by Nikki Carter
“Okay . . . I’m looking forward to it.”
“I am too. Put me on speaker so I can tell the video vixen to step.”
“No!”
Sam laughs. “Okay. I’ll be there to tell him in person.”
“Bye!”
DeShawn stares at me with a tight-lipped grimace. “What’s up?” I ask.
“Nothing.”
“You sure? Because it doesn’t look like nothing.”
“I don’t like sharing you. I saw that Team DeShawn and Team Sam stuff on your Twitter page. That’s not fair.”
I nod in agreement. “I know, DeShawn. I’m sorry. I didn’t start that.”
“You got me feeling like a sucka or something. You need to go on ahead and make up your mind.”
“What happened to the Spring Fest?” I ask. “Are you moving up your ultimatum?”
“I can’t sit back and listen to you flirt with this dude, and then have you turn around and flirt with me. That’s not even cool.”
I didn’t think I’d been really flirting with either one. The truth is, DeShawn wouldn’t even be in the mix if Sam had been doing what he was supposed to be doing from day one.
“I feel like I owe it to you to at least consider it, DeShawn. You’ve put the work in. If you don’t want me to, then . . .”
DeShawn’s facial expression becomes a mix of anger and hurt. “I don’t want you to feel obligated. I don’t want you to owe me. I want you to . . . well . . . want me! Over him.”
I’ve been asking myself all evening, if I chose DeShawn could I honestly say that I won’t think of Sam? I know that the answer to that is no. I even thought about Sam when DeShawn kissed me. I don’t think of anything when Sam kisses me. The moment consumes me and it’s like time stops.
“DeShawn, I can’t do that, now. I really, really, really like you. I do! But I still have strong feelings for Sam that I can’t ignore. I’m sorry that I’m not ready to move on from Sam yet. I would understand if you didn’t want to put up with this. If I was you, I wouldn’t want to put up with it.”
“Just tell me this. If Sam and I were equals. If he didn’t have a fly music career and money, if he wasn’t a baller, would I have a better chance?”
I shake my head. “I promise you that has nothing to do with it. Sam and I connected before we ever made any money at all.”
“I don’t want to give up on you, Sunday. I know that dude doesn’t appreciate you, and he’s gonna slip up again. When he does, I’m going to be right there, ready to win you over.”
DeShawn pounds his hand with his fist and walks out of the kitchen. Why won’t he give up on me?
Gia walks into the kitchen and plops down on a bar stool. “Just tell him that you choose Sam. Stop trying to have a backup plan.”
“That’s not what I’m doing, Gia.”
“Yes, it is. You’re not telling DeShawn because you don’t trust Sam one hundred percent. But you’re gonna have to take a chance on being boyfriendless.”
“I’m not sure about Sam.”
“What are you not sure about? You still care about him. Everybody can see that, even DeShawn.”
“I’m not sure that I’m safe with him.”
“Well, unfortunately, you don’t feel strongly enough about DeShawn to erase the caring feelings for Sam. So maybe you need to be alone.”
Maybe she’s right. Perhaps the choice should be neither, and I’ve got to be brave enough to accept that, if it is the answer. At the end of it all, there may be three broken hearts instead of one.
10
Shotgun Wedding Bells
Music mogul Evan Wilborn and his Drama-filled baby mama tied the knot this past Saturday in Vegas. It’s rumored that Evan wanted to get married on Sunday morning, but Drama refused to let even her cousin’s name overshadow her special day. The groom wore a Washington Redskins jersey and jeans and the bride wore a rhinestone-studded black catsuit. Her baby bulge was on display for everyone to see. I guess it really is cheaper to keep her, and it sounds like a great retirement plan for Drama. Word on the street is that Epsilon Records is done financing Evan’s new bride, and that her current number-one album will be her last with the company. Insiders cite creative differences for the split, but another insider said that Mystique really, really doesn’t like Drama. Go figure. I wonder if they’re going to have a wedding reception/baby shower.
