Music Management 101
By: Sailorjj07
1. Lesson 1: Hot Singers are Usually Jerks
A.n: So after reading Dacey fics for the last three days, I'm pretty sure I've become completely hooked. I have no idea why or what made we want to write this fic, but Lord knows I don't need something ELSE to work on. But everyone's comments were so nice in my one-shot, Good Hair that I decided to just give it a go. The worst thing you guys can tell me is that you hate it, right? For now, I'll make this fic rated T, but I have a reallllly bad feeling that I'm gonna have to push it up to M. I plan on writing lots of hawt, steamy Dacey scenes so hold on to your hats, folks~! This one just might be a doozy, XP Read and Review, people!
Summary: AU, Dacey fic. Music business student Lacey Porter gets an internship at Twisted Records. Her mentor is the manager for none other than Danny Desai, the "Adonis of Rock and Roll." Based loosely off of the manga, Kaiken (Sensual) Phrase.
Disclaimer: I do not own!
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Actions
(Me!)
The roar of the crowd always made him feel alive. As the bright lights shined down on his face and girls screamed his name at the top of their lungs, Daniel Desai felt like he was the most important person in the world. Of course, he knew that these people loved him for his songs and his voice more than anything else. But that didn't stop the quickening of his pulse and the steady thrumming of his heartbeat at their constant cheers and chants.
On stage, he had no fears. On stage, he was anything and everything he wanted to be. Under the lights, he felt alive.
"I thank every single one of you for coming to my show tonight. It means more to me than the air I breathe. I love each and every one of you," he said into the mic, using his most sensual voice. He blew a kiss to the crowd and two girls in the front row straight up fainted. A toothy grin spread across his features.
"Good night, New York!"
And then the curtain fell.
Danny handed the microphone to an awaiting stagehand, taking the towel that his manager (and aunt) threw at him.
"Great show, Danny. I think we hit the all-time record for number of panties on the stage," Tara Desai said, laughing wholeheartedly. She clapped her nephew on the back as he plopped down in a leather chair. To say he was exhausted was an understatement. He had been on tour for nearly three weeks now, performing sold out, two-hour shows to crowds of 15,000 or more every single night. In nearly a month, he had been to Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, and even Seattle.
But he loved this life and everyone who helped him take part in it.
Danny took a large gulp from a bottle of water, before turning and grinning up at his aunt, his dark eyes twinkling mischievously, "What can I say, Aunt Tara? There's a reason they call me 'Adonis'."
Tara laughed again, "Yeah, yeah. Don't forget, you got that face from my brother."
"But don't I use it so well?" Danny asked, fluttering his eyelashes dramatically.
His response was his aunt swatting at his arm, "Hey, your charms don't work on me! Save it for the groupies wanting on you outside."
Danny grinned and wiped the sweat from his brow once again. It was going to be difficult to make it to his tour bus. It always was. Standing up, Danny pulled off his sweaty shirt and dug into his bag for a new one. He wanted a shower, like right this second, but he would have to wait until they got back to the hotel. Though he had a break of a few days before heading off to perform another show, that free time would be spent at the label doing God knew what.
A hat, a scarf, and a pair of sunglasses later, Danny was being ushered into his tour bus by security. Girls were screaming at him from other side of his path, asking for autographs, for attention, for any sort of acknowledgement. He hugged one girl, blew a kiss to a group on the other side of the line and then ran into the bus. He didn't breathe out again until the doors had closed firmly behind him.
"My goodness, Danny. I was afraid I was going to have to come out there and do some damage control." Danny grinned at the sound of Kyle Masterson's voice, who was waiting from them on the bus. Though Kyle was an older man, he did a great job as Danny's head of security. Plus he was the father of his best friend, Jo, and could still protect him from most of the over-excited fans.
Danny removed the ridiculous sunglasses and stretched out on the large couch on his tour bus, "They're just girls, Kyle. I'm sure they wouldn't attack the bus."
