A young woman stepped out of the cockpit and started walking toward us. She checked to make sure each of our seat belts were secured before walking back into the cabin. I closed my eyes and listened to Adam and Jade bicker as we waited for the plane to take off.

A few minutes later, I opened my eyes to see the same woman from earlier walking back into our cabin. She took a seat in the front. “We will be taking off momentarily.”

Sure enough, less than a minute later, I felt the plane start to move. I grabbed both armrests, preparing myself for when we lifted off the runway. Flying didn’t scare me, but I wasn’t too keen on the actual takeoff part. When I felt the plane leaving the ground, the muscles in my arms tightened as I clung to the armrests. I closed my eyes and waited for the okay to unfasten my seat belt.

When the pilot announced that we could move around the cabin, I threw off my seat belt and stood. Between craving my fix and the takeoff, I was feeling antsy to say the least. I walked to the couches and dropped myself down on one of them. Maybe I could nap for a little bit if I closed my eyes and blocked out the voices in the cabin.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I noticed Eric studying me closely. Lately, it seemed like he was always watching me, and it made me nervous. Eric was one of the most perceptive people I had ever known, and his constant scrutiny made me feel like he could see right into me.

He stood and headed toward me. He sat down beside me and stared at the blank television screen. He obviously wanted to talk, but I wasn’t sure if he was waiting for me to say something or if he was thinking things over before he spoke.

“You okay?” Eric finally asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“You’re fidgety today, more than normal.” He looked away from the television and directed his gaze at me.

“Flying makes me nervous,” I lied.

“It’s more than that. Did you see Chloe last night or something?” he asked.

That wasn’t what I had expected at all. He never mentioned Chloe. “No, I didn’t. I know when I’m not wanted, and I’m not about to go chase after her like a lovesick idiot.”

“You still love her.”

It wasn’t a question. He was simply stating the obvious, but for some reason, it bothered me.

“Does it matter?” I asked.

“It does.”

“It doesn’t. Even if I do still love her, she’s made it clear that she wants nothing to do with me.”

“She left because she loves you, Drake. She couldn’t stand to watch you destroy yourself. You have to know that.”

I shrugged, hoping that he would drop the conversation. Of course, I knew he wouldn’t though. Eric rarely spoke about private matters, so when he did, he made sure to say everything he needed to.

“If this label signs us, things are going to change. If you think the women are bad now, just wait. You will have hundreds of women throwing themselves at you constantly.”

“So? What are you trying to get at?”

“I honestly think Chloe would take you back in a heartbeat if you got your life together. I just don’t want you to do anything that you might regret later.”

“Like sleep with one of the groupies?” I asked, finally understanding what he was getting at.

“Exactly. You’re a good guy, Drake, and I hate seeing you like this. I don’t want you to destroy what you had with Chloe any more than you already have. Just think things through before you act.”

I nodded. “I will.”

He smacked me on the back as he stood from the couch. “Good to hear.”

I relaxed as I watched him walk back up to the front toward Jade and Adam. His words echoed through my mind. Even though I realized that Chloe wasn’t coming back, I hadn’t accepted any invitations from the women who threw themselves at me while I had been out at the bars. It had just felt wrong to me, like I would be cheating. Besides, no woman could ever come close to Chloe. She was one in a billion.

The rest of the flight was uneventful. I felt like I hadn’t slept in weeks, but no matter how hard I tried, sleep wouldn’t come. All I wanted was a line of coke and to get off this damn plane. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it? By the time we landed in L.A., I was cranky and ready to put my fist through a wall.

I followed the rest of the band off the plane and into the airport. We collected our bags and walked toward the exit. Near the door, we noticed a huge guy holding a sign with our names on it. Eric approached him first, and we all followed. After the guy verified who we were, he led us outside to a limo idling by the curb.

I whistled as I slid into the seat next to Jade. Eric and Adam slid in across from us. This label was the real deal. First, they had flown us over in a private plane, and now, we were in their limo. We rode in silence. All of us seemed too nervous to say anything. When the limo stopped, I glanced out the window to see a huge building with the record label’s name displayed across the entrance.

