The Voice of Music (Closed for Carlabeach)

It was an early Friday in New York City, 12:00 in fact, the year was 2020, the low economy had been stabilized and business was flourishing, but things were not all good for most of the people. Among the troubled people is a young woman, soon to be twenty nine, whose name is Caroline Jackson, she's been having trouble getting a good relationship for the last couple of years since most of the men she has dated only wants a chance to have sex with her. Being the daughter of a millionaire and a super model Caroline has always been having a hard time getting people to see her for herself and not for her body.

So she took up music, acting as a sponsor and manager for promising singers, bands and the likes, it had gone well for her but her relations had gone down the deep flush. At the moment she was sitting at her favorite bar, drinking a glass of beer to get over her depression, the bar was not just for drinking, it was also partly karaoke bar.

It was empty as it was so early in the day, Caroline didn't notice how a young man dressed in slightly worn out and dirty clothes entered the bar and paid for the karaoke for three hours. As she drank from her beer she chatted with the bartender, who she knew since high school, as the young man went to one of the karaoke stands.

That young man's name was Will Raven, an 18 years old youngster who had been forced out of his parent's house after graduating, as they were unable to pay for a college to him and he only took up space. He had spent a week on the streets, trying to find a place to stay, when he decided to spend some time with some karaoke to get over his depression, he loved singing and writing his own music.

Getting to the karaoke stand he put in the song he wanted, pulled off his jacket and boots, took off his shirt, leaving him shirtless, only dressed in white socks, jeans and a chain necklace around his neck. Grasping the microphone like a weapon he put it close to his lips, and then the music played and he started singing, and soon he was dancing, his voice carrying over the bar like a divine wind.

Caroline sighed. She was 28 years old and sitting in a bar slowly downing a beer she didn’t really like. She had been so absentminded when the bartender asked if he wanted a beer that she just nodded. To be honest this wasn’t the kind of bar that she usually frequented; slightly seedy and not in the best part of town but she had just met with a potential client and needed a clean bathroom. A drink was just a bonus.

Her business was thriving; which was fortunate considering that the economy had been so unstable recently. Even in the tough times there seemed to be no shortage of aspiring musicians and bands and even more importantly no shortage of listeners who were still downloading music in vast amounts. The industry seemed to be holding its own and her part in it was paying reasonable dividends.

She looked around the bar and spotted a few regulars who seemed to be taking turns leering at her. She smiled politely preparing to down the last of her beer and leave quickly when she realised that she knew the bartender from school.

“Hi Brett” she called, “I haven’t see you for years. How are you?”

“Not bad” he called back from the other end of the bar “I’ll be free in a minute, stay there”. He finished serving and moved up the bar to talk to her.

“Hey looking good, Caroline!” He cast a friendly eye over her and she smiled. She did look good but that seemed to be her problem. In fact she’d even done some modelling but her looks and at times her wealthy family got in the way. They chatted for a while about his family; wife, two kids and a suburban lifestyle until Brett was called away to assist another customer and Caroline pondered her empty glass.

She had worn her long dark hair untied today and was dressed in a fitted skirt suit. Perfect for work but a bit too restrictive for her liking although as many of her clients were young and fairly hip she had discovered that a bit of cleavage went a long way in ensuring that they were on the same page as her. A bit of sexual innuendo gave her an edge in the music business.

Although her business was paying the bills and some, her personal life was another story entirely; no shortage of willing sexual partners but no men that were close to being relationship material.

Caroline turned around on her bar stool, picked up her satchel and prepared to leave when she noticed a young man enter the bar and realised that the bar was in fact a karaoke bar also. He paid for the stage and chose a song and but Caroline didn’t take much notice of him until he started singing.

Her ears were practised in pitch and voice ability and quickly it was obvious that his voice was exquisite. She listened intently without watching him, her ears straining for errors in his pitch or tone but there was none.

Having established the quality of his voice she turned to take more notice of him; he was about 18, clearly needing a shower but not looking as if he regularly lived that way, he was using the microphone easily and he was fairly fresh looking. He’d taken off his shoes and shirt and looked quite boyish until Caroline notice that his chest muscles were very well defined.

It was rare that Caroline had to scout for new talent herself as there was an overabundance of aspiring musicians camping at her door on a regular basis but this guy was different than most of the usual hopefuls. He had a rugged appearance but if he was to clean up a bit she determined that he could possibly present quite well. The music industry was all about branding after all.

