14 Years [GNR/Mötley Crüe]

58. Ghosts From My Past

Axl:

"Thank you." I flashed a smile at the voluptuous brunette who led me to David Geffen's office. Maybe it had to do with not getting any action in the past four days. Anything and everything in my sight was a turn on.

Also, it isn't like that girl wasn't gawking up at my chest through buttons that remained open. But I don't think I will actually fuck her. She was attractive but not worth it.

"Hey Axl, late as usual." One of the executives said in a cheery tone.

Well, I didn't ask you to put the meeting at morning ten dipshit. That's too early. In fact, I wouldn't have even come on a normal day and would've left them waiting. Dropping Dee at her workplace was literally the only reason that managed to bring my ass here.

"Anyway let us begin." I heard David Geffen clear his throat. Honestly, this meeting should be attended by every member of the band along with our management. The management crew is here but the band.... they are a little too fucked up to give a shit about attending this. Naturally leaving it to my shoulders, just like most of the other legal stuff. I don't even understand half of those. Mostly I just let them explain the options to me and make them help me figure out the better choice.

"The reason I called you in here is, I had a talk with the promoters." He paused and looked at me. From the way all the eyes remained glued to me, it was pretty limpid that they had all already discussed and made up their mind and were just waiting for a nod from me.

I nodded at him to continue, though just from the word promoters, I knew this was bad news. They want us on the road.

"We just came off the road a month back." I interrupted him. Fuck him. If he wants to do the tour so badly then let him go and do the shows himself. I am not leaving my house.

He inhaled, "You played ten shows Axl. You didn't even leave the state. Don't you at least want to promote the album you spent four years on?"

I didn't want to release Illusions this early. I hadn't even finished working on them but of course, these morons felt we would be left behind in the dust if we didn't release them.

"The shows we did were enough promotion. The albums are doing good. We peaked Billboard. Fuck, November is still the most played video on MTV right now!" I tried to put some sense into him.

I don't even know how November Rain was still on MTV rotation. I don't think that song had even reached its full potential but I was forced into releasing it all. Is it even any good? Maybe I should ask Dee, after all the song came up from an irresistible urge to immortalize her through my music. That's what I wanted to do, give her something to be proud of, not something that I wasn't even sure was of any good. I don't care if the entire world thinks it's great as long as she doesn't feel that, it's all worthless. Maybe I will ask her, what she thinks about it and then-

"Axl back to earth!!!" The sound of fingers knocking against the hard wooden table brought me out of my spiral.

"Sorry." I shook my head as they gave me a helpless look and some of them rolled their eyes to ridicule me.

"I don't care if November Rain gets played on MTV for the rest of the year. The money we get from that is barely anything compared to the offer in front of us right now. Just for 6 months on the road. 120 million."

"I don't want it, David! Look... I am going through a LOT of personal shit right now. The band isn't ready. I am not ready. I am not in the perfect mental state to do a tour right now. What I need is some time to work on myself.... fuck I don't even know if my voice is in its right form!" I exclaimed as I started to feel anger flare up in every single vein and nerve in my body and every breath I took was slowly turning into a hiss before I grabbed one of the cigarettes from my back pocket and lit it up. Allowing myself to burn it all away. Waiting for the smoke that was filling up my lungs to calm me down.