Walk Of Fame

1 Kate Maddox waved to her fans and stepped off the stage. The cheers of the crowd rang in her ears despite the headset she wore. They loved her. Someone has to. She smiled at all the stagehands and worked her way through to her dressing room. “Kate!” a voice said from behind her. She sighed, her hand on the doorknob. Almost made it. She spun and plastered on yet another fake smile. She’d gotten good at them over the years. “Hi!” she gushed. She’d seen the woman around backstage but hadn’t spoken to her. “How are you?” “I’m really sorry to bother you. I know I’m not really supposed to talk to you, but I was wondering if you’d sign something for my daughter. She loves your music.” Her smile felt as fake as the songs she sang on stage every night. Songs that spoke to countless people, but not her. “Of course. I’d be happy to. What’s her name?” “Rebecca. She’s twelve. She wants to be a singer like you are. She’s already started writing her own music.” “That’s amazing. Tell her to keep writing and never give up on her dreams,” Kate said, signing her name with a flourish and adding a heart. There was a part of her that hated hearing about kids looking up to her, but she knew it was part of the job. She wasn’t anyone’s role model. She wanted to be, but she wasn’t who she thought she’d be when she started singing. She always dreamed of writing her own songs. Putting her voice into the music. She did a little at first, but her label hadn’t allowed her to record any of her own songs and after a while, she stopped writing them. Instead she sang songs written by others, songs that made her feel like her life was full of s*x and fun. If they only knew. “Thanks so much, Kate,” the lady said, accepting the marker and the flier Kate signed. “I hope you have a really good week off. I heard you’re visiting family for a few days.” Kate nodded but didn’t give any details. She tried as hard as she could to keep her private life separate from her public life. Unfortunately, more than she liked got out. Thankfully, no one knew her real name. Or almost no one. “Have a good night,” Kate said with a grin that made her cheeks ache. She waved as the lady walked away, clutching the signed sheet to her chest. Kate walked into her dressing room and sighed. “Ambush?” a voice said from the other side of the room. Kate huffed a laugh. “Always. Are we ready for tonight’s escape?” Kate looked at her best friend and assistant. Quynn O’Hara was the most loyal person she’d ever had in her life that wasn’t family. She still kept secrets from Quynn because she never trusted anyone completely, but Quynn knew who Kate really was better than anyone. Quynn smiled, her face transforming from the steady mask that kept Kate sane to the devious woman that kept her true identity a secret from the rest of the world. Her neat blonde ponytail and brilliant green eyes gave her a studious look, but Kate knew her friend was anything but. “I have your outfit ready and a driver waiting to take you wherever you want to go. I’m going to stick around here since it’s your last show for a week. I think there are going to be more people than usual hanging around.” Kate sighed. “You’re probably right. Especially since they all want to know where I live. I never should have admitted I live in Syracuse.” Quynn smiled kindly. “You weren’t thinking.” “I wasn’t thinking about a lot of things at that point in my life.” “Yeah, well, Christian is a part of your past. And keeping who you are a secret is something you have to be okay with.” Kate sighed again. “I know. I just don’t know if I can put it all out there. You see how the media is with all these other singers. They’re like vultures. It’s bad enough for me, but if they knew who I really was, I’d never be able to leave the house.” Quynn smiled and guided Kate to the chair in front of her mirror. Kate looked at the woman reflected back at her. She was as phony as the smile plastered on her face on stage. “Listen,” Quynn said, flipping Kate’s hair into her face. “I know you want to be able to stay out of the limelight. Unfortunately, people are trying to figure out who you are more and more. It’s getting harder for you to hide.” “I know,” Kate groaned. She winced as Quynn tugged at her hair. One by one the purple highlights came out, followed by the brown extensions she added to give her hair a fullness that wasn’t natural. Quynn dropped each chunk of fake hair into the bag they used for her supplies. One of the many bags that Kate and Quynn never let into the hands of someone else. Kate couldn’t risk a random person getting a hold of her highlights and figuring out that she took them off when she wasn’t Kate Maddox. Quynn flipped her hair back over and Katherine looked at herself in the mirror. The clothes still screamed Kate, but Katherine was coming back. “I need to wash all this makeup off and change my clothes.” “Do you remember what it was like before you became famous? You couldn’t wait to make it big and have a huge contract and concerts all over the world. Now all you do is b***h about it.” Katherine gave her friend a sheepish grin. It was the truth. She worked hard to get to where she was. She busted her a*s to break into the country music scene. And the truth was, she still loved it. There were just parts of fame that