I looked over the top of my glasses at the guy sitting opposite as he looked at the many gold and platinum discs on the walls. “So Brent,” I started but he was preoccupied looking at the many pictures of celebrities. I tapped my fountain pen on the pad and cleared my throat. “Brent, lets get some details down. You’re nineteen and you’re the lead singer for… Devil Blue?” I looked over at him as he craned his neck to see the pad.
“Yeah, that’s right. Been singing since I was a kid through school and college had a couple of gigs and stuff,” he smiled.
I leaned back in my chair and flipped through a few pages from the bands website and carefully eyed him across the expanse of the desk. “So, it says here that there are two members to the band? Where’s this bass player—Taylor, Taylor Saunders?”
He frowned and looked away. “He couldn’t make it said he had something better he had to do, he can be a jerk sometimes,” he replied.
“Uh-huh,” I mumbled and made some notes. “Do you write your own songs?”
“Yeah, of course I do,” he said nervously running his fingers through his hair.
It’s what drew me to the group, their songs where good—damn good, they just needed the support from someone like me that knew the market. But something didn’t smell right, if I was going to spend my millions promoting and pushing Devil Blue to the top I wanted to make sure I had a good investment.
I sucked on the inside of my cheek, and walked to the cabinet fixing myself a whisky. “Can I get you anything Brent?”
“Have you got an OJ?” He replied.
“Sure.” I poured a juice from the fridge, and slipped some powder into it and gave it to Brent. I took a sip of the whisky and watched him drink the juice. It only took a couple of minutes, before his head started to sag. I caught the glass just as it was about to drop from his hand.
Picking up the phone I jabbed a couple of buttons and a voice crackled through. “Yes, Mr. Williams?”
“Miss Jones just to let you know I’ll be off on an assignment with Brent Casters for a day or so.”
“Yes Mr. Williams, I’ll hold your calls. Should I send the car around for Mr. Casters?”
“Give it twenty minutes,” I replied taking another sip from the glass and hung up.
I ran my fingers through his hair, I knew the truth was in there somewhere, away from any lies. I needed to know what was going on inside his head, this was the only way—to know for sure.
I put the glass on the table and turned to the nineteen year old, and sat pushing into his space; his body. I felt his youth surround and bubble up around me, his conscious and memories. I gasped, and I felt a bead of sweat dance down my forehead, I wiped it with the back of my hand as Brent’s memories snapped into focus. “Saunders,” I mumbled.
Walking over to the table, I picked up a couple of files of the powder and stuffed them in my pocket. I checked my reflection in the glass door; Brent was a handsome guy a perfect face and body to front a group, but I already knew he’d been lying to me.
As I was driven back to Brent’s house, there was nothing more to do than establish how much he wanted to be famous. He was hungry for it, calculating and devious but there where attributes that made him valuable—his voice, his stance, his marketability. He had potential.
The driver dropped me off, and I walked into the house; I knew it well for I was Brent now. I heard a slow strumming, coming from the basement, chords and soft melodies. Nothing I’d heard before, clever combinations that gave me shivers.
Tentatively I pushed the door open and walked in. A big guy in a white t-shirt and beanie turned to face me, a Fender hung over his shoulder—Taylor Saunders.
“Where the hell have you been,” Taylor growled.
“At a meeting with Williams.”
“What! The producer?” He snarled lunging towards me grabbing my shirt and pushing me into the wall. I nodded slowly. “You fucking little weasel, you told me he cancelled. We where meant to go together.” He pushed me harder into the wall. “You shouldn’t be playing with my future, you know you can’t write shit. FUCK! You’re nothing but a pretty face and an average voice.”
The slur made me wince. Brent was a good looking guy but he also had a great voice. I pushed Taylor away, he was big and strong, but even Brent recognised his musical talent although he would never admit it to him.
I walked over to the cooler and grabbed some beers popping them both. “Taylor, we need to talk. The meeting went well, and I think we should go back and see Williams again.” I held out a can and he snatched it gulping some beer down.
"You know you'll never make it big in the business don't you," I said.
He took another gulp of beer. "I can write music," he retorted.
"Yeah, I know you can and its good--really good."
Taylor blinked, a little surprised. "Thanks," he stammered.
"I know," I paused for a moment. "Williams knows how good you are--believe me. The only talent I've got is my looks and a voice that will inevitably change."
"You got a good voice, that's why I put up with you--most of the time."
I held up my hands. "OK, Taylor now I don't want you to freak out or anything but I haven't been entirely truthful with you."
"You double crossing little weasel what have you done now?" He sighed. I let out a groan and pulled myself out of Brent’s body, leaving him to collapse unconscious to the floor. Taylor paled and took a step back. "What the FUCK."
"Let me introduce myself, I'm Craig Williams. Brent came to see me this morning, we spoke for a while but I was suspicious when he told me he wrote all the songs."
"Like I said--he's a little weasel," Taylor growled.
"Indeed, so I had to find out the real creative spirit behind the band, and I guess I have," I smiled. Taylor just beamed and blushed a little.
"I've got something to propose to you," I scratched my nose. "You could stay as you are--write the songs, you'll make the money but you'll never really be well known or earn the money of a front man."
"Or?" Taylor frowned.
"Or," I continued, "you could just slip into Brent here just like I did. You'll have the musical creativity to write songs and no offence Taylor, a pretty boy face and the voice of a angel that will make you and me millions."
Taylor sucked on his lip and looked at the unconscious Brent on the floor.
---
It's a tough choice for Taylor--which one would you choose?


