Bad Boy Redemption - Excerpt 1
The cheers
going up, the whooping and screaming, ear-drum blasting noise, wasn’t for the
headlining band. It wasn’t even for the second support. That lung-fuelled
anarchy, rocking the room to the very foundations was for my band - Storm. The
guys I managed. Every single person in that huge, sold out venue cried out for
one more song, one more moment, a chance to wring out the last drops of magic
as though clinging to a lover in the morning light.
This was what
fame felt like: rapturous, loud and hungry.
The guys had
just done the last song of their set, the reverberations still ringing from the
cymbals on Spud’s drum kit, when the tour promoter gestured for them to stay on
stage. When you’re the opening band, the first ones up on stage, normally you
get to play to a bunch of bored faces of the diehard fans there to mark their
territory for the headliners. Most people are still circling around the car
park. No one cares about the opening act.
But, since
this tour started a few short weeks ago, Storm’s star had blasted through the
skies. Through word of mouth and careful promotion, their fame had risen, not
in a nice steady curve but exponentially.
As the band
travelled from town to town, the number of punters waiting when the doors
opened increased and the proportion of bodies in the crowd wearing Storm
tee-shirts grew larger. Those people sang along with the guys, knowing all the
words and even called out their favourites. Of course, there were no hit songs
to scream out because Storm hadn’t even released a song as yet, just a few demo
CDs they’d sold at their concerts and some songs available online for download.
Angie had told me that the downloads had been going nuts. Not viral, but as
close to viral as you can get without actually being viral, is what she said.
And we were
about to hit the next level. Right after this gig finished, well maybe after
some time for partying and unwinding, they hit the studio to record their first
album, the ink still wet on the contract they’d signed.
Back when I’d
found out the only asset I’d had in this world was a crappy management company
with a few has-beens and a surly, disagreeable rock band on their roster, I’d
never dreamed we’d get this far. I’d wanted to get rid of that company as
quickly as possible and get some fast cash.
With all the
buzz from this tour, the deal I’d struck for the guys had more zeroes than
they’d ever thought they’d see and a lot more creative freedom. Those labels
who’d not even answered my calls once had wooed me like a superstar. Taking me
to dinners and cocktail parties just to put their offers forward. One of them
had booked out suites at a fancy hotel for the guys for this final leg of the
tour. Another had sent a crate of booze. And one had sent a massive bouquet of
flowers.
“Knob
jockeys,” Spud had said. “Flowers. Phhht. You can’t eat them, you can’t snort
them and you can’t screw them. Who the hell would want some sissy flowers?”
That was Spud
for you, though I could see his point for once.
I leaned on a
crate at the side of the stage wishing I had Angie beside me. She’d been with
me since the start of this adventure. I’d probably had been living in the
gutter if it wasn’t for her - pushing me in the right direction and taking over
all the promotion. But Angie and her mates were busy filming this gig. Her
first fully professional job she’d been offered, because the Monkey Bride team
had been so impressed with her efforts with filming at the beginning of the
tour.
Jack Colt
swaggered off stage. Jack, he never walked, he always swaggered. He’d been a
god on stage. His voice had sent shivers through my body the whole night and
his hips had moved in a way that made me glow with the knowledge that I’d be
the one in his bed tonight. I felt sorry for every other woman in the crowd
because they’d just be imagining that it was Jack Colt humping them while I had
the real thing.
His
sweat-soaked tee-shirt clung to his body, defining every bump of his body and,
boy, did that man have some nice bumps. His hair stuck to his face where he’d
thrown water over his head to cool himself down and his bottom lip pouted. He
locked eye contact with me and my heart pounded louder than the screams of the
crowd.
“What are you
doing?” yelled the tour promoter. “Get back out there.”
“Hold on a
moment,” Jack Colt snapped.
He swept me
into his arms, crushing my body against his. His mouth hit mine and my body
writhed as emotions swirled through me, lifting me up to my toes. I savoured
his bourbon soaked lips. He kissed me hard as though searching for something
that would give him the energy to go back on stage. He must have found it
because he pulled away as quickly as he’d started. He ripped off his shirt and
sprung back on stage. The roar of the crowd intensified.
“I’m going to
have to watch these guys,” said a voice in my ear. I turned to see Bastian, the
leader singer of Monkey Bride, standing beside me. “They’re going to steal the
final night right out from under me.”