got to her. Parts that made her wish she’d made different decisions along the way. Like her choice of men. “I shouldn’t complain so much. It would be nice to be able to just be me, but if everyone knew who I was, I don’t think I’d ever be able to be me. I’d be watching my back constantly. I couldn’t go to a bar and pick up a random guy for the night.” “Is it one of those nights?” Quynn asked knowingly. Katherine nodded, stripping off her stage clothes. The tight dresses, low-cut tops, and pants that felt like a second skin were too much. She had curves galore and complimented her designers that they always hid them well, but it would have been nice to show a little less cleavage. Or a lot less. “Where are you headed tonight?” Katherine shrugged, but she already knew where she was going. If Quynn knew, she’d insist on tagging along, or follow Katherine without her knowing. But Katherine needed a night to herself. A night to decompress from the tour that felt endless. A night with a stranger and s*x that made her forget how much she hated the way she felt at times. “I guess I’ll see you at your parents’ house tomorrow?” Katherine nodded. Another pang of guilt hit her. She wasn’t planning to meet Quynn at her parents’ house the next day. She had reservations at an inn. She thought about canceling her reservation, but she wasn’t sure. The idea of staying with her parents for a week was less than ideal, even though she loved her parents. She just wasn’t prepared to answer all the questions she knew were coming. Quynn handed her a makeup wipe once Katherine had her jeans and tank top on. She smeared the heavy stage makeup from her face and finally breathed. She grabbed the gauzy top and pulled it over the tank top then faced the mirror and finally smiled. “Better?” Katherine nodded. “Much.” “Good. I’ll text your driver. You have your bag?” Katherine nodded. She hated leaving her guitar behind, but she knew if she walked out with it, everyone would know she was Kate Maddox instead of some nondescript stagehand. “He’s ready for you,” Quynn said, tucking the phone back into her pocket. “I’ll run interference for you.” Katherine threw her bag over her shoulder and went to the door. Every time she went out, she got nervous. But she looked so very different, she knew the risks were small. She just hoped it stayed that way. Dillon Young took a drink from his beer and looked around the bar. He sighed and tipped the bottle up. It was stupid to think he could show up on a Thursday night and find someone to go home with. Dammit. Dillon nodded to the bartender and got up. He was halfway to the door when it opened and she walked in. Dillon stopped in the middle of the damn room and watched her. Jeans hugged her curves and a flimsy shirt hung off one shoulder. Her light brown hair drifted behind her as her eyes scanned the bar. When they landed on his, they scanned his body as her lips curled up. “Hey,” she said. “Hi.” “Are you leaving?” He shrugged. “I was.” “And now?” He grinned. “It depends on if you’re staying.” She looked around then shook her head. “I could go.” Dillon put his hand on her lower back and guided her out the door. As soon as it swung closed behind them, he pressed her back against the wall and sealed his lips to hers. She knew the score, but he wanted to make sure she understood the only reason she was leaving the bar with him was so they could make each other feel good. It wouldn’t go anywhere beyond the night. He thrust his tongue between her lips and ground his hips against hers, letting her feel the way she already affected him. She whimpered and clawed at him, trying to f*****g climb him. He didn’t mind helping her at all, scooping her up so she could wrap her long legs around his waist. God he loved a woman who could handle how big he was. When she hooked her heels together, he groaned. Fuck yeah. “Are you close to here?” She nodded and pointed to the hotel next door. “Walk?” She nodded again, dragging Dillon’s lips back to hers. He kissed her until his balls ached and his c**k tried to talk him out of waiting until they were behind closed doors. With a groan, he unwrapped her legs and lowered her to the ground. The top of her head was almost up to his nose thanks to the heels she wore. He didn’t usually find women that came so close to his height, especially ones that exuded femininity like she did. There was a classy elegance to her that had him reaching for her again and again as they walked the short distance to her hotel. Dillon wondered briefly who she was to be staying at a hotel in Ithaca, but dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. It worked even better for him that she wasn’t a local and he’d never see her again. Then he knew she wouldn’t be after him for anything other than the one night. He never imagined being named CEO of his family’s vineyard, Amavita Estates, would bring out the gold-diggers like it did. If finding a woman in his hometown of Bereton, New York wasn’t bad enough with his five male cousins screwing half the women in Seneca County, it only got worse with women who were after him for his money. If they knew he didn’t make any more than the rest of his cousins they’d back off, but Dillon didn’t care. He just ignored them. He didn’t want his cousins getting taken advantage of. It was