Page 6 of Forbidden Encore
“Don’t apologize for Cliff,” I tell her with a flick of my wrist. “He made his choice and you followed the directions you were given that I asked of you. He knows what's at stake, but he also is on a power-trip.”
A laugh escapes her and then her face falls when she realizes what she did. “Sorry.”
I run my gaze over her thoughtfully. “Ocean, do you know if what he said about your contract is true? Can you not perform if he isn’t present?”
She glances away from me, her top teeth burrowing into her bottom lip. “I don’t know.”
Her answer is what I expected. From what I’ve observed of her uncle and Booker at BNE, I'm not surprised. “Did they let you read your contract?”
I watch her swallow and her cheeks blush again. She shakes her head, and when our eyes meet, tears shine hers. “You think I’m stupid, right?”
My gut clenches and anger burns in my veins. My anger isn’t directed at her though. My head tilts back and I run my hands over my face before shaking my head. “No,” I tell her. “No, I don’t think you’re stupid. I do think though that this is a good opportunity to learn about your contract. This is your business,Ocean. Your uncle may be your guardian, but your name is on everything. Anytime you walk in a room, pick up a pen, or sing into the mic, that is your brand.”
“I’m only fifteen though.” Her voice wobbles with emotion. I want to protect her. I want to warn her, but most of all, I wish I could comfort her.
“You may not be a legal adult, but in business, you have rank. You can barter. If you have legal representatives with you, your voice has to be heard. I doubt anyone told you that though.”
Ocean sighs loudly and slumps onto a chair. “Of course not. Do you think if anyone asked what I wanted, I’d be wearing pink?”
I chuckle. “What? You don’t like pink? I thought, with the stage and the album–”
“That it was my favorite?” Her brow pops up. “No. I'm actually not a fan. My uncle and Booker seem to think it sells my records better when I look like Barbie on stage.”
I tilt my head studying her. Her long, wavy hair caught between gold and chocolate. Her big brown eyes, heart-shaped face and plump lips. The pink dress on her sparkles in the light and almost makes her skin shimmer as well. She does look like a real-life Barbie. “What do you want, Ocean?”
Her brow furrows. “I don’t think anyone has asked me that before.”
“I’m asking now. My job is to help you. To make you safe and confident. For everything to move smoothly for you. What is it that you truly want?” I hold her eyes hostage with my own, silently begging her to ask me to help her.
“I want to know what my contract says.”
I go to my bag and pull out the document that was printed from the archive. “Read it carefully. And then, decide what you want for yourself.”
Her fingers tremble slightly when she takes the papers from me. I can sense the fear radiating off of her. She has to do this though. There is no way she will make it if she stays where she is.
“Are you staying here?” Her brow rises when I sit back down in the empty chair.
“We have thirty minutes until the next role play. I need to make sure everyone is ready. Take your time.” I glance at her over my phone. Ocean settles back into the chair, looking more sure of herself, and begins reading.
Every minute that passes, I watch as her face goes from pale to confused to furious. My spine prickles with the need to hold her, but I push it down. She’s my client for fuck’s sake. This is what she needs to do. Knowing that this will take away some of her innocence, though, still kills me.
After twenty minutes, the contract falls on the table. I lower my phone, and her eyes meet mine. “Well?”
“My contract isn’t up for renewal again until I’m eighteen. But I can ask for a one-year check-in meeting. Which, no one told me about,” she whispers, and I nod. I’ve read that part several times and my best guess is that they wish to get her locked in as an adult by her uncle.
“I want that.” She stands suddenly, pacing the room.
“And what do you want to ask at this meeting?” I push her further, sensing she’s on the cusp of letting it all go.
“I want more control over my wardrobe. I want the ability to write my own music. To be able to pick my security detail, not just use who is assigned from BNE. Not that Theo and Beth aren’t great. I do want them. I want the ridiculous rule about my uncle needing to be present to be able to perform gone. Who thought of that? What if he’s sick or what if he’s drunk again? I could lose millions on missing a performance. I want to collaborate with other artists. Why would they think that's not a good idea? Just stay in the pop music bubble? I don’t even loveonly pop music. I love everything,” Her chest is rising and falling and I can see tears gathering in her eyes. My hands grip the arm rests on my chair, forcing myself to sit still. This is Ocean’s moment. This is when it all becomes real.
“What do you want, Ocean?”
Her eyes snap to mine. The intensity in that one look is all I need to know. Whatever Ocean wants, she is going to get.
“I want you to help me.”
Chapter Five