Chapter 14
Steele
It had never bothered me that I couldn't sing. Not until yesterday. That Cory guy was tall - though not as tall as me - and talented. And he filled out a muscle shirt very well as Landi had observed before we left the pub. I briefly entertained the idea of using my pay out from the skiing incident to get singing lessons, but that seemed a bit obsessive. I still didn't like the way he looked at my girl though.
None of that stopped me from encouraging her to call the producer after her morning workout. Sheeba was coming along great with her weight loss. The girl was excited to be able to touch her toes, though she admitted that she still couldn't see them. She worked hard at her lifestyle change, never backsliding or having cheat days. I was proud of her though I kept it low key. I didn't want her thinking I only wanted her body.
I listened to the call with the producer, playing with the ends of her hair as she set up a time early Thursday morning to record some tracks. I was proud of her and her courage to see this through.
"Does it bother you that I'm jealous of your friend, Cory?" I asked her as she was spreading Baby powder scented Vaseline on that soft, supple skin of hers. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and so very innocent, and I suddenly felt bad for upsetting her.
"Yes, it bothers me, Steele," she said, reaching out to touch my chin. "It bothers me because you don't need to be. I'm all yours, honey. I find the notion of straying unpleasant and unnecessary. If I suddenly found myself wanting someone else for whatever reason, I'd sit down and discuss it with you like an adult. I'm not one to sneak around."
"True that, shorti, but you don't always seem to know when you're being pursued. And I won't always be there to help you figure it out."
"Then I'll trust that uncomfortable feeling I got in my gut last night to warn me away from the predators in this world." She reached for me again, this time standing on her tiptoes to reach my face. "I never want you to feel jealous, love. I am already yours. You don't have to fight or struggle to keep me and you certainly should never feel inadequate to the men around me. Cory is a stranger to me. He has an excellent voice, but I don't know him from Adam. You are the man with whom I desire to spend my life," she grinned mischievously and kissed my nose. "See the difference?" I claimed her luscious lips until she was clinging to me before asking her the question I'd been building up to all morning.
"How will all this recording attention affect your moving plans?" I could see the wheels in her head spinning before she relaxed.
"It won't. God, is that what's been eating at you? Baby, I'm a nurse, not a singer. And while all this attention is flattering, I am very aware of my true calling and where it's leading me." She brought my face to hers. "Given the choice between fame and true happiness with you, you will win every time." I relaxed fully at her sweet words. She was right. She belonged to me. She proved it every time she wrapped her arms around me, kissed my lips softly. This burning jealousy wasn't necessary.
"Seriously, you jealous of some dude she just met?" Old Man Sim asked when she dropped me off that afternoon. The guys had been dropped off at the airport and it was just me until my brothers Royce, Charlie, and Tommy showed up Friday morning. I felt bad that I was still stressing about Cory, even after her words with me this morning. But if I was going to put this behind me, I needed to talk about it.
"Look. Look at this video of them on stage." I showed them singing Beauty and the Beast together.
"Man, get the fuck out of here. Your girl looks uncomfortable with his attention, not lustful. Her eyes are on you the whole time! And she backed away whenever he stepped into her space. She doesn't want him." We watched the video again just to be sure, me feeling better now that I wasn't so jealous. "She can sing and so can he, but they ain't making no love connection. Old boy might want to, but she clearly not interested."
"I don't like her looking at other guys," I finally admitted.
"Man, she wasn't. Ain't you got eyes in your head?" Simeon asked with a huff. "She's smiling at you, singing to you the whole video. The only time she takes her eyes off you is to back away from him. You can see him chasing her around the stage the whole song. Relax." I thought about that and really relaxed for the first time all day. OS was right. Sheeba wasn't thinking about leaving me. She was my faithful girlfriend and she'd give up singing before she'd stray. We posted a bunch of clips from her night out to the group chat and on YouTube, and the hits and likes started racking up immediately. People commented on her discomfort with her singing partner and that made me feel a lot better about my girl.
By the time she finished her shift, I was confident again. Part of me wanted to apologize for being so jealous, but I knew that would only upset her. So I held her close, suckling her mouth lovingly. The way she smiled at me afterward put the issue to rest.
Sheeba was up early the next day, ready for her 10:00 appointment in plenty of time. Niles tried to have her sign a contract with him right away, but she declined, pointing out that she was planning to move to the East Coast in a couple of months. So instead, they recorded some tracks, including an original song of his that he insisted was perfect for her voice. And it was. Niles insisted that if the track went viral, they'd split the profits and they put it in writing. She started getting antsy around one, stating that she had to go to work. Niles let her go around 1:30 after a few more takes on the original song.
"What did you think, Babygirl?" I asked on the ride to the hospital.
"I think that it was fun, except for the part when he wanted me to sign my life away. There wasn't even a lawyer present! Did he really expect me to sign on the spot?"
