Rock Hard

Chapter 41

On the tour bus, Sed sat at the dining table staring down at Jessica’s picture. God, he missed her. He knew that their breakup was for the best. She deserved to make a life for herself and he wasn’t helping in that regard. Maybe someday they’d make it work. After she finished school and had her career going in the direction she wanted and deserved. He clung to that hope.

Brian took a seat in the booth across from him. “Hey, you okay?”

Sed nodded. “It’s still a little raw, but I’ll live.”

“Need to talk about it?”

“Nope. How are you holding up now that Myrna’s back at work?”

“Can’t stand it.”

They stared at the table in cooperative misery.

“Is it time to head to the stage?” Sed asked.

“We have a few minutes. Did Jerry get the studio reserved for next week?”

“Yeah, we’re all set to record the first few tracks. He wants to get the new single on the shelves.”

“Are we going to add it to the show, then?”

“Don’t know. Probably should. It would help sales.” Rehearsing a new song didn’t hold the appeal it should, however.

Eric wandered out of the bathroom. “Why are we all hiding on the bus?”

Sed chuckled. “Brian and I are avoiding groupies. Don’t know what the rest of you are doing.”

“It’s been a fucking drag around here for the last three days,” Eric said.

“Sorry to ruin your fun, Sticks,” Sed said.

Sed tucked Jessica’s picture into his pocket and headed off the bus toward the concert venue. The small group of fans standing behind the bus erupted into cheers. Normally, Sed would go talk to them, but he wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Brian took up his slack and headed for the fans, while Sed was let into the backstage area of the stadium. He found the dressing room labeled Sinners and went inside.

“There you are,” a gorgeous brunette in an impossibly short skirt said. “I’ve been waiting for quite a while.”

She looked familiar. Sed was certain he’d fucked her a couple of times, but couldn’t remember her name. “I could use a beer.”

“No problem.”

She returned less than a minute later with a cold beer and a warm smile. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

“Yeah, I remember you. I’m not good with names, though.”

“Jillian.”

He nodded, still not able to place her, and took a long draw from the beer bottle. “I’m going to go get warmed up now.”

“Can I help you with that?”

“Not unless you plan on making me scream for twenty minutes.”

“That was my plan, actually.”

Sed paused, considering her offer. He knew he’d be back to his old ways eventually. Trying to bury the pain of Jessica’s absence by putting his dick in any warm female recess that would accommodate it, but not yet. The thought of fucking another woman left him cold.

“Not tonight, Jillian.”

He chugged his beer and ate a few pieces of red licorice. The glycerol helped keep his vocal cords lubricated and they seemed to need it a lot recently. He warmed up. First with low growls and then worked his way up the octaves to get his voice ready for the punishment of singing a live show. His cords were getting tired. He needed a couple of days off. He could really feel the difference in his voice after doing several concerts in a row. Tonight was their last show for a week, but he’d be in the studio for several days and the repeated takes brutally punished his throat. He needed to stop screaming so much and sing more, but the fans had come to expect his style.

Before long, the rest of the band arrived and then a roadie called them to the stage. Sed tried to get excited enough to perform, but he felt mostly numb. He hoped Jessica’s first day of class had been better than his miserable, lonely day.