Colton felt a stutter in his breath and was immediately caught off guard by his reaction. He reset quickly with a smile. “Nice shirt, man.”
Dean cracked a devilish grin. “Thanks, come on in. I’m just finishing up with a vocalist. We’ll only be another five minutes.” Dean escorted Colton around the corner to his music studio.
Inside the studio, the walls were painted a slate-blue color. On one wall, there were several framed gold and platinum records, all hanging in rows. Another wall had been designated to guitar storage, each carefully lined up and hung, waiting for their next session. Underneath the guitars was a full DJ deck, set up for practicing his live sets, Colton guessed.
There was a large desk in front of a window with a massive console on top full of buttons and knobs, and a MacBook Pro just off to the side. All around the console were benches, stools, and large, plush, swivel chairs. On the other side of the window was a soundproof area with a keyboard, drum kit, and microphones set up, ready for making music.
Dean introduced Colton to Dina. She was a young vocalist, about Dean’s age, very pretty with short blonde hair, dressed in black yoga pants and an oversized striped shirt hanging off one shoulder. She looked like she had stepped straight off the set of the movieFlashdance. Dina had just recorded some vocals for Dean’s new song.
“We’re just about to listen to the finished product,” Dean explained to Colton. “You’re getting an exclusive sneak peek!”
“I’m honored.” Colton smiled.
They each took a seat in a swivel chair and Dean started the song.
It was an upbeat song, with a driving piano and bassline. From the lyrics he could make out, Colton thought the song was about taking a chance on love. The chorus of the song was a catchy…
“I gotta take a chance. I gotta take a chance.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Once the song was over, Dean threw his arms in the air. “Finally!Thank you, Dina!”
Dean explained that Dina was the fourteenth artist to record vocals for the song because none of the others were quite a hundred percent right.
“I knew there was someone out there with the perfect voice for this song. I’m so glad I kept looking!” He exclaimed, hugging Dina.
“I think you just won a fucking Grammy!” Dina smiled.
“From your lips to God’s ears, honey!” Dean laughed.
Dean walked Dina to the elevator and returned to Colton.
“Right! Where were we?” Dean clapped his hands. “First, wanna tour of my place?”
“Absolutely.” Colton smiled. He had never felt such a stirring in his body. A few simple words, and Dean’s sparkling, infectious smile, had sent Colton’s stomach flipping. He wondered if he needed to see a doctor. This had never happened before. And why was he smiling so much?
“Great. Let’s start in the main loft.” Dean walked him out of the studio, stopping at the front door.
“I own the entire floor,” Dean began to explain, but corrected himself. “Actually, I own the entire building. Most of my staff live in the building too.”
“Your staff lives in the building with you?” Colton quirked a curious eyebrow.
Dean chuckled. “It’s not as weird as it sounds. And I don’tforcethem to live here, it’s their choice. It’s one of the things I try to do to make life easier for my staff. Rent and real estate in San Francisco is ridiculously expensive. So, my staff live here and pay significantly lower rent than anywhere else in the Bay Area. They only pay the costs to maintain the building, and most of that is covered by the rent from the first-floor businesses. So, it’s a win-win for everyone. The top floor is mine. The seventh floor is currently empty. The third through sixth floors are apartments for my dancers and admin staff. The second floor has a few offices and meeting rooms, a staff gym, common area, and a large rehearsal space. The first floor is commercial space for things we need…coffee, groceries, dry cleaning, pizza, tacos.” Dean grinned with a wink. “Tacos are important for staff morale.”
Colton chuckled. “Yes, very important.”
Dean’s positive outlook was infectious, and immediately put Colton at ease.
Why isn’t it this easy with everyone?
“When I bought the building, it was completely bare, no walls, no studs, just one giant open space. I designed everything from the ground up. It was an old industrial building and it was in pretty bad shape, so it took a while to get everything just the way I wanted.”
Dean’s loft was one massive room, separated into smaller vignettes. Although it was a large space, it had a warm, homey, welcoming feel. To the far left was a TV, media area, and wet bar, with a gigantic moss-green sectional sofa, complete with multiple pillows in various shades of blue. There were large picture windows on the side and across the back wall with a couple of small balconies outside of them. To the right of the TV area was a brick hearth and fireplace with a small sitting area in front…perfect for sipping hot chocolate by the fire.
In front of the fireplace and sitting area stood a rectangular dining table with seating for ten, and just to the right of the fireplace sat a fancy billiards table with all the trimmings.
On the far right of the loft was Dean’s bedroom. It was more of a sleeping area than a bedroom, since it was wide open to the rest of the loft. Only two small walls, one with a TV facing the bed, and another bookcase on the side, separated the sleeping area from the rest of the loft. Directly behind Dean’s bed was a grand bathroom and closet area, all white, silver, and mirrors.
