Читать книгу Crazy in Love - Crystal B. Bright - Страница 12

Chapter 4

Even at two in the morning, Truman had found his Utopia. At the end of a long winding road, he drove the group’s trusty van to the white stucco building. Bright lights spotlighted the place where he and the guys would be recording their first album. Not a bad place to be. He hoped his voice wouldn’t fail him.

He turned up the country radio station when the sounds of the creaking shocks and clanging brakes threatened to overpower the music.

A white Mercedes sat in front of the glass and chrome front door of the studio. Truman pulled the van behind the luxury car.

“Don’t get too close to that.” Like normal, a pinch of worry laced Tony’s voice. “You don’t want to be paying out our first paycheck if it gets a scratch.”

“I thought Shauna was dead broke.” Ervin poked his head between Truman and Sully from the backseat. “That’s what I read online.”

“You know how rich folks are.” Truman cut off the van and waited for it to stop its shimmying before he finished speaking. “They aren’t rich because they don’t know how to hide their money.”

Truman figured that Shauna’s down-home look the first time he saw her had to have been an act. He’d read all about these stars in their five hundred-dollar T-shirts and thousand-dollar jeans. He knew her whole outfit the day before had to have been worth more than the band’s van.

Truman hopped out of the van and slammed the door. “Let’s unload.”

“You’d think they would have people doing that for us.” Charlie stretched out his back.

“Even if they did, we’re still hauling our own gear.” Truman picked up his guitar case and grabbed a part of Ervin’s drum set. “We didn’t get to this point by being pampered. Work hard. Stay that way.”

As Truman led his group down a long narrow hallway, he noticed the framed gold, platinum, and diamond records on the walls, most were Shauna’s. She’d reached diamond status. Ten million records sold. He brushed against the frame secretly hoping that some of her luck, her magic, would follow the group. When Truman reached the studio door, he took a deep breath before opening it.

“Let’s make it good, gentlemen.” He pulled the door open. The subtle scent of cigarette smoke, and other not-so-legal types of smoke, as well as warm candle wax and fresh paint swarmed around his face.

In the dimly lit control room, he found Shauna sitting at the colorful boards. She looked different from when he’d first seen her. She didn’t have on that ridiculous hat. Her hair had been taken out of the braids and pulled back into a ponytail that cascaded down her back like a horse’s mane.

He half expected her to be in a business suit or worse, in one of her trademark sequined gowns. With her foot sitting on the chair, her knee to her chest, she looked more like an intern. God help them.

Then Shauna turned around. Her wide eyes held a mixture of hope, sorrow, and maybe a flash of anticipation. He hoped.

He couldn’t stop staring at her. The closer he got to her, the more entranced he became. His stare went from her soft gaze down to her cute nose and her luscious mouth. Shauna placed her hands with long, delicate fingers on her lap, and looked so elegant and sexy. She pulled him into her, seducing him without saying a word, singing a note, or even a smile…until Sully’s nudge broke the stare.

Shauna stood. Her T-shirt hung right above her navel. He couldn’t stop staring at her flat stomach and her dipped-in waist that topped her flared hips. Truman strained to bring his gaze back up to hers and control his rapid heartbeat. He had to show her he meant business even if his body begged for him to be sinful.

“You want to introduce me to your band?” Shauna took a step closer to Truman and his friends, but maintained a safe distance.

“What?” Truman seemed shocked that Shauna spoke.

Her melodic tone lulled him to a weakened state that he would have given up a kidney if she asked. This woman had no idea of her inherent power.

Ervin pushed past Truman and Sully. “Hi. I’m Ervin Willis. Drummer.”

Truman watched Shauna connect hands with Ervin. A strange flash of red colored his vision and his stomach knotted. Truman caught the subtle way Ervin smiled at her and how his friend pulsed his hand twice when he held hers. He’d been friends with Ervin long enough to know what that meant.

