by BWWM Club
“How is your drink?” Tristan took a sip of his dark amber liquid, which Mel could only assume was Scotch, and sat his glass down with a thud.
“Fine,” Mel mumbled, bringing the wine to her lips but barely taking a sip.
“Alright then.” Tristan unfolded the napkin on the table and made a production of placing it in his lap even though they weren’t having anything to eat.
Mel sighed, the charade weighing heavily on her shoulders. If he was going to let her down he better do it soon or she would just walk out.
“I wanted to talk to you about your music,” Tristan said finally addressing the reason for their being at the restaurant to begin with.
“Ok,” Mel said with trepidation, her heart crashing wildly into her ribcage.
The lust she felt for Tristan in the studio boiled under the surface, making her feel unsteady in her own body. Tristan seemed not at all affected by her though so she knew it was only one sided.
“I really liked that song. You wrote it?” Mel nodded. “I wanted to make you an offer that is a bit unorthodox, which is why we are here in this bar and not in my office over a contract right now.”
Mel frowned, the nerves from earlier resurfacing. Her track record with men, especially powerful men, made Mel uneasy about what he was going to say. Growing up in foster care made her skittish and the lust she felt began to sizzle out as anxiety came to the fore.
“I don’t want you to be nervous.” Mel hated that her emotions played on her face without her intention to do so. “I won’t bite.” Tristan chuckled, it sounded unusual coming from him, the sexy, mysterious brooder, but Mel liked how handsome he looked with a smile on his face.
The look quickly faded into something more serious as he spoke again. “You’re a beautiful woman, Mel Fairbanks. Has anyone ever told you that?” Mel nodded again, unsure of what he was getting at. “I have a proposition for you. Feel free to decline at any time and I will still give you a partial album deal. I want you to be my sub. Do you know what that means?”
Mel’s frown deepened and she was confused for a moment. Suddenly it dawned on her what he meant and surprise made her eyes go wide.
“Uh, yes. I think so,” She answered while trying to fix her features to be free of emotion.
“You may not quite understand what I mean when I say that but I will explain it to you. I will give you a record deal if you will be my sub in the bedroom. I don’t mean BDSM, rooms of torture kind of sub. I want you to submit to me and give me control and I promise you that you will enjoy it. I won’t hurt you, it’s not about pain. It’s about letting me have control so that you can just focus on pleasure. What do you say?”
Mel was frozen, unable to speak, her mouth hanging open like a fish. This was anything but what she thought he was going to say.
“Take your time to think about it. You’re a talented girl, Mel, and I’m going to sign you for something regardless of your answer. But I think we both would benefit, in more than one way, from my offer. Call me when you have your answer.” Tristan stood, not waiting for Mel to respond and walked away without looking back.
What the hell was she going to do?
*****
“Can I have another beer, honey?” Mel nodded as the man winked at her from in front of the bar.
Mel’s shift started twenty minutes after her drink with Tristan and thirty minutes later she still had no idea what to do. It was degrading right? He shouldn’t have asked her that. But a part of her wanted to do it so bad. Not just for the album but because she was attracted to him and any excuse to be in his bed sounded like a great one. Looking around for the fourth time, Mel wondered when Blake would show up. The other bartender told Mel that Blake called ten minutes before the shift and said she had car trouble and wasn’t sure when she would be in. Typical of Blake. Who knew if she really had car trouble or not? Mel guessed not but didn’t want to say it to Lisa, the other bartender, because she’d be pissed. They were busy for a Monday and Mel was silently cursing Blake under her breath. She needed to talk to her about this Tristan thing or her head would explode.
“Sorry I’m late!” Blake breezed in, her red curls bouncing behind her as she appeared to float behind the bar.
Mel almost snorted; Blake could get away with anything, and continued to pour a drink for a guy waiting at the bar.
When she was finished she crept up behind Blake who was tying on her apron.
“Where have you been? I have something to tell you,” Mel whispered in Blake’s ear so as not to call attention to their conversation.
“I had a date. But officially it was ‘car trouble’. Don’t say anything, okay?” Mel nodded as Blake headed towards the counter where several customers were lined up waiting for drinks.
Mel grabbed Blake’s arm and pulled her back towards the doorway to the supply room that was located off the back end of the bar.
“I really need to talk about something, Blake. Can you just stand still for a minute?” Frustration gripped Mel but she knew it wasn’t really Blake she was angry with.
“What’s up?” Blake asked, finally giving Mel her full attention.
“I played for Tristan and he loved my music. But I’m not sure if I should take the deal he offered.” Mel began to tell her story, reluctant to explain exactly what the deal entailed.
“That’s great, Melly! Why won’t you take it? It can’t be that bad.” Blake looked at her with confusion and Mel sighed.
Pulling Blake even further into the supply room so there wasn’t a chance others would hear, Mel told her everything, including the way she felt about Tristan.
“What the fuck, Mel? You can’t do that. It’s illegal. You aren’t a prostitute. Does this guy think you’re a hooker or something? No, fuck that.” Blake’s face showed exactly what her words didn’t and more. She thought Mel was crazy for even thinking about agreeing to his terms.
