Music Management 101

By: Sailorjj07

4. The Visit

A/n: Wow! I am seriously surprised at the love you guys are sending my way! I really can't thank you enough. I'm super excited for this chapter because it's gonna have more fluff. Who knows, we might even get a kiss out of these two, XP

Disclaimer: I do not own!

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Actions

(Me!)

Lacey sighed again for about the third time that day. She was really bummed for some reason, and had been for a while now. If she could pinpoint her slowly growing unhappy mood, she would assume it would have something to do with Danny.

'But that's just insane, isn't it?'

If Lacey was honest with herself, she'd known for a while now that her negative mood was because of him. It started with the cold shoulder he had given her for the remainder of the week, keeping true on his promise to stay away from her. Danny made sure that their paths never crossed after their "closet encounter" going so far as to visit the company late in the evenings when she had already gone home for the day.

The week after that, Danny was back on tour, flying to three cities in a matter of days. Lacey had been asked to stay behind, since she needed to renew her passport before she had clearance to travel with them.

"Even though Danny is performing in the States right now, the final stretch of his concerts will be outside of the US, in other countries. We can take you with us then, when we'll need more help," Tara had told her, with a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

So there Lacey sat, with a highly sensitive unresolved issue, for two weeks.

"Lacey, you okay?"

Lacey turned to see Jo's concerned gaze over the top of her desk, a small smile gracing the frizzy headed girl's features.

"Of course! I'm doing just fine," Lacey plastered a smile on her face, and that seemed to appease Jo, if only just a little.

She returned Lacey's smile with a cheerful one of her own, returning to her work without another word.

Lacey sighed again and glanced at her cell phone. As if on cue, the electronic device began to vibrate on her desk. Tara's name flashed across the screen for a brief moment so she pressed the answer button quickly, "Hey Tara, what's up?"

"Hey Lacey! Danny and I will be back early Wednesday, so I need you to do me a favor and pick up some groceries for Danny tomorrow. They've already been ordered so all you have to do is pick them up and drop them off at Danny's. Ask Jo for the spare key."

"Got it! Anything else?"

"Yeah, bring an umbrella. I hear it's supposed to rain!"

Lacey giggled, a smile spreading across her features at Tara's light-hearted tone, "I'll make sure to bring two, just in case."

"Good! See you Wednesday!"

Lacey hung up the phone with a better attitude and a more positive outlook on her week.

'I wonder what Danny's house looks like?' She mused, as she went back to sending e-mails to Danny's fanclub members.

The Next Day

It took Lacey about 30 minutes to reach Danny's townhouse. It was in a quiet, nondescript neighborhood, in a place that Lacey never would have looked at twice. She mentally applauded Danny for his discretion - it probably drove the paparazzi nuts trying to find out where he lived.

Lacey juggled the five grocery sacks in her hands while fitting the key into the lock. The windowed entry door swung open silently, and Lacey stepped into Danny's entryway parlor. The room was painted in a cheery, soft yellow that reminded Lacey of flowers. There were a few couches and tables set up around the room, some with pictures of Danny and other people.

Lacey shut the door behind her and made her way up the staircase to her right. Tara had told her that the kitchen was on the second floor of the house, so that she would find it easily. As Lacey took her time to walk through the stairwell, she took in the full view of Danny's house. He had awards hanging from the walls for his music, plaques, and even gold and silver records. Lacey stepped in the kitchen and tried not to let her jaw drop.

Danny's kitchen was nothing short of lovely. It was welcoming and warm with stainless steel appliances, marble counter tops, and an adorable breakfast nook that sat beneath a lovely bay window. Beside the sitting area was a set of French double doors which led, presumably, to a patio.

She would love to cook in here every day.

Locating the fridge, Lacey placed all the bags on the counter-top and started putting the frozen and refrigerated items away. She could get the other stuff out of the car later.

Humming to herself, Lacey casually glanced at the items Danny had ordered for his house. It was the usual stuff: milk, eggs, various cheeses. She had to admit she respected his ice cream selections though. Caramel Cookie Dough, Triple Berry Chocolate Chunk, and Green Tea gelato all sounded extremely sweet and delicious.