“This is Tony Waters.” Truman pulled his short friend forward and pushed Ervin back. “He plays the fiddle.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Tony presented a wide grin.

As though he wanted to skip the rough treatment, Charlie offered his hand to Shauna. “Charlie Vaughan. Bass. How are you doing?”

She nodded and smiled politely as she shook his hand.

Charlie’s mouth hung open. “Your skin is so soft.” He slid his free hand over hers. “Do you have kids?”

Truman pulled Charlie’s hands from Shauna’s. “We should get started.”

He cleared his throat, adjusted his baseball cap, and glanced at Sully, the last member of the Sliders who hadn’t introduced himself.

“Sully?” Truman elbowed his now tight-lipped buddy.

“Yeah, we should get started.” Sully brushed past Truman, shot a harsh look to Shauna, and disappeared into the recording booth.

“That’s Sully Parrish.” Ervin spoke to Shauna as he strolled to the studio with his drum kit. “Don’t pay him no mind. I think he was dropped on his head as a baby.”

From the way Shauna’s jaw flexed, Truman could tell it did bother her. She didn’t have to be so sensitive. She didn’t know Sully. She didn’t know any of them.

When the rest of the band disappeared into the soundproof booth, Truman stepped closer to Shauna. With each step, his heart pounded harder and harder.

What the hell was going on with him? His mind needed to be on his son, his band, and his music, in that order. With the exception of his music, he needed to keep his emotions in check.

“Sully’s just nervous.” Truman sat his case on the floor.

Shauna spoke as though she didn’t hear him. “Let’s go over your song list.”

“My what?”

Shauna sauntered to the couch and eased down on it, curling her legs under her and looking poised like a cat. His hand itched like he wanted to pet her, stroke her from her wavy hair down her long back and to that sweet ass.

As soon as that thought entered his mind, he snapped his attention back to her face. As long as he stared in her eyes, he would be fine.

“I want to see the list of songs you’re planning for the album. Or do you and your band fly by the seat of your pants on these things?”

More like a ferocious cat. Forget petting. Maybe he needed to hold her down, pin her wrist back, and—Christ, he had to stop. He had been around sexy women before. Shauna had him thinking and feeling in a way he hadn’t in a long time.

“I don’t understand why I need to show you my set list.” He maintained his position but kept his stare fixed on the woman who seemed a lot more confident and sure of herself than the last time he’d seen her.

“It’s not a set list. This isn’t a show.” Shauna rolled her eyes like she didn’t enjoy dealing with amateurs.

That notion boiled Truman’s blood. He stomped closer to her.

“Your album should tell a story, set a stage.” She ran her hand over her hair. “You should start off with a bang to get people interested, then ease them in with some mid-tempo tunes, then bring them down with some slower songs, then finish it even stronger. Think of your favorite albums that you love listening to from start to finish. Think about the stories they tell.”

He didn’t. Instead he wanted to question her experience. What made her such an expert when she had to be a few years younger than him?

“How long have you been producing?” Truman glared at her, daring for her to break.

“I’ve never produced an album or even a song. You guys would be my first.” Shauna barreled on. “But let me tell you about my seven albums I’ve put out, in particular, my first one. I was given a list of songs to sing by the label. Since I was new with no hits, they wanted to make sure I had some winners on the CD. They got some hack songwriter with one or two big hits to his or her credit to write most of the songs. The rest were covers. My manager thought, at the time, that was the best way to introduce me. You do have a manager, right?”

Truman kept his mouth closed but gave her one solid nod in response.

His slow response must have answered some other questions in her head. “Are you the lead singer and the band’s manager?”

He kept his stare on her but his mouth closed. When Shauna sighed, Truman felt his stomach twinge.

“I may be new at owning a studio, but this is not my first time recording. If you let me, I can help you avoid some of the pitfalls I experienced.” She held up her hand to him.

“We’re supposed to be partners in this, right?” He folded his arms. “Why don’t you make sure we sound good, and I’ll take care of everything else?”