“I’m a grown woman, Blake. I need this opportunity. Besides, it’s not like I’m offering myself to him only for the album. He’s really sexy and I can’t help the way I feel about him. I’m probably crazy, but I think I have to do it. If I don’t I’ll always wonder what could have been.”
“Don’t be naïve, Mel. He just wants to use you. I know guys like this. I’ve dated guys like this. He’s a playboy and all he wants is sex. When he’s had his fill he will be done with you.” Blake pointed her finger in Mel’s face as she spoke, trying to drive her point home.
Mel shrugged. “It’s my mistake to make.” She turned and walked away from Blake, leaving her standing in the supply closet with a dumbstruck look on her face.
The conversation with Blake helped Mel make her decision. She hoped it wasn’t the worst mistake of her life.
*****
Mel stared at the phone nervously. Two days and twenty hours later, she was going to call Tristan and except his offer; unless she passed out from nerves first. Taking a deep breath, Mel dialed his office number that was listed on the card he gave her. After the third ring she started to hang up, her finger hovering over the red button.
“Hello?” Tristan answered. His voice made Mel’s heard thunder in her chest.
“Hi, uh, Hello, Tristan. This is Mel Fairbanks.” She wasn’t sure what else to say so she waited for a response.
“Mel, how are you?” Tristan’s voice sounded distant, almost cold. Had he changed his mind?
“Uh, fine, thanks. I’m calling to talk about your offer.” Mel tried not to stutter over the words.
“Really? And what would you like to talk about?” Tristan was playing games with her again and it made her want to hang up the phone.
“Um, before I accept, I just want some more details…”
“Details? What kind of details?” Mel could hear a hint of a smile in his voice and it made her stomach clench. Why did he always do this?
Sighing with frustration, Mel jumped right in. “About this whole arrangement actually. I’m a bit confused on how this will work.” There, she sai
d it and didn’t die.
“You’ll be available to me when I ask you to. In return, I will give you a record deal. I’ll have the papers drawn up for the label’s album offer later today if you’d like to proceed. I won’t make you sign anything about the other part of our deal. I’ll take it on your word.” Tristan’s voice was serious and Mel felt a shiver run down her back. That was the voice that made her panties wet.
“Okay. Then I’d like to accept. When can I sign the papers?”
They set up a time for the next day and Mel hung up, her stomach feeling giddy. This was really happening and she was terrified and excited all at the same time.
*****
Tristan watched Mel from the doorway of his office as she made her way down the hall towards him. Her red tank top and tight jeans hugged her body in all of the right places. Tristan shifted, his dick getting hard. He imagined what she had on under those jeans and his dick became rock solid. Cursing softly under his breath, Tristan turned, adjusting his pants again, and sat down at his desk. He never let a woman get to him like this and all of the alarms were going off in his head that making this deal with her was a bad idea. Tristan didn’t do relationships and he didn’t want one. Mel seemed very inexperienced and innocent, despite the dark lyrics in her song, and Tristan was hoping he wasn’t making a mistake by entering this deal with her. There was no plausible reason why this woman was inside of his head so much. Tristan trusted that once he had his fill of her, when their time ran its course, that he wouldn’t think about her again.
Running a hand over his face, Tristan looked up as the door to his office creaked open slowly. Mel popped her head in and smiled at him timidly.
“Come in,” Tristan grumbled, unhappy with himself for so many reasons.
Mel walked in and sat at a chair opposite his desk. Her dark brown eyes were wide and her silky brown hair was in a high ponytail. Tristan longed to release her hair and run his hands through it. Shaking his head, he pulled the paper work out from the manila folder without speaking to Mel again. He pushed it in front of her and motioned with his hand for her to read. Tristan didn’t want to talk. He wanted the paperwork out of the way so that he could bring Mel home. Tonight.
“Ok, all done reading. Where do I sign?” Mel said, her deep sexy voice making his pants tighten again.
Tristan pointed with his pen and Mel signed her name.
“Great.” He took the papers from her outstretched hand and placed them back into the envelope.
“So when do I start?” She asked beaming.
“Start?” She couldn’t possibly mean the other part of the deal.
“Yeah. Start recording.” She smiled again.
Recording. Of course she was wondering about that. Tristan frowned, unsure why the idea that she wasn’t happy about the other deal made him so irritated.
“I’ll schedule you for next week. I’ll need the music and lyrics for the songs you’ve written to preview in case we need to add a few more. But otherwise you should be able to start next week.” He said with a growl. Mel’s face fell a bit and the smile disappeared completely. She better get used to it. Tristan wasn’t a nice guy.
“Ok. Thanks.” Mel stood and turned towards the door to leave.
“Mel. One more thing.” She turned, confusion lighting her beautiful features. “I want you to be at my house tonight by eleven. Are you free?”
He saw her swallow, her mood visibly changing. Was that anxiety he saw flash across her face?
“I work until twelve but I can come over afterwards.”
“Great. I’ll have my driver waiting for you outside the bar.” Tristan dismissed her with a look and Mel hurried out the door, her face giving away just how unsure she was about their arrangement.
