It didn’t seem so long since the last one. There was something to be said for enthusiasm, especially when it came with a work ethic. I preferred working with Theo more than almost anyone else.
For one thing, there was only one ego to deal with, rather than three to six like with people in a band, making the whole thing easier.
And for another thing, his ego wasn’t that big to start with, and his priority always seemed to be whatever was best for work. He was polite and followed the rules to boot, making the process a collaboration as opposed to something more like me having to herd cats.
“Ready?” he asked, lugging his equipment behind him.
“Always.”
After getting him rigged up and miked, the magic could begin. It was poetry. Theo was close to dancing behind the rig, taken over by his own music. Everything was going into the system so that the great could be made awesome.
Practiced to the very inch, precision required when acting alone, Theo was able to record live off the floor. The session seemed more like a show, with one song leading to the other on the set list.
Half the principal recording was completed by lunchtime. If only all my recording sessions could go so smoothly!
“Meet back here at one?” I asked him.
“Sure. Is Holly not coming?” Theo asked.
It was often Holly who brought the lunches or paid the receipts for musicians who were recording and who grabbed lunch as a break.
“She’s busy right now, since she was promoted to Seth’s assistant, and I doubt our new receptionist knows the system yet, but don’t worry, Seth will still pay you back. You can just give the receipt to me.”
My heart leapt and my cock hardened a bit as I thought about Claudia at the receptionist desk again. I was clearly looking for any reason to see her as much as possible. Usually having to do an errand like that was beneath me but there were no lengths I wouldn’t go to for love. Or at least a good hard fuck with a hottie I couldn’t get off my mind.
“Sweet,” Theo said. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Thank Seth!”
I knew Seth would pay him back for lunch. He was really serious about generous benefits, especially for what amounted to a corporate president. He was just one who just never forgot where he came from after gaining stunning success. And he didn’t seem subject to the epidemic amnesia that seemed to afflict other fortunate businessowners who had started at the bottom.
These days he was busy with his love life with Jonna and his fatherhood, so I might have to remind him, but it would get done. And once the company settled into a new routine with Holly as his assistant and Claudia as the new sexy receptionist who knew how everything worked, things would be back to normal in no time.
Following Theo’s lead, I went out for lunch myself. That occurrence was rare as a blood moon, with brown bags I packed at home often the order of the day to save on time and trouble. A spirit of adventure caused me to rethink the ritual today, though— I was antsy to get out and about so that I didn’t spend all my time thinking about Claudia. That would be really fucking pathetic!
Still a slave to scheduling despite my newfound emancipation, I stayed as close to the office as I could. Time was still something of the essence.
Once I had eaten and was ready to go, I returned to The Sanctuary, making sure to arrive before Theo was due back for more recording. My mother would say life wasn’t measured in clocks. She was probably right, but I just couldn’t turn off the sense of time that had helped me keep this ship running smoothly.
There was an ethereal tick forever in my head, like the Tell-Tale Heart but without the madness. I hadn’t killed anyone, so it wasn’t so bad. I was also used to the sound of that internal clock ticking in my skull for as long as I could remember. By now, it was more a feature than a curse. At least I was always on time.
By the time Theo returned, both of us ready to get the rest of the recording session down. There was more to happen, but if principal recording could be done in one, long day, it would be a new record. I wasn’t going for riches or glory, but recognition would be cool.
Theo gave his Mad Alchemy act his all, as he always did. It was a wonder he could stand up sometimes after putting everything into his performances all the time— let alone knock up his wife, Becca (twice, no less), but such miracles had happened.
And both of them continued to work through it all— Theo at his music performances and concert tours, and Becca as a conductor for an orchestra job she’d landed after graduating from the local music conservatory here in Seattle.