Tudor Redemption (Tudor Dynasty Book 4) (9 page)

Ethan
answered the door dressed in jeans and tank top and barefoot. “Good morning,”
he said holding it open.

“Morning.
I see Angus didn’t scare you two off,” I joked as I made my way into the living
room of his suite.

Beth
was nowhere to be found.

“Coffee?
Mom will be out in a little while. She’s taking a shower and getting dressed.
She said for us to get started without her.”

“Yes
on the coffee. If you’re sure she won’t mind. I am hungry.”

“No,
she won’t mind. She’s not a huge breakfast person.”

I
followed him over to the small dining room area where there was a cart filled
with covered pans. I grabbed a plate and dug in while he poured us coffee.
There was quite a selection, and far more than two or three people could eat.
That thought was quickly diminished as I watched Ethan fill his own dish.

“That
was quite the turnout last night, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.
A lot of industry people. They’re all circling like a bunch of vultures,
wanting a piece of me.”

“That’s
to be expected. You’re not obligated to your current label now. Everyone wants
to court you. Win your hand, so to speak.”

“Which
is part of what Mom and I want to discuss with you this morning.” He grinned
before he took a bite of scrambled eggs.

“Me?
How can I help?”

“Your
idea for having everything under one roof? I’ve got the chance right now to
make some changes. I want to form my own label, our label. Move everything to
this company. Have Mom continue to be my manager and PR person, as long as she
wants to of course.”

I
sat back in my chair, stunned. While I’d certainly considered collaborating
with him, I never expected he’d ever want to make this sort of move. “I’m
flattered. Shocked, but flattered. You’ve obviously put a great deal of thought
into this. What else do you see?”

“I’d
love for us to collaborate, but I also would like you to produce my next CD.
While I’d love to have my own name listed as producer, I’m smart enough to know
I’m not at that point yet.”

“Don’t
sell yourself short. If you’re truly interested in learning to do that, it’ll
happen.”

I
bit into a piece of toast. I was excited as hell. For the first time in a long
time.

We
were interrupted by a female voice. “Good morning, Dame. I see by the look on
your face, Ethan’s told you his idea.”

“Yes.
Good morning. We were just discussing it.”

“What
do you think so far?”

“I’m
impressed that Ethan would even think of me.” I turned to him. “You have the
money and the means to do this on your own. Why coattail with me? I’ve barely
got anything off the ground since Alana.”

“Yes,
I do have the money, and yes, I could go out on my own. The problem with that
is I’ll have to bring outsiders on board. That’s not the direction I want to
go.”

“Having
Ethan with your firm would certainly be a boost for you. And it would insulate
him from money-grubbing outsiders. Who we all know are interested only in their
pockets.”

“True.
That’s part of the reason I formed this.”

“I
can continue on as Ethan’s manager. I can do his PR as well.”

“Mom’s
a great negotiator.”

“I
imagine she is.” I grinned. “I like the idea so far. Zara’s been handling my PR
as a favor. I know she doesn’t want to get back into it fulltime because of the
kids. She might be open to something part time. She’s damn good at it.”

“What
is the name of your firm?” Beth asked.

“The
Consortium,” I replied. “I wanted to keep family names out of it.”

“Makes
sense.”

“We
could call the label Consortium Music,” Ethan interjected, picking up a glass
of orange juice.

“That’s
perfect. I’ve got a five-year business plan. How about I email it to you, Beth?
You and Ethan can read it over. Then, we can get back together and discuss it,
make changes to fit.”

“That’s
fine, Dame, but the only part Ethan’s interested in is the record label. He
entrusts the rest to you. It’s your business.”

“I’m
flattered. That’s agreeable. I’d like to be selective with who is signed.”

“Me
too. Not let it get out of hand.”

“Agreed.
We’ll proceed. I’ve got an excellent entertainment attorney here. He’s been
helping me set this up. I’m sure he can do the same for getting the label off
the ground.”

“That’s
great because I didn’t want to fool with one out of L.A. Someone local is much
more fitting.”

“You’ll
both like him. Very down to earth. Doesn’t believe in taking huge risks,” I
replied. I felt my phone vibrate in my jeans. “When do you want to make an
announcement about Consortium Music?”

“Before
I go back on tour. Which begins in three weeks. The sooner, the better.”

“I
agree. It’ll put an end to any speculation, and the vultures will disappear.
Leaving you to make music on your tour.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “Sorry.
This might be one of the girls.”

I
stared down at the group text Peter had just sent out. I chuckled.

“Good
news?” Beth asked.

“Yeah,
it’s from Peter. Seems my sister just gave birth to triplets.”

