“No, no. I’m going. I am excited. I’ll be at their sound check, for sure. It’s only like a mile and a half from the Planet so I’ll be able to sneak down here, sign Porter, then get back in time for the second encore.” Tina said confidently. “That reminds me. Did you guys find anything out about her representation?”

“Nada. Nobody’s heard anything about her. But I think my investigation may have piqued some interest though.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was talking to Mater over there at In-Tune, and he said Jodi’s been head hunting pretty hard for a new R&B artist. Ever since MJ’s death I guess the market is still waiting for the rise of a new King or Queen of Pop.”

“Great,” Tina responded unenthusiastically.

Jodi Lerner was In-Tune Talent Agency’s most high profile agent. And the biggest bitch Tina has ever had to deal with in the industry. She was known to make labels beg for the talent to sign with them, bringing them to their knees with multi-million dollar deals even before a single is hot.

Alphaville had dealt with Lerner in the past and each time, she was able to finagle sweet deals for a couple of new bands and singers that guaranteed 7 figures deposited into her personal account. Tina was swindled by Lerner twice in her three years with the label. Lerner had told her that other labels were interested in her clients and indicated what they were willing to offer. She wouldn’t even take Tina’s calls until she had given in to the ballpark figures the vicious agent was willing to negotiate around. In the end, after all the contracts were signed, Tina had two new unmarketable artists with severe heroin addictions, who would eventually break the contract anyway, while Jodi cruised around in her brand new Astin Martin, bought a Mediterranean estate in Montecito and a beach bungalow in Malibu. Tina vowed never to do business with Lerner again.

The rest of the drive had been engulfed in silence with the exception of TLC coming through the speakers of the Prius.

As they walked into the Planet, Tina couldn’t help but notice the intimate atmosphere of the café. The three of them were greeted by a bubbly hostess and told to sit wherever they pleased.