Before leaving The Roxy the other night, Cade Summers invited Zoey to their show at The Whiskey. Tan Lines was a great band and she knew he was excited to play there. Lots of bands dreamed about getting a date at The Whiskey.

Truthfully, she would've gone even without the invite. It was her first night off in a while and she couldn't think of a better way to spend the night than listening to a good band.

She got there early so she could secure her spot in front of the stage. Megan had to work that night, but Zoey didn't mind going to The Whiskey alone. She knew she'd run into people she knew. That was the benefit of being a club rat, even if she hated that term.

"Excuse me," said a man's voice from behind.

She turned around to find a tall man with salt and pepper hair she didn't recognize. He had on a pair of khakis and a blazer, making him stand out in the club.

"Yes?" she asked, wondering what he wanted.

"You're Zoey Ackerman, right? The muse?"

"Yup, I'm Zoey, but I don't know about the muse part."

"Well, that's what the bands call you," he said.

"They call a lot of women different things, doesn't mean they're true."

"Fair enough. I still want to talk to you. I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition? Who are you?" Zoey asked.

"Sorry, I'm Richard Black, CEO of Black Dog Recordings. I don't know if you realize it, but you have quite the reputation."

"Yeah, as a club rat or a groupie. I know all about that."

"Not just that, but as someone who knows music. You've got a talent for choosing bands to back. You've supported some bands that have done really well. Like Tan Lines here. You've got an ear."

"Stop blowing smoke up my ass, Mr. Black. What do you want?"

"Please call me Richard. I want you to work for me."

"Alright, that's it, you fucked up perv. I've heard about guys like you going after groupies like we're sluts for hire."

"No, not like that," Richard said, laughing as he reached into his pocket. "Here's my card. Ask around about me. I'll be here all night. Let me know at the end of the night if you want to hear more."

He handed her a business card that read 'Richard Black, CEO, Black Dog Recordings' and left. Holding the card, she flipped it around a few times as she thought about what he said. Could he be legit? What could she do besides get him coffee? She hadn't even started college yet.

Slipping the card into a small cross-body bag she wore, she decided to ask a few people she knew about him. She was sure she had seen him at the clubs before, so someone had to know something about him. And he did say to ask around.

She spoke to a few different people, casually bringing up Richard Black, and was surprised that most people had heard of him and had good things to say. She didn't tell anyone he talked about working together, it all seemed too crazy that anyone would want to work with a girl most people thought of as some club rat. There was one more person she wanted to talk to though, and that was Cade.

As she turned around, she spotted the drummer from the other night, Jude Morrison. He smiled at her and she felt her knees go weak. Stay cool, Zoey! she told herself. Smiling back, she turned away from him when she felt her face begin to burn. No way was she going to let him see her blush! But it took everything in her to not turn around and look at him again.

Moving closer to the stage, she saw Cade peek out from backstage to look at the crowd. He saw her and waved her over so she quickly climbed the stage, hoping if Jude was watching he wouldn’t get the wrong idea. She didn’t know why she cared since she hadn’t even met him, and she was pretty sure this was just another one of her rock star crushes that she got every day, but he was so sexy and that smile…she couldn’t help but dream a little.

“Hey, glad to see you made it,” Cade said. “I saw you talking to that Richard Black guy, you know him?”

“No. I mean yes, we were talking, but no, I don’t know him. Do you?”

Cade looked around and pulled her further backstage to a dark corner away from everyone. “He’s been talking to me about leaving Tan Lines. He’s got this idea and—”

“I was looking for you,” Jude said as he appeared from the stage.

Zoey felt her heart slam wildly in her chest, and she fought the urge to make a complete ass out of herself by melting into a puddle at his feet.

“Oh hey, man, I didn’t expect you to come. Are you reconsidering?” Cade asked.

“Just came to watch you play,” Jude said. “I’m still loyal to my band, I’m sure you understand that. Anyway, I’m sorry to come backstage. I actually wanted to meet the muse you told me so much about.”

Jude smiled at Zoey but instead of melting, she backed away. There was nothing worse to her than being “the muse.” She knew a lot of musicians used that term to reference their good luck charm or whatever ignited their creativity, but it simply wasn’t something she wanted to be. Did she want to inspire great music? Of course! But she wanted to do that out of something more than some stupid superstition.

“Yeah, really guys, about that muse thing. I really wish you’d cut it out. I don’t even know when you’re joking around about it,” she said.

“Well, I was just using that as an excuse to meet you,” Jude said as he looked into her eyes.

That simple sentence combined with that look he gave her made her anger disappear. It was more than just those incredible green eyes with gold flecks that caught what little light there was. Something in her connected with him. It was like he looked deep into her soul and knew her. She had to get to know him better.

The stage manager, an overweight man who resembled a cherub with curly blond hair and rosy cheeks, gave the signal that they were ready in two minutes by holding up two fingers.

