Author's Notes:

'By My Side, Always' is the second part of a story following the developing relationship of Gary Truman and Emma Patricks, two young adults embarking on a new life in the big city.

The chronological order of the stories is:

• By My Side
• By My Side, Always

Minimal effort is made in this tale to explain the backstory, so please read them in order.

All characters engaging in sexual relationships or activities are 18 years old or older.

********

Chapter 1

Gary sighed as he saved his file and shut down the application he used to track their household budget.

The numbers didn't lie.

Their expenses, which included rent, food, transportation (subway fares), minimal clothing purchases, and a very minimal entertainment allotment, were consuming most of his and Emma's limited income leaving very little to put into the bank.

Living in New York City took too big a bite out of their savings.

His ability to pay for his second year at city college was in jeopardy.

When they'd moved from their small town to the big city, Gary's plan to pay for his dream was all plotted out. His first year of courses had been paid for as a graduation gift from his mother. He had a part-time job lined up and the apartment they were living in now.

What he'd failed to truly understand was just how expensive everything was here. The extra income Emma brought in from her job as a trainer in a Manhattan fitness club certainly helped, but it wasn't much. It barely covered the additional costs for her part of the food, clothing, and subway fares.

They found ways to reduce their expenses. They eliminated their apartment's cable TV, telephone, and Internet service. They retained their cell plans but minimized their usage and took advantage of open WiFi connections when they could. For entertainment, they went for long walks to explore their new city. They worked out at home and ran together to maintain their fitness.

In truth, this was only for Gary's benefit, as Emma's job kept her in peak condition. Gary's less athletic occupation of bookkeeping and accounting had him sitting for extended periods, so he welcomed the exercise. It certainly beat the grueling chores he'd done on the family farm every morning.

Speaking of family, he kept in touch with his mother by email, filling her in on his day-to-day in his new life. She was becoming quite adept with social media, and he got a chuckle following her life-on-a-farm vlog though he was one of very few subscribers. Watching her navigate her day on the farm was wonderful.

As for the rest of his family, they treated him like he'd just stepped off the planet's surface. That made him a little sad, but it wasn't like he'd been that close to them while he was there.

In sharp contrast to him, Emma kept in touch with her entire family via email. He smiled as that fact wasn't surprising due to how open and cheerful she was. He didn't know anyone who didn't immediately become enthralled by her. From her dazzlingly blue eyes, her button nose with the sprinkle of freckles across its bridge and cheekbones, he could spend hours just watching her expressions change. She also had a sleek and svelte body from her active life. Her beautiful, long red hair was habitually worn in a ponytail hanging down her back to just above the world's most perfect ass and her long, exquisitely toned legs. He was smitten, and anyone who spent any time with her usually was too.

This gave Gary some anxiety as they spent so many hours apart, and she spent her day working around some very physically attractive men. He'd visited her workplace... once. That was enough to convince him he was better off not comparing his body to theirs. While he was lean and hard-muscled, he certainly didn't have their muscle mass.

He knew Emma loved him, but a little voice in his head did its best to tell him that he wasn't worthy, and she deserved better in life. He struggled with that and did his best to hide his insecurities from her.

He shut down his laptop and looked across the small table into her blue eyes. She pouted out her lower lip and forced a chuckle out of him with her sweet expression. She instantly smiled at his happy sounds.

"So, it isn't as bad as it looks?" she asked, hopefully.

He gave her a wry grin. "We're not about to be evicted and have to live on the street, so that's a positive."

She snorted as Gary slumped back in the chair. He was struggling to think of another way to earn some cash. He had the part-time bookkeeping job he'd arranged before moving to the city, and that was good. He also did bookkeeping for several local businesses, but each was for small amounts. The time required to manage all these separate clients, plus the time his schooling took, left him with very little personal time. That time he wanted to spend with Emma. He was guarding that jealously, but if he didn't find a way to save more for his second year of college, his plan would come crashing down.

His smile slipped again.

Emma glanced at the clock and smiled. "We still have time to visit Rocky's before they start."

This lifted Gary's spirits as he gazed at the beauty across the table. She knew exactly what he needed to help him unwind. "Yeah. Let's go."

Gary went into the bedroom and returned with his guitar case. The old Gibson guitar they'd found in the apartment when they moved in had become his most cherished possession. Its rich sound and responsiveness blew him away, and he got so much joy from playing it.

Thursday nights were open mic nights at their local bar, Rocky's. While they couldn't drink in the bar due to being underage, they were allowed to participate in the entertainment.

The owner and namesake for the bar was a gruff, older Italian gentleman with a steel-grey buzzcut who seemed to know everyone in the neighborhood. He'd heard good things about the level-headed young man doing bookkeeping work for some locals.

They let themselves out of the apartment and locked up before taking the stairs down to the street to walk the block and a half to the bar. They enjoyed the spring warmth of the May evening.

Rocky was there at the bar and walked over to shake Gary's hand. He nodded to them and gestured for one of his workers to set up a small table next to the corner of the stage with one chair for Emma.

When they'd first visited the bar, Gary had been looking for a way to deal with his stage fright, and playing for a tiny audience of regulars in the local bar seemed like a safe way to start. For open mic night, the talent could play their own instruments, or if they were singers, there was a karaoke machine.

After Rocky heard Gary play, he'd offered to let Gary accompany singers who didn't want to use the machine. Most opted for having Gary play as they sang.

In compensation, Emma would get to sit next to the stage, and they both could have free soft drinks. As neither were big fans of the sweet beverages, they typically opted for ice water, which was all the better for Rocky.

Tonight, as Gary climbed the steps up to the stage, he was overly aware that the bar was busier than usual. There were only a couple of empty tables left. He glanced at Rocky and saw the wide smile on the man's face. He was obviously pleased with the turnout as everyone had a drink in front of them. Gary took a seat at the side of the stage and felt all of those eyes watching him. A shiver went down his spine. Then his eyes locked on Emma's after she glanced back at the crowd as well. He could see she was aware of his nervousness, but she gave him a loving smile, and he felt her confidence boost his.

Taking a deep breath, he returned her smile and mouthed, "I love you."

Her smile widened, and he felt that warmth flow through him. She said she loved him too, and that gave him strength. He opened his guitar case and did a little quiet tuning. He knew Rocky liked him to warm up the audience with his own playing before others came on stage. He'd been practicing a song, and he felt he'd achieved sufficient skill to do it here.

He moved the mic stand closer to his guitar and looked at Rocky.

The man nodded and climbed up the stairs to face the tables. The volume dropped as people looked up at the gruff-looking man in the dark suit.

"Welcome to Rocky's Open Mic Night. It looks like an excellent turnout tonight, so I hope you're ready to get up here on stage and show us your stuff!" The audience chuckled at his suggestive winking. Rocky pointed to a man laughing a little too loudly. "Hey! By stuff, I mean talent!" He paused for the chuckles. "By talent, I mean your skills." More giggles. "Singing and playing, you delinquents!" Rocky finally cracked a smile, and the audience smiled back.

"To start off our evening, Gary Truman will play a couple of tunes for you. Take it away, Gary." Rocky left the stage, and eyes turned toward the man with a guitar.

Taking a deep breath, Gary tilted the mic closer to his mouth. He looked out over the crowd but focused on no one. "Good evening. I'm going to play for you Asturias by Isaac Albéniz. Thank you." He moved the mic back down to his guitar.

He looked into Emma's loving eyes and felt himself center once more. He closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and began.

There was only the guitar, his hands, and the music.

-=-

Before the bar's manager stepped onto the stage, a tall, broad-shouldered blond man entered the bar and spotted the one he hoped to see setting up to play his guitar. He scanned his eyes across the busy tables, catching the attention of two men sitting at separate tables to the left and right of center stage. Both nodded to him. He returned the gesture, then stepped back outside. He had a call to make.

-=-

Gary surfaced from the flamenco piece to the sound of applause. He saw Emma's cheeks were wet, and her grin was wide, so she must have enjoyed it.

He smiled at her, then nodded to the audience. "My next song is a familiar one, and you know the words, so feel free to sing along."

The initial light and cheerful notes of Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles put smiles on the faces of everyone. As several of the audience members intended to get up on stage tonight, this was a welcome warm-up where they could sing without the stress of being on stage.

Gary was inside the music again, but he surfaced from time to time to grin at the audience, who were truly enjoying themselves with the song. The mix of vocal styles was interesting, and he nodded to them with an impressed look before finishing up with the final notes.

The applause this time wasn't just for Gary, and he clapped for the audience, too.

Rocky climbed back on stage and moved to the mic as he clapped. "Thanks, Gary, incredible as ever. We're ready for our next performer, who is...." He glanced at the slip of paper in his hand. "Tracey Mulholland. Just as a reminder to the performers, you can use the karaoke machine or ask Gary to provide the music. Thanks, and enjoy!"

He climbed down from the stage, and a slim blonde with an outrageously large head of curly blonde hair joined Gary. She pointed to the machine, and Gary nodded to her. The light dimmed over Gary, and he felt himself relaxing. He smiled down at Emma, and they turned to enjoy Tracey's singing.

When she started to belt out the show tune, Gary felt like he was facing a hurricane, but at least she was in tune.

Not every act tonight would be.

-=-

An hour went by, and Gary played for most of the singers who came up on stage, which was fun! Two of the singers played their own guitars, and he got to just sit back and enjoy their numbers. One was pretty good in Gary's estimation.

He was enjoying a little break between performers, sipping his ice water, when a tall, blonde man slipped up to the stage to speak to him.

"Excuse me," the man said. "Do you know any Selina Moreno songs?"

Gary nodded. "There's only one I'd feel comfortable enough to play in front of an audience; My Soul, Your Sanctuary. It's one of her original hits and has such a beautiful intro." He eyed the man who was smiling and nodding. "Will you be singing it?"

The man smiled and looked relieved but shook his head. "My girlfriend is up next, and she'd really like to sing one of those songs. The one you mentioned would be perfect. Thanks!"

Gary glanced past the man at his girlfriend, but her face was hidden in the shadow of her hoodie. Shy but getting on stage? "Good for her!" he thought. He nodded to the boyfriend, but the man had already turned to speak into the hood, then moved to a table in the middle of the club.

The woman moved to the stairs and climbed up to stand before the microphone. She turned to face Gary and nodded to him.

He took some deep breaths to calm his mind, then began to play the intro. The audience stirred gently as they recognized the powerful ballad, but they'd never heard it played like this.

Gary immersed himself in the song, playing it with his own style, a little slower and with a more emotive touch. His eyes were closed, and he felt his way through the intricate melody.

He was unaware the woman was watching him and didn't see her nod to her grinning boyfriend.

She moved up to the mic and began to sing, matching the emotional tone of Gary's guitar, and everyone went silent. Gary continued to play as the woman's voice intertwined with his guitar perfectly.

It was magic!

-=-

Emma sat at her stage-level table, stunned as she recognized the singer was Selina Moreno. Glancing at the audience, she realized she was the only one close enough to see under the hood. The silent audience was stunned by how good the woman was.

Looking at Gary, she could see he was giving himself over to his talent, and once more, she was amazed at how deeply he connected to music. It never failed to send tingles through her when he did this.

Thinking of how they made love after he charged himself up like this also sent a thrill through her. She couldn't wait to get him back to the apartment!

-=-

When the song finally ended on a lingering yet sweet note, Gary opened his eyes and smiled down at Emma once more, but she was staring at the woman. He noticed the audience was applauding wildly. He turned his head and saw the hood had been pushed back.

Selina Moreno was a beautiful woman with a warm olive complexion. Her straight and famously long raven hair was currently hidden inside the sweater she was wearing. She was tall and slim with graceful hands wearing many rings. Those hands were pressed palm-to-palm as if praying before the dazzling smile she aimed at him. Her lovely hazel eyes showed her joy.

He smiled as now it made sense to him how well she knew the music and how effortless it had been to play for her. She was a true professional. He smiled and nodded to her.

Gary wasn't one to become star-struck as he thought elevating celebrities above everyone else was dumb, but he was honored to have been able to share the experience with someone as talented as her.

Rocky quickly climbed up the stairs to stand next to Selina and leaned toward the mic. "Thank you for an unforgettable evening. Tonight's Open Mic Night is over. Thank you!"

-=-

Gary and Emma joined Selina, her boyfriend and keyboardist, Greg Yossman, and her manager, Steffano Mancini, at a table in the back. Selina's security ensured they weren't disturbed by over-zealous fans, but the crowd was surprisingly well-behaved. Emma grinned at Gary when Rocky posed for a photo with Selina for his bar.

"What are you drinking?" Greg asked the young couple.

"Water," Gary and Rocky said together, then shared a chuckle.

Gary explained. "We're not twenty-one yet."

Selina gave Gary a stunned look. "How old are you?"

He smiled at her. "Nineteen. We're nineteen."

"You play like that, and you're only nineteen? There is such an emotional depth to your playing. Most don't get that until they've matured well past their teens and twenties, for that matter!" Selina exclaimed.

Emma grinned at her. "Gary's an old man in a young man's body."

"Hey!" he complained, but she hugged him and gave him a kiss which put a smile back on his face.

Selina just shook her head in amazement. "Greg has been checking out open mic nights at a bunch of clubs around the city looking for fresh blood for our band. He heard you play before and came back to see if you'd be here. He called me when he spotted you on the stage, and I rushed over."

Stefano leaned forward. "You definitely have talent, and you're a great match for Selina's voice. I think you'd make an excellent lead guitar for her band."

Emma's eyes widened in surprise and excitement.

Gary felt his body tensing up at the accelerated pace of the conversation. "I just play because I enjoy it, it relaxes me, and I'm not really interested in playing professionally. This small venue was about the extent of my ambition. I'm honored by the offer, but I'm going to have to decline."

Stefano stared at Gary in shock. "It's such a waste of talent to keep it hidden." He looked over at Emma. "Talk some sense into your boyfriend."

Gary looked at Emma. "Marlene thought I was wasting my talent, too."

Emma's smile softened as she recalled the pressure his old flame put on Gary's shoulders. She took Gary's hand. "The music is Gary's, and he'll decide what he'll do with it. I'm proud of his drive and ambition to be an accountant, and I know he'll be the best at that. He's already getting lots of work experience and does auditing for several businesses in the neighborhood."

Stefano snorted in frustration and seemed ready to walk away.

Selina was disappointed but took one of Stefano's cards from his pocket to write a number on the back. She handed it to Gary. "This is my personal number. If you should change your mind, and I pray that you do, please call me." She aimed a final regretful smile at him. "Thank you for tonight."

Gary smiled and nodded to her. She gathered Greg and her security people guided them outside.

Rocky looked at Gary in surprise. "That's opportunity walking out that door."

Gary just nodded to the man, who shrugged and returned to the bar.

"Are you disappointed I'm not using my music to make a living?" Gary asked Emma.

She shook her head and smiled at him. "You need to be true to yourself and your music. If that's not what you believe is your path, don't follow it." She kissed his cheek. "I'm pooped, and I want to go home."

Gary smiled and nodded, grabbed his guitar case, and held his elbow out for her.

-=-

"I'll be right there. I need to speak to Stefano for a second," Greg said to Selina, who just nodded glumly and crawled into the back of the limo.

Greg moved to Stefano's side. "Did you get the recording?"

The man smiled and pointed to the two audio men he brought along. Slung over their shoulders were satchels containing high-end audio recorders, and both nodded that their recordings were good.

"She needs this! Keep me posted," Greg said to the manager, then hustled back to the limo.

Greg would do anything to make Selina happy.

-=-

Gary tucked the guitar case in the bedroom's corner and smiled as he recalled playing for Selina. She was leaps and bounds better than anyone else he's accompanied before. He'd really enjoyed playing for a professional.

He was also proud of how he'd managed to cope in the crowded club. There had to have been close to sixty people there, which was at least triple the normal turnout.

For just a moment, he imagined what it might be like to be on stage with Selina on tour in a stadium in front of tens of thousands of people. His blood ran cold.

Shit. He wasn't over it yet. He trembled and jumped when Emma wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" she said contritely.

He turned to explain. "No, it's okayyyy... oh my. You're naked."

Emma's smile popped back, and she nodded to him. "Yes, I am. Why aren't you?" he asked with a coy grin.

Gary set a new speed record for stripping, then jumped on Emma to carry them to the mattress. She giggled excitedly, then his mouth found hers, and she moaned into the kiss.

He was still riding a high from playing, so he playfully kissed his way down Emma's neck while running his hands over her smooth skin. She squeaked and moaned from the shocks and tingles he was sending through her body, and he loved every sound from her lips.

Her breasts were modest, but her nipples were perfect, in Gary's opinion, and sensitive too. He worshipped them with his lips and tongue until she was almost vibrating with need.

With a grin, he moved down her flat stomach and sensually kissed her sweet belly button before header lower still.

"Oh god, Gary! You're driving me crazyEEEEEE--" she cried as his tongue found her pussy.

His movements became slow and sensual once more as he knew she was very sensitive down here.

Emma's body was jolting from the sensations, yet she tried to speak. "GAR--Oh! So--good! Omigod! Gary!"

He slipped a wet finger inside Emma's tight opening, pumping it into her as he stroked the roof of her pussy while concentrating on gently sucking her lower lips and clit.

Emma's fingers were in Gary's hair, holding his face against her as a quick and fierce release rocked through her.

Gary felt her inner muscles trembling and squeezing his finger.

She pulled at him to move up. "I need you inside me," she begged.

Emma was on the pill, and that was an expense they'd both gratefully accept, as skin to skin was so much better than sex with condoms.

Gary paused to stroke his cock up and down over Emma's wet lower lips as she gasped, then her insistent tugging forced the tip inside.

"Ah! Gary that feels good, but such a tease!" Emma pouted.

He smiled and stroked forward, driving more of him inside.

"Yes!" she sighed, then her heels were tugging at his ass once more.

He pulled out a little, then sank the full length of his cock into her hot depths. When their bodies were pressed together firmly, Emma gasped and wrapped her legs around Gary to pull him even tighter.

"Oh my god, Gary! You're so deep inside me! I can feel its heat and your pulse!" Emma purred.

Gary was in heaven. The intimacy was almost overwhelming. He was practically immobilized with her arms and legs wrapped around him so tightly. He smiled to himself as Emma did this instinctively when they made love. She craved the closeness, as well. He was still buzzing from playing at the bar, so he put that energy into his hips and began to rock side to side with a little twist thrown in randomly. It wasn't a large movement, but it touched all the right places for Emma, and her mouth dropped open with a sharp intake of breath.

"Fuck! Gary! Oh! Oh! AH!" she cried, her grip beginning to slip due to the onslaught of pleasure. As her legs loosened their grip, his movements sped up, and thrusts were included.

"Yes! Oh! FUCK! Gary!" Emma exclaimed as his pelvis began to slap against hers.

His need for her was driving him into a frenzy, and Emma clung to him as tightly as she felt an enormous wave of pleasure crash over her senses. "AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!" she cried as her orgasm took her.

Her inner muscles clamped down on Gary, and that was it. His release exploded through his mind, his cum jetting deep inside Emma's body.

"Oh, Gary, I can feel you filling me," she purred into his ear, and Gary trembled once more at the love in her voice.

They remained locked together until Emma relaxed her grip, allowing Gary to lie beside her. She stayed close to him as she wasn't willing to lose the intimate feel of their touch.

Gary gently kissed her forehead as she snuggled in beside him.

They sighed in unison and chuckled. This was a beautiful end to their day, and they took that thought with them into their dreams.

Chapter 2

City College was nothing like high school. The biggest difference was something Gary had on his mind more and more these days. He'd have to pay out of pocket for his courses next year, and it wasn't looking good that he'd have the money.

He was intensely resistant to the idea of applying for a loan as the last thing he wanted to do was incur debts and interest on that debt. That was a terrible path to be on so early in his life. He'd watched his parents struggling with debt for years on the farm, and it was a sensitive topic for him.

It was a little over a week since he'd met Selina Moreno, and his life had gone back to normal. He'd missed out on the previous open mic night as one of his clients asked him to review their books after their accountant made a mistake.

It was Friday afternoon after their last class, so Gary was in the cafeteria, where his study group hung out before heading off in their own directions. Everyone was present; Brock Tealson, Li Chang, Jasmine Goldman, and himself.

Brock was tall, slim, handsome, very well dressed, and the first openly gay man Gary had ever hung out with. He was learning to not act surprised when Brock said outrageous things. Gary was beginning to think Brock enjoyed teasing him.

Li was slim, cute, and intensely competitive but apologetic about it. She blamed her mother for her antisocial behaviors. She blamed her mother for many, many things. She also had a strange obsession with Brock's tales of conquest, which the man was only too pleased to discuss, especially within Gary's hearing.

Jasmine was energetic, mischievous, smart, outgoing, but perhaps too touchy-feely. She had pretty eyes, a strong nose, and full lips, which pouted frequently. She was also the shortest of the group at just a little over five feet tall, but she made up for her lack of height with overly generous curves. She was well padded but definitely not flabby. This gave her an exaggerated hourglass figure which she took every opportunity to brush and press against Gary's harder and leaner body.

She knew Gary was head over heels for Emma, but in her words, she couldn't stop herself from flirting with the only straight male in their group. She claimed it was just an innocent compulsion.

Gary wasn't so sure.

They were going over the results of the quiz they'd just completed in their last class, and Gary was feeling pleased with how he believed he'd done. Jasmine was lamenting some mistakes she'd made and gently pummeled Gary's arm before collapsing against his side when she heard he'd gotten them right.

Gary was about to ask her to sit up when he froze. The people at the next table were listening to the radio, and they had it on a little loud, but what was playing captured his attention.

Jasmine looked up at him in surprise when he didn't protest her touch. She saw his shocked expression and the direction of his gaze. Brock went to say something, but Jasmine shook her head and began listening too.

Li glanced over at the next table, and two women were listening intently with wide smiles. Li had no concept of good or bad music, so it was just noise to her. She was going to tell them to shut it off but stopped when Jasmine touched her arm and pointed to Gary's face.

As the last notes played, the DJ came back on the air. "That was Selina Moreno's latest release, a brand-new acoustic version of her hit My Soul, Your Sanctuary. The identity of the hot new guitar player backing the beauty remains a mystery but damn, can he play! Rumor has it this live recording was made in an unnamed bar somewhere in the city."

Jasmine looked at Gary, whose expression was swinging between incredulity and anger. A light bulb went off.

"Oh my god! That was you playing!" she gasped loudly as he'd mentioned he played guitar for fun. The two ladies at the next table swung their eyes over to stare at them.

Gary came out of his daze and shook his head with a frown. The women instantly lost interest in what was happening at Gary's table.

He looked at Jasmine. "Would you please keep your voice down?" he asked sternly.

"It was!" Jasmine whispered, still louder than Gary was comfortable with.

"Yes, that was me, but I didn't agree to this recording or releasing it on the radio!" he insisted.

"You should sue and get paid a lot of money!" Li asserted.

Brock nodded with a smile. "I have to agree with Ms. Chang. Sounds like you have grounds for a lawsuit if you didn't sign a release."

Gary shook his head. "I signed nothing. It was an open mic night. Selina Moreno came in incognito, and I played one of her songs. I didn't know it was her until after. I didn't see anyone recording it, and they didn't tell me they had." He fumed a little. "That's too bad. I've lost some respect for Selina. I thought she'd be a little classier than this."

"Ooo! Listen to Gary! He's on a first-name basis with famous recording celebrities!" Jasmine teased. At Gary's brief scowl in her direction, she changed tactics. "Seriously though, you should sue. You could make some money, and we know you need that."

