Page 118 of Hard Rock Tease

“Anything at all.” He threw me that familiar smirk, that heated stare. I flushed and squirmed.

Affection and lust weren’t mutually exclusive after all.

***

WE’D BEENON the road for weeks. I thought seeing Feral Silence in concert every day would get old, but it never did. Whenever they were on stage, they lit up the concert halls with their burning-hot presence.

We were in a new city every other day or so. I’d been worried their fans wouldn’t figure out the secret clues in time, but each and every venue was packed. I heard people lined up for hours.

Dynamic and full of energy, Kell crouched down at the edge of the stage to see the fans face to face one minute, jumping all over it the next, never staying still.

Morris looked as comfortable as ever pounding away on his drums, concentrating hard on the beats. He played with the same intensity whether he was in front of an audience or not.

Reaching out his hand, Ren got right up close to the side of the stage, nearly causing fistfights as fans clambered over each other for the chance to touch him. His long, glossy hair fell over his shoulders, and a few fans almost seemed to snatch a few of the dark strands right off his head. He laughed and pulled back, whirling away from the grabby hands of his fans. Their disappointment was almost audible.

Jayce had the fans eating out of the palm of his hand. He put a hand to his ear and they screamed their lungs out. He jerked his arm up, pointing to the ceiling, and they jumped, bouncing along to the beat. He darted his tongue out to wet his lips and girls nearly fainted in the front row, squeals and shrieks deafening even over the loud music.

I was trying to capture every moment of their performance, every detail. This was the stuff people wanted to see. They wanted to see their idols on stage, the passion in their eyes as they sang and played their hearts out. The film crew had multiple cameras filming the whole thing, but their footage wouldn’t be released for months. The stuff I was getting would be instantaneous, from my smartphone’s camera to their fan’s eager eyes.

My staff badge allowed me to get into the upper balconies and take some shots from the audience’s point of view. The venue wasn’t too big, and it was still possible to get a good look at the guys on stage from up there.

I made sure to capture a photo of the audience awash in a sea of glowing lighters. I also posted some of what the fans were screaming out loud, both at the guys and to their friends, especially when the exclamations were funny or risqué. One girl even talked about throwing her panties on the stage hoping Kell would take them. I was sure he would get a kick out of it.

When the concert began winding down, I made my way backstage to snap some pictures of the guys leaving the spotlight. They liked to linger, throwing the crowd guitar picks, drum sticks, water bottles, towels and any other items not bolted down to the stage. Kell used to tear off his shirts, but Deena scolded him for causing riots among the fans and giving away his wardrobe.

“We only have so many pieces of clothing for you to wear on stage,” she’d told him.

“I’ll go shirtless,” he’d replied, dismissing her concerns. She’d just looked resigned.

Feral Silence was on the cusp of hitting it big. Their growth had been organic, and their fans were rabid. The hope was that their sophomore album and secret tour would be enough to catapult them to worldwide stardom.

“Keep up the good work.” Deena clapped me on the shoulder as I walked by, not lifting her eyes from her clipboard. “I’ve seen the stuff you’ve been posting. It’s great. Just the thing we’re looking for.”

It was good to know I was on the right track. I hadn’t been given any kind of content marketing guidance. They’d mostly left me to my own devices, letting me decide what to post, how, and when. I only had one thing left planned for the night. I wanted a few backstage quotes from each of the guys while they were still riding their post-live adrenaline high and didn’t have time to come up with strategic answers. Kell and Jayce especially. I wanted it raw, real.

I waited while the guys threw the last of their tokens to the audience and gave their final waves, goodbyes, and thanks. Morris was out first.

“Morris! How was the concert tonight? How did you find the audience?”

“Fantastic. Crowd was screaming so loud. Craziness.”

“Is that good or bad?” I laughed.

“It’s goddamn awesome.” Morris flashed me a small smile, his usual somber face brightening up for a brief moment. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, grabbing a towel from one of the assistants.

“Ren, tell your fans how it feels to know they’re willing to trample each other to death to touch you?”

Ren grinned, flashing me a thumbs up, and I quickly snapped a pic. “Let’s keep the death toll to a minimum next time, ‘kay guys?”

I grabbed Kell’s arm as he tried to rush by, practically bouncing, giddy and hyper. I quickly turned my camera to video. I knew I had to capture his energy in motion. “Kell! If a fan threw her panties on stage, would you take them?”

“Hells yeah! Ladies, I welcome any and all undergarments you wish to throw in my direction. In fact, that goes for the fellas as well.” He threw a wink and blew a kiss.

Gold. This stuff was pure gold. Now, I just needed Jayce.

I looked around, but I didn’t see him anywhere. Had I missed him? He should have been right behind Kell.

“Where’s Jayce? I need him next.”