Crystal Melody

Chapter 4: Yesterday's Flame

“I've seen worse," Byron said as he dropped a cold towel down onto Duke's cheek.

“OW! Watch it!" Duke fumed back, “She hit me pretty hard with that duffle bag she calls a purse."

“What'd you do this time anyway?"

“Whattaya mean 'this time? Like this is a thing or something?" Duke asked, nestled deep in Byron's cushy sofa and nursing the damp towel against his jaw.

“Come on, you remember last year's album release party. On the deck. At my house. Out by the pool. You were gettin' really cozy with that preppy little sales chick."

“One other time! And I wasn't gettin' cozy! I was just talking to that girl," Duke shouted back defensively, “Nicolette's crazy, you know that. It's why I tried breaking up with her."

“They didn't have any frozen peas so I just got that other ice pack we lost last year," beamed Tanya as she slid into Byron's office and dropped down next to Duke. “This one's way better. It's colder. Here, let me," she said pulling the towel away and placing the ice pack onto Duke's jaw. “Better, right?"

“Ya see? See how she did that? Gently. She set it on my face gently," Duke piped up, right at Byron.

“Yeah, she's a regular Florence Nightingale, aren't ya, Tanya? But keep the day job," Byron hit back.

“Yee-ah. I thought about being a nurse once," Tanya replied, keeping one eye on Duke's fresh ice pack, “but you gotta, like, clean up all those messes, and wipe all those butts."

“It's like parenting," countered Byron, “only you make money."

“I'd be a good mom, wouldn't I, Duke?" Tanya quipped.

“Don't answer that," Byron insisted, “now let's get back to the chin music Nicolette laid on you."

“Nicolette did this?" Tanya asked in disbelief.

“Were you and Crystal gettin' busy inside that elevator?" Byron continued, “Is that how this really happened?"

“No way! You and Crystal?" Tanya asked in sustained disbelief.

“He claims it was nothing, but sure was gone awhile."

“Did you, like, get on right away with her? I mean, she's older, but that's cool too. Right, Byron?" added Tanya.

“I like older women. Just ask my wife," joked Byron.

Tanya began patting Duke's forehead with the towel. “So like, who made the first move, did she…"

“I was not…" Duke declared, pushing the towel away from his head, “nor will I ever… be 'gettin' busy'… with Crystal!"

“Fine, yeah, whatever, stud," chided Byron, “but tell me the two of you made plans to cut the album."

Duke lay still on the sofa, and slightly adjusted the ice pack to cover more of his face.

“You got all the album stuff talked out, right kiddo?" Byron persisted.

“Don't call me kiddo."

“Then don't make me wonder what you were doing all afternoon," Byron pressed, “and make me question your real motivation here."

“Did you look over that file stuff I gave you, Duke?" Tanya asked, “before, like, you know, Nicolette smacked you silly?"

Duke remained quiet and still.

“Tanya. Give us a sec, okay?" Byron requested.

“Oh. Sure. Yeah," Tanya replied, taking the damp towel as she got up, “lemme know if you need anything else, Duke."

Tanya skipped out of Byron's office and closed the door.

“Talk to me, kiddo," Byron said as he slid the magazines to the floor and plopped down onto the coffee table next to Duke.

“There's no album, man, not with this woman," Duke responded, “and who is she anyway?"

“K. Right," said Byron, “we'll get to that bit next, but what's the skinny with you and Nicolette? I thought we'd worked through that already. This is not the time for crap publicity with your whatever she is to you."

“We did. We had," Duke said as he tossed the ice pack aside and sat up. “She just has this crazy idea that we're still, I don't know… an item or something. She thinks I'm out screwing other girls."

“Yeah. You are out screwing other girls. You're a rock star. What's the problem?"

“The problem, Byron, is that she won't let me out of it."

“Interesting," Byron said, nodding and smiling, “and where do you imagine she gets these wild and crazy ideas?"

Duke shook a little, adjusted his jaw back and forth, then stood up to pace the room. “She better not have jacked up my voice. I bet that's why she hit so high. People don't know how mean she is."

“My mother was like that," Byron added, “so nice on the outside, everybody loved her, but you come home just once, drunk off your ass with your newly-pregnant girlfriend, and BAM! Lights out!"

“Byron, c'mon man, focus here.

“Yeah, right. Where were we?"

“Nicolette. You know how it is. She's just…"

Byron stared at Duke, waiting for the finished thought. When none came, “No. Man. I don't. I don't 'just'. Not anymore," Byron said as he stood and circled 'round to his desk, “marriage and kids knocked the wind outta my sails long ago. Gimme something here."

“She drives me crazy, man, “Duke continued, “she won't leave me alone, and you've seen her. You've seen how she…"

“Yeah, I have," Byron nodded, his eyes glazing over at the mental image of Nicolette's finer point, “but we gotta get back on track. You gotta cement this thing with Crystal.“

“No. Way. What is the story with her? Is she for real or what?"

“Look, kiddo, this woman was big deal back in the 90s, and now she's front and center, and she's made a big splash, and you know how people just can't get enough of an aging songbird's comeback, and we are saddling up to all that fantastic notoriety and ultimate monster payday. You got me?"

“No. Flat out… no," Duke responded as if his case were final.

Byron stood up, loosened his tie, and sauntered over toward Duke. In Byron's office, he rarely, if ever, let anyone else have the final say.

“Dukey, my boy. Remember that contract renegotiation we had with the record company last time? The one we had before you decided you needed a concept album dedicated to songs about the ocean?"

“Yeah. So?"

“You still don't read much, do ya? Because if you had, you would have noticed our obligation in this exact situation that pretty much ensures you'll be producing this album with Crystal."

Byron positioned himself straight in Duke's eye line so there would be no chance of mixed messages.

“Am I coming through clearly enough for ya, kiddo?" Byron asked as he nudged Duke very delicately on the chin.

“Got it," was all Duke could muster in that moment.

“Good. Now do us both a favor and call Nicolette and smooth things over so we can move on to the much bigger fish in this calm blue ocean that is your future."

“Okay, fine," Duke acquiesced, “just gimme my phone and I'll say something to her."

“I don't have your phone."

Duke patted all his pockets, and a look of moderate desperation came across his face. “Did Tanya…"

“She doesn't touch other people's belongings, you know that," Byron reminded him.

Duke scoured the sofa: under, over, and around every cushion, but his phone wasn't there. He checked the floor, the coffee table, and his pockets again: nothing. Then, in a moment that felt like inspiration, he locked eyes with Byron.

“Nicolette!"