Hating the Rich Bastard

by Hamel, B. B.

  “Sure,” she says, looking at me skeptically. “Any particular reason?”

  “I just want to hear it.” I glance back at Markus. I know she can’t see him from the piano’s position when he’s down on the couch like that.

  “Okay, sure.”

  I release the intercom button. “Listen,” I say to him, and she starts playing.

  I lean back in my chair, content with just listening. She’s so beautiful, every single keystroke like a revelation. The music flows out of her, rolling along, pausing and building and climbing and hesitating just at the right moments until it all drops again into a smooth rolling cloudlike motion.

  She plays through it twice without stopping. The first time, she does it pretty straight, keeping to the melody. The song time, she adds a few twists and fills here and there, making it into something a little special, something else.

  When she finishes, I look back at Markus with a grin. “See?”

  He’s frowning a little bit, like he doesn’t understand something. Slowly, he sips his coffee. “Yeah, okay. That was good.”

  “She uses that to tune pianos. Came up with it herself.”

  “To tune pianos? What a fucking waste.”

  I laugh softly. “I know, right? But that’s all her right there. I know she has more of it.”

  “So why not sign her to record her own stuff?”

  I turn away, looking back out at her. She smiles at me and waves. She says something, but the intercom isn’t on, so I can’t hear.

  I smile back at her. I know the real answer to that question. I’m not signing her to her own deal because I want her all to myself. It’s selfish, I know, but that’s the truth.

  I want her close. Hell, I need it.

  “She’s talented. She’ll help take what I can do to the next level.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” he says. “We’ll see about that.”

  I look back at him but he’s already getting up and leaving the room. I stand up to follow, but I think better of it.

  That’s his tacit permission. I know I’m not about to get any better than that out of him. I might as well take what I can get and move on.

  I turn back to the intercom and hit the button. “Who was that?” she asks me.

  “Markus,” I say.

  “Your partner.”

  “And he approves.”

  “Of what?”

  I grin at her. “Approves of you.”

  I turn off the intercom. I don’t know if he approves of her, exactly, but it doesn’t matter.

  We have the green light. It’s time to get to work.

  12

  Alice

  Those first few sessions are a blur.

  We start out with my piano song, the one I’ve been using to tune pianos. I’ve been calling it “Tuning” in my head for so long that we just go with it and start to build a song around the title.

  He’s smart. I catch that right away. And he knows what he’s doing behind the production board. He can make things happen in seconds that would take me hours to figure out. Clearly, he has some serious experience.

  He’s rusty on the instruments though. I can tell he’s frustrated with himself. I think he’s still pretty good, clearly talented, but it’s been a while since he was really playing with any consistency.

  Like anything in this world, musical talent needs to be nurtured and worked at. Nobody is born perfect. Some people are good, but hard work makes them a master.

  He’s clearly willing to put in the work. Every morning we show up at the studio. He brings me a coffee, smiles, and says good morning.

  And then we get to work. We talk mainly about the music, going over and over different melodies and takes. I play the piano and he plays drums, guitar, bass, and whatever else we think we need.

  It takes us a week to get down the skeleton of our first song.

  One week for one song. Which might sound like a lot to some people, but that’s actually really fast. I mean, the song’s not finished, we’ll have a ton of polishing to do as time goes by, but it’s solid for now.

  After that first week, I’m sitting out on the stoop, drinking a coffee and watching people walk by. I haven’t felt this energized in a long time, even though I’m getting up so early in the morning.

  Working on something creative is the best thing that ever happened to me. I was worried this was just going to be about Ben trying to sleep with my again, but so far, that hasn’t come up. Although it’s not like the tension isn’t there.

  I feel it in everything we do. He can be sitting across the room from me, working on a bass line or fiddling with the drum kit, and I’ll still feel it.

  Sometimes I catch him looking at me like all he wants in the whole world is to rip off my clothes and fuck me right then and there.

  It’s thrilling. I can’t pretend like it’s not. I want to feel him pressed up against me again, his strong body dominating mine, making my skin quiver, my muscles tense, pleasure flood my whole mind. He drives me absolutely wild.

  And that’s what I hate about him.

  I know it’s stupid. I’ve seen enough movies to recognize that I’m not giving him a chance. I’m prejudiced against him, just because he’s rich and famous and he sleeps around.

  I should let myself indulge. He doesn’t have to be my husband. We can just flirt and tease and fuck sometimes. I don’t see the harm in that.

  Except I know the harm. I know the real reason I haven’t been throwing myself at him every single day like I really want to.

  I’ll get addicted. I’ll fall for him so fast I won’t be able to stop it. I can already feel myself teetering on the edge of something with him, and I’m terrified.

  Because he’ll leave me. I guess I can’t be sure of it, but I know his type.

  He’ll get bored, or he’ll get what he wants, and then he’ll be gone.

  I don’t want this relationship to fizzle out. This is my chance to actually make something, to turn my music into a reality. I’m not working with him purely because I need the money, but also because I want to make my own music one day.

  I’m hoping that can be at his label.

