London Harmony: Squid Hugs (2 page)

I guess I was cute and feminine, but my eyes were too big and my cheeks too prominent to be classically pretty.  And I keep putting off the shaving of my larynx to get rid of the little Adam's apple that gives away what I am, of the boy people saw me as who I have been running from my entire life.  It would be my final surgery but it did run the risk of damaging my vocal cords.

I took a deep breath, recentered, then remembered that this was a spectacular Monday.  I smiled to myself and sat to watch the procession of workers as they arrived for the day.

I paused when I saw a tall black woman stepping up to the door.  I smiled in recognition, that would be the new talent, Kendra Tate.  June dropped a J-Card on the hip hop singer at a rave the other night.  I heard the scouting tapes of her and she has a phenomenal range and that 'something special' all the talent here at London Harmony seems to possess.

I grinned.  She had the same confused crease between her eyes as she looked at the door then down the lane, wondering if this was the right address.

I hopped back up and strode to the door.  Just as I arrived, I heard the hesitant knock.  I smoothed my skirt of my business suit, straightened my blouse and put on my greeting smile as I opened the door.

The woman stood there gawking at me and at the black plastic and gold card in her hands.  I asked, “Yes?  May I help you?”

She swallowed and held up the card to me, which I took from her.  She said nervously, “Hi.  Umm... I'm Kendra.  Kendra Tate.  June Harris-West told me to come here today and bring that card.”

My smile grew, the bashful and nervous ones are always the cutest.  Now it was time for the shock and awe of the greeting program here.  I held out my hand and she shook it. “Of course Kendra, I'm Jennifer.  June is expecting you.  Please come in.”

I motioned for her to enter as I stepped to the side.  I never get tired of seeing the shocked expressions on their faces when they first see the lobby.  I said in a gracious manner as I motioned a hand toward the front desk.

“Welcome to London Harmony.”

I swallowed as I walked away from that sexy creature downstairs.  Jen is the only woman that gets my motor purring like a kitten and it is all I can do to act normal around her when all I want to do is just stare into her amazing dark chocolate eyes.  And that cute little heart tattoo under her left ear, right where you'd love to leave a hot kiss on her neck?  Torture.

I rounded the stairs on the recording level and continued up to the third floor.  I share one of the two executive offices adjacent to the conference room there.  Though I most often have it to myself as my officemate, Vanessa, our vice president, is usually in June's office or out on the streets doing her scouting for new talent.

I glanced across the Pit, the low cubicles that housed eight desks of the other workers at this location.  We have a second studio now that our talent base has outgrown our little studio down below.  I saw Fran disappear up the smaller staircase on the other side up to her office and workshop in the renovated attic.

Music started piping through the office speakers, June selected some thrash for the morning wake-up track, and I started playfully dancing toward the conference room.  I admit to being addicted to the sheer variety of breakthrough music that we produced here.  There wasn't anything I didn't like... well except rap music.  June jokes that it is because nothing rhymes with Zilrita, except maybe pita.

I slid through the glass door and then spun right, kicking my hip to the beat.  I popped through my office door and grinned.  Annette was there, organizing Vannie's inbox. I danced past her, using her back as a momentary rest then sort of plopped down into my chair, letting it roll back to clunk into my filing cabinets.

I chirped out, “Hey, aren't you supposed to be Fran's little office gremlin?”

The shy girl looked down and grinned a little. “Shush you, or I'll organize your file drawers.”

Glurk!  Ummm.... “Shushing.”  I gave her a toothy grin and she just smiled and looked down again as she finished up what she was doing, and gave me a tiny wave then disappeared toward June's office.  Oooo that was always fun.  June whined about someone organizing her desk more than I did.

I put in my earpiece and said, “Fire up the universe Cherry.”  I heard the little tick as the main computer connected me with audio feeds of every room in the building and synced video feeds with my iPad.  It cycled through each one, doing its self-check before muting each.  A channel would only be fed to me if someone called my name or I asked Cherry for audio from a location.