“Oh
my,” she whispered.

“Said
details to follow. They knew they were having three. Just not sure if they knew
what they were having.”

“That’s
a lot of babies all at once,” Ethan drawled, spearing a piece of sausage.

“It
is, but Mary’s waited a long time for this. I’m sure they’ll do fine.”

“That’s
incredible,” Beth replied. “Come, let’s sit somewhere more comfortable. We’ll
have to be headed back home in a while, but at least let’s talk some more about
this before we have to go.”

Getting
up from the glass top dining table, we followed Beth into the living area. I
found an upholstered chair to sit in. Best to stay on my toes. Beth found a
chair and tucked her feet up under her as she sat. Ethan chose the leather
couch to stretch out on.

“You
know, we’re going to need an actual office at some point,” Ethan said.

“I
know. I’ve looked a little, but haven’t found anything to my liking.”

“It’
not something that has to be done right away,” Beth replied, holding her coffee
mug in both hands. “So much is done virtually, until you start adding artists
outside of family, there’s no big hurry.”

“And
I’m not sure outside of Ethan and me, who, if any of them, will sign on.
Courtney has expressed an interest in spreading her musical wings. So she may
be a possibility. The other two, I’m not sure at all.”

“What
about your brother-in-law, Daniel?”

“He’s
classical, but he’s also crossed over. Might be a matter he and I need to
discuss.”

My
phone vibrated again. This time it was Amadeus. I texted that I was in a
meeting and would call later. He told me not to forget—he had important things
to talk to me about. “Sorry, that was Amadeus. Probably wanting to brag about
Mary. They’re twins, you know.”

“What’s
his deal?” Ethan asked. “Is he going to tour, or put another album out?”

“I
know he’s working on new material. He’s expressed an interest in collaborating
with me. We just haven’t been able to make it happen.”

“Maybe
it’s time. You’ve got three hit songs out right now.”

“Yeah,”
I scoffed. “That’s a complete freak of nature.”

“Don’t
sell yourself short, Dame. They keep climbing. They’re all in the top twenty.”

“I
know, but I don’t like to get too cocky.”

“Somehow,
I don’t see that happening with you.”

“I
hate to break this up, but we need to get going, Ethan,” Beth put in.

“Yeah,
we do,” he replied, turning to me. “How about I give you a call after we’ve had
a chance to go over your business plan? We could set up another time to meet
before I go back on tour. I’d really like to get the ball rolling on this.”

I
chuckled. “So would I. Give me a call, and we’ll go to the next level, as they
say.”

Beth
walked over and pecked me on the cheek. If Ethan hadn’t been standing right
there, it could have been lethal. “Thanks for coming down so early. I guess I’ll
talk with you later in the week.”

“I
look forward to it.” I walked out into the hall alone.

Chapter
Twelve

The
days dragged on the following week. I sent the business plan immediately
following our meeting at the hotel. Ethan and I set up a time to discuss it at
Beth’s place. She told me they were excited about this new endeavor. So was I.

This
had been a dream of mine for some time now. Alana had been my first client, and
we know how that ended. With Ethan, I saw the door opening for many
possibilities. This was something I was doing on my own, after all that had
happened to me. No brothers—just me, Damien Tudor.

Shutting
off the engine, I sat and glanced around at Beth’s house. It was Beth. Quiet, natural,
blending in with the surrounding landscape. The odd thing that struck me was
there was no fence. With Ethan’s fame, and given how popular Bainbridge Island
was as a tourist destination, it surprised me. It was well known he and Beth
lived here, I’d seen that already. Might not be a bad idea to mention it.

I
approached the front door and was ready to knock when it flew open and there
stood Beth. My entire body did flips at the sight of her.

“I
thought I heard you pull up,” she said, leaning up and kissing me on the cheek.
“Come on inside. Ethan’s been on the phone almost non-stop. Always happens the
closer it gets to him leaving.”

Nodding
my head, I followed her into the house. “Yeah, last minute details.” I could
hear Ethan’s muffled voice.

“Would
you like to sit outside? I hate being indoors when it’s nice like this. Before
you know it, it’ll be too cold and rainy.”

“Outside
sounds great.” I followed her to the deck and sat in one of the wood chairs
near the table. It was a perfect afternoon. A slight breeze was kicking up from
the water, making the sun a little more bearable.

“Can
I get you something to drink, Dame?”

“Water
would be great.”

“Back
in a minute.” She paused at the slider. “Just so you know, we loved your
business plan. Ethan is itching to get things started.” She smiled as she
turned and disappeared back into the house.

I
couldn’t help but grin to myself. My gut instincts were right. This concept was
on the verge of coming together at last. I felt my body begin to relax.