She closed her eyes and listened to him. He’d chosen a song called ‘Lady Flame’ and with her eyes shut she could picture the intent of the song, which was a skill not many new singers mastered without years of training. She’d have to find out.

She called Brett over and asked, “Who’s this guy?” He gave her a rundown of a young man who seemed to have talent but whose parents couldn’t or wouldn’t help him. It sounded as if he had resorted to living on the street the past few days.

He took a break from singing and Caroline walked over to the stage.

“Hi, I’m Caroline” she said as she offered to shake his hand, “have you been singing long?”

He introduced himself as Will and Caroline offered to get him a drink and they talked.

Will was a bit surprised by the beautiful woman who walked over and started talking with him, it was a bit weird to have a strange approach him like this but he felt a bit thirsty so he accepted her offer. Ordering a low alcoholic apple cider he sat down on a chair and brushed some sweat off his forehead, flicking it in a very sensual manner, like second nature as he didn't seem to strain much in doing it. "I sing karaoke a lot, though I have been practicing my voice and songs privately for seven years now since I was eleven. But my singing has been getting less and less possible nowadays with my personal life going down the drain."

Taking a sip of his sweet low alcoholic drink the red blond haired youngster spoke up, feeling a bit better to get it off his chest. "You see when I graduated my parents couldn't afford college for me so I have to make do what i have now, I earn some cash cleaning up at the local park, it's enough to get me food, sleep is not so hard as the subway trains is a very good place to get some rest for us street rags."

Taking a deep breathe he turned towards her, he had to admit that she was a looker, but he knew she was most likely married or had a boyfriend, a woman as gorgeous as this was in no way single. "But why are you so interested? I sing but I do not think much about it, I have not considered myself a great singer since I couldn't get into college with it when I had the chance, I sang, and sang some more, and yet the guy with the crappiest voice in school gets my spot, yeah, it was a kick to the groin that's for sure."

Sighing Will rubbed his forehead a bit before he looked at the karaoke stage, he wanted to sing some more, but knew it would be rude to just leave after the lady had brought him a drink, so he stayed put.

Caroline spoke to Will and asked about his background and his singing. He seemed awkward but answered her questions. It appeared that he was living on the street and was largely unsuccessful in finding payment from his singing and so was using the karaoke bar was his practice time in between odd jobs which didn't pay very much.

Caroline knew that Will had talent and that managing him would be a delight. He was young and clean living but had a certain ruggedness about him that would easily sell music. He was young but she could certainly imagine her body intertwined with his so she was sure that many others would too. It was a shame that she didn’t mix business with pleasure...although “perhaps there was a first time’ she wondered.

She reached into her briefcase and took out one of her business cards and handed it to him. “I’m a Music Industry Manager” she offered “that means that I manage singers like you and mentor you, showing you the industry, get you work and maybe a recording contract, if you're lucky enough. I could also help you find place to live."

She wanted to manage this guy, he could make her business very successful as well as providing her with decent eye candy to dream about.

“Are you interested enough to know more?” she asked.

With a shaking hand the young man stared at the business card for a while until he looked up, taking a deo breathe and stammered out and then practically shouted out his reply ,a smile growing, he was practically about to cry, but he held it in. "W-well... Y-yes... Yes of course I am interested! It has been my dream to have my music released!" Taking a little while to gather his breathe Will steadied his rapidly beating heart, it had come as a shock, but here it was, an opportunity he had only been able to dream of.

"Wait, I got one of my songs in my bag, I can sing it now to show you a bit of my work." Practically leaping from his chair the young man ruffled through his things in the backpack and then pulled out a plain computer DVD and put it into the karaoke machine. Grasping the microphone he spoke up a few words before he started the song.

"This is my first, ever, written and recorded song, I call it, My Tears & My Cries." The music then started, at first it was just the sound of a low sad song, similar to a funeral march, bells ringing, and the sound of latin prays being spoken, holding the microphone to his lips with his left hand ,his right hand lying by his side, Will prepared, to let out the emotions of his song.

OOC: This is a song I wrote some time ago, nothing special, but I love the lyrics.


