Real Time by Jeanine Binder Read Free Book Online Page A

him level. But the veneer was cracking. And as much as he wanted to deny it to himself, Nick knew he was falling hard for her.
    “Would you have time today to go through this music?” Nick asked her.
    Kate picked up the stack and thumbed through it. “I suppose I can get a car and go out to the arena to run it. What is it?”
    “It’s the opening theme for the next James Bond movie,” he said.
    “Seriously?” Kate asked surprised. “Since when do you have time to write movie music?”
    “What the hell do you think I do at night while you guys are all out carousing the bars?” he asked. “Play tiddly-winks?”
    “Normal people sleep,” Kate said as the rest of the guys burst into laughter.
    “There’s the problem, Kate,” Dave interrupted. “Nick’s not normal. He’s a machine.”
    “Laugh it up, mate,” Nick said good-naturedly. “We have about two days when we get back to record this song. Everything.”
    Dave rolled his eyes. “Sometimes working for you is no picnic.”
    Nick continued to smile at them. “So, if the piano piece works, I have the rest of the music ready and we can start rehearsing it before we get back. I don’t like doing my own arranging and I really hate writing piano music, so I need you to run through it. Make sure it’s fluid.”
    Kate was playing it in her head and almost didn’t hear what Nick was saying. “Sure, Nick,” she said finally. “I’ll get one of the security guys to get me a car out there this morning.”
    * * *
    K ate left the room and found Brock outside the elevator talking with Jake and Kyle, two of the other security people. There were eight security guys total - Sam and Mike, who were Nick’s main security, Brock, who had unofficially become hers after the events in New York, Jake, Kyle, Ryan, Tim, and Jason. She asked Brock if he would get her a car to the arena, showing him the stack of sheet music Nick had given her. He agreed without hesitation and she went to her room, getting a few things before leaving. Kate had long since given up taking a purse anywhere. First, she never needed it since Nick paid for just about everything, including their entertainment, like the trips to the pubs and bars. Second, it was something else to keep track of. She put a couple of dollars in her pocket so she could buy a bottle of water if she wanted at the arena, and grabbed the half empty one on the table from last night. Making sure she had her room key in her back pocket, she stepped out into the hallway and Brock motioned for her to follow him.
    The limo dropped them off at the arena where the show was tonight. Kate had told Brock he didn’t have to hang around but her suggestion went nowhere. Nick had hired him to protect his band members and protect was what he was going to do. Kate walked up on the stage and sat down at the piano. In the beginning, she’d wondered why Nick went through the hassle of dragging a piano around but now she considered it a godsend. She put the music on the stand, lifted the keyboard cover, and started reading through the music. Kate had endured many classical pieces since learning to play but some of these music measures were a little intimidating. She went through the song a couple of times and asked Brock if he could go find her something to write with. About midway through the song, it started feeling hesitant. Kate’s thought was she’d make the correction notes and take it back to Nick for his input. Songwriting was not her specialty, but she had been taught the basics of how to write music when she was at Julliard. Brock found a pencil for her and Kate was lost again in the music.
    * * *
    A bout two hours later, Nick came strolling onto the stage with her. He stopped for a moment and watched her while she was deep in thought. This was why I wanted a piano player and not someone who could just play keyboards , Nick thought. It looked like she was making notes and, once he got closer to her, he saw she was writing new music