The
sound of the slider brought me out of my daydream. “Here you go,” Beth
murmured, setting the bottle on the table for me.

“Thanks.”
Picking it up, I uncapped it and took a swallow, watching as Beth sat down next
to me.

“I
think Ethan is winding up his call.”

“I’m
in no hurry.” Damn, she made me all kinds of crazy. I knew what I wanted to do,
and I believe she did too. Best to take it slow. Once Ethan was back on the
road, I’d pursue my feelings. Take her out, get her alone, to see what happens.
There’s no question of what. Just a matter of when.

“I’ll
wait until Ethan joins us, but we’re both ready to move forward. I think moving
his management under the Consortium roof might help alleviate some of the
kidding he gets about his mom being his manager.”

I
chuckled as a wave of memories came roaring through my brain. “Yeah, I
understand. I had to deal with that myself. My parents managed us for a long time.
They did a great job, don’t get me wrong.”

“I
know. There just came a time when it was better to move on.”

The
slider opened and out came Ethan. He had his phone in one hand and a couple of
file folders in the other. He walked around and shook my hand before sitting on
the other side of the table.

“Mom
tell you we’re in?”

“She
did. I agree with her, having The Consortium listed as your management team
sounds a lot stronger than listing your mother as your manager. No offense,
Beth. This move is going to show people you’re on a higher level now, that you’re
not some flash in the pan. It’s going to make people sit up and take notice of
you.”

Ethan
gave me a lopsided grin. “Wow. That’s exactly what Mom and I were thinking.”

“Everything
stays the same. Beth still is your manager, we just use the business name.”

“Do
you think we can make an announcement about me signing with Consortium
Entertainment before I go back on tour?”

“Consortium
Entertainment?” I raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

“I
thought that would be better than Consortium Music. Since there are so many
ways to get music out there.”

“I
like it. Next question—what do you want out of this, Ethan?”

He
leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. A smile crossed his face. “For
now, I just want partnership in the record company. Hell, I’ve got a shitload
of money. Might as well invest it. I could help with finding office space.”

“Ethan
has invested in some office buildings. A couple are in Seattle, the third is in
Bellevue.”

I
whistled. “High rent district.”

“I
can get us a great suite overlooking the lake and Olympic Mountains. Similar
views in Seattle. It’s all in where you want to be.”

“Where
does the firm show locale now, Dame?” Beth asked.

“Seattle.
I use my home address and a post office box.”

“So,
it might be smarter, for now,” Beth said, looking at Ethan, “to remain in
Seattle. Damien’s from Seattle, makes sense to keep it here.”

“That’s
fine. I was just offering.”

“We’ll
make plans to look at what you have here,” I said. “That can be another marketing
opportunity. Once we decide where to house it, once the office is ready for
business, we can make that announcement.”

“Speaking
of announcements, here’s something Mom and I worked out. See what you think.”
He passed a file folder my way.

I
opened it and read the press release. It very simply announced that The
Consortium Group was pleased to announce that they had signed Ethan Maverick
with Consortium Entertainment. It went on further to state that the company
would also now be handling his PR and management. The phone number was
unfamiliar. There was a second announcement, this one via Beth announcing the
same thing, but coming from Ethan’s camp.

“This
is good. I like it. Do you mind if I run it by Zara first, before either is
sent out?” I grinned, noticing my logo on the one release.

“No,
I think she should see it if she’s going to be helping,” Beth replied.

“Well,
I’m not sure how deep she’s going to help, but right now, as long as it doesn’t
interfere with her mom gig, she’s fine. If it gets to be too much for her, she’ll
let me know. Then, we’ll look for someone.”

“That’s
understandable.”

“The
other papers are contracts. For both. I know your entertainment attorney can
make up whatever forms are necessary. If you don’t agree with anything, let me know,
and we’ll talk it through. I’m excited about this. I see great things happening
for all of us,” Ethan said.

“Ethan,
for a man your age, you have more business sense than some men twice that.”

“Thank
you. I’ve always believed an artist should know how his machine works. Perhaps
not be involved in the daily workings, but at least know where his money’s
going, or what sort of deals are being negotiated.”

“Too
bad more don’t.” I glanced down and re-read both documents. “You know we’re
doing this on just a handshake until legal gets things drawn up?”

“I
do, and that’s good enough for me.”

“And
me,” Beth said softly.

Oh
fuck, I’m done for. “This phone number?”

“I
noted on your web site that the phone number you list is your personal one. So,
I got another number added. I hope I didn’t cross a line.”