This was one of our fearless leader's ideas.  She crafted every experience in London Harmony for our talent to project that we are state of the art and truly something special.  Right down to it looking as if their general manager, moi, was almost omniscient.  They speak into the air and magically I am responding.  I have to say, it has also made my job that much easier.

I chuckled when the sound check cycled through June's office.  “What are you doing in here Squirrel?  No, no, no.  Nessie, make her stop cleaning!”

Just to hear Vanessa say, “Don't be such a baby.  Let the girl work.”

Then the system cycled to the Pit and I snorted.

My earbud activated and I heard June again.

“Zil, I heard you snort in there traitor.  You sent her didn't you?”

I replied, “I don't have any idea what you are talking about J-Dub.”  Then I tapped the bud and cut her off, grinning to myself.  I cracked my fingers and looked around.  Ok, Monday.  It was going to be a hectic day.  Only twenty-three tasks on my pad, I rolled my eyes.

The girls want me to get an assistant as the workload keeps increasing, but I just can't bring myself to do it.  I may possibly be a control freak or a workaholic or something, but I have everything just the way I like it and I have a system for everything.  I have to keep myself busy or my hyperactivity will have me bouncing off the walls.

I checked the time.  Jen would be signing in the new talent and laying down the first wave of shock and awe right about now if they didn't panic and not show up.  Hey, it happens.  Then June usually goes out to hunt them down and talk them personally into showing up.  I swear J-Dub can talk a burning man into buying can of gasoline.  It is one of the things that makes her uniquely... well, just her.

So who was the latest victim... I mean, talent?  I looked at the name on the contracts, oh yeah, Kendra Tate.  She could lay down some slammin' hip-hop prose that had you going one way then the other, just bopping your head.

I placed my iPad on top of the paperwork and tapped on the lobby to take a peek.  The wide-eyed girl was just nodding at everything Jen said.  I really enjoyed the whole production that J-Dub has crafted to make each and every new prospect feel special.  They usually don't realize that they are as good as they are, and it is our extreme pleasure to have them on board.  They were not just gaining a record label but a tight-knit family of oddballs along with the deal.

Kendra is a good example.  June and Vannie were at the rave to scout out some talent that had played at the nightclub in our secondary location.  However, before they came on, the deejay gave Kendra a set at the beginning of the night.  When Vannie sighed at the originality and that special something that only she can ferret out in mere moments, June knew she needed to sign Kendra. She dropped a J-card in her things then and there.

Sometimes it is as easy as that, sometimes it takes months when the talent is elusive, like Minuette... but that is another story altogether.

Knocked out of my thoughts I noted the lobby was empty now, I had missed them leaving.  A few seconds later I heard over my earpiece, “Package has been delivered brat.”

I said as I tried not to chuckle, “Gracias Jen.”

She replied in that honeyed tone of hers, “De nada.”

I tapped the Pit and saw her swaying away toward the stairs.

Then I stood and started moving, time for the well-timed entrance, the earpiece came alive again, “Zilrita, our office manager will be in in a moment.”

And I stepped out the door into the conference room with a smile on my face.  They were all standing, with June and Vanessa on one side of the table and the cute chocolate skinned lady on the other.

As I crossed over to stand opposite of June and Vanessa, next to Kendra, I tapped a control on my iPad, and the smart-glass of the conference room wall and the glass door took on a frosted appearance to give us all some privacy.  It always put the artists at ease not having three of us sitting across from them, which could give an adversarial feel.

J-Dub said as I placed the papers and my iPad on the table, “Kendra, this is Zilrita Marx, our general manager, and resident goth.”  Then she looked at me. “Zil, this is Kendra Tate, our newest prospect.  She started to warn her as Kendra put her hand out to me. “Fair warning, Zil is a...”

I gave Kendra a quick hug, I grinned, she was a tall one.  June finished with a sigh. “...hugger.”

I released the woman who was frozen, not knowing how to react.  I said in a more professional manner as I shot June an imperious look.  “I'm very happy to meet you, Kendra.”  I motioned as I perched on the chair.  “Please have a seat.”

