The last address on file at Universe for Destiny Starr had the songstress situated in Virginia. With only a post office box address and no social media accounts, he would be hard pressed to find her.
“Or it could be a great thing. You can stop here and—”
“Pop.”
“What?”
“If you’re still talking about me visiting you, I’m not doing it. I’m not going to be your wingman.” Laz distinctly remembered being a little kid when Bradley had trotted him out in malls and grocery stores to get women to come to him.
“Don’t call yourself that. I’d like to think that we’re just two single men on the prowl.” Bradley laughed.
“Mom didn’t think that way when you two were married.” The hairs stood on the back of Laz’s neck when he recalled his parents’ knockdown fights.
“Watch yourself.” The serious timbre returned to Bradley’s voice. “What happened between me and your mother is our business.”
“It would have been if you didn’t use me as bait, and we didn’t have to hear the fights. But you didn’t call me to rehash our past.” Now that Laz’s temperature rose to lava level, his skin dried enough for him to get dressed. “Besides, how can I compete with getting hot women when I’m with the original hunk of burning love?”
The compliment seemed to work. Laz heard his father laughing through the phone like he agreed with his son’s assessment. Easing the tension between him and Bradley relaxed Laz’s shoulders.
He slipped on a pair of boxers before throwing on his best suit pants. Laz would have to look amazing for the meeting with Section Eight, a hip-hop label known for the hardest rappers and artists who had become famous on social media first before signing their first deals.
The thought of it turned his stomach. Laz wanted to represent talent, not just flash. Immediately, he recalled that mystery singer’s angelic voice. God, he hoped she still performed, and he could find her.
“Can I help it if I’m still hot?” Bradley laughed louder. “And is it wrong for me to want to spend time with my only son?”
With his father’s wandering eye and his overly eager need to please, Laz wouldn’t be surprised if he had a half brother or more out there somewhere.
“I thought you were seeing someone seriously now.” Laz slipped on a button-down shirt and hung a gray-and-blue striped tie around the collar. “Lisa or Lorna.”
“Laura was a very nice woman. We only had a few dates before I thought it was best that we keep it casual.”
Laz understood Bradley’s code of wanting to see other people. At least he hoped this woman got the courtesy of a warning before his father cheated on her.
“What about you? Please tell me you’re not still seeing that one woman.”
Laz heard Bradley make a noise that sounded almost like he wanted to vomit. He hated giving the old man news that would make him happy.
Laz sighed before he spoke. “Erin and I only dated a few times. Nothing serious.”
The lie sounded better than admitting that Erin had hated the number of hours he devoted to his career than quality time with her. Laz would also keep hidden that his last serious relationship with Erin had occurred over two years ago.
“Whew. Good. Good,” Bradley said. “You’re young.”
“Twenty-seven is not young. There’s so much I wanted to have done by now.” Laz would leave out the fact that despite having a bit of his father’s charisma and a need to meet and date every gorgeous woman out there, Laz desired a steady relationship, which to him meant marriage and having a family. Unfortunately, the two didn’t go together.
Unlike Bradley, Laz saw family as the structure that made him stronger. He wanted to impart that feeling to a wife and children they would raise together. Having a successful career would only help solidify a strong home structure. Too bad Erin didn’t see it that way.
“Trust me. You have time.” Bradley had a longing in his voice, almost like he regretted the choices he had made. Maybe he didn’t want to have children at all. “Enjoy life. Experience as much as you can. And by experience, I mean—”
“I get it.”
He knew his father wanted Laz to have as much sex with as many women as possible. Those actions didn’t exactly fit Laz’s character. He liked getting to know a woman. If in the course of their interaction it led to something more intimate, so be it.
Instead of getting in an argument with Bradley about his decisions, he continued with their previous conversation.
“Let’s get back to talking about you. Marissa lives by you and she’s single. Why don’t you two hang?” Laz hated throwing his baby sister under the bus. He needed a break.
“She’s busy. At least that’s what she tells me when I ask her out to breakfast or lunch.” Bradley sniffed. “And Josie is busy with her family. Again, that’s what she tells me. Flora is too far.”
“You’re working part-time now. Go visit them and your grandkids.” Laz finished getting dressed.
“And have them calling me grandpa? That’s okay.”
Laz shook his head as he reviewed his look before leaving his apartment for—what he hoped—would only be a few days at the most. “Pop, I got to go. When I get a moment, I’ll give you another call.”
“Sure. Be good, kid.” Bradley ended the call before Laz could get to his phone.
Laz would load up his rental car just in case he would have to make a road trip, which he hoped he wouldn’t. Not that he wanted to work for Section Eight Records in particular. He just wanted an opportunity.
He caught a cab to Manhattan. It still surprised him that a record label that named itself after a welfare program would have their headquarters in one of the richest locations in New York.
Laz approached the building surrounded by glass and chrome. At least the outside looked professional. He straightened his tie and smoothed his hand down the front before he buttoned one button on his jacket.
As soon as he walked inside, he got hit with a setup that looked like an airport TSA area. A metal detector met him first with armed guards standing on the other side.
“Put all metal objects in the dish and walk through.” The mountain of a man that spoke didn’t even seem human.
The impossibly tall white man wore a long, black T-shirt and black jeans along with black combat boots. The hanging badge around his thick neck had been the only clue Laz had about the legitimacy of this whole setup.
He placed his keys, watch, and change into a dinged-up plastic bowl before he walked through the detector. Laz kept his stare on the big man’s eyes through the trip. He had a feeling that if the alarm had gone off, the guard would have tackled him to the ground. Laz wanted to be on the offensive instead of the defensive.
Once through the guard gate, he approached the reception desk. A beautiful young woman with stick-straight, black hair kept her face still even as Laz approached. She didn’t even break a smile or introduce herself or the business.
Laz saw her as a challenge. For all of Bradley’s faults, he had blessed Laz with his gift of charm.
“I’m here to see Miss Farook, but I was drawn to this spot because of your stunning beauty.” Laz kept his stare on her with his mouth agape. When the woman gave him a suspicious stare, he continued. He scanned the