Promotion Comes With Strings Attached

"Okay, assuming I agreed, I still can't pay you."

"I don't care about the money. Knowing what I know now, I think we could be good for each other. I think you have the key that could unlock my songs, and I have the fame to market them, which would be a good promotional tool for you."

"Yes, I can see that," I replied nervously. "I would still want to release them under my "Firehouse" label."

She agreed. "I have no problem with that."

"Do you think we could actually work together?"

She scowled, deep in thought. "I can, if you can keep your sarcasm and bitterness under control."

"I won't beat around the bush, Kailami. I call it as I see it. The one thing you can rely on is my honesty."

She nodded. "I'm cool with that."

"Oh, and one more thing. Wyatt and Coby must never know."

She nodded again. I reached out my hand. "Welcome to the Firehouse stable."

We shook hands, and she smiled cutely. "When do we start?"

"Right now if you want. Although, I would like a chance to talk about what you want, sound wise."

"I want what you gave Shenandoah, but with a band."

"A band, huh? That will make it a little more difficult. What are you going to do once the album is ready for release?"

She shrugged, and I said, "You would need to tour, be prepared to promote the album using whichever means we can."

She seemed deep in thought. "Yes, I figured that would be the case."

"Then what we need is to get you a band that can travel with you. They would become your band."

We talked about how it could work, what she was prepared to do. As we talked, I said, "Lets go upstairs. I have a suite up there. We could have a drink, put together some plans."

Her face darkened. "Darren, I like you. I don't know why, but I do. I am not, however, prepared to fuck you so you can get revenge on Wyatt."

It was my turn to snicker. "Kailami, I did say I would be honest, so here goes. I didn't like you when we met. I saw you as a facile, empty-headed bimbo. I was wrong, you are far from that. My offer for a drink was nothing more than that. Just colleagues having a drink."

"Thanks for being honest. Harsh, but I prefer that to sycophantic flattery."

I got a beer for myself and poured a glass of wine for her. She clinked her glass against my bottle, and toasted. "Here's to a great outcome."

We talked quietly, and I took some notes. She had definitely given what she wanted a lot of thought, even if she didn't know how she was going to achieve it.

After she had finished her second glass, I said. "Okay, it's time. Let's hear one of your songs."

Her reluctance seemed at odds with her earlier mood. She pulled her phone out and scrolled till she had what she was looking for. When she hit play and went to sing along, I grabbed the phone and shut it down.

"No, that's not going to work. Just sing, let me hear your voice."

She shivered anxiously. "I can't, not without music."

"Preposterous, just close your eyes and sing. If you're going to convince me you have what it takes, then sing. I want to hear the lyrics."

She started to sing, but her voice was all over the shop. I stopped her. "Kailami, I think behind the fear, you have a nice voice, but you have to let it out. I know it's confronting, and you probably feel naked. But this is where we learn if we have something, or nothing."

Just as she was about to start. I said. "Close your eyes, imagine you are at home in your bedroom. I'm not here, you're singing just for the joy of singing."

This time, I felt her confidence grow, and her words flowed. The power of her voice carried them higher. She actually had a nice voice, maybe not one of the great voices, but good enough.

As I listened to her singing, I had to admit, the lyrics weren't bad, and I was starting to get an impression of an arrangement. If she was happy with a natural raw organic sound, then I knew how to get it.

She stopped and peeked up at me pensively. "Well?"

I chuckled softly. "It's good. I like it. In fact I'm starting to get a feel for it." I left her sitting there and returned with my guitar.

"Okay, give me a note."

She warbled a fluctuating hum, and it was enough to give me a starting point. I started with a syncopated strum, and she sang over the top. We struggled to get the key changes, but after a few failed attempts, we pretty much had the basics down.

"Is that what it will sound like?" she asked uncertainly.

"No, god no. This is just so I can get the chord changes and a feel for the rhythm. How does that pace feel, is it rushed, or do you want to go harder?"

"No, It felt about right."

"Are you busy, do you have to be anywhere?" I asked. When she said no, we moved to the studio, and with a click track set up, I laid down the main guitar track, then added a bass track.