The prays stopped with a soft amen, the melody ended, the sound of footsteps walking over rock pavements sounded and then a single pair of foot steps sounded, comign closer, there was a soft sigh of a man's voice ,sounding similar to Will's.

The soft voice of an elderly woman asked in the background, and then Will spoke up, as his own voice responded, for it was his own. And the sound of his foot steps faded away.

Music began, slowly rising fom the back ground, and with his eyes closed, Will began to truly sing, and a heart aching melody began to fill the karaoke bar, a soft chorus of backgroudn singers introducing him with a line before he took it over.


Then the music began to pick up speed, it began to sound a bit like soft rock and yet maintained the sorrowful sound of a sweet soft marching song. Will sang, raising his fist to the air, tears running down his cheeks.


Now the speed was picking up and Will swayed a bit to the tempo of the music, tears running down his face, and yet he maintained a smile as he sang out.

A long background sound of several people singing was heard as Will took a pause and simply stood there, cradling the microphone as if it was precious gem, and the song pulled from soft rock to slow waltz sound. Then the people in the background suddenly pulled to a halt and the music ended for a few seconds and Will sang out with a long high pitch heavy metal shout into the microphone. He threw his head back, the microphone's bottom pointing a the sky and his right arm left out in a open hand, seeming to wave slowly from his chest and out, as if to symbolize the sound waves of his voice trough the air.

Then he threw his head forward, eyes, still leaking tears, though he was smiling, and he sang with a slower manner, and the background echoed as the people in the back echoed his song.


Dragging out the word love until at least thirty five seconds had gone, Will slowly let it die out from his lips and the song ended, he then blinked as he heard applauds and found himself staring at a crowd gathering by the doors to the karaoke bar, he nearly went blood red in the face.

Caroline watched as Will took to the stage and smiled as she knew that she had stumbled across a fabulously raw talent. His voice commanded the club and a group of people had come and stand in the doorway listening as his voice carried into the foyer and gaming area.

There was a point in the song where an instrumental piece allowed Will a breath and as he waited a hush descended over those listening, obvious even over the crescendo of the music. The music abruptly stopped and Will shouted out the next line. Caroline waited for his voice to crack slightly as often happened when an inexperienced singer pushed their voice past its ability but it didn’t come. Will had again proved the strength of his voice.

When the song finished Will seemed surprised to hear the applause of the crowd that gathered; he even looked embarrassed. Caroline was intrigued, he was still down to earth and hadn’t been living in the fantasy land that meant that his ego was larger than his music potential.

Several people went over to him and commented on his song so Caroline took the opportunity to call her office and ask her assistant to find a motel room near her office for Will. While she spoke on the phone she was aware that Will still didn’t have his shirt on and now his torso was covered in a glistening layer of sweat.

She had to force herself to concentrate as her thoughts ran wild for a moment or two. He was indeed hot. Her body warmed slightly at a thought of that wet rugged body in her bed. She ended the call and brushed her thoughts away.

The crowd dispersed and Caroline approached Will and stretched out her hand to shake his.

“Well I’m definitely impressed, are you ready to talk about a plan?”

Scratching his neck a little in embarrassment at the attention he had gotten Will responded, smiling with a light blush on his cheeks. "I got nothing else to do so I do not see why not? Just let me gather my things." After making sure that all his possessions were in order her shouldered his backpack, though he kept his torso bare as he didn't want to wear a sweaty shirt if he had to sleep o nthe subway again ,that was a garanteed sickness i nthe making to sleep with a sweaty shirt,

The woman told hi mthat she had prepared a room for him, he wasn't sure what kind of room but if it had a bed then it could be a garage for al lhe cared, as they waked together towards the parking lot she had her car they talked with each other. Will explained about his social life ,how he had been bit of a wild child, but never one to make many friends as he wasn't one to skip his studies, he was a middle part between nerd, cool and popular, which made it very hard for his fellow students to have an oppinion of him, well those that cared about their high school reputation that's it.

"There was this one time when I was seventeen, a girl who had been dumped by the quarterback of the school for her older sister, who is a working fashion model I've heard. I decided to cheer her up and took her out to a karaoke bar, my trat of course. She relaxed after a while and had real fun, we never dated but she was a close friend, later on she left school, her famiily moved out of town because the quarter back had raped her sister ,making herp regnant ,and his influencable dad had made the charges drop from jail to a high prized bill which he was mroe then able to pay. I enver heard of her since, but I hear her sister is making a good way in the fashion business, after her pregnancy she was apparently sought after more then ever. I got a pair of picutre here, that girl sent them to me to explain how she was before we lost contact, this is her sister and her before the whole incident." The picture showed a pair of cute blond girls, one older who looked like she had starved herself and one younger who looekd much healthier.

