The High Notes: A Novel(27)

“Did you bring the contract?” he asked her, and she took it out of the folder and handed it to him. He asked his assistant to make a copy of it when she brought their water, and then he chatted with both of them for half an hour as though he’d been waiting to meet them forever. He was just as welcoming to Boy as he was to her. “Would you like to play something, or sing one of your original pieces?” he asked Iris. She nodded, and he led them into a small sound studio adjacent to his office. There was a microphone set up, several tall stools, and an assortment of instruments, including a piano. Iris took one of her newest songs out of the folder, and Boy and Clay Maddox settled into chairs to listen to her. She played a guitar to accompany herself, and then she played a second song. Both were very moving. Clay closed his eyes for a minute as he listened, and spoke to her when she was finished.

“Your voice is so pure, Iris. It just flies straight up like it has wings. And I love your compositions.”

“Would you like to hear a duet?” she asked him, wanting to give Boy a chance too, and Clay nodded.

“Sure.” He was open to anything. This was how he found new talent. She handed Boy the guitar, and he felt better when he was holding it. She spoke softly to him before they started.

“Just like we did in the car, or at the Elk,” she whispered to him, “play it for me,” and he relaxed. Iris could see him connect with his inner voice, and he played the music for her, as she started singing, and in a few seconds he joined her and as soon as he did, they hit their stride together, as they had done before, and Clay listened closely. They were both in full form and control by the time they finished, and their nervousness vanished. Then Iris told Boy to play a song from his own repertoire so Clay could hear him on his own. He did, and sounded as good as he always did. Clay was impressed by both of them, although he focused more on Iris.

“I’d like to get a demo of both of you,” he said when they stopped singing. “Do you have time to come in tomorrow?”

Iris looked at him, awestruck, and was honest with him. “I came to New York to see you, Mr. Maddox. I can come anytime you want, and so can Boy.” She spoke for both of them.

“Great, then we’ll do a demo, and we’ll hear something from the lawyers by then about your contract. How about eleven tomorrow?”

“We’ll be here,” she said, and Boy nodded, still dazed. Clay thanked them for coming and said he looked forward to seeing them tomorrow, and then it was over. They went back the way they came, and Boy let out a war whoop the minute they got to the street.

“Iris, you got me an audition with Clay Maddox! This is insane! I can’t believe it!” He picked her up, twirled her around, and hugged her and wanted to kiss her full on the mouth, but he didn’t. Even in his ecstasy he respected her boundaries.

They went to a Thai restaurant for dinner to celebrate, and the next day at eleven they were back at Rockefeller Center. They were taken to one of the recording studios to do their respective demos, and then they went back to Clay’s office, after a short wait. They had each recorded the songs they were most comfortable with, and they thought the demos had been good.

Clay had already listened to them by the time they were back in his office. He said he was happy with both.

“Boy, if you’re willing, I’d like you to record a single for us. I think that’s going to be the best way to get you started. If we get you a couple of hit singles somewhere on the charts, I think an album would do really well then. You’re not under contract to anyone, are you?”

“No, sir,” Boy said politely, awestruck again.

“And, Iris, you’re long overdue for an album. I’d like to work on that with you. We can start working on it as soon as you have time and you’re ready. And after we do an album, then I’d like to plan a tour with you. Not like the ones you’ve been doing. I mean a major first-class tour. Maybe five or six important cities in optimum conditions. It will make sense after the album, and we’ll do plenty of publicity for it. You’ll be on tour a maximum of three weeks, maybe two. And we’ll make it as easy as possible for you. Where are you both staying, by the way?”

“At a hotel off Times Square,” she said simply.

“Let’s get you somewhere more comfortable. Joanne, my assistant, will take care of it. We’ll have contracts for you to look at in a few days. You can have a lawyer vet them for you. I want you to feel completely at ease with anything you sign. And, Iris, I’ve got good news for you on that front. Most of Glen Hendrix’s contract isn’t legal and is overreaching. I don’t think we’ll have any problem breaking it for you. Our lawyers can handle it if you’d like them to.”

“I’d be really grateful if they would,” she said politely. Everything was moving so quickly. Boy was going to do two singles, and she was going to do an album and after it a top-flight tour. She would have followed Clay Maddox to the end of the world, and done anything he told her. She trusted him completely and so did Boy. Being represented by him was every singer’s dream. They had landed in the pot of gold. Clay said he’d be in touch about the recording. He wanted to round up the right musicians for her, and backup voices. He mentioned to Boy that when they got around to an album for him, he thought one duet on it with Iris would be a great idea. He left them a little while later. He had a lunch date. He gave Iris a hug and shook Boy’s hand and they stared at each other as they walked out of his office.