better for everyone if he stuck to Ithaca, thirty minutes south of Bereton, for his hook-ups. They made it up to his companion’s fifth floor room without running into another guest the entire time. She tugged him into her room and let the door slam behind them as she kissed him like she couldn’t get enough. His fingers dove into her silky hair, tilting her head where he wanted it so he could devour her. She eagerly opened for him, tugging at his shirt as they kissed like they couldn’t do anything without being connected. Dillon yanked his shirt over his head, then ripped hers off. His hands went to her breasts, perky n*****s pressing against the lacy green fabric of her b*a. He unhooked it as he lowered his mouth to her skin, running his tongue over her breast before pulling a n****e into his mouth. “Oh, yes,” she moaned, clutching his head to her chest. She dragged him to the other side, showing him exactly what she wanted. As he ravaged her, she unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, shimmying them down until she could kick them and her boots off. She dropped her hands to his jeans, unbuttoning his and trying to shove them down. Game f*****g on. He grabbed a c****m from his pocket, always prepared, and shoved his jeans to the floor with his briefs. He rolled the c****m down his length, his chest puffing when she f*****g purred and reached for him. His hips bucked when she wrapped her hand around his c**k and stroked him. “I can’t wait. I need you now,” she moaned in a throaty voice that had him more than ready to f*****g go. He tugged her back in for another kiss, their teeth hitting, lips pinched between, and tongues tangling. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and tried to climb him. He cupped her thighs and lifted her. Her legs slid around his hips, spreading herself wide for him. Dillon plunged in with a single deep thrust. She moaned, dragging her lips from his with the guttural sound. He took a few steps and pressed her back against the wall opposite them. There was a bed somewhere, but he wasn’t patient enough to go ten more steps and try to find it. She held on tight, her thighs gripping his hips as she worked to thrust up and down on him. His balls tightened, the need to come racing down his spine and making him f*****g tingle. He gritted his teeth and clenched every muscle in his body. He rarely stuck around, but he sure as hell made it his mission to give her at least one o****m that blew her away before he even thought about coming. “Oh, God. Yes. f**k. Harder.” Her throaty demands spurred him on. He pressed her back to the wall and used his hands to guide her over his rigid c**k. One hand went to the wall, and he slammed into her. “Yes,” she moaned. “Keep going.” Harder. Deeper. Wetter. He grunted, thrusting into her. Her head hit the wall, her eyes dazed with l**t. He clenched his jaw tighter, forcing his eyes from her face. Those pink lips, unfathomable brown eyes, and flushed cheeks made him want to come. Her legs clenched tighter, her channel gripping him. His grunts grew louder, drowning out all other sounds around him. She gasped, moaned, and panted. Then she f*****g screamed. “Yes! Oh, God. Yes!” The best feeling in the world was when a woman came around his c**k. He’d give up just about anything to feel that. As she whimpered, her o****m fading, he thrust harder into her, shocking her with the force of it. Her second o****m surprised her if the gasp followed immediately by a moan was anything to go on. His throat burned with the need to come. His entire body tensed for a second, then burst like every inch of him was able to let go. He yelled as he came, his words mostly nonsensical. She held on to him, milking the last of his o****m from him as he fought for breath and tried to stay on his feet. He gave up the fight to stand and let them both sink to the floor, still connected. Panting, sweating, hearts pounding. They sat there for a few minutes, breath slowing until they weren’t struggling. Dillon was trying to figure out if he could stick around for a second round when she shifted. “Damn, that was fun.” He chuckled. “Most fun I’ve had in a long time.” “How long?” He pulled back and looked at her. Those stunning brown eyes watched him, questioning but not judging. “Too long,” Dillon admitted. She ducked her chin and nodded. “Me, too.” Dillon kissed her cheek, feeling more connected to her than he’d been to any of the women he’d hooked up with in far longer than he cared to think about. They got to their feet and cleaned up. Dillon still wasn’t sure if he needed to head out or if he could talk her into a second go, but she answered for him. “Want a drink?” Dillon tugged on his briefs and nodded. “Sounds good.” They shared an awkward drink, trading small talk that told him absolutely nothing about the woman he couldn’t wait to be inside of again. Hell, he didn’t even know her name. “Want to try the bed this time?” she asked. Dillon laughed and nodded. He grabbed a second c****m but put it aside as he drove her insane with his hands and lips and tongue. When she was writhing on the bed and begging him to fill her again, he was more than happy to do exactly as she asked. When round two was over, Dillon slid into bed with her, promising himself he’d be long gone by morning.