Her blunt acknowledgment of his financial crisis wasn't welcome, even though it was true.

"The only ones who profit from a lawsuit are the lawyers, regardless if they win or lose. I'd rather not get involved in that."

He picked up his books and put them in his backpack. It was time to head off to his after-school bookkeeping job, anyway.

The others stood as well. "Sue them until they bleed cash!" Li insisted, then walked away.

Brock laughed as he watched the departing woman. "I still have to agree with her." He waved and left as well.

Jasmine pouted up at the unhappy look on Gary's face. "I'm sorry your famous friend disappointed you like this." She pulled Gary into a hug, and he was distracted from the recording by the sudden surge of pleasure from being squeezed against her plush body.

He missed her thrilled smile as she rushed away, waving over her shoulder.

Gary pushed those delicious sensations out of his mind. He had work to do and money to make.

The honest way.

-=-

At the fitness club, Emma's boss, Dennis, watched her lead a class from the back of the room. He began making faces at her, and she struggled to keep from giggling into the mic she was wearing.

Finally, she went through the cool-down steps and released her happy class from the room.

When she approached the door to the room to follow them out, she saw Dennis was waiting for her just outside. She playfully punched his thick bicep for distracting her in class. He laughed as she shook her stinging hand.

He took her hand and inspected it for damage with a smile, then he kissed it gallantly as she blushed, pulling it away.

Shaking a finger at him, she set him straight as she smiled. "You shouldn't be flirting with me as I'm seeing Gary.

Dennis just shrugged with a smile. "I can't help it if my heart tells me it's the right thing to do."

She shook her head and tried to wipe the grin from her face as she exited the hall into the main hall with row after row of exercise equipment in use. The after-work crowd was in.

A song began playing over the sound system, and Emma gasped.

"What's wrong?" Dennis asked.

Emma listened to Gary's solo, and her face showed her shock.

Dennis saw her listening, so he paused to listen as well. "That guitarist is brilliant!"

"It's Gary," she said softly.

When Selina's voice came on, Dennis looked at her in surprise. "When did your boyfriend start playing professionally?"

"He didn't. The recording is a bootleg."

They listened for a while, and Dennis caught her eye again. "Gary should be making a career out of his playing."

Emma shook her head as she walked away with a troubled look.

She missed his frustrated look as she left.

She needed to speak to Gary.

-=-

When Gary got home from his part-time job, he was carrying a bag containing their dinner: a small, pre-cooked chicken with salad.

Emma sat across the small, two-seat kitchen table, and they ate their dinner, lost in thought. She watched Gary's face as he struggled with something.

"Did you hear that Selina Moreno released a recording of the song we did at Rocky's last week?" he finally said.

"Yes. It sounded surprisingly good for a bootleg, but I was surprised to hear it at all!" she said as she watched him.

He was nodding then he looked into her eyes. "What do you think I should do? Should I call Selina and ask her to pull it?"

Emma shook her head immediately, and he looked at her cautiously, so she explained. "It's like art. Or a Genie released from a bottle. There's no way to put him back in."

Gary smiled at her and snorted. "A Genie?"

She nodded happily, and her ponytail bobbed.

He held her gaze. "I think you're a Genie."

She grinned playfully as she folded her arms in front of herself and blinked at him. "Of course, Master."

Gary gave her a hungry look, and she began to giggle. Gary lunged for her, and she was out of her seat and racing for the bedroom.

Of course, she wasn't running too fast.

-=-

Emma enjoyed the warm tingly glow drifting through her body after their lovemaking as her mind floated free. Gary's guitar solo at the beginning of Selina's song began playing in her head, and she smiled at its almost ethereal beauty. She really hoped Gary didn't ask her to pull the music from the radio.

Gary's stomach suddenly grumbled, indicating he was hungry again. He'd probably burned off dinner with their energetic bedroom activities. This brought a smile to Emma's face.

They had no food in the fridge as they hadn't picked up groceries. That was a chore for Saturdays, which was tomorrow.

Dennis' comment about Gary playing professionally popped into her head. She knew Gary wasn't ready to play in front of a stadium of people, but he'd already recorded this tune.

"Do you think Selina would be willing to pay you for the song they recorded at Rocky's? It would help our income and help feed your always hungry tummy," Emma said sweetly.

He chuckled and gave her a squeeze but said nothing.

Emma decided not to push. The music was his.

-=-

Gary stared at the ceiling as doubt began to seep into his brain. He wondered if Emma had changed her mind about his music. He was embarrassed that they were living so close to their means.

Maybe... maybe it would be a good idea to give Selina a call.

Chapter 3

Selina was ecstatic and feeling more energized than she had in years. She was also enraged and embarrassed by what her manager had done and frustrated with herself for not getting Gary's phone number.

That divine experience she'd had at the small neighborhood nightclub, and her manager's sneaky trick, had dramatically launched her back into the spotlight, but now she was stuck.

She paced back and forth in her living room as she considered knocking on every door in a three-block radius of Rocky's.

When her cell phone rang, she screamed a little.

She frantically picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hi, am I speaking to Selena Moreno?" Gary's voice asked.

"Oh my god, Gary! Thank you for calling! I'm so sorry I forgot to ask you for your number so I could call and explain what happened!

"Yeah, I was surprised and a little disappointed when I heard the song on the radio. I didn't expect you'd do that," he said a bit stiffly.

"I also wasn't aware of the recording until it was played on the radio. My manager made the recording and fast-tracked it to the stations. I'm so sorry they did that to you, but Gary, I can't say I'm sorry people got to hear it. This version of the song is pure magic! It's better than the original!"

Gary's voice indicated he was surprised by her words. "Th-that's kind of you to say."

"I'm not being kind. It's my song, but with you playing behind my vocals, you made me find emotional levels the original never captured. You did that! Now, there's been a huge resurgence in interest in my music, but the tone of the new version is so different from what I'm used to. I desperately need your help," she pleaded.

Gary was silent for a moment, then his voice returned. "I love music. I taught myself how to play, and for me, it's my happy place, where I go to escape the pressures and worries life throws my way. People tell me I should monetize it, but if I do, I risk adding it to the very things it frees me from. I discovered early on that I get bad stage fright. I play for Emma and sometimes my friends. I've been going to Rocky's for open mic night as a therapy to help me fight against that sensation of panic. Typically, Rocky's has maybe a dozen people in it, all regulars, so the night we met was an anomaly for me. I coped then because Emma was with me, and I closed my eyes and surrounded myself with the music. The idea of playing before the kind of crowds your level of talent draws completely unnerves me. I'm sorry, I'm just not up for it."

Selina's mind scrambled for anything she could do to convince him to play with her again, then it struck her. She needed to learn his new sound, and she didn't need to do that on stage. If she could jam with him, maybe even do an album, she could pick up his style or at least enough of it to give her music the new edge it needed.

"Gary, would you be willing to do a studio album with me?" he asked.

She caught him by surprise again. "Uh, what? What does that entail?" he asked.

"We'd get together and jam. Try out some songs, maybe even write a few new ones. Then we take them to a studio and record them professionally. That would help me learn how to bring out the levels of emotion your playing does for me," Selina explained hopefully.

Gary was quiet for a moment as he absorbed that. "I-I could probably do that. There wouldn't be a big number of strangers involved, right?"

Selina was doing a little dance in the living room. "No! It would be a small number of very good friends!"

"Okay, that sounds fine," he said with more confidence.

She danced a circle around her coffee table. "Could you and Emma come to my place tonight for dinner? Greg and Stefano will be there to talk about the contract stuff. I rely on them for this. Then maybe we could do some recording on Sunday?"

"I actually work on Sunday afternoons reviewing the books for a few local businesses, ensuring their bookkeeping is correct, and recently I've been doing some auditing. If you need an accountant. I'm your man!" Gary joked.

"I might consider it if you promise to keep playing with me," she teased.

Gary laughed. "Give me the time and the place, and we'll see you tonight."

She made him write down the address, and they hung up.

"EEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Selina squealed and bounced on the couch.

She hadn't felt this hopeful in years! Fresh music with deeper emotions were about to come into her life.

She quickly dialed Stefano.

"Mancini," he answered.

"Stefano! Gary called! He was pissed about the bootleg, but he said he'd be willing to do a studio album with me!"

"That's wonderful!" the man gushed. "I'm glad he came to his senses."

"We're getting together at my place at seven. Bring a contract for Gary tonight." She decided to tease Stefano. "And bring a contract for hiring Gary as an auditor as well."

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Stefano yelled. "He's nineteen! How can he even have auditor certification!"

"Stefano! I was just kidding! He's such a serious young man he said he couldn't do a recording on Sunday because he was working as a bookkeeper and doing auditing. Geez, it was just a joke."

"It wasn't very funny as it hurt my feelings. Our relationship was built on mutual respect and trust--"

"I'm sorry, Stefano. You'll be there?"

"Yes, I'll be there, with a musician's contract. Bye."

Selina scowled at the phone. A feeling of suspicion was growing in her. This was the second time Stefano had flipped out about her suggesting an audit of the books.

Maybe she'd ask Gary privately what an audit would entail.

-=-

Gary stared at his cell phone and wondered where this little diversion in his life plan would take him. He was still concerned about risking his happy place for financial gain, but he had to do something to protect his life plan and support Emma in the way she deserved.

He heard the front door open, and Emma's happy voice as she talked to one of their neighbors. Emma made friends wherever she went. He smiled as she closed the door and faced him. "Making new friends?" he asked.

"No, it was Sam and Raphael. I met them again in the laundry room this morning. Such a cute couple. He's tall, dark, and handsome in a dangerous and mysterious way, and she's blonde and pretty like a splash of sunshine. They're polar opposites but so meant for each other. So sweet! They're both in school, she's studying to be a Hospital Administrator, and he's going to be a doctor. A surgeon, actually."

Gary gave her an impressed look. "I don't think I've met them yet."

"If you hadn't slept in this morning, you could have joined me to do the laundry. Then you would have met them," Emma said with a raised brow.

"Apologies," he said contritely, and she took a kiss as compensation.

He smiled, then looked down at his phone as his doubts reared their ugly head once more. He brutally pushed them down. "I'm making us new friends, too."

"Really, who?" she asked excitedly.

"Selina Moreno and Greg Yossman. We've been invited to their place for dinner tonight. I've agreed to do a studio album with her. Her manager is coming with a contract."

Emma dropped the laundry bag and gaped at him. "Oh my god! That's huge news! But what about being on stage?"

"She said doing a studio album is more like jamming with other musicians without an audience. Then they record it. No stadiums full of people, so it's more relaxed. I think."

"That's wonderful!" she cheered.

He nodded. "It should pay for a year of my college course. I think. Maybe two?"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked carefully.

He looked at her and thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and she had the biggest heart. He couldn't do enough for her. He'd just have to be vigilant that this didn't spoil his love for music.

"Yes."

Emma rushed over and sat on his lap, covering his face with kisses. When she pulled back, she smiled at him. "I'm so happy for you! It must be such a relief to know you may be able to pay for your course with this!"

He held up his hands. "We haven't discussed compensation yet, and I haven't seen the contract. It's all just theoretical. On the practical side, we need to go get groceries!"

"Blah!" she moaned. This wasn't one of her favorite activities, but it needed to be done.

-=-

A few blocks from their home was a decent-sized grocery store. When they first moved to the city, they shopped at the smaller local shops closer to home, but as their money got tighter, they had to go further out to find cheaper prices and a bigger selection.

Emma pushed the cart while Gary hunted for and picked up the items from their grocery list. They had their favorites and tried to eat healthily, but they had to shop smart on a limited budget.

As they rounded a corner, Gary heard a familiar voice.

"Oh my god! Rock stars buy their own groceries? They're just like us little people!"

Gary looked up from his list to see Jasmine and Brock grinning at him. He glanced over at the question in Emma's eyes.

"These comedians are Jasmine Goldman and Brock Tealson. They're in my course and my study group. Group, this is Emma."

Jasmine surged closer and shook Emma's hand. "Glad to finally put a face to all those dreamy descriptions Gary treats us to."

"Enchanted," Brock said with a grin as he shook her hand as well.

"What are you guys doing here?" Gary asked. "Don't you live, like, a block away from one of these?" He gestured to the store in general.

Brock gasped dramatically. "Gary! How do you know such intimate details about Jasmine's neighborhood?" He gasped again. "Oh my god! The secret affair has been exposed by such a mundane clue!" Jasmine was hamming it up, and Gary scowled at the two of them.

"Give it a rest, Brock! A week ago, we were comparing commutes by looking at Google Maps. I noticed the grocery store on the map Jasmine showed. Seriously, what are you guys doing here?"

"I like Brock's story better." She winked at Gary, blew him a kiss, and pranced down the next aisle.

Gary stood there watching them strut away with a frown on his face. Then he looked at Emma, who was watching him.

"Do you like Jasmine?" she asked.

"A little bit less today," he griped.

"Do you like her bigger boobies?" Emma said while trying to hide her smile.

Gary snorted and looked at her incredulously.

Emma's cell chose that moment to ring, and she pulled it out of her pocket. Gary spotted a picture of Dennis, and his eyebrows went up.

Emma's smug look disappeared behind her embarrassment. The picture showed Dennis' upper body, but he wasn't wearing his shirt, and his pumped muscles were glistening with sweat. He was flexing a large bicep and smiling at the camera.

"Hello?" she said, glancing at Gary's raised eyebrow. She shook her head as she listened.

He watched her expression quickly shift to shock and dismay. "That's awful!" Gary couldn't help but feel curious about what tragedy had occurred at the gym.

"Today?" Emma squeaked, then flicked a quick look at Gary. "Can you hold for a second?" she said to Dennis, then held the phone to her chest.

"Yvonne, our lead trainer, was hit by a car and was badly hurt. Dennis needs someone to lead her classes. Starting with one this afternoon and two tonight. These are the most coveted time slots as the classes are larger, and the pay is better. Dennis is offering them to me!"

Emma looked at Gary, and he could see this was important to her, but he couldn't stop his lips from moving. "Saturday is our day."

The moment her smile began to dim, he took her free hand. "No, I'm just being silly. You have to take it. You deserve this! We'll find another time to make ours."

Emma grinned at him, and her eyes were a little glassy. She nodded shakily, then put the phone back to her ear.

"I'll do it."

Her smile widened as she listened to Dennis and Gary felt a terrible flash of jealousy against the musclebound goof who could make his Emma smile like that.

He crushed that quickly as Emma didn't need his paranoid negative feelings.

"See you shortly." Emma hung up and looked at the time on her screen. Her eyes went to Gary. "I'm so sorry, Gary. I have to leave now if I'm going to make the class. I won't be home until close to ten."

He forced a smile on his face. "Quite the complex plan to avoid grocery duty."

She burst into giggles and kissed him. He felt a little better.

Then she rushed away, and he felt a twinge in his heart.

Taking a long deep breath, he got behind the cart and looked at his list again. He aimed himself down the next aisle and moved forward. Grocery day waited for no one.

Halfway down the lane, he came to a complete stop.

Selina and Greg's dinner date. He was going to have to go without Emma.

He took another deep breath and did his best to push the funk back.

He got through two more aisles when he spotted Jasmine looking over the herbal teas. There was no sign of Brock.

"Hey," he said, and she nodded at him, then looked for Emma.

"She got a call from her work. From her boss. A great opportunity she couldn't pass up." Gary realized he was babbling, so he stopped and looked at his list. They didn't need tea. "Where's Brock?"

Jasmine snorted. "He met a cute guy, and they took off to grab lunch or each other, or both."

Gary waved a hand as he didn't need the details, then continued on his way, struggling with the funk. Jasmine walked along beside him.

"Are you okay, Gary?" she asked gently.

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah," he said noncommittally.

He'd picked up his last item, so he headed for the checkout. She joined him, and he looked at the small basket she was carrying. He saw she was just picking up some tea and a bottle of jam. He locked eyes with her.

"Okay, I actually was celebrity stalking today. I was bored and thought it might be fun to hang out with you and Emma. Brock tagged along because he's Brock and loves to tease you."

She saw how much Gary was buying. "Looks like you could use some help carrying that home."

He sighed. "Yeah, that actually would be helpful."

He paid for his items and put them into his reusable bags, which had comfortable handles.

They walked the few blocks back to his apartment, talking about the assignments they'd have next week. Gary wasn't as concerned as he was already familiar with the work since he was doing some of the steps for some local businesses. Jasmine was after him to give up his secrets.

"All I'm willing to do is help you guys during our study groups. You need to learn this stuff on your own, or it won't stick. If I see any of you taking the wrong path, I'll give you a nudge in the right direction."

"Why are you taking this course if you already know how to do this?" she asked.

He snorted. "Hey! I'm learning stuff, too! Besides, you know very well I need the course for the certification. Then I can ask for a proper salary for the work I'm doing now for minimal pay."

They got into his apartment, and Jasmine took a seat at the small kitchen table as Gary put away his groceries.

"So Brock is having yet another hook-up?" Gary asked.

Jasmine laughed. "Oh my god, you sound like an old man when you say it!"

Gary's mind went back to Emma's comment about him being an old man in a young man's body, and he smiled. "Trying not to be judgemental. I just don't see the appeal to his constant rotation through partners."

Jasmine shook her head as she grinned at him. "It's just sex! Brock is just looking for a good time. He's young, and he has time to find a life partner."

Gary shrugged. "Would you like me to make you a Caesar salad with grilled chicken?"

Jasmine grinned at him. "That would be lovely!"

He puttered around the kitchen and whipped up two salads with chicken, and they ate at the table. "All I have is water to drink."

"That would be fine," she responded. "This is lovely."

They enjoyed the meal and talked about Li's latest tirade about her mother. The woman was really turning into a Disney villain in their minds.

"So, what's next for Gary the Rock Star?" Jasmine teased.

Gary snorted softly, then thought about his news. "Well, I'm going to Selina Moreno's place tonight for dinner and to talk about recording a studio album."

Jasmine's fork dropped into her bowl as she stared at Gary in surprise. "Oh my god! That's amazing!"

"Are you going to go on tour with her? How will you do that and complete your course? Or are you leaving the Accounting World now that you're becoming a guitar legend?" Jasmine gushed excitedly.

Gary chuckled and held up his hands. "Whoa, dial it back. I'm not going on tour. I'm definitely finishing my course as I want to be an accountant. In no way do I feel like a guitar legend. I'm still learning, and I'm self-taught."

"But you may one day be on a stadium stage before thousands, yes?" she pressed.

"No. I get terrible stage fright. That's why I only agreed to do a studio album. No audience," he explained.

She thought about that for a moment as she took a final bite of her lunch. "Don't you go on stage at the local club?"

Gary nodded. "They usually have maybe a dozen people watching, and they're all locals and regulars. The night I played with Selina, the place was packed, and if it hadn't been for Emma, I wouldn't have made it.

Jasmine squirmed a little. "I've never heard you play."

Gary picked up their plates and tidied up before turning to her with a smile. "I suppose I could play you something." She grinned and clapped her hands together. "Have a seat on the couch, and I'll be right out."

He walked into the bedroom and collected his guitar from its case in the corner. Walking back out to the living area, he saw Jasmine seated at one end of the couch, but her body was turned so she could see out the window.

He took a seat at the other end of the small couch and turned slightly to face her.

"You've got a really nice place here. Warm and cozy, with good light and a great neighborhood," she said with a sigh.

Gary smiled and nodded. "We love it here. The place isn't very big, but it's easy to keep clean, and the people in the building are mostly students but not the loud and obnoxious kind. I swear Emma has met and befriended all of them."

He ran his fingers over the strings and did a little soft tuning until his ear said it was ready. He glanced up at her expression of anticipation.

"I recently learned how to do this piece, and I actually played it at Rocky's the night I met Selina. Flamenco guitar is complex and fast, so it's tough to do but so rewarding once you have it. It's helped me with playing songs from other styles." He glanced at her in embarrassment for nerding out. She was just smiling. "Anyway, this is Asturias by Isaac Albéniz."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he began. This piece took all of his concentration, but he didn't force it. It had to come from inside, so he let it flow through him.

When he was done, he relaxed back and opened his eyes to see tears on Jasmine's face. "Hey, what's with the tears?" he asked in concern, grabbing a box of tissues for her.

She dabbed her eyes but smiled at him. "I'm sorry. That was... it was the most... beautiful music."

"I think you need a dose of happy tunes," Gary said, faking a look of concern.

He began playing the William Tell Overture Finale at a comical and frenzied pace.

Jasmine burst into giggles at his seemingly chaotic speed but realized he was just hamming it up as he played a brilliant rendition. He pretended to pant when he reached the crescendo, then he grinned at her as she clapped.

"So good! You're a nut, though."

Gary immediately reached into his musical memory chest and played the Almond Joy candy bar jingle. "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't...."

Granted, Gary's vocal contributions to the song left something to be desired.

"Okay, I can tell by the pained look on your face I should stick to instrumentals," he sighed.

"You know that phrase; you have a face for radio? Maybe you have the voice for silent movies," Jasmine teased.

"Ouch!" he moaned with exaggerated hurt.

"Oh, please! You have so much talent playing the guitar you can still succeed without Freddy Mercury's vocal skills.

"That's a relief!" he grinned.

He played Here Comes the Sun, and Jasmine did a decent job singing along.

"Your singing is a definite improvement over mine," he said as he set his guitar down out of the way to rest his fingers.

"Thank you, kind sir," she said with a nod.

"I was supposed to go to Selina's tonight with Emma. She's going to be working late. Would you like to come instead? Of course, I'd have to call to confirm that's cool with Selina. You're not one of those freaky celebrity stalker types who follow them to grocery stores of anything, are you?"

Jasmine tried to contain her excitement and stuck her tongue out at Gary at his teasing.

"Give me a second." Gary dialed Selina's number again. She picked up on the third ring.

"Hi! What? Yes, I'm still coming, but Emma can't make it. Would it be okay if I brought a friend I go to college with? Yes? Cool. We'll see you at seven. Thanks!"

Gary looked at Jasmine. "You're in."

Jasmine launched herself across the couch with a happy squeal and grabbed Gary in a hug.

He was caught by surprise, and her delightfully cushioned body felt good, but he disengaged her as quickly and gently as possible. She smiled at him happily as his face heated up. That's when he noticed her excitement was showing against her tight top. Visible bumps from what must be gumdrop-sized nipples were pushing the fabric. Gary looked away and was sure his face was about to ignite.

They spent the next hour talking about their families. Jasmine was enchanted by his tales of working on the farm and begged him to show her his mom's vlog.

"Oh my god, that's so sweet! I have to subscribe to this!" Jasmine gasped and quickly found the channel on her cell to hit the like and subscribe buttons.

"Great. Mom now has three subscribers," Gary said uneasily.

"You aren't ashamed of your mom, are you, Gary?" Jasmine asked with wide eyes.

"No! I think she's one of the most awesome women I know. It's just... her vlog is pretty basic, and the content she's sharing, I grew up with it, so it's not very interesting to me. I don't know how others will perceive it. The Internet can be a pretty mean place. I don't want anyone picking on my mom," Gary said defensively.

Jasmine nodded. "I agree. It can be an ugly place, but there are a lot of women like your mom testing out the water and expressing themselves. My bubbee, which means grandmother, is one of them. She has an account on here with videos on cooking. She's learned a lot and got my mame, mother, to create an account to make videos about how she makes clothes. I'm going to share your mom's account with them and let them know she's another pioneer like them. They can give her tips on improving her production values, but her content is wonderful. It's genuine and sweet, something that's becoming a rarity in social media."