"I don't know; when we were in Houston that time and they slashed the tires, I thought for sure we were all going to die in there."
"Some fans are really just that crazy about me, I guess."
Tara plopped down on the couch beside her nephew, going through all the messages on her phone. Danny hummed to himself softly, and stared up at the ceiling of the tour bus.
"Hey Danny, we don't have to be at the label until about noon tomorrow. Looks like you get to sleep in tomorrow!"
Danny pumped a fist in the air, and gave a little cheer, "Sleep sounds awesome right now."
Tara patted his leg, "I know. You work so hard. I'm so proud of you. Karen and Vikram are too."
"Awwwww, look who's becoming all soft on me!"
Tara rolled her eyes and went back to her cell phone "Oh, hey. Here's something else. It looks like we're getting a new intern tomorrow too."
At this, Danny sat up and looked curiously at his aunt, "Another new intern? I thought Jo was our new intern?"
At the mention of his daughter, Kyle spoke up, "According to company rules, she can't work with the same artist as I am. Something about bias since she's my daughter."
Danny turned back to his aunt, "So what's this new intern's name?"
"You'll get to meet her tomorrow. Her name's Lacey Porter."
Danny tasted the name on his tongue, for a moment, "Lacey, huh? Sounds like a stripper."
"Please don't say that to her face, Danny. You're part of the reason why I run through interns like water in the first!" Tara had put down her phone, to give her nephew a stern look.
Danny didn't even flinch, "I can't help it if they all fall in love with me." He laid back down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling again. Danny held his hand up, blocking the overhead light with his fingers.
"Lacey…" he murmured to himself. "What an interesting name."
The Next Day
To say she was terrified would be an understatement. Here it was: her hopes and dreams in a single place. Lacey tried not to shiver as she stared up at the Twisted Records headquarters. Here, she would report to one of the biggest showbiz managers in the country and be taken under her wing. Lacey had fought tooth and nail to get this opportunity and she'd be damned if she lost her shot.
She told herself to be prepared for anything and everything as she pushed open the door, and strode toward her destiny.
The lady at the reception desk smiled kindly as she approached, "How can I help you, dear?"
"Hi, I'm the new intern. I'm here to see Tara Desai." Lacey handed the lady her acceptance papers and her driver's license to confirm her words. The woman glanced them over and then handed the items back to Lacey.
"We knew you were arriving today, but I had no idea you'd be so pretty!" The lady cooed, standing up from her chair. Lacey smiled so hard, she was sure her dimple was showing. "Follow me, dear."
Lacey nodded, gripping the strap of her shoulder bag to hide her nervousness as she followed the woman to the elevator.
'Calm down, Lace. Think. Breathe. You've got this.'
"You're one very lucky girl, you know." The receptionist said, as she pressed the button for the 10th floor. Lacey lifted an eyebrow and waited for her to continue, "Tara Desai's nephew is in the office today… do you know who he is?"
Lacey bit on her bottom lip. It was a terrible habit of her's. Of course she knew who he was; nearly every woman in America knew who he was, "You mean Daniel Desai? The one they call Adonis?"
"The very same. I swear that man breathes prettier air than the rest of us do." The receptionist giggled girlishly just as the elevator opened, and the two ladies stepped out on the floor. "Here you are. Just go straight down this hallway and you'll find Tara. She's probably in her office or with Danny, in the practice room."
Lacey nodded, "Thanks so much."
The woman smiled again, giving a small wave as the elevator doors whisked her away from view.
Lacey made her way down the hall, straightening her clothes and popping a fresh piece of gum in her mouth. She paused and whipped out a compact to do one last make-up check, before finally refreshing her lipstick. Then she picked up the pace to go find her new boss.
She found Tara standing in another reception area with four desks. Three girls already occupied three of the desks, whereas the fourth one, closest to the practice room door sat empty.
