Read Online The Songwriter by A. P. Jensen - Free Book Online

notebook or you’d still be her assistant. I can’t believe Trey was stupid enough to think you could do this. Natasha’s gonna laugh herself silly when she finds out you choked.”
    Gwen knew what Angie was trying to do and it was working. She thought of Natasha’s texts and took another gulp of Sprite, shoved everyone out of her way and stepped onto the small platform. She clutched the mic stand for dear life. The stage crew hissed around her but she cut it all out and listened to Trey.
    “ As you all know, Natasha left me high and dry.”
    The crowd booed and Gwen felt her heart lift a little. The fans were on Trey’s side which was good, right? The platform lurched into motion and she took deep breaths as she rose in the narrow shaft.
    “ One of my best friends is filling in. Give a warm welcome to the woman behind my hits, Gwen Harper!”
    When she appeared at the highest point on the stage the auditorium was pitch black except for flashes of light from glow sticks and phones in the audience. Gwen closed her eyes, bowed her head and tried to block out everything. Her eyelids burst with light as the spotlight fell on her and she couldn’t hear anything over the sound of her own heartbeat. There was a hushed quiet from the crowd and she grasped the mic stand with a shaking hand. She heard Trey begin the intro of The Better Man and could hear his voice in her mind; it’s just you and me. Sing to me. She took a deep breath and when she raised her head she was blinded by the spotlight. She thought of Natasha and opened her mouth and began to sing.
     
    I have a man that loves me,
    that holds me at night
    He tells me he loves me everyday
    He wants what I do,
    a stable home, children
    Why am I thinking of you?
     
    Fear made her sing for all she was worth . As Trey came up the steps to her, playing his guitar her anxiety lessened a bit. She was onstage singing. Trey came towards her and when he crooned to her, Gwen heard the women go berserk.
     
    I can’t give you what you need
    The man who put tha t ring
    on your finger loves you
    I can’t give you more,
    I’m not the man you think I am
    Marry the better man
     
    When she had to leave the mic stand and walk down the stairs with Trey, she wasn’t sure her legs would hold her. She didn’t take her eyes off of Trey as they sang and she saw the pride in his eyes, the reassurance that she was doing great. When they finished The Better Man , Trey backed away from her and did a mock bow while the crowd laughed and cheered. Gwen responded with a curtsy and finally looked out over the sold out arena and saw the flash from cameras, glow sticks and phones held up to record her and she beamed. Her first performance was probably uploading on YouTube at this moment. Eat your heart out, Natasha, she thought.
    “ You know, two weeks ago I caught Gwen singing in my recording studio. She normally doesn’t sing in public but I convinced her to go on tour with me and I’m glad I did. What do you guys think of Gwen’s voice?” Trey yelled.
    The crowd stomped their feet and Gwen felt their energy electrify her until all nerves disappeared. It was incredible. In that moment she felt invincible. Adrenaline sizzled through her veins as Trey began to play Touch Me and he grinned as if he sensed she was okay now. She sang the way they rehearsed, reaching her hand out to him and even at times singing from the same mic. Nothing mattered except their voices harmonizing together perfectly. Trey brushed his hand along her cheekbone and she could almost believe he was actually contrite as the man in the song apologized for not being able to return her love.
    A s the lights went out at the end of the song, Trey reached out and squeezed her hand before she rushed off the stage. While Trey talked to the crowd, it seemed like ten people ripped off her white dress and redressed her in the shimmy number that made her want to strut. Someone swept her hair into a different style within two songs