Giggling softly to herself, Lacey placed each item in the freezer, stacking the containers on top of one another.

"What are you doing here?"

Lacey's heart leapt in her throat as she gave a startled yelp and quickly closed the freezer door. There, staring at her with a frown on his face stood Danny Desai, wearing nothing but a towel, his hair unbound and damp.

Lacey gaped at him for a moment, her gaze traveling over his form before she had time to stop herself. Her eyes just couldn't get enough of his tanned, taunt abs, and his perfect arms.

"Are you going to answer me or just keep staring?" Danny's devilish smirk did nothing to quell the heat rising to Lacey's face. In response, she peeled her eyes away from him, turning her back so that he was completely out of view.

"I… Tara said you guys wouldn't be back until Wednesday, s-so she asked me to stock up your fridge."

"Oh?" As if to confirm her words, Danny's gaze fell on the grocery bags that sat atop his kitchen counters, before turning back to Lacey's perfect… shaking his head, Danny tried to focus on just her back, "She must have given you Jo's key."

Lacey nodded, willing herself to stay focused, "Yeah."

"...Is this everything?"

Twining her fingers together, Lacey shook her head, and bit down nervously on her bottom lip, "No, there's a bit left in my car."

"Okay." Danny nodded, then remembered that Lacey couldn't see him. He smiled ruefully, "Let me get dressed and I'll come help you."

As Danny turned to leave the room, Lacey finally faced him, "Hey… ummm, Danny?"

"I… er…" Lacey hesitated, before throwing caution to the wind, "It's nice to see that you're doing okay." She followed her words with a dazzling smile that made his heart throb. Having said her piece, Lacey scurried away, mumbling something about going to grab more bags from her car.

Danny stared at the place where she had stood for a moment, the unexpected pounding in his heart surprising him. Was he blushing? His face certainly felt warm. A lazy smile spread across his face as he made his way from the kitchen through the living room and to his bedroom in the back of the house.

By the time he was done getting dressed, Lacey had gotten all the bags from her car and cluttered the counters with them. She had finished putting all of the cold items away and was working on breads and pantry goods.

"Umm… I wasn't sure where everything went, so just tell me and I can get out of your hair." Her brown eyes fell on him as he entered the kitchen again, and he smiled at Lacey in amusement.

"Have you eaten yet?" His words caused her to halt her movements, as she looked up at him, confusion written on her face.

"Well no, but-"

"Good. Let's put this stuff up and have lunch." Plucking a cereal box from her hands, Danny began opening cabinets and pulling out drawers while Lacey watched him.

What the hell was going on? Danny had said he didn't want to see her right? He had even gone so far as to avoid her for an entire week!

So what was with the nice guy attitude now?

"I don't think that's a good idea." She stated skeptically, placing a bag of cookies in one of the drawers.

Danny's hands stilled for a moment before he went back to putting boxes in the cabinet, "You're not hungry?"

At the mention of food, her stomach grumbled a bit, and they both laughed.

"That's not it but…" Walking over to where Danny stood, Lacy leaned against the island across from him, an eyebrow arching into the air "I thought you didn't want to see me or work with me anymore?"

Keeping his back to her, Danny placed his hands on the countertop. He wanted to turn around and tell her how she had been on his mind every single day since he met her. He wanted to admit to her that he regretted not kissing her in that closet. Instead, he tightened his grip on the counter, restraining himself.

"I thought so too."

Lacey frowned, not believing him for a second, "Oh, so I'm just supposed to believe that in two weeks you had a sudden change of heart?"

"Do you?" He closed his eyes, running his hand through his lovely hair and breathing deeply.

'Don't touch her. Don't look at her. You hardly know this girl, Danny. She's just another pretty face.' Danny tried to convince himself to be still, in Lacey's silence. He had played this scenario over and over in his mind more than he would like to admit. The invisible string pulling him towards her - to touch her and feel that spark he felt the first time he danced with her was overwhelming his senses.