"Most people would have," I shrugged, thinking of the signing bonus.
"I'm not most people," she insisted. "Besides, I'm trying to detach myself from Calgary, not tie myself to this place! I'm going to be in New Haven by the end of summer. The last thing I need is to be spending my signing bonus on flights back here to record."
"You are amazing," I laughed, kissing her forehead tenderly.
Sheeba
"Stop, stop, STOP!" Niles shouted. Everyone in the studio froze. "Sheeba, your audio is fading in and out. Stop moving! Pick a mic and stick with it!"
"Tell Cory to back off and I will!" I was beyond frustrated. Niles had both of us in for a jam session. Things started out fine. But an hour in and Cory was following me, trying to flirt with me and touch me. We were like magnets repelling. It wasn't even like we were alone in the studio! It was all so embarrassing!
"Yeah, man. Leave her alone! She's clearly not interested," Ted, the bassist, said in annoyance. I couldn't blame him. Sandra the drummer, Lionel the pianist, Fred the guitarist, and Dave and Paula on backup vocals were all working hard on this original song and Cory was screwing it up by trying to get his dick wet!
"Man, shut up," Cory said, obviously fuming. He turned to me, seemingly sick of the game. "I don't understand why you gotta be so difficult! I just-"
"I got a man!"
"What's your man got to do with me!" Oh, that just pissed me off. How dare he disregard the fact that I'm in a relationship? Glaring at him, I decided to test if he really knew that obscure rap song from the eighties.
I got a man!
I'm not tryna hear that, see
I got a man!
What's your man got to do with me?
I got a man!
I'm not tryna hear that
As we traded the lines of the rap, I knew that the rest of the band was lost. They were looking at us like we were crazy. But I was too focused on the rap to explain.
What am I? Some crab inmate
That just came home from jail, sweating you for a date?
I don't want no beef, I just wants ta get together
I smirked at him and rolled my eyes as I did my part.
But how you talkin, pssht, whatever!
He immediately smiled and dived right into the next part of the argument, a 'are we really doing this?' look on his face. I just continued when it was my turn.
We can't have nothing
It all depends
Well, if we can't be lovers then we can't be friends
Well, hey, I guess it's nothing
Well, hey, I think you're bluffing
Well, Imma call my man
Well, I can get ragamuffin
Ya better catch a flashback, remember I'm not crabbin it
You know my style of I'm not having it
My hands on my hips, I dove into the next verse. It helped that the rapid-fire dialogue was coming up and I was ready for a fight. I stepped right into his space as we sang/rapped.
All I remember is 'excuse me, miss'
You can't get a girl like me with a line like this
Well look I'll treat you good
My man treats me better
I'll talk sweet on the phone
My man writes love letters
I'll tell ya that I want ya and tell you that I care
My man says the same except he's sincere
Well, I'm clean-cut and dapper, that's what I'm about
My man buys me things and he takes me out
Well, you can keep your man, 'cause I don't go that route
We both took a breath, ready to finish. We were both smirking by now, focused on this peculiar duet.
Now you know you hafta respect me
There's a lotta girls out there that won't say 'no'
You out for Mami with your DJ money
Uh! Boom batter, my pocket's getting fatter
As he got into his role, he started circling me like a shark scenting blood in the water. Not happy with the uncomfortable feeling of being stalked, I waited for my line, biting at his fingertips when he tried to touch my cheek.
I wanna turn you on and excite ya
Let me know the spot on your body and I'll bite ya
So if your man don't treat ya like ya used ta
I'll kick in like a turbo boosta
You want lovin, ya don't hafta ask when
Your man's a headache, I'll be your aspirin
All confusion you know I'll solve
I got a man
You gotta what? How long you had that problem?
What's your man got to do with me?
I got a man!
I'm not tryna hear that, see
I got a man!
What's your man got to do with me?
I got a man!
I'm not tryna hear that
I got a man
Ayo, baby, put the dial numbers or your address
I got a man (I told ya I treat you right)
I got a man (aww c'mon now ain't no future in frontin)
I'm not having it
C'mon miss! Oh, we back on that again
Uhh, I'm not tryin ta hear that see
I got a man
But your man ain't me
"Thank God!" I said immediately after his line. The band burst out laughing and cheering me on. "I have never understood the concept of unfaithfulness. It's like 'man, I wish that girl would leave her man for me. We would be so happy together - until her eye wanders again and I'm the one left out in the cold'." I glared at him until he suddenly looked wistful.
"My perfect woman… Belongs to another man."
"Damn right," I confirmed.
"Alright, Little One. I'll respect your decision. You can't say I didn't fight for you."
"Accepted. Now, can we please move on? I wanna lay down this track for Mr. Jones." He chuckled and hugged me tight before releasing me and heading back to his microphone. We laid out the track within a half hour after that, the tension between us gone.
Positive K - I Got a Man