"Oh! Thank you. I think she'd like that. Let me send her a quick message to let her know she might get some contacts." Gary banged out a quick email to his mother, letting her know she had a subscriber and might get contacted by like-minded vloggers.

Gary described how his mother was the only one he was still in touch with. "My dad lost any interest in me when I told him I wasn't following in his footsteps. He was actually pretty angry and made my life miserable in my last year at home. Mom kept me from losing my mind. My sisters and brother didn't want anything to do with me."

Jasmine gave him a sad look. "Did you ever play your guitar for them?"

He thought back and realized he hadn't. "No, I guess I was too focused on moving on, getting away from my father. I didn't give them much attention either. When I left, I gave my truck to my younger brother, Dale. He's going to be a farmer like dad. Sarah and Heather are both younger than Dale... and I have no clue what plans they had."

"It's never too late to reach out an olive branch and just say hello," Jasmine suggested.

He looked at her and nodded. "What about your family? Do you get along with everyone?"

She burst into laughter. "Not at all! I have three sisters and four brothers. The difference is, we're involved with each other's lives too much! Never have you met a more annoyingly clingy bunch!"

Gary barely managed to keep a straight face as he nodded thoughtfully.

Jasmine was really easy to talk to outside the school environment, and they had hours to fill.

-=-

Emma made her way to the front of the class and felt a thrill rush through her at how many people were smiling back at her. It was showtime, so she'd start with an introduction.

"Hello, everybody. My name's Emma, and I'll be your captain on this flight. Yvonne is recovering from an accident. I don't have any details, but we're all pulling for a speedy recovery. In the meantime, I'm familiar with your routine," she paused to flash them all a wide grin. "But I'm going to add just a little more energy to make you all sweat and feel good!"

That sent a ripple of excitement through them.

"Let's get into formation. It's time to move!" She flashed her brightest grin at them and felt their excitement levels rise again.

Emma started the class with Gary and Selina's song as it was slow and soulful. She took them through their stretches slow and deep and saw smiles on every face. She gave a few encouraging words as the song reached its end and the pace increased.

She gradually increased the energy until they were all moving hard and fast in sync. Emma poured her power into them, and they ate it up and asked for more.

Forty-five minutes later, she brought the session to a close with Selina's new song again and eased everyone into a calm state.

"Thank you for your energy. You were awesome!"

The group cheered for her, and she gave them all a huge smile and bowed.

As the class broke up, one of the clients approached her with a wide grin on her face. "You added more than a little energy to our session! That was wonderful! You managed the class so well!"

Emma beamed a grateful smile. "Thank you!"

"I hope Dennis gives you as good a contract as Yvonne negotiated with my help. I'm Nancy Delaney. I'm a partner at Kirkman, Douglas, and Delaney. I specialize in contracts. If this temporary replacement looks like it might become permanent, give me a call."

Emma was surprised when the woman handed her a business card. It was waterproof!

Nancy smiled. "Protected to maintain its integrity, like me." Emma giggled and nodded to her.

The lawyer's friends began calling her, so she smiled once more at Emma and left with a wave over her shoulder.

Emma gathered her stuff and put it into the small duffel she carried into these sessions. The business card went into the side pocket.

When she left the studio after the crowd, she met Dennis, and he was pumped with excitement!

"I knew you had it in you! I was watching, and you did an amazing job in there! I received glowing reviews of your performance from the clients as they left. They said that your vitality made a huge difference, and they enjoyed the session more than Yvonne's. They want me to keep you!

Emma's grin couldn't get any wider, and he picked her up and spun her around. Her face was bright red as he set her on her feet, and she struggled to contain her giggles. Tingles raced up and down her spine as she waved and headed to the showers.

Her first outfit went into her laundry bag in her locker. She took a quick shower, but her mind repeatedly flashed back to the memory of Dennis' big muscles against her. Finally, with a growl of frustration, she got out, dried off, and pushed the thoughts from her head as they confused her. She pulled on her second set of workout clothes and checked to ensure she had her third set in her bag. She spotted the business card but smiled and shook her head. This was only an interim replacement. Once Yvonne was better, she'd take her classes back.

When she began to do her rounds on the floor, she became aware of more clients smiling at her, and Emma recognized some from the session she'd just done. They complimented her in front of the other clients. Word of mouth was getting around.

Dennis was also on the floor, and he was grinning and doing high fives with her each time they passed. He was acting like a kid, and that made her laugh.

When it was time for her second session, she greeted the group and noticed how excited they seemed. They must have heard good things about her earlier class.

She felt their positive mood filling her with power, and she was ready to feed it right back.

"Let's begin!"

Chapter 4

"That was delicious! Thank you so much for the meal and the wine!" Gary said with a grin to his host.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't," Selina added with a grin of her own.

He'd nursed one glass through the dinner to be social. It was nice, but he preferred water and sipped at that too.

Jasmine had two glasses but showed no ill effect from it at all. She was just as effervescent as she typically was.

Selina and Greg were excellent hosts, and they'd kept the conversation away from anything business-related during the meal. They'd talked about travel, family, living in the city and listened attentively when Gary or Jasmine spoke. Of the two of them, Jasmine was definitely the talker.

As they were enjoying a light dessert, Selina looked at Gary with a twinkle in her eye. "I truly enjoyed our session at Rocky's. Doing the new version of My Soul, Your Sanctuary was inspiring and generated a lot of interest. I've been thinking of releasing an album of my other most popular tracks with the same style. What do you think?"

Gary looked at her in surprise. "You're asking me?"

Selina grinned. "Yes! What you did for My Soul, Your Sanctuary was beautiful. I'm hoping you might lend your talent to update ten to twelve of my favorites."

He thought about that and nodded. "It's possible, but wouldn't it be better to include one or two new tracks to increase the demand?"

Greg grinned. "Now you're thinking like a businessman! Are you sure you haven't worked in the biz before?"

Gary chuckled but shook his head. "I'm a complete newb."

Greg looked over at Selina, who was deep in thought. "What do you think, babe? Any platinum singles rolling around in that pretty head of yours?"

"I have some lyrics I wrote last year that I just can't find the right sound for," she said quietly and looked at Gary.

He stared back at her until a smile suddenly appeared on Selina's face, and she ran upstairs to the second floor. She came rushing back with her journal.

"This one is my favorite," she said and read the words to them as they listened intently.

Greg hopped to his feet, went into the next room, and returned with a portable keyboard and stand. He plugged it in next to his chair. "This is what it made me think of," Greg said as he played a few bars until Selina shook her head.

She looked to Gary. "What do you think?"

He looked back at her awkwardly. "If I'd known we'd be doing this, I'd have brought along my guitar."

"You have something, though, don't you," Selina asked eagerly. Greg rushed from the room once more.

Gary nodded cautiously. "But first, how do you feel it should sound."

Selina smiled. "For me, it feels more like a sweet but sad ballad because it's about lost love."

Gary smiled and nodded as that was more in tune with what he was thinking. Greg's version had been a little too mournful.

Greg returned with an apologetic look on his face. "We don't have any functional acoustic guitars. I do have this really sweet electric. Can you play one of these?"

"I've played one once, and that went well," Gary admitted.

Greg smiled and handed him the guitar. As Gary adjusted the strap and familiarized himself with the instrument, Greg returned with a practice amp and plugged it in. He connected the guitar to the amp, turned the guitar's volume dial to max, then turned the amp on and turned up its volume before nodding to Gary.

Plucking a string, Gary was surprised by the sudden volume. "Isn't that too loud for your neighbors?"

Selina grinned. "We had the place soundproofed before we moved in. The noise that does get through isn't much, and most of our neighbors are seniors with poor hearing."

Gary nodded and practiced a little on his favorite flamenco piece, getting the instrument's feel. "The sound is a little bright. Can we make it warmer?"

Greg was grinning at Selina as he was impressed so far. He nodded quickly to Gary. "Sure!" He adjusted the amp, and the new tone immediately brought a smile to Gary's face.

"Yeah, that's much better. Thanks!" he said as he nodded to the man. He looked at Selina. "This is what your lyrics brought to my mind."

He started off soft, with an almost hopeful intro, drawing his audience closer. He allowed the notes to become gently melancholy but still tinged with hope. When he reached the chorus, the tone changed again as his heart ached, recalling Selina's lyrics revealing the loss.

"YES!"

Gary jolted out of his music at Selina's exclamation. He looked at her in concern, but she was grinning wildly. She suddenly seized his head between her hands and kissed him. Before he could react to that, she released him and rushed over to jump into Greg's arms laughing in delight. Gary stared at them in confusion as Greg looked back at Gary in surprise.

Selina was still clinging to Greg, but she turned her gaze to Gary. "That's the sound I've been looking for! It's perfect!"

"Oh! Okay," Gary mumbled. He looked over at Jasmine, who was staring at him in awe. He rolled his eyes as he sighed.

Selina released Greg as she got her feet on the floor again. "Get the recorder!"

Once more, Greg disappeared into the next room. He returned with a rolling cart with various pieces of electronics piled on it. The cart was plugged into the wall, then Greg disconnected the cord from the practice amp and plugged it into a patch panel on the cart. He ran a second cable from the cart back to the amp. His keyboard was next to be plugged into the board, then he handed Selina a microphone.

Gary watched all of this with fascination, but he wasn't sure what some of these cables were for. He caught Selina's eye as she turned back from the cart with the mic in her hand.

"A-are we going to do the studio album now?" he asked hesitantly. "I haven't signed anything yet."

Greg grinned at him. "There's that business mind again. So good to see that in someone with a strong creative side."

"Hey!" Selina exclaimed in mock pain.

"Sorry, babe, but you know you don't have a lick of business savvy in your brilliant and pretty head," Greg teased.

He looked back at Gary as Selina pouted. "This isn't for the studio. Whenever we jam, we have the recorder going to capture ideas we might otherwise lose. We can come back and review bits and decide to incorporate them into the tracks we finally decide to record in the studio. This machine will faithfully record what you and I play and lets Selina's lovely voice blend in on a separate track."

Gary nodded with a smile as that made a lot of sense to him.

"Can we do that again, what you were playing?" Selina asked Gary with a hopeful smile.

He grinned at her. "As long as you don't shock me out of the song again."

She grinned playfully, and Greg started the recording, nodding to her. She lifted the mic to her mouth. "Saturday the fifteenth, Selina, Greg, and special musical guest Gary Truman. Audience of one, Jasmine Goldman. Recording Untitled Song 376."

"Not the most romantic name," Gary teased.

"Pffft! I'll come up with a name later. Take it away, Gary!"

He smiled and made himself comfortable once more. He began playing, and his eyes closed as he opened himself to the melody.

He didn't see Selina and Greg grin at each other, then Jasmine. Greg picked up the tune as Gary finished the intro, and Selina's voice eased into the song as she held her journal in front of her to see the words.

When she reached the chorus, Selina's voice caught in her throat slightly at Gary's guitar, soulfully weeping for lost love. She just managed to keep singing through it and then continued into the second verse.

After her second pass through the chorus, Gary obviously felt flush with inspiration as the sounds from his guitar swelled like his heart was being torn in two. Greg did his best to accompany him, but the guitar ruled the bridge. As the tone aching softened, Selina returned with the chorus then Gary eased them out with a gentle outro.

-=-

Jasmine was stunned.

She'd just witnessed the creation of a song, from lyrics to completion in two steps.

She knew it wouldn't have been possible without Gary's emotional connection to his music.

They'd been going to school with each other for months, and Gary never demonstrated any outbursts of emotion.

Today, Jasmine spent the entire day with the man, and she'd come to the conclusion that he was the most cool and level-headed young man she'd ever met. He could be funny and enjoyed laughing, but nothing really riled him up enough to demonstrate strong passions. Gary was the antithesis of every member of her family. She'd almost begun to think the man was somehow disconnected from his emotions, or perhaps he just didn't have any real emotional depth.

Then this.

She'd watched his face closely as he played, and it was clearly apparent that he was intensely connected to his emotions while he played. They were deep and rich, and he could express them so clearly with a guitar in his hands.

She fought back the tears as she was so moved.

If only he wasn't so head over heels in love with Emma.

-=-

Selina watched Greg, who reached over and turned off the recording. He checked the file and confirmed it was good.

Gary blinked as he came out of the music and smiled at Selina. "Was that okay?"

Selina burst into giddy laughter and rushed over to give Gary a hug. It was an awkward effort with the guitar between them, but Gary grinned happily, just the same. "So, you liked it."

"Gary, it was beautiful!" she sighed. She glanced over at Jasmine. "Don't you think so?"

The young woman forced the lump in her throat down and nodded quickly.

"She's speechless! That's the highest level of achievement for her! I'm honored!" Gary teased her.

Jasmine finally rallied. "I was going to say nice things about your playing, but now I don't think I will!" she harrumphed. She might have pulled it off if her voice hadn't wobbled so badly.

Selina and Greg chuckled.

"That right there is a guaranteed money maker!" Greg asserted, pointing to the recorder.

There was a thump on the front door, and Greg hopped to his feet.

When he returned, Stefano was with him. Gary picked up immediately that the man was uncomfortable being there and wondered if it was him.

"You have to hear this!" Selina gushed, and Greg played the song back for him.

Gary could tell there was a definite quality difference between this recording and the polished product that he'd hear on the radio, but it was still pretty damn good.

Selina's smile was threatening to split her face. "What do you think?"

Stefano was clearly impressed and stared at the recorder with a hungry look, then glanced over at Gary before turning to Selina. "I've never heard that one before. I thought you said you'd be redoing your hits."

"It's new! I sang the lyrics once to Gary, then we recorded it in one take!" she said excitedly.

"Shit!" Stefano exclaimed quietly and glanced at Gary again.

Gary was definitely picking up that it was him that Stefano was uncomfortable with. It had to be guilt from making the bootleg.

"Listen, I can't stick around, but I brought the standard contract for Gary to sign," Stefano asserted.

"I'll need you to explain it to me as this is the first musician's contract I've ever seen. I have questions," Gary said with a smile.

"I don't have time tonight," Stefano blustered.

Greg scowled at the man. "Did you not hear the magic we just played? We're sitting on a goldmine!"

The older man forced the contract into Greg's hand. "You explain it to him and get the signature then. I've got places to be! I'll be back for that in the morning."

Everyone watched as Stefano quickly walked back to the front door and left. Greg followed and locked it. When he returned, he shrugged at Selina's pissed expression.

"What is wrong with that man?" Selina griped.

"Was it something I said?" Gary asked in confusion.

"I'll speak to him in the morning," Greg said and dropped the contract on the coffee table. He knew what would bring Selina's good mood back. "What classics of yours were you thinking Gary's style might work best with?"

Selina's mood instantly lifted back to joy as she flipped through the pages of her journal. Greg shared a grin with Gary.

They agreed. There was nothing better than putting a smile on your loved one's face.

-=-

Emma was exhausted but also ecstatic. Her last session had been the best of the three, and everyone cheered loudly as they finished. Behind the glass at the back of the class, other clients had stopped their own workouts to watch the high-energy synchronized movements of her session. After, there were so many happy faces that her cheeks hurt from her constant smiling. The rest of her body was pretty pooped too.

She'd put so much energy into her routines, or rather Yvonne's routines but with a kick up from her.

The clients ate it up and asked for more!

Her skin was prickling with the excess adrenaline still circulating through her. She was also starving! She hoped Gary didn't have trouble finishing the grocery run after she left.

She stepped from the shower and dried off once more. She put on her going home clothes and stuffed her laundry bag into her gym bag. She'd have to wash these items tomorrow morning to prepare them for her next classes.

She'd get to do this all over again!

Another thrill rushed through her.

As she walked toward the locker room door, she came to a sudden halt.

Selina Moreno! She was supposed to visit the woman with Gary tonight! She'd gotten so wrapped up in herself that she'd forgotten completely!

She instantly felt bad. She dialed Gary's cell, but it immediately went to voicemail, which likely meant he'd gone on his own and didn't want to disturb his hosts with its ringing.

"Sorry, Gary. I just realized I was supposed to go to Selina Moreno's home with you. I hope you went and are enjoying yourself. I'll see you at home. I love you!"

She didn't like leaving messages as they always felt so empty.

Emma left the changing room and walked toward the exit. She spotted Dennis waiting for her with his silly smile in place. He was dressed in a dark jacket and an open-necked white dress shirt over charcoal grey slacks and black loafers. Due to his large muscles, he looked a little intimidating until you saw the delighted little boy smile. Her face hurt a little more as she answered that smile.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked. He was normally gone before the last session as he was in so early.

"Who could leave and not witness that incredible performance? You had them all screaming your name at the end!" he gushed.

She giggled. "Don't be ridiculous! They were not!"

"Okay, but they were all cheering loudly, which I haven't seen happen since the early days when Yvonne and I opened the club."

"What happened to her?" Emma immediately asked as her stomach grumbled.

He looked at her. "How about I buy you a meal before you starve, and I can fill you in."

"You don't have to do that!" Emma exclaimed.

"You really saved our asses today, so please accept my thanks in the form of a meal. It's the least I can do."

Emma thought about going home to the empty apartment and making herself dinner. A free meal would save on their grocery bill, so she nodded.

He gestured for her to lead the way, then joined her on the sidewalk. "There's a really nice restaurant at the Hilton a few doors down. They make an exquisite Caesar salad with grilled chicken."

That's what she and Gary had planned to have for lunch today, so she nodded happily.

It didn't take long to get to the hotel, and they went up to the restaurant on the second floor to get a cozy table for two by the window. This allowed them to watch the people going by down below.

Dennis ordered two glasses of white wine. Emma protested, but he insisted a toast was required this evening as he had big news.

Curious, she held her tongue, and the wine was delivered.

"There were so many clients who stopped to tell me how impressed they were with your energy, spirit, and friendliness. You really won them over. I was so impressed I'm considering doing an ad campaign with you as the focus," Dennis said seriously.

Emma was stunned. This was huge! Personal publicity and marketing were so expensive, and Dennis was offering it to her for free! Getting backing of this kind could really be a springboard for her career!

He raised his glass, and she did as well. The wine was pretty good though she had no experience with it or any alcohol for that matter. Her family weren't drinkers.

"This could launch a new career for you!" he said, supporting her own thoughts. They toasted again, then she ordered dinner. Dennis had the same.

Dennis peppered her with questions about growing up on a farm and living in such a small town. She discovered another glass of wine, and she raised more toasts.

They talked until closing, and she was tipsy from the three glasses of wine he'd ordered for her, so they shared a taxi back to her place.

"I'm really proud of you and thankful you helped us today so magnificently," he said as the cab stopped by her front door.

"Thank you so much for your confidence in me. I really appreciate it, and I'm looking forward to the classes tomorrow."

"I'll see you there!" he said with a grin and leaned forward to hug her. She let out an involuntary sigh, feeling his arms around her, and he gave her a peck on the lips before opening her door. She stepped out and walked to her door, wobbling just a little, her gym bag hanging from her shoulder as she looked back. He pointed to the door, indicating he was waiting for her to be safely inside.

She fumbled with her keys and felt someone walk up behind her. She turned and saw the tall, dark, and handsome man waiting for her to open the door.

"Hey, Chico! Back off!" Dennis said, surging out of the cab.

The man turned to Dennis and locked eyes with him. "I live here."

Emma blinked as his deep voice kick-started her memory. "Raphael! I'm so sorry, my brain isn't working too well right now." She looked to Dennis, who'd paused halfway across the sidewalk. "It's okay, Dennis. Raphael is my neighbor. I'll see you tomorrow."

Dennis got back into the cab with a final glance at Raphael and drove away.

"Do you have your keys?" Raphael asked Emma.

"Yes, but I guess I'm a little tipsy. I couldn't find it on the ring," Emma said.

Raphael used his key and got them inside. She needed his help to make it up the stairs, too.

"You seem more than tipsy," he remarked as he got her to her door.

Emma looked up at Raphael and, not for the first time, admired his sensual mouth. Sam was a lucky girl.

Mouth. Something about her mouth. Wait, did Dennis kiss her?

-=-

Sam heard Raphael's voice and opened her door. When she saw Emma leaning against the wall next to her door, she rushed over with a concerned look.

"I don't drink. But we were celebrating tonight," Emma said with a smile.

"You and Gary?" Sam asked and looked past them.

"I don't think so unless Gary is a musclebound mouth-breather," Raphael said to Sam.

Emma looked at him in surprise. "Dennis isn't like that!"

Raphael looked into her glassy eyes. "You told him you don't drink, but he insisted?"

"To celebrate my good fortune," Emma said weakly.

He looked at Sam. "When I stood behind Emma waiting to get in, this bro called me Chico, told me to back off, and began to come at me."

Emma shook her head. "He-he was just being protective." She blinked. "He called you Chico?"

Raphael shook his head wearily as he was done trying to explain. He had little patience for drunks these days. Besides, he knew a racist bro when he faced one. "I'm tired and hungry. Goodnight."

He walked past and went into their apartment with a final look at Sam.

The pretty blonde took Emma's hand. "Where's Gary?"

"He's having dinner with Selina Moreno. I was supposed to go with him, but this opportunity at work came up."

Sam blinked at Emma. She passed up dinner with a legendary singer to work? "What was the opportunity?"

"I got to lead the largest classes in the most coveted time slots. More money, and it went so well Dennis is thinking about doing an advertising campaign spotlighting me. This is huge for my career!" Emma said with a smile, then it dropped away. "Dennis didn't tell me what happened to Yvonne!" she said in frustration.

"Who's Yvonne?"

Emma looked at her. "She's the one whose classes I led. Dennis said something about Yvonne being in a car accident." She suddenly frowned. "God, I must sound awful calling this an opportunity!"

"It's sad news for her, but someone has to lead the classes. It does sound like it will help your career. Good for you!" Sam said and watched Emma's smile return, but it was shaky. Best to change the topic.

"Can I ask how Gary knows Selina Moreno?" Sam said carefully.

Emma nodded with a grin. "Did you hear her latest song on the radio?"

"My Soul, Your Sanctuary! Yeah, it's an awesome new version!" Sam gushed.

Emma's smile got wider. "That was Gary playing the guitar."

Sam's jaw dropped. "Oh my god! He's really good! I thought he was going to be an accountant!"

Emma nodded. "He is. Music is something he does to relax. But Selina wants to do a studio album with him." A huge yawn forced its way out of her as she rested back against the wall.

Question time was obviously over. "Let's get you inside before you fall asleep," Sam suggested and used Emma's keys to open the door for her. Once Emma was inside, Sam left her keys on the table just inside the door. "Emma, lock up behind me."

The woman turned and nodded, so Sam stepped into the hall and pulled the door closed. When she heard the lock snick closed, she relaxed, went to her door, and went inside, locking it behind her.

She turned to see Raphael standing in his underwear in the kitchen, eating the sandwich she'd prepared for him. He smiled gratefully at her.

"Thank you for dinner," he sighed.

"You could pack a dinner and take it with you," she suggested.

Raphael shook his head. "Too many thieves at work."

The meatpacking plant wasn't the gentlest part-time job a man could have, but Raphael was used to hard manual labor and was more aware of the dangers around him than most.

After his last bite, Sam walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his gorgeous body. That sent a zing through her own.

"Did you hear that Selina Moreno song on the radio?" she asked.

"Is that the one with the mystery guitarist? I heard the others talking about it at work," he said.

"It's Gary."

Raphael pulled back a little to look into her eyes. "What? The guitarist? That's our neighbor?"

Sam smiled and nodded. "And Selina Moreno wants to do a studio album with him. He's having dinner with her tonight. Emma was supposed to go too, but she had to work."

