Authors: Natalie Barnes
As I stand in the booth staring into the glass as Undead Society is wrapping up, I can’t seem to take my eyes off of Tristan. He stands really tall—about 6’5” and with what looks like a kind of body that almost all bodybuilders would have. Only, his muscles aren’t obscene and gross looking like some of those guys on TV. The way he wears his black sleeveless shirt makes my mouth start to water. It is practically sticking to his chest from how ripped and toned he is (and maybe the little bit of sweat he has on him helps that, too). His distressed jeans hang right off his broad hips with a black belt keeping them in place. His jeans are loose fitting, too, but not that gangster style. He’s so sexy. Damn, I can stare at him all damn day. His left arm has a tattooed arm sleeve, and his right upper arm has what looks like a tattoo that goes down his side or back. Not really sure what it is, but wow! His hair is dark and wavy that’s kind of outgrown but trimmed shorter on the sides and back. Oh, how I would love to stroke my fingers through his thick hair! He’s also wearing dark aviator sunglasses. Short facial hair covers his face, and he has the most kissable, full lips I have ever seen on any man. Now, I’m glad that I’m wearing my lucky jeans. Besides the new rip I have in the back, they are very form fitting with a hole from years of wear and tear on my left knee. I’m also wearing a simple tight white V-neck shirt that shows some cleavage. I’m not like playboy lady at the reception desk, but a full C cup is good enough, I think. With the shirt being white, you can easily see my black bra underneath. The dark eyeliner and mascara make my blue eyes pop even more. I give myself props in my head for not looking jet-lagged today.
I glance around at the guys, who are all taking their places in the booth and getting ready to meet the Undead Society guys—since, after all, we will be with them for seven weeks. The door to the booth opens; and what looks like Caleb, their lead guitarist, enters the room first. He is kind of surprised when he notices all of us in there just hanging out. The rest of the guys come in with Tristan being the last one to enter. I notice instantly that he is staring at me. My stomach starts flipping all over as if I just went on some big drop ride. But then I notice his jaw clenching.
What the fuck?
“Hey guys!” Lux says. “Just wanted you guys to meet the new band I signed today. They will be joining you guys on tour. They’re Dollar Settlement and they can jam. I went out and saw them in Chicago last month.” Lux looks over to me and points. “This is Sophia. She’s lead vocals. But don’t let that pretty face of hers fool ya. This chick has a set of lungs on her.” I blush and look around the room. The rest of the guys smile and give me a quick nod, except Tristan. He just glanced at me then turned his attention back on Lux. Well, I think he glanced at me? It’s too hard to tell with those damn sunglasses on. Why the fuck is he wearing them in such a dark room? Maybe he’s high or something. Or maybe he’s trying to come across as a badass or some shit. Whatever! He can kiss my ass.
Lux turns toward Roger, who is standing a couple feet away from me. “This here is Roger. He’s the drummer.” Roger reaches out and shakes all of their hands. What a nice gesture. You can so tell he is a small town Michigan boy. When he reaches for Tristan’s hand, he looks so small. Normally, Roger is like our giant. When we go out to other places, he’s reaching at 6’2. But with him standing right next to Tristan, Roger just seems average. “This is Cory. He’s the lead guitarist, and Matt who is rhythm.” Lux then looks behind him to see a still shocked-looking Jared and gives him a reassuring wave closer. “And last but not least is Jared. He’s bass. And I think he’s a big fan.” Lux and a few of the other guys start laughing while Jared shakes it off. Everyone except cranky Tristan, that is. Damn it! I can already tell this is going to be a long fucking seven weeks.
“Okay, so before I leave you guys to all meet each other, I have just a few more things to say to the newcomers.” He goes and looks at me and my boys. “This is your studio now. You guys have to start pumping now that you guys are in a time frame. You can start right now, tonight, whenever. Just get fucking cracking, all right?” He does an all-teeth smile again. “Outside is Beth. She will have the keys to the studio for you guys. I will let security know as well. Day or night. I mean it. Oh, and one more thing… ” He points to the quiet man sitting at the board with his hat bent forward. “This is Gage. He will be here almost all of the time to set it up for you guys. And if he’s not here, then call him. Understood? Time is money, so I don’t want any of it wasted. Clear?” The last part kind of sounded like something a father would say. Or maybe even a sheriff? “You got it Lux,” I say with a smile. I’m so ready to get in there and start rehearsing. The rest of the guys all nodded and exchanged handshakes before starting to go in and check out the room.
