Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 88586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“Let’s try it again.”
“Sure thing. Let’s do it tomorrow, though.” I set my sticks on the stool and stretched my arms above my head.
“No, we have to record this tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Why are you acting confused? You know the plan,” he replied in an exacting tone.
“I just thought you’d want to triple-check it. You don’t want to record it five times in a row, do you?”
“No, I don’t.” Dec fixed me with a death glare. “Can I talk to you privately?”
“Sure thing, bo—”
“If you call me ‘boss’ one more time, I’m going to fucking punch you,” he hissed.
Bobby J and Gill shot a wary glance between us, then tucked their instruments under their arms and filed out of the room. I stood quietly and moved behind him, chuckling when he jolted in surprise.
“What’s the matter, Dec? You’re not gonna kiss me again, are you?” I singsonged.
“No, asshole. We could have been done hours ago. Are you trying to sabotage this?”
“No, I’m helping you. I’ve given you solid suggestions, and you know it. You need a beat-meister, Dec. Gill is a nice guy, but the bassist can’t do it alone. Let your rhythm section work for you so you can concentrate on the melody.”
“Don’t tell me how a band works. I know exactly what I need and—”
“Do you want my help or not?”
“Honestly, no,” he huffed. “But we’re ready to record. Let’s do it twice and be done with it. If it sucks, I’ll cut it.”
“Okay, I’ve got some time before my date tonight. Use me while you can.” I spread my arms wide and grinned.
Declan leveled me with a pissed-off glare, but instead of tossing back a random insult, he asked, “Who’s your date?”
I widened my eyes comically. “I don’t kiss and tell, but…I’ll make an exception. It’s Sean.”
“Who?”
“My ex. It’s not a real date, though. We’re meeting at the gym. I still train him. At some point, I guarantee you he’s going to tell me he wants to get back together. He doesn’t really want that, though. And neither do I. So, I’ll say no, and he’ll probably suggest that we just fuck instead.”
He glanced away for a moment. “And you’ll say?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I chuckled.
“Nope. I wouldn’t.”
“Well, if you’re curious…”
“I’m not,” Declan huffed, striding toward the door.
“The answer is…maybe.”
Declan gave me a blank stare. “Shut up and let’s just do this.”
The label was too small to keep a production team on staff full-time, so we had to wait for the sound engineer to show up. Thankfully Charlie had someone on standby, but the lag time was enough to draw an audience.
Gray and Charlie stood on the opposite side of the glass with the sound dude, wearing matching serious expressions. They were a study in contrasts. Charlie looked almost petite next to his godfather-slash-other-dad, but they shared certain traits that I had to think came from being family. They both furrowed their brows, crossed their arms, and cocked their heads slightly to the right when they were serious or thoughtful.
I had no idea why they were so serious. Or why Gray was here in the first place. He was generous with his time and expertise. And yeah, he and Charlie’s dad were major investors in Scratch Records. However, Gray had been adamant from the start about not wanting to interfere. He wouldn’t be here unless Charlie or Justin had asked him to stop by.
I didn’t see or hear any problems, though. Jealousy sounded tight.
We played it at a medium tempo and a slower one, recording both takes twice for posterity. Either version was a winner. Declan’s vocals over the sweet and simple melody were sublime. I didn’t use that word lightly. And I didn’t give credit unless it was deserved, especially to him.
But the longing in his lilting voice evoked a response. His fans would swoon when he sang lines like, “I can’t find the magic when you’re not near,” and they’d probably tear up when the band quieted and it was just Dec whispering at the end, “I’m lost without you.”
Hell, I felt a little emotional just playing the beat behind him. And I was curious too. I wondered who he’d written this song for. It sounded like it came from somewhere deep inside.…It was pretty but painful. Whoever his muse was made an impression.
I tried to think of a few candidates, but I didn’t know much about Declan’s love life…on purpose, though there didn’t seem to be much to know. He either kept a very low profile or his reputation for being the king of meaningless hookups was based on fact. I’d never known him to have a serious boyfriend or girlfriend, which was interesting ’cause he was easily the most attractive human I’d ever met…on the outside anyway.
Dec was the kind of handsome that turned heads. All he had to do was flash one of his million-dollar grins, and he could have anyone he wanted. That was obviously his preferred mode of sexual encounter and the only explanation I had for why we ended up doing what we did in the office.