Wilde Velvet (8 page)

“Hi, what’s up?” I say in a cool voice.

“Did I leave my cell here by any chance?” 

“I haven’t seen it, but feel free to come in and have a look around.”

“Thanks,” I move out of the way and Tyler enters the house. He looks tense when he sees Jonathon sitting at my dinner table. Oh crap what if he takes this wrong way? What if he thinks I am on a date with Jonathon? “Mr Wilde,” he greets Jonathon in a kind manner. The same can’t be said for Mr Gucci, he looks furious. He doesn’t speak instead he nods and shoots me a cold look. Tyler rushes into the kitchen and he laughs when he finds his cell phone. He holds it up proudly. “I must have placed it down when I was showing you how to make coffee.” He laughs and I chuckle along with him. Jonathon exhales. I am sensing that
he’s over Tyler being here and he wants him to leave. I walk Tyler back over to the door and he steps out into the hallway. He shoves his phone into his pocket and then he says goodbye. “So I’ll see you on Saturday?” he asks referring to our date. I blush. Man this is awkward. I can feel Jonathon’s eyes burning through my back. I focus. The sooner I give Tyler his answer, the sooner he will leave and this awkwardness will be gone with him. I clear my throat.

“Yeah see you Saturday.” He smiles at me and I return his gesture. He turns and walks along the hallway, but he pauses and looks back at me.

“Thanks again,” he says in a sweet voice. I smile at him again and then I close the door. I can feel my cheeks blushing as I make my way back over to the dining table. Before I have the chance to sit, Mr Gucci is shouting at me.

“What was that all about?”
he screams in a cold voice. I am shocked.

“Excuse me?” I say looking confused.

“I said what was all that about it? Why was that
grungy-nothing
in here with you?” his words are icy and so out of line. I can’t bear to look at him let alone give him an answer. I roll my eyes and walk into the living room, he follows me and grabs onto my arm. He spins me around and my eyes are blurred as I try to focus on his face. “I said why was he in here with you? And what’s Saturday?”

“Well the last time I checked Saturday was a day. You know it comes after Friday.”
he clenches his teeth at my sarcastic words.

“Don’t get smart with me. Now explain why that loser was in your place?”

“It’s none of your business.” I say breaking free from him. I scramble over to the sofa and I sit down. He follows me again. Dam he’s persistent. “Okay you wanna know why he was here?” he nods at me and I shoot him my iciest look. “He gave me a ride home from the studio and I offered him a drink as a thank you.”

“I see, so what’s Saturday?” I blush, he isn’t going to like what I am about to say.

“We have a date, okay, you happy now.” he narrows his eyes at me.

“A date? Really?”

“Yeah, why is that so hard for you to believe?” he paces the room and looks uneasy.

“No reason, it’s just I never would have thought that
he
was your type.” I scowl at him.

“And what exactly do you think
is
my type?” he looks uncomfortable. Inside I am smiling. I love to see him uneasy. It makes things feel more even.

“I don’t know. Not him that’s for sure.”

“Okay well I’m over this conversation.” I state. He agrees.

“Yeah me too, I think it’s time that I left.”

“Yeah I think that would be for the best.” He grabs his jacket from the sofa and he throws it over his shoulders in a sexy move. I gasp and he smiles.

“I’m sorry that I lashed out
at you.”

“It’s okay.” I accept his apology.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow around seven. We’ll hit the gym and then head straight to the studio.”

“Okay,” I escort him to the door and I watch as he leaves. I slam the door shut and I make my way back into my room. I am exhausted and sleep is all that I can think about right now. I shower and then climb into my bed. My head hits the pillow and I fall asleep with images of Jonathon and Tyler rushing through my head.

Eight

Its six thirty and I am all showered and dressed for my day ahead. I have eaten a bowl of cereal and filled myself up with caffeine. I am buzzing and really excited about getting into the studio. I can’t wait to start recoding and I am really excited about meeting my new vocal coach. I hope she likes me and that she is easy to work with. The door buzzes and I grab my bag and rush towards the sound. I press the speaker and wait for his voice.

“You ready?” Jonathon says in a smooth voice.

“I’ll be right down.”

I run down the stairs in my white shorts and plain black t-shirt. My hair is loose around my painted face and my shoulder bag is slung over my body. I push myself through the glass doors and I see Mr Gucci’s car. He is sitting in the driver’s seat and wait a minute who’s that? I walk closer towards the car and I can see bright blonde hair blowing in the hot wind. I reach the door of the car and Jonathon dips his head to greet me. He is dressed in dark jeans and a tight, purple polo shirt. His hair is hidden under a Gucci cap and his eyes are masked by black aviator sunglasses. The woman sitting opposite him is dressed in a neon pink mini dress and her eyes are hidden under massive sunglasses. She has a hot body, with two huge surgically enhanced boobs on full display. She looks as if she has had some lip fillers and her face has that ‘frozen look’. She smiles at me as I take in her appearance. I smile back at her out of politeness and then I focus on Jonathon
. He looks as if he is about to talk.

“How are you this morning, Miss Harper?” I narrow my eyes at him. How many times must I tell him to call me Ashley?