“Jude, come meet the rest of the band real quick before we go on stage,” Cade said.

Zoey shot Cade her death look, but either he didn’t notice or he didn’t care. She couldn't help but think he was taking Jude away on purpose. Briefly wondering if Cade was into her, she reminded herself that she never saw him get jealous or cock block a guy who tried talking to her before. She didn’t know what to think. Maybe she was just being sensitive.

As she hopped off the stage, she noticed Richard Black by the bar. Making her way to him quickly so she didn’t miss the opening number, she made it across the room in no time.

“Did you ask around about me?” he asked with a knowing grin.

“You know the diner down Sunset?” she asked, not bothering to answer him. “I’ll meet you there at 2am, after the show.”

“We could meet in the morning if that’s easier.”

“No, I don’t do mornings. If you really want to talk, then you’ll meet me there tonight. Get a coffee if you need something to keep you up,” she said before making her way back to her spot in front of the stage.

Looking around, she wondered where Jude was, but it didn’t matter. She knew she’d be seeing a lot more of him soon. She'd make sure of it. Los Angeles wasn’t that big of a city.

* * *

The glow of the lights from the diner spilled though the windows onto the sidewalk. As Zoey walked past, she jumped up to peek into the windows to see if Richard Black was inside yet. She deliberately showed up a few minutes late because she hated to wait for people.

Entering the diner, she spotted him sitting all the way in the back, at the end of the row of booths. Booths lined the diner along the wall of windows that faced the sidewalk, while a long counter with swiveling stools took up the other side. The seats were made of red vinyl, and despite being cared for, they were soft with age. The Formica tables were beige with simple red coffee and sandwich designs. Some of them had tea and coffee stains from years of use.

Richard put his hand up and then stood as she approached the table. After she slid into the booth, he sat down across from her and waved a waitress over.

“Two coffees, please,” he said.

“No coffee for me. Can’t stand it. I’ll have a Coke,” Zoey said to the waitress.

“I have to tell you, I’m surprised you showed up.”

“I said I’d be here, what’s going on?”

“Well, I’ve decided to go out on my own recently and started my own company, Black Dog Recordings. I think the best way to start is small, to choose one band and put all my support behind them.”

“So what do you need me for?” Zoey asked.

“You know the scene. You’re familiar with most of the bands and you know what sets each one apart. I want your help in choosing a band to sign to my label.”

“Are you serious?”

“Completely. I never joke about business. I want you to be my A&R Manager. You have this uncanny ability of being able to find what’s wrong with a band and set it right. They listen to you and respect you. I’ve heard of the different suggestions you’ve made to bands and whenever they follow them, they succeed. That’s a talent by itself.”

“But I have no experience.”

“I’ll help you out. We’ll talk about the scene, you’ll advise me on who to look at. Then when you start school, you can take business classes to learn the other side of this. What do you think? Will you help me?”

Zoey was floored. Working in A&R sounded like a dream come true. Immediately, her mind raced through all the LA bands she knew as she tried to think of one that was perfect for him to back as his first label artist.

“I can’t come up with anything. Every band I know has a pretty big problem. Take Tan Lines tonight at The Whiskey. They’re a great band, but their drummer just has no life to him. It’s like he’s just going through the motions, and it really affects their music. They’ve done great so far, but without changing him, I don’t see how they’d get any further.”

“You see, that’s what I’m talking about. How many people do you think realized that tonight? I’ll tell you, maybe a handful tops. And I also think you’re right about the scene, which is why I have another idea. I’m putting a new band together.”

“What do you mean? Like a boy band? Just no freaking way. I can’t help you there.”

Richard laughed. “No, a rock band. There was this band up in Seattle which was amazing. Unfortunately, they had some problems and lost their singer to heroin. Eventually they decided it was too much for them to consider finding a new vocalist, so they gave up and called it quits. I don’t know if you ever heard of the band Mother, but that's who I'm talking about.”

“Actually, I have. Some of the guys I know have seen them in concert and told me how they kick ass. That’s a shame they split up though. What are you going to do?”

“I spoke with two of their members, Matt and Stone Murdock, their guitarist and bassist. They're brothers. They’re on board with forming a new band, so now I only need a singer and drums, but those two slots are so important that if I don't find the right two people, this will never take off. I’m pretty sure I can convince Cade to leave Tan Lines for this new band. I’ve seen him perform a lot lately, he’s bored and I think he wants more.”

Zoey thought about her brief talk with Cade about Richard Black and could tell he was ready to give anything a try.

“So that leaves me with drums. If I can’t find the right guy, then the whole thing is a bust. Do you know of any drummers who can really play?” Richard asked.

She didn’t need any time to think. “Yes, I actually do. I just heard him a few nights ago. Cade even wanted him to join Tan Lines.”

“Who is he? Do I know the band he’s with?”

“No, they’re a small band and he’s the only one worth anything in it," she said. “He’s really talented though. His name is Jude Morrison.”