Rock Hard (4 page)

“It was you,
Kate,” Gage was saying plainly, his eyes pinned to hers. “No one knows till
today the inspiration behind my breakout album. How does it feel knowing you
broke my heart and gave me so many demons that drive me and haunt me till this
day?”

Kate’s heart
was thumping; she felt like it was literally cracking to pieces. The anger, the
pain in his eyes was so raw it cut through her like a blade. She believed him.
Believed now that he must have truly cared and she had truly hurt him. He
didn’t hide the profound torment from his expression and just holding his gaze
made everything around them fade out like background pieces. No music, no
voices, no presence. Just their long-buried awareness creeping up from the
cracks and shrouding them in tempestuous sails.

“Gage, I…”

Kate didn’t
get the chance to complete her sentence, as one of the girls swayed up to them
and then practically stumbled into Gage, who caught her deftly. The willowy
brunette was dressed in a slip of a frock and knee-high black boots with four
inch heels. She was holding a half-drunk bottle of whiskey and grinning
foolishly up at Gage.

“Hey, sexy.
Are you two going to be standing about yakking all night?” the young woman said
in a breathy, come-on voice. “I’ve been waiting forever for a piece of your
time, Gage. And if your friend insists on staying, then I don’t mind sharing.
She’s pretty. I like redheads.” The girl turned and winked at Kate, who exhaled
with suppressed annoyance.

“Amanda, not
now. This is a reporter from Stardom magazine. We’re trying to hold an
interview here.” His voice was gruff and Kate could see his fingers biting into
the girl’s slender arms as he held her back from his lips.

“Reporter,
huh? Is that what they call it now? I saw the way you two were looking at each
other,” Amanda muttered while wagging a clumsy, reprimanding finger in Gage’s
face. “I just had to come over here before someone ripped someone else’s
clothes off.”

“Amanda…”

“Excuse me,”
Kate mumbled, suddenly dumping her glass on the bar and spinning off to find
the bathroom.

She didn’t
look left or right as she stumbled through the doors to the en suite bathroom.
It was no surprise that it was as luxuriously fitted as the rest of the suite.
There was a shower enclosure that had the latest spray technology with multiple
showerheads above and at the sides of the walls. A huge whirlpool tub still
couldn’t dwarf the immense spaciousness of the bathroom. Designer toiletries
were arranged in stylish cabinets and all the fittings were well crafted and
eye-catching. Kate sank unto the closed toilet seat and covered her face in her
hands.

What had made
her think she could do this? Treat Gage like a normal stranger when they had a
past, though brief, between them? And then just minutes ago, he’d made her
believe that though brief, her time with him had impacted him in ways that made
their break-up such a traumatic experience for him. She recalled every song in
that first album and how Gage had been drawn listeners around the world with
his ‘tortured artist’ persona, laying himself bare and singing songs that
hearts out there could relate to.

And now he
was saying it had been all about her. Or at least, about her leaving him. He’d
just made the guilt she’d felt before now ten times worse.

Suddenly
realizing she’d spent way too much time holed up in the bathroom, Kate rose
from the seat, checked out her reflection, and pinched her pale cheeks. If she
could, she’d walk out, right out of the suite and not look back. Walk away from
Gage and his rock band pals and his blonde floosy or whoever that chick was
that had been crawling all over him back there.

She walked
back into the room, only just realizing that the tone of music had changed to
one of Gage’s more sonorous songs, filling the suite with strains of string
guitars and smoky, restless Gage singing through the speakers.

She stared in
amazement at the now empty room. “What happened? Where is everyone?”

“Gone. I made
them leave,” Gage said softly, turning form whatever he was fiddling with at
the sound system. He viewed her with critical eyes. “Are you okay? Want to
start the interview now?”

“I don’t
think…”

“It’s late,
and we’ve both had a long night,” he said mildly, “So I’ll be cooperative as
possible. Ask me whatever you like. Go on, sit down,” he said, indicating an
easy chair close to where he sat on the couch opposite.