Behind him,
the members of the second support glared at the stage with a mixture of envy
and hatred. This extra stage time meant their set would be cut short. They’d
had their chance on this tour but they’d not been able to step up to the plate.
The adoration they thought they’d receive washed right over them and settled on
Storm. Sure, they could keep working at it but every band has a moment where
they can either prove they have the chops to move to the next level or settle
for playing to a small group of regulars until they get too old and too tired
to keep trying.
I laughed as
the band began their encore song. At that moment, it did seem like Storm had
the world at their feet. They were headed for the top and they were
indestructible.
Bad Boy Redemption – excerpt 2
I came
downstairs in my suit. Jack always laughed at me when he saw me dressed like a “corporate
bitch” but this time he wasn’t laughing. He’d slept on the couch again, as
though he felt obligated to do so now, but woke up when he heard me in the
kitchen.
“You aren’t
still going to work for that guy?”
“Yes. It’s my
job.”
He glared at
me.
“We don’t
need the money. You have a job - managing my band.”
“And having
contract law experience is only making me better at that job.”
He stared at
me and I stared back. I sure as hell wasn’t going to back down on this. I
couldn’t let him start controlling my life or who knows where it would end.
“He’s a
creep. You said so yourself. And you’ll be alone in that office with him all
day. That isn’t good, Hannah.”
I turned on
the coffee machine and let the noise drown out his voice. I remembered last
Thursday, we’d gone a whole day without arguing. That was a great day. I should
circle it on my calendar.
I made Jack a
coffee, despite his bitching.
“I can look
after myself. I’ve known this guy since I was a kid. He’s not going to start
sexually harassing me now. He’d get a swift kick in the balls and a lawsuit.
I’m not a simpering little sap who can’t stick up for myself. Anyway, there’s a
whole office full of people. It’s not like we’re alone.”
“Cheers,”
said Jack, picking up his coffee. “Is there every going to be a day when I say
something and you go ‘yeah, Jack, you are totally right, I’ll do that’?”
I sat down
beside him.
“Chances are
pretty damn low on that, I’d say.”
Jack laughed.
“You wouldn’t
love me if I was like that anyway.” I punched him on the arm.
“Who says I
love you?”
“You do,
every time you look at me and every time you speak to me. You may as well get a
tattoo on your face saying ‘I love Hannah’ because that’s how much it shows.”
Jack’s kiss
tasted like coffee and that made it all the sweeter. It was like multitasking.
Bad Boy Redemption – excerpt 3
The lights
were off but the moonlight streamed through the windows. I couldn’t see
anything strange in the room. I kept walking down the stairs but quietly so as
not to draw attention to myself in case there were any hell-beasts lurking. I
tiptoed across to the kitchen when I heard the noise again.
Then I saw
it.
Right there,
in front of my eyes. I saw it and it couldn’t be unseen. Denise on the couch
and Spud between her legs, eating her out. Gross. Like totally gross. Yet I
keep looking. I couldn’t look away. Denise’s face twisted up in some kind of
tortured frenzy, her hands on his ears. She had her legs spread wide with the
moon hitting the bare, white skin of her thighs, her feet curled around the
edge of the sofa.
She let out a
guttural moan and raised her hips.
I really
should not be watching this. I really should not be at all watching.
She moaned
again and her arm flung back to grasp the cushion above her head. I wasn’t even
sure how she could balance like that. Her hips thrust against him now and she
had tight hold of his hair. And the sounds got louder.
I had to flee
before they noticed me standing there watching them like some creepy freak. I
rushed across the room and up the stairs, with Denise’s screams growing louder
and more urgent. Who knew Spud could even make a woman scream like that?
Where was
Jack?
He obviously
wasn’t sleeping on the couch. I don’t think we’d even be able to use that couch
again. It’d be all covered with sticky Denise juice. What the hell were they
doing here anyway? Didn’t they have a home to go to? I couldn’t get the image
of Denise writhing around out of my head. I wished Jack was here. I really
wanted to sex him. The thought that Spud and Denise had me feeling so horny
just made it seem more dirty and wrong.
Bad Boy Redemption - Excerpt 4
A ship moved
across the bay out to sea. I followed its lights as it moved. It was the only
thing alive in the world apart from us.
Finally, he
pulled me down beside him.
“You’re
freezing,” he said and took off his jacket.