She ran her tongue over her teeth. He could almost hear her counting to ten in her head. His mother would be so disappointed in his combative behavior.

“Fine. Don’t listen to me. I’m not your manager.” She stood. “I’m not even your friend.”

Craig stepped into the tense room. “So how is my dream team working out?”

No one spoke until Truman broke the ice.

“No disrespect to either one of you, but I have to get in there with my band and we need to tune up and rehearse.” He shook Craig’s hand, tipped his hat to Shauna, and walked toward the recording booth. The drama wouldn’t help him sing any better.

“Before you do that, I have an idea.” Craig held up his phone and smiled.

* * * *

Shauna had a sinking suspicion what Craig wanted to do. She kept her stare on him until he approached the duo.

“I plan on going to New York tomorrow to the Universe office to personally play a song from you guys.” Craig pointed to Truman and the band in the studio. “So you all need to do a great job on recording one song that’s an example of your style.”

Truman nodded. “Sounds doable. We’ve been playing our songs for years, so we have them down pat.”

Shauna had no idea Craig had planned on going to the Universe office. She knew the reason. He would make a plea to keep Charisma so that they would have distribution. If Craig planned on going tomorrow, Shauna would have to make a trip later that day. Time to act like a boss.

“Truman, you were right about something when you were in my office. A month to get your album out does not give you a lot of time to promote yourselves. So I have a plan.” He patted the couch seat cushion next to Shauna. “Have a seat.”

Truman split his attention between Shauna and her manager. Even she didn’t know what Craig had planned.

Truman attempted to lift his guitar case and make a speedy exit. “I don’t want to waste time. I should get in there and start rehearsing.”

“We have the studio until nine so we have some time. What I want to do won’t take long at all, but it’ll have mega impact on you and Shauna.” He patted the back of the couch this time. “Sit. Please.”

Truman huffed but finally sat down next to Shauna. Good to see that Truman didn’t want to be a part of this dog and pony show either. The way he kept his gaze cast down, he made it obvious that he barely wanted to even look at her. Seeing that hurt her a lot more than she thought it would. She barely knew this man. Why should it concern her that he didn’t want to look at her?

He leaned back, though, like he didn’t want to get near her. The supple leather squeaked under his weight. That worked for her. He hadn’t exactly been Mr. Charming.

“Shauna Stellar still has about two million followers on her Instagram account.” Craig took a few steps back. “So what I’ll do is snap some shots of you with her and caption it that Shauna is working hard in the studio with Truman Woodley and the Sliders. You guys do have an Instagram account, right?”

Before Truman could answer, Craig took a picture of him.

“Um, I don’t know. Tony normally handles our social media accounts.” Truman looked into the recording booth.

“How am I supposed to tag you if you—never mind.” Craig snapped another picture. “No. This isn’t good. Truman, hand Shauna something. Your music. Yeah. That’ll look good.”

Shauna tried hard not to smile at her manager’s antics. The man knew the best ways to work around any obstacles.

When she peered at Truman, he glared at her for a moment, then turned to Craig before he finally pulled out his music and handed it to Shauna. When she reached for it, Craig took a series of pictures.

“Good. Really good. You two need to be a bit closer together.” Craig waved his hand to them. “Scoot in closer.”

Shauna felt heat licking her cheeks. “Craig, I think you have the pictures you need. We really should get back to work.” She started to scoot to the edge to go to the boards next to the sound engineer.

“No.” Craig shook his head. “This will be even better. Trust me.”

“Famous last words, right?” Truman chuckled like he wanted to make Shauna feel better.

It didn’t work. Shauna shifted. “If you want working shots, I think you have it. We’re losing valuable studio time.”

“Shauna.”

The sternness in Craig’s voice stiffened Shauna’s spine. She couldn’t believe after ten years, she still responded to Craig’s disappointed tone. She felt childish, but still buckled to his demands.