Tara Desai looked up from the mousy brunette she was talking to, and turned in her direction, "Can I help you?"
Lacey removed her right hand from her purse strap, holding it out in greeting "Hi, I'm Lacey Porter. Your new intern?"'
"Oh wow." Tara gave the girl a once over, before shaking her hand. It surprised her that a girl that beautiful wasn't a model or an actress already, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Tara Desai."
"Ah, same here." Tara released her hand and gave the girl a longer look.
"Ummm…?" Lacey wasn't quite sure why Tara was staring at her like that, but it was certainly embarrassing.
"Oh sorry, I was just-" The melodious sound of piano interrupted whatever the older woman was about to say, and Lacey turned in the direction of the practice room. "Oh right! Come meet my nephew. You'll be working with him fairly closely, so I can just introduce you two now."
Lacey nodded and followed Tara into the practice room, noticing that the piano playing had stopped.
"I want to taste you…" Came a sing-songy voice from the man sitting at the piano.
Lacey blinked, telling herself she hadn't heard what she had actually heard. If Lacey was of a lighter skin tone, her blush would be evident on her face. This is why she didn't listen to Danny Desai's music - it was like listening to porn.
"Danny, try it in a higher key. Also, make the phrase a bit slower."
The tanned young man turned out the sound of his aunt's voice. He was about to play the melody again, when he turned and noticed the beautiful girl standing behind her. Her long raven hair framed her face with plump, pouty red lips, a perfect nose, and the prettiest set of eyes he had ever seen on a woman.
Danny's dark gaze caught her own and he played a tiny section of the song, singing the lyric while looking directly into the girl's eyes. This time, he tried it with his aunt's suggestion, "I want… I wish… to taste you."
Lacey tried not to gasp as he sang the words directly to her. No wonder they called him "Adonis". Daniel Desai was manly perfection. His beautiful, wavy hair cascaded to his shoulders and matched perfectly with his dark eyes and slender fingers. Long eyelashes framed those gorgeous orbs and Lacey felt her pulse race at the sound of his singing voice.
While Lacey studied him, Danny ended the melody with a fantastic flourish, winking at the doe-eyed beauty.
His unnerving gaze ended just as quickly as it had begun, as he turned to his aunt, "What'd you think about that?"
"It works. It sounds a lot better." Tara noticed that Danny was hardly paying attention to his aunt's response, as he had his gaze wholly on the girl behind her again, "Oh right. Danny, this is the new intern, Lacey Porter. Lacey meet Danny Desai, my nephew."
Danny stood up from the piano and strode over to Lacey. He stopped just in front of her, raking his gaze over her from head to toe. His eyes finally rested on her face, having examined her more closely, "I had no idea a girl with a stipper name could be so lovely."
At first, Lacey was flattered as Danny had complimented her, but then she felt her temper flare up, "E-Excuse me?! Did you just say I have a stripper name?"
"Well yeah, I mean, you're named after fabric. The only thing I can think of when I hear 'lacey' is lingerie. So either your Mom was a stripper, or she just really had a thing for Vicky's Secrets."
Lacey blushed in anger and embarrassment. Who says things like that to people?!
"First of all, my FATHER named me-"
"Oh, that explains it-"
"And secondly, how DARE you insinuate that I am-"
"Definitely a stripper. It's okay, we've all gotta pay tuition somehow." Danny gave Lacey a toothy grin as she glared at him. If only looks could kill.
Lacey turned her back on him, focusing her attention on her new boss, "If you'll excuse me Tara, I'm going to go ahead and excuse myself. Is that empty desk out there for me?"
"Oh right! It is! Here, I'll help you log in to the computer." Tara escorted Lacey from the practice room, not sure what it was that her nephew was trying to pull. What she didn't see was Lacey giving Danny a one-finger salute behind her back as they walked away.
Danny chuckled as the two women walked out. Oh, he was definitely going to enjoy getting rid of this one.
End Chapter 1