by Nicole Green
“No, I’m not,” he said simply. “You’re the most important thing.” He ran his fingers up and down her arms, and he felt goose bumps raise under his fingertips. They hadn’t made love since the night she’d kicked him out of her room. Every inch of his body missed her body. He was trying to be patient, but he felt like he was going to explode every time he was near her. He kept thinking of the silky skin of her thighs, cupping her perfectly round breasts in his hands, and other things that heated his blood. All he could think about was being inside her again.
“I was thinking we could go to the beach this weekend. Clear our heads. Get ready for our next meeting with Global,” she said. “Maybe we could talk about it then.”
“Okay,” he said. “I just want you to know that I mean every single thing I’ve said. I can’t remember ever wanting anything more than I want to be with you. You changed the way I think about everything. I hope you’re not asking me to give that up now.” His breath was warm against her throat.
“You’re making it impossible for me to think right now,” she whispered.
“Maybe you do too much thinking.”
Chapter Forty-Four
The weekend after Austin and Melody’s meeting with Global, Melody decided they needed a beach weekend. They drove out to Tybee Island, which was near Savanna. It was a bit of a drive, but Melody knew it was worth it the moment she saw the sparkling blue-green ocean.
She and Austin spread an old blanket out over the sand and collapsed onto it. After the whirlwind of the past few days—getting fired, having unbelievable luck by getting hired by a fast-growing label that was sure to be a major label soon, losing Austin, getting Austin back and getting him on the road to a record deal—some downtime was essential.
Melody adjusted her black bikini halter-top before flopping onto the blanket and nestling her cheek against it. Austin sat next to her in only a pair of gray swim trunks. She lifted her head a little to appreciate the view of his perfect golden body. He stretched, and his back muscles rippled in a delicious way. Staring at a half-naked Austin wasn’t a bad way at all to spend a day.
He grinned down at her. “Am I being objectified?”
She slid her sunglasses down her nose. “You’d better enjoy it while you’re young and gorgeous. You’ll be flabby and gray one day, you know.”
“Growing old won’t be so bad so long as I get to do it with you.” He lay down on his side and propped his upper body up with his elbow.
Her heart beat a little faster. It always did when he mentioned anything about them having a future together. “I don’t plan on letting you go anywhere,” she said. Then she smiled playfully. “You’re my meal ticket.”
“Hey. I haven’t signed the contract yet,” he said. He had a draft of the Global contract. He just had to get a lawyer to look over it before he signed it. Melody had a few friends in entertainment law that he was supposed to meet with after they got back to Atlanta at the end of the weekend. She’d finally made him pick out a few to meet with, insisting he have a lawyer before he met with Global again.
“You know I’m kidding,” she said.
He twined their fingers together. “Of course I do.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m so happy right now.”
He kissed her fingers. “Me, too.”
“I know I keep saying this, but I can’t believe how fast it all happened.” She didn’t want him to take that the wrong way. She wasn’t saying she was ready to take the next step with him romantically. “You could be signing a contract next week.”
“Hm.” Austin moved closer and grabbed a bottle of suntan lotion from her bag. He poured some into his hands and began rubbing it into her shoulders.
“That feels nice,” she said.
“Yeah,” he said in a distant tone.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Huh?” his firm, capable hands moved between her shoulder blades.
“You seem distracted.” She melted under his kneading fingers. “What’s distracting you?”
“Besides the obvious?” His hand slipped under her top and caressed the side of her breast. A spark of warmth spread through her.
She grinned. “Besides the obvious.”
“I’m thinking of how incredibly lucky I have been to have you in my life from the moment you stepped out of Regan’s truck and I first saw you.” His hands made their way to her lower back.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the sun beating down on her back and the feel of Austin’s strong hands probing deeper. He worked lotion into the backs and sides of her thighs. “That stupid car breaking down is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“It’s the best thing that ever happened to me, too.” His hand dipped between her thighs and gave the sensitive skin there a quick rub. He slipped his fingers into the bottom of her bikini for a moment, stroking her skin quickly but in a way that made her gasp and writhe under his fingers. He leaned over and kissed the top of her ear. “You booked one room. With one king bed.”
She grinned, her eyes closed. “I had my reasons.”
“Good.” He moved his lips to her neck.
“This better be a preview of what I’m getting tonight.” The thought of going back to the hotel with him that night warmed her all over. They hadn’t made love since the night she told him she needed a little time to think. Nearly a week had passed since then, but it felt like years had passed. She couldn’t fight the temptation any longer.
“We’ll see.” He closed the top on the suntan lotion bottle.
“Tease.” She grinned up at him.
He scooted down next to her and kissed her full on the lips. “We’ll see about that.”
“Why’d you stop?” She pouted and nodded her head in the direction of the suntan lotion bottle.
“Because I was getting the kind of ideas that could get us arrested out here.” He stretched before giving her bottom a light tap. “Speaking of which, I think I need to go for a swim. Get my mind on other things.”
She sat up. “I’ll come with you.”
