Annie wasn’t sure if eating in front of people was rude or not, but she was hungry, and it gave her time away from Sterling. She grabbed fruit, vegetables, hummus, and pita bread and slid to the front of the suite to watch Fast Cars finish their performance. They were good, and Annie hoped that by being on this tour, they, too, would get their big break. What she wanted was two minutes to herself, but what she got was Sterling gliding into the seat next to her.

“What will it take for you to sign with us?”

Of course, Sterling would strike up a conversation right as Annie took a hefty bite of food. It was going to take some time to chew it, so she held up her finger for Sterling to wait. Covering her mouth she said, “Tell me what a typical new-artist offer is?”

“I’m sure at this point you can write your own contract.”

Annie smiled because it was starting to sink in. She had a future in music, and it would be lucrative. “Give me some examples.”

“Most new artists get a three-record contract with all the perks.”

“What are the perks?”

“A tour, radio shows, television talk shows. We get them out in front of the world the best we can.”

Annie nodded politely. “Time off?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like between recording albums and touring. Is there any time off?”

“Of course. We’ll give you a set amount of time off after each completed tour and before you go to the studio to record.”

“Days? Weeks? Months?”

“Honestly, a few weeks usually? It’s whatever you want.”

“How much time does Bristol take off?” Hopefully, she wasn’t prying.

Sterling waved her off. “Oh, Bristol is a machine. She hops from tour to studio to tour to studio. Falling out of the limelight happens quickly so she knows the best thing to do is keep writing, recording, and singing to fans to stay on top.”

That didn’t really answer her question. Sterling made it sound like it was Bristol’s choice. “The Angel/Devil Tour is almost over. Is she taking any time off before heading to the studio?”

Sterling moved around in her chair as though uncomfortable or nervous. “She is. Once she’s done, we’re going to meet with her and Lizzy to discuss what’s up next for her. I can’t really go into specifics because of confidentiality stuff.” She put her hand on Annie’s arm, almost causing her to dump her plate onto her lap. “Oops. Sorry about that. Let’s focus on you. What perks interest you? A new car? Use of Top Shelf’s condos around the world? I mean, all of that can happen.”