So many times,
I’d given him a hard time about not offering me his jacket. I thought he was
being an insensitive prick but now he was offering, I wished he hadn’t. I’d
much rather the cocky talk than this broken Jack.
“I can’t take
your jacket. We’ll share it.”
He put it
around the both of us. It didn’t make a very satisfactory covering but his body
so close to mine filled me with warmth.
For a long
time we didn’t talk. We sat on that dock with the rough wood from the pallet
scratching into our legs and our breathing in time with each other. Even
without words, it felt like that wall between us had gone. I buried my face
into his shoulder.
“Hannah? Are
you too cold?” he asked.
“No, I’m
fine. I wished I’d worn jeans instead of these tights though.”
Jack rubbed
my legs, trying to warm them up.
“It’s been
such a shock,” he said. “I never thought this would happen.”
I nodded.
“Do you want
to walk?” Jack said. “To warm up.”
I didn’t
think I could walk any more.
Instead, his
arms moved around me and his lips came close. He brushed softly across my face.
I could feel his breath and the harsh stubble on his face. I turned so he could
kiss me. The tenderness of kiss shocked me. His tongue pressed into my mouth
and I clung tighter to him. His body against mine flickered like static
electricity, sparking with life. I never wanted him to let me go. He pushed me
back against the pallet with his legs between mine. Then he stopped.
“I think we
should move this somewhere more comfortable,” Jack said. “We’re under a mighty
bright light here and I think I’ve got a splinter.”
Bad Boy Redemption – Excerpt 5
Jack was in a
foul mood when I got back to the apartment.
“Are you
finished up in the studio?” I asked. “You’re home early.”
He grunted.
“What’s
wrong?” I asked.
He didn’t
really answer. He just bashed things around in the kitchen. I waited for him to
stop.
“Did the
recording go well?”
He sighed.
“It was shit. I’ve got to get this song together but it’s just not happening.
My brain is fried. I’ve lost it. I have nothing. I thought I had it all
together but when we played it in the studio, it sounded like a heap of cheesy
shit.”
I rubbed his
shoulder.
“It’ll be
fine. You’re got some strong stuff already.”
“True but I
want something special. One killer track.”
“I’m sure you
can do it.” I smiled at him. “You just need to relax.”
He put his
arm around my waist and pulled me to him. He seemed calmer already.
“What do you
suggest?”
The look in
his eyes made me buzz all over. It felt like it’d been forever since we’d had
sex, even though it was just a few days. I raked my nails down his chest. I’d
learnt that drove him crazy. His hands moved down my back to my butt, cupping
my cheeks, and our lips touched lightly. As we kissed, his cock rubbed against
me. I laughed a little.
“What’s
funny?”
“It feels
good,” I said.
Then he bit
my bottom lip, just enough for me to feel it. He followed that with nips
trailing down my neck to my left nipple.
“You aren’t
going to ruin another outfit,” I said, slipping my dress over my head.
He laughed
and bent me over the kitchen bench. I gasped and gripped the bench edge as his
cock rubbed over my arse.
“What if Eric
comes home?” I asked.
“He’s staying
at his mother’s tonight.” Jack pushed my knickers down and slipped his fingers
between my legs.
I leaned
forward onto my elbows as I heard him unzip his jeans.
Blog post 1 – Jack and Hannah’s Road Trip Playlist
In
the Bad Boy Rock Star series, Jack and Hannah spend a lot of time in the car
together. It seems like every time they
go out of town, drama happens. I see
Jack as the kind of guy who still has a cassette tape player in his classic
car, not wanting to upgrade it because it would ruin the look of the dashboard.
What
do they listen to on their trips? I
imagine a playlist with lots of classic rock like this one:
Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
Because
this needs to be on every road trip playlist ever.
I Wanna Be Sedated – The Ramones
Jack
laughs at Hannah because she’s never heard of The Ramones and he’s the kind of
guy who would make sure he plays it every time she’s in the car to rub that
in.
Are You Lonesome Tonight? – Elvis Presley
This
is a song I love to sing along and I can imagine Jack and Hannah doing the
same.
Blog post 2 – Eric-Mama
So
many people have told me they love Eric-Mama in the Bad Boy Rock Star Series
which makes me happy because she’s one of my favourite characters too. Sometimes, when you write, you plan out and
create characters but then there are characters who march into your story and demand
to be there whether you want them there or not.