Tristan almost felt guilty until he remembered he never felt guilty. He learned that from the people who abandoned him when he was a child.
*****
Mel dialed Blake’s number as she walked out of the building and back to her car. This was happening too quickly. Nerves made her palms sweat and she had to wipe her phone on her shirt. She wasn’t Blake’s favorite person right now but she knew her friend would still listen.
“Hello?” Blake answered. The attitude in her voice a clear indication that she was still upset with Mel, but Mel didn’t care and proceeded anyway.
“Blake! I know we haven’t really spoken much since the other day but can I talk to you for a bit?” Mel unlocked her car door and slid behind the steering wheel.
Blake sighed heavily on the other end and Mel rolled her eyes. She was so dramatic all the time. “Fine,” she snapped, “I have ten minutes before my shift.”
Mel explained what had happened in Tristan’s office and how he expected her to show up at his place tonight. “He’s sending a car to pick me up at work, Blake. How the hell did he know where I worked?”
Blake snorted. “You asked for this, hon. I told you what would happen. Are you feeling like backing out?”
Mel thought for a minute before answering. “No. I still want to do this to see where this goes. And before you give me the whole ‘he’s a player’ speech again let me just finish. I’m well aware that he is using me for sex. But can’t I use him back? I haven’t been with a guy since college and before that it was never. Maybe I can make this worth my while by using him to gain experience.” Mel shrugged when she finished talking. That was exactly what she would do.
“Well I guess you have it all figured out then. Why did you call me again?” Blake laughed.
They talked for a few more minutes and seemed to be back on track after their little argument. Fights with Blake never lasted long; she and Mel were practically sisters.
“I’ll call you later and let you know what went down tonight.” Mel said goodbye and hung up.
*****
The clock seemed to stand still. It was the tenth time Mel had looked at it that evening and the bar was dead because it was mid week. Mel had silently hoped they would be busy to take her mind off of the night’s coming events but so far she only had a group of college guys from the frat a couple of blocks over and two middle aged men having a beer after work. She blew air out of her mouth with annoyance, two more hours of work and she wasn’t sure if she wanted them to drag on or speed by. One thing was for sure; under her anxiety was a spark of interest. She was curious about what this evening with Tristan would be like. Her lack of experience made her nervous, however, and every time she thought about what was going to happen her stomach clenched with fear. The fear was likely remnants of her time in foster care. Shaking the memories away, Mel served only her third beer of the night.
An hour and a half later and the bar was literally empty besides Mel and the other bartender who was on, Lisa.
“Tell me again why James thought it imperative for both of us to work tonight?” Lisa asked, wiping the bar with a rag.
Mel shrugged. “Hell if I know. Maybe he expected a large influx of people because of the college football game?”
Lisa shrugged back, continuing down to the other end of the bar to finish wiping. The door chime went off and Mel turned. It was Tristan.
“What can I get for you?” She asked as he sidled up to the bar and perched his expensive suit clad ass on the edge of a bar stool.
Tristan shook his head.
“Ok, suit yourself.” Mel was done playing timid around him and turned and walked away to the other side of the bar.
She hefted a large bin of glasses from under the bar onto her hip and headed back to the kitchen to place them in the dishwasher.
“Who’s the hottie at the bar?” Lisa whispered as she came up behind Mel and started helping her load the glasses.
“Nobody.” Lisa cocked an eyebrow at Mel. “Tristan Powers,” she finally said.
“Wait, the owner and CEO of Powers Records?” Mel nodded. “How do you know him?”
“It’s a long story.” Mel swiveled so her back was to Lisa as if to tell her she didn’t want to talk abou
t it and finished up loading the dishwasher.
“Did he sign you?” Lisa asked with excitement, not taking the hint.
“Sort of.” Mel shrugged it off and started to walk back out to the bar.
Lisa followed her asking random questions and Mel shot them all down with one word answers.
“Tell me something, Mel!” Lisa stopped in front of her just before she entered the bar area, hands on her hips.
“There’s nothing to tell. Since this place is dead I’m going to head out. Is that alright?”
“Fine. This isn’t over. I’ll lock up. Go have fun with Mr. Dangerous out there.”
Mel rolled her eyes and hugged Lisa. She was a good friend but Mel didn’t trust Lisa with this type of information. She untied her apron and snagged her purse from where she stashed it under the bar. Tristan didn’t move from where he sat. It was a bit unnerving.
“I’m done,” Mel said, stopping in front of him to wait for his response.
“After you,” he said, motioning for her to walk out the door.
They exited the building and a limo was waiting at the curb. Mel stood to the side waiting for Tristan to enter but before he could, the driver jumped out and opened the door for them. She looked back at him and he motioned for her to go first again. He was either a gentleman or really liked to be in control. Mel guessed it was the latter. When they both settled into the seats the driver took off, merging into light traffic in the city. Mel wasn’t sure what to say or do so she just sat there waiting for him to say something.
After several minutes, Tristan finally spoke. “I was wondering if you were going to get cold feet.”