“I’m fine,” I state. He grins at me as he jumps out of the car. He flips the seat forward and he offers me his hand as I go to climb into the car. I take his offer and my body electrifies at his touch. I blush and I fall into the back seat. Crap not a good look. I somehow manage to compose myself and I lean back against the leather seat. Jonathon gets into the car and he turns around to face me.

“This is Candy, Candy this is Ashley.”
he introduces me to his friend. Of course she has a name like Candy. I wouldn’t have expected anything else from a blonde, plastic surgery filled girl like her.
Now Ashley don’t be jealous of Mr Gucci’s hot date. 

“It’s nice to meet you Ashley.” Candy says in one of those
bubbly baby voices. I force myself to smile at her as I reply.

“Likewise,” Jonathon smirks as he starts the engine of the car. He speeds off into the busy street and when he is forced to stop at a red light, he makes me feel super uneasy. With one swift motion he has pulled Candy towards him and they are playing tonsil tennis right in front of me. I look away as their lips smack together. I can’t believe what
he’s doing. Any thoughts I had about him liking me are now long gone. Angry people behinds us start to toot their horns. Jonathon was so distracted by Candy that he sat for almost five minutes at a green light. He gestures apologetically to the other drivers as the light flashes green again. This time he pushes his foot down onto the gas pedal and the car speeds forward. We drive around the busy streets and I feel like a third wheel in Mr Gucci’s date. He hasn’t spoken to me. Instead he has given his full attention to Candy. I am not jealous, but I do feel that he is being a little rude. I would never blank him in the way he is blanking me. I feel a little mad at him. I am completely shocked that he has a girlfriend. I don’t understand why he hit on me at the bar and then kissed me in my apartment, if he was seeing someone. That thought erupts through me. I feel awful as I sit in the company of his girlfriend. Jonathon has been super flirty since we met and things between us are complicated. I don’t know if I am coming or going when I am in his presence. He makes me feel awkward, stupid and giddy all at the same time. He reminds me of the girl I used to be and that feeling is tempting. But I don’t want to revert to my old ways. I am a changed woman and I am going to stay that way. I an odd way, Mr Gucci having a girlfriend is actually a blessing in disguise. Now I can stop fantasizing about him and just focus on the job in hand. Creating a wonderful record and having my dreams come true.

We arrive at the studio and Jonathon lets me out of the car. He signals Candy to stay seated as he walks me to the door.

“I gotta take Candy home. You go on up without me. I won’t be long.” I frown at him.  He’s ditching me for the Botox whore.
Ashley that’s uncalled for.
  My subconscious shouts me. I nod my head in agreement. Maybe that thought was a little too dramatic.

“How long will you be?” I ask, pushing my hair away from my face as I do.

“I shouldn’t be any longer than an hour. If you need anything just ask Emily. I won’t be long.” he says as he gently pats my arm. I shiver from his touch. Why does he electrify through me? I watch him walk back over to his car. Candy lets out soft giggles as he climbs in. He slides his arm around her shoulder and he pulls her closer towards him. She leans in and kisses him and then he pulls back and speeds off down the street. My heart breaks a little at the sight of him with Candy.
Well you had your chance and you blew it, as usual.
  There she is again my subconscious telling me how it is. I shake myself as I make my way into the building.

The hallway is busy and the girl at the front desk is swamped with people. I make myself visible to her through the sea of people. She smiles at me and I return her gesture. I climb the stairs and I am relieved when I see Emily walking towards me. She is dressed in her tight skirt suit and as always she is carrying her clipboard. She reaches me and she grabs me by my arm.

“Miss Harper, thank God you’re on time. Claire is already here and she’s in one of her moods.” I look at her in confusion.

“I’m sorry, but who’s Claire?”
she presses her lips together as she drags me into a small office. There is only a desk and a plant pot in the room. I look around, who does this office belong to? 

“Didn’t Mr Wilde tell you that
you have a meeting with a vocal coach?”

“Yeah he told me last night,”

“Well the coach is Claire. She is very busy and she has very, very high standards. You know I don’t know why she even agreed to help Mr Wilde out. Usually she is far too busy to bother with unsigned acts.” Now I am anxious. Emily’s biography of Claire has scared me. My heart rate starts to pick up pace as Emily takes me by the arm again and leads me along the hallway. We stop in front of a black door and she looks at me before we enter. Her blue eyes are soft but intense. Her lips are chapped and her forehead is creased. I feel sorry for her. She doesn’t look any older than me, but her appearance looks very tense. She seems really stressed and I can’t help but think that Mr Wilde isn’t really all that nice to her. I have seen how angry he can get, and I can just picture him getting mad at Emily. He has a way of speaking to people that belittles them. I should know he has done it to me often enough. Emily brings me out of thought with her soft voice.