Everyone assumes that we’re having this meeting at Evan’s Atlanta office because of the BlackCelebrity Gossip.com blog post. I read it first thing Monday morning, and thought it was hilarious, but I got a text soon after it hit the Internet demanding a mandatory Reign Records meeting.
Bethany, Sam, and I are here along with Evan and Dreya, all seated around the dinner/conference table. The Reign Records team is in shrink mode. Without Dilly and Big D, the room seems kinda empty.
“I gave BlackCelebrityGossip.com this story,” Evan says.
Dreya seems annoyed by this, even though I’m sure she already knew. She pulls out a mirror and some lipstick and takes her time applying it, as if she’s not even a part of this meeting. I knew that Evan had a good relationship with that blogger, Tina—well, at least good enough to leak tracks that didn’t make it to Dreya’s album. But the blog post wasn’t the least bit complimentary.
“Why did you mention the part about Epsilon wanting to drop her? And why put Mystique’s name in it?” Sam asks. “That just seems like you’re inviting trouble.”
“I didn’t tell Tina to add that part about Mystique. She was just doing her thing and embellishing. It’s true though, so I’m not pressed about it.”
“I don’t get what you’re doing, Evan. The whole Vegas wedding, leaking tracks, and dropping the ball about Dreya getting dropped from Epsilon—none of that makes sense,” I say.
Dreya slams her lipstick down on the table. “I wish everyone would stop talking about my career like it doesn’t matter! Epsilon is not dropping me, so I wish y’all would stop saying that.”
“Epsilon might be, but Reign Records is not. You’re my wife, and I hold mine down,” Evan says.
“So, will Epsilon have an issue with you having Drama as an artist?” Bethany asks. “And if they are angry, is that going to affect the rest of our album budgets?”
Dreya lunges across the table at Bethany, “You traitor heffa! You wouldn’t even have a record deal if it wasn’t for me, and you’re ready to kick me to the curb?”
Bethany clutches her Reign Records necklace as Sam jumps up and helps the pregnant Dreya back into her chair. “I’m just saying,” Bethany says. “We need to know how this is going to hurt us all, and not just you.”
Evan says, “Bethany, it’s cool for you to ask that question because it shows that you’re thinking of the future. The future of Reign Records. It’s apparent that Mystique and Zac are running things at Epsilon and calling the shots on who stays and goes, but it won’t be long before their golden goose is past her prime, singing Vegas shows and starring in Tyler Perry plays.”
“I like Tyler Perry plays,” Bethany says.
“Anyway. The future is about how we’re going to stick together no matter what Epsilon does.”
“But doesn’t Epsilon have all the money?” Sam asks.
“For now, they do. And my wife has the number-one song in the country, about to have the number-one record. Why? Not because of anything Epsilon Records did, but because of the talent in this room.”
Sam and I exchange glances. I don’t know what this speech is leading up to, but Evan better get there quickly, because he’s about to lose me, and I think Bethany already left the room. He sounds like a desperate man, and desperation is not a good look on anyone, especially a music mogul with a new wife and a baby on the way.
“So what are you saying?” Sam asks. “What do you want us to do?”
“I want y’all to do what you’ve been doing, making great music. Just be aware that Mystique wants to destroy this label because it is a threat to her. Keep that in min
d while you’re allowing her in your inner circle.”
Now that comment isn’t directed at anyone except for me. No one else deals with Mystique like I do—or I should say like I did, because I’ve definitely been cool on her since I found out she was getting Dreya dropped.
“Look, you can stop with the hidden comments,” I say. “I don’t even deal with Mystique all like that.”
“Just seeing where your head is at.”
“Man, come on!” I say. “What is this meeting about? I’ve got homework I could be doing.”
“All right, Ms. Collegian, slow your roll. This meeting is about a solidarity concert I want to put on.”
“Solidarity concert?” Bethany asks.
“Yeah, I’ve got us all doing an outdoor concert at the Spring Fest at the end of the month.”
I was planning on being a college student during Spring Fest. Enjoying the step show, kicking it hard, and partying it up to celebrate the end of freshman year. I had no intention of being Sunday Tolliver, superstar, on campus. I don’t want the worlds to collide.