But every steel wall in his mind crumbled when Lacey placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned and grabbed her hand immediately, words tumbling from his mouth before he could stop himself, "I'm too attracted to you."

Lacey was taken aback by his words, to say the least, and she stared at him with wide, surprised eyes, "You… w-what?"

Instead of answering her, he ran his thumb across the top of her hand, staring up into her beautiful brown eyes.

"You're so beautiful, Lacey Lingerie."

It was like a record player was brought to a screeching halt, "Really Danny? I thought we had buried that horrible name!"

Grinning from ear to ear, Danny trapped her between his arms against the counter, "You know, when someone gives you a compliment, you're supposed to say thank you."

Pouting, Lacey looked away from his terribly handsome face, tugging on a lock of Danny's hair instead, "How about this? ...You're not totally unattractive yourself, Danny Desai," she said, as she stuck her tongue out at him, feeling her cheeks growing warm.

She had to admit, she didn't mind this, whatever it was. She enjoyed the warmth she felt from his body directly in front of her's.

Her stomach growling again interrupted the hazy warmth that had covered them. Danny released her, chuckling loudly as he grabbed the remaining boxes and bags on the counter behind Lacey, "Well let's finish this up and feed that monster in your belly, shall we?"

After Lunch

"We have to get you an interview with a homeowner's magazine or something! You have an amazing kitchen, Danny, and you actually use it!" Pouring herself another glass of lemonade, Lacey felt her smile widen as Danny grinned appreciatively at her compliment.

"It's not like I made anything super amazing," Danny said, popping a handful of chips into his mouth. "Paninis are easy."

"For who? Ha, I'd be lucky if I didn't set the bread on fire," Lacey giggled, taking a sip of her drink.

"Oh, I doubt you're that bad of a cook." Danny's obsidian orbs watched Lacey as she took generous gulps of her drink.

Her lips were wonderfully distracting.

"It's not that I can't cook, I'm just horrible with baked goods. It's like I'm genetically unable to make anything involving bread or toast."

Danny smiled at her, a chuckle escaping his mouth, "What? I don't believe you."

"Haha, seriously! I once made toast and set the kitchen on fire! And don't get me started on the time I helped my cousin make bread from scratch!"

Danny's chuckle turned into full blown laughter and Lacey felt her heart flutter at the wonderful bass in his voice. She marveled at the lopsided grin covering his features and felt her cheeks warming again.

'He looks so handsome with an actual smile on his face.'

And for some reason, Lacey took pride in the fact that she was the one who put that smile there.

"Would you like to see the rest of the place?" Danny asked, when he had finally sobered up from his fit of chuckles.

"Oh, I would love to."

"Awesome! So here's my kitchen-"

Lacey stood up from the table, swatting at Danny playfully, "You're so lame."

Danny laughed again, taking Lacey's hand, "Let's start from downstairs. Don't be afraid, okay?"

"Afraid of what?"

"Well, we're going in my basement."

Lacey gave an exaggerated gasp, "Oh no! You're not a serial killer are you?"

The wicked smirk that spread across his face made Lacey feel weak in the knees, "All my victims come willingly."

Lacey swore she heard her ovaries explode. Shaking her head, and trying to keep her mind out of the gutter, Lacey let Danny lead her down two flights of stairs and into his basement.

The room was decked out from front to back. In the middle of the room sat a pool table, while a nicely sized bar sat at the far back wall. Against the slanted wall near the staircase was a PS4 and a giant TV with multiple bean bag chairs littered around it. To finish the room off, a dart board was mounted near the bar.

"So this is your relaxation room," Lacey said, in an approving voice.

"Yep. I thought about putting a Jacuzzi in here but figured it was better to have it outside."

"Well yeah what if you want to-"

She cut herself off. She could just imagine all the things she could do to him in a Jacuzzi and...

"I-I mean, it'd probably mess something up, you know all that water in an underground room."