“Okay you ready?” I smile at her and she smiles back, pushing the door open as she does. We walk into the room and I can hear a sharp voice taking rapidly on a cell phone. We walk further in and then I can see
the face that matches the fierce voice. Clair is tall, with short dark hair and green eyes. She is very smartly dressed in black trousers, white blouse and a black blazer. Her make-up is perfect. She looks flawless and now I wish that I had chosen a smarter outfit. I feel grungy in comparison to her. She sees that we have entered the room, so she quickly ends her call. She briefly smiles as she walks over to us. Emily introduces me. “Claire this is Miss Harper.” she smiles at me as she reaches out and firmly shakes my hand.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Miss Harper. I’ve heard a lot about you from Johnny.” Johnny? She calls him Johnny? I try to compose myself.
Stop thinking about him Ashley.  

“It’s really nice to meet you too and please call me Ashley.” Emily excuses herself and Claire leads me further into the room. I look around and gasp as I take in my surroundings. The room is small and intimate. There are pictures hanging on the soft coloured walls of all the greats. From Madonna to Prince all my musical heroes are surrounding me, encouraging me to do well. There is a large piano situated in the middle of the room. A microphone, drum kit and stacks of books occupy the back wall. My head is rushing. Out of all the rooms I have been in, this one is my favourite. Claire sits down at the piano and she unbuttons her blazer. She slides the lid from the piano keys and she rests her manicured fingers on the keys. She looks ups at me, her green eyes locking on mine. I smile at her as she stares at me.

“Okay Ashley let’s start with some warm up exercises.” I nod at her and then she starts to speak again. “So just copy me. When I finish you start, okay?” I nod again. I don’t want to waste time with words. I just want to get started. Claire giggles briefly and then she drums her fingers along the keyboard, going from low to high, humming the tune as she plays. She finishes and then she does it again, but this time I hum the tune. My voice is smooth and Claire smiles at me. “Wow, you have depth in your voice. Try it again.” I can’t hold back my smile. Claire the so called ‘ICE QUEEN’ likes my voice. She plays again and I hum again. Claire smiles as she looks at me. “Okay, now follow my lead, again.” she uses the high notes on the keyboard and sings the most common warm up exercise.

“LA, LA, LA, LA, LA,” her voice ascends and gets higher at the end. She finishes and I repeat what she has just done. My voice is high and I hit the high notes perfectly. Claire is impressed.

“That’s perfect. I think you’re warmed up enough. I would like to hear you sing, do you have any requests?” I run my finger along my lip as it think. One song sticks out the most.

“Big Girls Don’t Cry?” Claire smiles
, she likes my choice. She begins to play the intro and I wait for my cue. The music rolls and I get ready.

“Da Da Da Da

The smell of your skin lingers on me, now

You're probably on your flight back to your hometown

I need some shelter of my own protection baby

Be with myself in centre, clarity, peace, serenity.

I hope you know, I hope you know

That this has nothing to do with you

It's personal, myself and I

We got some straightening out to do

And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket

But I've gotta get a move on with my life

It's time to be a big girl now

And big girls don't cry

Don't cry, Don't cry, Don't cry”

Claire stops playing before I go into the second verse. My heart starts to pound. What if she didn’t like my performance?

“Okay,” she says resting her hands onto her thighs. “Johnny was right you do have a good voice, lazy but good none the less. What we have to work on is your tone. Right now it’s all over the place and a good performer must have good tone. Your pitch levels are good, but a little too intense. You need to soften your pitch, let’s try it again.” I nod as I take in her advice. I push my hair away from my face as she plays the intro again. I sing the words and I try to remember Claire’s advice. I try to control my pitch and I soften and clarify my words. I feel that my voice is smoother and more subtle this time around. I finish. Let’s hope Claire was more impressed this time.

“That was better, still not the money note, but better none the less. Try it again. This time think of the words as a delicate flower. You need to be gentle, or they will break, okay?”

“Okay,” I say as she starts the intro for the third time. I sing the words again, making sure that I have followed every inch of her advice. My voice is softer and my tone is sharp, but only when it needs to be. I smooth out the words and I embrace them and take them into my presence. I treat them nicely and with respect. I close my eyes for more concentration, and I look after the words as if they were a flower. I finish and Claire laughs.

“That was much better. Your tone was sharp yet smooth. Your pitch was subtle and the way you changed keys was stunning. I must applause you girl, you have a great voice. Johnny told me that you were awesome, but I was a little sceptical, but honey that was banging.” I blush. She likes me and Jonathon said that I was awesome. I am on cloud nine. I am so happy right now. All this finally seems real. I am working with a real vocal coach and she thinks that I am good. This is what dreams are made of and I am so lucky.

“Thanks, it means a lot to hear that from someone like you.” Claire presses her lips together at my words.

“May I ask why that is?” I blush again.

“It means a lot to me that you like my voice. I have had a lot of rejection in the past. I guess it’s just nice to hear that someone believes in me, you know?”

“You should know that Johnny believes in you. When he talks about you, you can tell that he has a passion for you. He wants you to succeed and to have your dreams fulfilled.” I can’t believe what she’s saying. I didn’t know that Jonathon felt that way. I am shocked and I don’t know how to reply. Luckily Claire talks again and saves me from responding. “Johnny may appear hard on the surface, but inside he is pure velvet.” Claire has a twinkle in her eye as those words pass from her lips. I begin to think that she has a little crush on Mr Wilde-Velvet.