Page 80 of Torrid Love
“That’s a great idea. I’m sure you aren’t looking for my blessings or a step-by-step strategy on how to fill arenas. How do I fit in?”
Joel glances across the table and meets my gaze. “I want you to come on tour with us.”
“Joel, I’m not a musician,” I remind him.
“That’s exactly why we’re sitting here today. I want to put your incredible talent to work.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t follow.”
“I’m thinking of a behind the scenes music documentary. Something memorable. Something award-worthy. I want to prove there's more to us than sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll. America loves woe to whoa stories. It fazes no one anymore in the UK, but we’re four lads who rose from the pits of hell to where we are today. I want people to know about that.”
“I didn’t know you had a hard childhood.”
“Hard is putting it mildly.”
“I can relate.” He cocks an eyebrow. “Yeah, let’s not get into it. That might require me to drink.”
“It seems we have a lot more in common than we thought,” he nods.
“It sounds like it.”
“Let’s write a new story… for both of us. I want you to film behind the scenes of our Ripped Incognito tour. Once done, we’ll shoot for the stars—the Oscars.”What?“If we miss, we’ll shop the documentary around to content-on-demand channels like UTV.com for a chance at an Emmy. Who knows? If we go deep enough––which means opening up candidly about our fucked up childhood––we might have a chance at Sundance. The thought is slightly terrifying, but it might be worth it. In the end,your name would be on the credits, therefore, your name would be on the ballots.”
“Me?” I’m completely dumbfounded.
“Yes, you! Give me a sec,” he says reaching for his phone. He taps and swipes and hands me his phone. “See this?”
The headline from indiewire.com jumps off the screen.‘THE 25 BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES OF THE 21ST CENTURY.’
Wow.
“I do.”
“I want our documentary to be on that list.”
“That’s ambitious,” I counter.
“It’s doable.” There’s no mistaking the confidence rolling off him. “In preparation for this tour, we’ve been interviewing talent in the UK and via Holt’s contacts, we’ve also been in touch with people here in LA. I’ll be honest, you put them to shame.”
“I’m flattered—”
“You’re the best right now, Dominika. Intuitive. Creative. Edgy. Brilliant. I’m impressed as hell by your keen eye.”
I glance down at my folded hands, my face flushing red.
“I don’t know what to say.” A million thoughts collide in my head… and my heart. “I’m already established here.”
“You’re still an independent contractor, right?”
“I am, but I owe Rod and Loki a lot. I can’t just drop them.”
“It’s not like Pending Inference Productions owns you. If you give them advance notice, it’s fair game.”
“It doesn’t sit right with me, Joel.”
“You’re not an employee of theirs. You’re a free agent,” he stresses.
“I can’t just throw loyalty out the door.”