  I guess it’s selfish, thinking that way. I should be thinking about my nana, and I am, at least mostly. That’s why I took this job to begin with. That’s why I’m putting myself in this shitty situation.

  There are other benefits though. If I can keep it professional between us, maybe I have to a chance to keep his interest long enough to get a real record deal for myself.

  I shouldn’t think that way, like I’m just using him. It’s not that simple, not at all.

  I almost wish it were.

  “Hey, you.”

  I turn and watch as Ben walks out of the studio door. He’s carrying a bottle of something and two glasses.

  “Hey, yourself.”

  He grins and sits down next to me, his leg pressed against mine. “I thought we could celebrate.”

  “Celebrate?”

  “Our first song. It’s really fantastic, Alice.”

  “Oh. That’s all you.”

  “No, it isn’t. We both know your music is the driving force behind it.”

  “Okay, you’re right, I’m amazing.”

  He grins. “You’re right. You are.”

  He doesn’t look like he’s joking so I have to break the tension. “And you’re just okay, spending all your time basking in my glory.”

  “Pretty much.” He puts the glasses down and starts to unwrap the bottle. I realize that it’s champagne and I have two thoughts.

  First, it’s a little early to be drinking.

  Second, I can’t drink at all, ever, because I’m pregnant with his baby.

  My heart starts beating faster. He doesn’t know that I’m pregnant, and I don’t plan on telling him.

  But he could figure it out on his own.

  “Look at you,” I say, trying to keep it lighter than I feel. “Being so fancy so early.”

  “Oh, you know me. Alwa
ys fancy.” He gets the foil off and uncorks the bottle with a loud pop. I laugh a little nervously as he pours two glasses.

  “Here’s to you and me,” he says, handing me one. “We’re going to make some beautiful fucking music.”

  “To beautiful fucking music.”

  He grins, we toast, and he sips his drink. I bring mine to my lips and take the tiniest sip, barely anything. I know it’s okay to drink a little wine or champagne when pregnant, but I’d rather just abstain completely if I can.

  He grins and puts his glass down, giving me an excuse to do the same thing.

  “I’m going to play the demo for my partner later today,” he says.

  “Really?”

  “Really. He doesn’t approve of you, you know.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

  “He knows how much you cost.”

  I laugh. “That was your fault, you know.”

  “I know. Clearly he and I don’t always agree.”

  “Maybe he’s the smart one.”

  “After hearing that song, I doubt he’ll agree.”

  I smile a little. I wish I could feel his excitement right now. Instead, I just feel nervous.

  I feel pregnant. I feel scared.

  “I was also thinking of hiring some more guys,” he goes on.

  “Session guys?”

  He nods. “Let’s be real. The song’s weakness is mostly my playing. With real musicians in the studio, I think we can make something serious.”

  I nod a little. “It’s a good idea. Can you afford it?”

  “Sure. I mean, we’ll probably only hire a couple guys, a drummer and a bassist. I’ll still play guitar and other random shit.”

  “That could work, though. Get a good foundation.”

  “Exactly.” He grins and leans toward me. “We’re on the same level.”

  I wish I could deny that, but he’s right. Ever since we started this, we’ve been on the same wavelength. Everything’s just clicked into place with us, which is scary.

  I’ve never collaborated with someone like this before. I always figured it would be difficult, trying to get two people to agree on anything, much less two creative people.

  But with him, it’s like swimming. I get into the water and my body just knows what to do, and sometimes, I can float.

  I look into his eyes and I’m struck all over again at how handsome he is.

  His smile is infectious. His enthusiasm makes me feel better whenever I start to question what we’re doing. It’s like he knows when I’m down and somehow he can bring me back up again.

  I don’t know how he does it. I doubt he even realizes.

  We lock eyes for a moment. I feel myself vibrating with him so close.

  I should get up and walk away. I can feel myself starting to slip as he leans closer.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he whispers. “You’re afraid. But you don’t have to worry.”

  “About what?”

  He smirks, tips my chin up toward him. “I can take care of everything.”

  He kisses me then. I don’t know what he means, but I don’t care.

  It just doesn’t matter. I feel his kiss in my body, in every inch of my skin. It’s like I’m finally releasing a clenched fist after days of keeping it held tightly closed. It’s a strange release, tasting him again.

  I’ve been wondering if it would have the same effect on me, and it does. It absolutely does.

  He pulls me tight, kissing me deeper. I stifle a moan, barely managing to control myself.

  “Uh, hi, guys.”

  We suddenly break apart. I blink into the morning sun, like I’m coming out of a dream.

  “John.” Ben stands up, shakes the engineer’s hand. “Sorry. Didn’t realize we went over so long.”

  “You guys celebrating?”

  “Something like that.”

  John grins at him. He’s older than Ben, with gray in his dark hair. He’s neatly shaven and wearing a simple outfit of jeans and a button-down. He looks like he belongs in an office, not acting as recording engineer to some great Somesuch acts.

  “John, this is Alice,” Ben says, gesturing at me.