With great reluctance, she curved her back to ease her backside closer to Truman while still leaving a comfortable distance between the two of them. She left her leg under her behind, which allowed her knee to jut forward, creating another barrier.

Shauna waited a beat before bringing her gaze up. When she found him staring back at her, her body flooded with emotions. Embarrassed heat filled her face and neck. Her hands trembled so much that she had to set his music down and press her palms onto her thighs. Her knee bounced and she wished it didn’t.

“Truman, lean forward, drape your arm across the back of the couch, and act like you’re asking Shauna a question.” Craig crouched down, preparing to take this picture.

Truman cleared his throat first. When he placed his arm across the back of the couch, Shauna felt like she had stopped breathing. Since she caught his outdoorsy scent again, she knew that couldn’t be true. With his long arm, his hand almost reached her shoulder.

Craig pointed to her first. “Shauna, pick up the music again.” Then he directed his attention to Truman. “Move in closer.”

Truman adjusted his baseball cap on his head first and exhaled before he finally moved. He sat so close to her now, his face a few feet away from hers; she noticed the brown, short hairs over his cheeks from not shaving. She also noticed a small scar by his lip, and immediately wanted to ask him about it.

Truman placed his other hand on his knee closest to Shauna. Even there, she felt the heat from his skin.

This had to end soon. If it didn’t, she would be crawling out of her skin. Not since her disastrous relationship with Raheem had Shauna been this close to a man. Despite their disagreement earlier, none of that mattered now that Truman had her cornered, hot and bothered.

“I guess I should really ask you a question now that I’m here.” Truman’s low voice rumbled through her body. He waited until Shauna regained eye contact with him before he continued. “Is this going to work?”

Shauna blinked. “What?”

“Us. This arrangement. Will it work?”

Shauna didn’t know how to answer. She came to the studio determined to set boundaries and be the boss of this situation. All of that changed as soon as Truman got close to her and she looked into his eyes.

“I think I got it.” Craig peered over his glasses at his screen. “Now I’ll change the filter. Do the picture in black and white.” He admired his work. “Oh, that’s perfect.” He turned the phone around to show Shauna and Truman. “Look. The dynamic duo.”

Shauna stared at the small screen. What she saw didn’t look like a music producer and her artist. She saw a man and a woman in dark lighting trying to find each other.

Truman must have seen something different. Without a word, he got up from the couch and grabbed his guitar but left the music.

“Your fans are going to love this.” Craig looked so satisfied as he posted the picture.

Shauna, finally able to breathe again, tried wrapping her head around what happened. If she planned on taking this job seriously, she needed to keep her distance from Truman Woodley.

“Why did you do that?” Shauna shook her head.

“What? You mean get you his music?” Craig winked.

She should have appreciated the gesture, but it reminded her very quickly that even as an adult, she needed someone to help her navigate through basic interactions. She wanted to solve this dilemma on her own.

“I had that handled.” Now feeling her power, she managed to stand and go to the boards next to their sound engineer, Hank.

“Yes, that’s what I saw. Not him walking away with the music, but him wanting to turn it over to you as soon as you asked.” Craig shoved his phone into his pocket. “And that picture, my dear, is going to push doubt from people’s minds.”

“Doubts about what? Me wanting to get back in the studio and work again?” Shauna had hoped her fans understood that she would want to get back into the swing of things again after getting out of Peaceful Acres.

Craig leaned forward. “No, that you’re still a desirable woman who still is the Princess of Love Ballads. The bad breakup with Raheem didn’t kill your sex appeal.”

The thought that Shauna had kept in the back of her mind now came forward. It became real with Craig’s words. Not only had Raheem embarrassed her by the way he had broken up with her, but her image as a sexy yet untouchable siren became shattered. How could she sing about love when she couldn’t hold on to a man?

Despite what Craig thought about his picture, she didn’t see Truman fawning over her. He saw a man forced to interact with her, just like with Raheem. Would she never break that cycle?