I couldn't help myself; I leaned toward Ella and whispered, "So, about finding another studio because Merry doesn't want to be an idol..." My voice trailed off, laden with mock seriousness and a poorly concealed gloat.
Ella, taking her eyes off Merry for less than a split second, shot me a glare that could have frozen lava. "Nonsense!" she hissed, her tone a mix of annoyance and awe. "When did I mention being an idol was a must?"
Oh, she could be shameless. No wonder Amar trusted her that much.
As Merry's song came to a gentle close, the room was enveloped in silence that reminded us that the world outside hadn't ceased to exist. Then, breaking the spell, Ella removed her headphones, her movements slow, as if reluctant to disconnect from the magic Merry had created.
"Okay, okay, you win," Ella said, finally turning to face me, her voice a mixture of defeat and excitement. "She's not just a singer; she's an artist. And we need her voice, idol or not."
A victorious smile crept onto my face, stemming from a rare sense of pride. "Told you so," I teased lightly, enjoying the moment of triumph.
Merry, meanwhile, had exited the booth with her trademark grin, her demeanor unchanged by the revelation of her talent. It was as if she had known all along that her voice could change the world.
Ella, now fully on board, approached Merry with a newfound respect. "I was wrong," she admitted, offering a hand to Merry. "You don't need to be anything but yourself. Let's talk about your debut. The contract with MelodyCraft will be prepared within a day."
We took a moment to digest her words, avoiding giving quick answers. "We will have to revise the contract first before we sign it, I hope you can show sincerity when you write it," I warned. Her reaction made it clear that it'd be easy to sign with other studios if the terms were unappealing.
"Our lawyers will do their best to protect all involved parties' interests. I will report today's results to Amar," she added.
"What's Amar's role in managing this company?"
"He is effectively the CEO. His family holds all the shares of the studio now, so I only work here as an employee. They put him in charge and delegated all the responsibilities to him. For the Sode Corporation, a small business like this can be considered a good training ground for their descendants."
Comparisons were sure painful. This business, which occupied half of the eleventh floor, probably paying rent of 20,000 dollars monthly and filled with equipment that cost at least a hundred grand, was a small business for them. One year's worth of rent here was as expensive as our house!
"I see. Thank you, we will take our leave and wait for the good news."
She took our phone numbers, even being polite enough to take mine as well. Her attitude has done a 180 compared to our first interaction.
"Be careful on your way back, I have asked the company's driver to take you home. It's a black car, it has the company's logo on its door," she pointed at the image at the entrance. Their logo was in a minimalist style, consisting of a simple soundwave pattern that transitioned into a piano keyboard.
"Great, thanks," I nodded and the two of us left the place.
The doors of the elevator closed on us, leaving us alone with the sensation that nobody could see us. It was a false impression; there was a camera in the elevator. However, I doubt the guard was watching us too eagerly, and if we didn't overdo it, everything should be fine.
"We soon get home, then you can look forward to your punishment for being so naughty," I stood close to her, my chest pressing against her shoulder and upper back, my thigh touching hers dangerously close to her butt.
"Hmph, you can't punish me," she said, "I did a good job today, and I even rejected being a successful idol."
"Yet, this dress…" I sighed and lifted the hem just slightly before letting drop back on her thighs, "is just begging me to discipline you," my lips brushed against her ear, and she did nothing to stop me, encouraging me to go on with a small bite of her lower lip.
"Mm, we will see if you're as strict when we get home. You could never hurt a cutie like me."
The doors opened, voiding my right to retort. We walked out, soon seeing the tough guard again.
"Good luck, don't be discouraged if you didn't make it; keep chasing your dream until it comes true!" He called after us, perhaps assuming our stay was too short to be good. Checking my phone, we wrapped up the whole audition in under fifteen minutes.
"It should be this one," Merry pointed at a black sedan with the same logo we saw earlier. A man was leaning on the front door of the passenger seat. He pushed himself to his feet in a light movement, nodding at us.
"Are you Merry and Nikolas?" He made sure we were his clients.
"Yes, it's us," I reassured him.
The driver was about to turn away when he noticed Merry. A big smile was slammed into his face immediately, and he opened the door.
"Milady, please have a seat," he bowed gracefully. I'm sure he practiced that one move in front of the mirror before.
"No need, she will sit with me at the backseat."
The man's disappointment was apparent, not that I cared. "Ahm, okay, make yourselves comfortable." He seemed to assume we were a couple by the way he gave up on the notion of flirting any further with the beauty by my side.
It might be hypocritical of me to say that, but Nyssa's and Merry's world-class beauty was going to cause me too much trouble. There's not a single sane man who wouldn't desire them at first sight.
"Milady, have a seat," I laughed lightly as I opened the door, ignoring the man's grimace at the blatant thievery of his pickup line.
"Thank you, my white knight," she giggled, joining the mission to irritate the dude. A vein popped in his temple, anger at the injustice.
"Where to?" The driver asked once we settled down, somewhat impatient. Rude, I will have to complain about that attitude.
"Coal Alley, 24" Merry gave him the address. He evidently didn't know the poorer regions of town, leading him to turn on the navigation system of the car.
"It's a nice ride, is it equipped with cameras?" I asked him, trying to sound casual as my hand caressed Merry's thigh beside me. Her gentle squirming like she wanted to spread her legs and get more was endearing.
"Of course, to help with parking and such. Also, some that record the surroundings to have proof in case someone ever hits the car," The man bragged. His other soft point was his car, his second love after hot women.
"That's pretty cool," I hummed in agreement. It was good to know the interior was safe from recording, it allowed me to conclude at least some of the foreplay in the car, so we could be starving and ready for the main dish when we got home. I will devour this angel on the entrance carpet.
It made sense the backseat was safe from cameras; the rich people being driven probably fucked tons of girls here.
"Mhm," I did my best to swallow a surprised groan when Merry chose not to remain impassive, her hand closing directly on my member. It only lasted for a second, a motion so quick it might as well be a mistake. It was definitely intentional by what came next.
"Please turn on some music," Merry requested, realizing we were both on the verge of giving ourselves away as our breaths turned hurried.
My elbow rubbed against her tits, another honest mishap, as my palm slid down to her inner thigh. The feminine hand on my body fought back, dancing on my waist, each time getting an inch away from my big spot.
"This place?" He asked with a slight wrinkle of his nose when he parked next to the worn-out block. To be fair, he said nothing out loud, but his opinion of us seemed to worsen. Again, not that I cared.
"Yes, thanks."
We climbed out of the car without staying on courtesy, walking on the short path leading to our building. "The Wilsons broke another window," Merry looked at another empty frame that allowed the cold wind in.
The Wilsons lived on the third floor, their house resting on top of ours. We could even hear their bed creak every time they rekindled the flame, and their disturbing groans, raspy after decades of smoking.
"Maybe they got tangled up in the sheets again, and their son needed a bigger hole to jump," I shrugged, making Merry laugh. She didn't mind inappropriate jokes.
We climbed up to the second floor, saying 'hi' to another neighbor who just went out to take the trash. "I hope you are ready to have that skirt pulled up for your spanking time," I whispered, feeling the twitches in my pants, anticipating the action to come.
It felt urgent, I knew she was dripping wet underneath, and my bulge was anything but discreet.
"Hi kids, where have you been?"
Crap, it's a cockblock. I mean, ahm, Hi Dad.
"Hi Dad," Merry said out loud what I meant to say, and I quickly pulled my hand away from her dress.