"Hey Jude." A woman giggled as she grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. "I can't wait to work with you," she purred.

Feeling the hand on his arm, Jude stopped. He was used to fans grabbing him and allowed it. Everyone else should know better. He turned to look at the woman standing beside him and narrowed his eyes. He recognized her. He knew labels called her in when they wanted to up the pretty factor.

Plastic, he thought. Like so many of them.

"What do you want?" he asked as he yanked his arm away.

"I'm Kat Krave. I play keys. I can't wait to get to know you better."

"Keys? I've seen you before. You don't play keys, you barely play at all," he scoffed. "Now be a good girl and run along. I don't have the time or patience for this."

As Jude entered the red and gold hotel lobby, he spotted Richard standing by the entrance's revolving door waiting for his car and made his way over to him.

"Dick," Jude said as he approached. "I told you before I'm not babysitting a bunch of children."

"They're not children, Jude. They're older than you were when you started touring."

Jude gritted his teeth. He hated when other people were right. Fifteen years ago, at the age of sixteen, Jude drove out to LA with some buddies in the hopes they'd make it big. Jude did. His old friends had to change their plans.

Back then, Richard Black was a hardworking young man with a dream. He spent a few years working at record companies and believed he had what it took to make money. He just needed the right band.

Spending his nights at dive clubs that hosted new acts, he knew the local bands and their politics. He had a dream band in mind, but everything had to line up. He wanted to take the bassist and guitarist from one band, the lead singer from another, and form a brand-new band. He just needed a drummer.

Jude was playing drums with his old buddies then. When Dick heard him behind the kit, he knew he found his man. It didn't take much to convince Jude to meet the other guys and once they played together, everything else fell into place. Within a couple of years, Silverlight was the biggest band in the world.

"You know why I'm doing this," Jude said. "You better hold up your end of the deal."

"Yes, yes, I know. You want out of your contract. I guarantee it. I just wish you'd reconsider."

"No. I've had enough. You know it was a shit deal."

"You agreed to it, but I'll remind you that it wasn't my idea to begin with. I would've been happy for Silverlight to go on forever, she convinced you otherwise. But you were in love," Richard said as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, love," Jude said. "Too bad Donna didn't feel the same."

"You know in her own way she loved you. She still asks about you."

"Don't talk to me about her. I know she's your niece and all, but I don't want to hear it."

"Trust me, I'd rather not talk about her," Richard said. "She singlehandedly led to the breakup of the greatest rock band of this generation. Do you know how much she cost me?" A silver BMW pulled up and Richard took the keys from the valet. "Have you listened to Lucky's music yet?"

"No," Jude growled. "I'll learn my parts, don't worry."

"I know you will. But listen to her music. I think you'll be surprised. The kid's really good."

As Richard drove away, Jude entered the hotel. He resented having to join this tour with a bunch of kids just starting out. He knew Richard wanted him to listen to her music, but what did he know? Money was all Richard cared about. He just knew this Lucky girl was going to be some plastic pop tart not much different than that Kat girl.

As he walked through the lobby, a couple of women in their thirties ran over to him. While they were dressed in business attire, they squealed like young girls as they approached him.

"Jude! Jude Morrison! Oh, you are even hotter in person!" one of the women said. "I had your poster hanging in my bedroom in high school. Remember that, Becky? That was during Silverlight's second album."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the band exit the restaurant and walk towards the lobby. One of the members stood out for him, a girl with long, light brown hair and curves that wouldn't quit. Her eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses that hid half her face, but it didn't matter, he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

Jude was used to having women fawn over him, and he sometimes used his rock star status. He couldn't help it, it had its advantages. He wanted this woman like he hadn't wanted anyone else in a long time, and he knew all he had to do was say his name and she'd be his.

"Excuse me, ladies," Jude said to the two women, barely looking at them. "I hope you enjoy your conference."

He left the fans and headed over to the band. He had been so wrapped up in his own problems that it never occurred to him to ask Dick about Lucky. He just figured with a ridiculous name like that, she'd be grinding on stage with a bunch of dancers while she lip-synced.

Ignoring the other members in the band, he walked up to her. She was far from plastic and despite the sunglasses, he could tell she was naturally beautiful. He briefly wondered if Richard was right about her being good, but as his eyes moved over her body, he only cared about one thing and he knew how to get it.

"Hi, I'm Jude Morrison," he said as he flashed Lucky a smile.

"I know who you are. Everyone knows who you are," she said.

Clenching his jaw, he gritted his teeth. He didn't expect that response. She should have swooned at his feet like the others.

"Good. Everyone should," he said.

He angrily walked away. He didn't know what he was thinking. Some pop tart in his bed was the last thing he needed, especially on tour. It was better to just keep his distance anyway.

Jude collected his things from the front desk and went outside. Throwing a large duffel bag over his shoulder, he walked over to the band's new ride, a sleek modern bus designed to his specifications.

He refused to slum it in some beat-up excuse for a vehicle. As Jude took his first step onto the bus, he turned towards the band who stood under the hotel awning, looking lost.

"You guys coming or what?" he said.

The glossy black bus had every modern amenity. From Wi-Fi and TV, to mini refrigerators and a microwave. The tan, wide, soft Napa leather seats lined the first three quarters of the bus. In the back was a small room with a bed large enough for two people.

"Hey Stan, good to see you," Jude said to the slender grey-haired driver as he boarded.

Jude went all the way to the back of the bus and sat on one of the oversized seats. Reclining the seat all the way back, he put his earbuds in his ears. He figured he might as well listen to Lucky's album and get that out of the way.

Surprised by what he heard, he skipped through pieces of different songs to get an idea of the whole album.

"Shit, that girl's got talent," he muttered under his breath.

He looked up to watch as she boarded the bus, enjoying her smile and greatly impressed with her songwriting. When he noticed her look towards him, he leaned back into his seat and smiled. Lucky was the exact combination of talent and beauty he couldn't resist.