Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 112701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
She shakes her head. “Truthfully? No, I didn’t.”
“And? Are you glad that I am that man?”
She beams. “So very glad. You’re sort of the whole package, you know.”
“Only sort of?” I tease. “You wound me, love.”
She chuckles. “For now. I mean, I’m only getting to know you. But so far, you’re in the clear running to be the whole package.”
I smile. “I’d like to get to know you even better, and I have an idea.”
It’s percolating as I stand here, and I’m trying to work out all the details in my head. She looks at me with an expression that says, get on with it.
“The presentation will be done by Thursday. There’s nothing more we can do. It’ll be in the hands of your assistants to line up everything. You can approve their work from anywhere.”
“So . . . what do you have in mind?” Her eyes shine with curiosity and excitement.
“How about you come with me to the Hamptons? We can spend the day relaxing.”
“The Hamptons? Seriously?”
I might be losing my mind. I’ve never taken a woman to my family home here in the States. Only Tabitha, and that had been a nightmare.
The poor staff had been ordered around and snapped at, even when they’d completed their tasks satisfactorily because nothing was ever good enough for the mardy cow.
“We’ll have the place to ourselves; the family won’t be around. We can talk about the plans for the Gala. And trust me . . . it’s the best place to relax after finishing a big project like the Diosa campaign. Think cocktails. Think swimming pool.”
“Think sex?” she suggests.
I laugh. “It appears you’ve got the gist of it. So, are you tempted?”
“Tempted? Nah. I’m provoked into making all the work disappear so I can have this time with you.”
I grin. A weekend away with my girl in the Hamptons is just what the doctor ordered.
Besides, it will only further prove that Raven is different and worth going all-in with.
38
Raven
I’ve received about twenty messages from Asher since that night. I know I was an asshole for what I did to him, and I’m not sure how to make it right. Losing him would feel like losing a limb.
He’s part of me, and I have to make this up to him.
I’m back at the office, working furiously to finish the presentation. We’ll give it to them tomorrow, and I’ve never been so nervous. It’s damn good, but with the tight timeline, we can’t afford any major rewrites or creative differences.
Holly didn’t seem like a diva, but if she pulls anything crazy, I might lose my mind. We’ve worked so hard on this, and I’ll be devastated if any of them truly hate it.
More than impressing the talent associated with the project, we have to nail this with Sergio Di Rosa. The legend himself will be present, and that adds a whole layer of fear.
Charles calls me into the office, and when I arrive, he’s pacing up and down the small space. He looks frantic.
“Charles. Stop pacing. What’s going on?” I ask.
He holds up his hands in despair. “I just heard from Paxton. He says Bauer has stepped up their game. They found out about Holly. Everything about her,” he stresses.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, apparently, Summer is very unhappy with them. The agent had to beg her to finish her contract, but she’s threatening to pull out. They approached Holly, and they knew about her scheduling conflict and were more than willing to pay her double what Diosa is and meet all her scheduling needs.”
“No,” I gasp. “How?”
He shakes his head. “I have no bloody idea. Apparently, according to Paxton, their presentation was incredible.”
“But he’s your friend. How could he?”
“It’s business, love. It’s half the reason I didn’t approach him to work together before. When talent is involved, things can get messy. He’s their agent, not their boss.”
“What now? Is the Diosa campaign screwed?”
“Holly and Paxton canceled the meeting for tomorrow. She’s supposedly poorly,” Charles seethes, and my stomach falls.
I feel ill.
I can’t believe this. I honestly thought we had this in the bag.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless.”
“Me, too.” He looks at me as though he’s got something to say but quickly looks away.
“What is it?” I ask, stepping forward.
He rocks back on his heels. “You didn’t share anything else about the Diosa campaign with Asher . . . right?”
I can tell he’s struggling to ask the question, but it doesn’t matter. It’s clear the thought entered his mind, and that only makes my chest ache as anger and anxiety flare.
“You’re serious? We talked about this, Charles. You know everything.”
His hands fly up. “I know. I just . . . had to be sure. You must understand my predicament, considering.”
“Considering what?” I snap. “That one time I mentioned in a conversation with my best friend that I was excited because we might land a superstar? It’s a far damn cry from handing over my pitch.”