"Morning Boss!" Jay chirped as he stood and fell in line with Gemma as she zoomed by his desk.

"Morning," Gemma answered absentmindedly as she walked on, her eyes locked on her phone.

Gemma always felt like she had a million things to do every day. Now on top of running her business, she was dealing with the stress of the wedding and the media scrutiny that was already growing. She'd struggled to sleep the night before with the weight of it all on her mind.

"Lots to do this morning!" Jay trilled as they navigated through the halls toward Gemma's office. "Kit left a message for you, you have a consultation with a wedding planner, three confirmed meetings - "

Gemma stopped walking and held her hand up to silence him. "Let's talk about the rest when we get to my office. This is a lot."

Jay mimed zipping his lips causing Gemma to roll her eyes with a smile and carry on walking. She pushed her office door open and breezed in with Jay trailing behind her. Her office was her happy place despite how much stress her job sometimes caused her. The walls were painted a soothing sage color with the furnishings in various shades of complimentary green, including several potted plants, and a large glass desk sat in the very center of the room with a bank of windows to the left and a small seating area to the right.

Gemma was about to sit down behind her desk when she noticed the man on the couch in her sitting area. She could see long denim-clad legs stretched out in front of him, stopping at well-worn combat boots and a gray shirt peeking out from his leather jacket.

"Hi," he said with a dazzling smile and a wave of his hand, putting the magazine he'd been reading back on the coffee table.

Gemma stared at him dumbly before turning to Jay who was standing in front of her desk.

Jay shrugged. "That was the last thing that I had to tell you. Your first meeting of the day arrived a little early."

Jay winked at the mysterious man before exiting the room and closing the door behind him. Gemma sighed in exasperation before offering the man an apologetic smile as she walked over to him. He stood, unfolding his tall form, and met her halfway before gripping her outstretched hand in his own warm and calloused hand.

"I'm so sorry about that!" Gemma said with a sheepish smile as she met his gaze - feeling herself getting drawn into his gray eyes.

The man chuckled huskily and shook her hand. "No worries. I tend to be really early when I'm feeling nervous."

"Why don't we move to my desk?" Gemma suggested as she gestured toward the desk. The two moved over to the desk and dropped into their respective seats as Gemma watched the man with interest - recognition flickering inside her.

"I'm sorry to ask but have we met before?" Gemma asked curiously. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere -"

"Blaze," he supplied helpfully with a warm smile. "We definitely haven't met before, I'm sure I'd remember that."

Gemma chuckled and smiled at him coyly. "I'm sure I'd remember that too. So, what can I help you with Blaze?"

Blaze gave Gemma a charming smile. "Crystal, my agent, sent me to you. My career has recently started becoming popular and I need help navigating it."

Gemma snapped her fingers in excitement. "That's where I've seen you. Were you at Casa Romano earlier this week?"

Blaze nodded with a curious expression. "How did you know?"

Gemma smiled. "I was there too. The mob of paparazzi trying to follow you inside caught my attention.”

Blaze smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s crazy to me. This just happened overnight, or at least that's what it feels like."

Gemma chuckled. "Having the world's eyes on you can be a little overwhelming but you're in the right hands."

Blaze gave Gemma a grateful smile as their eyes locked for a few minutes - sending a slight shiver down Gemma's spine. She coughed awkwardly and broke eye contact.

"So, tell me about yourself, Blaze," Gemma said lightly. "What are you famous for? I'm guessing male model?"

Blaze chuckled, his cheeks heating slightly. "You're too kind, I don't think I could be a model."

Gemma laughed and winked at him. "I strongly disagree, you shouldn't be so modest. You'll look great in a few magazines spreads."

Blaze winced slightly. "I'm not really looking forward to interviews and photo shoots. I just want to focus on my music and doing what I love."

Gemma nodded with sparkling eyes. "So you sing?"

Blaze nodded. "I sing, play a few instruments, and write my own songs."

"Well, if you're trying to sell your music the photoshoots and interviews are a must," Gemma explained. "With your looks, I can help you sell quite a lot."

Blaze chuckled. "You're flattering me."

Gemma smirked and winked playfully. "That's also part of my job. Typically, I'll speak to a client, get a feel for them and see if we're compatible and then I'll work my magic."

Blaze nodded slowly as he gazed into Gemma's eyes. "So what do you need from me?"

"Mostly I’ll be coordinating with your manager and agent," Gemma explained. "I do want to know you better though, get a better feel for who you are as an artist and how to best handle your public image."

Blaze smiled at Gemma cheekily. "Is there a questionnaire or something like that?"

Gemma laughed and gave Blaze an amused look. "Or something. We're just going to talk for today."

Blaze spread his arms out. "I'm an open book. What would you like to know?"

Gemma reached into her giant designer handbag and pulled out a small diary and a pen. Blaze chuckled with a slight shake of his head.

Gemma rolled her eyes. "Go ahead and make fun of me. I just prefer pen and paper - there's just something about it."

Blaze smiled at Gemma as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a well-used diary of his own. "That's how I write my songs too."

Gemma smiled at Blaze slightly before making a note of that in her own diary. "And what are your songs about? What genre?"

Blaze shrugged and shoved the diary back into his pocket. "I'm not married to any one genre but mainly RnB, Pop, and Indie."

Gemma nodded as she took note of it all. "And do you know the general demographic of your fanbase?"

Blaze smiled shyly. "Mostly women of various ages."

Gemma giggled. "That's no surprise to me. Here's a related question - how comfortable are you being shirtless in front of the camera?"

Blaze sighed good-naturedly. "Not very but I suppose that could change."

Gemma nodded approvingly. "I'll hook you up with an amazing trainer - you'll be in amazing hands. Your body will be ready for all the pull-out posters these teen girls will be hanging on their walls."

Blaze's cheeks went pink and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I don't know about all that."

Gemma eyes him for a second. "What about romances? Any I should know about?"

Blaze shook his head. "Nothing to report in that area."

Gemma nodded approvingly. "I can already see the sex symbol status loading."

Blaze chuckled. "You have a lot of confidence in me."

Gemma smirked. "I have a lot of confidence in myself. I'm the best for a reason. Next thing, did you dress yourself today?"

Blaze snorted in amusement. "Do I look terrible?"

Gemma made a show of running her eyes down his body, leaning forward over the desk slightly to get the full view.

"You look great," she answered. "I'm just wondering if this is your natural style. I'd rather build on what we have rather than try and turn you into someone else."

Blaze nodded understandingly. "Thank you. All of this is a little overwhelming. A few months ago, I was writing for other artists, and now…"

"Now you'll never have a lowkey lunch again," Gemma supplied helpfully with a smile.

Blaze laughed and shook his head. "It's absolutely crazy."

Gemma smiled. "Next question. Are you hungry?"

Blaze looked at her quizzically and nodded hesitantly. "I'm always hungry."

"Me too!" Gemma chirped excitedly as she stood and grabbed her handbag.

Blaze quickly followed suit as he watched Gemma in confusion. "Are we done?"

Gemma laughed and winked at Blaze and she rounded the desk. "Far from it. We're turning this into a brunch meeting. Do you like dim sum?"

Blaze chuckled as he looked down at Gemma warmly. "I do actually. Do you know a good place?"

Gemma scoffed. "I know the best place! We'll continue this conversation over some dumplings."

Blaze nodded in agreement. "That sounds amazing."

He walked ahead of Gemma and held the door open for her. She smiled at him in thanks, sniffing his cologne appreciatively as she walked past.