Danny nodded, leading her back up the stairs, "And you already saw the parlor. There's a study down that way," he pointed down the hall when they reached the landing, then took Lacey back to the kitchen, "And my kitchen! Again. Behind that is my living room and my bedroom."

"Uh-oh. You're showing me your bedroom? Let me guess, there's clothes everywhere, right?"

"Haha, you saw my kitchen! I'm not here often enough to make it messy, unfortunately."

Lacey nodded - Danny probably lived most of his life in suitcases.

"Wow, is that a chaise?" Giggling Lacey stretched out on the comfy couch, laying her head back.

Danny's eyes zeroed in on the stretch of skin that was exposed from the bottom of her shirt. His fingers itched to touch her.

'Stooooooop. Pay attention to something else...'

"Your belly button is pierced?" Unable to resist, Danny's fingertip grazed the silver bar at the top of Lacey's belly button.

She shivered and sat up, feeling a little lightheaded, "Yes, but don't tell my Mom that! She'll flip!"

"Haha, 21 years old and still afraid of your Mom?"

"Danny, you've never met my Mom. They call her the Ice Queen for a reason."

Danny took Lacey's hand once again, helping her up off the couch, "You can only take a peek in my room."

"Whaaaaat? I paid for a full tour, didn't I?" Lacey was grinning so hard her dimples were showing.

"Ah, it's so hard to say no to a beautiful woman." Danny feigned a loud sigh and opened his bedroom door, "Really, it's nothing special."

But Lacey wasn't pay much attention to him anymore. Danny's room was black and grey from the sheets to the curtains that hung along the wall. His king sized bed looked extremely inviting but Lacey knew that laying in his bed was a terrible idea; she didn't trust herself to get back out of it.

She took a peek in the bathroom too. Danny had a sprawling spa tub and a rainfall shower. Lacey sighed softly; Danny's place was so much better than her cruddy little apartment at school.

Clasping her hands behind her back, Lacey smiled gently at the handsome young man with her, "What's next?"

"Well the guest rooms and my music room are on the next floor, or we can see the patio."

A rumble of thunder filled their ears and Lacey ran over to Danny's window, "Uh-oh. Tara did say it was going to rain." She stepped away from the window, resisting the urge to pout, "I'd better go. I don't want to have to drive in a rainstorm."

Though Danny didn't agree with her, he nodded anyway, following her back out into the hallway.

'I want to spend more time with her.' Though Danny felt childish for his thoughts, he truly didn't want Lacey to leave. They were finally speaking to each other again and he wanted...

Well, he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted but if it involved spending more time with her, then he was perfectly okay with that.

Lacey made it to the front door before he had. They were both so lost in their thoughts that they didn't notice the pouring rain outside.

"Oh nooo!" Lacey cried throwing the front door open. Danny walked up behind her, looking over her shoulder.

"You left your window down?"

"I cracked them so the car didn't get too hot! Shit!"

Danny laughed, amused at the situation, "Nicely done, Ms. Intern."

Lacey glared at him, more worried about the inside of her car, "Danny! You're not helping!"

Shaking his head, Danny walked over to a closet and grabbed an umbrella, "Give me your keys, I'll go roll them up."

Lacey blanched, "A-Are you sure? It's raining cats and dogs out there! I can do it. What if you get sick or something?"

"Lacey, calm down. I'm not gonna melt." With a reassuring smile, Danny held his hand out expectantly.

Sighing in a mixture of relief and worry, Lacey handed over the keys, "They're automatic so you can get them from either-"

"You know, I'm only walking, what? Five feet? I'll be okay, I promise."

Lacey nodded and held the door open for him. Though his feet and shoulders ended up getting a little wet, Danny was back in the house without a hitch.

"See?"

Lacey took her keys back, a grateful smile spilling over her features, "Thank you so much."

"Are you going to try and wait out the rain?"

"Would you mind?"

"Nope. I'm perfectly okay with that." Danny said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He resisted the urge to do a victory fist pump. "So, what kind of movies do you like?"

End Chapter 4