Rock Hard by Adriana Hunter Page A

and showmanship. Now Kate
understood what it really took to be a mega-star. It didn’t look so easy from
where she stood in the crowd. Gage Stevens more than earned his rock god status
and after four hours of high-powered performing, the live show was over.
    Being made to
attend one of his concerts and meet him backstage for an exclusive interview
had been something Kate had been dreading for weeks. She’d done all she could
to get out of the assignment but her editor had insisted, especially when it
was known that Kate used to date Gage Stevens.
    Kate had
mentioned it several months ago to a friend and co-worker – who obviously
hadn’t been able to keep the tidbit to herself. So when the chance came up to
get to interview him for their magazine, her employers had easily picked her.
    In all the
past few years or so that Gage’s career had sky-rocketed, Kate had not attended
any of his concerts once. And now that it had been part of the assignment to do
so, she was glad the assignment was half over.
    Now all she
had left to do was meet up with him for the interview, get it done as soon as
possible and then escape back to her ordinary life. If she was lucky,
everything would be wrapped up in an hour or less.
    And if the fates
were on her side at all, he wouldn’t even remember who she was. He wouldn’t
recognize her and she could carry out her duty professionally and quickly. One
could only hope.
    Now heading
backstage armed with her pass, Kate squeezed through the sea of eager female
groupies in their scanty get-ups, all hoping for a chance to get access to Gage
or any of his band who’d exited the stage finally just half an hour ago.
    Hefty
security guards had their hands full keeping away the mob of beauties. Once
Kate was cleared, one of them let her through and led the way to Gage’s
dressing room.
    Kate’s heart
started to beat faster as the time drew near to come face to face with Gage
again.
    She went
through the maze of corridor after corridor following the muscle-bound security
guard, her head in a whirl. For days she’d racked her brain on how she could
handle this. Friendliness and humor, or professional charm and poise? 
They hadn’t exactly parted enemies but Kate couldn’t help having a wary feeling
Gage Stevens might still hold a grudge. After all, she’d dumped him just when
he was at his all-time low professionally.
     
    * * *
     
    The last time
she’d seen him; he’d been broke and had been about to get kicked out of his
place. His band hadn’t found a paying gig in weeks and yet Gage had stayed
hopeful that things would get better – just later rather than sooner.
    “I can’t go
on like this,” Kate had said with anguish as they’d sat in the half-filled
eatery having a breakfast she was going to pay for, again. Kate had been an
intern at a local newspaper and hadn’t minded having to stick the tab most of
the time, but she really wanted Gage to do more for himself.
    He was so
smart, confident and good natured. He could be anything he put his mind to.
Instead, he held on to his musical dream with a band that couldn’t even seem to
keep itself in the studio time needed to make their first album “demo”.
    “Babe, I know
what you’re thinking,” Gage had replied, his curvy lips slanted in that
gorgeously winning smile. “But you’ve got to have faith. If not in my music,
then in me. I’m not going to fail.”
    “Maybe…maybe
if you put this same enthusiasm in some other endeavors,” Kate remembered
saying hesitantly as she tried not to make him feel too bad. “You told me you
were studying programming in college before you dropped out to focus on your
music. What if…what if you tried to complete your degree? Or get another job?
At least till this music thing can get off the ground.”
    A frown had
marred Gage’s smooth, broad forehead. “Music thing? Kate, rock is my life. I
live and breathe it. Sure, I’m good with computers but I’ll never be happy
cooped in some