Dangerous Diaries

Chapter 5 - Love Never Felt So Good

The next few days were stressful.  I was preparing to go back out in public being that my video premiered recently.  I was in no mood to do interviews though.  I asked the label if I could just skip out on all the promotion.  But the exact words told to me were, "You're no Michael Jackson."

Frank called me and asked me to go to Ocean Way Studio.  He said someone was there waiting to talk to me.  He wouldn't tell me who and he kept saying it was a surprise.  I just prayed it wasn't that idiot ex-husband of mine or even the idiot ex-boyfriend of mine.

I took baby steps down the corridor to the room.  Instead of just barging in, I decided to knock a few times.

"Come in," I heard Frank say.

Slowly, I pressed down on the handle and pushed the door opened. 

"Hi, Shakira."

My body jumped at the sight of all the men in the room.  I almost turned around and ran out.  "What's going on?" I asked defensively.

"Relax."  Frank stood up and walked over to me. 

"How are ya?" a jolly white man with a round belly asked me.

"Fine," I said breathlessly. 

Frank introduced me to everyone.  We had engineers, writers, producers and after ten seconds I remembered no one's name.  And it was more like six or seven people, not fifty but I was still very much confused and in shock.

"Okay, so have a seat, my dear," a man said from across the room. 

Everyone was sitting but me so I pulled up a chair from behind.

"Alright, first off it's very nice to meet you.  I'm a huge fan.  My name is Jimmy Ienner, I don't know if you know me but I'm a music producer and I'm currently the music supervisor of a new film that will be coming out soon distributed by Vestron Pictures."

I tried my best to stay focused on everything he was pitching but I still felt baffled.

"Umm, Mr. Michael Jackson has actually somewhat agreed to do a song for the film to represent the theme but..." 

"Who?" I asked as my forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"Michael Jackson," he said with a huge smile.  "Yes, I know."

I didn't know how to respond.

"He will only do it if you do the song with him."

My face straightened out to his normal structure but I was still questioning his words in my mind.  Michael wanting me to do a song with him sounded strange to me.  "Like a duet?" I asked the Jimmy guy.

He nodded.  "Yes.  I personally asked Michael to do the song.  It's a romantic comedy about a young man who falls in love with a young Latina and I told him a little more about the film," he said fiddling with his fingers and rocking his chair back and forth.  "Hmm, he told me he had a song that he recorded that he thinks will go great with the film or he could just totally create a new one for me.  But he let me listen to this one demo that he created in..."  He looked to Frank for help.

"1983, I believe," he said to him.

"1983. And I love it.  It's a very catchy tune, nothing overwhelming and I think it goes great with the film."

"Umm." I looked back at Frank for a moment and we shared a short stare.  This was just too much for me take in at once.  I felt blindsided by the whole situation.  Taking a deep breath in while gathering my thoughts, I looked back to Jimmy.  "Okay."  I leaned forward in my chair and my elbows rested on my knees.  "I can't agree to do the song until one," I said counting on my fingers, "I hear it, two, you tell me about the scene where the song will be played and-"

"Well, it's not going to be played during any scene.  It will first play during the end credits and also during the previews.  It's the theme so it will get a lot of promotion.  Don't worry now about it being a number one record."

"I'm not worried about it being a number one record.  I just want to make sure it's a good song.  You said it was catchy and not overwhelming.  What exactly does that mean because to me it sounds like a bad song when you describe it like that."

Everyone in the room joined in on a good laugh but I missed the punch line.  "What' so funny?" I asked smiling. 

"Michael recorded the song and wrote it."

 "Oh.   Well, we all know he's good at that."

"We can play it for you."  Jimmy stood up and went to the control board.   "Ready?" he asked looking back at me.

I nodded as I sat back in my seat.

"1...2...3..." The demo consisted of finger snaps and piano play.

"Baby, love never felt so good
And I doubt if it ever could
Not like you hold me, hold me"

He was right about it sounding catchy. I instantly started rocking my shoulders to it and going along with the finger snaps.  I shocked myself when I realized I was singing along as well.  "I know this song!"  My smile dropped wide when I tried to remember where I heard the tune from.

"You recognize the song?" Jimmy asked me.

"Yeah.  Johnny Mathis, right?"

"Bingo." He pointed to me while nodded his head to the tune.

"So we're sampling?  Covering?  Wait, Michael wrote this?" I asked Frank.

"Yes.  Him and two others."

"Oh."  The music calmed my nerves. 

After the three minute demo was over, I gave my honest opinion about it.  I said I would do it just as long as they put more production to it.  There was no way I was gonna sing to finger snaps and a piano.  "Overwhelm me," I told him. 

I actually very much liked Johnny Mathis' version and I didn't want to remake it into a duet but I only agreed because deep down I would've done anything to sing with Michael.

"We wanna get you in the booth."

I wasn't vocally or mentally prepared for everything they were throwing at me.   The guys told me to have fun with it.  They just wanted a quick run-through.  I held the lyric sheet in my hand and sang off of it.  I tried to my best to match Michael's pitch but I couldn't quite grasp it.  I felt nervous just knowing at some point he would hear it.  I know he wouldn't be pleased whether it was just a demo or not but like I said, I wasn't prepared.  But I still couldn't believe he made such an ultimatum to have me on the song.

Sitting in my car in the parking lot, I tried my best to wrap my head around everything.  I didn't know if I should've called Michael, thanked him or just waited to work with him in the studio.  When my cell began ringing, I didn't even look at the caller i.d., I just answered it.  "Hello?"

"Don't hang up!"

I rolled my eyes and grunted.  "What do you want?"  It was my idiot ex-husband.

"Shak, I'm sorry about the other night.  You don't realize how much I love you.  I'm just hurt.  It's hurts me to see you hurting again."

"Michael would've never had the chance to hurt me if you didn't in the first place."

"Yes, baby, I know."

"Don't baby me."  It made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Where are you?"

"I just left Ocean Way.  I'm in my car in the lot."  I don't even know why I answered his question so hastily.

"I'm in Los Angeles."

I grunted again.  "I don't care."

"Just let me see you for a little while.  I just want to talk.  You don't even have to get out of the car.  Just stay there.  I'll be there less than ten minutes.  I'm driving."

"I don't think that's such a good idea."  I never realized until that moment how weak I could be for José at times.  "Your fiancé wouldn't like that."

"Fuck her right now.  I want to see you."

I pretended to think about it for a few moments.  "Fine.  But don't come here.  You can just come by my house."