As I turn to follow them into the room, Tristan looks down at me before leaving and very coldly says, “This isn’t no bar gig. You fuck up on tour makes this label look like shit. I have shares here, so I don’t want myself looking like shit. You got it?” Um… What in fuck sakes did this piece of asshole shit just say to me!
Keep calm, Sophia. Be professional.
I repeated this in my head three or four times to calm myself down. If the other guys were in here, Tristan would be lying flat on the floor right now. Well, maybe not because he’s so huge, but he would’ve definitely gotten smacked at least once. The boys can be very protective of me. I then looked up to him, trying to stare at what I think are his eyes. It’s so hard to tell with the darkness in the room and his sunglasses being on.
Crossing my arms with a little smirk playing across my lips, I say, “I think my little band can manage. Are you done? Because I have some work to do.” I smile as sweetly as I can.
Shit!
Being fake nice like this really hurts my face. I want nothing more than to claw this motherfucker eyes out. I know my band is damn good. We worked so hard for the last eight straight years. Since freshman year of college, we were a band and were playing all of our own material, too. No covers. Sometimes for fun, we would throw some covers in our gig; but mainly, it was our shit. Did I say Tristan is a piece of shit?
I didn’t even give him a chance to respond to what I just said to him as I started to walk by him. This booth is kind of small, and when you have someone as big as Tristan in it, well… I accidentally brushed my arm against his as I was trying to get into the other room, where my band was. That moment when my arm briefly touched his, it sent instant shock waves through my veins and cooled and heated my blood all at the same time.
Damn.
I don’t want him to see me rubbing the goose bumps off. When I finally got inside, I could hear the main door outside the booth slam shut. “What the fuck was that?” Matt asked. I just shrugged my shoulders and said, “Well, since we’re all here now, do you think we should start?” I look over at Gage, who was in the booth looking out at us nodding. Good! I’m all of a sudden in the mood to scream.
The guys start unloading their equipment, plugging things in, and warming up. I bent down to grab a water out of the mini fridge because I have a feeling my throat is going to be sore by the end of the day. I grab the headphones that are resting on the mic in front of me and placed them on my head. Gage is starting to give directions to us, and I start my vocal warm ups.
“Ready?” Gage asks after about fifteen minutes. I look behind me, seeing them all ready to go with smiles cracking their faces into two. I turned around and nodded at him through the glass. “Good to go.” Cory starts playing “Boss.” Oh, yeah! Now I’m ready.
I’m lying on the couch in the booth, staring at my phone. It’s already midnight. Wow! We’ve been here for almost twelve hours already. My throat is starting to get sore, and my vocals are turning a little raspy now. Roger is asking Gage questions about the controls. I never noticed it earlier, but this is way more advanced than any other studio I have ever been into before. Knobs and buttons are everywhere on the deck. Flat screens are placed on all the other walls. It truly is a sight. I can’t believe I looked past it before. It was probably because Tristan was in here, switching my gears from hot to cold so damn fast.
I stretch out one last time before getting up. I’m so exhausted from traveling to LA, the interview from this morning, and then jamming all day. I say it was time to grab a shower and drift off to sleep. Just then, Jared and Matt come barging in all loud and kind of buzzed. They decided a while ago to have a few beers and a joint. Whatever though. If they don’t go over the edge on wasted-ness, they can jam out pretty good if not better, I think.
“Where’s Cory?” I asked, peeking my head into the room. “Ah… I think he’s just loading our shit in the back there.” Jared points to a door on the opposite end of the recording room. “Oh, okay.” I start walking toward the door. “I will meet you guys down by the cab.”
