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“I’m not after any payment,” I interrupted. “I was hoping any money raised by my new music would go back into supporting upcoming artists, and possibly some charities. I’ve seen your portfolio and I must say, I’m pretty impressed with your line up of talent.”
James’ eyes were wide, and he held his hand over his open mouth. Entirely speechless.
I was pretty confident my offer was an attractive one. “So, what do you think?”
“I think I would be crazy to not consider it,” he responded. “I’ll have to run it past our management team and see what they think, but wow…just wow.”
“Would you like to hear a rough recording of my new songs?” I asked, offering him my USB.
“Oh my…I would be honoured,” he gushed and removed it from my hand like a precious gem.
“Have a listen, talk to your team, and let me know what you think. I’ll come back in a few hours.”
I left his office feeling empowered. I was finally taking control of my life and it felt good.
With a few hours to spare, I did what was expected whilst visiting Melbourne. I went shopping.
* * *
Two hours later, I returned to my hotel and dumped my shopping bags on the bed. The pile was huge, but I couldn’t remember a thing I bought. I paced my room for another hour, grinding my teeth, and flipping through TV channels, before I succumbed to my anxiety and returned to the colourful laneway.
My heart beat faster as I approached the studio door, wondering what they thought of my songs. It was the first time anyone other than Luke or myself had heard them, and I was terrified.
I drew in a deep breath before entering, shaking my body around like crazy as I exhaled all the tension. It was something I did before every show to ease my nerves and it appeared to work. I confidently rolled open the heavy door and stepped inside.
Everyone in the waiting room froze. James, Jenny and two new faces stared back at me with wide eyes and open mouths.
“Hi,” I greeted, with a tight smile and awkward wave.
“Holy crap!” one of the new faces exclaimed, whilst the other…fainted. No shit.
Jenny rolled her eyes. “I’ll get the face washer.”
I rushed over to the well-dressed man, who now lay sprawled out on the floor. “Is he alright?”
James laughed as he pulled him onto the waiting room couch.
The other unfamiliar face answered instead. “He will be,” he assured, looking down at him affectionately. “Riley here doesn’t deal very well with surprises.”
Jenny returned and sat beside the unconscious man on the couch, pressing the wet washer to his forehead.
He began to stir once the cool towel touched his face. “Wha…what happened?”
“You fainted, Riley,” Jenny replied, with a sweet smile.
“Why would I fai—” he paused in confusion. “Oh no, was…oh, dear god…was she real?”
I popped my head into his line of vision. “Hi there.”
Riley bounced out of the chair and stood so straight that I thought he was about to salute me. “Natalie Rivers!”
I smiled and held out my hand. “Pleased to meet you, Riley.”
“You’re so beautiful,” he professed in the moment, grasping his chest as he took my hand in his.
My cheeks warmed. “Thank you, that is very kind.”
“Riley, don’t even think about switching sides on me,” warned the man I had yet to meet. “Hi, I’m Steve and this light weight is my partner in crime. Riley is head of Marketing and I’m a producer here.”