“You’ll all do a song at the concert, and stay on the stage when Drama does her new single. The YouTube footage will be great, and it will send a clear message to Epsilon that we’re all for one and one for all.”
Bethany lifts an eyebrow. I don’t think she’s trying to send that message to anyone.
“We weren’t one for all when it came to Dilly,” I say. “Don’t you remember when he was on Reign Records too?”
Evan says, “There are some things that you don’t know about Dilly and his people. You should be glad we don’t deal with him or them.”
I know plenty about Bryce and LaKeisha, Dilly’s siblings and owners of Club Pyramids—most of it not good. But I don’t have anything personal against them, except that LaKeisha has a baby with my mom’s ex-boyfriend, Carlos, and while my mom dated him, LaKeisha gave her a massive, migraine-sized headache, at least once a week.
“Even though I don’t want to do a college concert, count me in,” I say.
It’s not so much about Reign Records solidarity, though. I’m doing this for my cousin, who’s about to have a baby with this joker. There’s no telling how long this marriage is going to last, and I’m going to need Dreya and this unborn little cousin to be okay.
“What about you, Bethany?” Evan asks.
“I mean, do I really have a choice? You ask us to do stuff like we can actually say no. You’ve got us under contract, so yeah, I’ll be there.”
Evan’s expression darkens. “I want you to want this, Bethany. If you don’t, you know where the door is. No one is being forced to be here. As a matter of fact, this is your out right now. If you don’t want to stay in your deal with Reign Records, I will make it null and void. We’ll have the lawyers dissolve everything, and you won’t owe me anything.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to leave Reign Records.” Bethany fingers the diamond crown medallion on her neck, the Reign Records insignia, like it’s a security blanket.
“You sound froggy to me,” Dreya says. “I think you should go on ahead and leap. Nobody needs you around here. I don’t.”
I study everyone in the room, especially Evan. He’s coming apart at the seams, and I’m not sure why. But, what I do know is that his “familia” is showing signs of wear and tear. Once Mystique took her toys and went back to the parent company Epsilon Records, Evan lost some bargaining power, I’m sure. And now that I know Big D is doing projects behind his back, it’s even more apparent that something big is going down.
“Where is Big D?” I ask. “We never make decisions like this without him.”
Sam lifts an eyebrow and gives a slight smile. He obviously knows where Big D is, but he’s not saying. Evan sits straight up in his seat and squares his shoulders, like he’s ready for a fight—body language that tells me his answer isn’t going to be what I want to hear.
“I didn’t ask Big D to be a part of this meeting.”
“Why not?” I ask. “Is he no longer a part of Reign Records? If not, I’m out the loop, and I don’t like being out the loop when it comes to my money.”
“I let you know things when you need to know them.”
Okay, this gets me several degrees over boiling mad. “Evan, no one is your child around here. I asked a question and I expect a response. Is Big D no longer a part of Reign Records?”
Evan clears his throat and looks each one of us in the eye. “Your man knows all about it, right, Sam?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sam says.
Evan jumps to his feet. “Yeah, you playing both sides.”
“I am a freelance producer. I’m not signed to anybody. I’m not exclusive to Reign Records,” Sam says.
I like that Sam keeps his cool, and doesn’t jump up also to match Evan’s excitement. That temper tantrum stuff is played all the way out. No one is on that, least of all me.
“I think we should have a conversation with all the players in the room,” I say. “I don’t feel comfortable discussing Big D and he’s not even here.”
“Well, if you can’t have a discussion without him, you can bounce too,” Evan says. “ ’Cause he ain’t coming back.”
Dreya says, “You ain’t know? Big D cut a side deal with Epsilon and is bringing back his label with Dilly as the main artist.”
My eyes widen. So Big D’s cat is out of the bag. Of course, I look surprised like this is the first time I’ve ever heard of such a thing. I have no idea if I’m convincing. I’m a singer, not an actress.
