Free Double Your Pleasure Bundle by Alyse Zaftig, Jamie Klaire, Bliss Devlin, Lily Thorn, Kit Tunstall, Meg Watson, Marie Carnay, Misha Carver, Cara Wylde, Connie Cliff, Lana Walch, Auriella Skye, Desirae Grove Page B

smeared all over her face. Backstage pass bouncing against her chest. She glanced up at him and he tried to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

C HAPTER O NE
    ONE YEAR LATER
     
    “I want sexy. Strong. A voice like velvet. That’s what I told you.” Alec tossed the stack of photos on the desk and shook his head. “What department do you head?”
    “A&R.”
    “Artists and repertoire.” His fingers thrummed the table with every syllable. “Have you brought me any artists today, Daphne? No. Not a single one.”
    “I’m sorry, Alec. It’s just—we haven’t had much luck finding the type of singer you’re looking for. What you see is the best we’ve found this month. And if you give them a chance—”
    “I’m not in the business of giving chances. I’m in the business of making stars. Falcon Records doesn’t settle for mediocre talent. We only sign the best.”
    Damn. Who pissed in his cornflakes? Brooks had been willing to listen for the first hour. Biting his tongue while Alec ripped into the head of A&R. Strumming his fingers while she shot daggers across the conference table. He couldn’t deny the man was right—Daphne’s efforts this month were subpar—but he didn’t need to berate her. She wasn’t going to pull a hidden fact sheet out of her back pocket because he made her cry.
    Brooks cleared his throat and swiveled his chair. “Alec, enough. She’s aware of the caliber we want.”
    “Apparently not, since she’s brought us a stack of bush league amateurs.”
    Brooks heard Daphne’s sharp intake of air and shook his head. If Alec didn’t lay off, she’d probably quit. With a deep breath, he stood and walked around the marble table. Alec might not care how many feathers he ruffled and how many employees he hazed, but Brooks did. Money hadn’t turned him into a total asshole. At least not yet.
    “Daphne, hey.”
    She clenched her fists, squeezing until her knuckles matched the white of her blouse.
    “We didn’t call this meeting just to give you a hard time.”
    She glanced up and relaxed her hands.
    “We know how difficult your job is. We’re picky. And it’s harder than hell to find the type of artist we want today. People watch an episode of American Idol and think they’ll be the next star.”
    Daphne nodded and her blonde curls bounced in agreement.
    “But you also know our goals. Our vision. We launched Falcon to compete with the biggest corporate labels. Arista, Reprise, Warner Records. We’re not a fledgling indie. We don’t want mediocre talent.”
    “I understand that, Brooks. And we’ve been scouting all of Southern California.” She shifted her weight on her heels and frowned. “But the type of voice you’re looking for…The type of woman who could pull that off…She’s hard to find.”
    Alec interrupted with a crack of his knuckles. “Then work harder.”
    Brooks ignored the barb. “I don’t care how long it takes. Neither does Alec. We want you to find the right talent for Falcon. Not a stack of rejects. We’d rather you show up to this meeting empty handed than waste our time. Understood?”
    “Yes.” She pressed her red lips together and Brooks wished he could say something to ease the tension. But he couldn’t whitewash the truth. She needed to do better.
    “Good.” He stepped back and motioned to the papers. “Take those and regroup. Focus on what we’ve asked for. Take your time, do the legwork. Find the artist we want.”
    “Yes, sir.” Daphne bent over the table and shoved the bland rejects back into place before standing up. She gave Brooks a tight smile and turned toward the door, heels clacking on the hardwood as she hurried out of the room.
    As the door swung shut, Alec let out an exaggerated sigh. “You were too nice.”
    “And you were an asshole.”
    “No, I was honest.” His partner leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head. “If she can’t find the right type of artists for the label, she shouldn’t have a