Elizabeth
I go over to Patrick's after work to watch movies and chill out. He watched me perform tonight so I just followed him over and up to his huge apartment.
"I used to live with Jonny so it's a little empty right now with him gone and all" he explains. I nod and he opens the door. He places a hand on my lower back pushing me in and I stop once we get inside. This place was niiiiice. It was well designed which I wasn't expecting and it had a beautiful view of the city. How much does this guy make?
"Welcome to Mi Casa. We have some drinks in the fridge and the bathroom is down the hallway" he explains.
"Sweet, do you have a change of clothes for me" I ask.
"Yeah, I probably have something that you can wear" he ponders. He goes into his room giving me a chance to walk around. The kitchen was amazing but it doesn't look like anyone's ever touched it. Naturally I'm drawn to the window and gaze out it. This city sure was so pretty. One day I'll move into a place like this and be able to see this every night.
"Beautiful, isn't it" he asks handing me some clothes.
"It's great" I admit. I take myself to the bathroom and see a Blackhawks shirt and basketball shorts in my hands. I change out of the dress and hang it on the back of the door before putting his clothes on. They were huge and smelled just like him, I loved it. I throw my long hair up in a ponytail and take off the lipstick.
I emerge from the bathroom and Patrick stares at me. I was going to ignore it but it kept happening until I sat next to him.
"Why are you looking at me like that" I ask.
"Because that view might be pretty but mine just got prettier" he says causing me to blush. I get pulled into his side and I rest my head on his chest.
"What movie do you want to watch" he asks.
"I don't know. What type of movies do you like" I wonder.
"Anything but romance" he admits.
"Honestly me too" I admit and he looks at me.
"Really. I figured with you being a songwriter and all you would like the lovey dovey stuff" he claims.
"I don't know, it's too predictable. I think love is great, but I hate how movies portray it. It's like my music, it should be a common concept but a different way of seeing it" I shrug.
"Yeah... I really like that about you" he says and I smile up at him.
"How about a action movie" I suggest.
"How do you feel about Batman" he asks.
"I loooove Batman. But only the originals" I insist. He smiles down at me and I give him a questionable look.
"Now why are should looking at me like that" I giggle.
"You're just so... perfect. It's crazy" he insists.
"I am most defiantly not perfect. If I was I would have been signed by now" I defend.
"You never did tell me why that is" he remembered.
"Right..." I trail off.
"Hey, we don't have to right now. I want to know everything about you but I get that this is hard for you to talk about" he says rubbing my thigh.
"No, I wanted to tell you. I just wasn't sure how" I admit.
"I'm listening" he encourages.
"Well I guess I can start from the beginning.
I had just turned 19 and I was pretty Maisie and a little dumb. I didn't know a lot about much but I thought I did. My band and I just got the job at the bar and was bringing in a good crowd. My best friend Vivian and I were just getting to know each other. Everything was pretty simple, just me, my voice, and my band. We were new but we were pretty good.
One night, about a month in, I was approached by a fancy looking guy. He had a briefcase and a nice suit and told me he wanted to talk to me about singing. I was so young and stupid and didn't even question his motives. I was young and wanted a career and he was offering me one. He took me to the back of the bar and told me who he was. His name was Richard Johnson and he was a music producer. He liked what he saw in me and wanted to sign me. Something told me he wasn't right, that there was something wrong, so I started to ask questions. He told me he wanted me and only me, not my band or back up singers. He wanted me to record some originals and song write with other famous artists. I was intrigued but I wasn't sure. I told him to give me some time and he gave me a week to figure it out.
That's when Vivian and I got close. I told her what he said and she really wanted me to do it. But what he wanted wasn't who I was. I don't like wearing those slutty clothes and singing about drugs and drinking. That's just not me, but that's who I would have to be if I did business with him.
A week later he comes back and I tell him I would do it under my conditions. He was surprisingly open and agreed to work it out with me. He invited me over to his place to negotiate late that night and I obliged. Vivian offered to come with but I swore up and down that I could do this. I wanted to do this on my own.
We get to his place and he sits down with me as we work a deal out. I was so excited to finally get my feet wet and start living my dream. We got a contract going and it seemed like I was going to live the dream. Before I signed the contract he stopped me and asked me out. I explained that that wouldn't be professional, a producer dating a client. Plus he was almost 40 and I was 19, I wasn't really comfortable with that. He kept pushing it and I tried denying him as nice as possible but he wouldn't take no for an answer. From the beginning he had it in him that if he gave me all of this I would be with him, I was horrified. Suddenly he got angry and I got scared. He pushed me onto the couch and climbed on top of me. He told me that if I don't date him the deal was over, my band and I will be blackmailed in the music industry and no one would ever sign us. I didn't want to do that to them but at the same time, if I signed us up to be with that abusive self centered dumbass that wouldn't be much better. So I told him I wasn't signing with him, I wanted nothing to do with and his business. He tried to kiss me anyway and I smacked his face, hard. I was able to crawl out from under him and ran away.
He claimed I would come crawling back begging for forgiveness. That he was going to ruin my life until I did. He did blackmail us and it's been working so far so I guess he wasn't lying about that. No one will even glance our way anymore because of whatever he said. But I would rather sing in a bar my whole life then get money from shitty people like him. I just told the band that I didn't sign because I didn't want to leave them. That was only part of it but totally true. Vivian doesn't even know all about it but she doesn't need to. I didn't want her to know I was being selfish and didn't sign because I wanted nothing to do with Richard" I explain. Man did that fee great to get off my chest.
"That's not being selfish, you're protecting yourself. If that creep got to have his way with you, controlled you like a puppet, people like me would never understand how much music means to people. You're doing the music world a favor, you're staying true to yourself and not selling out. That's real strength" he claims.
"I know. But I just wish someone would sign us so he can stop having the upper hand. If someone would defy him and realize what an ass he is. But people are scared of him and whatever he said is working" I sigh.
"People like him will never win. You will get signed, it will be a great deal, and you will rub it in that little ass wipes face" he claims causing me to snicker.
"Did you just call him a ass wipe" I ask.
"Thinking of this dude makes me so angry I just want to punch someone" he says.
"Woah now, calm down. No one is getting punched" I say patting his chest.
"He needs it. People like him shouldn't even be able to associate with people like you let alone be with them" he defends. I look at him and realize that he was really upset. Like really emotional about this and it was a unique feeling.
"Why are you so upset" I wonder.
"Because... I care a lot about you. So much. And you should be able to go after your dreams, to live up to your potential. You can give so much and it's not okay that he's stopping you. I know that if someone was stoping me from achieving my dreams I would be upset, and I am" he says. I cup his cheek and he lets out a long sigh telling me he's calming down.
"I appreciate the concern Pat, but I believe everything in life happens for a reason. If I signed I wouldn't still be singing in a bar and I wouldn't have found you, and that is a harder pill to swallow than not having a record" I say softly.
"We're gonna get you that record, and I'm going to be there every step of the way. I promise" he says.
"Don't let me down" I tease.
"Couldn't dream of it" he smirks.