Lyric releases me, and I don’t even care that I turn and collapse onto my back in a pool of my own cum.
He stares down at me warmly and leaves briefly to clean himself up, but then he’s right there next to me again, holding me.
“Hi,” I say.
Lyric laughs at me. “Hey. Probably should’ve started with that.”
“I thought you were gonna start with yelling.”
He kisses my nose. “No yelling.”
“Didn’t Harley—”
“Oh, he did. And he brought Cameron Verikas with him.”
“Cameron. And you’re not yelling at me why? I didn’t mean to tell Harley where you were. I mean, well I did, but I knew it was wrong the second I did it, and I’m sorry, and I’m not butting in, I swear. I—”
“They, uh”—a shy smile crosses his face—“both offered me a contract.”
I grin. “Fuck, baby. That’s amazing. You should’ve led with that.”
“I … I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“What are the terms?”
“They have to send me their contracts and exactly what they’re offering, but basically, Cameron is promising to make me huge, and Harley is offering me creative freedom.”
I wince. “That’s a hard choice.”
“It is.”
“Though, creative freedom is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“Cameron says he’ll go to bat for me as an out artist.”
“Depending on what label he’ll want you to sign with, you’ll have to deal with them having input on your sound.”
“Harley said even he and I will get into arguments over that.”
“Though with Harley, you get me as a producer.”
He doesn’t smile at that like I thought he would. In fact, there’s a hesitance behind his eyes I’ve seen before. That unsure emotion he gets around performing is now directed at me.
But then he finally breaks. “I don’t know how much work we’d get done.”
“Hey, we got your demo done … eventually.”
“I don’t think Harley would be happy if we do half the shit we did while on his dime.”
“Whatever gets the songs cranked out.”
“Now I feel like a whore. Or, wait, are you the whore in this situation?”
“Why do either of us have to be whores?”
Lyric shrugs. “Either way, sounds like a fun role-playing thing we could do.”
I laugh.
“I’m going to have Chord look over the contracts and get his opinion. Then I’ll make my decision.”
“Smart.” But I already know what Chord is going to say. From a business standpoint, he’ll choose Cameron. “Are you leaning more toward one or the other?”
“You know I was never in this for the money, and I only want fame if it’s as myself, so Harley’s offer makes sense. But on the other hand, I don’t want to be the moron who turned down Cameron Verikas.”
“It’s true. No one turns down Cameron Verikas, and he is a great manager.”
“Less risky. Harley’s new label might fail.”
“That’s true too.” Damn it.
I don’t want to throw my opinion out there because I know it’ll be biased. He has to do what’s best for him, and signing with Harley is too much of a risk. If Cameron wasn’t interested, it’d be a no-brainer, but getting Cameron Verikas’s attention is like finding a unicorn in this industry.
“The only thing I will say about Cameron is he’s loyal and he does fight for his artists, but generally speaking, labels are like casinos.”
“It’s a gamble?”
I snort. “No. The house always wins. Look at Harley and me.”
“Couldn’t the same be said for Harley’s label?”
“I don’t know. The thing is, Harley’s intentions are pure, I can promise you that, but you know what they say about good intentions.”
“You’re being very philosophical tonight.”
“It’s late and I’m tired.” And I’m using all my energy not to tell you to pick me.
Which is stupid because his decision isn’t between me and something else. It’s between two men who can do amazing things for his career, but when it comes down to it, the choice he makes will affect how our relationship works.
I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. I was hoping for a lot later. Lyric has too much talent to not be discovered, and the only thing holding him back was himself.
“I’m not going to make a decision anytime soon.” Lyric kisses the top of my head. “Let’s get some sleep.”
I curl into his side and try to forget about our uncertain future. Maybe if he signs with Cameron, I can renege on the Eleven deal. I haven’t signed anything yet, and I don’t expect contracts to be drawn up until Harley gets all five of us on board. That’ll take time.
If Lyric signs with Cameron, he will be thrust into a world he probably can’t even fathom. It was an eye-opener for me at eighteen.
Holding him back from that isn’t fair.
“Stop thinking,” Lyric mumbles.
“I’m not.”
“You are. You’re all tense. It makes me think I didn’t fuck you hard enough to turn your brain off.”
“You might have to do it again.”
He rolls on top of me. “I’m suddenly not so tired anymore.”
Neither am I. Though I’m going to be wrecked in the morning.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lyric
Ryder’s been acting weird ever since I told him about the offers from Harley and Cameron. It’s been days of forced smiles and soft kisses. Whenever I’ve asked him what’s wrong, his voice has gone high-pitched and squeaky as he lets out a weak “Nothing! I’m fine.”
Mmhmm, fine. Everyone knows when someone says they’re fine, they’re not fine.
It’s why I didn’t tell him the contracts came through yesterday, and I promptly sent them to my brother.
I expect him to call me any moment to tell me what he thinks, even though I already know.
What Cameron is offering is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. One my father never got to see.
Harley’s contract is a risk. A big one. But it sounds so damn perfect.
My gut clenches.
I think that point is in both the pros and cons column. I loved working on my demo with Ryder. He makes me a better artist while not stepping on my creative side. But Harley’s offer is still tainted by Ryder’s connection to it, and signing with him and what I’m sure will be seen as a boy band label feels like selling out even more than signing with the biggest manager and possibly the biggest label in the industry.
My prejudices are pushing me toward Cameron.
Choosing Ryder and Harley’s venture would feel like choosing my boyfriend over my future, and when did I become that person?
“I think it’s buttered,” Kaylee says.
I look down at my hands to find them making a sandwich. Huh.
Can anyone say distracted?
“What was I making again?”