‹ Prequel: Changes
Making the Album
Kissing Games.
"Erm... Take five everyone?"; Barry said uncertainly to the Dolls. Then he turned to Billie and punched him in the face.
"You know, my life is hard enough with you making it worse. Now we've got no lead singer. And I'm not even sure getting another one will fix anything, because the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith liked him so goddamned much."
"It's not my fucking fault he walked out!" Billie shot back.
Barry shook his head angrily.
"You fucking SCREAMED at him, Billie. Maybe you blinked and missed his entire career, but Robert's been singing heavy metal and hard rock all his life. When it comes to the shit YOU do, he's out of his element. And it's fine for ME to yell at him, I'm the fucking producer and it's fine if he hates me. But you... You're obviously fucking his bandmate, you're rich and you're famous. You've got what he wants, Billie. And if you can't see how much he looked up to you, then you're a fucking idiot."
Barry turned to the Dolls, who had filed into the room somewhere in the middle of Barry's speech. They were gawking at him.
"Now... You three... Do you think there's any chance he's coming back?"
"No idea. Robert's... Robert's music means everything to him. Maybe that'll keep him here." Blondie said slowly.
"Can someone PLEASE go talk to him?" Barry asked. Tre heaved himself off the couch.
"Never fear, the great Tre Cool is here."
"Oh god..." Tony said, and covered her face with her hands.
"Tre, try and bring him back, will you?" Jay said with a laugh. Tre chucked his empty beer bottle at Jay's head, then disappeared from the room.
For a moment, there was an awkward silence. Then Barry looked at Tony, who was studying her sneakers.
"You. I need to talk to you in the boardroom." He told her.
Only Jay noticed how quickly her head jerked up. And it made him very suspicious of the relationship between the two.
"What for?"
"Your guitar. The studio's given me some funds; we need to discuss the make and model of it."
"Why can't we do it here?"
"Because the information is all in the goddamn board room. And I really don't feel like carrying it all the way down here."
Tony felt trapped. But, realizing it would be more suspicious to refuse, nodded.
"Fine. I was just hoping to hang around in case Robert got back."
"He'll be fine... Hopefully, Tre is taking care of the situation."
Billie watched the two of them leave the room with an odd expression on his face. He couldn't quite place the uneasy feeling he had in his gut. But it could't mean anything good.
***
"We need to talk about what happened."
Tony had barely entered the room before Barry started talking. She cursed.
"Barry, nothing happened."
"Something happened. I know you felt it."
Tony bit her lip. She had felt something when Barry had kissed her, but she refused to admit it.
"Tony..." Barry's voice was soft and gentle. "Tony, I know you felt it. Please don't lie to me."
"I am not having this conversation with my producer." Tony laughed bitterly. Barry recoiled.
"I just want to say I'm... I'm sorry, alright?"
"For kissing me?"
"YES. I usually do a better job of keeping my dick in my pants when it comes to my clients."
There was a brief silence. Tony leaned against the door while Barry lit a cigarette. He offered her one and she shook her head. Then he looked at his feet.
"Did you tell Billie?"
"God, no."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because he'd beat the shit out of you. And then he'd probably fire you."
"How is any of that bad for you?"
"You're a good producer, Barry."
"There are better ones..." He said thoughtfully.
"We don't want anyone else."
Barry kicked the table absently, his eyes dark. Then he looked up at her. Tony felt her breath catch in her throat.
She knew what he was going to do the second before he did it. And when he did do it, she didn't stop him.
His lips felt so good, so different. Where Billie was gentle, Barry was harsh. Where Billie lacked, Barry excelled. The two men where different, yet exactly the same. But before Tony could put her finger on WHAT exactly made them different, Barry pulled away.
"Now you have to tell him."
"Barry-"
But he was gone.
"You know, my life is hard enough with you making it worse. Now we've got no lead singer. And I'm not even sure getting another one will fix anything, because the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith liked him so goddamned much."
"It's not my fucking fault he walked out!" Billie shot back.
Barry shook his head angrily.
"You fucking SCREAMED at him, Billie. Maybe you blinked and missed his entire career, but Robert's been singing heavy metal and hard rock all his life. When it comes to the shit YOU do, he's out of his element. And it's fine for ME to yell at him, I'm the fucking producer and it's fine if he hates me. But you... You're obviously fucking his bandmate, you're rich and you're famous. You've got what he wants, Billie. And if you can't see how much he looked up to you, then you're a fucking idiot."
Barry turned to the Dolls, who had filed into the room somewhere in the middle of Barry's speech. They were gawking at him.
"Now... You three... Do you think there's any chance he's coming back?"
"No idea. Robert's... Robert's music means everything to him. Maybe that'll keep him here." Blondie said slowly.
"Can someone PLEASE go talk to him?" Barry asked. Tre heaved himself off the couch.
"Never fear, the great Tre Cool is here."
"Oh god..." Tony said, and covered her face with her hands.
"Tre, try and bring him back, will you?" Jay said with a laugh. Tre chucked his empty beer bottle at Jay's head, then disappeared from the room.
For a moment, there was an awkward silence. Then Barry looked at Tony, who was studying her sneakers.
"You. I need to talk to you in the boardroom." He told her.
Only Jay noticed how quickly her head jerked up. And it made him very suspicious of the relationship between the two.
"What for?"
"Your guitar. The studio's given me some funds; we need to discuss the make and model of it."
"Why can't we do it here?"
"Because the information is all in the goddamn board room. And I really don't feel like carrying it all the way down here."
Tony felt trapped. But, realizing it would be more suspicious to refuse, nodded.
"Fine. I was just hoping to hang around in case Robert got back."
"He'll be fine... Hopefully, Tre is taking care of the situation."
Billie watched the two of them leave the room with an odd expression on his face. He couldn't quite place the uneasy feeling he had in his gut. But it could't mean anything good.
***
"We need to talk about what happened."
Tony had barely entered the room before Barry started talking. She cursed.
"Barry, nothing happened."
"Something happened. I know you felt it."
Tony bit her lip. She had felt something when Barry had kissed her, but she refused to admit it.
"Tony..." Barry's voice was soft and gentle. "Tony, I know you felt it. Please don't lie to me."
"I am not having this conversation with my producer." Tony laughed bitterly. Barry recoiled.
"I just want to say I'm... I'm sorry, alright?"
"For kissing me?"
"YES. I usually do a better job of keeping my dick in my pants when it comes to my clients."
There was a brief silence. Tony leaned against the door while Barry lit a cigarette. He offered her one and she shook her head. Then he looked at his feet.
"Did you tell Billie?"
"God, no."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because he'd beat the shit out of you. And then he'd probably fire you."
"How is any of that bad for you?"
"You're a good producer, Barry."
"There are better ones..." He said thoughtfully.
"We don't want anyone else."
Barry kicked the table absently, his eyes dark. Then he looked up at her. Tony felt her breath catch in her throat.
She knew what he was going to do the second before he did it. And when he did do it, she didn't stop him.
His lips felt so good, so different. Where Billie was gentle, Barry was harsh. Where Billie lacked, Barry excelled. The two men where different, yet exactly the same. But before Tony could put her finger on WHAT exactly made them different, Barry pulled away.
"Now you have to tell him."
"Barry-"
But he was gone.