I feel you want to take it slowly

Mark

"So who's getting the sexy songs?"

"LJ," Antonia replied.

"LJ?!!" we all exclaimed in surprise.

Antonia smiled. "Rockstar LJ."

We all looked at LJ, who suddenly gave us his best Rockstar. We burst into laughter.

"Steve, play that song about drinking," Antonia prodded him.

"What song about drinking?" Steve frowned at her.

"It's also piano," she said.

"That's really helpful," Steve grumbled sarcastically and started clicking through his files.

"The one that goes 'I want to take you slowly...'" she sang. We all widened our eyes at her. Missy's jaw dropped.

"Ah," Steve's face brightened because he knew exactly what Antonia meant, "this one."

The piano intro was not sexy at all, neither was Steve's voice, it was just his normal R&B drawl, telling Girl he's sorry and to go order whatever she wants, then his voice suddenly rolls flexibly as he continues to apologize because he can't seem to concentrate when she's around, and "you make me lose my mind."

"Wow," Burt hissed sharply.

Then, Steve effortlessly changes into a falsetto, very suggestively singing, "I'll take my usual, babe, you know what I want, don't avoid my eyes, don't try to hide, you already know what I want, it's only you..."

"Oh my goodness," Missy gasped.

I forced myself to take a breath. It was rather unnerving to see the real-life Girl react strongly to songs that were written about her. And with the desired effect, it seemed. The corner of Steve's mouth was tilted up and he looked very pleased.

"That doesn't sound like me, though," LJ said.

"What do you mean it doesn't sound like you?" Steve frowned again.

"It sounds like you," LJ replied. Steve picked up a pencil and tossed it at him.

I tried to imagine LJ singing this and thought he could probably pull it off. Actually, LJ kind of sounds like Steve sometimes, and there are many times when we're performing that I have to check which of them is singing. LJ's vocal register isn't as high as Steve's, but when it's not too high and Steve's not motown drawling, they definitely sound alike.

"It's just an example of what I think your album should sound like," Antonia said, "It's the sexiest song I remembered from his demos."

"What, so LJ's not using this?" Steve sounded pissed off.

Antonia and LJ were ignoring him as she continued, "The whole album will be dripping of sex, and all your fans will be touching themselves and having orgasms from hearing you sing."

"That's ridiculous," LJ shook his head in embarassment.

Then, the part that Antonia sang earlier suddenly came on. "I want to take you slowly," Steve crooned from the speakers, shutting us all up. "I feel you want to take it slowly..."

Holy crap.

Missy cleared her throat. "So when you're at Steve's house, you just listen to these songs in this room?" she directly asked Antonia, her eyes hard.

"He emails them to me," Antonia raised an eyebrow back at her. "I don't spend as much time here as you might think." She glanced at Jamie to check if he had heard. He was bent over, scrolling through his phone.

Missy looked like she didn't know what to say to that, and looked at Steve, he looked back at her, and opened his arms, as if to ask for a hug. She shook her head and stayed in her seat.

Suddenly, LJ determinedly said, "I want this."

"You want the song?" Steve's face lit up.

LJ opened his arms and made a sweeping gesture towards Missy and Antonia. "I want THIS," he said. "I want girls to fight over me because I'm singing about how I want to take you slowly."

"What?!" Antonia was clearly nonplussed.

"We're not fighting, J," Missy snapped.

"Yes, you are," LJ chuckled. "Forgive me for being a guy, but I want to pour mud over you guys and take bets." Burt and I both swung heavy palms at him to make him stop. Jamie grinned and inconspicuously patted LJ's thigh out of sight from most everyone else.

Antonia exhaled what was a deep breath. "Moving forward, Steve, please play that song with the synths... Steve? ... Steve!"

Steve was staring at Missy with a mischievous look on his face, like he was imagining something and was happy about whatever it was he was imagining. Antonia reached over and whacked the side of his head.