Eight months into their relationship, things had moved along relatively smoothly for Tisha and Vincent with Vincent often flying out to New York to spend time with Tisha whenever their schedules would allow. A couple of vacations and events had fully allowed their initial interactions to turn into a substantial relationship over the months and now Tisha had flown out to Vincent at his home in California for a few days.

He was getting himself dressed in the master bedroom ahead of the evening meal and party that he was throwing with a bunch of his friends and colleagues, the first real opportunity for Tisha to get a glimpse into his world. It was a pretty formal dress code for the evening, Vincent opting for a designer white shirt, buttoned down to his chest just to give off more of a relaxed vibe and black tailored trousers and black designer leather shoes. A couple of chains hanging from his neck and a designer watch to set off the smart look and one final adjustment in the mirror and he was ready to go as his guests began arriving.

The meal and preparations are all being taken care of by a hired team, they welcome the guests to his home and lead them through the hallway, into the kitchen and out into the back garden where they’ll be gathered for their meal and the party. Drinks and appetisers waiting for them as they arrive. Vincent walks into the bathroom where Tisha is finishing up getting herself ready, placing a hand on her lower back as he takes a moment to admire her reflection in the mirror, “Babe, you look phenomenal.” He says, “Ready to meet your public?” he says with a slight playful smirk.

It felt like they had already proven that they were serious about each other, making those long journeys just to spend a couple of days with each other was something that would have generally made most relationships fizzle out quick. But if anything, they seemed to be going from strength to strength each time they were afforded the opportunity to spend time together.

As Tisha lets him know she's a little nervous, he shakes his head as if to let her know she had nothing to worry about. He places his hand on her chin and meeting her gaze, looks her deep in the eyes and gives her a reassuring smile, "Seriously, you have nothing to worry about. You've got this." he says with a smile, "I know you and I know my people. They're going to love you. Believe me." he says as he places a hand out for her, ready to head downstairs.

Vincent knew the pitfalls of fame and everything someone of Tisha's status had to navigate, although he was in the industry, it's primarily behind the scenes but it meant that he understood the difficult little things that famous artists had to deal with. He wasn't one for playing games and keeping his cards close to his chest, he always made a point to remove any doubt about his feelings and intentions. He gave a little back as Tisha kissed him, savouring the moment however brief, fully aware that there was still plenty evening left ahead of them both.

He smiles as she makes it clear she's ready, he takes her hand and leads her down the staircase, into the hallway, through the lounge and out into the back garden where his friends were already starting to mingle and gather for the evening. He greets one or two, shaking a couple of hands as both he and Tisha are handed a glass of champagne. The chatter momentarily comes to a halt as Vincent welcomes everybody to the party.

"I just want to say thanks for coming out tonight. It's a pleasure to be in such fine company." he smiles and takes hold of Tisha's hand once more as he formally introduces her, "I know relationship has been no secret to those of you that are here and I'm sure no introduction is needed, but I'd like to properly welcome my beautiful lady Tisha into our inner circle." he says, raising a glass which encourages everybody else to raise a glass, "To beautiful friends and beautiful times spent with one another." he says, toasting his company.

He places an arm around Tisha's lower back, comforting her in a moment that could be awkward and nerve inducing. As the chatter begins once more, he points out a couple of faces and gives Tisha their names, Maxwell, Khalifa, Augustine, Imani and Haley just to name a few friends and colleagues.

Vincent saw this as a chance to really introduce Tisha into his world, he had experience a lot from her world, seeing how she took charge of her career down to every single aspect. He had been present when she had been on serious work related calls and had seen her performative side in rehearsals in the studio, experiencing pieces of her world. But this was her first true glimpse into Vincent's world as a label exec, he was used to taking charge of situations and although this wasn't as serious as a work environment she still got to see a glimpse of his presence around his inner circle.

He smiles as she takes the time to thank everybody and introduce herself formally before everybody could start to relax a little. He knew she had a nervous side to her that she showed in their private moments, but he always felt something spark inside of him when she showed her confidence whether it was addressing a crowd of strangers or dominating the conversation on business calls.

As everybody starts mingling, the groups begin to disperse. Imani is one of the first to chat to Tisha and Vincent as Young Khalifa also joins in on the conversation. "It's so wonderful to finally meet you. I've seriously been a fan for years. I've already given myself a pep-talk to just play it cool" she says with a smile, "So are you going to be out here in California for very long?"

Khalifa and Vincent chat while Imani introduces herself to Tisha. Khalifa half opens his blazer, handing Vincent an incredibly elusive cigar, "Brother, we talking Cohiba limited edition shit right here. 55th Anniversary stuff." he says, proud of his offering. Vincent admires the Cigar, rotating it in his hand as he inspects it fully before shaking Young Khalifa's hand and turning back to the conversation between Imani and Tisha.

Imani gives a friendly smile as she listens to Tisha, "So you are human like the rest of us, huh?" she says with a little chuckle, interested in hearing Tisha's upcoming plans. "Seriously? We have to arrange to hang out while you're out here in Cali. A new album? That's pretty exciting to hear, I'm sure you'll kill it in the studio. I can't wait to hear what you've been cooking up. I'm sure we're not ready for it! Is Vincent aware that he's your muse for this new music?"

Imani nods, "I'm from San Francisco originally, but LA is where the opportunity is, y'know?" she says with a smile, "I don't think Studio60 Records were willing to let Jadyn launch his own label without a couple of executives that knew what they were doing and wouldn't just treat the label as a shiny plaything." She says with a laugh, "I was hired as a co-executive for the label alongside Vincent, so basically we run the label together for Jadyn and try to achieve his vision."

Vincent continues in conversation with Khalifa and a couple of the guys, occasionally glancing and catching eye contact with Tisha, the guys chat about sports and their latest luxury extravagance, Vincent leads the interactions and holds court over the conversation with a receptive audience.

Imani laughs a little, "Oh shit!" she says dramatically, "For what it's worth, I don't think he's the type that scares easily." she says confidently as she listens to Tisha talk, she nods across to Young Khalifa, the guy Vincent's talking to, "Khalifa's probably one of the newest producers in the game currently, he's building up his credentials on our label right now. He's the guy producing the new 'Orion' album and has remixed some stuff for Claire Price if you're heading down that RnB vibe. I can introduce you guys properly and see if you're on the same wavelength, no pressure."

Imani leads Tisha over to a seating area where Vincent and Young Khalifa are sat, the pair have just lit up their cigars as they continue conversing before Imani and Tisha join them. "Boys, I've been chatting to Tisha and she says she's looking to work with some new producers." she says with a smile as she glances at Khalifa, "What do you think? I think you could work well together."

Vincent considers the idea for a second before nodding confidently, "I can see that.", he says before making a space for Tisha to sit next to him, placing an arm around her shoulder as she sits beside him.

Young Khalifa greets Tisha with a handshake before she sits down, he listens to what she says and gives it some thought before nodding. "Retro soul and funk brought forward for the modern generation sort of vibe? I can fuck with that." he says as he takes a drink from his glass of Whiskey. "Y'know, I've produced your vocals already." he says with a slightly chuckle, "That vocal you laid down with 'Orion'? I think I missed you by a couple of days in the studio but I've been producing that record. Your vocals are great to work with as a producer, caramel smooth, for real."

Vincent subtly ran his fingers down Tisha's side as she rests her head against his shoulder and nestled in up against him, he gave her a smile as she hinted at him being her source of inspiration for the album, "It's all you baby, ain't nobody else I want beside me."