Creed rose, and the two headed out.
Pauletta was slower to rise. “Anything I can say to convince you?” She directed the question at Malik, but her gaze flitted to me for just a moment.
She knows how to read the room.
“We’ll be in touch.” I rose. “Nice to meet you both.”
Mickey bounced out of their chair. “I hope you sayyes. Not just because I’d love the opportunity to hang out on a private Greek island, though.” They met Malik’s gaze. “Because Pauletta believes in you. That means something. Okay, bye.” They bounded out—almost like a puppy.
Pauletta laughed. “They’re not always so enthusiastic. They’re not wrong either.”
“You make a lovely couple.” I didn’t normally comment on personal things, but Pauletta appeared besotted.
“More than a year and still going strong. We met because of Grindstone.” She turned to me. “They’ll always have an important part of my heart—but when it comes to business, I’m easily able to split my focus. I’ll do right by Razor Made. I promise.”
I believed her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Malik
“It’s snowing.” I gazed through the slats of my blinds. Usually I closed them when bedtime came, but I’d had the feeling snow was coming, and I loved nothing more than to lie in bed, in the dark, and to watch the snow swirling around the streetlamp. We didn’t get much snow in the Lower Mainland. A few days a year. Snow days when school was canceled were even rarer.
Spencer, who lay on the far side of the bed, away from the window, propped himself up on his elbow so he could see over me. “Yeah, that’s so cool. I hope I don’t have a problem getting home to Moses in the morning.”
“Or to the lawyer’s office.” I tried to keep my tone neutral.
“You’re worried.”
I shrugged nonchalantly—even though my gut churned. “We’ll see what she has to say. Pauletta sent her a digital copy tonight, and she emailed me that she received it. I sort of feel guilty that she’s looking it over tonight—”
“You pay her a lot of money.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, we do. She’s worth every penny. She’s a shark. Unlike you.”
“I don’t know how to take that statement.”
“You’re a teddy bear.”
He pressed his body against mine. His cock, although flaccid, pressed against my hip.How difficult would it be to arouse him again?We’d already gone at it twice tonight. I wasn’t sated. I was never sated when it came to Spencer.
And that scared me just a little bit.
“Reese’s message came through after you fell asleep.” I gazed over at him, tearing my eyes away from the falling snow. “That’s five for five.Ifthe lawyer approves.”
Slowly, he nodded. “She might make some suggestions, but Pauletta made it clear very little was negotiable. I’ve never heard of a band hiding away for seven months.”
“We’re a rock band—we do weird shit. Carson…he’s the best there is.”
“Interestingly, Pauletta never clarified whether she sought him out or he sought her out.”
“You mean why he didn’t just present us the offer himself?”
“Yeah.”
I grinned. “The guy’s related to Kato—Mickey’s sound engineer. Distant relative but…” I shrugged. Life was all about people who knew people. If not for some guy I’d never met, this opportunity might never have landed in my lap.
“So you figure Carson made the offer through Pauletta because he knew her?”
