Page 14 of Rock Hard
Chapter Six
Alice waited patientlyin the trendy coffee shop, sipping a cappuccino and biding her time. Right on schedule, she watched as a stretch Hummer pulled into the private parking garage of the luxury hotel across the street.
Rex was a creature of habit, and there were certain demands that had to be met prior to his agreement to do any show. One of them was that a stretch Hummer had to take him to the venue. In that custom limo, she knew, would be a bottle of Lagavulin, lambskin seat covers, and a minimum of two, preferably three, busty, willing females who had signed an NDA.
The familiar pang shot through her chest at the thought of Rex with other women, but she had become so accustomed to it over the years that it barely registered anymore. He was a big rock star, and he embraced the rock and roll lifestyle with the same passion he poured into his music. Everything was voluntary and consensual, and Rex always made sure each encounter was a one-time, no-strings deal. He didn’t do relationships, and he didn’t do repeats.
When sufficient time had passed, Alice got up, gathered her things, and took a slow walk across the street.
“Pst.”
The soft hiss drew Alice’s attention to a cluster of indoor palm trees surrounding a tranquility fountain and the toothy grin of her favorite teenager.
“What are you doing down here?” Alice admonished softly as they exchanged a warm hug. “Where is your security?”
“With Dad or watching the tour bus,” Carly said.
Alice frowned. She had always made sure that some security was left behind at the room. Crazy fans would, and sometimes did, go to extraordinary lengths to get something belonging to their favorite celebrities, including posing as hotel staff to get into the room. Since Carly rarely attended her father’s live performances, she was usually in the suite.
“You shouldn’t be up there alone.”
Carly shrugged then hooked her arm in Alice’s. “You’re the only one who cares.”
The matter-of-fact way she had said that made Alice’s heart ache.
“Your dad cares, Carly. He’s just ...”
“Full of himself? More concerned with his vintage guitars than his daughter? Sorry he didn’t pull out?”
“Carly!”
The teenager grinned, but her eyes remained sad. “Hey, it’s true. I know it, and you know it, too.”
The ache in her chest increased, because therewassome truth in Carly’s words.
“Besides, work crews are up there repairing all the damage after Dad’s pre-performance temper tantrum. Hey, it’s okay,” Carly told her, seeing the concern that had to be clearly etched on her face. “It is what it is. I’ll be a legal adult in a few years. Until then, I’ll just have to make do with five-star hotels, international travel, and all the material affection my father can buy.”
“You are far too jaded for your age.”
Carly laughed. “That’s rock and roll for you. So, what are we doing today?”
“How do you know I came for you?”
The girl rolled her eyes. “Please. Like you’d be in town and not sneak in to see me. Give me some credit, will you?”
“Excellent point,” Alice conceded with a grin. “Well, I was thinking that there’s a huge amusement park with epic thrill rides about thirty miles away, but I don’t know if that’s cool enough for a seasoned, hardcore rock chick like yourself.”
“Are you kidding? That sounds awesome! And we’re totally eating junk food all day. Corn dogs, burritos, ice cream—”
“What about the dangers of chemical additives?”
“Pft. I’m not human. What do I care?”
“Ugh,” Alice mock-moaned, grabbing her stomach. “Okay, but only after we’re done riding everything.”
“Deal.”
The afternoon passed in a blur of screams and laughter. Alice had scored VIP passes for them so they never had to wait more than a few minutes in any line and got to ride all the good stuff at least twice. They stuffed themselves on bad food and had a wonderful time.
