Now We're Here

by Jessica Kale

  Now We’re Here

  Book #2 of Play Me a Song Series

  Written by Jessica Kale

  Copyright © 2017 by Romantic Scribe

  All rights reserved.

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  Table of Contents

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  PROLOGUE

  David Straub moved his head rhythmically to the beat of the music. He couldn’t quite tell what genre it was, or what the lyrics meant. All he heard was a choppy tune flying erratically all over the studio, begging for his approval … and the approval of the man sitting right next to him.

  “She’s not bad,” Kevin Potter said, cocking his head towards Straub. The man was slouched down in his chair, his legs jittering, not to the beat of the music, but to something else. “Damn, look at the way she’s moving those hips. That girl’s gonna be a star.”

  The singer jumped up and down with the mic in her hand, her perky breasts bouncing every time her feet launched her into the air. Potter couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Aware of the electricity crackling in the air, she winked at him. Kevin blew her a kiss; it was like she had just enchanted him, ensnared him with her gaze.

  “I’m pretty sure swiveling her hips while singing trashy music isn’t going to make her a star,” Straub said, rolling his eyes at the producer. The hours dragged on; Straub couldn’t help but go out for a smoke every fifteen minutes.

  “Damn right, it will!” The bleach-haired boy producer spun around in his chair and raised an eyebrow at Straub. “Can’t you see the magic she’s working over there?” The girl stared at the man and bit her bottom lip. He slouched even further down in his chair. He looked like a pile of melting ice cream.

  “I’m pretty sure sex doesn’t sell anymore, Potter,” Straub said, shaking his head from side to side.

  “I would beg to disagree,” Potter said. His grin bore a gold tooth which shone amongst a set of yellowing smoker’s teeth.

  “Are you waiting for me to change my mind?” Straub asked, looking at Potter through the corner of his eye. “I don’t think you should sign her, but you can do whatever you want.”

  “Business is business,” Potter said, shrugging. The perky blonde banged her head a couple of times before the show was over. Her curly strands were unruly, thrown back into a messy ponytail at the base of her head. Hair from the slightly layered cut wasn’t included in the ponytail, but it perfectly framed her face. A hint of a scar showed at the nape of her neck; Potter thought it gave her a little mystery. “That was amazing,” he said, cheering.

  “Now, I would beg to disagree,” Straub said with his jaw clenched. “Anyway, can we just talk about Sawdust for now?”

  “Ah, just hearing the name of that band makes me feel all warm on the inside,” Potter said, leaning so far back in his chair that Straub thought he would fall. “So, what’s the scoop on the new album?”

  “Well, let me just show you,” Straub said, typing away at the keyboard in front of him. “Check this out.”

  “Whoa,” the greasy-haired producer said, his black eyes drilling into the screen. “Number two on iTunes? Are you kidding me?”

  “Just found out an hour ago. The album’s causing a lot of buzz, it’s insane,” Straub said, lacing his fingers behind his head. The perky blonde singer just stood there in the recording booth doing nothing. She untied her hair and it fell freely down her back. Her eyes glimmered with the curiosity of a child, but she didn’t move.

  “Hey, when am I going to cause this much buzz?” she talked into her mic.

  For a second, Potter wanted to ignore her. “Once you give me what I want,” he said. “You came in here with talent, now I want to see something else … something different.”

  “Do you hear yourself?” Straub nudged the producer, whose eyes were fixated on the blonde. She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger; now Straub was sure the two of them were on the same wavelength. The days of Potter coming into his studio with sexy talentless singers were really starting to weigh down on Straub. “Listen, you’re not about to get into one of those singer-producer type things, they always go south.”

  “Nah, don’t worry about it,” Potter said, that same old grin plastered across his face.

  “Hey, I know you, you’re probably going to fuck her right after I leave, then you’re gonna sign her, aren’t you? Aren’t you?” At that point Straub’s voice was a coarse whisper.

  “Just let me do my job, and I promise, I won’t disappoint ya.”

  There was silence. Straub picked his eyes off the screen and looked at Potter.

  “Alright, so, Sawdust is making a whole lot of buzz,” he said finally. “I want to take advantage of that. Working with this band, it’s like swimming to the surface of the ocean after having been drowning for so long.”

  “Are you saying the bands I bring in aren’t any good?” Potter asked. Straub didn’t say anything. “Oh, I know what that means,” he said, winking at the blonde, who was now waving at him.

  “We’re not gonna get into this debate again,” Straub said, shaking his head. “Now, let’s talk Sawdust. Let’s talk Gabriella.”

  “Ah, Gabriella. That girl’s got me yelling on the inside.”

  “She’s got everyone yelling,” Straub said. “I don’t think we’ve had a singer this good come into the studio in a very long time.”

  “I don’t think you’ve ever had a singer this good come into your studio, period.”

  “And Alicia. That girl really knows how to hold her own, she’s brilliant.” There was a pause. “You know, Kevin, I have big plans for Gabriella,” Straub said, lighting a cigarette. “Very big ones.”

