Isaac was utterly relieved that Taylor’s newest conquest did not follow them to the studio. He wondered how they were going to get anything at all accomplished with Taylor so lovestruck and Zac being… well, he hadn’t really paid attention to what Zac was being, but now that he thought about it, he seemed a bit distant, too. Ike thought over his mental to do list and added “figure out what’s up with Zac” to the bottom of the list. He’d get around to it, he was sure, before the weekend was out.
With these thoughts in mind, he following the procession of his brothers, Rio and Blaine to the studio, which lay tucked into a corner of the second floor of the house. He could only imagine how impressive a studio it would be; everything about this place was impressive. Sure, he and his brothers had pretty nice homes, but they were nothing compared to this.
Ike ran his hand along the textured wallpaper that ran along the length of the hallway, feeling the rich texture of it on his fingertips. He barely even looked in front of himself at all, and so he really shouldn’t have been surprised when he bumped right into someone. He shook off the impact and glanced up to see whose body he had collided with.
It was the blond maid from earlier; Isaac found himself at a loss for her name.
“Oh! I’m so sorry, are you okay?” she squeaked out, her eyes wide as she stared up at him.
Ike laughed it off. “I’m fine, just a little shaken up. Totally my fault, I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Oh no, I wasn’t either. I was just cleaning a few things up uh… for you guys. Making sure everything was nice and, and tidy the way Remy likes it,” the girl explained, looking past Isaac to eye Zac.
Ike turned his head to see Zac’s reaction and was rewarded with the sight of Zac’s rosy red cheeks. He looked back at the girl and offered her another smile to assure her everything was fine. She squeezed past the two of them, and Isaac thought he could see a slight blush on her face as well, as she tried not to look up at either of them. He glanced back at Zac who looked quite like he had gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Well, he could cross that mystery off his to-do list.
Zac liked being a drummer.
He like being a drummer because more often than not, he had his own little section of the studio where he could just sit and ignore everyone around him. Sure, there were other reasons to like being a drummer. But when one of your brothers had a stick up his ass, the other one was in heat and the people you were supposed to be working with were eccentric at best, it was just really nice to be able to hide yourself away from it all and claim you were working.
He pulled on his headphones and started drumming away, just to drown out all the arguing going on around him. Okay, it wasn’t like they were screaming. But the tension was palpable and it was driving him nuts. Taylor was obviously dying to go downstairs and find his new woman, and it looked like if he didn’t get the chance, he might very well fling himself on that Rio guy. Apparently Rio was the hip songwriter to work with but Zac thought he just kind of looked like a tool. No wonder Taylor was so fond of him.
Zac mostly laughed off Taylor’s ways, but it always got under Ike’s skin. Like right now, he could see the way Isaac’s brow furrowed and he chewed on his bottom lip. Zac knew what that look meant. He was holding back saying whatever he really wanted to say to Tay, and Zac was just praying that Ike could keep it bottled up.
Then there was that Blaine guy. Something about him just made Zac’s skin crawl. He never liked producers anyway. They were always so judgmental and never seemed to get what the band was going for. He’d much rather try to produce this thing on their own than deal with stuffed suits like this guy. Not that he ever had much say in what the band did, though.
“Zac! Zac, are you listening?” a voice finally broke through Zac’s thoughts, just as someone’s hands reached up to knock the headphones of his head.
“What?” Zac asked, struggling to keep his balance on the drum throne after the slight shock.
Isaac frowned at him. “You can’t hog the studio all day. Get out of here so we can get some guitar tracks laid down.”
“I thought you weren’t gonna record any guitar tonight?” Zac remarked, standing up and setting the headphones down. He followed Isaac out of the recording booth, still waiting for an answer.
“Oh, we weren’t,” Ike replied. “But one of Remy’s friends just showed up and he’s a studio musician. Plays a real nice guitar, too. I figured we could see what he could do for some of our songs.”
“Okay, sure,” Zac replied, twirling his drumsticks idly. Once again, a decision had been made without consulting him. He really wasn’t surprised at all.
Zac realized just how immersed he had been in his little world when he entered the outer part of the studio and saw that a new person had joined them. This guy looked every bit as sketchy as Zac expected studio musicians to look – tall and wiry, with mismatched and dingy clothes.
Blaine finally stood from his position on the couch and motioned the new man toward Zac. “Jude, this is Zac. He’s the drummer. Zac, this is Jude Viridian. Great guitarist. You guys will love working with him.”
“Nice to meet you,” Zac said, offering Jude his hand to shake. He was rewarded with a lackluster handshake and a barely noticeable nod of the head.
He wasn’t sure Jude was entirely all there. It bothered him, too, that Blaine seemed to certain that he already knew the sort of person they would enjoy working with. He didn’t know them at all. But Zac knew better than to create any waves, at least until it was absolutely necessary. If he could sit back and let this Jude guy duke it out with Ike without getting involved himself, he would consider it a good night.
