“Gage, I’ll meet with you…I really want to…but not tonight. I’m so drained that I can’t even think straight and I know you must be, too.” She heard him begin to protest but quickly cut him off.
“Listen to me.” She was surprised by the sharp edge to her voice. She tried again. “Gage, please listen to me. I said that I’ll meet you, but I just need to think first. And to get some sleep. Plus, Ursula wants to talk to me. She thinks I screwed up the articles. Call me tomorrow and we’ll meet, okay? Give me a day to get my head together. Is that okay?”
She heard Gage sigh gruffly on the other end of the line. “Okay, Kate. I’ll wait. However long you need…I’ll be right here.”
“I just need the night, Gage. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She clicked the off button but kept the phone in her hand, squeezing it tightly, hoping that she was doing the right thing. Her head was pounding, and her heart ached as if were crumbling in her chest. She was confused; her emotions tangled in a web of chaos and uncertainty, her nerves shot. He had said it – he had actually told her that he loved her, and yet she hadn’t responded in the way that she had wanted to…in a way that he would have expected and she knew that once again she had hurt him.
She did love him, that much was for certain, but she wasn’t sure where this was headed or how far it could go. She didn’t want to hurt him again, yet she couldn’t help but feel twisted up inside at the tortured tone in his voice. He was hurting…badly. She knew what she had to do. She needed to get Ursula under control first before she could deal with Gage. With a slow hand, she picked up the phone, punching in the number for her boss.
***
Gage’s suite at the W on Lexington Avenue was smaller than his usual style, but he had a sense that part of what overwhelmed Kate was the over-the-top lifestyle she saw him living while he was on tour. Playing it low-key now seemed like the way to go, to show her that life with him could be normal.
Belatedly, Gage remembered to call his manager, listening to the tirade from the man about how Gage had been irresponsible, disappearing without a trace, for not sticking around for the press after the last concert. And he gave him hell for going after Jeremy. Gage let the man ramble and then cut the call short, telling him he’d be in touch. At least that got his manager off his back for a while.
He’d been unable to sleep, pacing the floor, heading out onto the private terrace of his suite. The lights of New York at night were absolutely beautiful; he would never get tired of the energy of this vibrant city. Oddly enough, it was one of the few cities he didn’t own property in. Maybe it was time to start looking.
Gage wandered back into his bedroom, turning on some soft music, anything to distract his thoughts from Kate. He finally flung himself down on the bed. Kate had been endlessly on his mind since she’d stormed out of the tour bus. There had been a desperate moment when he’d called her Magazine asking for her. But the name Gage Stevens opened doors and apparently got snooty receptionists to put calls though. After an interminable time on hold, listening to horrible canned synthesizer music, he was put through to a brusque woman who told him she was Kate’s boss. She also told him his request was highly unusual. After another lengthy hold, she returned, giving him Kate’s home phone number. He thought he thanked her, but he wasn’t sure. She’d started explaining his manager was looking for him, but he’d already ended the call, cutting her voice off in mid-sentence.
The conversation with Kate hadn’t gone the way he’d wanted, but he was finally beginning to understand that he needed to do this at her pace, not his. Being in control was second nature to him; letting go and letting her take the lead was going to be a challenge. But he was willing to do whatever it took to get her back, and to keep her.
Eventually he drifted off, the soft sounds of the music lulling him to sleep. He dreamed of Kate, her soft skin beneath his hands, kissing every inch of her lush body, her br**sts so soft as he sucked her n**ples. She responded to his every touch, arching up beneath him, screaming out his name as she came, as he came with her, both of them spiraling upward on a whirlwind of ecstasy…his name on her lips, telling him she loved him…I love you, Gage…
Gage woke with a start, drenched in sweat, not knowing where he was. He reached blindly for Kate, but the wide bed was empty. Opening his eyes, he looked around, slowly making sense of the strange room, finally remembering he was in New York.
His huge erection reminded him of his dream, every vivid detail making his c*ck throb and ache. The bathroom in the suite had a large steam shower and he headed there, the images of Kate’s body as she arched and twisted beneath him so fresh in his mind it was almost painful. Gage stood a long time beneath the hot water, his hand stroking his cock, h*ps thrusting forward as he replayed the dream, replayed making love to Kate. As he came, he called out her name, eyes closed, head back.
Gage rested his forehead on the cool tile of the shower as he caught his breath. Masturbating in the shower was nothing compared to the real deal, to making love to Kate. He turned off the water, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, heading to the bedroom and the phone. He’d waited long enough. It was morning, barely, and Kate had told him to wait a day. Close enough.
His hands were trembling as he punched in her number. Taking a deep breath, he listened as the call went through, counting the rings.
“Come on, Kate. Pick up.” He paced through his suite, his towel slipping from his wet body. As he juggled the phone and the towel, he heard her answer.
“Kate? It’s me. How are you?”
