“I’m impressed yet again.”
Thatwas not what I’d expected to hear. “You are?”
Trinity leveled me with a serious look. “Of course. You were willing to do anything, literally anything, to make sure we got what we needed from this shoot. If that—” she pointed her perfectly manicured finger at the screen, “—isn’t proof of that, I don’t know what is.”
I choked on my own saliva. “Theo told me he needed me.”
“He sure did.” She pressed the space button to move to the next picture. “Look at this one with the model. I actually think your test photos are slightly better than this, but I’m guessing you’re not too keen on giving us permission to use those.”
Um, no.I did not want more strangers looking at me in my lingerie. Having my boss see them was bad enough.
“I’d prefer not to.”
Trinity smiled at me. That was a first. “I understand. Regardless, good work, Molly. You saved the day, and now we have the material we need to blast Last Rites out to the world. The single’s launch got moved up. We’re uploading it to all the streaming platforms on Saturday—yes, three days from now—and I’ve asked Vanessa to plan a big release party at my place that night. It will attract all the vultures.” She meant all the record execs. “I bet my annual bonus we’ll be fielding multiple offers next week.”
“That’s great,” I stammered, overwhelmed with all the information being fired at me. “What do you need me to do?’
“Prep Mason and Kaz. They’re about to join the big leagues, and they need to know that everything will change as soon as a deal is signed. They’re going to need to focus on a full-length record, but more importantly, they need to tour. We need to get them on the road quickly to monetize the buzz around them.”
She was fired up like never before. I could practically see the coveted partner title reflected in her eyes. Somehow, in the midst of everything, I’d lost sight of the massive milestone ahead of Last Rites, and its effect on… Well, everything.
I was happy for Mason and Kaz. Of course, I was. But I wondered where I’d be left when they became superstars.
“A tour?”
Trinity crossed her arms over her chest. “North America is guaranteed, but I think there’s even potential for Europe. Their numbers in the European regions are surprisingly strong. Just a few years ago, a band as young as them would never be sent across the ocean, but with social media, some bands gain a massive following practically overnight. Last Rites is one of the lucky ones.”
They would be leaving LA for God knows how long. An uncomfortable itch appeared between my shoulder blades.
“I’ll talk to them. I’m sure they’ll be excited.” How could they not be? This was a dream, even for many bands who’d been signed for years.
“I’m going to be in contact with them a lot over the next few days,” Trinity said. “But I have a lot on my hands, so I’m counting on you to catch anything slipping through the cracks. After the shoot, I have no doubt I can count on you.”
Just a few weeks ago, this kind of mindboggling praise from my tight-lipped boss would have made my entire month, but now, all I could do was muster up a weak smile.
That night, we went out for dinner. The three of us sat in a booth with red vinyl seats and talked about the future over steaming hot bowls of pho.
“Trinity has her eye on a three-sixty deal,” Kaz said between bites. “That means there’ll be touring, merchandising, and recording. Most deals these days are like that, so the key will be negotiating an advantageous royalty split.”
“We have an edge,” Mase said. “Our streaming numbers as an indie surpass many successful signed artists.”
“’Mahogany’ will do even better,” Kaz said confidently. “Have you checked on how the teasers are doing, Mol?”
I’d been checking the view numbers at least a dozen times a day. “Both of them are at over a million views already, and it’s been less than forty-eight hours since I uploaded them.” I’d filmed the videos myself, capturing Mase and Kaz playing parts of their upcoming hit.
“That’s great.” The singer wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned back against his seat.
“I can hardly believe it,” Mason muttered, a smile pulling on his lips. “In less than a week, we might be signed to a major label.”
“I’m going to email the press release to Mikhail.” Kaz snorted. “He’s going to shit bricks.”
“What about your biological father?” Mason asked. “Are you going to tell him?”
My eyes widened. “Wait, what? You know your bio dad?” Kaz had never said anything to me about his real father, and I had assumed he wasn’t a part of his life.
Kaz’s expression lost some of its lightness. “He’s in LA. I tracked him down, but I haven’t approached him yet. So the answer to your question, Mase, is no.”
“Why track him down if you won’t talk to him?” I asked.