“All right,” Roger says before letting Gage know what time we will be showing up again tomorrow.
As I peek my head into the door, I notice Cory leaning against the wall with his back to me. “Hey, we’re leaving now. Are— Are you all right, man?” I asked, taking a few steps closer to him. Something just seemed a little off. “Fuck! Yeah, I’m all right.” He turns facing me with a bloody nose. “Just overdid it in there, you know?”
“Oh my god!” I said as I clasped my hands over my mouth. “Shit, Cory! Let’s get you to the bathroom. Are you feeling okay? Shit!”
“Oh I’m just fine. Just this annoying nose thing. It started bleeding when we wrapped. But I didn’t want to make a mess or scene out there, so I just came in here to wait it out.” Cory chuckled to himself. Yep, still must be a little buzzed. After Cory got done with cleaning himself up, we started heading toward the elevators.
Once inside the elevators, I turn to him, “I know it’s none of my business, but maybe you shouldn’t do so much next time. Really, you shouldn’t be doing it at all right now. Since we have so much shit riding on our backs, you know?” He looks down at me and shakes his head slightly. “Sophia, I’m fine. It’s not like I’m hardcore into it. If I was, I would probably be lying on the floor right now or wanting to keep jamming. I hit just a little to keep it flowing for tonight since I’m only running on a few hours here.” He smiles and rubs my shoulders for a minute; then the elevator doors open, and we’re now at ground level. I turn to Cory and give him a hug. “This is only the beginning for us. We have to take care of each other, okay” I then give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I know, Sophie. Thanks.” He grabs my hand, and we leave the building and jumped into the cab.
I’m lying in bed with my extra large Pantera “Cowboys from hell” t-shirt that was once my dad’s. Today has been a day with so many emotions. As I start to brush my hair after my glorious refreshing shower, it’s already 2:00 a.m. I place my brush on the bedside table and cover up with the quilt my grandmother made for me when I was little. I know I’m a nerd, but I always bring it with me whenever I travel. Lying here in the darkened hotel room, I start thinking about the deal, recording, poor Cory, and—of course—Tristan. Ah, Tristan, Tristan, Tristan. How can someone so ridiculously talented and devastatingly handsome be a major prick for no reason? I wrap my brain around it numerous times, trying to think about what I did to piss him off. Hmm, nothing. Maybe it’s because of what Lux said? The band before us screwing around? And Tristan did say he had some shares in the company, so maybe that’s why he was on a little edge. I don’t know but it kind of makes sense. Right? Well, I just have to prove to him and Lux that Dollar Settlement is the real deal; and we’re not going anywhere. All of a sudden, I feel my eyelids getting heavier; and the last image that crosses my mind is Tristan’s soft, full lips.
It has already been four weeks in the studio. We’re busting ass trying to get this album done before we start touring next Wednesday. Putting in twelve to fifteen-hour days every day is brutal. But I know it’s going to be more work when we start touring. The boys are holding up pretty good, too. And I’m happy to say that there haven’t been anymore incidents with Cory like our first night here. But I’m a little bummed that I haven’t seen any of the Undead Society guys around. Well, Tristan, I mean. Since that first time I met him, I thought he was an ass; but maybe it’s because of the stress of the other band not being able to pull their weight. So I understand that and want to let him know not to worry. I have great respect for his band. Shit, they’ve been in the game for almost ten years now, but I haven’t been able to tell him that because I haven’t seen him yet. Well, I can always do it when we start the tour, I suppose.
As I’m doing touch-ups and backtracks to our song “Forgive Me,” I notice movement going on in Gage’s booth. I overlook it and finish the song. Gage’s voice pops through the speakers. “All good. Do you wanna come in and listen?”
“Sure.” I start removing my headphones and placing them back on the mic.
