Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
E yes closed while gripping her headphones, Delta belted out the end of “Sexy Lover” into the microphone. When she stopped, she opened her eyes and looked at the two men seated behind the glass—super producer Lance Row and engineer Taz.
She waited, already anticipating Lance’s words. That wasn’t good enough. She had been in the studio since this morning and was having an off day.
Lance, tall with chocolate skin and a voice suggesting he had missed his own calling as an R&B crooner, leaned into the microphone. “Good, but not good enough, sweetheart. You can do better, and you were a little pitchy at the end. Do you need a break?”
Resting her hands on her hips, Delta shook her head. “No, let’s try it again.” She took a sip of water and cleared her throat.
The average person wouldn’t notice the difference in each performance, but she was a perfectionist, which was why she liked working with Lance. He didn’t tolerate mediocrity and pushed her to improve.
“From the top,” he said.
Delta nodded and stepped closer to the microphone to sing the words written for her by one of the top writers contracted by the record company. In the dimly lit booth, she gripped the headphones as she immersed herself in the song. The memorized lyrics flowed easily from her lips, while on the other side of the glass, Taz and Lance listened intently and nodded in time to the beat.
Near the end of verse one, she saw the door to the control room open from the corner of her eye and knew before looking that Ignacio had arrived. She had been expecting him. He had come to the studio yesterday as well. Her attention shifted to him as he greeted the producer and engineer. Then his gray eyes focused on her, and suddenly the words of the song took on a new meaning.
She kept her eyes on him as he stood behind the other men with his broad shoulders and an unreadable expression on his face. Swaying in time to the rhythm, her fingers flexed as she reached for an invisible person just beyond her grasp, her voice rising and falling as she expressed desire for her secret lover.
Heat coiled in her stomach. The sexy words weren’t simply words. They were a testimony.
Sexy lover, you set my body on fire
Every kiss, every touch takes me higher
Love me hard, love me fast, love me slow
Don’t walk away, please don’t let me go
I love looking at you, you’re so fine
Every touch sends chills down my spine
I’m in heaven when we’re all alone
And you whisper my name in that dark, sexy tone
That dark, that dark, sexy tone
At the end of the song, she was gripping the microphone and singing with a sultrier edge and emotional depth in her voice.
“Yes!” Lance’s hand shot in the air with blatant approval. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
Taz slow-clapped. “Nailed it,” he said.
“I guess that was better?” Delta asked with a laugh, removing the headphones.
“I love how you gradually increased the intensity, and when you held the note at the end…” Lance kissed his fingertips.
“Sounds like we have what we need. Break time?”
“You’re allowed,” Lance said with a grin. He checked his watch. “Let’s meet back here at three-thirty?”
“Sounds good to me.” Delta exited the booth and watched Lance and Taz leave through the outer door.
“Hey,” she said softly.
“Hey.” Ignacio pulled her into his arms, and she melted against the firmness of his chest, enjoying the way his mouth moved over hers in a slow, languid kiss.
One would think her appetite would be assuaged after they’d had sex multiple times in the past couple of weeks, but the opposite had happened. She craved him a hundred times more, and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, as if making up for all the years they had been apart.
“Mmm,” Delta said as she withdrew. Picking up her purse from the leather sofa, she asked, “What did you think of my performance?”
“I’m sure you know you did an excellent job. What’s the name of the song?” Ignacio guided her through the door with a hand at the base of her spine.
“Sexy Lover.”
“One of yours?”
“No, the record company gave it to me.” Delta slipped a pair of oversized designer sunglasses over her eyes. “Where are we going to eat?”
“A little Korean spot a couple of miles away. Randall and Ava are meeting us there.”
“Is it the dumpy-looking place?”
“That’s the one,” Ignacio confirmed.
“The food is so good there.”
They climbed into Ignacio’s Corvette, and he gunned the engine. Last night he told her his mother had invited her to Thanksgiving dinner. He expected an answer today, but she hadn’t yet decided what to do. Thankfully, he hadn’t brought up the invitation again.
Before pulling away, he spoke in a low tone to her. “Don’t be obvious, but do you see what I see across the street, at the brown brick building with the For Lease sign?”
Delta turned her head ever so slightly. A figure lurked in the bushes in front of the building, their form obscured but not their presence. The trembling leaves gave them away, as did the unmistakable glint of sunlight bouncing off a camera lens.
“I see them,” she murmured, her voice steady despite the sudden awareness prickling her skin. She hoped the photos were flattering. She had her hair secured in a ponytail and had kept her makeup minimal.
“The pictures will work in our favor. Keep the conversation alive about us.”
Delta nodded. “True,” she said, though she didn’t know how to feel about their situation anymore. They were having sex, kissing, and touching like a normal couple, and Ignacio expressed concern for her as a caring lover would.
A couple of days ago, she caught him staring at her, and when their eyes met, he simply smiled. Later that evening, he tried to convince her to tell him who had hurt her at sixteen, but she refused. She would never tell.
She wanted to forget the worst day of her life. She had done a lot of work to move past the trauma, but she was also afraid—of what Ignacio would do.
She cast a sidelong glance at him.
If he went after this man, there could be repercussions for her and her family right when her career was picking up again. There could be repercussions for Ignacio too. The executive was powerful and his influence far-reaching. He had much more power and influence than when he had abused her, and he could jeopardize Ignacio’s deal with Brockwell Media and harm his career in other ways.