She did, then our ballet of coaxing information from her and explaining the contracts began.  There had only been one guy to ever not sign.

He believed that if he were good enough for London Harmony to sign, then he was worth twice what we were offering.  He didn't understand that London Harmony took just enough to cover our costs with only a two percent gross profit into June's pocket.

There wasn't another label like us except Harmony Trax back in the states.  We are here for the music, not for the profit.  And let me tell you, two percent is nothing to sneeze at when the studio took in over five hundred million in receipts last year.  The man wound up dropping off the music scene within months of turning us down.

We help our artists through the fog of disbelief that they had finally made it in the industry, that their music was going to be on the world stage.  We helped set them up with lawyers and financial advisers so they didn't self-implode, both before and after they sign.  And stress that they can run it past their lawyers before signing, there was no pressure there because we already wanted them and this was all on their timetable.

More often than not, they'd... Kendra signed and I smiled reassuringly as I placed a hand on her arm and gave it a squeeze.  I was first to say, “Welcome to the family Kendra.”

She looked like she was about to hyperventilate.

After we were done and we stood, the ladies congratulated her.  I looped an arm through hers and led her out to the Pit.  “Let me get you to Randy, so he can discuss timetables with you that are acceptable, then I'll have Jen come up to give you the grand tour.”

Kendra nodded, a silly grin of disbelief on her face.  I'm so happy that we get to help people's dreams come true like this.  Good God do I love my job!

After the hand off I went to file the contracts both physically and electronically.  I tapped the front lobby. “And back to you in about fifteen lady.”

Jen's voice came back, “On it Zil.”  Then she added offhandedly, “Sushi?”

I nodded to myself and replied, “I could do sushi.”  We always ate together with June and Van.  Jen was just about my best friend in the world besides June's family.  I just wish she saw me as more than that, but she loved her manly men though she didn't date much because most men didn't take it well when they found out about her trans status.  Asswipes.

I always fantasized that one time she would ask me to lunch as more than a co-worker or friend.

I sighed then went back to work.  I had to make some heads roll with one of our suppliers who can't seem to read quantities correctly.

Later that morning, I was tearing through my list, and, unfortunately, adding more to the next day's list.  I was finishing up a call with a venue in Dublin for Tabby Cat's European mini-tour this week, five countries in five days.  “No, I'm not interested in any excuses.  Deliver what you promised or we may be forced to use another venue on future tours for our artists. You assured me three months ago that you would have... yes.  Yes.  I'm glad to hear it.  Thank you.  Have a pleasant day, goodbye.”

I tapped my earbud to hang up and gave the contact page on my iPad the evil eye.  It was fun to play the badass every once in a while.

My badassery was interrupted by Jen.  “Where oh where could Zil possibly be.  Oh well, I guess that's more Sushi for the girls and me.”

I snorted. “Ok, smartass.  Was just tied up on a call.  This is a business you know.  On my way.”

I heard June and Vannie mocking me as they waited with Jennifer.  “Yes, Jen.” “Right away, Jen.”  “Whatever you say, Jen.”

I snorted again and added, “I revise my prior comment to the plural, smartasses.” I had to grin as I took out my earpiece and grabbed my little skull and crossbones purse and headed downstairs to the unruly bunch.

We were in our usual configuration, J-Dub and Vannie on one side of the table and Jen sitting next to me, making it hard for me to breathe knowing that she was just inches away.  I swear the ladies pick booths on purpose everywhere we eat.  They have made my life hell like this ever since they figured out I was crushing on our receptionist.

We were in a deep discussion about some of the antics that June, me, and the others in our renegade group of friends, which everyone dubbed June's Eight, had gotten ourselves into back in college.  June was almost in tears as she told Vannie and Jen, who were laughing so hard they were crying, “And then...”  She snorted.  “And then, the museum security guard asked, 'But why the ostrich?', and Zil...”  She made a squeaking laughing sound and tried to finish, “And Zil just looked up at the man and blinked innocently and asked, 'Why not?'.”