  “Hi,” I say, standing. I shake his hand and he grins at me.

  “Nice to meet you.”

  There’s a short beat and I feel so awkward I could fucking die.

  “Anyway, I should go,” I say. “Got some stuff to do. See you later. Nice meeting you, John.”

  I turn and hurry off. I can feel their eyes on me and I hate myself for giving in.

  I can’t believe we just got caught kissing. I have no clue what that’ll do for me now, but I’m sure it’ll hurt Ben somehow. I know his partner doesn’t approve of me, and I’m sure he’ll approve less if he knew we were making out on the studio’s front stoop.

  I’m such a moron. I knew I shouldn’t let myself get too close to Ben, but here we are. The mistake was already made. I can’t go back and unkiss him.

  Now I just have to figure out how to handle this and move forward.

  13

  Ben

  “Oh, don’t be so fucking pissed.” I glare at Markus, who glares right back.

  We’re sitting in his office, both of us drinking coffee. I left Alice barely two hours ago, and Markus practically dragged me into his office as soon as he saw me.

  “Pissed? Imagine my morning, getting a call way too fucking early from our lead engineer, complaining you’re making out with some girl on the front stoop.”

  “Fucking John,” I say. “We were just kissing. It’s not a big fucking deal.”

  Markus gives me a look. “Come on, man.”

  “It’s really not. And I don’t know why John cares.”

  He sighs. “Well, neither do I, but apparently he does. Look, he wants the place to be professional or whatever, I guess. I can’t even say that he’s wrong.”

  “I can,” I grunt.

  Markus shakes his head. “I know you like this girl, but you gotta be careful. Getting involved with her while working on this project together…”

  “Is very stupid, I get it.” I stand up and toss the CD down onto his desk. “But you should listen to that before you start to get all fucking moral and judgmental on me.”

  He hesitates. “You guys finished a song?”

  “It’s just a demo,” I say. “She plays piano, I’m on everything else. It’s rough but Markus, man, it’s good.”

  He hesitates. “What’s it called?”

  “Tune.” I nod at the CD player next to his desk. He has a full sound system in here, like we both do. It’s part of the job. “Play it.”

  He sighs, stands, and walks over to the stereo. He fires it all up and finally slips the CD into the player. He sits back down and turns his chair toward the speakers and listens.

  Alice’s music comes gracefully sliding out and fills the room like liquid. I lean back in my chair, already feeling my muscles all slowly relaxing. My own playing comes in after, filling out the mix. I start singing soon, and although I hate my voice, I don’t need to listen to it.

  I focus on her playing, and that’s all I need.

  The song goes on and Markus doesn’t say a word. Finally, when it ends, he looks across the desk at me.

  “Okay,” he says.

  “Okay, what?”

  “Okay, that was good.” He throws up his hands. “I still think it’s a bad idea.”

  I grin at him. “When I’m right, I’m right. Look, I have another favor I need.”

  “Seriously?”

  “We need players, session guys. You heard my drumming. I’m atrocious.”

  “You really are.” He sighs, shaking his head. “Seriously Ben, I’m happy for you. That song’s actually legitimately good, and I bet we can get some radio play on it too.”

  “One thing at a time,” I say, grinning. Markus can’t help himself. Whenever he hears something new, he has to start thinking about the business side.

  “Okay, but loo
k. I just worry about you, all right? I don’t want you to get involved with this girl and have this whole project get fucked up.”

  “The project and whatever I have with Alice are separate.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “Do you even believe that?”

  “Not really.”

  “Didn’t think so.” He smiles despite himself. “How many guys you need?”

  “Two, drums and bass. I was thinking Tony Hammer and Caleb Change.”

  “Fine, I’ll make some calls.”

  I stand up. “I knew you’d come around.”

  “I’m far from coming around, but I can already see this thing selling.”

  “Glad you’re supportive.”

  “Whatever. You got your musicians, what more do you want?”

  “Nothing.” I grin at him and wave. “See you later.”

  I leave his office and head back to my own.

  I have to hand it to Markus, he really is the consummate business man. Even if he’s worried about me, at the end of the day he’s going to do what’s best for the company.

  And I appreciate that about him. We need someone like that in control. I can’t pretend like sometimes I don’t think more about the art than about the business, but at the end of the day, we have to make money.

  Of course, we want to put good art out into the world, but we can’t keep doing that if we don’t have resources.

  It’s a constant balancing act between creating amazing, artistic records and finding things that’ll sell. Fortunately, we’ve been around long enough and we’ve been successful enough that we have something of an audience ready for whatever we release.

  We can afford to take risks sometimes. It’s a luxury not everyone has.

  I stare at my computer and all I want to do is get back into the studio. I know I should do some administrative work, the kind of crap I never feel like doing, but my creative juices are flowing.

  Alice gets me like this.

  I can still taste her kiss. Warm and soft and incredible. I think I was going to try and fuck her right there on the goddamn steps, right in front of the whole city.

  It was perfect. It fed the need that’s been clawing at me, begging to be released. Working so close with her only makes me want her that much more.