Naked Heat

C H A P T E R O N E | IT'S JUST A KISS AWAY

     C H A P T E R   O N E | IT’S JUST A KISS AWAY

     “Oh, a storm is threat’ning, my very life today,” Carter turned his head to the right to look out of the private jet’s window. Never in a million years did he think he would be in the position he would be in today.

     “If I don’t get some shelter, oh yeah I’m gonna fade away,” He bit his lip, a sign that he couldn’t contain his excitement as the New York skyline came into view. He was finally going to perform at Madison Square Garden – the major stadium in the US. Carter’s eyes slammed shut as he slowly started to enjoy the music and think about what opportunities could come from this trip.

     “War, children, it’s just a shot away. It’s just a shot away. War, children, it’s just a shot away. It’s just a sho –” Carter’s earphones were ripped from his ears as his mother stared at him. His eyes shot open as he looked at her, his mouth agape as he felt his ears sting slightly. Camille Perry glared at her son.

    Carter’s gaze shifted from his mother to Rich, his manager. Rich didn’t look happy with him for some reason.

     “What did I do?” He asked dumbfounded.

     Rich cleared his throat as he looked at Carter pointedly.

     “You were being rude,” Camille interjected, her French accent making her sound more disapproving. When Carter gave her a confused expression, she pointed to the earphones that she had placed on the small table in the space between their leather seats.

     Carter grimaced. “You didn’t hear a single word I said, did you?” Rich asked.

     “Sorry, no.”

     Rich sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Richard Roberts wasn’t an impatient man. He was understanding and the complete opposite of impatient. He was, however, on the end of his tether when it came to Carter. He was beginning to believe that he was a lost cause. Carter was always in his own little world – whether it be that he was lost in music, or he generally just wasn’t paying attention.

   “He was showing you the cover of this month’s Frenzy magazine. Look,” Camille brought his attention to the magazine that Carter never even realised was sitting on the table. On the cover was the superstar himself.

    “Carter Perry on his latest tour, his next album, and Franziska Bitschi,” The words were printed across the bottom of the cover. Carter frowned and looked up at his mother and Rich.

     “I don’t get it. I’ve already seen it, it came out last week. Why are you showing me this now?” He questioned.

     Rich grinned, his annoyed mood seemed to have flown out of the window. Whatever he was so happy about was obviously bound to be good. “This edition,” Rich picked up the magazine and clutched it tightly, “was so popular that it broke the record for most sales the day after it was released. It’s still breaking records right now!”

     Carter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He felt like he was glued to his seat. This was a breakthrough for him. It truly showed that he was known. Frenzy is the most popular magazine throughout the English speaking world. “Are you kidding me?”

     “They love you!” Rich exclaimed.

     Camille’s mouth stretched into a smile as her eyes gleamed with happiness. She reached over in her seat and pecked her son on the cheek. “Well done, mon beau garcon.”

     Her son’s mouth hung open in shock as he tried to process what he had been told. Then, once it did, he smiled softly and leaned back in his seat. I finally did it, he thought.