Damn LA and its heat! Shit. I know this place is equipped with the most modern central air system; but from singing and screaming my ass off these last eight hours, I’m practically dripping with sweat. Ew! My Deftones T-shirt is practically hugging me now which sucks because all I want to do is rip the damn thing off. And jean shorts, forget about them because they just make it all the more uncomfortable. I pulled my hair off my neck a while ago because my overheating body started to make it frizz, so now it’s just up in a ponytail. I didn’t even bother putting makeup on today. Why? Because I’d only sweat it off in two hours. Besides, I’m just around the boys anyway. No need to impress anyone.
I push the door to the booth open and see Jared sitting on the couch with a huge-ass smile spreading across his face. I turn to my left and lo and behold! Who do I see? Tristan! Damn. Now I wish I would’ve put on a little makeup. At least some eyeliner or mascara. I gave him a quick nod then turned back to Jared.
“Where’s the rest of the guys?” I asked.
“They went out for some beers and smokes. They should be back in twenty though.”
He is so excited to be here right now. Undead Society is one of Jared’s favorite bands, so he’s in his element right now. “Are you ready to listen to the full song now? I think I have it all put together.” Gage says to me as he turns his chair back to the deck, messing with a few more switches. I glance up at Tristan. He’s just standing there with his arms crossed in another sexy sleeveless shirt that stretches his tattoos out a bit on his muscular arms. Shit!
Get this sexual idea of him out of your head, Sophia!
I yell internally at myself.
This is business now.
I take a seat by Jared, cross my legs, and open the cap to my water for a quick swig. Gage pushes one more button; then through the amazing system in the booth, my song starts to play. I couldn’t help the grin that is starting to take place on my face.
Cool, Sophia. Remain cool. Don’t show too much emotion around Mr. Scott over there.
Damn it! I hate it when my conscience is right. I bit my lower lip to keep the grin at bay.
A few minutes later, the song was finally finished. Gage turns to Jared and me and says, “Sweet. I think we can call it a wrap on this one. Nice Soph—” Tristan interrupts Gage, shaking his head. “She needs to go over the chorus again. A little lower next time.” He turns to me with a cold stare, his eyes seeming darker.
Excuse fucking me. Really?
I thought I did a damn good job. I’ve been working on it… Let’s see… All fucking day!
“Yeah, right… I’m going to have to disagree with you,” I say it in the way that Bill Lumbergh says it in the movie
Office Space
.
Looking up at him through my lashes, I give him a glare. Sitting down while he’s standing is even more intimidating. Jared has this look of shock on his face, like he can’t even believe that I’m speaking to Tristan Scott this way.
Tristan is staring at me like I was some bug he was getting ready to stomp on with his unlaced Timberlands. He rubs his hands together then tucks them into his back pockets and gives Gage a beastly cackle. Tristan turns his head over and glares down at me.
“Well, since I do have a say for Lux, I say do it over.” His voice is so deep that it intimidates and excites me all at the same time. “You sounded like Mickey Mouse.” He then looks down at Gage. “You should know better.” Wait one fucking minute! I sounded like Mickey Mouse? I should tell this motherfucker he sounds like Justin Bieber just to piss him off. I didn’t realize it, but in a second, I was on my feet. I should be wearing heels right now to be in more eye contact. My 5’6 frame just isn’t cutting it to go rounds with Skyscraper over here, but I had nothing. I look back over to Jared; he is just immobile on the couch. Well, there goes my backup. I turn back around to face Tristan again.
“Fine! I will redo it!” My voice comes out in a low growl. I never heard myself sound that way before. I push through the door leading back into the recording room and grab the headphones, pulling them back on my head. “Let me know when we’re ready,” I say sarcastically.
Because I know Mr. Know-it-all is still in there.
“Ready,” Gage says over the speakers. I close my eyes to tune everyone out and begin.
Finally, we’re done for the night. I must have gone over the same fucking lyrics thirty more times for
Mr. Know-it-all Douchebag
to say it’s right. It’s 3:00 a.m. and I’m exhausted. All the guys, except Roger, left for the night to get some sleep. Awe my, I told Roger he didn’t have to stay, but he insisted. Tristan just gave me a nod from the booth that clearly told me it was good enough before he walked out. So pretty much most of the work is done now. Just some fine-tuning is all that’s left. Eleven tracks in five weeks. That’s fan-fucking-tastic considering it takes some bands months to do!