Taylor couldn’t wait to get out of the studio. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to record, but after arguing about lyrics for over an hour, he needed a break. This new guitarist was sure to hold Isaac’s attention for a while, and Taylor thought that gave him the perfect opportunity. He just had to sneak out of the room without anyone noticing…
The opportunity came when Jude stepped into the studio and plugged in his guitar. The guy looked totally strung out, but when he began to play, all eyes were on him. Except Taylor’s. Taylor’s thoughts were elsewhere and his eyes were on the door. Walking on tiptoes, he made his way to the door and slipped out. No one looked away from Jude and his wailing guitar for even a second.
Once he was safely out in the hallway, Taylor leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh. He felt like a criminal sneaking around, but he really didn’t feel like dealing with his brothers’ accusations. At least not until they had something to accuse him of. He hadn’t done anything yet, really. Just a little harmless flirting.
He had every intention of changing that, however.
Still stepping softly, as though someone might come looking for him at any moment or jump out from behind a corner, he made his way down the hall. He didn’t know for sure where he would find her, but he had a guess. Remy had given them a quick tour of the mansion’s highlights earlier, and Taylor had a feeling he would find Poppy in what Remy had referred to as his billiard room.
Taylor realized he was trembling. Was he actually nervous? He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had made him nervous. He was always full of confidence – a lifetime of successful conquests tended to have that effect on a guy. But something about this sneaking around, he supposed, put a little fear into him. He decided to take a detour to the kitchen to pour himself a drink first. Remy had assured them that anything they found in the kitchen was fair game, and Taylor had every intention of finding the liquor cabinet.
Once he made his way down the stairs, his long legs easily taking them two at a time, he found himself not too far from the kitchen. He remembered it from earlier, talking to Poppy at the small table nestled by the window. Although the mansion was large and sprawling, he had already managed to commit to memory a few of the rooms. Attaching that one to the memory of Poppy’s sparkling eyes and gorgeous full lips… well, he didn’t think he could even force himself to forget where the kitchen was.
He padded across the tiled floor and began flipping open the large, floor length cabinets, finally finding the store of liquor in the third cabinet he tried. He pulled out a bottle of rum, figuring that would do the least damage to his breath, and fumbled through the smaller cabinets for a glass. He didn’t bother mixing it with anything; he only needed a few swallows of the almost clear liquid to give his head a nice buzz and still his nerves.
The first drink didn’t quite do it, though. There was still this strange, nervous twinge in the base of Taylor’s spine. He decided a second drink was what he needed, and opened the refrigerator to find some soda to mix it with. With his drink now mixed to perfection, he was ready.
A healthy bit more confidence now in his steps, he strode down the hall toward the so-called billiard room. Who called it that anyway? Remy was a strange one, that was for sure. But Taylor liked him. He was a good guy to know if you were trying to get stuff done in the music business, and god knows they needed someone like that now that they were out on their own.
It didn’t hurt that Remy had such attractive friends, either. As he counted the doors to find the right one, Taylor wondered if perhaps Remy had planned this, inviting Poppy for the weekend too. It wasn’t like his reputation as a bit of a player had gone unnoticed by… well, anyone. He would have to thank Remy later, he decided.
Finally certain he had found the right room, Taylor pushed open the intricately carved wooden door and was granted with exactly what he wanted to see. In the middle of the room was a large pool table, which he found Poppy leaning over, her dress hanging dangerously low as she studied the shot she was about to take. Remy leaned against a shelf and raised an eyebrow to Taylor, but said nothing.
“Needed a little break from recording,” Taylor said, unprompted. “Figured I would see what was going on down here.”
Poppy glanced up from the pool table and Taylor could barely keep himself from moaning at the way she looked at him with her eyes wide and pointed upwards.
“Remy is trying to teach me how to play pool, but I don’t think I’m very good at it. I don’t suppose you could help…” she trailed off suggestively.
Taylor took a few steps forward, closing the distance between the two of them and leaning his hip against the side of the table. “I’m no expert myself, but I could give it a try. I’m sure we could have some fun with it no matter what.”
Poppy’s eyes sparkled in a way that made Taylor suspect she had more on her mind than just a few pool lessons, and he couldn’t deny that his mind was wandering in that direction as well.
“Why don’t you come over here and see if you can help me, then?” She asked, her lips pouting every so slightly.
Taylor grinned and slipped behind Poppy, placing one hand on her hip and using the other to guide her hands on the pool cue. Her body heat mingling with his made it hard to focus, but he forced himself to ignore the feeling, at least as much as possible. Leaning in close enough for his breath to tickle her ear, he whispered a few simple directions.
From where he was perched against the wall, Remy let out a small cough. “I think I’ll just leave you two alone then? Looks like you’ve got things under control here, Tay.”
“I suppose I do,” Taylor replied, instinctively tightening his grip on Poppy’s hip. Something in Remy’s voice sounded a bit like jealousy, but he couldn’t be sure. Before he could contemplate it further, the older man had slipped out the door, letting it slam behind him and leaving Taylor and Poppy alone. Just the way he had wanted it.