I could recall entire years that felt shorter than that afternoon. Usually my work was interesting enough to easily hold my focus, but today I was unable to stay on-track. I flitted around from task to task, not completing anything, and getting pulled off-task from the slightest distraction. All I wanted was to see Rosie again. Being separated from her felt like torture.

Last night had been incredible. Rosie had been so eager, sexy, and sweet. She exceeded my wildest dreams. I’d been terrified that I’d ruin the experience for her, but with a little trust and a lot of communication, I liked to think that her first time had gone pretty damn well. I was more than a bit proud of myself, actually.

I was, in fact, daydreaming about the next few things I wanted to introduce Rosie to when Alexandra rang from the other room.

“Mr. Ross is on the line for you,” she told me. She’d totally recovered from her earlier freak-out and now sounded just as disinterested as ever.

I froze, and my heart sank right along with my libido.

Fantastic. The very last person I wanted to talk to.

“Ok, put him through.”

Avoiding him would only delay the inevitable. Besides, we needed to talk.

“Good morning!” Calvin Ross’s voice was chipper.

“It’s mid-afternoon here,” I told him. I wasn’t even going to attempt to match his enthusiasm for this conversation.

“Whatever. I think my plan for Rosie is coming right along,” he told me. “I can only imagine the impression that your brother and Victoria Priestly made on her last night.”

I thought about them all laughing and talking into the early morning. “It didn’t go how I’m imagining you expected.”

“What are you talking about?”

I can only theorize that Ross was hoping Rosie would be utterly overwhelmed and intimidated. He didn’t know her as well as he thought. Ian, of course, was already predisposed to like her, but Rosie held her own all night long, and she totally won over even Victoria.

“Exposing her to a couple of the most prominent local artists has backfired. It didn’t have the discouraging result you were hoping for. And why didn’t you tell me about Rosie’s YouTube channel?” I told him, feeling excited for and proud of Rosie.

I could almost hear him shrug on the other end of the line. “Rosie’s little internet channel is cute, but I didn’t think it was relevant.”

“She has a lot of followers.” I worded my next statement very carefully. “Her music is unique, and she’s clearly something special. If Rosie were anyone else, I would tell you that someone with that much natural buzz could be worth the gamble. I’d tell you we should be shopping her to labels, not discouraging her.”

“But Rosie’s not anyone else,” came Calvin’s grouchy reply. “She’s my daughter.” If Ross had any weakness, it was his inability to change his mind. I knew it would take a lot more than my opinion to sway him.

“I’m well aware,” I told Ross. “But she’s got a fan base as well as a lot of natural talent. That hasn’t gone unnoticed. I just think you might regret your decision to give Rosie free exposure to the local music scene when she basically has a viral, public demo tape. Victoria has taken to Rosie—she seems intent on helping her.”

Ross laughed. He laughed! All of a sudden, I felt ill at the sound of it. “Don’t be so quick to doubt my plan,” Ross answered. Worry was shooting through me in little waves. Was this gig part of Ross’ scheme? Had he somehow influenced Victoria? The idea made no sense. Was he that good of a schemer? I wish I could chalk up his attitude to bravado, but I knew Ross. I knew what he was capable of.

There had been times in my legal career when I’d exhausted my ability to help my clients make choices that were in their best interests, get them exposed to the right people who could propel their careers forward, or break them out of contracts and deals that they’d gotten themselves roped into. Sometimes, facts and good motivations just don’t cut it. Sometimes, things just needed fixing. It was times like those that I was glad to know a man with the connections, loose attachment to facts, and drive of Calvin Ross.

If I needed someone to arrange a ‘chance’ meeting between a label and an artist, or I needed a demo tape to find its way to a certain festival scheduler, Calvin Ross would make it happen. If I needed to make a point to someone, Calvin Ross would make it happen. If I needed someone out of the way, Calvin Ross would make it happen. He was eerily good at it all. It was almost like the entire world was a chess board for him, and because he didn’t mind sacrificing a pawn or two, he pretty much dominated the game.

“What have you got planned?” I asked Ross, feeling positively nauseated.

“Wait and see,” he replied. Something in his tone told me he was bluffing, but I wasn’t sure.

“You know she really does have a lot of talent,” I tried. “I listened to quite a bit of her material she’s posted online.”

“I know. I’ve listened to all of it,” Ross replied. “I’ve listened to all of it multiple times.”

“And you don’t think she’s got the talent to make it?”

A loud noise of frustration made me pull the receiver away from my ear. “I don’t care.” Ross was all but growling now. “Rosie needs to go to law school. She’s going to thank me for this in ten years when she’s running this firm.”

I groaned internally. Ross was dynasty-building. Like a king looking to ensure his kingdom’s stability for years to come, Ross had decided that Rosie didn’t deserve to have a say in her own future. He was convinced that he knew what was best for her.

Ross fundamentally didn’t care what Rosie wanted. He saw Rosie as his opportunity to cement the Ross name in the entertainment industry for the next generation. If that was the totality of how he viewed his daughter, if he really didn’t care what she wanted, I feared there was no chance that I’d ever be able to change his mind.

Once again, I was filled with irritation and frustration on Rosie’s behalf. It was no wonder she played her cards so close to her chest. If she was going to hold onto her dreams, and if I was going to hold onto her, it was going to require me to be a better schemer than Calvin Ross. But there one thing that I had, and he didn’t: I respected Rosie.

Rosie was smart, driven, and talented. She deserved more than a future as Ross’ pawn. The problem was, ensuring that Rosie had a shot at her career might end my own. I needed a plan, and quick.