“Pleasure,” he says, putting his hand out for me to shake. I take it and nod. “So, when the others arrive, I’ll run through your slot and a few other things to make sure this all goes smoothly. This is your first TV performance?”
“Yes,” I nod. “And I’m really excited about it.”
“Good.” He seems happy that I’m happy. “You’ll love it. One you step in front of that camera, you want more. And you guys are going to be huge. We already have fans lining up outside to catch a glimpse of you.”
Seriously? I laugh and scratch my jaw at the thought of people getting up at this hour to see us. That’s fucking insane.
Max, Leo and Bazz arrive shortly after, all looking barely awake. Michael runs through how everything will run, right down to which way we enter the stage and what happens when we finish our song.
As we stand off set, I’m nervous as fuck about what we’re about to do. I pump my hands into fists in an effort to shake off my nerves. If the others are nervous they don’t show it. But then again, there’s more pressure on me being the singer. They could fuck up the tune and nobody would ever know.
“Ready in two.” The voice floats through the tiny mic that was placed in my ear earlier. I nod and breathe out.
“You’ll be great,” Lyndall whispers, squeezing my arm. I turn, surprised to see her standing so close to me. Any closer and that body would be flat up against mine. Not that I’m complaining. I give her a wink, hoping I at least look confident.
We get the signal and sprint on the stage, facing the cameras. Outside, at the window, a collection of young girls are screaming our names. I smirk at Max, who gives me a wink before he starts us off. I count the beat down in my head. Closing my eyes, I reach for the mic, the words pouring out of me.
I sing like I always do, whether I’m at home, or in front of a crowd, the passion I feel for my words is the same. I sing because it’s what I love doing, because I can’t imagine my life without music. The fact that I get to share it with people is a bonus because first and foremost, it’s for me.
“And that’s a wrap,” the voice in my ear announces. “We’ll cut to an add, then you guys can leave the stage.”
I turn to our growing fan club outside and give them a wave before running off the stage. My heart pounds out of control. That was unlike anything I’d ever done. Millions of people across the world just saw that. Stace would’ve been watching for sure. I wonder if my parents saw it? I shake my head, knowing there was no way in hell that they’d seen it.
“How fucking great was that?” Leo cheers, patting me on the back. “I’ve got such a rush right now.”
“You sure that isn’t the remnants of whatever you did last night?” Max chuckles. Leo scowls at him. “But yeah, it was pretty magical.” He slaps me on the back. “You rocked those lyrics, bro.”
“So, what now?” I ask Lyndall.
“Now we go at this full throttle,” she grins. I find myself nodding, her enthusiasm contagious. “You want to be number one? You’ll get there, I promise you. All you need to do is perform like that.”
Chapter Five
I can’t believe how fast things are moving. When Lyndall promised me results, I wasn’t expecting them to happen this quickly. We are on our way to L.A. to perform a few shows at some real fucking venues for once. Hell, we even have one booked for Staples Centre, and it’s fucking sold out.
“The single is climbing up the charts, Sax. You guys should be proud.” Lyndall’s voice floats through the speaker of my phone as I sit in the back of the van, Leo on my left.
“We are, trust me,” I chuckle. “So, what’s after this?”
“Let’s just get through tonight and we’ll talk,” she chuckles. “Oh, and you guys have been invited to a pretty exclusive party tomorrow night after your show. I take it you’ve heard of Chandra Williams?”
Leo whistles next to me and I grin. Is she fucking serious? Have we heard of her? Who the fuck hasn’t? The daughter of an oil tycoon, Chandra is famous for being famous. I’ve heard about her parties, and more often than not, they get out of hand. This is going to rock.
“Yeah, we should be able to make it,” I say, keeping my tone neutral.
“Fucking yes, we’ll be there,” Max shouts from the front of the van. He turns around and glares at me, his expression incredulous. “What are you on, Sax? Have you seen that chick?”
Lyndall laughs and I roll my eyes at Max’s enthusiasm.
So much for playing it cool.
We arrive outside the hotel management has booked for us. I’m impressed. It’s actually pretty fucking good. We each have our own room, complete with a large marble bathroom and skyline views of the city.
Throwing my bags down on the floor, I collapse onto the bed. I stare at the ceiling, a smile tugging at my lips. I could get used to this. Everything is paid for: room service, movies, entertainment…My stomach rumbles. I reach over for the menu and the phone, placing an order of steak and fries.
While I wait for my food, I check out the minibar, impressed to see it stocked with enough tiny bottles of whiskey to at least get me buzzed. I pull one out and slam it down, the warm liquid burning my throat in the best possible way.
Fuck, that’s good.