A woman with bright-green hair, obnoxiously chewing her gum, removes her earphones, and asks, "Can I help you?"
I demand, "Riggs Madden. Here to see Ears."
She glances at her screen and offers a fake smile. "Sorry. He's in a meeting. Can I give him a message?"
I toss a thousand dollars in cash down on her desk, repeating, "Tell him Riggs Madden is here. That's for your trouble."
She glances at the cash, clears her throat, then folds the bills. She stuffs it in her bra and chirps, "Let me see if he's on a break."
"Yeah, you do that," I state.
She isn't gone long before Ears steps into the lobby, grinning. "Well, I'll be damned." He slaps hands with me and pats me on the back, claiming, "Long time."
"Yeah. Got a minute for me?" I ask, knowing he'd give me the shirt off his back. He's another friend from Compton who made it out. I was in more fights than I can count with him. We've always had each other's backs.
He leads me to a private office. "You want a drink?"
"Nah. All good," I reply.
He sits on an oversized armchair and motions for me to sit on the couch. I obey.
Ears pushes his fingertips together, asking, "What the fuck are you doing in my studio?"
I chuckle. "Love how you never beat around the bush."
"Nor do you, as I remember."
"No, I do not. I need studio time for a demo. And I need the top agents in the room."
Ears whistles. "That's a hefty demand."
"But I'm sure you can get it done. For a nice amount of change, of course," I add.
Ears crosses his arms, declaring, "I can't mess with my relationships."
"She has the talent. I promise you," I state.
He narrows his eyes. "You fucking her?"
I don't answer, keeping my eyes on his and clenching my jaw.
Ears scoffs. "Of course you're fucking her."
"This isn't about that. I wouldn't come to you if she wasn't the real deal," I insist.
Ears sighs. "Okay. I'll bite. Tell me about her."
"She plays piano, has the voice of an angel, and writes her own songs," I inform him.
He huffs. "Sounds like most of L.A."
"She has talent," I firmly repeat.
A moment passes. He asks, "What's she look like? She a looker? If she's not a looker, it'll never work. This industry is rough."
"Like you said, I'm fucking her," I reply.
Ears scrubs his face, then nods. "I had a cancelation today. Two months out."