“Sam, did you know about this?” I ask.
“That’s Big D’s business. I make tracks,” Sam says.
Evan says, “Yeah he knew. They did this behind my back. Every time I try to help somebody, and try to bring something epic together, folk want to get greedy and mess it up.”
“Big D is the one who brought us together,” I say.
“But he can’t do for y’all what I can do! That’s why y’all need me. Y’all are just artists. I can replace each one of you, but you can’t replace me. I’m the genius of this thing. How you think Drama has a number-one record without a penny from Epsilon for promotion?”
We all know how this happened. Evan did some of his behind the scenes activities like pay off a few radio stations to put her song in heavy rotation, leak a few tracks to Internet bloggers, and his biggest media whoring event—marrying my cousin in Vegas, when she really wanted a big church wedding in front of all her family and friends.
“So what y’all gone do? Y’all walking? Y’all going over there with small-potatoes Big D or y’all gonna stay with the man in charge?”
Bethany and I exchange undecided glances as Dreya rubs her stomach with one hand and blows on her nails with the other. If it wasn’t for my cousin, I’d be out of here on the first thing smoking, but I have a feeling that if I leave and if Bethany leaves, that Dreya’s career ends up in the toilet.
Whether I’m with Reign Records or Epsilon Records, I know who’s footing the bill on my projects. Lawrence Cohen and his daddy at Epsilon. So, for now, I’ll sit tight, but if Evan continues to unravel, I may just have to jump ship and bail.
Hopefully, my cousin uses the life raft too and doesn’t go down with the captain.
11
“So what do you think about Evan’s speech?” Bethany asks.
Immediately after the meeting, she sent me a text and asked me to meet her at Busy Bee Café, so I’m sure she has something to say about it. I just need some delicious carbs after that whole thing so I can calm down. Fried chicken, collard greens, and yams it is, with an extra side of macaroni and cheese. I will work out later, maybe even do some yoga with Piper.
“Honestly, I think Evan’s losing it. But I don’t have all the details. I knew Big D was working on something, but I didn’t know what.”
“One of the Epsilon interns told me that it’s not just Dreya that’s on her way out of Epsilon, but it’s Evan too. They think he’s try
ing to build an empire that he’s gonna try to walk away with at some point.”
Now, this is starting to make sense. All of the “family” and solidarity stuff Evan keeps trying to push down our throats. He needs our loyalty to hang on with Epsilon Records. He’s got money on his own, but not that long money that Epsilon has. He’s hood rich. The head honchos at Epsilon, the ones signing the checks, have generations of wealth.
“So what does this mean for us?”
“Well, I heard from a very reliable source that Epsilon is going to offer us contracts with the parent company and void the agreements with Reign Records. Reign only exists because of Epsilon, so they can pull the plug whenever they want.”
I knew there was a reason Evan rushed the marriage to Dreya. If Epsilon is about to send him packing, he’ll need an artist to help him get back on his feet. Truthfully, Dreya could go to another record company and Evan would come with her. They’d be a package deal.
“So what are you gonna do?” I ask. “Are you going to take the deal with Epsilon?”
“I sure am,” Bethany says without missing a beat. “I’m a team player, but I’m planning to be on the winning team.”
“I know that’s right,” I say.
“Are you going to go over to Epsilon too?”
I bite my bottom lip in thought. My decision isn’t as easy as Bethany’s. I keep asking myself if Dreya would stay with Reign Records if she was in my shoes. I can’t say that she would. As a matter of fact, I know that she wouldn’t. And she wouldn’t think of it as a betrayal at all, just survival.
Unfortunately, I’m not like her.
If I was, this decision would be easy. I could walk away from Reign Records and not care about the aftermath or how it would affect anyone but me.
“Well, I’ll wait for Epsilon to make the offer. As of right now, this is all just a rumor, and Evan is almost a crazy man.”
Bethany laughs out loud. “Okay! But what about you and Sam? Y’all seem to be back cordial.”
I don’t respond to this. Instead, I put a fork full of greens in my mouth.