Syncopated Rhythm by Erik Schubach Read Free Book Online

counter and walked us up to the security desk.  “I need a VIP pass for Miss LaLanie, please.”
    One of the men nodded and wordlessly typed something in on his console then scanned a VIP badge with a stock photo of me on it with and handed it over with a smile and a nod to us.  I put the lanyard around my neck then we went to the elevators again.
    She looked at the itinerary.  “OK, so you are supposed to be in room B205 in like ten minutes.  That's like a huge conference room.  Not like the auditorium, it just has a reeeaaaaly big conference table in it.  Says story boarding here, cool, they'll lay out the shoot for you there and ask for input.  The production types will make any needed tweaks before they send the talent... you, to location to lip-synch to the pre-recorded tracks you have already made at Harmony Trax.”
    She was lost in her own world as she started speaking faster,  “I cheated and pulled up the storyboards last night.  It is pretty bland and straight forward since there are so many assets, again you, to manage for the group number.  I came up with some tweaks that I think could have spectacular impact, I emailed the producers.  Not that they'd use them, but it keeps me practiced.  The shoot for the Rock the Angels number will be in the studio.  They will break off the soloists later, possibly Monday, again...”  She gave a silly grin.  “...you.”
    I smiled in mischief.  “There seems to be a whole lot of me in there.”
    She faked a British accent. “As it should be milady.”
    She walked me to the conference room.  “I'll be out here if you need me and to walk you to the studio afterward.”
    We peeked in and some of the other talent were already in their seats and their keepers were along the wall behind them.  I grinned and grabbed her arm to drag her inside with me. “Ha!  The others have their keepers so in you go.”  She seemed terrified as I shoved her through the door.  I saw a seat next to Skylar and rushed over to take it.  Then faked a snobbish voice to my red headed pixie.  “Stand along the wall with the other help.  There's a good girl.”
    She scrunched up her face as she joined the other keepers, waggling a fist at me.  “Watch it lady or you can peel your own M&Ms.”  Then she swung two fingers between her eyes and me.  We both cracked up.  But then she rushed forward and leaned in and whispered.  “Ummm... you need anything to drink?  Water? Coffee?”
    I grinned. “Coffee would be divine Ky.”  I winked as she ran off to the sideboard and poured me a cup and rushed back over, setting it down in front of me before she shrunk back into the wall.
    Skylar grinned at me.  “You've got yours well trained already, and she's a looker.  I have to keep Flower here from killing Edward and his watch there.”  She motioned her head back to her keeper.
    Kim leaned in.  “But I could make it look like an accident Sky.”  The two grinned at each other and Edward seemed unaffected by their bantering as he stood at the wall.  I had to smile at their antics. Kylee was doing an admirable job keeping a grin at bay.
    What I assumed was the production team came in and took their seats.  Evan Green was there, I assumed that meant he would be heading up the group shoot himself.  I glanced back to a now nervous looking Kylee.  Her iPad was up and she was already typing notes.  We waited for the seats to fill. Then finally the last seat was taken by Miranda Keys.  She looked just as thrilled as Kimi with her keeper as she shot an annoyed look over her shoulder at the woman who stood against the wall behind her.
    I noticed that besides Kylee, only one person on the production team even had a notepad though I didn't see a pen.  Evan got everyone's attention and clicked a button and a title screen came up on the large monitors that ringed the entire perimeter of the room and the length of the surface of the huge conference room table.
    With the music