Chapter 13

"There she is!" Frank greeted me at the door as I rushed in. "Alyssa, this is Sam and Bill. They'll take good care of you during your session today." Frank turned to leave, then he added, "By the way, your band is waiting in the sound room for you where you should be right now, so go!"

I smiled, then hurried into the sound booth, and was stunned when I walked in, for there, tuning his guitar, was Logan and his friends. Microphones set all over the room. Even the drums were mic-ed!

"So, you decided to come after all?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at Logan as I hurried to set my guitar case down and quickly flipped it open.

A broad smile spread across his face as he shrugged. "Well, the guys talked me into it."

I slipped my guitar strap over my shoulder and struck a chord, checking to see if it was tuned. "Ah you just can't stay away from me," I teased with a sly grin.

He laughed.

"Man, are we gonna jam or what?" Kyle asked as he tuned his bass guitar.

"All right, everyone," a voice said over a loud speaker. I looked up, and Sam was sitting in the control booth, wearing headphones. Frank smiled as he gave me a reassuring thumbs up. "Let's see what you got!"

"Alyssa," Frank interjected, "why don't we do that up-tempo number you did last night at the club?"

"You got it!" I said, and then yelled to everyone, "Firebomb! Key of G!"

Everyone nodded as Mason's sticks flew over all of the drums, then he counted off the beat as he hit his sticks together. "One, two, three, four!"

A moment later, I was singing into the microphone in the center of the room, flipping my hair as I jammed, enjoying the moment in a live recording studio. I was so into the verse that I didn't notice Logan approach the other mic, and was surprised when he sang backup on the chorus. He added harmony to my song, but never once overshadowed me. We came to the bridge of the song and Logan and I took turns with rifts, and I finished off the song at the center mic.

I looked at Logan, Lathe, and Kyle, and nodded. Then, we all jumped into the air as we played the last note and ended it when we landed.

"That's a wrap!" Sam yelled as Frank applauded in the sound booth. "Alyssa, out of curiosity, have you jammed with these guys before?"

A broad smile spread across my face. "We jammed last night after the show. They're friends of mine."

Frank laughed as he shook his head. "Well, it sounds like you've been playing together for years." He thought for a moment, and then turned to me. "What else you got?"

"A lot more," I said, and then added. "I've been writing since I could remember."

"Enough for an album?" Frank asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably two or more," I replied, and then quickly added, "Logan's band has a lot of originals, too."

"Okay," he said as the wheels turned in his head. Then, he turned to Logan, "How many?"

"Enough for an album or two," Logan replied. The rest of the guys held their breath.

"Let me hear one," Frank said, and then turned to me. "Alyssa, would you sing backup on this one?"

I nodded, smiling.

"Good. Sam? Roll tape on this."

"You got it!" Sam's voice resonated over the loud speaker.

"A Slow Jam, everyone," Logan said as they nodded. He said to me over his shoulder, "Key of D."

I nodded, ready. At first, I thought he was talking about playing a slow song, but a moment later, I realized that it was the name of the song and it was anything but a "slow jam". I quickly picked up the beat, and soon, we were playing together as if we'd been jamming together our whole lives. Logan approached the microphone, and his voice was smooth, clear. There was an honesty to his voice and raw magnetism that I knew would melt the heart of any girl in the audience including me. I sang backup on the chorus, and our voices complemented one another. I loved hearing Logan sing; I could listen to him for hours.

All too soon, Logan raised the head of his guitar and brought it down sharply, bringing the song to a close.

Sam flipped some switches on the board in front of him. "That's a wrap!"

Frank immediately broke out in applause as we all smiled at one another.

"What's the name of your band, son?" Frank asked, his eyebrows pulling together in concern.

"Westward," Logan responded, wiping the sweat away from his brow.

Frank nodded. "Would you be willing to work with Alyssa? You could take the lead on your songs and she could sing back up for you, then she could take the lead on her songs and you sing backup for her. Is that okay with you?"

"Hell yeah!" Mason said as the rest of the guys chimed in their agreement, but the expression on Logan's face was unreadable.

"Will Alyssa be top billing?" Logan asked as my heart sank.

Never in my life would I have thought that being top billing would cause distress, but if that was the case, then he'd have to get used to it. I started to regret inviting them. Then, I cringed when I remembered that I got an apartment in his complex.

Frank smiled. "Well, that just depends on your performances." It was clear that he was used to working with musicians. "For now, you'll be Alyssa Case and Westward. Can you live with that?"

Mason saw what was happening and crossed the room quickly to Logan, but turned to ask Frank, "Give us a minute?"

"Yeah, sure," he said then turned to me. "Alyssa, while they talk, why don't you play another?"

"Actually, we need to talk to her, too," Logan replied, and the rest of his friends nodded their agreement.