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  I needed to get the contract together, but I could do that in the morning. By the time I met with Callie, I’d have that ready to sign and a whole entire plan completely laid out. She was going to be a star. Excitement bubbled up inside, and almost split my chest wide open. It was an incredible feeling to finally find this stunning voice. She had that standout voice I had been searching for all these years and it was almost in my grasp. She had the look and wrote the songs. She was a beautiful singer, songwriter, the entire package, and I was beyond elated. And she was gorgeous.

  I went into my office and set up a whole new file with her name printed on it. She would be more than a meal ticket for me. She would be the keys to the kingdom.

  I hated her name, and I wanted to change her image, to fit into the industry mold. I started rolling over ideas in my head as I entered my bathroom. I stripped off my clothes, dropping them in the hamper as I went to turn on the shower. When the water heated up, I stepped inside to wash off the bar scent that lingered on my skin. I conceptualized her career as I grabbed the soap and started scrubbing my body.

  My hand reached down to my hard cock. As my dick grew harder in my hand, I envisioned perky breasts. It was all I needed. In my mind’s eye I visualized long, silky, platinum blond hair slipping through my fingers like water. My hand stroked my hard dick, going faster and faster. The soap aided in the slide of my hand over and up, until I came hard, the rope of cum splashing on the shower stall as my loud groan echoed against the tiled wall. Relief flooded my bloodstream. I washed off my dick and balls. What was that? I shook my head. Well, it was a great stress reducer, and finding Callie had been freaking stressful in all the good ways.

  I stepped out and snatched a towel, roughly drying off as I walked to my bedroom. I grabbed a clean t-shirt and shrugged into it. I pulled on some clean boxer briefs, and fell soundlessly into bed, my body eased between my cool, clean sheets. I sighed loudly and turned off the lamp. I needed rest. I needed a good eight hours of sleep to be ready for the meeting of my whole, goddamned life.

  One thing I knew for sure, Callie wouldn’t change her mind. This was going to be a beautiful friendship, the words floated in my mind, as I finally drifted off to sleep. I dreamt of huge, screaming crowds and Callie smiling gratefully as she took a bow.

  When I woke up in the morning, I felt refreshed and raring to go. I ran to my office and fired up my computer. I pulled up my contract and filled in Callie’s name and read through the rest of it, filling in the blanks. It was a standard form; we agreed to work together for a year, blah blah, I would have an exclusive agreement with her, more blah blah blahs. All I needed was to get her signature notarized today to make it official, so I made a call to my notary friend.

  “Hey Calvin, can you meet us at Mary’s Diner at two-thirty?” I asked. I knew it was going to cost me extra on the weekend, but I didn’t give a shit. I wanted to get her nailed down before someone else stole her away from me. I felt an urgency to handle all of this before I could relax and celebrate my huge win. I just needed it all wrapped up today. Then I’d break out the champagne. I’d be celebrating before the end of the day.

  “Sure, you know the drill, dude. See you then.” Calvin hung up quickly. That's the thing about Cal, he didn't waste your time with extra bullshit. We had been working together for years now, and I could trust him to show up on time. I could trust him to keep my business on the downlow, too. And he trusted that I’d pay him later.

  I chose some clean clothes for the day and pulled on my holey blue jeans and a light blue cotton long-sleeved shirt. I tied my sneakers in small [ES3]bows and smiled, happy in the knowledge that today would be my day. Once dressed, I went to my kitchen for some coffee. I always set up my coffee machine the night before so now, as I entered the room, I already smelled the rich aroma wafting in the air. I grabbed a cup and filled it with the dark Brazilian roast. I splashed some cream and stirred, then dropped the teaspoon in the sink.

  I headed back to my office, steaming mug in hand. Callie’s contract was printed on my letterhead. I plucked it out of the tray and slipped the two copies inside a manilla envelope.

  Now, to kill time until two o'clock. I decided to work out and went to change so I could take a run.