Raphael hugged the beauty to his chest as he thought about that. He wasn't one to get involved in other people's drama, but maybe Gary could use a heads up about the man getting his girl drunk. He was surprised the bro didn't try to get her inside to make a move on her.

"Little tight. You're squeezing me," Sam squeaked.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" he said, releasing her.

Sam smiled wickedly. "You'll just have to make it up to me somehow."

Raphael snorted softly, then Sam was over his shoulder as he carried her to the bedroom. He knew what she wanted.

He knew just how she wanted it, too.

-=-

Emma stood facing the empty apartment and felt a little sad. She also felt guilty about celebrating her success because of someone else's misfortune.

She was also feeling guilty about enjoying being hugged by Dennis, and then there was that kiss.

It wasn't anything, really. Just a little congratulations kiss between friends. But he shouldn't have done it. She knew if she hadn't been drunk, she would have stopped him.

Emma recalled Raphael's disapproval of Dennis giving her alcohol. She winced as she kind of agreed with him. She should have said no. She could have toasted with water.

Glancing at the clock, she realized how late it was. Gary wasn't home, but he was likely having a good time with Selina and Greg.

More guilt washed over her. She should have been there for him. But if she had, she would have missed the chance to really shine at work.

Besides, Gary knew she had to go. He told her to.

Confused and exhausted, she wandered across the room to lie down on the couch to wait for Gary. She immediately sat up, and the room spun.

When it stopped, she took a deep breath over the cushions, and there it was.

Perfume.

Emma didn't wear perfume. Who did Gary bring back to their apartment--Jasmine! The woman was sniffing around after Gary at the grocery store. She probably offered to help him carry the groceries home!

Something Emma should have done.

She pushed herself to her feet. Her mind was traveling in circles, and the waves of guilt and suspicion weren't making her feel better.

Time to go to bed.

Alone.

Chapter 5

Gary woke up on a couch feeling a soft weight resting on his body. His morning wood pressed against that softness, and he stretched languidly, thinking it was Emma.

When he put his hands on her body, he suddenly realized she was too well-cushioned to be Emma.

He jolted to full awareness and looked down his body to see Jasmine smiling up at him sleepily.

"Uh, may I get up, please?" he said softly, as he could see Selina and Greg sleeping on the opposite couch.

She reluctantly slid off, enjoying the feel of his hard body.

As Gary lurched to his feet, he bumped into the coffee table, rattling some glassware in his haste. Wine glasses for Selina, Greg, and Jasmine with a regular water glass for him. He glanced at the wall clock and relaxed as he still had time to go home and grab a shower before he began visiting clients for bookkeeping.

"Sorry, good morning! I have to go. I-I hadn't planned on staying over," he stammered.

Selina stretched like a cat in a sunbeam and grinned at him. "Last night was so amazing! I haven't felt this creatively charged in years!" She looked at Greg. "How many songs did we get through?"

Greg was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He was obviously not a morning person. "Uh... eight--no, nine... I think," he grunted.

"Not counting the new one?" Selina said happily.

Greg bobbed his head. "Right. Not counting that one." He yawned hugely.

Selina's smile was extra wide. "When can we get together to do the studio album?"

Gary reviewed his busy week schedule. Today, he'd visit his clients, and this was exam week, so it would have to wait until the weekend. Then he realized Saturday wasn't reserved for Emma-time as she had those new shifts.

"Uh, I guess Saturday is open now. I--we have exams this week, so it will have to wait until then." He held Jasmine's eye, and she nodded as she knew he was telling her to concentrate on that, not teasing him.

She looked to their hosts. "Thank you for an amazing evening. Watching the creative process was breathtaking! I look forward to listening to the finished album!" Jasmine sighed happily, and Selina gave her a thrilled smile in return.

Gary and Jasmine pulled on their jackets, said their goodbyes, and headed out into the early morning light.

As they walked, Gary glanced over at the smug little smile on Jasmine's face and wondered what that was about. "Listen, I'm sorry about that whole sleeping on the couch thing."

"I'm not. I enjoyed the night, especially how I woke up," the woman grinned.

"Jasmine, I'm with Emma," he said firmly, and she just nodded with a sly smile.

They said their goodbyes at the subway, and Gary went home. As he let himself into the apartment, he spotted Emma sitting at the kitchen table, the empty laundry bag at her feet.

He hung up his jacket and went to her. "Good morning. Sorry about last night. Selina was so enthusiastic about jamming that we lost track of time and fell asleep on her couches." He felt a stab of guilt for Jasmine's taking the liberty of sleeping on him. Emma stood to face him, and he saw she was looking a little rough this morning. "Hey, are you okay?"

When he got close, Emma pulled back as she picked up the scent of Jasmine's perfume all over his body! Her expression darkened. "Why do you smell like perfume? Why does our couch?"

Gary leaned back in surprise at her sharp tone. "Jasmine helped me bring the groceries home yesterday as I had too much to carry. We had lunch and talked all afternoon as she had nothing better to do. I invited her to go with me to Selina's as I didn't want to go alone. I'm sorry about the perfume. You know I don't like the smell either."

"Why didn't you come home last night?" Emma was still upset.

Gary shook his head. Hadn't he just explained that? He looked closer at Emma. "We played music until sometime after two in the morning and flaked out in the living room. Everyone but me was drinking wine." He saw Emma flinch and wondered what that was for.

He was about to ask when her cell on the kitchen table rang. They glanced down, and there was Dennis' sweaty torso again.

Emma scooped it up, her face burning with embarrassment, and answered.

"Good morning, Dennis." Emma listened for a bit, then glanced at Gary. "Yes, I can be there. Thank you so much! See you then." She hung up and looked at Gary.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I was a hit in the new classes I took over. It was such a huge success with the clients that Dennis is going to do an ad campaign featuring me."

"That's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" he gushed but felt a twinge of jealousy because another man was responsible for it. He forced that down. He moved forward to kiss her, but Emma put a hand on his chest and her other one over her nose.

"Oh! Right. Sorry about the perfume. I-I'm gonna go take a shower." He stopped to smile at her. "Would you like to join me?"

"I-I can't. I need to get the laundry before heading out to meet Dennis at the photo studio," she said awkwardly. He just nodded as she headed to the door.

When the door thumped closed, Gary sighed and turned to walk into the bathroom. He really wanted to get out of these clothes as they reminded him of Jasmine... and how good she felt lying across his body.

It was Gary's turn to feel his face burning.

Maybe that would wash off in the shower too.

-=-

Dennis stood in the photographer's outer office as the man prepared the studio. He'd used his buddy Dino's service before, but the billboard near the gym and the bus shelters in strategic locations in the nearby business district would cost him quite a bit. This had to go smoothly.

The key selling feature of this ad was Emma. She epitomized the youth, vitality, and health his gym was selling. The trouble was, Dennis also needed her sex appeal, and the girl was a prude.

Emma was beautiful, and her smile was instantly enchanting. Everyone who came to the gym said they felt drawn to her friendly, open nature. The fitness gear she wore was tight, but it didn't show off her body as blatantly as it could or, in his opinion, should.

Dennis picked up uniforms that she and he would wear for this shoot, which added an extra zing to the photos. His task would be convincing Emma to play along. He was wearing his already, so to be a team player, she should too.

"Okay, all set. All we need now is the girl," Dino said as he smiled at his friend.

Dennis nodded. "The pictures should emphasize youth, vitality, and virility. We want sexy and happy but don't make any references to sexiness, or we'll lose Emma. She's a tight-ass in more ways than one."

"Yeah, I got it. We'll be classy and healthy," Dino said. He looked to the front door. "Where is she? I have a swimwear shoot to do after yours. Time is money."

Dennis held up his hands to calm the man as the front door opened. Emma rushed in, slightly out of breath from running.

"Okay, I'll be in the studio. Change rooms are in the hall leading to the back. Let's go!"

Dennis grinned at Emma, who smiled in return. Her eyes went to his new fitness wear.

"That's a new look for you," she said, dragging her eyes away from some obvious bulges.

"It's for the shoot," he said with a smile glancing down at himself. "I have one for you."

Emma blinked at him. "What? What's wrong with my usual outfit?" she asked nervously.

"Nothing! This is for the campaign. We're promoting youth, health, and vitality. There will likely be a rebranding with a new color scheme. This is all part of the marketing. It looks good, yes?" Dennis said as he grinned happily.

Emma couldn't help but return his smile as he looked like a kid in a candy shop. "Fine," she sighed dramatically.

Dennis handed her the bag containing her outfit. "I'll meet you in the studio. Don't take too long. We only have Dino for an hour."

They walked into the back, and Dennis pointed to the change room as he continued on his way. He could almost feel her eyes on his ass.

He restrained the urge to flex his glutes. Barely.

-=-

Emma stood in the change room eyeing the uniform hesitantly as the top was barely more than a dark purple bra and the French Cut bottoms looked like they'll be too small.

She frowned but stripped down and pulled the fitness outfit on. Staring at herself in the mirror, she admitted she looked good, but this was more skin than she felt comfortable showing in public. Fighting her misgivings, she walked down the hall to enter the studio. It was bright, airy, and very professional, making her a little more comfortable. It was also a little too chilly. She wrapped her arms around her chest to warm up. Dennis was standing on the set, a green screen with no visible edges. He grinned at her and gestured her over quickly, and she marched over to stand next to him.

She planted her feet, her fists on her hips in a defiant pose as she looked at Dennis.

The strobes went off, and she blinked. She hadn't been ready. She held up her hands towards the photographer. "Hold on! I'm not ready, and I can't wear this. It's much too revealing, and I'm not comfortable showing this much. I'm going to put on my own gear."

Before Dennis could argue, she turned and marched away. She needed to stand up for herself, so that's what she was going to do.

-=-

Dennis watched Emma march away and tried not to drool at how incredible her ass looked in the new gear.

He heard a sound and saw Dino gesturing for him to come over quickly. He went to stand next to the man. "What's up?"

"I can't believe it, but I got a killer shot of her body in one try. The problem is her face. Her expression is too grim. If you can make her smile, I can merge her smiling head on this body, and you'll have a winning shot for the billboard," Dino explained.

"You can do that?" Dennis asked, and the photographer nodded. "That would be perfect! How quickly can you get the billboard done?"

Dino smiled. "I have a guy who can have it ready by the end of the week."

"Perfect!" Dennis said.

When Emma returned to the studio, she looked far more comfortable.

"Let's have some fun with this!" Dennis said and immediately struck the same defiant pose Emma had done, and she hopped next to him and copied the pose. The strobes went off, and Dennis went through a series of exaggerated body builder poses as Emma struggled to match him while Dino took the pictures. She laughed at how enthusiastic and goofy he was being.

"Tone it down, funny boy. Let's get some nice smiles now," Dino called out, and their poses became more natural as well. The flash caught their antics until the photographer called out to stop.

Dino walked over to Emma with two clipboards in his hand. He handed one to Dennis. "That was amazing. Emma, with your smile, you could sell anything. If you ever get bored with Dennis and his fitness gig, give me a call as you'd be an amazing model!" He gave her the clipboard.

She smiled happily at him and glanced down at the form. Dino gestured to it. "This is a standard model release form. Take it with you when you change and leave the signed copy on the front desk when you head out." She nodded and walked away to put on her warmer clothes.

When they were alone, Dennis looked at Dino. "Well?"

The photographer shook his head in wonder. "I swear she's almost too photogenic. I think the second shot I took of her will work perfectly with the first. She looked a little too happy in the others, you ham!"

Dennis snorted and shrugged. "But you have something." Dino nodded. "Good. Get on it as soon as you can. If possible, I need to get that billboard up by the end of the week. The bus stop ads can be the following week." He glanced at the clock. "I've gotta get changed."

"You've gotta get her out of here before my Bikini Bimbo Bitches arrive. Those sluts can suck the chrome off a trailer hitch, if you get my meaning. They'd be all over you like leeches on a skinny dipper's balls."

"Fuck!" Dennis swore quietly as he rushed away.

-=-

Emma shivered once more as she zipped up her sweater. That studio was ridiculously cold!

She put her outfit back in her gym bag and looked at the flimsy gym wear Dennis had brought. She stuffed this into the bag as well. She'd give it back to him later.

She picked up the clipboard and realized the ballpoint pen had no ink, so she wandered out into the front area. Dennis wasn't there yet. She set the clipboard down and looked for another pen, but no luck.

Her cell binged, and she saw it was a text from her mom. She'd meant to call her, but they were trying to reduce their bills. She let her know she'd call her tonight with news to share.

Rushing into the front office, Dennis grinned at Emma. "Do you have lunch plans?"

Emma knew Gary would be doing his part-time job, and she didn't want to go back to the apartment alone. "No. I'm open."

Dennis took her elbow and led her from the building quickly. When she looked at him oddly, he had to explain the pace he was setting. "Sorry. I know a great place for lunch, but it fills up quickly at lunch, especially on weekends.

He grabbed a cab and took them to a lovely neighborhood with boutique shops and quaint restaurants. Once more, they took a table for two overlooking the shopping district. When he offered her wine, she shook her head. "No, thank you. It went to my head last night, and I felt rough this morning. I'll have water please, with lemon."

She turned her head and watched the beautiful people decked out in their gold and jewels, driving by in their expensive cars, or wandering amongst the lovely shops, collecting their trinkets and beautiful clothes. She had to admit she was a little dazzled by it.

She caught Dennis watching her face with a smile on his. "What?"

"You will soon be comfortable coming to places like this and being pampered as you should."

Emma looked at him with wide eyes. She was surprised he believed she fit in with this crowd. So far removed from her humble beginnings.

She spotted an elegant woman walking out of a shop with her bags. Emma wondered what that might feel like. To be independently wealthy, purchasing things on a whim, fulfilling any momentary need. Would that bring her happiness? More happiness than she felt now with Gary?

-=-

Dennis watched Emma thinking about his words and decided he'd achieved his first goal.

Making her think about having something better would lead to bigger goals.

And one day, his bed.

-=-

Gary got home by four, feeling pretty good about getting the work done a whole hour earlier than normal. He climbed the stairs to his floor, thinking about Emma and hoping she'd enjoyed today's photo shoot. He really was proud of her.

Smiling, he opened his door, but the apartment was empty. She hadn't said anything about being away all day.

He heard a noise in the hall and opened the door quickly. "Emma?"

A pretty blonde and a tall dark-haired man were just passing the door with grocery bags in their hands and stopped to look at him.

The woman smiled. "No, sorry. You must be Gary! I'm Sam, and this is Raphael."

"Ah, sorry. Hello! I was expecting Emma to be home by now, and she's not here."

"Maybe she's out with the mouthbreather again," Raphael offered.

"Raphael!" Sam scolded.

"Mouthbreather? You mean Dennis?" Gary asked cautiously.

Sam snorted in amusement at Gary's accurate guess. "Sorry. I guess she doesn't know too many others who fit that description?"

Gary noticed Raphael was enjoying Sam's smile. "No. Dennis is her boss, and I agree with the description though I know better than to say it in front of Emma. He's doing good things for her career." A wave of unease went through Gary at the notion.

"Like making her drunk on wine?" Raphael added.

"Raphael! Honestly!" Sam exclaimed in surprise.

Gary locked eyes with the tall man. "Is that what happened? She looked a little rough this morning. She doesn't drink." Raphael nodded.

He pulled out his cell and banged off a quick message to her.

He realized the couple was waiting to hear the response.

When his phone pinged, he quickly read the message and stared at it for a moment. She had three classes on Sunday, too? She wouldn't be getting home until sometime past ten. That meant their ability to spend time together on the weekends had been whittled down to minutes. He sighed in disappointment.

He sent a quick message back. "Proud of you. Love you. See you tonight."

"Well?" Sam asked.

"Oh, uh, Emma now teaches fitness classes on Sundays, too. She won't be home until late," Gary said.

"Does this mean you don't have dinner plans?" Sam asked with a bright smile, and Raphael looked at her in surprise.

Gary saw the interchange and tried to make an excuse. "I'm good. I'll just heat up some leftovers."

"Nonsense! Please have dinner with us. It's the neighborly thing to do," she said with a grin, then fixed a look at Raphael.

"Please join us," he said, though Gary could tell he was only asking to avoid a tongue lashing from Sam.

He grinned. "If it isn't too much of an imposition."

"Not at all, but you'll need to bring your own chair for the table," Sam said with a sweet smile.

Gary nodded. "I just got back from work, so I need to get cleaned up. What time would you like me to come over?"

"How about seven?" Sam suggested, and Gary nodded.

"See you then. Thanks!" he said and watched which door Rachael went to so he knew which one to knock on. Sam grinned and pointed to the door.

Gary waved and went inside.

Sitting in all those tiny little backrooms of the shops all day with the mustiness or strange smells always left him feeling a little funky. At least he felt a sense of accomplishment when he left each place. Most of his clients were getting the hang of tracking their expenses properly, and their books were in better shape than they'd been when he approached them. His philosophy of teaching his clients to be self-sufficient was a double-edged sword. It also meant that some of them would soon no longer need him. That would be problematic for his cash flow.

This returned his thoughts to how he was looking to make money with his music. He was still uncomfortable about potentially ruining his method for decompressing.

But he was out of options.

He took off his jacket and held it up to his nose. It carried multiple scents from the shops he'd been in and Jasmine's perfume. He realized he had time to get a load of laundry in before dinner with his neighbors. He emptied the pockets and felt something stiff in the inside one. He pulled out some folded papers and pressed them flat on the kitchen table. He realized this was the contract Stefan left for him to sign.

Gary frowned as he hadn't put this in his jacket. Thinking about it, he suspected it had been Selina as she was so keen for him to work with her. He recalled Stefano said he'd pick it up in the morning, so he hoped Selina didn't get in trouble.

He began reading it, but it quickly slipped into legalese, so he stuffed it into his backpack to bring to school. He'd show it to one of his profs who had some background in contracts and get his advice on signing it.

Gary took a quick shower and pulled on his sweats to do the laundry. His jacket went into the bag, and off he went to the basement.

Laundry. Yay.

-=-

Selina had been floating on cloud nine all day. She and Greg listened to the jam session recordings, and they knew they were going to have a guaranteed best-selling album on their hands. Her career was going to get a big boost from this!

The tracks she'd selected were already fan favorites, but with Gary's unique and distinct spin on each of them, it was like a full album of new hits.

The idea to add a new track was brilliant, as was the song itself, but now she was waffling on calling it a greatest hits album or a selection of reimagined favorites with a bonus track. She giggled to herself as this was a wonderful problem to have.

She wondered where Greg had gone. When she called out for him, he didn't respond, so she searched the house. She finally spotted him through the glass in the small studio they'd built in their basement. It wasn't big enough for the recording they would do with Gary, but it was fine for her to practice her singing.

She could see Greg talking on his cell phone. No... he was yelling. His face was all red as well. She frowned as she didn't want to lose this wonderful, joyous feeling, but she was worried for Greg. It wasn't healthy to be that angry.

She tried the door, but it was locked! What the hell?

She knocked, then walked back to the window. Greg was talking and looking in her direction and waved. He hung up his cell and left the studio to join her in the hall.

"Baby, you look like you're about to have a stroke! Are you okay? Who was that on the phone?" she asked in concern.

Greg sighed and tried to wave it off, but she wouldn't have it, so he had to answer. "That was just Stefano. You know how he can get."

"What was he upset about now?" she said stiffly.

Greg rolled his eyes, but she held her ground. "Stefano was supposed to pick up the contract this morning, and I've been looking for it for hours. We think... we think Gary might have taken it."

Selina looked at Greg in confusion. "He needs to sign it. He wanted to read it. Why shouldn't he have it until he can sign it?"

"So, he did take it?" Greg asked with a stern look.

"No, I put it in the pocket of his coat so he couldn't forget to take it and sign it--what's that look for? I ask again, what's the harm in him having the document so he can read and sign it?"

Greg was pinching his eyes closed like she'd done something stupid. Her back went up. She wasn't going to take any shit from either Greg or Stefano on this unless they clearly explained the mistake, if there even was one.

"It's a legal document with Stefano's corporate seal on it. It should have remained either with him or me."

Selina crossed her arms before her. "Why?"

"I just said why!" Greg barked.

"No, you said what. What you wanted to happen. You didn't explain why Gary shouldn't be allowed to take the document with him to review and sign. This is what we asked of him," Selina insisted.

"You know what? I'm done with this today. First, I have Stefano yelling at me, and now you. Fuck it! I'm going out." Greg snapped and marched upstairs. Selina rushed after him.

"You didn't answer my question!" she complained.

He glared at her, grabbed his jacket and keys, and stormed out of their home.

Selina gaped at the closed door. She rushed into the living room and grabbed her cell phone to call Greg, but he refused to answer.

Then she dialed Stefano to get an answer from him, but it went directly to voice mail. He never responded to her messages, so she didn't bother leaving one.

Selina dropped her butt on the couch, flopped back, and stared at the ceiling in frustration.

So much for her positive feeling of joy.

-=-

Gary knocked on his neighbor's door while carrying a kitchen chair in one hand and his guitar case in the other.

Raphael opened the door, and his eyes widened in surprise. "You brought your guitar?"

Gary's face heated up. "I-I was told not to come empty-handed. So, I bring the gift of music?"

Sam suddenly appeared at Raphael's elbow.

"Yes!" she exclaimed suddenly, clapping her hands together, startling both men.

She laughed at the expressions on their faces. "Come in, Gary. So sorry to spook you." She pushed Raphael away from the door with an impatient look and grinned at their guest. Gary handed the chair in the door first, which Raphael reached for and carried to the kitchen while Sam led Gary to the living room.

"Who told you to bring your guitar?" she asked.

Gary shook his head gently. "This is the first time I've accepted an invitation to a neighbor's place for dinner. Emma is my expert in social conventions, but she's working, so I texted my mom. She said I should bring something, like a bottle of wine, flowers, or dessert." He saw a small bouquet of flowers on the table already. "We don't drink. We don't eat dessert. So music is all I have to offer."

Sam's smile was brilliant, but Raphael gave him a concerned look. "We're not expecting you to sing for your supper."

Gary chuckled. "Thank god, because my singing voice is terrible." He patted the guitar case. "Have guitar, will travel."

He froze as an odd expression of pain and anger quickly crossed Raphael's face for a second before he locked it away.

"Please excuse me for a moment," the tall man said, then walked into the next room as Gary watched him in concern. He looked at Sam contritely.

"I'm sorry if I said something wrong," Gary said earnestly.

Sam shook her head. "No, Raphael will be fine. He just needs a moment."

She gestured for him to sit on the couch, so they did.

"You have a lovely home," Gary said, and Sam smiled gratefully.

"Emma tells us you're studying to be an accountant," Sam said to keep the conversation going.

Raphael returned wearing a different shirt and joined them. "How does playing guitar with famous singers fit into the accountancy world?"

Gary laughed with a self-conscious smile, defusing Sam's sudden flare of outrage. "They seem as far apart as can be, don't they?" He shook his head. "I'm good with math, and I enjoy the structure of accounting, but music relaxes me. I had some lessons early on, but we couldn't afford to keep them going, so I taught myself."

"Emma told me you were the one accompanying Selina Moreno on her recently released song," Sam said, and Gary nodded. "You're that good and self-taught?"

Gary shook his head with a grin. "You could say I learned from the masters by watching their videos in the library at school. I had good teachers and a deep passion for music. It really does relax me."

"And now you're going to make money with it," Raphael said.

Gary looked at him and nodded. "It's so expensive to live here compared to the small hick town I grew up. I can't afford not to."

Raphael nodded as he was aware of the extra expense of living in the city. "We came from a small city, and we noticed the bump in expenses too."

