Page 16 of For The Record

“You’re defensive of her.” She lifts her glass to her nude-painted lips.

“Defensive of who?” Ryder says as he sits back down.

“His sister,” Alina lies easily. “Who was on the other line?”

“The producer for my album fell through. He’s stuck in Korea working on some boy band’s album,” he says, shaking his head. “I don’t know who else I can work with.”

Alina looks at him like he’s a business project she’s analyzing or a song she’s critiquing. “That’s too bad.”

Is it, Alina?

#

@RyderBlackSource: #ThoughtYouHatedMe has just hit 1M streams on Spotify!

@RyderBlackFanOfficial retweeted @RyderBlackSource’s tweet

Chapter 9: Skye Holland

Elbow-deep in a filing cabinet, I hear footsteps from the open door. I swivel around in the storage room. It’s Mark Leong, with wire-rim glasses perched on his head and clad in a pinstripe shirt. He has a manila folder tucked under his arm. “Hi, Skye.”

“Hey, Mark, can you help me with something? I can’t seem to find Ryder Black’s contract,” I say. Why we still have paper files eludes me, but Mark told me that Leo insists on keeping a paper and digital copy of every contract on hand, meaning that the printer is whirring all the time in the break room and all the interns have paper cuts.

“Sure… May I?” Rummaging through with the B section of the filing cabinet, he pulls out the very file I was looking for. My eyebrows rise as I take the file from him. “I’ve been searching for that for half an hour. I felt like I was losing my mind.”

“Nah, I was just kidding. I was going over it with Ryder and his agent earlier,” he explains. “Ryder wanted a billboard in Times Square, apparently, so I was summoned to help.”

“Oh.” My shoulders stiffen. “I thought I was supposed to be in that meeting.”

“Oh, no, I mean… It’s not over yet, you can still join,” he says, scrambling to save face.

“It’s okay. I thought it was at three-thirty, though. It’s only three.” Is he sabotaging me on purpose?

“No, no, you’re right. It is at three-thirty. We just got to chatting, that’s all. Listen, there’s totally still time for you to sit in.”

But I’ll be late and look unprepared. Still, it’s better than nothing. “Sure, I guess I’ll go do that.”

“Alright, we’re in meeting room 504.” He gestures toward the contract. “You want me to put that away for you?”

“No, it’s okay, I just wanted to look at it for the advance…” I say. “Ryder mentioned something about wanting one?”

“That’s really for his manager to choose, not us. I mean, he wants a licensing deal, not a traditional record deal.”

“Right.” Well, Mark’s been working here longer. Of course, he would know more about the music industry than I do. I pass the file to him. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” But as we walk to the meeting room, I can’t help but feel like there’s something more that he isn’t telling me.

#

By the time Saturday night rolls around, I’m more than ready to see Leo again. And Poppy is more than ready to oblige me by getting me ready for my date like I’m about to go on live TV and she’s a makeup artist, working her magic with fluffy brushes and setting spray.

“Thanks for being the only member of my glam squad, but I think you missed your calling. You should be opening your own salon, not working forLa Mode.”

Poppy just smiles, checking her phone for a text. I frown. I know that smile: secretive, giddy, and utterly dreamy.

“Are you texting a guy?”

She quickly drops her phone facedown onto the vanity table. Her answer is too quick for me to believe. “No.”

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