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)
This is the exact reason I didn’t approach him about his clients sooner. These sorts of things never end well for friends, and here we are. I’m yelling in his office.
“What’s happening, brother?” the tosser asks.
“You allowed Holly to make a deal with Bauer and take Diosa with her? How could you do that, mate? I thought you were a man with integrity.”
“What are you talking about? Holly hasn’t signed with Bauer for anything. She hasn’t even met with them. At least not that I know.”
“Then she did it behind your back. It’s been confirmed by Sergio De Rosa himself that Bauer pitched to them—with a stolen plan, no less—with her attached.”
“No fucking way. That can’t be. Holly would’ve had to come to me for contract negotiations.”
I scoff. “Holly is obviously making deals without you.”
He sighs. “Look, man, I’m sorry.”
The more I speak to Paxton, the more it becomes clear that he had no idea what Holly was up to.
“She stole my client for her own means. She never would’ve landed the Diosa ad if not for me,” I snarl.
“That is very true. I’ll get to the bottom of it, and if this checks out, I’ll drop her. Without a second thought.”
“You’d drop your biggest client?”
He places a hand on my shoulder. “Talented people come around every day. New stars rise with the moon. You’re my brother, and I don’t work with people who fuck with my family.”
I’ve never wanted to hug another man more than I want to at this moment. In a few simple sentences, Paxton has restored my faith in humanity. He’s proven I’m not a complete idiot when judging someone’s character.
“Thank you, Pax. That means the world to me.”
“Make no mention of it,” he says, taking a seat and kicking his feet up on the desk. “Out of curiosity, how did you find out?”
“Asher Anderson, Raven’s best friend. He works for Bauer, and he gave her the heads-up.”
He nods. “But you said they stole the pitch. How?”
I laugh darkly, and one eyebrow on Paxton’s face rises.
“Tabitha broke into Raven’s office with help from one of my employees and emailed it to Bauer.”
He whistles. “That bitch. Please tell me she’s behind bars.”
“Soon. Very soon, I hope.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Do you have any backup talent to replace Holly?”
He grins. “I’ve got talent for days, brother.”
48
Raven
The moment of truth is upon us.
Diosa is here and ready to hear the pitch. We’ve got one chance to nail this and convince Sergio to stay with Cavendish.
Summer Smith and her agent are running a few minutes behind. Apparently, that is nothing in the entertainment industry, but it is still rude to me.
Paxton had come through big time.
After Summer broke her deal with Bauer, her agent dropped her, and Paxton was right there in the wings, waiting to snatch her up. He convinced her to give Cavendish another go, and she agreed.
I’m nervous about her since Asher mentioned she was quite the diva, but when are superstars not? At her level, we’d be hard-pressed to find someone better.
I can handle her.
When she arrives, she practically glides into the room.
Summer Smith looks different in person. I searched through thousands of Instagram photos to ensure that she could do the new campaign justice, and I have to say, she’s even better in person.
She has a natural beauty that goes underrated these days.
She’ll be perfect.
She extends her hand to me. “I’m Summer. You must be Raven. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Her smile is wide and seems sincere.
I’m starting to wonder why Asher thought she was a diva. She certainly doesn’t act like one.
“The pleasure is all mine.”
I make the introductions and then get everyone seated to hear the pitch.
I move through the slides that boast mood boards and set photos for each brand. I tell the story of how each model with be the face of their particular brand, but it will be an interwoven story. It’ll show how all three lines, Diosa, Icon, and AlteredX, are brands for all women.
Every person in the room remains quiet through the thirty-minute pitch, and not a single question is asked. I’m growing nervous because, typically, there’d be a semblance of interaction. The silence is unnerving.
Do they hate it?
I finish by outlining the time schedule for all three campaigns. It’s a year-long contract, and each campaign would require the talent to fly out to various locations for photo shoots for the ads as well as for publications.
“Does anyone have any questions?”
My voice wavers slightly, my nerves getting the better of me.
We worked so hard to pull this together, but we didn’t have enough time. We don’t have on-scene photos like before. Instead, we used stock images.
“I have to say,” Summer speaks, “I’m impressed.”
My head turns to her.
“I heard about what happened to your last pitch, and I must admit, I didn’t believe you could pull together something as incredible as the last in such a short time.” She smiles, looking toward Sergio. “I was wrong. What do you think?”