Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 88656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“I think so,” I groaned. “Oh, God. I thought I’d be putting together press packets or something. Calling places to arrange things.”
Again with the infuriating chuckle.
“Doc, could you please quit laughing at me? This is serious.”
“I know, Jamie. Listen, all of those things you just mentioned are legitimate things you may be doing. But you will be the one to come up with the plan. Essentially, you will be giving yourself assignments rather than waiting for someone else to give them to you. Autonomy is something you have to get used to in the working world. It’s not like high school or college. Who do you think comes up with the assignments to give to you in my classes?”
“You?” I asked hesitantly.
“Me. Not the dean or the school board. I have to come up with that stuff out of my own noggin. That’s what you’re going to have to do, as well.”
I paused for a moment, my heart beating fast, realizing I may have been in over my head. “So where do I start?” I asked finally.
“Do some research on the internet. Try to find articles or books about publicists, especially sports publicists, and find out specifics about what they do. Recommendations, pitfalls, anecdotes… Whatever will spark some ideas about the types of things you should be doing. Then get to know your client, Jamie. That’s the most important thing.”
“That makes sense.” I liked the idea of getting to know my client a lot more than doing research.
“Give it a couple of days, then call me and tell me what you’ve learned. Okay?”
“Okay, Doc. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. And Jamie… stop stressing. That won’t do anyone any good.”
It was my turn to chuckle. “Says the man who freaks out if he’s one second late to class.”
I could hear the frown over the phone. “That’s different.”
BY LUNCH time, I was engrossed in an excerpt from a biography of a publicist who had represented a bunch of high-profile athletes. The trials he faced in making some of those guys look good had me shaking my head. Dog fighting, alleged murder, domestic abuse, cheating, and let’s not forget the ever-popular use of performance enhancing drugs— or PED’s as the media so loved to call them. You name it, these athletes had done it, and then turned around and hired someone to get them out of it.
Of course, it wasn’t all a desperate game of clean-up for the publicists of the world. Advertising campaigns, wardrobe choices, speeches, and public appearances were some of the other less dramatic things they dealt with on a daily basis.
Overall, I felt pretty productive for a guy who didn’t know what the hell he was doing. I was jotting down some ideas on a notepad that Catwoman Cathy had given me when Kage showed up for lunch. His approach was so stealthy I didn’t realize he was there until his shadow fell across my paper. I jumped and spun around in my task chair.
“Hi,” he said calmly, as if he had no idea he’d just scared the bejesus out of me.
“Hi.” I worked to slow my banging heart.
“You look different.” At my confused look, he reached up and tapped lightly on the frame of my glasses.
“Oh, yeah.” I quickly snatched them off of my face and set them on the desk. Then I flipped my notepad face down on top of them and stood up. “Will my laptop be safe here?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “I don’t think anybody will steal it. You got anything on that pad of paper you mind someone seeing?”
“Paranoid much?” I regretted the question right after it cleared my lips, but Kage didn’t appear to take offense.
“Lotta nosy people around here,” he said. “They like knowing what I’m up to, and I like to keep a little mystery.”
I laughed. “You’re definitely a mystery.”
“Yeah?” He grinned, obviously pleased to have me guessing.
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, Kage. I’m your publicist, and the first order of business for me is getting to know my client.”
“You’ll know me soon enough. In fact, you may be regretting signing on for this job in a couple of weeks. You’re gonna get sick of seeing me.”
For some reason, that comment made me feel awkward, and I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked away. I couldn’t come up with anything to say. All I could do was turn that thought over in my mind— spending time with Michael Kage. So much time I’d get sick of seeing him. I didn’t think anyone could get sick of seeing someone who looked like he did, but I did consider that I might need to take up drinking to calm my nerves around him.
He was so incredibly larger than life. I’d never met anyone who made me feel so insignificant, so lacking. Either he sensed my unease and purposely came to the rescue, or he was oblivious to it, because he continued on smoothly.