“Hi, Gage. I’m fine. Better than yesterday. At least more rested than yesterday. How are you? Where are you staying?”
“Good, I’m good. I’m at the W on Lex.” There was an awkward silence. He heard Kate’s soft laugh on the other end of the phone.
“What’s so funny?”
“Us. I mean, we sound like awkward teenagers on the phone, not knowing what to say. It just made me laugh.”
Gage smiled. “It’s good to hear you laugh, Kate. I like the sound of your laugh.” He took a deep breath. “Look, I’d like to meet some place, here at the W or wherever you want. I just want to see you, not do this over the phone. Are you ready to see me?”
It seemed an eternity before she answered. “Yes, I’ll meet you. Not at the hotel though. Someplace else. I have to meet with Ursula this morning so how about we have lunch at Sarabeth’s on Park Avenue? I’ll meet you there around say, 11:00?”
“Alright. I’ll be there.” Gage hesitated. “Kate, I meant what I said. I do love you.”
“I know you do, Gage. I’ll see you at Sarabeth’s.”
And then she was gone. Gage replaced the phone. Looking down he realized he was nak*d, the towel pooled on the floor at his feet. And he realized the sound of Kate’s voice had given him another erection. He looked at his watch; it was a long time until lunch. He scooped up the towel from the floor, heading back to the shower.
***
Even though she knew he would call practically at first light, Gage’s phone call had still startled her. His admission, again, that he loved her sent a shiver through her body, making her heart sing. But her rational mind kept telling her not to be swayed by three little words.
She glanced at the clock; if she didn’t leave now, she’d be late for her meeting Ursula. And she had the distinct impression being late would be the final straw.
The offices for Stardom Magazine were on Park Avenue. The building always intimidated Kate, even though she loved her job. But this morning she was too nervous to even be intimidated by the glass and metal structure. She took the elevator to the 30th floor, nodding hello to the receptionist. But instead of her usually disdainful look, the girl waved her over.
“Really, Kate? Gage Stevens? What happened? Spill the details.” The girl leaned forward, eyes wide, waiting for the juicy gossip.
Kate was at a loss; she didn’t even know the girl’s name. “Um, well, not much. You know, tour stuff. It was pretty hectic.”
“Playing coy? No one like Gage Stevens has ever called here asking for the personal phone number of some lowly copy writer.” The girl sat back, giving Kate a smug look. She opened her mouth to continue, but thankfully the phone rang, distracting the girl and giving Kate a chance to escape.
Kate’s cubicle was just as she left it, with the same dusty disused air as her apartment. Shoving a messy stack of interoffice mail to the side, she cleared a space, dropping her bag on the desk. She pulled out her digital tape recorder, checking the batteries and listening for a few moments to the audio recordings. She took out the notebook full of entries from the tour, flipping through the pages of interviews with the crew, the band and with Gage. Everything that had happened, sans her personal encounters, was documented, along with her impressions and thoughts. She smiled at some of the notes she’d made, at some of the comments of the band members and crew.
Kate flipped to the last handwritten page, cringing at the notes she’d scrawled on the plane home, in the dim light of the cabin as she flew through the dark, running away from Gage. The notes were terse, barely legible, but still captured the intense feelings of joy and exhilaration she’d felt as she’d watched Gage perform from the crush and heat of the audience. She’d been so close to the stage he could have reached down and touched her. The fans around her, all girls, had been in a frenzy, screaming Gage’s name. But for a moment, it had been just her and Gage, their eyes meeting, the noise fading away. She’d been so proud of him, to see him giving so much of himself to the crowd, to his fans, letting the music he’d created wash over them. He was truly in his element and it showed.
And then the spell was broken. The sounds of the crowd came rushing back, filling her ears, bodies jostling her roughly. Gage was waving to the screaming audience, leaving the stage, the concert over. And then, unbidden, the rest of that night came rushing back. Kate closed her eyes, willing the memories back where they came from.
But the feel of Gage’s hands on her body, as they made frantic passionate love on the tour bus, his whole body claiming hers, made her skin prickle with goose bumps. She closed her eyes, helpless as the flood of impressions filled her mind. An unbidden heat rose through her body, an involuntary shudder coursing through her.
“Kate Preston. It’s about time you grace us with your presence.”
Kate swung around in her chair. Ursula was standing in her cubicle, hands on her hips.
“Ursula. I’m…I’ve…sorry I’m late.”
“My office. Now. And bring your notes.” Ursula turned on her heel, leaving Kate’s cubicle. Kate gathered her notebook and recorder, and followed, trying to avoid the curious glances of her co-workers.
Ursula held the door for Kate. As soon as Kate was seated, Ursula closed the door. She took a seat behind her desk, looking coolly at Kate for a long moment.
“You know that this assignment was given to you because your previous interview with Gage Stevens had been so extraordinary. We all assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that your relationship with Mr. Stevens would aid you in getting us a stellar series of interviews based on his recent tour.” Ursula took a breath.