Drawing in a
deep breath, Kate finally made up her mind to see this through. A few questions
were required for the two-page feature. In a half hour, tops, she could wrap
this up and leave without making a fool of herself and giving in to the urge to
lunge in Gage’s direction and simply ravish him with kisses. She could just see
herself straddling his thighs as she kissed him, her knees digging into the
couch as she ground her panty-covered pussy over his erection sheathed beneath
his pants.

Gathering up
every professional bone in her body, Kate finally started the interview. The
questions seemed so mundane now that she had him alone, sitting there calmly
and also keeping his own level of correctness and formality.

She asked him
about a lot of things; about his glamorous lifestyle and whether it was all
about play. He told her that yes, it was fun getting to travel around the
world, play the best parties and shows, stay in the finest hotels and eat at
the top restaurants. Hong Kong tonight, Korea tomorrow…playing to several
hundred thousand or to just a thousand people…Different settings brought a
different energy.

Sure, Gage
confessed, it did feel great but it was also tough. Of course he worked hard,
he assured her. Day and night, in the studio, or on the road. And now, doing an
interview at ten to one a.m. in the morning. He grinned suddenly at that and
Kate couldn’t help smiling back, inwardly glad they could relate without the
poison of the past inching into the conversation.

“You’ve had
four studio albums; cross-over collaborations with artistes like Katy Perry,
Kanye West, Coldplay. How do you think your music has evolved?” Kate asked.

A grin
slanted over Gage’s curved lips. “I’ve always believed that the older I become,
the tastier and more refined I get – like a bottle of wine. I’m very
spontaneous and it shows in my music. I don’t let anything hold me back and
that’s why my fans can feel all of me in my music.”

At that, Kate
had to bring up his fans; his 20 million Facebook friends, three million
Twitter followers and then his videos on YouTube all getting countless views
and subscribers.

“I believe
the social media is a fabulous tool. I get to interact with my fans differently
from when I’m on stage and they’re in the crowd,” Gage said thoughtfully.

“So…you have
the lifestyle people only dream of. You travel in your private jet, you hang
out with the rich and famous, and get to live like a king, adored by your
teeming fans. How does that make you feel?” asked Kate.

“I’m happy to
be making so much money doing what I love – and yet I know I’ll still be
doing it even if I was making less than one percent of what I make now,” he
said, and Kate bit on her lip as she realized it was true; even when Gage and
his band had zero funds and sometimes had to play for free at shows, Gage had
always been glad to just play, to share his music.

“Besides,” he
went on with a shrug, “I have the best management who find great opportunities
for me business-wise. So I’m all about the music but I still think of other
ways to make my money. I’m a part of numerous endorsements but only those I
feel suit my personality. I’d never endorse what I didn’t believe in, no matter
the rewards.”

Kate nodded
understandingly. “So, just what do you spend your money on anyway?” she
half-teased. “Cars, yachts? An island or two?”

He grinned at
that. “Yeah, I heard about that rumor where a tabloid claimed I’d bought up
some tiny island off Fiji. Not true. I really don’t have that much time to
spend money since I’m always busy working. Sure, I could
rent
an
expensive yacht because it’s easier. And I do enjoy buying up houses –
don’t even know how many of those I have. I should count them though,” he mused
carelessly, and Kate shook her head with humor.

“Yes, you
should,” she said wryly. “With the money and fame...did drugs ever become part
of your life?”

She could
tell the question had surprised him. Kate had never known him to even smoke but
who knew what else had changed about him? He’d never seemed the womanizer type
but now he was always in the news along with some latest conquest crying her
eyes out for not being able to hold on to the rock star god Gage Stevens.

“Drugs have
never been my thing,” Gage said seriously, folding his arms as he sat back in
the couch. “And I think many new age rock stars focus on their career and stay
clean. I certainly can’t afford to do drugs on stage. I tell myself I have one
chance and one chance only – can’t detriment that with drugs. I find
other ways to enjoy life and garner that high that drugs provide for other
people.”

“And what
other ways are those?” Kate couldn’t help asking.