  CHAPTER 1

  Alicia’s face broke into a smile as James Logan hit his last note. “That was pretty awesome,” she said, moving her eyes from the fresh new singer and jotting down some notes. She looked over at Jeremy, who gave her a thumbs up.

  “I think that was pretty good, Logan,” he said, slumping down next to Alicia. “At this rate, I’m pretty sure we can drop your album by the start of next year,” he continued.

  There was a glimmer in Alicia’s eyes. Six months ago, who would’ve thought she would be working with one of Hollywood’s rising stars? James Logan was the talk of the town these days, and she was his producer.

  “I think this boy’s gonna hit platinum. Who am I kidding? I know he is,” Jeremy said, scratching his head.

  “Thanks, let’s hope so,” the English singer said from behind the glass window. His smile bore a perfect row of teeth; Alicia couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Alright, well, I’d just like to say that I’m honored to be working with you,” she said, staring down at her equipment. She moved a few things around before she rose to her feet. “I’m guessing we should move on to the next song?” she asked.

  “I’m guessing we should. Let me just get a sip of water first, okay? Do you mind if we go over Orchid Eyes again, though? I feel like I could
switch a thing or two before we finalize it.”

  “Of course,” Alicia said, walking over to the mini-fridge and grabbing a bottle of water. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks, hun,” the singer said, popping the cap off and downing the water all in one gulp.

  “You know, Logan, what’s great about your voice is that it’s not conventional. I haven’t heard a lot of singers like you,” Jeremy said, stroking the bridge of his nose with his finger.

  “Yeah, I get that quite often,” he said. His eyes were like smoke, gray and full of heat. Alicia had a feeling those eyes would charm millions.

  “No wonder you got millions of views on YouTube,” Jeremy said. “I think you just might be the next Niall Horan.”

  “No, no,” Logan said, shaking his head from side to side. His shaggy chestnut hair fell into his eyes; Alicia instantly knew he would be the next sensation. “I’d rather not be affiliated with someone else. I respect other people and their music, but really don’t want to fall into the same generalization.”

  “You know what you want, I like that,” Jeremy said.

  The truth was, Logan already had a gigantic fan base. All that was left for him was to drop his new album and make his mark in the music world. For Alicia, it was a step up.

  Every night before she fell asleep, Alicia always thought about how she got to where she was. She often stared at the back of Gabriella’s head, touched her hair and wondered how she became so lucky. She marveled at her environment, gaped at the ceiling fan and let it hypnotize her all night. And this feeling of disbelief wasn’t going away. Every morning, she thanked God she moved on from everything that had been weighing her down. She made peace with her mother’s death, but that didn’t mean the guilt was gone. She would pray for her forgiveness, over and over again. Every night.

  “Please, are you actually comparing Logan to Niall Horan?” Alicia said after a long pause. “I mean, he’s probably going to be just as popular, but their music styles are totally different.”

  “More on the Indie side, Logan, that’s for sure,” Jeremy said, leaning against the equipment boards.

  “Whoa, be careful with that,” Alicia said. “It’s new, remember?”

  Jeremy’s lips curled into a smile. It was clear on his face that he was enjoying their new success just as much as she was.

  “I still can’t believe we renovated this place,” he said, scanning the studio with his eyes. “You know, Logan, I’m not gonna lie to you, this place used to be a dump.” Jeremy walked over to one of the leather couches and slumped down on it. “But then we bought the apartment right next to us and expanded, so it looks more like a studio.”

  “Well, it looks like you did a pretty good job. My agent’s pretty picky when it comes to these things,” the scruffy-haired musician said. The English lilt in his voice made Alicia swoon, but not in the way she knew dozens of female fans would. At that point she knew what she liked, and it wasn’t James Logan.

  “Hey, Gabriella just texted me,” she said. “She’s on her way to the studio right now.”

  “Are you guys going to record today?” Jeremy asked.

  “I don’t know. Has anyone booked the other recording booth? Wait, let me check my schedule.” Alicia scrolled through her phone for a while and, realizing she was fully booked for the week, put her phone away and let out a sigh. “Oh my God, I don’t have a minute off,” she said.

  “And you’re mad about that?” Jeremy asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

  “No,” she said, shaking her head frantically.

  Ever since Sawdust got their record deal with StoneCrawl, Alicia had been in such high demand that she could barely fit in anytime to breathe. Every single night, she would go back home in the late AM’s, collapse into bed next to Gabriella, close her eyes for what felt like two seconds and then wake up again. This had been the routine for as long as she could remember, although when she looked back, she realized that it had only been a couple of months. And Gabriella was no less busy. She had been rushing in and out of the studio, sometimes with Alicia, sometimes alone. But despite the pressure, the two of them were slowly finding their groove.

  “Alicia, the ever-popular,” Logan said, strumming his guitar. He fondled with the tuners for a bit before he stepped out of the recording booth and set his guitar aside. “On second thought, I’m just going to take a little break over here.”

