Ignoring the curious stares at my back as I followed Richard to the elevator, I hugged my messenger bag to my chest and held my breath. Nerves tickled my gut, and I had to keep myself from glancing around the reception area and risking catching someone’s gaze. It was increasingly obvious with each passing second that he rarely gave personal tours of the building, and the probing eyes locked on me sent tingles skittering just underneath my skin.

People couldn’t decide if I was an artist or not, and relief surged through my chest when the elevator gave a shrill ping and opened up to swallow me. Stepping into the box first, I adjusted my grip on my bag as Richard and a few other people climbed on board after me. Standing at the back corner, I closed my eyes briefly before one shortish man no older than 25 struck up a conversation with Richard.

“I’m glad I caught you, Boss. I already let Cadence know, but I ended up terminating the Redgy Jillian apprenticeship while you were in New York. You were right- the guy’s a total brat. He couldn’t get through a single attempt to record without stopping for some ridiculous reason. He even blamed everyone else when his demo came out like shit.” The man spoke casually, like he knew Richard and they talked often, and my gaze flickered between the two as his boss nodded. “I’ve got a stack of possibles anyway. Cadence put that jazz band you met with on the top, so you’ll probably be seeing an invoice for them sometime next week.”

“No problem, Lawrence. I’m not surprised, but you worked Redgy like a champ. What’s happened around the office while I was gone?” The question drew the attention of the two others in the elevator, and the woman near the door was the one that answered. Her sultry, low voice filled the metal box, and I turned my gaze to her to scan her tall, buxom form. She was stunningly beautiful, and she flipped her board straight, cherry red hair as all eyes went to her.

“Donna and Jack got caught in the supply closet again- third time’s a charm, and they both got terminated. And that guy from accounting came by on Tuesday to show off his new baby. She’s a cutie, by the way. Oh- and I heard from the secretary circle that William Holden has called Cadence, like, five times about a party he’s throwing. They’re all in a tizzy because he’s friends with Nick Dunn and everyone knows that Ethan Dunn is single again.” Rattling off at a speed that was hard to follow, the woman smiled widely to show off shallow dimples, and I leaned on the wall to listen to the whirlwind of gossip. “Speaking of parties, I put in a form to borrow one of my artists for my sister’s wedding at the end of the summer. They finally set a date.”

“Give Tabitha my congratulations, Lizzy…” Turning to Richard, I couldn’t help but think that this elevator ride was taking forever. Pursing my lips together as I relished being ignored, I pulled my hair sloppily over my shoulder before his gaze found mine. Clearing his throat roughly, he gestured to me with a wave of his arm before speaking again. “This is Lilly. She’ll be doing some part-time piano for us. Lilly, this is Lawrence, one of my managers, and Elizabeth, the office manager. That man there is Jerry from Sales.”

Red bled into my cheeks at the abrupt interruption, and I wiggled my fingers in a weak wave. It blew me away that Richard had such close association with his employees, and I stiffened when Elizabeth shuffled over to hold her hand out expectantly.

“A pianist- not something you see every day. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lilly.” When I couldn’t bring myself to shake her hand, Elizabeth dropped her arm, but her expression didn’t waver from its friendly set. Slowly eyeing me up and down, she cocked her head slightly before meeting my gaze with her dull blues. “Let me guess… you don’t sing or play any other instrument, right?”

“Uh- uh… right- yeah. Just the piano.” My voice wavered slightly, and I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth as heat swept up my neck to pool in my cheeks. Elizabeth only smiled wider, and behind her, Lawrence peeked over her shoulder to speak directly to me.

“Don’t be nervous. This is a great place to work, even on the side. But- this is our floor, Lizzy.” Just as he spoke the words, the elevator gave a ping, and I watched through wide eyes as the pair stepped off to be on their way. Releasing a heavy breath, I shot a glare at Richard before he held up his hands in mock surrender. Finally finding my voice, I hugged my pack tighter as I tried to regulate my heart rate.

“That wasn’t nice.” My rasp only caused Richard to grin devilishly, and I rolled my eyes as the elevator doors slid shut.

“They’re good people- people you’ll be working with if you do want to pursue this side gig. You’d have to meet them eventually, Lilly.” The elevator stopped its ascent a second time, and Jerry from Sales wordlessly exited. Alone with Richard, my shoulders slumped from their tense posture before he sidled up next to me. Long, callused fingers played with the ends of my hair, and I couldn’t find it in me to stay mad at him; it was the smallest of consolations, but it was effective.

“I’m not happy…” My indignant huff pulled a laugh from Richard, and I tucked my hands under my arms even as a smile tugged insistently at the corners of my mouth.

“No, you’re just cute. I want you to play for me when we get to my floor, okay? I want to see if it translates once recorded.” Blushing fiercely at Richard’s admission, I nodded with a jerk of my head. This wasn’t the first time someone recorded me, even if the equipment was more sophisticated than a $30 camcorder. Taking a short step away from me, he shoved his hands into his pants pockets as I glanced at the screen that displayed what floor we were on absently.

The building was easily 10 stories high, an observation only compounded by the fact that there were 14 buttons on the panel, not including the underground levels.

“Here it is- where the magic happens.” Contrary to the image in my head, Richard didn’t have a floor all to himself; the corner sections were walled off, and the rest of the floor was dominated by glass-paned conference rooms. Following him as he strode towards the nearest door, I craned my neck to catch glimpses of what I suspected were interns setting up for presentations.

The floor disappeared behind a solid wall, and I took my time looking around Richard’s office while he strode for his sleek, glass desk. Two leathered arm chairs sat opposite his, and beyond them was a couch facing the opposite direction. Dragging my gaze across the room, I furrowed my brows at the sound box that was tucked against the far wall. There was nothing obstructing my gaze from the innards of the room, and I wandered over the few feet to stare at the piano that taunted me silently. Guitars lined the walls, a drum set was in the corner, and the room looked well used.

The employees here must not have been the only ones that took on apprentices.

“What do you think?” Coming up behind me, Richard brazenly wrapped his arms around me, and I tore my eyes off the sound room to look up at him. Pride was written all over his face, and it only intensified when I smiled. “Go on in and get comfortable. I’m just going to set up really fast.”

Setting my bag on the couch, I practically skipped into the room as a familiar, calming feeling washed over me. The sound box was cool when I stepped through the door, and I closed myself in to sit in front of the piano. Caressing the pure, perfectly white keys with my fingertips, a smile graced my lips as I braced my feet gently against the pedals.

“All ready when you are, Lilly.” Glancing out the large picture window, I gave Richard a thumbs up before shuffling on the bench. Rolling my shoulders, I took deep, even breaths as my mind worked at lightning speed. I didn’t want to do a cover, and I flexed my fingers absently before closing my eyes to picture the sheet music.

And I played.

My body swayed to the heavy, throbbing beat of the piano, and I squeezed my eyelids shut tighter. Low undertones gave the song an eerie feel, and goosebumps rose on my arms as I keyed with hard strokes. The technique came so easy to me that I fell into rhythm, and the music overwhelmed every sense I possessed. Pumping rapidly to fuel my arms and legs, my heart squeezed and shuttered under the pressure of the sound, and I let it wash me away from the binds of time.

Even Richard disappeared as I immersed myself in the piano.