Next, it was the vocals. I set her up in the isolation booth, with headphones, and she went over it a couple of times as a rehearsal. I couldn't believe that she nailed the vocal on the first go. Next up, I added my own vocal, a harmony just for the refrain, and a few places where her voice was weak.

Twenty minutes playing with the mix, and I had something, I felt was good enough to play back for her.

I watched as her mouth dropped and she held the headphones close to her head. As the track finished, she lifted the headphones. "Wow, that sounds so different. Is that how it will sound?"

"Nope, that is just so we can play it for the band members. We will be doing this for all of the tracks. Over the next few days, I'll work on the mix, see what works and what doesn't."

She seemed unsure, but happy. "I'm off on a photo shoot for the next few days. I can't be back here until Sunday."

"Works for me. It'll give me time."

"How much money do you need?" she asked.

"Kailami, I don't want any money. We can talk about the financial aspect later."

"So I just have to trust you?"

"Pretty much. If you're not feeling it, I'll give you the recordings right now and we can go our separate ways."

"No, I'm just nervous. I have been ripped off enough. These days, I'm more cautious."

The next few days were crazy busy. Work, recording the band, and trying to find time for Kailami's recording. With the basics there, I wanted to get an understanding of if what I was hearing in my head was going to work.

I called in a cellist I knew, and a drummer. We started again, with just the vocal. I laid down a new guitar track, this time, a finger-picked folksy pattern. Then I added another slide guitar track, heavily distorted, but still preserving the organic sound. Then it was a bass track, punchy, without being over the top.

I used the cellist for the intro. It was going to be just cello, then the vocals. The full sound wouldn't kick in until the first chorus. The vocals, I supplemented with reverb and a stereo chorus. I liked it, adding just the right element of emptiness. Gave it space and depth.

With the drums, I had envisioned a thunderous continuous poly rhythmical back-beat driven sound. Finding the balance was the difficult aspect. I wanted the drums front and center, but not overwhelming. It was the element I had least been able to explain to Kailami. I hoped once she heard it, then it would win her over.

Also keeping me busy was finding her a band. I had hundreds of contacts within the industry, and they all had recommendations, which drove me back to the phone and researching on YouTube and the like.

With the big reveal getting close, I was feeling a little uneasy. Kailami had given me a pretty clear idea of what she wanted. Over the last few days, I had given a lot of thought to the project, and I realized this was a ground-breaking moment. Because of her high profile, this thing was gonna get air time. If it sucked, my reputation, which had barely moved off the bottom line, would be shot.

Getting my mental state right was also worrying me. Coby had recently come back into my life. She called out of the blue, her voice warm and soothing. She wanted to try again, and in reality, so did I. We fought while we were together, but I missed her like hell when we were apart. It started with occasional dates, then staying at her place the odd night. I even accompanied her to a couple of work events.

I thought they would be tricky, especially if Kailami turned up. It just so happened that she was away on modeling assignments.

I did have to ask. "Coby, is Kailami still hanging with Wyatt?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, she hasn't been to functions. I wondered if they had split?"

"No, I think they're good. She's just busy."

"I'm confused, ever since this thing between you and Wyatt started. You keep telling me what a great guy he is."

"Yes, that's because he is. I know you can't get past what's happening, but if things were different. I think you'd like him."

"I don't think so. Putting aside how I feel about what's happening between you and him. He is cheating on his girlfriend. He's a serial cheater. He doesn't care about anybody but himself."

I watched as she absorbed my words, and try as she might, couldn't find a reply.

She was certainly an enigma. So smart and clever, but completely blind to Wyatt.

Kailami arrived late on the evening of her return from the photo shoot. She looked a little stressed as she walked in. I got her a glass of wine and we talked for a few minutes, just general small talk, but I could feel the tension. "You want to hear what I have come up with?"

"Yes."

I wound the studio monitors up loud and hit play. The haunting visceral sounds of the cello cut the tension. I heard her gasp as she squeezed her wine glass harder.

I was really happy with the intro. I had managed to fully capture the earthiness of the cello, I loved that we could hear the fingers sliding on the strings, and the notes cut and hung evocatively in the air.

It built gradually, the bass coming in over the top, fat and deep, although sparse. Then the guitar, just acoustic guitar finger picked, again sparing, but rich in woody tones.