“No,
no. But let’s add mine underneath. Once we’re in an actual office, we’ll have
landlines, and then we can drop the cell numbers. If I don’t want to talk, I
can always let it go to voice mail.”

“That’s
a good idea, Damien. Because if it’s something about the recording part or
something that doesn’t involve Ethan directly, I don’t need to be answering
calls.”

“I’ll
go get my laptop and fix that.” Ethan got out of his chair.

“In
the meantime, I’ll call Zara.” I watched him disappear into the house. “He
amazes me, Beth. He’s got his stage persona, and then you get him away from
that, and he’s this laid back, young man who’s as smart, if not smarter, than
his college-educated peers. You raised him right.” I gazed at her for a moment,
wanting to reach out and touch her.

Not
now. Now is not the time. Focus. Call Zara.

Grabbing
my phone, I called my sister-in-law. I didn’t have to wait long for her to pick
up.

“Hi
Dame, what’s up?”

“I
didn’t catch you at a bad time, did I?” I hadn’t heard either of the kids in
the background clamoring for her attention.

“No,
not at all. Elizabeth is in a pre-school a couple of days a week. Need to get
her ready for kindergarten. Wolfie too, though with him, he needs to socialize
with kids his age.”

“Gives
you a break too. Though if my brother’s around, I don’t know how much of one
you get.”

“He’s
in his studio if you need to speak with him. But yes, it does me good to have a
break from the kids. The little ones. Logan’s a whole other matter.”

I
chuckled. “I don’t need
A
. I need
to send you something to read. A press release. If it meets with your approval,
I would like you to send it out as soon as you can.”

“Oh?
What’s up?”

“The
Consortium is alive and well.”

“Really?
I can’t wait to read it then, since you’re being so vague about things.”

“In
a nutshell, Ethan Maverick and I are starting a label. He’s my first signing
client. It’s all under The Consortium. He’s moving his management there too. So
things are starting to happen.”

“Wow!
That’s wonderful news. I know you wanted to get the label going. Now, it’s a
reality.”

“Yes,
it is. My offer still stands. You want the PR aspect, you’ve got it.”

“I
may take you up on it, if you can work around my home life.”

“You
know I can. Be looking for it. It should be your way in a few minutes. Call me
after you’ve read it. Sorry we didn’t go through you, but Ethan wanted this
announced before he went back on tour.”

Ethan
had sat back down at the table with his laptop, making the corrections. He had
a smile on his face.

“I’ll
call you as soon as I receive it. I’m in the office anyway, catching up on some
things.”

“Good
deal. Oh, and tell that sorry brother of mine to come up for air.”

I
heard her cackle on the other end, making me realize she might have
misconstrued my comment. Oh yeah. She and Amadeus were in their own little
world sometimes. I envied them for it.

“Got
it ready? Zara’s in her office working so she’ll look at it as soon as it hits
her email,” I said to Ethan.

“Give
me her email addy, and I’ll shoot it off to her.”

“I
hope she didn’t mind us writing it,” Beth murmured.

“No,
Zara’s fine with it. She’ll read it, and if it meets with her scrutiny, she’ll
have it out shortly.”

“That’s
cool,” Ethan replied. “Then Mom can get mine out, and we can wait for the
explosion.”

“The
explosion?” I laughed, picking up the water bottle and taking a long swig.

“Yeah,
you know. Once this hits, the phones will be lighting up.”

My
phone rang. “It’s started already.” It was Zara.

“Well,
what do you think?”

“It’s
perfect. I rewrote it on The Consortium’s letterhead. I’m sending it out as
though it’s coming from the firms PR department. I hope you don’t mind. I sent
a copy back. Let me know while I’ve got you on the phone. If it’s good with
you, Ethan, and Beth, I’ll send it out.”

I
nodded to Ethan. “Check your email. Zara sent it back. Wants everyone’s
approval. Hang on Zara.”

“That’s
fine. By the way, your brother is curious as to when we’re going to get to meet
Ethan. I think he’s a little jealous of Angus having met him already.”

“I
bet he is.” I chuckled. “I’ll get back to you on the other.”

Ethan
and Beth were rereading the release. I quickly explained why Zara had done the
changes.

“She’s
right. It says there’s a PR person on board. Tell her to send it.” Ethan
drawled, clasping his hands behind his head.

“Yes,
let’s get it out.”

“You
hear that, Zara? Go with it.”

“It’s
off to inboxes everywhere,” she replied. “Congratulations, Damien. Things are
really popping for you at last. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks.”

“You
know there’s Grammy talk about two of your songs. Songwriter of the year too.”

“It’s
too early to even think that lofty. But I appreciate the support.”