"Emma and I are from a farming community, and the town gets a little smaller every year. I grew up on a farm which was a lot of tough manual labor, and my parent struggled against forces they had no control over. We had some tough times, and I watched the strain that put on my mother. I discovered I was good at math and helped my mom track our finances. I could never be a farmer, but accounting is a solid and dependable occupation. Once I get established, I intend to send money back to my mother to help them out," he said with conviction.

Gary's words seemed to strike a chord with Raphael as a smile appeared on his face. He nodded to his guest in approval.

The stove timer binged, and Sam jumped up to check on dinner. "It's just a simple spaghetti with meat sauce. Oh! I should have asked if you're vegan!" she gasped.

"Not vegan!" Gary said with a grin.

Sam smiled in relief. "Great! Take a seat. It's ready."

Raphael and Gary took seats at the table, and Sam brought them plates of spaghetti with meat sauce poured over top. Gary smiled as it smelled very good.

"Water to drink?" Sam asked, and Gary nodded.

"We also don't drink alcohol," Raphael said.

Once Sam joined the table, they dug in and enjoyed the wonderful meal.

Their conversation revolved around living in the building, the different courses they were in, and Gary's and Raphael's part-time jobs.

Finally, they finished and eased back from the table.

"That was delicious! Thank you so much for the meal! Can I help tidy up?" Gary asked.

Sam smiled and curtsied. "You are most welcome. Raphael has clean-up duty, so please have a seat in the living room and relax. More water?"

"Yes, please," Gary said and handed her his glass. When she handed it back full, he carried it to the living room and put it on a coaster on the table next to the couch.

Sam joined him and sat on the couch with a wide smile. "How did you meet Selina?"

Gary smiled self-consciously. "I've been going to Rocky's on Thursdays as they have open mic nights then. I just wanted to get over my stage fright."

"You have stage fright?" Sam exclaimed.

Gary looked at her surprised expression and nodded slowly. "Yeah. I'm pretty shy. I don't like being the center of attention." Raphael joined them, sitting in an old armchair next to the sofa. He nodded to Gary.

"Did going up on stage help?" Sam asked.

He smiled gently. "Yes, and no. It took some time to get used to playing before the usual small group of regulars. I think the most people I'd seen in the place before the night with Selina was eighteen, and that night there was a group in the bar for a birthday party. On the night Selina came, the place was packed, maybe sixty people. It totally unnerved me, but Emma got me through it."

"Can you play something for us?" Sam asked hopefully.

Gary smiled and nodded. "I'd be delighted."

He took his guitar from the case and ensured it was in tune. "What would you like to hear?" he asked once he was ready.

"What do you know best?" Sam asked with a wide grin.

"I've been practicing Flamenco pieces as they are complex and push my skills. Asturias by Isaac Albéniz is my current go-to piece." He glanced over at Raphael as he seemed to be stiffening up. He seemed to have a Hispanic background, but maybe Flamenco wasn't his favorite kind of music.

"Or... I could play something a little more contemporary." He suddenly grinned. "I know! I played this one in front of the entire school. They seemed to like it. Of course, I used an electric guitar when I played it."

He began to play Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits, and Sam clapped her hands happily. Even Raphael seemed to relax and smiled.

When he was done, Gary tilted his head. "Yeah, that one was better on the electric guitar." He looked expectantly at Sam. "Any requests?"

Several songs later, Raphael made a request.

"Gary, would you play Asturias for Sam?"

He looked to the man, who seemed more relaxed now. "Sure."

Gary took some deep breaths and closed his eyes. He would need to fully open himself up to this piece because of its complexity, but this became a little easier each time he played it.

Sam held her breath as the music began and released it slowly as she let the music transport her to distant lands. She glanced at Raphael, and his eyes were closed too, but the stiffness in his body was gone. She smiled and allowed her cares to float away.

When the music came to an end, Sam sighed.

"That was so lovely, Gary. Thank you so much for playing for us."

"It was my pleasure. Thank you for a great evening. I should go home and get some rest as I have an exam tomorrow," he said as he carefully placed his guitar back in its case and secured it.

Sam looked at him in surprise. "Shouldn't you have been studying tonight?"

He grinned and shook his head. "I don't cram the night before. I've found that to be less than productive. I make sure I know the stuff weeks in advance and do refreshers the week before the exam to make it fresh in my mind."

"Smart," Raphael said.

"You only say that because it's how you study," Sam pouted.

Gary grinned as he glanced at the two of them while he stood. "And on that note, I bid you a good night!"

Raphael stood and shook Gary's hand. "You play beautifully."

Gary looked up into the man's eyes, and he seemed more at peace with something. "Thank you."

"Don't forget your chair," Raphael reminded him, returning to his gruff self.

Gary maneuvered the chair and guitar case out their door and into his own. He saw it wasn't time for Emma to get home yet, so he put the chair and guitar case away and got ready for bed.

He tried to stay awake, but he was more tired than he realized and fell asleep with the lights on.

He woke hours later, but the lights were off, and Emma was breathing softly on her pillow. She looked so lovely in the dim light from the window, but he didn't want to disturb her.

There was always the morning.

Chapter 6

Exam week was busy for Gary. While he was comfortable with the material on the tests, he was helping his study group, and they were very dependent on him. He went in early to meet with them to help prepare and reviewed the exam with them afterward.

What was bothering Gary was his inability to find moments to be with Emma. Aside from when they were sleeping in the same bed at night, they hadn't been together for any significant amount of time since the previous week. Monday morning, he prepared her breakfast, but when he found her still in bed after his shower, she mumbled that she was going in later due to her new class schedule and needed the sleep.

So, he let her sleep.

When he got home every day, she was at work, and she'd come home late.

If he managed to stay awake, they were both too tired to maintain a conversation for long.

This cycle repeated every day this week, and he was seriously craving a little Emma time. He even contemplated sneaking into her class.

Tuesday, he'd received a call from Selina asking about the contract, but he had to admit he wouldn't be able to give her an answer until the end of the week due to his exam schedule. She said she understood, but he heard the tension in her voice. When he asked if she was okay, she made excuses and asked him to let her know as soon as he could.

Sitting in the cafeteria on Thursday, surrounded by his study group, he surveyed their general mood.

Brock was quieter than usual. He was probably concerned about this exam as the material had given him the most trouble during their study sessions.

He jolted slightly when he spotted Li staring at him intensely. He had to smile as she was so cute when plotting someone's demise. "Something on your mind?" he asked.

"I was just thinking how I might lock you in a closet so you miss the exam and I get the highest marks in the class," she said with a serious expression.

"Ooo! I'll help if you lock me in there too!" Jasmine purred.

"No more study group for you two," Gary sighed.

Li leaped to her feet. "No! You cannot abandon me!"

"SSSHHHH!"

The diminutive Chinese woman scowled at the shushers at the next table but sat quietly.

Gary eyed the disapproving group. "We're in the cafeteria, not the library! Go shush people there!"

He then locked eyes with Jasmine. "You, curb your lust."

"Poo," she said with a pout.

"It's time, people," Brock said quietly.

Gary nodded, packed up his stuff, and headed off to the exam room with his group.

It was show time.

-=-

Emma arrived for her shift feeling a little tired. She was sure Dennis had added additional sessions to Yvonne's schedule as she didn't remember the woman coming in to cover classes every day.

As well as being physically drained from doing so many daily classes, Emma desperately wanted to spend time with Gary. She still hadn't heard how his dinner with Selina Moreno went. Unless he told her, but she'd been too tired to recall the conversation.

The afternoon and evening classes were going really well, but she couldn't keep up this pace. Dennis had been so supportive and ate a light dinner with her every night. They were getting to know each other very well, but she wanted to have those long conversations with Gary!

She rested back against the locker before getting changed and took a moment to recharge. She heard the door open and looked to see three of her coworkers come in to get dressed as well. Kari, Francis, and Sela were all beauties with fit bodies who'd been here longer than her, but none of them ran the classes.

Her eyes widened when she saw the dirty looks they were giving her. Where did that come from?

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Kari was the most outspoken of the group, so naturally, she chose to address the question first.

"Did you have anything to do with crippling Yvonne to get her classes?"

Emma lurched to her feet in shock. "No! Of course not! I would never hurt anyone!" she gasped, then frowned in confusion. "I-I was told she just had a broken leg. Dennis said nothing about her being crippled!"

Francis shook her head. "Someone drove over her with a car and crushed her hip!" she exclaimed.

"Oh my god!" Emma exclaimed in shock. "I-I have to see her! Which hospital is she in?"

Sela was no longer giving her the evil eye. "Bellevue."

"Please tell Dennis I had to go. He'll have to find someone else to cover the sessions today," Emma said as she pulled her jacket and gym bag from her locker and rushed from the room.

It took some time to get there and find which room she was in, but eventually, Emma was standing at the end of the bed staring in shock at the cast on Yvonne's leg and the cuts and bruises on her face.

"Oh my god, Yvonne! I'm so sorry I didn't come earlier. It's been such a whirlwind this week," she said gently as the woman's eyes finally turned to her.

Yvonne was a lovely black woman with a full mane of black hair, currently tied back. The cuts and scrapes on her high cheekbones and the split lip didn't detract from her almost regal bearing, but there was a fragility to her now. Being run over by a car had damaged more than her body. In her thirties, she'd maintained her vitality through vigilant exercise, but she didn't run her classes with quite as much energy as someone not yet in their twenties could.

"Yes, I imagine it has. You've taken my spot, I hear." The woman's voice was quiet but held an edge.

"Dennis called me in to cover for you until you get better. I had no idea of the extent of your injuries. He said it was just a broken leg."

Yvonne made a sharp and angry sound and quickly looked away. Her voice now took on a bitter quality. "I'll never again be able to do the job I love. I had a contract with Dennis to be his star trainer. The term was for three more years. I knew he was infatuated with you, but I didn't expect him to go this far."

Emma sucked in a shocked breath. "It was Dennis? If you have proof, you should tell the police!"

"Leave! I can't stand to look at you!" Yvonne shouted.

Emma burst into tears. "I would never participate in such a horrible thing!"

Yvonne's eyes swung back to see Emma's sorrow, and something changed in her eyes. Her hate slid away, but despair filled that void. "Please leave. You may not have plotted with him, but you're the cause at the very least."

Emma was shaken, and she didn't know what to do. She stood in the hall until she got control over her tears.

Then she let her feet guide her and found herself on the subway, exiting at the station leading to Gary's college. She knew he was on an exam schedule this week, so he would be in the cafeteria with his study group. Her feet took her across the campus to stand before the windows looking in on the rows of long tables. She could see Gary's back as he sat at one of the tables across from a petite Chinese woman. She entered the door to the cafeteria and approached but saw Jasmine walk up beside Gary and sit down next to him. Too close. The woman leaned over and pressed her lush body against him.

Emma froze when she saw Gary turn his head to face Jasmine and smile. Those smiles were for her!

She spun around and ran from the cafeteria.

Outside, breathing hard from sprinting away, she stood in the lane leading to the main road and the subway stop, but she couldn't think of where to go. Her mind was spinning as her life was falling apart around her.

Suddenly, Gary caught up to her and took hold of her arms to turn her to face him. She saw he was out of breath from running after her. His expression was worried, not guilty.

"Emma, what's happened? What's wrong?"

His eyes were filled with so much love, a sob tore from her as she grabbed him into a hug.

"I've missed you so much!" she cried. "We keep slipping away from each other, and I was scared."

"Emma, I feel the same way! I've missed you too! I-I tried, but I couldn't think of how I could spend more time with you. I was so busy with school, and you were working nights and weekends. I felt so lost without you!"

They were so intent on their need for each other that they barely registered the screech of car tires before Jasmine slammed into them both, knocking them from the speeding car's path. The vehicle veered at the appearance of another person on the road, but its bald tires slipped on a section of smooth cobblestones and slid sideways. Jasmine was bumped by the side fender and screamed as she was tossed into the air.

The car's tires hit the curb then it sped away as Gary and Emma picked themselves up to rush to Jasmine's side.

She was moaning, and Gary leaned closer. "Jasmine, where does it hurt?" he asked fearfully.

She looked up at them and winced. "The car hit me on my well-cushioned ass!"

Emma burst into relieved giggles and got a smile from Jasmine, who winced and moaned again.

"I'll call for an ambulance," Gary said with a smirk.

-=-

Sitting across from a detective at the police station, Gary held Emma's hand as they leaned against each other. Detective Delgado typed their statement into his computer as an officer approached and handed him a slip of paper. The weary officer glanced at it and frowned.

"The security camera on that corner of the building could only get a partial plate. It recorded that the car was parked up the lane for approximately an hour before it sped at you two. It seems to be a deliberate act. You two were fortunate to be pushed out of the way. Your friend was lucky the driver was spooked by her appearance and turned his vehicle to hit her broadside. I understand she's only bruised."

Gary and Emma nodded in unison, then smiled at each other.

Emma remembered something and turned to the detective. "I'd just spoken with Yvonne, a woman I worked with at the fitness club, and she said she was intentionally run over by a car just a week ago!"

Gary frowned. "That seems too similar to be a coincidence."

The detective made a note in the file. "The car was there for at least an hour before the attack. Is it common for you to visit the campus? Did you tell anyone you were coming today?"

Emma shook her head. "I've only come once or twice before, and I told no one this time."

"Then perhaps you weren't the target after all," Delgado said, then looked to Gary. "Do you have any enemies who might want to hurt or kill you?"

Emma snorted, and the detective's eyes flicked to her. She explained. "Gary is too easy-going to make enemies."

Gary looked like he wanted to argue but gave up and nodded. "I can't think of anyone who might want to hurt me."

Emma suddenly frowned. "Maybe it's a crazy fan of Selina Moreno!"

The detective looked at Emma skeptically. "You'll have to explain that."

"Gary is the guitarist accompanying Selina on her latest live single. Maybe one of Selina's more jealous fans discovered his identity," she said, and Gary's expression was skeptical.

Delgado looked closer at Gary. "That was you?"

"Yeah, I played for her and ended up on the radio. I have a hard time believing that someone discovered it was me and targeted me for a hit and run. We've told so few people and none who would do something like this."

The detective watched Gary, then nodded as he made another note in the file.

"We'll run the partial plate for a tan eighties Oldsmobile and call you if we get a hit. In the meantime, keep your eyes open as you cross the street. They could still be out there," the officer warned.

Gary stood and helped Emma up. "Thank you, Detective."

The man nodded and promptly ignored them.

Gary grabbed his backpack as Emma picked up her gym bag, and they left the police station. As they walked home, Gary hugged Emma, who seemed lost in thought. She smiled at him, and he felt it warm his soul.

"What are you going to do about Yvonne's sessions?" he asked. "Whatever you decide is cool with me. We'll figure out a way to find time for us."

She leaned over and kissed him tenderly, and he smiled at her when she pulled back.

Emma sighed. "We need the money, so I'm going to continue doing the classes unless Dennis took them away from me as punishment for not doing them today. I hope he didn't, as it's great exposure for making a name for myself in the personal fitness field. But I'm going to tell him he has me doing too many classes. Yvonne didn't work this frequently. I'm sure he's increased the number of classes. It's one thing to cover for Yvonne while she recovers. It's quite another to be taken advantage of."

Gary gave her a hug as they walked.

Emma glanced over at him. "I'm so sorry we didn't get a chance to talk about this earlier, but how was your dinner with Selina?"

Gary smiled as he had mentioned some details to her earlier this week, but she'd been dead on her feet, so she obviously didn't remember. "Dinner went well, and afterward, we jammed and worked out what tracks they wanted on the album. Her agent Stefano left a contract for me to sign, but I can't make heads or tails of it. I have an appointment tomorrow to speak with a professor of business law who said he'd look it over. If it's good, I'll sign it and maybe make some money I can put towards next year's tuition."

He looked into Emma's eyes. "If it isn't a fair contract or the prof finds something dubious about it, I'll walk away." She smiled and nodded to him.

"Oh! I don't think I mentioned this earlier, but I had dinner with Sam and Raphael last Sunday night. They're a really nice couple, once you get past being intimidated by Raphael," Gary said.

Emma snorted. "Oh, please! Raphael is a sweetheart!"

Gary just shook his head with a grin as everyone was a sweetheart around Emma. She didn't realize her own ability to thaw the coldest heart.

They went up to their apartment, and Gary's cell pinged with an incoming text as they got to their door. Emma let them in as Gary read the message.

"It's a text from Jasmine. She's on her way home from the hospital. She' didn't break anything, but she's badly bruised," Gary said.

"Let's send her a thank you picture!" Emma suggested.

He grinned. "That's a great idea!" He dropped his backpack by the door, switched his cell to the camera app, and held his phone out in front of himself.

Emma dropped her gym bag on his backpack and wrapped her arms around Gary, squeezing her cheek against his as she grinned.

Gary got the shot and stared at the picture before he sent it. "Are you sure you want me to send this one? You're squishing your face against mine so much we look like we're melting into one person."

Emma smiled and nodded with satisfaction. "Good! Maybe she'll finally get the message to find her own man!"

Gary looked at Emma with a surprised smile. "Is that possessiveness I hear in your voice?"

"What if it is?" Emma said with a sweet little smile.

Gary answered her grin with one of his own. "Then I get to say it too. Tell your sweaty, muscle-bound boss to look elsewhere. You're mine!"

She picked up the not-too-subtle reference to her contact picture for Dennis. She nodded, then squeaked as Gary stepped closer to kiss her boldly. She melted against him as the kiss deepened.

They began undressing each other then it became a race to see who could get the other naked first.

There was no gentleness in their lovemaking this time. In its place was a desperate need to reconnect and a frantic need to please each other. They writhed against each other, touching, stroking, and gripping each other tightly as their pleasure built quickly and exploded through their senses.

Basking in the afterglow as he caught his breath, Gary gazed at Emma's lovely features, once more completely captivated. Her eyes finally flicked to look in his direction and saw his eyes worshipping her. That dazzling smile appeared on her lips, and he was lost once more.

"Stop it," she said with a cute pout. "You're making my cheeks hurt from smiling."

He chuckled. "Sorry." His smile dimmed slightly as his expression turned serious. "I'm so sorry about how things got so complicated. I've been so worried about our money situation, but I wasn't keeping you in the loop. I should have come to the club or skipped a morning study group meeting to talk to you."

"I could have gotten up early or met you at school to speak to you. We'll just have to try harder to find time to share our concerns. I love you. That's the most important thing."

"I love you, too!" Gary said. "Please be extra cautious crossing roads. I don't know who would be targeting either of us, but I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt."

Emma rolled over to cling to Gary's side as she looked into his eyes. "You be extra cautious as well!"

He gently took her head between his hands and kissed her tenderly.

When the kiss finally ended, Emma settled herself against Gary's chest and sighed in contentment

And that's how sleep found them for the first time in a week.

Chapter 7

Emma sat across from Gary at the breakfast table, and they shared smiles as they thought about the night before. Emma stretched like a cat, and Gary could almost hear her purr.

"I slept so well last night, my energy levels feel like they're back to normal," she sighed. "Taking a rest day made all the difference!"

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps it was our lovemaking that deserves the credit for your sleep and extra energy."

Emma giggled as she looked at his cheeky smile. "Yes, Gary. That's obviously a much more reasonable answer."

He grinned and stood to begin cleaning up the breakfast dishes.

Emma picked up the clothes they'd shed on the way to the bedroom. These she put in the laundry bag. Then she looked through her gym bag, taking out her outfits to see if she wanted to switch them up. She had two additional sets here.

She pulled out the dark purple workout outfit and frowned at it.

"I don't think I've seen you wear those," Gary said as he stood by the sink.

"No, you haven't. This was the outfit Dennis picked up for the photo shoot," she explained.

Gary froze. His body language was making it clear to her that he wasn't happy about Dennis picking skimpy outfits for her. His eyes flicked up to hers, and she shook her head.

"I tried it on, but I couldn't go through with the shoot wearing it when I went into the studio. It's too revealing, and that's not me. I got changed into my own outfit and did the shoot with it," she said, watching Gary.

He swallowed and nodded to her. "I wouldn't tell you what you can or can't wear, but I'm really glad you didn't wear the outfit Dennis chose for you. With this, he crossed the line from admirer to sleaze bag."

Emma didn't argue with Gary as he already seemed upset enough with Dennis.

Instead, she stepped closer and gave him a hug. That seemed to settle his nerves.

"Sorry," Gary said afterward.

"I understand, Gary. It matches how I feel when I see Jasmine getting clingy with you," she said softly.

Gary sighed with a nod. "I tell her not to and tell her I'm with you. I like Jasmine, but I have no interest in her romantically."

Emma's lips tried to hide her smile. "You don't lust after her big boobies?"

Gary snorted in surprise and chuckled at the sweet look on Emma's face. "You're my benchmark for perfection, and I save up all my lusting for you."

"Good!" Emma said cheerfully. "I'll give these back to Dennis today," she said, lifting the purple workout clothes in her hand.

"Good!" Gary replied with a smile. He gave her a quick kiss and then rushed off to take his shower.

They had a day to start.

-=-

Gary's meeting with the business law professor was scheduled for ten to ten-thirty, so he'd only be able to spend an hour with his study group before he had to duck out to see the prof.

Their last exam was at eleven, so Gary promised to return to the cafeteria to meet his group before heading to the exam room.

Gary heard good things about Mr. Nishimura and was looking forward to taking his course in year two.

The professor was a small man with a great deal of enthusiasm. The classes he taught were well attended as he was as entertaining as he was brilliant at teaching business law.

One of Gary's accounting profs made the introductions. The law prof was gracious enough to set aside some time to review the contract. Gary showed his appreciation by being on time and thanking him when he arrived.

Then the meeting got weird.

Haruki Nishimura was doing his best to not completely butcher Selina Moreno's My Soul, Your Sanctuary on an electric guitar. He had some talent but not enough to compete with his overabundance of zeal.

"Wow, that's... a lot of energy," Gary slipped in during a gap in his playing.

The man's face fell. "You don't think she'll like it?"

Gary raised his hands. "It's your interpretation of the song. There is no right or wrong. It's just not what she was going for when she wrote it."

The prof nodded as he thought about that.

Gary had no idea how the man heard he was the guitar player on Selina's latest song or what his expectations were.

Instead, he pushed those thoughts aside and tried to get the meeting back on track. He only had thirty minutes of the man's time and hadn't expected to be ambushed with an impromptu audition, especially with the man's wife and daughter in the room. They were looking at Gary like he was a celebrity. It was beginning to weird him out.

"I-I've been asked to do a studio album with Selina Moreno--"

"So exciting!" Mrs. Nishimura gushed as her teen daughter's smile got wider.

"Uh, yes, but I have a problem. I was given a contract to sign, and I don't understand its language. I can't tell if it's a fair contract or not," Gary said.

"You must help him!" the missus insisted to her husband.

He snapped something back to her in Japanese, and her voice went up an octave as she shouted something angry back and waved her hands at the guitar.

The prof sighed and reluctantly unslung his guitar. "Okay, give me the contract, and I will take a quick look." He caught his wife's hopeful expression, then he looked a Gary. "While I do, play something for them."

He plucked the contract from Gary's hand as he pushed his guitar into it.

"Oh! Well, I guess I could play something for you--"

"Play My Soul, Your Sanctuary, as Selina likes it!" the teen begged, and her mother nodded vigorously.

Gary did a quick tune on the guitar as three of the strings were flat. "Right, okay. I've never played that on an electric guitar, but I'll try." The woman gave him a confused look.

He tested the sound on the strings with a quick scale, and the younger girl squealed just a little until her mother grabbed her hand.