  I was focused. I was ready to enter the ring of fire, today. At one-thirty, I was showered and back in clean clothes. I threw on my suit jacket over my button-up shirt and jeans. I brushed my hair away from my face and smiled into the mirror.

  I was gonna win today.

  This was MY day!

  Chapter Five

  Dearest Callie,

  you are so talented. I could listen to you play every day all day long. I’ve been at every show.

  You said hello to me last night.

  You are my Rock God girl.

  Thank you for the music.

  #yournumberonefan

  Chapter Six

  Callie

  When I finally left for my appointment with Hunter, I felt overwhelmed with excitement that furled inside of me for what was to come. It was a whole big world out there, and I’d better get ready; our lives were about to change in a big way. Callie and the Turtledoves were about to make musical history. I could see our name up in bright lights.

  I dressed in a pair of fitted jeans with a tie-dyed t-shirt with blue and pink swirls. I wore my trusty black Chucks and combed my white-blond hair over my shoulders. Those silky waves almost reached my ass. I didn’t wear much makeup but slipped some lip gloss on to finish my look.

  As I walked into Mary’s Diner, I caught sight of the gorgeous Hunter sitting at a booth by himself. I walked straight to him and smiled as I slid onto the seat across from him. His smile radiated the confidence that I had noticed yesterday.

  I said, “Hey Hunter, how are you doing, dude?” I smiled another huge-ass grin while he laid the contract on the table in front of me all business-like. My heart did a little juddering skip. My hands went clammy all at once. Nerves attacked me, I knew deep down inside that this was it; my future was right before me, wearing a smirk on his beautiful, sculpted face.

  “I’m great, Callie. How are you?” Hunter gave me a dimpled smile.

  I opened the manilla envelope and started reading the contract. I wasn’t stupid. I was a sharp, little girl. I needed to see what the contract said and if I wanted to go along with his plan.

  “I want to hear what you’re going to do for us before I sign, okay?” I said, looking straight into his brown, glittering eyes. I wasn’t going to commit to anything just yet.

  “I meant to ask you Callie, have you graduated High School yet?”

  “I’m in twelve grade, I’m graduating in June.” I smiled a bright smile hoping this wasn’t an issue. I felt done with school, but I still had some ways to go. Having a diploma was really important to my parents and I wasn’t going to let them down. “That’s not a problem, is it?”

  “It would be nice if you had already graduated but no, not a problem.” I felt myself relax, he didn’t seem bothered at all about my new revelation.

  Then, Hunter launched into his story, how he helped other acts. So many blahblahblahs I was getting exhausted before he even started laying out his plan for me.

  “What about Ted and Marko?” I asked, feeling nauseous, cuz no motherfucker was gonna forget them. “The Turtledoves[ES4]?” I added. They were my bandmates, and I backed their talent a hundred percent. I was loyal as hell. “What about the Turtledoves?” I repeated. I started to get panicked. Concern hit me straight between my eyes, an ache spread across my forehead. Anxiety whooshed through my body and my hands began to tremble.

  “You don’t have to take them with you. I’m signing you, not them,” Hunter said dismissively, with snark written all over his beautiful, goddamned face.

  Wait the fuck up. I thought we’d all hit it, that we’d all get famous, and I wasn’t going to leave them behind. Period, end of story.

  “We’re a package deal, dude. You want me? You want all of us,” I
said with all the bravado I could muster. I had so many arguments boiling up inside. Just let him try to take me as a solo artist. Fuck him, I’d pass, damn it. I’d put my foot down. I kind of stamped my foot on “us.”

  “I want you, Callie. We don’t need them. Have you talked to them about me yet?” Hunter asked, looking a tad disappointed, his eyes cast down, and I knew, just knew, that this wasn’t what he’d bargained for. But nothing was going to stop me from protecting my boys, the best friends a girl could have.

  “I wanted to talk to you first. I need to take the contract and discuss it with them.” I looked over the first page and added, “Clearly you didn’t plan for three.” I got up from the table and stormed out. My anger boiled over, and I physically felt the fury from my head to my toes. I couldn’t fucking believe this was happening, and I wanted to spit. I felt nauseous. How fucking dare Hunter blot them out like they didn’t even exist?