After a short drive, they arrived at the restaurant, and Randall and Ava stepped out of their respective vehicles. Randall led the way inside, with Ava following behind Delta and Ignacio.
They entered the small restaurant with its dingy glass windows and a handwritten sign near the door announcing the day’s specials. The low hum of conversation mixed with the sizzle from the open kitchen, where a cook flipped slices of beef on the grill, and from which the scent of savory spices floated through the air. A narrow counter ran along one wall, lined with jars of homemade kimchi and pickled radishes.
A young waitress greeted them with a nod as she stacked bowls onto a tray. Then she paused and stared at them for a moment. Delta recognized the expression. She was starstruck—shocked to see them enter the establishment.
The waitress snapped out of her trance and told them to take any free booth. Most of them had cracked vinyl seats, some patched with duct tape. Delta and Ignacio found a table near the back and sat across from each other, with their bodyguards taking a table nearby. Delta took a moment to peruse the laminated menu she pulled from a rack on the table.
Despite the humble surroundings, the food was as delicious as dishes in any Michelin-starred restaurant. When she had visited in the past, she had waited in the car while an assistant or one of her bodyguards came inside to pick up the order she had placed over the phone. The restaurant wasn’t very crowded at the moment because it was after two o’clock, but around lunchtime, every table would be occupied, and one time she had seen a line out the door.
After a few minutes, the same waitress came and took their order. To her credit, she left them alone without mentioning that she recognized either of them.
“So, are you going to keep me in suspense? How did the meeting with King Brockwell go today?” Delta asked.
Ignacio’s team and the Brockwell team had been negotiating over the past couple of weeks. He had gone to their offices today to sign the contracts and take promotional photos.
“All done. We signed the contracts.”
Delta gasped and let out a little squeal. Ignacio laughed at her reaction.
“So it’s a done deal?” she asked.
“It’s a done deal.”
“Oh my goodness!” She covered his hands with hers. “Congratulations, baby.”
As soon as the endearment left her mouth, she realized how it sounded—intimate, familiar, something a girlfriend would say.
Her cheeks warmed, and she immediately wished she could take back her outburst. She tried to pull her hands back, but he grabbed them, holding her in place. His light eyes searched hers, and she inhaled, holding her breath, wondering what he would say.
“Thank you.”
Phase one of their agreement was complete. He had officially secured funding. Next, she had to finish her album and release a single. “When do you expect to start filming?”
“King has a writer in mind to look at the script and make revisions. Once we’re in pre-production, there’s a lot of work to do—assembling the rest of the cast, scouting locations, and working on the shooting schedule. I don’t expect us to start production until next year, after I’m finished with my next film.”
“But you should have the movie shot, edited, and released in time for awards season, like he wants?” Delta asked.
“I don’t see why not. With an indie film, we won’t have the same restrictions as a big production.”
The waitress arrived with their drinks, and Ignacio released Delta’s hands. Feeling bereft, she sipped her soda, fighting the urge to reach for him again.
“How do you feel about the album?”
“Good and bad—mostly good. I still haven’t decided on a name yet, but I’m tossing around a few ideas. I also have a couple of songs I want to include that I wrote. I talked to Dad about it, but…” She shook her head.
“No go?”
“He thinks I should listen to A&R and stick to the sexy songs. Sex sells, et cetera, et cetera.” She tapped a manicured nail on the tabletop in irritation. “The songs I want to include are love songs. ‘Bad Behavior’ is about a woman who’s crazy in love and the bad decisions she makes because of her feelings. ‘Unworthy’ is...well, I’m sure you can figure out what it’s about. The lyrics are sad and nostalgic, and I know their meaning will touch listeners.”
“You’re giving up?”
“I considered giving up, but then I asked myself, what would Ignacio do?” She rested her chin on her hand. “So no, I’m not giving up. I’ll finish the album with the songs they want me to, but I’m going to work with Lance to record my songs that I’ll share with A&R when I go to New York next month. I really believe once they hear them, they’ll change their minds. At least I hope so.” She crossed her fingers.
The food arrived, and they ate their meals, both of them cleaning their plates. On the way out, the manager asked if he could take a photo of them. The request turned into them taking pictures with him, members of the staff, and other patrons. They signed autographs and then headed back to the studio.
When Ignacio parked, he turned to her. “Have you decided about Thanksgiving?”
“I was hoping I could avoid giving you an answer,” Delta said, using a joking tone, though she wasn’t joking.
Ignacio knew it, too, because he didn’t laugh. “My brothers know the truth, but everyone else in my family believes our relationship is real.”
His parents wanting to see her made sense. She hadn’t visited them since she and Ignacio “reconciled,” but she wasn’t sure spending Thanksgiving with the Connor-Santanas was a good idea. Granted, she and Ignacio were in a better place than at the beginning of this ruse, but they were supposed to be a temporary couple.
“Yes, I’ll come to Thanksgiving dinner.” She might as well get it out of the way.
“They won’t give you a hard time. I promise.” Ignacio squeezed her hand.
“I better get back to work,” Delta said.
She hopped out of the car and went inside, wondering how she would get through Thanksgiving dinner with his family.