He looked over at the professor, but his head was down over the contract, and he was furiously scribbling notes on a pad next to it. So, he was occupied.

He began the song gently as the music department amp was a little too powerful for the small office, and its volume dial was only turned to one.

Gary closed his eyes and reached for the music. It felt different playing the song on an electric guitar. The instrument was delightfully responsive, but he had no idea how to adjust the sound to make it as rich and deep as his acoustic. Still, he did his best.

As he played the final notes, he opened his eyes to see the professor staring at him with a pout. His wife and daughter were trembling.

"You play so beautifully!" Mrs. Nishimura sighed.

Gary smiled at her. "Thank you." He looked at the professor. "Your guitar is a joy to play, but I don't know enough about electric guitars to do it justice."

"Your guitar?" the Mrs. asked in surprise as she stared at her husband. She looked back at Gary. "Haruki does not own a guitar. Is this not yours?"

Gary was caught flat-footed, unsure how to answer her, but he shook his head as all he had was honesty. He glanced at the prof, whose face was becoming red. He hoped he hadn't stepped in anything.

"You do not have an electric guitar, and you play for Selina Moreno?" the prof's wife asked in surprise.

Gary smiled self-consciously. "I own an acoustic guitar. Greg Yossman loaned me an electric when I jammed with them at their house." He glanced at the young girl who looked like she might pass out when he mentioned Greg's name.

He turned his eyes to admire the glossy black finish of the Gibson's body, the mother of pearl inlays in the fingerboard, and the gold pickups and bridge. "It's beautiful and responsive."

Mrs. Nishimura barked something at her husband, and he looked at her incredulously and snapped back. His wife went silent, but she and her daughter were giving him a serious case of the stink eye.

Gary finally leaped in to try to defuse the silent battle of wills. "About the contract?"

Haruki's expression was grim. "Do not sign this."

Gary blinked. "What?"

"This is a well-crafted contract but only for the management company's purposes. The wording is nebulous at best. Costs are identified as deductions from royalties but are not quantified. I would be surprised to see you get fair compensation for your work under this contract. Or anything all. I hope Ms. Moreno didn't sign a similar contract. I'd suggest she check that and her accounting," the man said.

Gary felt totally deflated. His plan to play with Selina and earn enough money to complete his course had just gone up in smoke.

Mr. Nishimura saw his expression and put a hand on his shoulder. "All is not lost. I made notes for you to suggest amendments to the contract to make it fair. You just need to negotiate a better deal."

Gary forced a smile on his face for the prof. "Thank you, but I don't believe the man who gave me the contract is the sort to welcome renegotiations. I understand I can't sign this contract, so I won't be doing the album." He took a deep breath. "It's okay. Thank you for your time in doing this for me. I am very grateful you did."

He handed the guitar back to the professor, collected the contract and the notes, and smiled with a nod at the two women, who gave him sympathetic looks.

As he stepped out into the hall, he heard raised voices again. Now it was the wife and the daughter arguing with the man. Gary was grateful he didn't know how to speak Japanese.

He walked down to the cafeteria and found his study group, minus Jasmine, recuperating at home. She'd be writing a makeup exam in a few days. Brock was actually smiling, so he felt more confident than he was for their previous exams.

Li turned her head, and her smile dropped as she read his expression. "What happened?" she asked.

Gary shrugged. "It's a bad contract. I was told not to sign it. The guy who gave it to me is a bossy jerk, so renegotiating is very unlikely. It's a no-go."

Li gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry, Gary. I know you were looking forward to doing the album and making some money from it. You should still sue him for not getting your permission for the first song. That would earn you some money," she suggested again.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm just going to call Selina to give her the bad news. Give me a moment."

Gary walked out to doors leading outside and dialed Selina on his cell. It rang twice this time before she answered slightly breathless.

"Gary?"

"Hi, Selina."

"How did it go?" she asked eagerly.

"Uh, not too well. I-I'm sorry, but I can't sign this contract. I spoke with a business law professor here at the college, and he told me there's some nebulous wording that could be used to prevent me from getting fair compensation. It was written with Stefano's company's benefit in mind. There was wording about cost deductions from royalties, but they weren't quantified. The professor suggested it might be wise for you to confirm your own contract isn't the same. Have a lawyer review it, and an auditor should check your books."

Selina was silent, and Gary didn't know what to say. Finally, he sighed. "I'm really sorry. I was really looking forward to getting together with you and Greg this weekend to work on the album. Now I can't."

"Thanks, Gary." The line went dead.

Gary felt really shitty as he'd heard the disappointment and anger in her voice. He hoped she wasn't mad at him, but he could do nothing about that. With another sigh, he rejoined his group before they headed off to the exam.

-=-

"NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Selina screamed to release some of the rage filling her mind.

She'd been so excited about this weekend. Her career was going to get such a shot in the arm from the album, and playing with Gary gave her creativity an enormous lift as well. Their jam session had been such a positive experience!

Selina knew she wasn't angry with Gary. He'd been nothing but honest with her, and she truly connected with him as an artist.

A mental pain shot through her knowing they were being prevented from collaborating because of Stefano. That man became the focal point for her rage.

She heard the front door open, and Greg walked in with some bags of groceries. He set them down on the counter as he watched her cautiously. He'd been prickly all week, and Selina had enough.

"What's happened?" Greg asked quietly.

"I just got a call from Gary. We're not recording an album this weekend. His law professor reviewed Stefano's contract and advised Gary not to sign it. He said it's a bad contract that could be used to keep him from being fairly compensated. The professor suggested we check our contracts too and have our accounts audited. Every time I've suggested this, Stefano loses his shit. Now that I'm hearing it from a third party, I'm more convinced than ever that I need to do it. I'm contacting a law firm and an accountant today to get the ball rolling on this."

Greg scowled at her. "So, some punk kid whines he can't read a contract, and we're going to piss all over the reputation and relationship we're built with our agent who's been with us from the start?"

Selina rocked back from the scorn in Greg's voice. "This isn't some kid! It's Gary! He's been completely straight with us since the night Stefano stole his music for me! Gary still hasn't been compensated for that! He never signed a release, and if he wanted to sue us, he could! But he hasn't, has he!"

"Just give him time!" Greg snapped viciously.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Selina exclaimed in confusion. "Why are you protecting Stefano and not us? He could have fucked with your contract as well! I'm going to get this question confirmed by a lawyer and accountant. If Gary's contract was the only fuckery going on, we move forward."

"Don't do this!" Greg suddenly pleaded.

"It's going to happen. The only question is, at who's side are you going to stand?" she asked with a tight chest.

Greg's expression cracked. He spun toward the door. "Stubborn bitch!" he cursed and stormed out of the house once more.

Selina was trembling with anger, frustration, and more than a little dread.

But she wouldn't let that prevent her from getting the answers she needed.

-=-

Gary grinned at Li, who was dancing around the cafeteria. She was obviously feeling optimistic about her performance in the exam.

Brock, on the other hand, was absolutely gloomy. Gary caught his eye. "What happened? Before you were so positive?"

"Hmm? Oh, that wasn't because of the exam. I was thinking about the man I met last night. He had the biggest uncut cock I have ever taken up my ass! I swear I could taste it in the back of my throat!"

While Li was mesmerized by Brock's description, Gary flung his hands up between them to block further disclosure. "TMI! Enough! Please!"

Brock burst into laughter. "Oh, Gary! You're so sweet!"

Gary raised an eyebrow at the man with a stern look. "How did the exam go?"

Brock's laughter faded slowly. Then he sighed. "I think I passed, but not by much."

Gary stared at his study partner in dismay. "You said you understood the material."

Another sigh. "Yes, I thought I did, but I went blank in the exam. All I could think of was his big juicy cock. I'm addicted... to dick."

Gary shook his head wearily. "That won't help you get a job at an accounting firm... or maybe it will."

Brock burst into laughter as he looked at Gary in delight! "My man!"

Gary chuckled. "Come on. Let's do the review so we can all start our weekend." He smiled at Li. "I'm sure Brock and his mystery man are eager to continue their game of Hide-the-Kielbasa."

Brock was almost giggling as he smiled at Gary gleefully.

"You never disappoint, Mr. Truman," he said with a smile.

-=-

It only took Gary an hour to review the material with Li and Brock, who quickly said their goodbyes and rushed away to their weekend activities. He knew what Brock was up to, but Li hadn't shared her plans.

Gary felt a swell of disappointment as his weekend plans were certainly shot. Once more, he hoped Selina was okay. He also hoped she followed the prof's advice to check her contract and bookkeeping.

As Gary put his books away, he glanced up and saw Mr. Nishimura walking toward him with his briefcase in one hand and a guitar case in the other. The man wasn't smiling.

"Hi, Mr. Nishimura. Heading home for the day?" he asked.

"Mr. Truman, you are terrible at lying. Has anyone ever told you that?" the man grumbled.

Gary recalled the man's wife asking him about the guitar. He gave the professor a crooked smile. "It takes more than one to make a conspiracy. You didn't inform me of my role in it."

"Would that have mattered?" Haruki asked.

Gary shook his head. "No. You're right. I have no poker face at all. I'm shitty at lying."

The professor finally smiled. "That is not necessarily a bad thing. I'm usually expert level, but my wife can crack me open like a nutcracker. That's actually a more apt analogy than I intended. She controls our finances and saw no expense for purchasing the guitar. That's why she didn't know I had it." He leaned the guitar case against the table

Gary looked at him curiously. "If you didn't buy it, where did you get it?"

"Doing something else my wife doesn't approve of. Unbeknownst to her, I played poker at my buddy's place with some out-of-town guests Wednesday night. She has a book club that night, so I made myself scarce. Anyway, it was the last deal at the night's end, and I found myself with a straight flush! For the first time in my life! One of the visitors was short on cash, so he'd added the guitar to the pot, and he only had a lousy three-of-a-kind! I made twenty-five grand on that hand alone. It was a very good night!"

"How expensive is the guitar?" Gary asked.

Haruki shrugged. "We checked, and it goes for upwards of five grand."

Gary recalled how sweet it was to play and nodded as it was a quality instrument.

"So now, I have a problem. I'm eternally in the doghouse for gambling then lying about the guitar being yours," the prof said.

Unsure where he was going with this, Gary nodded.

"My wife and daughter gave me an ultimatum. I can only get back in their good books if I give you the guitar."

"WHAT?" Gary exclaimed.

"They said, and I agree, you will use it for a far greater purpose than I ever will," Haruki sighed.

Gary moved a little closer so they could speak quietly and not be overheard.

"You can't give me a five-thousand-dollar guitar!" he whispered.

The man looked at him. "It didn't really cost me anything. You're not currently one of my students. Most importantly, my family will only speak to me again if I do."

Gary blinked at him in shock as the man pulled his cell phone from his pocket and took a selfie with a wide grin as he stood next to Gary, who smiled by reflex.

"You really do play beautifully. Please accept this on behalf of my family," the professor said and shook Gary's hand.

As the man walked away with his briefcase, Gary wanted to yell after him not to forget his other case. The reality of what just happened hadn't sunk in yet.

Gary didn't want to open the case in the cafeteria, so he pulled on his backpack securely and picked up the guitar case. It was definitely heavier than his acoustic. The weight made it feel a little more real to him. He decided to take it home until Mr. Nishimura came to his senses and changed his mind.

He left the cafeteria and walked across the campus toward the subway entrance.

As he promised Emma, he paused to look for crazed Moreno fans before crossing the same lane where he was almost run over the previous night. There was no traffic tonight.

He reached the subway without issues and saw the train pulling away before he got to the platform. He stood watching the receding train but truthfully, his mind was miles away. Only a few other people were waiting, so he stood the guitar case on its end between his feet and rested his hands on top.

He was so glad he and Emma reconnected. They still had the challenge of making time for themselves, but Emma said she'd speak to Dennis and get him to split the available shifts amongst more people. Every day, three times a day, wasn't realistic if you wanted some quality of life.

His eyes caught sight of the next train arriving, but it wasn't his, so he went back to thinking of Emma. He wished he'd been able to do this album with Selina, as he could have made some money and maybe put aside enough for the remaining years of his course. This would have eased their burden and freed up some money to take Emma out to a nice restaurant, a movie, or even dancing.

As the train rushed toward the station, someone grabbed Gary's arms from behind and tried to push him forward to the platform's edge.

Gary was overbalanced with the heavy backpack and the guitar case between his legs, but the extra mass made it difficult for his assailant to push him completely off the platform onto the tracks. The guitar slipped back between his legs and tangled his assailant's feet.

Suddenly twisting his body just as the train shot past without stopping, Gary looked over his shoulder at the red face and bleary eyes of Greg Yossman.

"Greg? What--" Gary began, then Greg suddenly changed direction and threw him down onto the platform. Gary clocked the left side of his forehead against the armrest of a bench seat, and stars exploded across his vision.

"Fuck!" Gary gasped as he crashed to the floor.

"YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!" Greg screamed at him as he stood over Gary's prone body.

Dazed from shock and pain, Gary could only gape at the raging man.

"She's going to find out. She'll learn the truth about what a rotten piece of shit I am!" Greg continued to shout, though not quite as loudly as before, as his tears returned. A desperate sadness was beginning to enter his tone.

Greg paced back and forth in front of Gary, scowling down at him.

"She's going to find out I let Stefano steal from her for years. I even took a cut as she was the talented one, and I was so fucking jealous!" He was breathing hard, and tears were freely running down his cheeks.

"Now everything is ruined because you made her suspicious of Stefano and convinced her to do an audit." Gary's eyes were locked on Greg's face as the man began to shake his head violently.

"I can't! I can't face her," he said and sucked in a sharp breath, looking away from Gary, still lying on the floor, clutching the guitar case for its solidity.

"I-I can't live with what I've done to her."

Greg locked eyes with Gary. "Tell her I loved her... and I'm sorry."

To Gary's horror, Greg stepped backward off the platform as the next train rushed into the station. Someone screamed. The train slammed its brakes on with a terrible squeal, and Gary closed his eyes. He could still see the hopelessness in Greg's eyes as he dropped from view a split second before the train rushed past his position.

Gary's head throbbed painfully, but his muscles slowly began to unlock. He was able to push himself to a seated position as people started to rush across the platform.

A man crouched down next to him and said something, but Gary wasn't registering the words yet. It was too much.

"Sir! Sir! Can you hear me?"

Gary looked at the man's face and saw he was wearing a uniform. "What?"

"Can you understand me?" the policeman asked.

"Y-yes. My head hurts."

The man nodded. "An ambulance is on its way. It doesn't look too bad." He pressed something soft to the wound, and Gary winced, sucking in a sharp breath. "Don't move. This will stop the bleeding. What's your name?"

"Uh, Gary... Truman."

"Do you know the name of the victim? Did you know him?"

Gary's eyes lifted to look into the officer's questioning eyes. "Yes, Greg Yossman. I didn't know him well. I just played with him once."

The cop's eyebrows rose. "Yossman, the musician?"

Gary's mind was spinning with the reality of what had just happened. Selina! She needed to know. "Someone needs to tell Selina. She shouldn't hear about it in the news."

"We'll take care of that, sir. Who should we call for you?" the officer asked.

Gary jolted as he looked at the man in confusion. "I'm not dying!"

"No, I mean to meet you at the hospital," the cop corrected.

"Oh. Emma Patricks." He gave the officer the details of where to find her. "She might be running a class now." His head throbbed, and he winced.

The platform was very busy now, and some EMTs joined the cop to take over holding the cloth to Gary's forehead.

"What happened to you, buddy?" the medic asked.

Gary blinked at the thick Brooklyn accent, then glanced over at the bench. "I was thrown against that."

The paramedic saw the blood on the edge of the armrest. Then he shone a small light in Gary's eyes, making him wince in pain.

"My head hurts," Gary mumbled.

The EMT looked at his partner. "Let's get him on the stretcher. Facial laceration. Possible mild concussion." He looked at the officer. "We get a name?"

"Gary Truman."

"Hey, Gary. Let's get this backpack off." The man undid the buckles and pulled the straps off of his shoulders. He grunted when he lifted it. "Shit! What's in this? Rocks?"

"My accounting textbooks," Gary said, and the medic snorted as he handed it to the police officer.

They went to move Gary to their stretcher, but he clung to the guitar case handle. "Gary, you need to let go of the case."

"No," Gary mumbled. His headache throbbed.

"Officer Franklin will take good care of it. He's following us to the hospital," the medic said.

Gary looked at the cop and saw him nod, so he unclenched his fingers, and the EMT handed the case to the cop.

Once he was stretched out on the gurney, Gary sighed.

"Stay awake, Gary," the EMT said.

Gary wondered if he'd ever heard a worse suggestion.

-=-

Hours later, Gary was propped up in a chair in a police station across the desk from Detective Delgado once more. After visiting the hospital and getting stitches for the gash, Officer Franklin brought Gary and Emma to the precinct and handed him off to the detective.

Glancing at the wall clock showed it was almost two in the morning.

Gary's face ached, and his head was beginning to hurt again as the painkillers he'd been given at the hospital faded. The bruising and swelling had spread from his forehead down across his left eye.

His backpack was at his feet, and the guitar case leaned against the desk. He rested his foot against it, but he was still rocked by the reality of having it. If it hadn't been for the heavy books in his backpack and the bulky guitar case tangling Greg's feet, Gary would have been the one on the subway tracks.

On this terrible night, the only bright spot was Emma, sitting on his right, clinging to his arm. Her support helped him greatly.

On Emma's other side was Selina Moreno. She'd been brought in shortly after Gary and Emma arrived. They'd had a tearful reunion but being together seemed to help. Her eyes were still a little puffy from crying, but she was keeping it together now.

Detective Delgado glanced across the desk at the singer. "Did Mr. Yossman drive a tan eighties Oldsmobile?"

Selina shook her head. "No. Greg doesn't--he didn't own a car. Stefano drives a tan Cutlass, probably from the eighties. He felt threatened by Gary. Now we know why."

The detective nodded and added those details to the report.

Another officer approached the desk and spoke to the detective, leaving him with a printed form.

"Shit. We got a hit on our search for Mancini. He boarded a red-eye flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina, last night. I suggest you check with your bank in the morning if he had access to your accounts."

Selina nodded stiffly.

Once the detective gathered a few more details, he thanked them for their cooperation and said the hit and run case was officially closed. The subway attack on Gary was being shut as well.

Selina, Emma, and Gary shared a look and climbed to their feet. Gary was still a little unsteady, so Emma braced him. Selina gave him a sad expression, but Gary just pulled her into a hug, then they made their way to the street.

A car service limo pulled up to the curb for Selina, and she turned to face Gary and Emma. "Please allow me to give you a lift home."

Gary wasn't about to refuse, and Emma smiled at her thankfully.

Once they were comfortably seated inside, Emma gave the driver their address, and Selina put up a privacy wall between them and the driver. Then she turned to face the young couple.

"I'm so sorry about all of this. Greg said this was all my fault," Gary said softly.

"No, Gary. This was Stefano's fault. And Greg's. As he told you, Greg felt jealous of my talent, so he allowed Stefano to embezzle from me for years and profited from it. He would have confessed his sins long ago if he truly loved me." She shook her head sadly. "I know Greg left everything to me in his will, so maybe I'll get some of that money back."

"What about the money your manager stole?" Emma asked.

Selina's smile became cold. "Stefano chose a poor location to run away to. I have family there. Very protective family. He'll be greeted by a welcoming committee when his flight lands." She shrugged, and her smile faded.

"I still have many tears to cry, for many reasons, but I need hope in my heart. Something to look forward to." She looked Gary in the eye. "Once this ordeal is done, and I find reputable management with integrity, could we get together and record that album?"

Gary smiled at her. "Yes, I would love to."

"Thank you, Gary. I'm sorry you got pulled into the drama surrounding my life. To compensate you for the song we did at Rocky's, send me the details, and I'll pay for the next year of your course. I'll also get you a fair contract when we meet again."

Emma was thrilled but Gary was stunned. "Thank you so much! That's such a relief! I want you to know I don't hold you accountable for what Stefano or Greg did or tried to do to me. You're a wonderful person and an enormously talented and brilliant artist. I look forward to creating music with you soon." Selina's eyes were glassy as she smiled at him.

The limo pulled up at the curb before their place, and Gary and Emma gave Selina hugs before they climbed out.

Emma got them inside the building and into their apartment before Gary finally released his grip on the guitar case.

"You've been holding onto your guitar case like it would disappear all night. I didn't know you brought it to college," Emma remarked as he flexed his fingers.

"This isn't my guitar--I mean, it's not my acoustic guitar," Gary said, flustered.

She looked closer. "I didn't even notice the case was different! I guess I had other things on my mind."

He smiled. "Mr. Nishimura, the professor I spoke to about the contract, gave me his guitar at the end of the day. His wife and daughter heard me play it in his office, and they insisted he give it to me."

He opened the case, and Emma gasped. "Oh my god! It's gorgeous! It's an electric guitar?"

Gary nodded. "If he doesn't change his mind and ask for it back, I have to learn how to play it, which means I'll need a small amp and earphones."

Then he sighed. "Or I can sell it and put the money toward the final year of my course."

"No! You can't sell this lovely guitar! Besides, selling it won't pay for your course," Emma insisted.

Gary looked into her eyes. "You're right, but it would go a long way toward covering the costs. It's a five-thousand-dollar guitar."

Emma's eyes flew wide as her hands went over her mouth. When she recovered, she shook her head. "I can't take any more shocks tonight. Let's just go to bed. Are you allowed to sleep?"

Gary nodded. "The doctor said I didn't have a concussion."

"I should probably leave a message for Dennis to tell him to find someone else for tomorrow's classes," Emma said.

Gary put his hands on her shoulders to look into her beautiful blue eyes, which watched him in concern. "I'll be okay. I promise to take it easy tomorrow. Nothing physically strenuous or taxing for my brain either. Let's see how things are in the morning."

They stripped their clothes, brushed their teeth, then slipped under the covers.

"Could you do laundry tomorrow?" Emma asked quietly.

Gary chuckled softly. "Of course, my love."

Emma snuggled in, and Gary did his best to ignore the flashes, every time he closed his eyes, of Greg falling out of sight before the train hit him.

It took him far longer than Emma to fall asleep.

Chapter 8

Gary managed to convince Emma he was fine to be on his own, so she didn't call in to take the day off.

Dennis had been a little prickly the last few days, so she didn't want to chance him taking the classes away from her... yet. She was getting a lot of great responses from the clients.

As she walked the last block toward the building, she enjoyed the afternoon sun on her face. Living in the city sometimes felt like she was living in the shadows of all the tall buildings and was losing contact with real sunlight. She turned her face up to the rays and smiled as she enjoyed the warmth.

No sooner was she enjoying it than she stepped into a shadow. She glanced up in frustration and froze. It was a billboard blocking the rays, but the image on the billboard caused her chest to tighten, constricting her breathing.

There she was, twenty feet tall from the top of her head to her knees, wearing that skimpy purple workout wear. Her jaw dropped as she suddenly realized the image had been retouched to emphasize her nipples pressing against the tight fabric.

It was her body, but she'd never smiled like that when she wore the first outfit. More abusive image manipulation was going on here.

Most importantly, she wanted the billboard taken down. NOW!

Outraged, she rushed the final block to step inside the club. She spotted Dennis walking the floor and made a beeline to directly confront him.

Dennis beamed a smile at her and pre-empted her tirade. "Hey! Did you see that awesome billboard? It's already drawing in customers. I look pretty good too!"

Emma knew he was trying to defuse her anger, but he'd gone too far this time. It was time he started listening.

