Page 36 of After Effect

“Finchy…”

I turned to Lilly. She reached over and ran her fingers through my hair. Then she gripped hard and kissed me. I pushed her back instinctively, and my gaze shot to the bathroom door to make sure no one had seen us. Lilly shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“You’re the one who’s missing the point,” she whispered under her breath.

She returned her attention to the sink, washed her hands, straightened up, and gave herself a quick once over in the mirror before she headed for the door. With one last sigh, she reached for the handle.

But she paused before opening it. It was several seconds before she spoke. “Let’s just finish recording.”

“Right.”

###

Lilly Cisneros

It was a relief to finish recording that day. I wasn’t up to dealing with Finch at the moment. His reluctance drove me crazy. Some days, he was my sexy play thing, some days he was shoving me into a wall, and some days he was this impenetrable ice fortress of professionalism.

This wouldn’t have been a problem if I wasn’t in love with all three of those insufferably polarized faces. Sneaking around was fun at first, but we had only been together for a couple years, and I was already starting to resent the need for secrecy.

Together for a couple years? Is that what I’m calling it now? Ha.

I kept thinking if I could just get big enough, I could finally go public with it all. I could announce to the world that no matter how pansexual I was, there was only one person I wanted, and he just happened to be my manager. People still liked plenty of actors and musicians who ended up dating their managers or directors, so why wouldn’t they still like me?

Because I’m not big enough. And it was taking way too long to get there. Even though my album had been successful, I was still little more than a one hit wonder. Fading into the background would make my relationship easier, but my ego wanted it all. I wanted fame, I wanted glory, and I wanted to have Finch Corbin pinning me beneath him in my bed. And I didn’t want to have to apologize for any of it.

God, I’m so selfish.

With a deep sigh, I hit the down button to call the elevator. The door pinged open, and I stepped in. A Korean guy in a perfectly tailored black suit leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets and a disinterested look on his face. I know that face.

“You’re Christian Baek! I’ve been hoping I’d get to meet you one day- I’m Lilly Cisneros!” I extended a hand, and he just looked back at me with a stern and cruel darkness. I had seen the CEO of ALIVE Records in passing a few times, but I had never gotten the opportunity to actually talk to him one-on-one until now. He was this unapproachable entity who oversaw everything, and you just hoped he would one day acknowledge you.

But now that we were face to face, his sense of superiority was almost suffocating.

“I know who you are.” He kept his eyes locked on mine. “You’re Corbin’s project.”

Finchy’s project?That may have been the most depressing description of our relationship that I’ve ever heard, and I’ve gone through a lot of depressing analysis lately. I shook it off and tried to brighten up the conversation. “Yeah. He’s been really great. He has a lot of fresh ideas. I can’t believe how much traction I’ve already managed to get at this stage in my career.”

“Yes, I’ve seen his proposals.” Mr. CEO wasn’t relenting any praise. “It’s a wonder you’ve achieved what you have. But you’re not going to get any further with his limited knowledge base. Why don’t you meet me in my office and we can discuss future promotion opportunities. You have real potential. It’s about time you moved up.”

The CEO of ALIVE wants to personally work on promoting me? It took mighty amounts of willpower to stop myself from dropping my jaw to the floor. “Absolutely, sir! I’ll ask Finch to set up a meeting as soon as you’re free.”

“No need to go through Corbin.” He closed his black eyes and shook his head. “I’d like to discuss this with just you first.”

The elevator doors opened on the ground floor. Mr. CEO handed me his business card, then walked out without another word. I wanted to stop him and ask a few more questions, but I wasn’t sure where to start.

Does that mean Finchy is going to be put on another project? Or am I being poached within the company? If it’s the latter, Finch would never forgive me. But then again, if I took it, maybe our relationship wouldn’t be as dangerous. If I wasn’t working directly under Finch, the chances of a huge scandal would be heavily diminished. I wouldn’t have to worry about risking a slip up that exposed us both, since we wouldn’t be around each other at work all the time.

Also because committing to a choice like that would probably mean the end of our relationship. I wouldn’t see him every day. He’d be angry.

We might be able to work past those setbacks if I could show him the advantages, but… I don’t know if I could get past not seeing him every day. He’s most of my inspiration. Not just for my music, but for… everything.

I pursed my lips and shoved my hands in my pockets as I walked out the door. Maybe I’d just hear what he had to say first and go from there. No point in speculating. At this rate, I’d be throwing away an opportunity before it even finished unlocking the door.

###

While there was someone working overtime on something at just about every hour of the night, at 7:00AM, not a soul was in the ALIVE office. Not a soul other than myself and Christian Baek, anyway.

He had agreed to meet me before the rest of the office got in. A strategic decision on my part, as I would rather not have to tell Finchy about this if it ended up being nothing. But still, I felt so incredibly guilty about the whole thing, I might have been more comfortable the first time I stood on the audition stage.

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