Page 25 of Release
“All right.” Fixing her gaze on Wilkes, she asked, “How do you feel I can help?”
“I was in the middle of recording it when I had this wild idea. Wouldn’t it be great if we mixed a little country and a little rock n’ roll? Who better to sing a tear-in-your-beer song about screw-ups with, than my talented ex?”
Everyone else snickered at the joke.
“Seriously, Wilkes?” she said, ready to turn and leave.
He threw up his hands in surrender. “No, I’m kidding. Don’t frown so much. You’ll get wrinkles. That’s what my mom used to say. But seriously, I have a hunch. If you lay the track with me, it’s a guaranteed platinum.”
Alexandra placed a hand on the back of a nearby chair and took a closer look at the sheet music. The lyrics seemed memorable enough. Her intuitive answer to Wilkes suggestion was a flat-out no, but now that she owned Blaze, she needed to look at things from the perspective of what was best for the label. Her label. Wilkes worked for her now. His success meant her success, and she was certain the fans would enjoy something like this, even if it did turn her stomach to think of it.
Ironically, their very public breakup would make it even more of a hit.
God, I’m starting to sound like Rita.
Well, not quite. Rita was suggesting they fake a relationship to make their album sales soar. This was different. This was business.
If I go through with this, I just hope Bash never hears it on the radio.
Wilkes looked at her, eager to speak. “Lex, just give me three minutes of your time and listen to this track. If you don’t like it, no harm, no foul. I’ll finish it up and let the producers do their thing.”
She stepped out of 7B to peek into 7A and alert Bryce of the change in plans. “Be patient with me. I might be a little while.”
“No problem. I’m tinkering around with the beat right now, anyway. Take your time.”
They both knew time was a commodity. She hurried back to 7B to see about the duet. Wilkes ushered her into the sound booth and passed her a set of headphones. She was not a huge fan of country music, but there was no denying it was a catchy tune. She played with the melody in her head and experimented with it by singing a few notes. Within seconds of listening, she already had ideas for how to orchestrate this blending of musical styles. Dammit, she had to admit, the idea sounded better and better, the longer she toyed with the lyrics.
“Damn, you sound amazing.” Wilkes whooped excitedly and smacked his hands together. “So, you like it?”
“I like it, Wilkes. As it is, I don’t hear much of the rock-country fusion, but we can fix that. Let’s see what I can do with this. Hold on a moment.” She went next door again and retuned with the electric guitar they had set up for her to use. That instrument would add the right touch. The first strum clashed discordantly with Wilkes’ setup. After a few tries, she played the chords of the song to match and, with barely a tweak to the sheet music, she reworked the riffs to add a harder edge. When she looked up next, the guys behind the glass handling the soundboard flashed their thumbs up.
“So? Are we making music together?” Wilkes asked. He took a sip of water and looked her up and down with a hungry expression. Rolling her eyes, she ignored the innuendo and agreed to record the duet.
It’s good for business.
Nothing else.
I hope he gets that part loud and clear.
About thirty minutes later, Alexandra’s verse and ad lib over the hook were finished, and she could finally go about the business of recording her own music.
Wilkes pulled her into a grateful hug, which she uneasily wriggled out of. “Turn the mic off, Reg,” he called out. The engineer nodded. Alexandra eyed Wilkes warily, wondering what he had up his sleeves now. He grinned, and added in an intimate tone, “I’m not going to bite. It’s just us in here, and I have one more request of you.”
She hung up her headphones and shouldered the guitar to take it with her. “Need I remind you I’m already behind schedule, thanks to you?”
“It’s not about me. It’s Emma-Jane. She misses you and wants you to come to dinner.”
Alexandra winced. This would be harder to turn down. Wilkes’ youngest sister was fourteen and under his care. She had taken a liking to Alexandra during the time they were together. This would be the first time since that dirty breakup that Alexandra would have seen her. The first time in over two months. Shaking her head, she moved toward the door anyway.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea anymore, Wilkes. You and I are not together.”
“She really wants to see you, Lex. She misses you a lot.”
Alexandra let go of the door knob and turned to him. “And whose fault do you think that is? Maybe you should have thought all of this through when you went and slept with Lydia. As a matter of fact, take Lydia to see her.”
“She’s never met Lydia.”
“So how the heck do you think Emma-Jane felt when she saw you and Lydia all over the airwaves and on the internet?”