The three laughing women exploded into more giggles as I blushed and defended weakly, “What? Every good plan needs animals in it.”  I gave them all a big grin as that sent them all into another fit of giggles.  My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much as I watched Jen trying to catch her breath.  I was proud that I had made her laugh.

She was pleading with us, “Stop.  Stop.  No more.  My gut is about to burst.”  She dabbed the corners of her eyes with her napkin and set it down on the table.  It slipped off the edge and she started to reach down to get it when a GQ beefcake of a man in a well-fitted suit knelt as he walked past and picked it up for her and presented it across his arm as a royal gift.

As she accepted it from him, Jen blushed demurely and said, “Thank you kind sir.”

He shot her a dazzling smile and said in a deep basso, “My pleasure for such a lovely lady.”  He walked off to the register and Jen tilted her head to the side and had this dreamy expression on her face as she looked at his tight butt.

It was like all the air was sucked out of me as I slumped in my seat.  The atmosphere seemed to dim as the girls looked at Jen and me, then shot me an apologetic look.  Jennifer turned back to us with a grin and she caught on to the change.

June was quick to smile and ask, “So what about you, Stems?”

She gave nicknames to everyone, Jen got Stems for her shapely calves that she showed off with almost every one of her immaculately pressed skirt suits she wore.

She seemed to contemplate this.  “I didn't have any grand adventures like that.  I tried to hide in the shadows as much as possible.  Kept my head down to get my marketing degree.  It wasn't that long ago, but times were a little different back then, on the acceptance front. And I was sort of an infamous celebrity back then, as it was just a couple years after my reassignment surgery.  So I had men mocking me and threatening me, and women not accepting me for who I was, who I had always been.  They would comment on how I was just a man perving out in the women's loo and whatnot.”

We were all silent then, thinking about this.  I couldn't imagine the hate and bigotry she had to endure.  But seeing the spectacular woman she had become, I could only feel sorry for those who went with hate instead of getting to know Jen better.

She looked around sheepishly, realizing how much our moods had turned.  So I tried to lighten things back up.  “I've heard the story of the first time you met June.  But only from J-Dub's perspective.  Let's hear it from your perspective.”

June looked at her wrist, at an invisible watch. “Isn't lunch over?”

Vanessa looked at her with an evil glint in her eyes.  “No love, we still have about ten minutes before we have to start back.”

June grinned at her. “Drat.”

We all turned to Jen and she was tilting her head, a silly lopsided half-grin on her face as she relived the memory.

“Well as it happens, it was at a restaurant like this.  I was at my favorite cafe for lunch, Cavendish's.  I was out and about handing out resumes and going to interviews after the fashion designer and apparel company I worked for went out of business.”

She tilted her head cutely.  “I was just sitting there when a woman stopped beside me and said, 'Is that a Lane Bachman?  It is gorgeous.'  I had to blink.  I didn't know the woman or her companion, and a quick appraisal told me she was wearing some custom fitted clothing herself.  It isn't often I rub elbows with someone with an eye for fashion, nor someone who could identify a business suit by sight.  And Lane Bachman was the designer I had worked for as a receptionist and model.  It was a one of a kind original.”

She smiled at us and shrugged. “Before I knew what was happening, they were sharing my booth with me as June and I talked fashion as Vanessa just watched us, her hand always on June.”

She paused and looked over to me.  “I don't know why, but I felt comfortable talking to them and had revealed my... ummm... situation and how bigotry of some of the interviewers cost me.  J-Dub asked for a resume and Bob's your uncle, they had set up a meeting with this dreaded Zilrita person, the general manager of London Harmony.”

She grinned at me and half shrugged. “She was supposed to be this badass, hard as nails slave-driver that made grown men weep and tremble.  What I got was this smiling goth lady that hired me on the spot.”

She shrugged again then stole a shrimp off of my plate with her chopsticks.  “You know you can't have shrimp, it gives you indigestion.”

I nodded and took the spicy tuna roll, which she wouldn't eat, off of hers and said, “I still don't understand why you think these are too spicy.  You're just a lightweight.”