They went down to the water. She shrieked the moment it touched her. The cold water was a shock against her hot skin.
“Jump in. Get it over with,” Austin said before running in deeper and diving in. She followed his lead. She swam next to him for a while before leaning back and treading water. She watched him swim, admiring his powerful shoulders and back as he cut through the undulating water.
After their swim, they went back to their blanket. Melody passed out and took a much needed, very long nap. When she woke up, the late afternoon sun had dipped lower in the sky. She looked around for Austin and found him down the beach a little playing a pickup game of touch football with some new friends he must have made while she was asleep. She sat up and watched him, satisfied with the knowledge that he was hers. All hers.
#
When they got back to the hotel room that night, he grabbed her as soon as the door shut. Pulling her to him, he kissed her softly yet deeply in that way that always made her knees buckle.
“Hold it,” she murmured reluctantly between kisses.
“Why?” he asked. Very good question. She almost forgot the answer as he nibbled away at that sensitive spot he’d found behind her ear a while ago. He wasn’t playing fair; he knew how crazy that drove her.
“I need a shower. I have sand in places I don’t even want to think about.”
“I wish I was that sand,” he said. “Here. Let me help.” He had her cover-up and swimsuit off in no time. She stood before him wearing nothing but her sandals. He bit his lower lip and caressed the sides of her breasts with his thumbs.
“I’ll be right back,” she said even though she was rooted to the spot. She couldn’t make herself move away from his touches.
“I’ll come with you.” He followed her into the bathroom. He stood behind her as they faced the bathroom mirror. She felt the rough fabric of his shorts against the backs of her thighs, her butt. He pressed closer,
and she felt the hard ridge of his erection against her back. His hands moved over her breasts, down her sides, rested at her hips. She tracked his movements in the mirror with her eyes.
“Shower,” she whispered.
He walked her over to the shower. She turned on the water and adjusted the temperature while he stripped. Together, they stepped under the spray of the showerhead. She was able to rinse off the sand before he grabbed her and pushed her against the wall. After pressing her thighs open with his, he stepped between them.
“You have no idea what you did to me on that beach today,” he whispered before biting gently at her ear.
“Same things you did to me?” she said, her tone teasing.
He grunted and lifted her onto his hips. “I need this.”
“Me, too.” She gasped as he entered her with little warning. She was more than ready for it, though. He pumped his hips against hers a few times. He didn’t last long, but neither did she. After they came together, he pressed his forehead to hers and let her down from his hips. She kissed his lower lip. He pulled her back under the water spray.
He grabbed a bar of soap from the tray of soaps that had been left out for them. He lathered her arms, kissed the space between her breasts before lathering that as well. Holding her close, he soaped her butt. She moaned, pressing her body to his.
After spending over an hour in the shower, they finally managed to get clean and get out. Wrapping themselves in towels, they made their way to the bed. Austin whipped away the towel he’d put around her just a few moments ago. Stroking her inner thigh, he gazed down at her. His eyes roamed over her body before finally meeting hers.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured. “Do you know how beautiful you are?” He dipped his head and kissed her behind her knee and made his way up until his kisses were crossing her abdomen. She shivered with anticipation and writhed with desire.
He kissed his way up to her lips. Still kissing her, he slipped inside her again for the first time outside of the shower that night.
Later that night, after making love several times, they lay in the king-sized bed. She was wrapped in his arms. She snuggled against him, resting the her head against his chest.
“This has been the most perfect day,” she said with a sigh.
He brushed her hair away from her temple and kissed it softly. “Yeah.”
“I want every day to be like this.”
“Does this mean I can move back into your room?”
She laughed. “Yes. I give up.” Squeezing the arm he had around her waist, she said, “As soon as we get home.”
“Good.”
Whatever her fears and other reservations, any time spent pushing Austin away was wasted time. She wanted as much of him as she could have as often as she could have it.
Chapter Forty-Five
Austin settled on a lawyer by Tuesday night. Her name was Zaria, and she and Melody had a mutual friend. He and Melody met Zaria later that week to go over the contract. Zaria made a few suggestions and worked on a negotiation strategy with them. They set up a meeting with Global for the following Wednesday.
The three of them walked into the Global offices together on Wednesday. Austin wore a black collared shirt with black slacks. Melody wore a beige business suit. Austin’s eyes kept drifting down to her high heels and perfect legs.
Zaria wore a sleek charcoal gray pants suit and looked ready for business. Zaria was a tall woman, and with the black heels she wore, she towered over them and most of the people they passed on their way to the elevator bay in the center of the lobby.
Global was headquartered in Atlanta, and they rented a few floors of a large downtown building to house their Atlanta offices. The building was one of the high rises on Peachtree Street. Austin hadn’t been in a building that size since he left New York.
Thinking about New York made him a little uneasy. He looked over at Melody as they rode up in the elevator, and she gave him a reassuring smile. She was right. It would be different this time. He could trust her. He knew that now.