  Hunter ran after me, “Callie! Wait, Callie!” he yelled as he sprinted closer to me. I stopped and turned towards who I’d thought was my destiny and cringed,

  “Dude, call me when it’s fixed.” then I was gone. I fucking ran all the way to my car, tears streaming down my face. Tears I had no intention Hunter would ever see.

  I jumped in my light green beat up VW bug and zoomed out of there, holding the envelope and the worthless contract that meant nothing now. Sweat pooled under my eyes and my hands were clammy. This was just a piece of paper with empty words of promises that no longer mattered. Fuck. I wanted to scream into the wind but wept as I drove wildly down the street.

  On second thought, I shouted a loud, blood-curdling scream all the way down the avenue. I hoped he’d revamp the contract along with my faith in him, which had swirled down the toilet like yesterday's hopes and dreams. I prayed there was still a deal to be made, I just had to hold onto my convictions. Feelings of frustration oozed through my bloodstream. Why the fuck didn’t I see this coming? I was so pissed, angry at both of us.

  I was furious as hell at him. It had been Callie and the Turtledoves for years. Ted and Marko were my bandmates. How could he ignore my best pals? And I was angry with myself most of all. Mad that I had set myself up for this dismal outcome. I didn’t know how to protect myself back then. How could I protect anyone else?

  Honestly, my bandmates were everything to me! We had been together for years, writing music and playing all around town. We had grownup side by side. I remembered back to the day we became the Turtledoves. Ted came to a show to meet me. He’d heard about me back when we were both twelve years old. By then I had won a few singing contests, but he had originally seen me in a production of Guys and Dolls at the community center.

  He caught my set on open mic night at the local pub. Afterwards, he walked right up to me, and, with his hands in his jean pockets, introduced himself. “Hi Callie, my name is Ted.” I stood up and stuck my hand out.

  “Hey Ted, nice to meet you.” With a winning smile, I wondered what this could be about.

  “My brother, Marko, plays drums and I play bass. We’ve been looking for guitar and vocals.” Ted shook my hand and continued his rap. It sounded like they were looking for someone like me. I was so excited I about jumped out of my skin, but I wanted to play it cool.

  I looked into Ted’s eyes and said, “We should jam.” I tried to act casual as I could muster. At the time, I knew this would be my big break. I hadn’t been able to get traction into any type of group. With my dreams just out of reach, I knew this could be exactly what I needed.

  The next Saturday we got together, and by the afternoon we had cemented our friendship as a new garage band. I loved their music. Their sound was banging out before I even knocked on their large, wooden garage door. I brought my guitar inside and set up to the left of Ted, and soon we were playing other people’s hits. My heart pounded so hard and, excitement swirled all around, energy sparking in the air we breathed. It totally swept me off my feet. Here was my destiny laid at my feet, and I prayed they loved my style as much as I loved theirs. They were incredibly talented. The hard-edged basslines and drums that beat a strong rhythm, tied the two together like peanut butter and jelly.

  After we played a set, we grabbed bottles of water and sat down to chat. “Dudes, you’re amazing!” I said with a huge grin, wiping away the sweat from my brow with a hand towel. Inside that cramped garage it sure got hot, even though several fans sat whirring to the side. I felt the sweat drip down my back from under my t-shirt, into my torn jeans. I was as happy as happy could be!

  “Your voice is incredible!” Ted shouted, and his brother, the quiet one, nodded with a smile. “You sing like a beautiful songbird, Callie.” They gave me goosebumps.

  Marko, finally whispered, “Where did you get the Gibson?” I knew the dude was painfully shy.

  “My parents gave it to me for my birthday last year. Up until then, I was using a junker I found in a secondhand store. I wanted to play so bad, I didn’t care.” I shrugged my shoulders and tapped the guitar. “She’s my baby.” I nodded to confirm the deep-seated sentiment.