Of course, Eric-Mama is the demanding kind.
Although
Eric-Mama is fictional, the basis for her character comes from a real person.
A
couple of years ago, I lived in Japan and we’d often head to Shin Okubo (the
Korean suburb in Tokyo) for BBQ meats.
Meat is expensive in Japan but in Shin Okubo, you can have tasty Korean
BBQ for quite cheap.
One
of our favourite non-meat places was one of those frozen yoghurt shops – the
kind where you serve yourself. As well
as the yoghurt, they had a café and a cosmetics section. It was a pretty mixed up place.
So,
we’d go in and get our yoghurt and, before we knew it, the woman who run the
cosmetics section would put all kinds of skin care products on our faces –
creams and lotions and mostly these gel eye patches that get rid of your under
eye wrinkles.
She
was a crazy woman but totally lovely, always bustling around and taking care of
people.
The
only problem was that she’d only put the patches and creams on one side of your
face so you’d spend the rest of the day looking lopsided! I think that was her
sales technique.
Blog Post 3 – Q&A
How would you describe the Bad Boy
Rock Star?
It's
ultimately a love story but also a coming of age story for the main character,
Hannah, who starts off as a princess but has to learn to deal with real world
problems and struggles with money. She
also has a lot to learn about people and how to deal with them. The bad boy, Jack, is also used to getting
his own way and has demons of his own to deal with.
The
relationship between them is definitely not going to be an easy one.
Which character in the Bad Boy Rock
Star series are you most like?
Probably
Angie. I am definitely a ‘tell it like
is’ kind of person the same as she is although probably not as blathermouthy
now that I’m older.
Who inspired you to be a writer?
I can't think of
one particular writer who inspired me. I
seemed to be always writing even if it was only in my head. My sister really pushes me to get things out
of my head and on paper though, which is a good thing.
What was your favorite book as a child?
I loved the Anne of
Green Gables books and really wanted to be a red headed orphan living in some
small Canadian town in the olden days.
What’s next?
I’ve started
working on a new novel while Bad Boy Redemption is being edited. It’s going to be a standalone novel, not a
series, but there might be other books in future with the same characters. It’s very different from the Bad Boy series –
no rock stars for starters.
Anything else we should know about you?
The hardest scenes
for me to write in the Bad Boy Rock Star series were the ones where they are
eating all the Korean food. Every time I
had to work on that scene, all I could think of was eating delicious foods and
then I'd get so hungry, I'd need to take a break. I love Korean food, especially Korean BBQ.
Bad Boy Redemption by Candy J. Starr
(Rock Star Bad Boy #3)
Publication date: July 7th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
(Rock Star Bad Boy #3)
Publication date: July 7th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Life is sweet for Hannah and Jack. Finally, they are together and Jack’s band, Storm, have been signed to a major label after completing a successful tour.
Then tragedy hits the band, sending Jack off the rails. Hannah wants him to make peace with the demons from his past but he refuses to face up to his issues. Meanwhile, Hannah has problems of her own when her father’s crimes are exposed, and are much worse than she’d ever expected.
Are they damned beyond repair or can their love redeem them?
Then tragedy hits the band, sending Jack off the rails. Hannah wants him to make peace with the demons from his past but he refuses to face up to his issues. Meanwhile, Hannah has problems of her own when her father’s crimes are exposed, and are much worse than she’d ever expected.
Are they damned beyond repair or can their love redeem them?
Goodreads: https://www.
Purchase:
http://www.amazon.
AUTHOR BIO
Candy J. Starr used to be a band manager until she realised that the band she managed was so lacking in charisma that they actually sucked the charisma out of any room they played. “Screw you,” she said, leaving them to wallow in obscurity – totally forgetting that they owed her big bucks for video equipment hire.
Candy has filmed and interviewed some big names in the rock business, and a lot of small ones. She’s seen the dirty little secrets that go on in the back rooms of band venues. She’s seen the ugly side of rock and the very pretty one.
But, of course, everything she writes is fiction.
Author Links:
Candy has filmed and interviewed some big names in the rock business, and a lot of small ones. She’s seen the dirty little secrets that go on in the back rooms of band venues. She’s seen the ugly side of rock and the very pretty one.
But, of course, everything she writes is fiction.
Author Links:
Twitter - @candyjstarr
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