They got off the elevator on the floor of the Global offices where Ebony’s office was located. Ebony’s assistant led them to a conference room and held the door open for them.
Ebony welcomed them and made introductions between her team from Global and Melody, Austin, and Zaria.
“Melody is the A&R genius I was telling you about,” Ebony said to a tall, broad-shouldered man with graying hair. He wore a finely cut black suit and his graying hair was also thinning. He stood next to the leather chair at the head of the table and was clearly running the show. Ebony had introduced the man as Max.
Max nodded. “If she discovered Austin, then I have to agree with you.” After shaking hands with them, he gestured to three empty seats at the table. “Please, have a seat. Let’s get started, shall we?”
They sat.
Zaria pulled a legal pad and a copy of the contract from her briefcase. Then she whipped out a black fountain pen. Her black-framed reading glasses were perched smartly near the end of her nose. She exuded power and confidence. Austin could have seen himself making a move if he didn’t already have the only woman in the world for him right next to him.
Stupidity wouldn’t make him risk losing Melody ever again. He’d come dangerously close to pushing her away, and he wasn’t going anywhere near that road again. He grabbed Melody’s hand under the table. She squeezed his fingers.
Zaria started in on business right away. “We’ve looked over the contract, and it there is a lot here that works for us, but if you want Austin to agree to a 360 deal, there are a few points we need to discuss.”
“What do you have in mind?” Max folded his hands together on the table.
Zaria gave a wolfish smile and began laying out her terms.
As it had been explained to him by Melody and Zaria, 360 deals—or multiple rights deals—were the way most of the major record labels were going those days. In essence, Austin would allow the label to share in profits that the artist usually kept exclusive of the record company such as concert revenues, “merch”—or merchandise sales—and ringtones. In exchange, the label would spend more time and money on promoting him than they otherwise would, they would try and develop new opportunities for him, and they would focus more on his entire career than just his record sales.
He would also get the reputation of the Global name behind him, and Global had signed some of the biggest name acts in the South over the past few years. They had also acquired other big name artists by buying up a lot of smaller independent labels. Hopefully, he’d get a bigger advance, too. That was one of Zaria’s talking points. The main thing he had to make sure of was that he wasn’t going to lose too much control. If it started to look like he was, he would get up and walk right out of that boardroom. He didn’t care who didn’t like it.
When Max started to waffle and hesitate, Zaria’s face and stiff posture gave away no clues as to what she was thinking. She must have been an excellent poker player.
Max straightened a stack of papers. “You’re asking an awful lot for a new act who has no following. We have no proof of what he can do.” Max ticked off a finger for each of his next points. “He doesn’t have any mixtapes out, does he?”
“No.” Zaria settled her long, black hair back over her shoulders.
“He’s not known in the underground hip-hop world at all.”
“Correct.” Zaria studied Max with her serious dark brown eyes.
“And we’ve done our research. He has quite a past.” Max tapped a manila folder that lay in front of him. “Grayson Meadows.”
“The right P.R. person can spin that past to your advantage,” Zaria said smoothly, not missing a beat. “You’re really getting him for a bargain. If you get him at all, that is. If you miss your chance of signing him, well, that’d really be too bad.” She went on to talk about several Global artists Austin would collaborate well with and then talked about other labels she was shopping his demo to. She bluffed
a little by saying they’d already set up meetings with Universal’s Def Jam and someone at one of Sony’s sub-labels.
Max looked down at the CD in front of him, and then he glanced at the manila folder that seemed filled with info about Austin, or Grayson, or both from the way Max had referred to it. He then looked over at Ebony. Ebony gave him a slight, almost imperceptible nod.
“If you’ll excuse us, I need to meet with my team outside for a moment,” Max said.
Zaria nodded. “Of course.”
When Max, Ebony, and the other Global executives went into the hall, Zaria cracked her first smile of the morning. “I think they’re about to cave,” she said.
He returned the grin although he still felt a little uneasy. He put his arm around Melody. He’d put his trust in her, and he didn’t regret that. “Me, too.” He kissed Melody’s cheek. “Thank you so much.”
She hugged him.
When Max and the others came back in, they looked solemn. Max raked his hands through his thinning hair and said to Zaria, “You drive a hard bargain, Ms. Washington.”
“Thank you,” Zaria said with an unreadable expression.
Max ran a hand over his face. The percentages you want are yours with the exception of royalties. We’ll meet you in the middle on the royalty rate.”
“For C.D.’s or mp3’s?”
“Both,” Max said.
“We can live with that.” Zaria made a note on her legal pad.
“We will introduce Austin to producers, and he gets input, but we have the final say.”
Zaria looked at Austin.
Austin shook his head. “Won’t work. I choose my producer.” He wasn’t going to start out the wrong way and let them take control over his career from him in any way. That was how things started to go bad last time.
A man to Max’s left wrote something on a piece of paper, underlined it twice, and passed it to him. Max had introduced the man as the head of his legal team earlier. Ebony turned her head so that her face wasn’t visible to Austin and mouthed something to Max.