"And this is afterwards." This tiem it was the same pair of giels, except the older one had become more filled out, she was no longer a flat stick, but rather a busty mature woman, holding a small bundle to her chest. "It was good to hear they were okay, but I haven't heard from them since."

Caroline talked a little about herself and her company and as she talked, Will never ntoiced how she kept glancing at his bare chest, which was sweating in the sunlight then they reached the parking lot and a nice blood red Toyota laid there waitingfor them. Will just had to whistle at the beautiful car. "Now that's one good looking beauty, and the car is not so bad either." Laughing to himself Will walked over to the car, not ntoicing Caroline's reaction to his words, he seemed more relaxed now that he had let out some of his stress, sung a bit and talked to someone, it felt nice.

Will’s comment about her car, which seemed to be more about her, was as much a surprise as was her sudden awareness of his bare skin now that he was sitting next to her in the car and still sharing his glorious chest with the world. She reached for her bottle of water and drank deeply. Swallowing each mouthful was masking an attempt on her part to focus on the job at hand.

Her phone rang and she took at call from her assistant Maggie, to tell her that she had reserved a hotel room for Will close to her office. She headed the car there as Will chatted and waited until he had finished before she spoke.

“You’ll be staying at the Foreshore Hotel, at least for a couple of days until I can get something else sorted out so if you’re okay with it, I suggest that you go and get a shower and I relax for a while and I’ll pick you up for dinner in a couple of hours. Would that suit? You’d probably have enough time to have a sleep if you need one.”

They arrived at the hotel and Caroline pulled her car into the car park, into a vacant bay and turned off the engine. She turned to Will and suggested that he put his shirt on to walk into the foyer and check in.

As they walked across the lobby, Caroline was unaware of the gazes that she attracted, her grey patent leather heels heralding her arrival and Will noticed the nodding looks of several men in the foyer. Her wavy short honey blond hair was set off by her grey skirt suit and satin aqua shirt. Her silver hoop earrings caught the light as she walked.

She stepped ahead of Will and arrived at the desk and smiled at the clerk, “Hi Beth, Maggie’s booked a room. Oh, okay”. She turned to Will and smiled as she spoke “I don’t think he’ll mind an upgrade”.

She signed the necessary forms and motioned for Will to follow and headed for the lift.
They got off about halfway up at the 10th floor and Caroline headed to the door Room 1015.

She opened it and breathed out audibly. “Well, this is nice, you’ll enjoy this”.

"Wow..." What else could he say? This hotel room was bigger then his parents' old apartment, a large living room with a flat screen TV on thw wall, a leather couch, a glas coffe table, a big bedroom with a queen size bed, a big bathroom with a shower, a medium sized kitchen and a balcony with a freaking yakuzi! If this was a hotel room then he was superman and Clark Kent a fraud, this was a luxury apartment! It coudln't be anything else!

"Is this... really my room? Even if just for a short time." He asked in an unsure and slightly choked voice, it was down right frightening that he had been sleeping on the street for a week and was now to live, if only for a short time, in an apartment bigger the the one he grew up in, with enough luxuries for a high time business man! Slowly walking int othe apartment he looked about, as if trying to make sure it was real, stroking the furniture with his hand before he looked at the woman who had given it to him with a small smile, even if it was just a smal lone it brightened up his entire face. "Well... I cannot say anything but thank you... I guess... I will get a shower..." Then his stomach growled and he scratched his neck as he blushed lightly, looking like a young boy caught in the cookie jat. "....And take a nap before dinner."

Entering the bathroom he took off his dirty clothes and for the first time in over a week he took a hot shower, washing the dirt and sweat off his body for nearly half an hour, taking some time to give himself a light shave and to brush his teeth. When he got out of the bathroom he found himself with a set of clean clothes, completely naked he laid down on the big silk bed and sighed out happily as the emrbace of sleep claimed him, the clothes he had been given remaiend on the cupboard in the hallway.