The driver opened the door and waited as we all exited the car. Then, he led us up the steps and into the lobby. From the pristine marble floors to the glass reception desk, the place screamed money. We walked down a short hallway to a row of elevators. As soon as the doors opened, the driver ushered us in before he stepped inside. The doors closed, and he pressed the button for the eighteenth floor. I stared at my reflection in the door as we were lifted up.

My hands were sweating from nerves, and I wiped them repeatedly on my jeans. I wasn’t one to get nervous, but my future depended on the decisions of the people working in this building. We would either be set for life or thrown out like trash.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open to reveal a brightly lit hallway. The driver, who had yet to speak to any of us except for Eric at the airport, led us down the hallway to a door at the very end. After knocking loudly, he swung the door open and walked in with us following right behind him.

“Mr. Sanders, I have the band you requested,” he said in a deep voice that matched his scary-as-fuck appearance.

I took a closer look at him and frowned. If I saw this guy on the street, I would have gone out of my way to avoid him. Even though he was dressed in a suit, I could see tattoos peeking out of the collar and sleeves of his shirt. His head was shaved, and with the added benefit of him being well over six feet tall, he was one scary bastard.

“Excellent! Thank you for your assistance, Alex. I’ll take it from here,” a voice said from across the room.

I looked up to see a middle-aged man sitting at a desk. He was the exact opposite of Alex. He was also dressed in a suit, but that was the only similarity between the two men. Desk guy had a small build with thinning hair and wrinkles around his eyes and across his forehead.

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. We loved the demo tape you sent, and I personally can’t wait to hear what you can do in our studio.”

“Uh, thank you, Mr.—” Eric started.

“Oh, of course. How silly of me. I’m Brad Sanders. I spoke with you on the phone the other day.”

“Right, well, it’s nice to officially meet you, Mr. Sanders,” Eric said.

“The pleasure is all mine. Please call me Brad. We will be spending a good bit of time with each other, so there’s no need for formalities.” He smiled at us.

“All right then. I’m Eric. This is Adam, Jade, and Drake.”

Brad stood, walked over to us, and shook each of our hands. He seemed like a nice guy, but I wasn’t one to trust others, and I refused to fall for the nice-guy act. Guys like him used bands all the time. Until he could prove to me that he wasn’t a dick, I wasn’t ready to like him. Sure, I had to be polite, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.

“Why don’t all of you take a seat? Then, I’ll go over some things with you. I’m sure Eric filled you in on the phone conversation we had a couple of days ago.”

We all nodded as we took the seats surrounding the desk.

“Good. All right, let’s get down to business. As I said before, we absolutely loved your demo. You all have amazing potential, and with our help, I think your band could be the next big thing in the rock world. We want you to record a few of your current songs in our studio, and we’ll see how things go. If you’re as good as you sounded on the CD you sent in, we’ll want to sign you.”

“And if you don’t?” I asked, wanting to make him squirm.

He gave me a false cheery smile. “Don’t think we are just going to abandon you. I have no doubt that you have raw potential. In the end, if we can’t come to an agreement, I will personally pay for your trip home.”

I nodded, satisfied with his answer.

“While you are here, we have booked rooms for each of you in a hotel not far from here, so you are easily accessible to us. By now, I’m sure you know that recording music is not easy, even recording on your own. You will spend several hours a day in our studio, working with the best team money can buy.”

“And you guys are paying for our rooms and making sure we have everything we need?” Adam asked.

“Of course! We asked you to come here. You won’t need to spend a dime while you’re here.”

“Fucking sweet!” Adam said.

Brad laughed as Jade rolled her eyes.

“Yes, it is a very sweet deal. I’m sure you’re all tired, so I don’t expect you to jump right into the studio today. Alex will take you to the hotel, and he will pick you up at eight o’clock sharp tomorrow morning. Get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow we get to work.”

We all stood, thanked him, and walked to the door. Alex was standing just down the hallway, waiting for us. We followed him back to the elevators, and once we were back on the first floor, we headed outside and got back into the limo. The ride to the hotel was short since it was only a few blocks away from the label. It seemed they really did want to keep us close.