  At twelve years old, I knew this was going to be epic. When I left that day, I was confident we were going to make beautiful music together. I would never leave them behind. We grew up together since twelve years old. They were my band mates, my best friends. Brothers bound together by notes and bars. We were family, and I knew in my heart that the only way I would survive this industry was with them by my side.

  My dreams grew the day I met the Turtledoves. All I could think about on the way home from their house that first day was how cool being a band member was going to be.

  So yeah, it was going to be all of us or nothing at all.

  Chapter 7

  Callie

  As I headed home after that shitshow with Hunter, my anger fueled my desire to kick his ass. I drove down the Avenue, screaming at the top of my lungs,“ARGH!” but it wasn’t enough. Frustration oozed through me, and I suddenly changed direction and went straight over to Ted’s house so the three of us could rip Hunter a new one. We needed to hash this shit out.

  This morning, before the huge debacle, I had hoped to surprise them with a contract between us and Hunter. I had this lame excuse for one in my car, damn it. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to even show them this doa, dead on arrival, pitiful excuse of one. It was supposed to be fun, right? For ALL of us.

  Gah!

  I talked myself down from my rage to a simmering anger. I really wanted,no, needed, Ted and Marco to hear me out. I started thinking about what I was going to say; how I was going to explain the asshole, Hunter Lightfoot. But really, I needed to hear their reaction. I wanted to lay it all out for them so we could decide as a unit what our next move was going to be. My heart felt like it was breaking into brittle pieces smashed on the floor. We were a team, goddamnit, bonded through the years, brothers born from our love of the one thing that made us thrive, music.

  I pulled up in front of their home and, parked in the driveway next to their beat-up van. My old Beetle shuddered when I pulled the key out of the ignition. I could hear the engine tinkling as it finally died. This was my first car, and I’d worked hard for it. My afternoon gig was working the window at the Dog Stop. I slapped the hotdogs on a bun and added whatever the patron ordered onto the top, slathering mustard or chili over the entire thing. Then, I wrapped up the bun in tissue paper and took their dollar bills. It was a boring way to make money, but I needed to finance my career. So, twenty hours a week I looked through the window with my customer service smile and asked, “Can I help you?”

  I had been smiling my service smile for over two years now and was looking to move up in the work world. I wanted to make more cash and planned to apply at Betty’s Diner. I hoped tips would cushion my bank account. Every penny was earmarked for our career. Photos alone; cost a fortune, and on top of that, recording in a studio could set me back an entire year's pay.

  I slammed the car door, determination pounded in my heart. I walked sharply
to the front porch, but, as I lifted my fist, Ted turned the doorknob and beckoned me inside with a broad smile. Marco joined us outside and gave me a quick hug.

  “We need to talk,” I said, wishing for better news.

  “Sure, come on in. Let me get us some drinks. What do you want, Callie?” He was so sweet, always considerate and kind. That was the thing about both of them. I hoped I didn’t take them for granted. I didn’t want to be that kind of friend. They were both dressed in low-slung jeans, with t-shirts thrown on, Chucks on their feet, and curiosity in their matching green eyes.

  “I’ll take a Coke, if you have it,” I said distractedly. I wasn’t thinking of drinks, though. This conversation was vital to our future, but fear edged its way inside. I was shattered to think how they would feel with my discouraging news.

  Marko and Ted moved into the living room with me trailing behind. Ted left us and came back, carrying three Cokes in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but if I had to guess, I’d bet he’d written some new lyrics.

  “Spill it, girl” He could tell I was anxious. I was happy to get right to it and, unload this burden before I blew a gasket. Leaving Hunter standing in that goddamned parking lot fucked with me big time. Watching my dreams go up in smoke like that completely wrecked me.

  “I was approached last night by a dude named Hunter, Hunter Lightfoot. He said he was a music manager and wanted to sign us. Well, err, me.” They both looked confused, frowns etched on their faces, so I continued with my tale. “I thought he wanted to sign us, but he brought a contract with only my name on it. Don’t get upset, please,” I begged them looking from one face to the other.