God, I loved a bossy woman.
“What do I say to her?” Presley asked no one in particular.
I clapped my hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed. “Just be yourself. She might come across as a ball-buster, but she’s a person like you and like me. You’ll do great. Show some confidence, some swagger. Fake it till you make it, kid.”
“Right?” He turned the card over in his hand.
“Call the number,” I said. “Don’t fucking bottle it. This is your chance. Grab it with both hands.”
His shoulders squared, and this determined look crossed his face. “I will.”
As I left the room, a cheer broke out behind me.
I grinned. It was a fun time, right at the beginning when the possibilities seemed endless. Shame it never lasted, but that was life.
I caught up to Aspen in the foyer. The rain had stopped, but the air was humid, heavy, and typical of London in July. Outside, the streets were, once again, bustling with tourists and locals alike, emerging from where they’d taken shelter from the downpour.
“My office?” She framed it as a question, but it was an order rather than a request. My cock hardened once more.
“No need. Here are my demands. A three-year, two-album deal. I get complete creative control over the music—and you sign Presley Knox.”
Chapter 3
Aspen
Eating alone is sad.
In the shorttime I’d spent with Joz Raynor, I’d come to realize something: this man was used to getting his own way. Not by aggressively shoving his agenda down my throat, but by leading me into a dead end using crooked smiles, outrageous flirting, and more charm than was good for my health.
Negotiations were tricky things at the best of times, but to let a man like him think I was so desperate to sign him to my label that I’d give him whatever he wanted without question was a huge mistake—one I was not about to make. I might only be twenty-eight, but I’d spent my whole life surrounded by smart, assertive men, and I’d more than held my own.
Assessing him, I tapped my finger against my bottom lip. His gaze dropped, pupils dilating. I almost laughed. At their core, men were such simple creatures, led astray by their dicks while their brains fought for control.
His reasoning to include a record contract for Presley in his short list of demands intrigued me, though. There was nodenying the young man’s talent, raw as it was, but what could be in it for Joz? If I asked, he wouldn’t tell me, but I’d find out what his agenda was sooner or later.
“Five years, three albums. Yes to creative control, and as for Presley, I’ll meet with him as I said I would. But no promises. You know as well as I do that this industry is about more than talent. It’s about salability, about personality, about attitude.”
His lips lifted on one side. “Three years with an option for two more. If I sign on for an extra two years, I’ll commit to the third album. A record deal for Presley is non-negotiable.”
Irritated, I narrowed my eyes. “Is there something I should know about your relationship to him?”
Joz laughed a low, throaty laugh. The kind that had probably served him well with his legion of female fans. He was undoubtedly handsome in a rugged kind of way, but he also had danger running through him like a stick of rock.
“I don’t have a relationship with him. Before today, we’d never met. Nothing lurking in the shadows, Ms. Kingcaid.”
He winked.Winked.Good God, I’d have to watch this one like a hawk.
“Hmm.” I tapped my lips again, and he predictably followed the movement. “I’m not buying what you’re selling, Mr. Raynor.”
He raised his hands, an innocent play. “I swear. Everything I told you is true. I saw him online, and this is the first chance I’ve had to watch him in person. Is there a law that says I can’t give a talented lad a leg up?”
“In our industry people don’t do things for others without something being in it for them.”
He rolled his tongue along his cheek. “If you truly believe that, then I’m sorry for you.”
Something about his statement irked me. “My assessment is evidence based.”
He leaned down, and it was only then I realized how much taller than me he was. A good foot, plus a couple more inches. His presence overwhelmed me, and I had to force myself to stand my ground, to not step back.