“Well, for
one thing, there’s sex,” he said, tongue in cheek. Kate’s face flushed. “Hot,
hours-long sex helps ramp up the adrenal edge for me. That’s my mojo.”

Kate squirmed
in her seat. That little tidbit certainly wasn’t going into the final feature,
she decided, even as she asked, “You’ve dated some beautiful women; do you
think you’d settle down any time soon?”

He shoved his
hair back. “Sure, I’ve dated, but I don’t have much of a social life –
or  private life for that matter. It’s hard to have one when I’m focused
so much on my career. A lot of my friends are married and have kids, and it’s
got me hoping that in the future, I can have a private life. Like everyone out
there, I’d love to fall in love, get married and have beautiful children,” he said
deeply.

Kate nodded,
but inwardly didn’t like to think how much it wrenched her heart to imagine
Gage falling in love or marrying anyone else, and having undoubtedly gorgeous
kids with the lucky woman. Ground down by an acute sense of loss, Kate decided
to round up the interview by asking what advice he had for upcoming rock
artists like him.

“Fight for
every chance you get,” Gage said simply. “It’s all about a lot of hard work, a
bit of talent, the right music – and a great mindset. I believe so much
in fighting for your dreams, and that’s why I try to support any new acts I can
by letting them open up for me at gigs. I’ve also got various charities focused
on young adults and kids. So though I might be living a life of glamour,
whether playing with hip-hop’s Kanye West at a private party or meeting
supermodel Kate Upton at a beach show, I’m more than my lifestyle.”

“I think your
fans know that,” Kate said sincerely, before finally switching off the
recorder. He nodded, acknowledging her words with a small smile as he rose to
go over to the bar. He mixed some drinks and brought a glass over to her but
she shook her head.

“Any more
alcohol and I’ll be falling asleep where I am. And I need to get going –
it’s almost two am.”

“It’s a
non-alcoholic cocktail – or a mocktail as it’s called,” he said drily,
holding it out to her with a compelling look. “Drink.”

Kate sighed
and then obediently took a gulp. It had a refreshing taste of the Mojito
without the alcohol. Realizing she really was thirsty, she took more sips, glad
she could relax even if for a few more minutes before she had to go. She rose
from her chair to pace over to the picture window. For the first time, she took
in the view and saw how beautiful the city looked from here. She thought of
going back to her dreary though homely apartment – her overall dreary
life. But wanting to stay, she knew, would be the biggest mistake.

“It’s
gorgeous, isn’t it?” Gage asked from behind her. She didn’t turn around though
she felt him standing just inches away. “It was in a hotel suite like this one
that I wrote my latest album. Recorded all twelve songs holed up in a hotel in
Brussels within a month. It was crazy.” He chuckled.

Kate had
remembered reading about that. She also knew that his newest album was also his
most successful to date. People couldn’t seem to have enough of Gage Stevens.
Not that she could blame them…

She turned
slightly when she felt his arm reach round to take her empty glass. Seconds
later, his hands were on her shoulders, the fingers digging into her flesh.
Kate closed her eyes, and inhaled…exhaled.

“It’s late.
Why don’t you stay. With me.”

His famously
raspy voice sent a rush of sensation over her nape and made her whole body
tingle with the
want
. It had been so long for her…months even. She hadn’t
met anyone lately that she was interested in dating, and she definitely wasn’t
into one-night stands with strangers or hook-ups.

But here,
with Gage, it wouldn’t be so bad, would it? At least they’d know the score. At
least, she’d know that she was simply taking the place of which ever groupie or
groupies who would have been the ones lucky to be alone with Gage right now.

“You mean,
stay and share your bed, right?” Kate asked with a trace of bitterness.

“If not for
old times’ sake…then because it’s the right place and time,” he said huskily.
“And because you want to. It’s all you’ve wanted since we kissed in my dressing
room; I know. It’s certainly all I’ve wanted since you walked in the fucking
door.”

Kate gasped
as his hand now closed around her throat in a possessive grasp, his lips close
to her ear.

“You look the
same…you even smell the same,” he whispered, his sweet breath teasing her
nostrils. “Now I’m dying to find out if you feel the same, too.”