  “Are you sure? Someone else booked a recording session in about thirty minutes. They should be here in a little bit,” Alicia said, checking her watch.

  Jeremy flashed her a smile. The truth was, he was proud of her. She had come a long way. “At this point, I feel like I’m the one working for her, not the other way around,” he said, glancing over at Logan.

  “That’s alright. I’m probably going to work on a couple of things at my home studio, anyway,” he said.

  Alicia nodded and went back to scrolling through her phone, or at least she looked like she was. She pretended to go through her contacts while thinking about the fact that right now, at this very moment, she was working with a musician who had a home studio. A rising star. A twenty-four-year-old sensation that was going to take America by storm with his raspy voice and stormy gray eyes.

  And it wasn’t just him. The musician coming in after him, she too was a starry-eyed pop star looking to make her mark in the world. And it was Alicia who was going to help her to that.

  Alicia couldn’t help but smile. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw herself hovering around diner tables, soaping up surfaces and jotting down long orders of stale pancakes and tasteless coffee. She cringed at the memory. When she opened her eyes, all she saw were the patterned walls of her studio, welcoming her, accepting her for who she was. Right now everything felt right, everything was falling into place.

  A sudden rustling sound brought her back from her daydreams.

  “Hello!” Gabriella’s voice echoed from outside.

  Alicia rushed to her. Jeremy listened to the popping sound of their kisses and their quiet whispers on their way back to the recording room.

  “Hey, Jeremy!” Gabriella said, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. “Hello!” she said again, flashing Logan a genuine smile. Even after all this time, Alicia couldn’t take her eyes off her girlfriend. She stared at her with pure admiration, the kind that knows no bounds.

  “Now, what are our plans today?” Gabriella asked, placing her hands on her hips like she was ready to get down to business.

  “I was just getting ready to head out,” Logan said, making his way for the door. “Alicia! Tomorrow, five o’clock?” he asked.

  “Yep, same recording room,” she said. The scruffy-haired singer nodded at them in acknowledgment before he stumbled out with his instruments. He must’ve been carrying a million things at once, and it was only when he staggered into the hallway, with his legs wobbling under the weight of his instruments, did Alicia realize how short he was. “Later!”

  “So, we have thirty minutes to talk about Sawdust before Nur gets here,” Alicia said, turning to Gabriella.

  “Nur? Nur Blankly?” the blonde asked, raising an eyebrow at Alicia.

  “Yeah, her agent called me a week ago. She wants to work with us,” she said, her pearly teeth showing through her smile.

  “Oh, I’ve seen her on YouTube. The girl’s pretty hot,” Gabriella said, cocking her head towards Alicia.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Alicia asked, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

  “Oh, I don’t know. My girlfriend’s now a successful producer and she’s working with some of the hottest new musicians in the country? Am I not allowed to be just a tiny bit jealous?” Gabriella took her coat off, tossed it aside and went straight into the recording booth. She climbed onto one of the stools and shuffled her feet around playfully, looking at Alicia.

  “Hey, you socialize with hot musicians at events all the time,” Alicia babbled. “But at the end of the day I kno
w it’s me you’re going to come back to.”

  “Ahh,” Gabriella said, cocking her head to the side. She could feel the heat growing in her cheeks. “You know I was just kidding though, right?”

  “I do,” Alicia said, staring up at the ceiling. “Just trying to make my girl feel confident.”

  Gabriella smiled and looked away. When she blushed, her cheeks made her look as if her whole head was on fire. “I’ll take that,” she said after a while of swiveling her legs around and looking at the equipment. “So, let’s talk Sawdust?” she said.

  “Alright. So, I want us to start working on the next album, ASAP,” Alicia said, closing the door to the recording room. “The tour is coming up soon, so we need to have at least started laying down the groundwork for the new album, what it’s going to be like, what songs will be on there, stuff like that.”

  “I’m thinking we should stick to the band’s original acoustic, country rock vibe,” Gabriella said.

  “Yeah. The people responded very well to ‘Papercut.' I’m thinking the next album shouldn’t deviate far from the band’s style that everyone seems to like,” Alicia said.

  “But don’t you want to give them something new?” Jeremy asked.

  “I do, and that’s for the whole band to decide together, but this is only our second album. We want to establish ourselves as a country band first before we can go off and do something different,” Gabriella said.

  “I totally agree,” Alicia nodded.

  “Alright well, do you want to include bonus tracks on there?” Jeremy asked, walking to the bar. He flashed Alicia a sly smirk before he bent down and pulled out a bottle of white wine from the cabinet. “This is our secret stash,” he said, raising an eyebrow at Gabriella.

  “Oh my God, you guys have a secret stash now? I feel so left out.”

  “Hey, just because you don’t spend as much time here as you do at StoneCrawl, doesn’t mean you’re not part of the family,” Jeremy said. “But just to keep you in the loop, we’ve decided to hide our liquor because it’ll look unprofessional if we do otherwise,” he continued.