Heart pounding in her mouth and breasts swelling against her dress since she hadn’t worn a bra, Thea’s hand clenched on his thigh. David reached down to cover it as he turned to say something to Fox on his left. His touch anchored her even as it sent her body into overdrive. The logical, practical part of her said she shouldn’t believe him—he couldn’t have been celibate for long before that day in her office. A man like David, with his sex drive, no way could he abstain.
Except he’d never lied to her yet. Why start now?
“Thea, right?”
She blinked, found Esteban had grabbed the seat next to her after Abe vacated it to go chat to the hostess. “Yes,” she said, nudging her brain cells into some sort of working order. “That was a fantastic show—I can see why David and the others love your work.”
“Thanks. I’m a big Schoolboy Choir fan, so their support means a lot.” His smile was quiet and as soulful as his music. “I wanted to ask your opinion on something.”
Figuring he was about to ask for contacts and not begrudging him the help, she said, “Sure.”
As it was, he had a different kind of question. He’d been handling his publicity himself since he didn’t yet make enough money to hire someone, but things were getting to a point where he couldn’t do that and focus on his music.
“I got this rec from another guy,” he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a bent card that he straightened out before giving it to Thea. “It’s a PR company that takes on smaller clients—I can just afford them with the ongoing gig at this club plus my bartending job. I wondered if you could tell me whether they’re kosher.”
Thea immediately recognized the name. “They’re fine,” she said, “but pedestrian. This partnership will answer mail for you, handle the phones, upload your videos online, and coordinate interviews if those interviews fall into their laps. But they’re not going to be reaching out to make new opportunities for you.”
Esteban shrugged. “I’m not really into publicity anyway, so I’m good with that.”
Musicians. Thea turned in her seat. “You might not be into it, but you need it to grow your brand so you can do what you love full-time. When you’re big enough, then you can ignore it—like Schoolboy Choir so often does, against their publicist’s express wishes.”
Esteban’s smile deepened at her dry tone. “I don’t think I’m ever going to be that big.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that.” Making a quick but rational decision, she said, “I’ll take you on for a fee you can afford, to be renegotiated as your circumstances change. You’ll be working with one of my younger associates, but I’ll keep an eye on things.”
Esteban stared at her. “Thea, I’m not in your league.”
“You will be. I’m getting in on the ground floor.” Opening her evening clutch, she pulled out a card. “Here. Call this number tomorrow and ask to talk to Jeth. I’ll tell him to expect the call.”
Looking uncomfortable, Esteban blew out a breath. “I didn’t come here to—”
“I know.” Thea hoped he’d retain that personal integrity as his fame grew. “Now, I suggest you have fun tonight, because your life will soon involve more work than you can handle.”
David had been listening to Thea talk to Esteban with half an ear while he chatted with Fox and one of the owners of the club. And she thought she wasn’t kind. Lot of people in her position, they’d have sent Esteban to the “pedestrian” company, then scooped him up once he started earning some real money.
Whether Thea admitted it or not, she was taking a risk by signing the other musician. David was pulling for him, but there was no guarantee he’d hit it big. Not every musician did, no matter how talented. Luck and timing played a huge part in success. Schoolboy Choir had been knocking on doors and playing small—sometimes miniscule—gigs for a year before they were spotted by a record-company exec with the pull to back a hard-rock band at a time when hard rock wasn’t the “in” genre.
Another day, an exec with less juice, and the band might’ve never gotten radio-play, much less ended up with a triple-platinum debut album.
However, beyond that point, it became a matter of resilience, talent, and determination. A single hit song or album was one thing, a long-term career quite another. David knew Esteban had the grit and the talent to last in this business. But first he had to break through.
Thea’s hand moved on his thigh at that moment, though she was still talking to Esteban. It was the slow, petting stroke of a woman who wasn’t focusing totally on what she was doing but was aware of who she touched. David shifted in his seat as his cock hardened. If he had to get up anytime soon, he wasn’t going to be able to walk.