Page 91 of Musical Games
She shook him off. ‘I’ll be fine. This is the day for new beginnings. I can do this.’
Her heart was hammering. All she wanted to do was curl up into his chest and cry. But her body appeared to have been taken over by an ex-special forces spin class instructor who’d snorted a line of coke. She took charge, introducing them to the receptionist who escorted them to the top floor.
In the lift Jamie stood in front of her, blocking her view. She dug her nails into her palms as her tummy left her body with the speed. She kept up a constant barrage of chat, worried if she stopped, she would collapse. Her palms were screaming with pain, but she didn’t stop the pressure.
They were shown into a corner office. Every side was glass and her legs started to go. Jamie held her up, gripping her tightly.
‘Sam, Jamie, come in, come in. I’m Pete.’ A tall man in his sixties, with a neatly trimmed beard, a ponytail and an American accent extended his hand.
‘Very nice to meet you,’ said Jamie with more confidence than she’d ever heard from him. He sat her in a chair facing away from the two walls of glass that separated the room from the clouds, then perched on the side of her chair and let his hand drop between them.
She didn’t take it.
Pete introduced the other people in the room. They were the execs from the company and had listened to the recordings they’d made at Air. There was a palpable buzz of energy crackling between them. Sam kept nodding as Pete explained his plans and the deal he was proposing.
‘You’ll start recording the album in our studios in LA next week, and we’ll also get you working on your second and third albums. You’ll do a worldwide promo tour to generate buzz, then the first album will drop with the premiere ofBraveheart 2. After that, it’s a full three-month tour and we’ll also be pushing hard for an Oscar nomination. Depending on sales and territories, you’ll cycle touring with recording, but we’re also looking at promo tie-ins. We’ve already landed you a huge deal in Japan promoting Mopeoke on terrestrial channels. The Japanese love Scotland, and Brad, so it’s a perfect match.’
Sam wasn’t taking in much of what he was saying, but the part of her that was always searching for more, the part of her that had been crushed so much in the last twenty-four hours, just screamed ‘yes’ every time a word came out of Pete’s mouth. She was teetering on a knife edge and needed a contract in front of her and a pen in her hand to feel safe.
‘So, guys,’ said Pete. ‘What do you think?’
‘Yes, absolutely. Love it,’ she replied. ‘Can’t wait to start. Where do we sign?’
She ignored Jamie stiffening beside her.
‘That’s great news.’ Pete pivoted a pile of papers towards them. ‘No doubt you’ll want to have this looked over by your lawyers before you sign, but any questions you have now, we’ll be happy to answer them.’
Sam picked up a pen from the desk. ‘We’re very happy to sign now, aren’t we, Jamie?’
She looked at him and the knife edge started to wobble.
He gave a tiny shake of his head.
She gripped the pen tighter. ‘Jamie?’
‘Sam, we need to talk about this.’
She dropped the pen and stood. ‘Excuse us, gentlemen.’
She dragged Jamie into the hall and down the corridor so they couldn’t be seen through the walls of glass. Her hands were shaking, so she crossed her arms in front of her.
‘Jamie, we need to sign this.’
‘I’m sorry, Sam. I’m not doing this.’
‘Okay, okay, I’ll get a lawyer to look at it. And Sandra too. Happy?’
He shook his head. ‘My answer will still be no.’
‘What? Why?’
‘Sam, this isyourdream. It’s not mine. I can’t just walk out of my life. I can’t leave my job. I’ve already let Gregor down enough. And I can’t leave Mum.’
‘But they’re offering us the chance of a lifetime!’
‘Are they? How do you know that? It sounds like they’ll own us. We’ll be tied into something for years. Sure, they like us now, but what happens ifBraveheart 2is a flop? What happens two years from now if they don’t like the music we write? This is all about whatyouwant. I need to think about whatIwant.’
‘And whatdoyou want, Jamie?’ She could feel the rage of rejection coming up to the boil.