-=-

Dennis could see she was ready to yell, so he raised his hands and directed her to follow him to his office. They stepped inside, and he closed the door behind her, then took a seat behind his desk. Emma continued to stand in front of his desk with her arms crossed across her chest.

"I never agreed to the image you used or the outfit. That's a doctored photo, and it's humiliating! I want it down!

Dennis was getting annoyed with the red-haired vixen's prudishness. This small-town shit had been endearing at first, but now it jeopardized an expensive marketing campaign.

The last few days, her attendance had been spotty, and he was beginning to question her hunger for the job. Now she does this?

If she wasn't so incredibly popular, he'd kick her out on her amazing ass.

He realized he wouldn't sway her mind about the billboard, so he'd have to make her cognizant of life in the big city. "I don't have to get your approval on the image or outfit. You signed the model release, letting me use the pictures as I see fit." He smiled at her indulgently.

"I never signed the release."

Dennis looked at her blankly, then frowned. "Of course, you signed it! Dino handed you the clipboard. You took it to the change room, and I saw you leave it on the front desk."

"Yes, I brought it up to the front desk because the pen he gave me had no ink. Then you rushed us out of the office before I got a chance to sign the form. I didn't sign the release. Take the billboard down."

Dennis recalled pulling her from the office to avoid meeting the bikini sluts. He scowled. "I've already paid for the printing and the space for the next three months!"

"It comes down, or I quit and sue!"

Seeing the defiant look in her eye was too much for Dennis, and he blew his top as he dropped back against his chair.

"You selfish little bitch! After everything I've done for you!"

Emma leaned forward over his desk, resting her hands on the surface and exposing her cleavage. "I didn't ask for your help. I would have made it to the top eventually on my own."

Dennis' eyes were fixed on her tits, but he managed to sneer at her naive words. "The only way you got to the top was because I cleared the way for you to take Yvonne's sessions!"

Emma blinked her large doe eyes at Dennis, and his sneer grew wider. "Yvonne's contract had a clause indicating that she could renew her contract as long as she was physically able, or I bought her out. She had to go to let you shine! I made that happen for you!"

"I never wanted that!" Emma gasped.

"Oh, grow up! You took all the time slots. Even when I added some Yvonne never did. You benefitted the most!"

"You crippled a good woman, then told me I was only covering her sessions until she healed from a broken leg. You asked me to do a photoshoot and then manipulated the picture to oversexualize my image. I never signed the release. Then you got greedy when my classes proved popular and added extra sessions without asking if I could handle the extra load. There are a lot of excellent trainers here. You could have shared those extra sessions with them, but instead, you abused my good nature."

Emma gave him a look of loathing. "You're a monster! I want nothing to do with your criminal behavior. I quit!"

"You can't quit! I did those things to boost your career! I made you!" Dennis snarled.

Emma pushed back from the desk and stormed out of the office.

She needed to be in a public space for what came next.

-=-

Dennis surged to his feet, ready to strangle the fucking bitch.

That's when he saw the page button on his phone flashing.

His face went pale as his mind went back through what they said to each other from the point when she leaned on his desk. Fuck. Fuck! FUCK!

Reaching out a finger, he turned off his page. He heard the distinct click over the speakers now that his door was open.

He rushed out of his office onto the floor to see everyone staring at him. Many of them were on their cell phones as they kept their eyes on him.

Emma was standing with the other trainers glaring back at him.

He was fucked! Dennis took his only option.

He ran.

-=-

Nancy Delaney waited for the other trainers to finish speaking to Emma before walking up to the woman.

"That was brilliant!"

Emma smiled at her, then frowned. "Now that I've quit, how will I get that billboard taken down?"

"Did Dennis ever give you a contract?" the lawyer asked.

Emma shook her head. "I was only covering the classes until Yvonne returned. I just had a regular employment contract."

Nancy patted her arm. "I'll take care of it. When I'm finished with Dennis and the Fitness Club chain, Dennis with have nothing, and the chain will be kissing your feet, begging you to come back. You really didn't sign the model release?"

"They gave me an empty pen to sign it with, then Dennis rushed me out of the office for some reason, so I forgot," Emma explained.

Nancy nodded with a gleeful grin. "How doctored is the photo?" she asked.

Emma sighed. "It's my head and body, but the photographer only got one picture of me wearing that skimpy outfit. I changed into my usual clothes after that. I wasn't smiling like you see in the billboard when he got that first shot. He also over-emphasized my chest."

Nancy was grinning like a shark. She was going to enjoy this. "I'll take the photographer down too."

Emma looked at her nervously. "I was bluffing about suing Dennis. I don't have any money for a lawsuit, and I just lost my job."

Nancy patted her arm once more. "Emma, I'm going to do this pro bono. It makes me feel good to right wrongs like this."

Emma gave her a hopeful smile.

Truthfully, Nancy's efforts weren't completely unselfish. She wanted to ensure Emma continued as a trainer at the club. She always felt so good after her sessions.

She also loved to crush little shits like Dennis and his sleazy photographer friend.

This case would be particularly fun.

-=-

Gary's exams were over, and college was done for the year. With his second year paid for, the pressure was off, but he knew he would have to go farther afield to find new bookkeeping clients to augment his income to pay for year three.

Unless the album Selina planned to produce generated some income for him. He knew nothing about music industry financials, so he wouldn't count on that as revenue.

The weather steadily improved as June arrived. The predictions for the summer were pleasant for once.

In the first week of June, Gary and Emma were invited to a celebration of life ceremony for Greg Yossman.

They packed for a long weekend away and met at Selina's place early on a Friday morning. She'd chartered a luxury coach to bring her and some friends up to her place in Martha's vineyard. Gary brought his guitars, as requested, since there would be many musicians in attendance, and this almost guaranteed informal jam sessions would spontaneously pop up.

Emma was delighted to see so many famous and talented people from the industry climbing onto the bus, and Gary was pleased to meet them as well. There were three guitarists, two bass players, a keyboardist, a drummer, and three lovely women who sang backup vocals in Selina's band. She indicated she was expecting more people to be at the ceremony as they'd find their own way up to Martha's Vineyard.

Everyone on the bus was super friendly, especially when Selina introduced Gary as the mystery guitarist from her last release. Emma generated friendly responses just by being herself.

The drive took over five hours, but the time flew by with the spirited conversations and the reminiscing.

When the bus pulled into the mansion's courtyard, Gary and Emma stared out the window at the sprawling two-story building in shock. It was huge! To the side, three delivery trucks were parked by the back of one wing of the home. People rushed from the vehicles into the house and back, carrying boxes and covered silver trays. Gary assumed these were the caterers and grocers stocking the home for the event and weekend.

Everyone piled out of the bus, and Selina faced them. "Everyone, speak with Janice and get your assigned room. You can grab a quick lunch in the dining room: sandwiches, vegan and otherwise, plus salads. You have the rest of the afternoon to wander the grounds or walk on the beach, but dinner will be served in the dining room at eight tonight." She smiled. "Welcome!"

Everyone collected their bags, then walked over to the side entrance where a petite and very pretty brunette with a thousand-watt smile waited for them with a tablet and a stack of floorplans. She identified which room they'd been assigned and circled them on the floorplan with a marker.

Following the plan like a map, Gary and Emma found their room on the second floor and discovered it had a beach view. The room was gorgeous, and they had their own ensuite bathroom with a walk-in shower.

"Let's go for a run on the beach!" Emma quickly suggested with a grin.

Gary rolled his eyes at her, but he knew she was right. He hadn't been as vigilant with keeping his running up as she had. For the past two weeks, Emma had been in touch with a lawyer friend who was negotiating with the executives of the fitness chain she used to work for. Mrs. Delaney was also representing Yvonne with her case against them pro bono. Nancy had convinced her to forgo looking for a new job until the firm blinked, which the lawyer was convinced would happen very soon.

Emma, and Gary, were relieved to know the billboard was no longer displaying Emma's goodies to strangers on the street. The photographer was also without a business license to work in the state of New York.

When Nancy told Emma she'd take him down, she wasn't kidding.

"Come on, Mr. Lazybones!" Emma teased, and Gary quickly changed into his running clothes and followed the beauty downstairs, out the front door, and down the path to the beach. They stopped on the firmer sand near the water and breathed in the scent of the sea.

Emma began her stretches with a brilliant smile, and Gary followed along. Once their muscles were warm, Emma got them moving along the shoreline, and Gary kept pace beside her.

They couldn't help but glance over at each other with silly grins.

This was a slice of heaven!

-=-

Gary was ravenous by the time dinner came around. Janice once more stood at the entrance and directed people to their assigned tables. As everyone seemed to be getting along and had a common interest in music to keep the conversations going, there were no contentious seating issues.

Emma and Gary discovered they were seated next to Selina. Once more, dinner was set up buffet-style, so they filled their plates with hot roast beef au jus, steamed veggies, and a side salad and brought it back to the table.

Raven, Delia, and Latisha, Selina's three backup singers, rounded out their group, and there was a lot of laughter during dinner. Emma was amazed at how quickly they could harmonize. Apparently, years of practice was the answer.

Once dinner was done, people were encouraged to bring their instruments down to the basement level, where a large open chamber was filled with couches and love seats in a roughly circular arrangement. If people felt like participating, great. Amps would be provided for electric instruments.

Gary brought his acoustic guitar down and spotted Emma surrounded by a bunch of long-haired, freaky people. Musicians, in other words.

"What's this?" Gary said as he moved up next to Emma and eyed the men with a raised eyebrow.

Emma saw he wasn't seriously worried, but she took his hand to play along.

"Just making conversation with one of the few single ladies at the event. We saw no ring on her finger," a fellow carrying a bass guitar said.

"Emma and I are in a relationship whose depth transcends all religious and antiquated cultural artifacts. It's nothing less than the merging of two souls. Keep that in mind when you come around with your weak game," Gary said with a sly grin. He nodded to the men, then led Emma away.

She grinned at him. "That was pretty slick talk, Gary."

He nodded to her as well. "Truthful, too."

"What if I like ceremony and antiquated cultural artifacts?" she asked quietly.

"Then you shall have them," he said as he held her eye.

She held his gaze in return. She finally nodded with a satisfied smile of her own.

"Gary!"

They looked towards Selina's voice and saw her waving him over. They joined her and two others, and she made the introductions. "Gary, Emma, this is Eric Gladstone, my bass player, and this is Julie Punk, my percussionist."

They greeted each other with nods and smiles.

Eric was a big black man, tall and muscular, handsome but with a naturally serious expression, making his bright yellow Sponge Bob t-shirt seem incongruous.

Julie was also tall but thin to the point of starvation. She was just lean muscle, sinew, and bone in a sleeveless muscle tee, ripped jeans, and Doc Martins. She'd shaved the sides of her head, but her hair from her forehead back looked like it hadn't seen scissors in decades.

"Eric and Julie have been with me from the start. Actually, they were with Greg before I joined. Stefano wasn't stealing money from them. Just me."

"Did you recover any of the funds Stefano embezzled?" Emma asked.

Selina smiled wolfishly. "Yes! Stefano had a miraculous change of heart when he arrived in Buenos Aires. The funds he'd stolen from me over the years were returned to my account. There was actually more than I expected. My family there were very pleased with how generous he suddenly became."

Gary smiled at her. He wisely chose not to ask the follow-up question of what happened to Stefano next. Instead, he placed his hand on Emma's back to distract her as he redirected. "I was wondering if you have a cassette tape player?"

Selina pondered that for a moment. "We don't use cassettes anymore, but there might be something in the studio. Eric, do you know?"

The man nodded. "There should be an old deck in there. What do you have?" he said to Gary.

Flipping open his guitar case, Gary plucked out three cassettes he'd pulled out of the boxes they still had under their bed.

"That's a lovely old Gibson!" Eric said, looking at the guitar.

Gary nodded with a smile. "It came with the apartment we moved into. So did these cassettes, but I have no idea what's on them."

Julie looked confused. "What kind of apartment comes with a guitar?"

He shrugged. "The previous tenant left it under his bed when he traveled around the world."

Emma gave Gary a raised eyebrow for his teasing. "He's leaving out that the older gentleman discovered he was terminally ill, decided to take the trip, and passed while he was away. He had no family, so the landlord said we could have the apartment's contents."

"Sweet find," Eric said as he held out his hand for the cassettes, and Gary nodded in agreement as he gave them.

Eric looked at the labels in interest. "Burn: April 1989"

Selina looked at him curiously. "I wonder what Burn means?"

Julie grinned. "I've heard of burning a CD or a DVD but a cassette?"

Eric shook his head. "CD burning didn't become a thing until after the late nineties. Certainly not back in 1989." He read the labels on the other two.

"Burn: November 1987. Burn: July 1988." He frowned. "This is tickling my brain. Let's go listen."

He headed off with Selina, Julie, Emma, and Gary following. When they left the large room, they walked down a hall and entered a door on the left side, halfway down. They were in a control room for a recording studio, and one wall was filled with technology. There was a wide audio mixing station with hundreds of controls over it. Greg grinned at Emma, who was staring around in wonder.

Selina powered up the board, and Eric went to the wall where a dual cassette deck was incorporated into the rack. He powered that on and then inserted one of the cassettes. Selina adjusted one of the controls on the board and nodded to Eric, who pressed play.

The tape was quiet then a background whistle could be heard. It quickly tapered off.

"A kettle?" Emma asked with a smile and got nods from Selina and Eric.

There were a few more domestic sounds, and Eric reached for the fast-forward button.

"Hang on. He's talking," Selina said, raising her hand to stop Eric.

A deep and gravelly voice moved closer to the recorder. "Burn: April 1989... let's do this."

Eric's expression was frozen. He looked at Julie. "Go get Benny!" he said excitedly.

Gary watched this, then he smiled as he heard the strum of a guitar, which definitely sounded like his Gibson's deep and warm tone. That strum evolved into a run of notes, and a melody came into being. It was slow and sad, evoking images of a smoky, dark stage in a nightclub.

Pure Blues.

Julie returned with another man. He was older with a coffee-toned complexion, peppery grey hair, and a matching trimmed beard. He wore dark-rimmed glasses and dressed in finer clothes than anyone else in the room. He looked at the group with a question in his eyes then a slow smile came to his face as the voice they'd heard earlier began to sing.

Gary observed Benny's expression as it was rich with emotion. Recognition turned to joy which became curiosity, then confusion as he struggled with something.

"I don't know this one...." Benny said softly. "How?" he asked with wonder in his voice.

Sorrow flicked by then he locked his eyes on Eric. "What recording is this?"

Eric watched Benny carefully. "You know who this is."

Benny became cross. "That's not funny! Of course, I recognize Casey's voice! When was this recorded? I don't recognize the lyrics, and I know all of his songs!"

"April 1989," Eric said.

Benny's expression froze. "What? That's impossible. He died in 1982."

"Apparently not. Gary and Emma found his hideout. When they moved to New York City..." he looked to Gary.

"Last summer," Gary offered.

Eric nodded. "They moved into an apartment of an older gentleman who'd discovered he had a terminal disease, took a trip around the world, and passed away during the journey. Gary found Casey's guitar under the bed and these cassettes." He held up the other two, and Benny took them and read the labels.

"Who was Casey?" Gary asked.

Benny snorted, but he seemed a little shaky. "Good question. The man lived to reinvent himself. When I met him in sixty-eight, he'd already had two stage names and settled on Casey 'Burn' Burnelle, a fresh young voice in Blues. I was learning how to play the Blues, and he took me under his wing though he was only five years older than me. As it turned out, I was his friend for longer than anyone. He and I shared a house in New Orleans during the seventies. Then he got cancer and fought it. I thought he was winning, then he disappeared."

"Who told you he died?" Selina asked.

"A fan sent me his obituary from a newspaper in Arizona," Benny mumbled as his mind turned over the facts.

Finally, he shook his head. "Hell of a thing. To be that talented and all you have to show for it at the end are a few cassettes."

Emma shared a look with Gary.

Selina caught the interchange. "What is it, Emma?"

"Gary brought three tapes, but there are five shoeboxes filled with cassettes," she said as she watched their faces.

"Shit!" Benny exclaimed.

They were quiet as Burn sang of his sorrow for his lost love.

"This is really good," Gary offered.

Heads nodded, but they remained quiet.

Benny finally broke the silence. "He went back to writing and playing, but he didn't release anything. With that many cassettes. He might have hundreds of new songs."

"Why didn't he publish them?" Emma asked.

"Probably because he killed off the stage personae, but he couldn't kill his creativity," Benny suggested.

Selina looked to Eric and nodded. He turned off the player and rewound the tape. Once it was done, he put the cassette back in the case and handed it to Gary. He put it back into the guitar case.

"Is that Casey's guitar?" Benny asked.

"No, it's Gary's," Selina said.

The older man nodded. "Yes, I didn't mean anything by that. You've already proven you can draw magic from it." He smiled at Gary.

Selina's eyes lit up. "That reminds me. I brought the recording Greg made the last time we jammed with Gary. After the Celebration of Life tomorrow, I'll be playing some tracks from it for the gathering."

"Let's join the others and see if anyone is creating magic of their own," Eric said.

After powering it down, they left the studio control room and went back to the larger chamber where they could hear music being played, laughter, and conversation.

They listened in for a while then the players reached the end of their set. Everyone clapped then Selina dragged Gary and Emma back to the central couch where Eric had his bass and Julia was sitting before a group of digital drum pads. She spun the sticks in her strong hands and grinned at Gary.

"Do you want to get your electric?" Selina asked.

"I'll get it!" Emma chirped and rushed away.

Selina grinned. "She has a lot of energy!"

Gary smiled fondly and nodded. "You have no idea."

Eric brought Gary an instrument cable.

"What are you going to do with all those tapes of Burn's songs?" he asked.

Gary shook his head. "I have no idea. I'd hate for them to remain trapped on that old media. I don't even know how much longer they'll last. Cassettes can't last forever. They should be converted to digital and published somewhere."

"I heartily agree!" Benny said as he approached their seats with another musician who was also older but whose skin was much darker than his friends.

"So, it's true. You have many cassettes of Burn's music?" the new addition asked.

Gary looked at him and nodded.

"Perhaps we can make an arrangement to purchase them from you," the man offered.

"Oscar! Gary isn't in the biz, and we haven't even gotten him a contract yet. If Gary is interested, he should have representation from a business manager who can inform him of the true value of the recordings."

"Look who's becoming a businesswoman!" Oscar retorted.

Selina frowned. "It should have happened sooner."

Oscar redirected his point. "I thought he was a musician?" Oscar said as Emma returned with Gary's electric guitar case.

Emma smiled as she eased by the big man to give the guitar to Gary, who smiled and gave her a quick kiss, putting another kind of smile on her face.

"Gary hasn't played professionally yet, and he doesn't have a manager," Selina continued. "Once we get him to sign the contract I brought, we'll be doing a studio album."

Oscar's eyebrows rose. "With a tour?"

"Not with me," Gary added immediately to get that fact in the open.

"That's no way to become a famous musician," Oscar suggested.

Gary grinned at him. "That's fine. I plan on being an accountant."

Oscar burst into laughter which faded as Gary held his eyes.

"You not kidding!" Oscar gasped.

"Gary is a brilliant bookkeeper already," Emma said proudly. "Music is his way to relax."

After bumping his shoulder against hers gently with a grin, Gary pulled his new guitar out of the case, and eyes around him widened.

"Not a professional, and you own such a beautiful and expensive guitar?" Benny asked.

Gary shrugged self-consciously. "It was a gift. From a fan of my playing that night at Rocky's."

"Rocky's?" Oscar asked.

Selina grinned. "It was the small club in Gary's neighborhood where we first played together. My recent single?"

The man's eyes lit up. Then he looked at Gary. "That's one hell of a present!"

"I think so, too!" he admitted honestly.

"What should we play?" Julie asked.

Gary grinned. "Can I make a request?" he asked, and they nodded.

"Ever since I played this for the first time on an electric guitar, I've wanted to do it with accompanying instruments and vocals."

"What song?" Selina asked curiously.

"Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits," he said with a hopeful smile.

Selina looked at Oscar. "Gary's lead guitar, but we need another. Do you want to join us?" the man nodded happily. "Benny, would you be our keyboardist?" Benny smiled with a nod as well.

Once they had the extra instruments set up, Gary finished tuning his guitar, and Eric adjusted the mini amp for Gary to get the optimal sound. They were ready.

The other guests gathered around to see how the new kid would fit in.

Holding her mic, Selina looked across at her percussionist. "Give us a beat, Julie."

The music began, and Gary's smile and the love for her in his eyes told Emma he was living a dream.

She couldn't have been happier to be part of it.

-=-

The following day had perfect weather for Greg's Celebration of Life. Saturday dawned with perfectly clear blue skies, but by noon, the horizon over the ocean was filled with grand and dramatic fluffy white clouds that looked like towering mythical castles slowly passing by in a royal procession.

Rows of chairs were set up on the side lawn with a small podium. The breeze off the ocean was gentle and helped keep the guests cool as they took turns at the microphone telling stories of their memories of Greg.

There was lots of laughter, a little half-hearted cursing, and a few tears, but for all his faults, Greg touched the lives of everyone in attendance in a positive way.

When the speeches concluded, Selina played three of the songs she, Greg, and Gary played the night they jammed, ending with the new song.

There was a buzz in the gathering after the final notes played. Selina returned to the podium to thank everyone for attending, then noticed the excitement. Benny stood to face her.

"Selina, we think that was some of Greg's best work. How many tracks did you record that night?" he asked.

She smiled fondly at Gary. "We recorded ten tracks, including the new song."

"You have Greg's keyboard channel isolated in the recording?" Benny asked, and Selina nodded.

Benny looked at the hopeful faces around him, then back to Selina. "This would make a beautiful tribute album. We'd all be willing to help on it."

Selina blinked at him as the idea surprised her. She looked at the others and saw their smiles.

A smile spread across her lips as her eyes became glassy. "That would be so wonderful!"

"Let's go inside and see how we can make this happen," Benny suggested.

It took the rest of the day to go over the tracklist and match it up to the talent available. As there were more musicians than they had tracks for, Selina and Benny decided to expand it to a double album. The original ten tracks with Gary would be disc one, and the second disc would be Greg's favorites, remastered and accompanied by the remaining artists.

To support customers who preferred digital, they'd set up a link on Selina's ecommerce site where users who purchased the album there could stream the songs. It was an ambitious project, but everyone was excited to participate.

Janice was asked to document which artists were on which tracks so everyone who played would be properly credited and compensated for their contribution.

Working with Janice closely, Emma volunteered to assist with talent wrangling to ensure the musicians were where they needed to be when they needed to be there. She also acted as the photographer capturing portraits of each participating artist as well as informal, candid shots for the album art. Her infectious smile and upbeat personality ensured even the most temperamental musicians smiled and had a good time.

Selina would be singing in every song, and she asked Gary to play in roughly half of the tracks on the second collection as she believed they needed updating.

"Maybe I could see that contract now?" Gary said to her with a smile.

Benny chuckled and sat down with the two of them to review the contract Selina had procured from her new agent for Gary. He explained anything Gary had questions about. In the end, Gary signed it and shook hands with Selina and Benny, who witnessed it for him.

Dinner that night was another informal buffet, but no one seemed very hungry as everyone was charged with excitement.

They'd be practicing tonight to get through as many of the tracks as they could tomorrow. The remaining ones would be tackled on Monday.

Janice worked out a schedule for which tracks would be recorded in what order based on the availability of the artists. Some guests were leaving the following morning, so two of the second set tracks had to be done tonight.

Gary was sitting with Eric, Benny, and Oscar, the latter two still fishing for a deal on the cassettes, when Emma rushed up to Gary and gave him a kiss. "Mr. Truman, you're needed in the studio downstairs for recording your first track, Glory Days."