The morning is slowly making its appearance in my hotel room. I’m just lying in bed, trying very hard to fall asleep; but I just can’t stop thinking about Tristan. Why do I let him bother me so much? I’ve only been around the guy a couple times. And why the fuck does he think he is our manager? I may have to have a little talk with Lux about this. On the other hand, maybe not. We are just getting started, and I don’t want Lux thinking I’m trying to be a
diva
or something. But, damn… Would it hurt Tristan to be a little kinder to me? I mean, I’m new to this; so cut me some fucking slack. I noticed last night—or earlier this morning? Whichever way you look at it—Tristan was treating the rest of my band with some respect, but not me.
Fuck it.
I will just bite my tongue. For now.
It’s all darkness, and I start hearing “Beautiful Tragedy” playing. My eyes pop open. It’s my phone. Still a little groggy, I rub my eyes and sit up, looking from my left to my right. “Where is the damn thing?” I lift up my pillow and grab it. “Yeah,” I choke out. My voice is a little raspy from sleep and from putting in all the hours yesterday. “Good afternoon, Sophia. Be ready in thirty minutes, okay? I’m sending a driver over to pick you and the other guys up to take you guys to the studio. We have to start getting ready for the tour,” Lux says cheerfully. Wait! Good afternoon? What time is it? I glance at the clock on my bedside table. Shit! Three in the afternoon, it was reading. “Yeah okay, cool. I will let them know. Thanks.” I press end and slowly climb out of bed and take a good stretch. I then press the call button on Roger’s number. It only rang once before he picked up. “Hey, sleepyhead. We were wondering when you were getting up.”
“Yeah, I know. Sorry about that.” I’m trying to talk, but I can’t stop yawning. “Listen. Lux is sending a car over in thirty minutes. You guys be ready. We have to start going over things for the tour.”
“Yeah we know already, Sophia. Tristan called me a couple hours ago.”
What the.
“Oh, he did?” I was trying not to sound annoyed. “Okay then. Well, I’m just gonna grab a quick shower. Be down in a few.”
“Cool. See you then,” Roger says to me. But before ending the call, I hurry up and ask, “Um… Why did he call you?” Shit! Maybe I shouldn’t have asked?
“Because he’s meeting us there to help us out and prepare. After all, he does know a few things about this kind of shit and has done this a few times before.” I hear Roger laugh slightly. And I swear I could almost hear his eyes rolling, too.
“Okay. I just thought Lux was going to be doing it. That’s all. I have to go. Bye.”
“Bye bye.” Roger then clicks off. I wanted to end the call immediately so Roger wouldn’t keep talking or asking annoying questions.
I’m just drying off from the quickest shower I have ever taken. I decided on just wearing light blue jeans and a black three-quarter sleeved, button-down shirt. I quickly brush my thick hair and throw it up in a loose-fitting bun. I brush my teeth and apply just a little—not too much—eyeliner and mascara. I just did one spray of perfume; then, I go and grab my shoes. I feel my phone go off in the back pocket of my jeans as I’m getting my shoes on. It’s a text from Cory.
car here u ready?
I stand quickly and slide on a couple knitted bracelets and one of my silver, metal ones on my wrists. I then shot a text back.
walking down the hall now. couple minutes.
I knew I wouldn’t have any time to make my hair totally presentable so that’s why I opted for the bun. When my hair finally dries, it will have loose waves. Okay, I’m ready to get this ball rolling. The tour is now six days away, and there is so much to be done.
Walking out of the hotel room, I grab a twenty dollar bill off the dresser and stuff it into my other back pocket. Going down the hall, I notice an older woman checking me out. Not in a sexual way, but more of a curious way. I’ve been living here for the past month, so maybe she wonders what in the hell I am doing here, I don’t know, but the look on her face kind of creeps me out. I then give her a closed mouth smile back as I approach the elevators. She rolls her eyes at me and walks away. There, that took care of that. I start laughing as I’m waiting for the elevators to take me down.