Page 41 of Sinful Professor

“Your song was insane,” he says. “If you don’t make the top four, I’ll be shocked.”

“We’ll see,” I laugh. “You received quite an ovation as well. So did several others.”

“I know,” he smiles. “I’m just happy to have gotten this far.”

He shakes my hand and walks off. I hold Sadie close, and we wait in silence. Ten minutes later, the house lights go down and the stage lights come up. Everyone rises and applauds when Roll With It walks out. Their expressions now are the complete opposite of what I saw backstage. And then Lee steps forward with a small piece of paper in his hand.

“First of all, lets have a hand for all of our top twenty contestants.”

Sadie and I clap with everyone else, but I quickly take her hand when it dies down. And Lee gets right to it.

“We have unanimously made a decision on our top four songwriters, who will submit one final song for a nationwide vote,” he says. “When we call your name, please join us on stage.”

He pauses as he looks down at the paper.

“Jasper Jenkins.”

Applause. Shouts of delight. Then he’s on the stage.

“Alyssa Brown.”

More applause and shouts. Then she’s on the stage shaking Jasper’s hand.

“John Adams.”

I let go of Sadie’s hand so I can let out a shrill whistle. Lee notices where it came from and shakes his head as he laughs. As the applause dies down, I turn to Sadie and kiss her.

“Thank you,” I tell her. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Her smile widens. Then Lee speaks one final time.

“And our last finalist is…Dr. Brock Rush.”

Epilogue

Upon hearing his name, Brock turns and pulls Sadie against him for a bone-crushing hug. When he pulls back, he kisses her, then swoops her into his arms and heads for the stage. After he joins the other finalists, he sets her down and pulls her into his side. She wraps her arms around his waist and rests her head on his shoulder while Lee explains what will happen for the last part of the contest.

“Each contestant will have two weeks to write one more song,” he says. “Then they’ll come to our studio to record it. Once the track is finalized, it will be released on our website where anyone in the United States can vote on their favorite. Three weeks from today, we’ll be back here to announce the winner. Good luck, everyone.”

The final four congratulate one another and spend some time talking with the band. Before Brock and Sadie leave the stage, Lee pulls them aside. With a bright smile, Brock introduces Sadie.

“This is Sadie Smith,” he says warmly. “She’s the reason I started writing again.”

Lee takes her hand in both of his before he speaks.

“Thank you,” he tells her. “My wife inspired me to write again, too, when we first got together.”

“Oh, how nice,” Sadie says.

“It’s more than nice,” he chuckles. “I don’t think muses ever realize how important they are to an artist. But I hope you stay Dr. Rush’s for a long time. Even if he doesn’t win,” he says as he turns to Brock, “we already decided to ask him to collaborate with us and some of the other artists we’ve signed to our label.”

Brock’s eyebrows fly up in shock. But he’s quick to shake Lee’s hand and accept the opportunity. With that, he and Sadie head home to celebrate. And of course, while they make love late into the night, Brock’s next song practically writes itself. With Sadie close by, he finalizes it in only three days. The following Friday, when they finish their day, Brock and Sadie drive to Homegrown’s recording studio where they present him with a contract to be a collaborative songwriter for their label.

“There is one catch,” Lee says. “If you sign this contract now, you’ll forfeit your eligibility in the songwriting competition. But the decision is yours and we’ll respect it, no matter what.”

“There’s no decision to make,” Brock laughs. “I entered the contest because of Sadie and her faith in my ability. I don’t need to win a contest, because having Sadie in my life is more important than anything else.”

Sadie smiles as tears prick her eyes. Brock kisses her softly, then asks Lee for a pen. And even though his song won’t win, they still move forward with its release on the website with the others. When the day rolls around to announce the winner, Brock and Sadie’s families come with them to the theatre. There will be food and dancing afterward, so as soon as all the contestants are settled, they come to the stage to announce the winner.

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