She doesn't look convinced but nods.
Another moment of silence passes. I wish she wasn't nervous, but the anxiety riddles her expression.
She gives me a small smile and says, "Okay. You can open my door now."
I chuckle. "I should spank you later for being bossy."
She mutters, "Maybe you will."
I chuckle again, then get out of the Porsche. I walk around, open her door, and reach in to help her out. I kiss her and then add, "For luck."
Her smile appears, but it doesn't light up her face like normal. I decide it's best to get her inside and into the studio. I've not told her about the dozen agents Ears lined up to check her out, and I pat myself on the back for keeping it quiet. I never expected her to be this nervous.
The woman at the front desk changed her hair from bright green to neon orange. She beams at us. "Welcome to Naked Pipe Entertainment. You must be Blakely?" She holds out her hand.
Blakely shakes it and confirms, "Yes."
"I'm Rhonda. With an h," she adds and winks.
"Nice to meet you," Blakely states.
"You too. He's quite the fan," Rhonda announces and motions toward me.
Blakley glances at me and nods. "So I hear."
"Let me get you settled. I put a bottle of water in the studio, but if you want something different, just let me know."
"Water's perfect. Thank you," Blakley replies, and we follow Rhonda down a hallway.
She leads us into a room with a lot of sound equipment, then opens the door to the recording booth. Several musicians tune their instruments, and Rhonda introduces Blakely to them.
"I'll be outside. Have fun," I state and kiss Blakley on the head.
"Thanks."
I go into the other room, and Ears enters. He goes inside the recording box and introduces himself to Blakely. The sound is off, so I can't hear, but he says something that makes her laugh.
By the time the musicians are ready, a dozen agents have arrived. Ears gives me the lowdown on each one, along with his top three choices to represent Blakely.
The sound tech flips a switch and announces, "Are you ready to start?"
Anxiety appears on her face again. She glances at me, and my pulse creeps higher.
Come on, pet.
You got this.
She tears her gaze off me and answers, "Yes."
"From the top, then," he orders.
She puts her headphones over her ears and sits at the piano. She declares, "I'm going to go solo on this one... If that's okay?"
Ears chimes in with, "Let's hear it how you envision it."
"This one's called 'Invisibly Broken.'" She takes a deep breath and begins to stroke the keys. A slow melody fills the air. She locks eyes with me and belts out,"If you loved me, you'd see what you're doing to me."More notes fill the air.
She doesn't tear her gaze off mine, singing,"But you're broken... So broken... And you think I'm the one who stands there in pieces, but it's you who's shattered..."