She shrugged and blushed and I popped it into my mouth.  Mmm.

Jen and I looked across to the overly amused women on the other side of the table.  They were always doing that.  Jen asked in frustration, “What you two manky bints?”

June grinned in her overly pleased chipmunk manner, hoding her hands up in surrender. “Oh, nothing.”

Jen pointed her chopsticks at them as she narrowed her eyes.  Vanessa deadpanned. “Scary.”

That just got us all laughing.  I pulled out my Carbon Card, the flat, black card had only the card number and smart chip on the front and magnetic strip on the back.  June, Vanessa, and I all had one of these elite, no limit business cards, which were made of black carbon fiber.  They reminded us of our J-Cards.

I covered it with my hand and then said in an exaggerated prompt, “I think Kendra Tate will make a wonderful addition to the London Harmony family.”

They all responded in the same tone, “Oh my, yes.”  “I agree.”  “There's no doubt.”

We all smirked at each other and I waved my card at the waiter.  That should qualify this as a business lunch for taxes since we talked shop.

We stepped out and Jen started to peel off, looking at me, “Sally, help me get the mail, there will be packages and I could use some strong arms.”

When she was feeling playful, Jen called me Sally, because she says I remind her of Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas.

I grinned and nodded as the nebulous twins subdued their chuckles.  What?  I often got drafted by the woman to help with the mail.  I didn't mind, it just meant I could be in her company for a bit longer.  That and my best friend was a girly girl and really needed help with carrying packages sometimes.  That fact just made me smile.

I collected my required goodbye hugs from the ladies, then Jen took my arm and we walked down to the postal annex.  I asked, “What is it with those evil ones?”  Even though I knew their antics were because they wanted me to tell Jen my real feelings.  How could I do that when I didn't even understand them fully myself.

She shrugged then changed the subject quickly. “Remember, my cousin Josie has that awards ceremony tomorrow night.  We mustn't be late.”

I rolled my eyes and bumped hips with her. “Yes mother, you've told me three times already.”  Oh yeah, I almost forgot about it.  I fought off the embarrassed smile and played it cool.  Josie was in pharmaceutical sales and she was getting an award at a banquet for top sales in her region.

I didn't mind going to what was most likely going to be a snore-fest, because I liked Josie.  She was the only person in Jennifer's family; besides her parents; who supported her for the tough decisions involved in her transition.  Most of her family distanced themselves from Jen and her parents, Theodore, and Millicent.  Plus she was a hoot.

There was the added benefit of spending more time with Jen too, and how could that possibly be a bad thing?

She prompted with one narrowed eye, “Dress not trousers.”

I grinned at her.  Umm, I had only three sets of pants, black jeans, black lycra, and black vinyl.  The rest of my wardrobe was a combination of black, red, or purple dresses and skirts.  I could do formal-ish.  I wondered if my black lace parasol would be overkill for this occasion.

I had to haul four medium sized packages back to London Harmony as she carried the orange postal bag with hundreds of fan letters for all of our artists.  I'm sure there were a few actual business letters and bills mixed in.  It was pretty typical for a Monday.

She buzzed us in then we went up to the second floor green room and put the boxes on one of the tables in it.  Jen would sort through it and put each artist's fan mail in the open cabinet that had cubes for each person.  The talent, or their manager if they had one, collected them from time to time.  Annette came up with the system, it was so much sleeker and organized than what we did before.

After that, Jennifer would sort the business mail and make hand deliveries to everyone in the office before returning to her lobby.  It was her lobby, make no mistake of that, even J-Dub conceded that point.  Jen ruled over it with a silk glove.

I looked at her and paused.  Grawl, I wanted a hug.  I steeled myself and then gave her that hug.  I counted my normal three count, then added a fourth heartbeat for her like always. Her scent drove me crazy.  Then I quickly made my way out and upstairs to my desk before I made a fool of myself.  I glanced back to see her standing in the doorway of the green room, watching me go.  She gave a little smile that had me skipping up the stairs.