When her vocal cut through, I saw her flinch, her hand clutching her heart. When it all came together during the chorus, with the thundering drums rolling over the top, it sounded huge.

"Oh my god," she gasped.

She sat transfixed, just staring into space as she listened. As the bounds slipped away and all that remained was the sound of a little creek flowing, she leaped into my arms. "Oh my god. It's fabulous. I can't believe it's real. Is that my voice?"

"Yep, I did some back up harmony through the chorus, but the rest is all you."

"It's exactly what I wanted. Truly, this is stunning. The drums, oh my god, the drums. They sound so menacing, a call to action, resonant."

I chuckled softly, absorbing her praise. "Thanks, I'm glad you like it."

What happens now?" she asked.

"Well, I think the first thing is rehearsals. I think it makes sense to use your band on the recordings. I'm a big believer in the sound people pay for at shows is exactly what they hear when they buy a record."

"Yes, I like that as a principle. Do we run advertising, how do we do it?"

"I already have a short list of musicians cued up; all I have been waiting for is you. I need to see your schedule so we can pencil them in."

Seeing how excited she was, I wasn't surprised when she said, "I'll make time. I do have some things that I can't shift, but they are local."

"I'm limited, time wise. I'm nearly finished recording AFU, and I am still working, but if you're free. I'll take time off."

Coby was back from the road, and she wanted me to spend time with her. It seemed everybody wanted their slice of me. The pieces were getting thinner.

Coby was unhappy, but I put her off. I needed to focus on the important things, and as much as I loved Coby, I wasn't even sure there was an us.

The rehearsals went great; it took only a couple of sessions to nail it down. I finished up recording, AFU on a Friday night, and started work on Kailami's album. Because of her schedule, it meant late nights for everyone, but the guys in the band were so into it nobody complained.

Working through her small catalog of songs, there were a couple that didn't fit. It wasn't that I didn't like them, I just didn't think they fit. When I mentioned it to Kailami, at first she was upset. Nobody enjoys criticism, but as I explained my logic, she started to understand.

She was concerned about how we filled the album. Somebody suggested a couple of carefully selected covers. I shot that one down. Nope, this had to be original. After the guys in the band left, she said, "I do have several unfinished songs, maybe we could try to finish them?"

She got her notebook with the songs in it, I got my portable keyboard and we set to work. The first song she sung, I fell in love with immediately. It had the feel, and the lyrics she had were perfect. We just needed more.

A bottle of wine later, and we had more words, she sang some, I sang some. Back and forth we went, sitting side by side, we opened our minds and soon there were more words than we could use. It was a fun night, drunk, and singing our hearts out like old friends.

We had the song, and we reclined on the floor, leaning back against the couch.

"Why didn't you like me?" she mumbled.

"I don't know. I think it was just that you were with Wyatt. I hated the fact he had you, and he wanted my wife as well. It burned me up that he had it all. A beautiful girlfriend, and he wanted Coby, as well. I hate him, so I think I just hated you by association."

"Why do you let him do it?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. She convinced me that it wouldn't be that bad. Stupidly, I brought it. Stupid decision, because I soon found I couldn't live with it. Now we live separate lives."

"But you still love her?"

"Yeah, dumb, huh?"

"No, I think it is admirable. You love and support her. I think that is wonderful, but where does it go?"

"I don't know. At the moment, I think it leads to divorce, but who knows. What about you and, Wyatt, why do you stand for it? You're a beautiful talented woman. You could do better."

She slid her arm around my back, and her head rested against my shoulder. "At the moment, I ask myself the same question. At first, we got together because I liked him. He was fun and exciting. We were only dating."

"But he's so much older than you, and he's..."

"Yes I know, he is all of those things, but I liked him. Recently I have reconsidered. I hate what he is doing to you. He is such a pig."

"Yeah, he sure is."

"Darren, I love what you have done with my songs. You have brought the best out of me."

"Nope, all of that was in there already. You have just opened up and let it out."

"You gave me confidence, and you were honest with me."

As we finished our wine, the atmosphere got a little heavier, I felt the hot wispy warmth of her breath on my neck, and as much as I tried to suppress it, my dick twitched like a fish on a hook. I couldn't tell if she was doing it on purpose or whether she was just too drunk to notice.