Eric smiled. "I like this new notification system. I can't wait for my first call!"

Emma giggled, then gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry, Mr. Gladstone, the kiss service is a bonus available to a very select list of artists. Currently, that list has only one name."

"As it will remain," Gary said with a smile. Then he looked nervously at Emma. "I was hoping to have tonight to review the songs and get familiar with them. I don't know Glory Days."

Emma gave him an encouraging smile. "Ask them to play the song for you first. We're on a tight schedule."

With a cheerful wave, she spun and raced to find her next artist.

"You're a lucky man, Gary," Eric said with a sigh.

"Not arguing with you on that one. Talk to you later," Gary said to the group, then hurried down to the studio.

Selina looked up and smiled, then gave him a curious look at the concern on his face.

"I'm not familiar with Glory Days. Could I listen to it first and get your impression of it?" Gary asked.

Selina smiled and pulled the song up on her cell. They listened to it as the other musicians arrived and got set up.

As the track wound down, Gary was fiddling with his guitar, finding the notes he'd need to play and feeling out the sound, seeing how it felt. He nodded to himself as his mind played with the melody.

Selina looked around the room, seeing she had everyone's attention. "Greg loved this song because it reminded him of his father, who would endlessly talk about his own glory days in high school football. Everyone is familiar with the original, I mean, aside from Gary?"

"He's playing lead guitar, and he's not familiar with the song?" their keyboardist asked in surprise.

"Pete, it's okay. He's heard the tune, and I'd like to hear his spin on it," Selina said to calm him.

The man didn't seem convinced. "I suppose we have all night," he grumbled.

Gary looked at him apologetically, but the man shrugged. He turned back to Selina.

"Your thoughts on the tone?" Gary asked.

"Bright and cheerful during the chorus as he's remembering, a little melancholy toward the end."

Gary nodded. "Okay, how about this."

He closed his eyes and played the song as it originally began in the intro, but when it shifted into the chorus, Gary opened up the sound like a stadium cheering their team's winning play. The energy went way up. He brought it back down for the next verse. He abruptly stopped and looked at Selina. "The second chorus is big like the first, but when the bridge starts, Greg's keyboard solo hits. Back to the final verse, then the outro will be a muted version of the chorus. Is that okay?"

"It changes the tone of the song! That chorus is much too energetic!" Pete complained.

"I may be too young to have had glory days. Maybe these are my glory days! But I've heard my father talk about his high school years and those stories were always bigger than life. Shouldn't the music reflect that?"

"Okay, we can give it a try, but the last chorus and outro should reflect the passing of those days," Selina said, and Gary nodded.

Selina moved into a smaller chamber off the studio to record her vocals separately. Its window looked into the Studio and had a view of the control room's window as well. "We're going to try it," she said into her mic.

Gary took a deep breath as a wave of doubt threatened to drag him under. The reality struck him that this was an actual professional recording with professional musicians. He was also sure Pete didn't like him or his version of the song.

He glanced up toward the control room window, and there was Emma. She was smiling at him as her belief in him was absolute. He could feel his anxiety draining away, as it had on the stage at Rocky's that night.

"I love you," he mouthed.

She said it back to him, and his smile returned.

He could do this.

With Emma's love, he could do anything.

The music was there for him, and he let his emotions speak through it. Acknowledging his inexperience with recalling glory days of his own, he understood Pete's misgivings about the bright tone he'd originally given the chorus. When he played it now, he tempered it with an earnest wistfulness.

Selina's voice was powerful and filled with emotion, giving the song its heart.

Pete's solo in the bridge was inspired, and Gary smiled and nodded to himself as he pulled that tone into his last pass through the chorus and left the outro with a hint of sadness.

When the last note faded, Gary opened his eyes and saw smiles on the faces of the musicians.

The control room mic clicked on. "That was pretty fucking flawless for a first attempt! Selina, come in here and let me know if you think we're good!"

She rushed out of her booth to join them in the control room to listen to the playback.

Pete walked over with an odd look in his eye but a smile on his lips. "You didn't play it the same way this time."

Gary shook his head. "You were right. I think I was focusing too much on my annoyance at hearing my father's glory days stories. Too artificially bright, so I toned it down."

Pete nodded, then looked over at the window to the control room to see the excitement. "Shit, I think it worked," Pete said.

The room's mic went on again as they watched Selina dancing excitedly. The sound engineer leaned closer to the mic. "That's a wrap, people! First track is good to go!"

"Damn! I've never been part of a successful first take!" Julie grinned from behind her drums.

Pete turned back to Gary, who shook his head and held up his hands with a grin.

"Don't look at me. That was just beginner's luck!" he chuckled.

The keyboardist just smiled and nodded before he left.

The other artists who weren't part of the second recording session headed upstairs as Emma rushed off to collect the missing talent.

Selina rushed into the studio. "That was an excellent take! Do you need help with the next one?"

Gary nodded. All he could recall of September's Kiss was that it was one of Selina's power ballads.

She played it for him, but he couldn't really say there was a place for change as it all hinged on the vocals.

"What do you think, Gary?" Selina asked.

He looked at her and shrugged. "I don't see what needs to change here. The instruments are all background to your vocals."

"Yes, but it needs refreshing. A new emotional edge. Like My Soul, Your Sanctuary," she insisted.

"You want to record it at Rocky's?" Gary asked with a grin.

She chuckled, then she froze. She spun to look into the control room window. "Emma!" she called out as she saw the lovely redhead returning there. Emma looked and nodded. "Gary needs his acoustic guitar!"

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Gary waved his hands to stop Emma from rushing away.

Selina looked back at him.

Gary was a little flustered. "I-I think I'm not the answer to this one."

When she frowned and looked like she was about to argue, he held up a hand. "Can you play the song back again?"

She was still frowning, but she played it for him again on her cell. They listened for a moment, then her expression changed, and she smiled at Gary. She looked back at Emma. "Can you ask Pete to come back to the studio?" Emma nodded and rushed away.

Gary smiled in relief. He thought the piano was a better choice as well.

Selina grinned at Gary. "Here I thought you no longer wanted to play with me."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I'm going to be plenty busy tomorrow and the day after. And I'm sure we won't get them all in one take."

The singer nodded. "Yeah, that was just a little cosmic synchronicity shit happening there, but I'll take it!"

Gary grinned. "Totally agree!"

Pete returned to the studio with a questioning look for Selina.

"Would you be up for an acoustic version of September's Kiss with me? Just piano and vocals," she asked.

Pete's delighted expression said it all.

Gary smiled, packed his guitar back in its case, and carried it with him as he nodded to the others on his way out.

He met Emma in the hallway and gave her a hug. "That was fun!" he said.

"It was magic!" Emma replied with a grin.

"You're the magic one, my genie!" he said to her quietly, and her grin widened with a twinkle in her eye.

"Gary! Where are you, man?" a voice called out.

He and Emma looked towards the stairs to see Eric marching down with a determined look on his serious face.

"What?" Gary asked.

"We need to practice for tomorrow! We have a lot of tracks to get through!" Eric insisted.

Gary looked at him in surprise. "I-I thought we'd do that tomorrow."

Eric snorted in scorn. "He gets one track done in one take, and suddenly he expects them all to happen that way?"

"You heard about that?" Gary asked in dismay.

"Pete told everybody. Let's go. We have to practice!" Eric said with a sudden grin.

Emma grinned at Gary's moan, kissed his cheek, then gave him a gentle push. Music waited for no man, but magic would wait for Gary.

-=-

Gary spent Sunday and Monday in the studio playing one song after another. When he wasn't in the studio, he practiced with Eric and Julie.

For the tracks on the first album, the audio engineer used Greg's isolated keyboard tracks from their jam night recording. For the second album, they used three different keyboardists.

While they managed to get two more first take successes in the two days, most of the others required multiple attempts.

On Monday, they were recording the final track and had just finished its eleventh attempt. Selina wasn't feeling the magic in it.

Emma suddenly walked into the studio, plucked Gary's guitar from his hands, pulled him to his feet, and pointed him toward the exit. "Naptime. Thirty minutes," she said firmly. He'd been up late the previous two nights practicing with Selina, Julie, and Eric.

Selina stared in surprise at Emma, who pointed to the door for everyone as she guided her charge out of the studio.

Thirty-five minutes later, Emma brought Gary back, and they spent fifteen minutes just sitting together, talking quietly as the other musicians gradually returned. Selina was last to arrive and smiled at Emma.

"Thank you. That was excellent advice," Selina said to Emma.

"Sleep is a key ingredient in a healthy lifestyle. I could see everyone was lagging," Emma replied.

It only took two more tries until Selina said she was satisfied.

She joined everyone in the studio. "That's a wrap, people! Thank you so much for your extraordinary efforts. This double album is going to be amazing! Before you go, please speak with Janice to confirm she has your name recorded for the songs you participated in. Thank you again!"

Gary was blowing on his fingertips as he'd played more this weekend than he had this year. His fingers were so sore!

Selina walked over to give him a hug. "Thank you for the extraordinary efforts you made for us today. The songs were greatly improved by the emotions you helped draw out of me."

"It was an incredible experience. Not sure how eager I am to do that again," Gary remarked.

She smiled at him. "Normally, we wouldn't have tried to get it all done in one weekend, but the fates were kind, and all these stars were in alignment. You can't pass such an opportunity by." She looked at Emma. "Thank you so much for your efforts in wrangling the talent and your advice today."

Emma grinned and nodded to her. "It was fun!"

Selina turned to Gary. "My agent is upstairs. You should speak to him about representing you, at least for dealing with the Burn recordings. I know Oscar is also upstairs waiting for you. He's most eager to get his hands on those recordings.

"Would your audio engineers be willing to do the transfer of the cassettes to a digital medium?" Gary asked.

Selina smiled at him. "Not for free. Their time is rather expensive."

Gary sighed and looked at Emma. "Here we are with a potentially valuable asset on our hands, but there are upfront costs before we'd see a dime. And we don't have any upfront money."

"Speak with Kevin, my new manager. He can give you options."

"We have to go home tonight. When does the bus leave?" Emma asked.

Selina smiled at them. "The bus already left. Everyone who's left will be catching flights home. You'll be flying with Kevin and me tonight."

Emma's eyes widened in surprise. "We're never flown before."

Gary shared a nervous look with Emma. "I wasn't expecting to do this either."

Seeing their unease, Selina suddenly realized her mistake. "Oh! I'm sorry! I just assumed you'd prefer a one-hour trip back on the jet. I didn't think you might be nervous about flying! I do it so often it's become second nature.

Gary nodded. "We are nervous, but a one-hour trip on a jet definitely sounds better than a five-hour trip on a bus. We'll tough it out. Thanks!" He smiled at Emma, then gestured for Selina to lead the way upstairs.

"Let's go talk to Kevin."

-=-

It was the wee hours of the morning when Gary let them into their apartment. They gently set down their bags and the guitars and wearily walked into their bedroom as all they could think of was sleep.

Their original idea of how peaceful their visit to Martha's Vineyard would be had turned into a much larger adventure than either of them expected, and they were both exhausted.

"Oh! My cell has been off all day!" Emma moaned as she plugged it in next to the bed.

The moment it connected to the network, it began chirping. She had messages.

Many of them.

"I'd better check."

Gary nodded and got ready for bed. When he returned from the washroom, he saw Emma staring at him, wide-eyed. He looked at her in concern. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I received several texts from Nancy. She received an offer from the parent company of the fitness chain. They're offering me Dennis' position running the club with a salary boost. It's hush money," Emma said nervously.

Gary was stunned. "That's... I'm not sure what to call this. Is this something you wanted?"

Emma shook her head. "Maybe... one day. I love what I do now!"

"Still, I can't say I'm not impressed by Nancy's negotiating skills," Gary snorted in surprise, and Emma's smile returned.

"Yes, she's formidable!" Emma agreed. Then she looked back at her cell. "I need to speak to Yvonne before I agree to anything. This all began with the attack on her."

Gary nodded and walked over to pull Emma into his arms. "That's my Emma. Lead with your heart. It will never steer you wrong."

She purred in his embrace, then kissed him sweetly. She pulled back with a smile. "Mmm! Minty!"

"Can't say the same," Gary teased, and she gave him a look of false outrage, swatting his arm before heading off to brush her teeth.

Gary dropped himself on the bed and relaxed after his incredible long weekend adventure.

He fondly recalled how Emma got everyone where they needed to be when they needed to be there, and no one complained. That was a miraculous effort with all those prickly personalities to deal with.

Her smiling face was in his thoughts as sleep pulled him under.

When Emma returned, she smiled as she saw Gary sleeping peacefully. She turned off the light and snuggled beside him, thrilled at hearing his happy sigh.

This was her happy place.

-=-

Emma stood at the foot of Yvonne's bed the morning after their weekend away. The woman leaned back against her pillows, keeping her eye on Emma. This time there was no hostility in her gaze. Emma felt better about that.

"I understand Dennis tried to make a plea deal, but it was refused. He's going to do time for the hit and run. Several people in the club are willing to offer testimony on what they heard him confess over the PA," Emma said.

Yvonne smiled. "Yes, thank you for that." Emma just smiled and nodded.

"The club made an offer to my lawyer. It's too generous. Obviously, hush money," Emma said.

Yvonne nodded. "Yes, they contacted me as well. They offered to take care of all my medical bills."

"Would you... would you come back to the club to be its manager? They offered it to me, but I have no desire to run a business at this stage of my life."

The woman looked at her in surprise, then gave her an evaluating look before nodding slowly. "I might be interested if you'd continue at the club and help me with my rehabilitation. I've heard you have a lot of spirit and are very motivating."

Emma's grin was wide and happy. She knew she wasn't responsible for Yvonne's injuries, but the fact that Dennis did it to put Emma in her position made her feel a little ill. Helping the woman return to a healthy state was just what she needed to extinguish that feeling.

Yvonne would get back on her feet and have a fulfilling life. Emma guaranteed it!

Chapter 9

The summer passed in a whirlwind as good fortune shone down on Gary and Emma as much as the sun did.

Gary's new artist manager, Kevin, worked out a deal with Benny and Oscar, who purchased the entire collection of Casey Burnelle cassettes from Gary. The upfront money was enough to pay for Gary's remaining time at college and allowed him to send his mothers a hefty check, doubling her investment on the money she'd given him for his first year's tuition. That felt really good!

Kevin assured him his deal included royalties on all future releases of the collection. Just five percent, but it was found money.

Emma continued to be a sensation at the club, and her classes were in big demand. The other trainers did their best to emulate her behavior, and the club experience improved for the clients.

Yvonne was managing the club remotely as she was still recovering. Emma was her deputy manager at the club and spent time with her every day, bringing her up-to-speed on the happenings and issues. She also went to see her every day to help her with the physio routines the therapist assigned to her. Yvonne instituted some new policies for the club, making it a much friendlier environment. Less pushy sales pitches, better cooperation between coaches, and better pay made for a healthier environment. They implemented deals with nutrition brands for cross-promotion and to help ease their clients into incorporating healthier diets into their routines. Emma was in heaven.

In the middle of summer, the heat in New York City was like nothing either of them had ever experienced. It was impossible to stay inside their apartment with its lack of air-conditioning during the worst of it, so they'd find shady spots in nearby parks to relax. Gary usually brought along his acoustic guitar, and impromptu but small concerts would pop up as he'd usually gather small audiences once he began to play. His stage fright was gradually easing, but he accepted that he'd never be ready for stadium-sized crowds.

The pressure was off to find new bookkeeping customers to pay for his courses, so as his existing customer base learned enough to carry on without him, Gary just took the extra time back and used it for hanging out with Emma.

They kept in touch with Selina, and she told Gary she envied his ability to play in the park for strangers. Her fame prevented her from doing this. That's why Greg loaded Rocky's with so many of their people the night she'd played with him. He had a chuckle over that confession.

Production on the double album was ongoing as the project continued to evolve, and Selina kept Gary and Emma in the loop on that. She told them Emma's photos, and videos truly gave the project an immersive quality for the fans with their raw, shoot from the hip style. This helped the fans feel like they were behind the scenes with all these amazing artists working on the tribute album.

Customers who purchased the album digitally on Selina's ecommerce site got the full experience with all the images and videos taken that weekend. Purchasers of the physical CDs saw a subset of the photos in the booklet included with the discs. There was also a unique Quick Response code printed on the booklet which they could scan to take them to the ecommerce site to see the rest of the images and videos but without the ability to stream the music.

Selina thanked Emma for capturing some truly wonderful moments of collaboration.

Fall arrived, and Gary returned to college for this second year. Brock was no longer in the Accounting Program, but he dropped by occasionally to shoot the shit and tease Gary. His new boyfriend, Mr. Enormous-and-Uncut, would sometimes join him and agreed Gary was fun.

Li returned and immediately challenged Gary to beat her grades in the second year as they were moving into areas of study she felt particularly confident with.

Jasmine suggested to Li several lewd rewards from Gary if she won. The plump and frisky beauty was back for a second year of tormenting Gary.

A new member was invited to study with them as he'd lost the other members of his study group to failing grades in the first year. Yuri Lebedev was a recent immigrant and had decent marks in the course but still struggled with the language. Gary found his Russian accent fascinating.

The second-year course curriculum was more challenging, but Gary was doing very well, much to Li's annoyance.

Today, they'd had a quiz in their last class, so the study group was camped out in the cafeteria afterward to review, but one member was late and didn't show up until the hour passed.

Gary felt a soft body hugging him from behind.

"You're not getting my notes, Jasmine. You'll have to work out the equations independently, or you won't learn them."

Pouting, Jasmine plunked down on the bench next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Seated across from him, Yuri gawked at Jasmine's display of over-familiarity. Apparently, the man had led a sheltered life with little contact with the fairer sex.

Gary smiled down into Jasmine's big eyes.

"Why are you making eyes at my man?" said a voice behind them.

Jasmine sat up and looked back to snort in amusement at Emma's smile. "It's no use. Gary is impervious to my charms and is disappointingly devoted to you," she lamented.

"Of course I am. I spent my whole life falling in love with Emma, even if I didn't know it in the earlier years," he replied honestly.

Emma swooped in for a kiss, and Jasmine groaned at their sappy display of love. Standing, she waved her hands in surrender and walked away. The canoodling couple missed her wistful glance back at them.

Once they finished their kiss, Emma smiled at Gary. "Ready to go?"

Gary blinked at her in confusion.

Emma gasped in exasperation at his forgetfulness then he smiled. "I'm teasing you! I'm ready."

He packed up his books, pulled on his jacket, said his goodbyes, and they headed out.

They quickly stopped at home to drop off his books and slip on some nicer clothes. Tonight, they would be partying! They made their way to uptown Manhattan and a posh nightclub to meet Selina for the release party for the new tribute album. Most of the artists who played on the album were there. Some leading industry execs and selected press members had also been invited.

They were gathered into a warm hug by Selina when they arrived. The woman had new energy, and confidence seemed to radiate from her.

"It's not too late for you to join the tour," she said quietly to Gary and Emma as she held the couple close. Gary knew she was disappointed, but he'd been clear with her. He was also very much aware that she'd hired a new lead guitar player for the band as he'd been there when it happened and actually helped with selecting her. The musician was young and passionate and came close to Gary's level of emotional connection with his music.

"Michaela is really good. You'll have an awesome time on the tour!" Gary said.

Selina held his eyes for another moment, then nodded. "It will be amazing," she said definitively. Then she took Gary's hand in hers again. "When I get back, I want to start working on a new album anchored by the new track we did for the tribute album. Will you work on that with me?"

Emma's grin told Gary she was onboard, so he nodded with a smile of his own. "Of course! Have your people talk to my people. Wait! Your people are my people!"

Kevin was standing nearby and heard this as Gary pitched his voice to include him.

"What's this? More collaborative work between my favorite two clients?" the man teased, and Selina's happy smile and nod told him all he needed to know.

"Gary, let me get the details from the woman, and I'll get back to you," Kevin said as he guided Selina away.

The talented woman Gary had been talking about joined him and Emma, and they shook hands. "So glad to meet you again, Gary, Emma," Michaela said in her lovely Irish lilt. She had an enormous mane of red hair, a pale complexion, and rosy cheeks. Her lively green eyes sparkled with delight at being amongst all of her favorite celebrities.

"Good to see you again as well," Gary said.

"I can't believe I'm going on a tour with Selina! I'm so excited!" the woman said.

"Better you up there on stage than me," Gary said as a shudder went through him.

The guitarist gave him a concerned look. "Still struggling with the stage fright?"

Gary shrugged. "Luckily, accountants don't work on a stage before a live audience," he grinned.

Michaela giggled and shared a smile with Emma. "I love the pictures and videos you took of all the musicians!" Emma gave her a proud nod.

They made their way further into the party and greeted the artists they'd worked with, and introduced Michaela to them.

Benny and Oscar greeted Gary and Emma enthusiastically. The conversion of the cassettes to digital was almost complete. They were excited about releasing the first album next year and discussed releasing the collection on vinyl first. More opportunities for royalties.

The party included dinner, and people found tables and shared them with others. Michaela stayed close to Gary and Emma throughout the evening.

Several musicians Gary played with on the album dropped by to say hello, and some asked if Gary might be willing to jam with them sometime. Gary was surprised by this, but Emma was delighted and added dates to their shared calendar for these get-togethers.

As the evening was winding down, Gary and Emma found themselves in a lounge sitting on a sofa with Michaela, Gary between the two redheads. Across from them were Selina, Eric, and Julie. Benny and Oscar completed their little group.

Michaela seemed to be working up the courage to ask Gary something, and as he thought about it, she might have been all night. He finally looked directly into her lovely green eyes. "Would you like to ask me something?"

She burst into giggles as she'd been caught, and she nodded.

"I'd like to know what you draw upon to reach the emotional core in your playing," she said.

He saw Selina's eyes light up as the woman leaned forward to hear his response as well.

Gary smiled and nodded gently. "That's easy. It's changed in small ways over the years as we grew up, but now I understand its true significance." He saw he had their complete attention. "I hold a mental image of a farmhouse in the distance at dawn on a warm sunny morning. A double-track farm lane stretches away from me toward the home. Running down the lane toward me is a creature of such beauty and grace, all I can do is open my heart completely to her, hope I'm worthy of her love and pray she'll remain by my side, always."

Emma watched Gary with tears in her eyes as she recalled their last day in high school, how he was late, and how she'd run to meet him. Her love for him threatening to burst from her heart, she pulled him into a fierce hug and kissed him.

Selina smiled broadly at the display of the couple's love for each other.

When Emma got control of her emotions once more, she flashed a brilliant if shy smile at the others.

"I'll say it again, Gary. You're a lucky man!" Eric said with a smile. Gary nodded, the lump in his throat stopping him from speaking.

Julie sighed wistfully. "Do ya think a hard-rocking drummer chick like me will ever find that kind of true love?"

Selina smiled at her and nodded. "I thought that's what I had with Greg, but he got lost along the way, poisoned by his jealousy, then blinded by his guilt.

But looking at Gary and Emma, I can't help but believe in love, the possibility of love, and the potential of love out there for me," Selina said with a sweet smile.

Gary and Emma nodded to her, and her smile brightened.

She raised her glass, and everyone seated with her joined in the toast.

Selina grinned at her friends. "Here's a toast to a future filled with success in our ventures, laughter in our days, comfort in our nights, friendships that deepen, and most of all, love to fill our hearts."

Gary couldn't think of anything to add to that and saw Emma's love for him in her eyes.

With her love, he could do anything.