just didn’t want to hit the panic button too soon. I mean what did we have to go on?
“If one more thing happens, we’ll call the police. Deal?” I held out my hand. I hoped that would settle her down. Callie slipped her hand in mine, and we firmly shook on it. I needed to have a conversation with Lip about this shit. I wanted her to keep feeling safe out here. I bent down and pulled her top off to expose her gorgeous, creamy skin. I could get lost in her skin. I kissed her neck and mumbled, “We good?”
I felt her heartrate amp up, and she was breathing heavier. Callie reached her arms around my neck and nibbled on my ear. “Hunter, distract me,” she whispered seductively.
“Hell yeah, come here let me worship your body, sexy thing.” I was lost in a sea of kisses. I was so turned on, my dick hardened to stone. I laid her down on the bed and pulled off her pants and kissed her soft belly. Her hands instinctively went to my hair and tightly grabbed a hold of the strands as I travelled down to part her sweet, creamy thighs.
The first swipe of my tongue against her hard clit had Callie arching her back. I attacked her over and over. I wanted to see her come. There was nothing sexier than that, in my book.Callie groaned as her fingers tightened in my hair, and soon she went rigid against my mouth as I slammed two fingers inside her. She moaned loudly, “ARGH!” then she screamed my name, as she came all over my mouth. This girl came so hard, and I loved seeing her fall into a million pieces.
I crawled back up her sexy body and pulled her onto my shoulder. “That was incredible.” Callie whispered, falling on the bed like a limp pile of goo.
“Babe, you’re so beautiful when you come. I love you.” I murmured, allowing her time to relax. In a few moments, I was going to slam my hard dick right into her and take her on the ride of her life.
But in the back of mind, that note just wouldn’t stop pestering me. I hoped my laissez-faire attitude wasn’t going to bite us in the ass. I needed to make a plan, a ‘watch out for Callie’ plan. If something happened to her on my watch because of my carelessness, I would never forgive myself. I couldn’t do it alone, for sure. And even though I was making love to this spectacular woman, I started thinking about how I was going to keep her safe. That was the most important thing. Not my hard dick, though I’m sure it would disagree. I pounded into her until she stiffened as I came. She clung tightly to me, like she couldn’t get close enough. Like I was the only thing standing in the way of her destruction.
Callie was scared to death.
“I’ll be right back.” I got up from the bed to go take a piss.
Callie murmured “Okay,” and rolled over.
I walked into the bathroom andlifted up the lid to the toilet, and then I saw it. It was only a corner of something, so maybe it’d been there for a while? But I pulled the square of paper towards me and looked closer. I could see an image clearly coming to view. In my hand I held the most terrifying piece of evidence that I had ever come across in my life. Someone had left a small photo of Callie shoved under the soap dish. It was a pic of the show this very evening!
Oh my god! How did they get on our bus? I can’t even fathom what had transpired while we were busy with the show. Where was Tenny and Gaby while someone came aboard? My concern for their safety grew astronomically.
Wa
s it one of Callie’s fans? I thought back on all that fan mail. There were piles of notes declaring love for my girl.
My heart ripped in two. I was shattered with worry. My heart jackhammered inside my chest. I felt conflicted and didn’t know if I should tell her about this new development or if I should keep it hidden for now. I thought of how freaked she was when she got that note. Maybe I should keep my big mouth shut.
Why was I fighting the call to the police? Did I know when to say enough was enough? My ego was getting in the way and that was bullshit. It had to stop.
Lip and the Doves deserved to know the truth about what we were facing. They should be kept apprised of any new developments so we could keep an eye out for any unusual activity. We had to come up with a plan to protect her. I was devoted to well thought out strategies. I felt we could keep her safe and unharmed if we were smart about it.
All I really knew was that I had gone from concerned to absolute dizzying terror in a blink of an eye. One moment in time blew Callie’s wellbeing up in smoke. Boom! I was spinning with this new, alarming discovery. Afterall, you couldn’t hold onto smoke, it blew away with the wind.
It was time to get the police involved. I knew what was at stake and needed professional help to keep my girl safe. I couldn’t shield her the way they could, that was for damn sure. Of course, I would do my best. My heart skipped inside my throat.
Time to pull the trigger.
And every second that ticked by, I worried, tick tick tick. She needed all of us to be on high alert. This was the woman of my dreams, and no mother fucker was going to touch a hair on her head. As I pulled out my cell, I was thinking that we had lived way too openly, too accessible, out here. Things were about to drastically change.
Besides calling the police, I hadn’t a clue what to do.
Not a single clue.
Chapter 47
Callie
Once we had regained our confidence, we were all smiles again. Every show was sold out and the screaming fans made us feel like kings; like we were making real inroads in this crazy game called music. Hunter had been amazing the entire time. Our events were so fucking incredible that the managers of almost every club were trying to rebook us. That was success for freaking sure.
Rock Star Page 17