When I heard the soft mewing moan floating from her mouth and her body squirmed a little beside me, holy shit. she was into it. I let my hand rest on her shoulder. Inch by inch, I let it move, stroking and caressing her skin. God she was so fucking perfect, I mean her skin was flawless, smooth like silk.

Her tits swelled as her breathing became a little ragged. "We shouldn't be doing this," my mind cried out in anguish. Thankfully, my body wasn't listening. My caresses grew bolder, I had a real life supermodel in my hands; is this every man's dream?

When her juicy wet lips crashed on mine, all pretense of this not happening evaporated.

The kiss became passionate and forceful, demanding. Her scent filled my nostrils, her tits filled my hands. They may not have been huge, but they were firm and ripe, her heart pounding beneath.

When her hand curled around my throbbing pulsating shaft, there was no going back.

Her pussy was wet and open like a lotus blossom. Her legs opened wide, her hips pushed up off the carpet as she fucked back against my delving fingers. I couldn't take much more. I rolled her onto her back, and in one powerful thrust I was inside her, the liquid gooey depths of her pussy convulsed and sucked me in.

Her mouth feasted on my neck, and purposefully, she marked her territory. Huge red welts appeared as she bit harder and harder, her moans louder, her ankles locked together behind my back, heels banging on my ass.

"Yes, don't stop, don't stop. Fuck me," she cooed. "Fuck me..."

As if I had the power to stop. I was on a fast ride to heaven, and there was no stopping now. I thought my orgasm was big, but hers was like a world ending cataclysmic explosion.

It got a bit awkward after. We were both a bit lost. She started crying. "I'm sorry, Darren. I shouldn't have let this happen."

"No, it's my fault. Christ, I'm so sorry."

She didn't wait, she quickly gathered her clothes together before phoning for a cab. She was gone before I could say anything else."

I chastised myself time and again after she left. Although, god, what a woman. Damn she was passionate and urgent.

I dreaded the next evening. I was in the studio setting everything up when she walked in. I couldn't help admiring her look. Sexy, demure, elegant, and the way she moved. Our eyes met, and I tried to decipher.

She strode into the room and without saying a word, threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. A ball draining, spine tingling kiss that resonated all the way to my toes.

When she had her fill, she panted, catching her breath. "I'm sorry for running off last night. It was infantile. I promise, I'm not that ditzy."

"No, you were right. Look, Kailami, it was all my fault."

She scowled, her brows deeply furrowed. "Didn't you enjoy it?"

"You're joking, right?"

She giggled. "Then stop complaining. It was wonderful, I enjoyed it. Hopefully, tonight I will not be as drunk and we can enjoy a little more."

The guys in the band arrived and we set about the night's work. The atmosphere in the room seemed so much more alive and vibrant. Kailami's vocals so much more earthy, richer.

That night, after the band were gone, we again worked on her other new song, and then made love. It wasn't a fuck, it was full of warmth, desire, but also emotion. She gave herself fully to me, held nothing back.

That is how every night went. We had a break for a few nights, because of her modeling schedule, and I suspect a couple of nights she spent with Wyatt.

It had been weeks since I had seen Coby, and she was desperate. When Kailami said she couldn't make it, I took Coby out for dinner and then back to her place. I felt terrible lying to her. I would've preferred to just spill, but it wasn't just my relationship, it was Kailami's, as well.

That night as we lay in her huge plush bed, both exhausted, Coby said suspiciously, "What's going on with us? I thought we were doing okay, and now I wonder what the hell happened. It's been weeks since we saw each other."

"I've been busy, sorry. Look, Coby, I'm expected to sit at home and play with myself while you go off and fuck loverboy. Well... Sometimes, I'm busy as well."

I saw her grimace at my accusation. I knew she hated me throwing it back at her, but attack... it's a pretty good defense.

"Christ, Darren, can't we have one single discussion without you throwing that in my face?"

"Maybe, but probably not. I'm sorry I haven't been around, but I have been busy."

It degenerated into a fight and ruined our first night together for a while. Sad, but perhaps we needed that.

It took a month to finalize Kailami's album, but when it was finished, it was superb. I was really proud of it. Kailami was also happy, but she was already thinking ahead. She had already talked to her friends in the fashion industry, and the cover artwork was incredible.