Bob shrugged. "Then you'll learn." He nodded at the other agents. They stood and left the room. When the door closed behind them he placed both hands on the table and leaned forward. On anyone else it would be a threatening move, but on a big teddy bear like Bob it was hard not to smile.
"Look, Annie, you're our last chance. You're the only agent under thirty here. Hell, you're the only agent under fifty. We need you on this one. We can't lose Dug-E to Jamiesons."
"Why not? He's a snotty-nosed little—"
"Now, now. It's attitude like that that sends the kids elsewhere." He wagged a disapproving finger at her but there was no real admonishment in his tone.
"But I'm no hip and happening young thing, Bob. I can't give Dug-E what he wants. I don't know what boys his age do."
"Don't worry. I've got the perfect person to teach you."
She narrowed her eyes. "Teach me what?"
"To ride a motorbike for starters."
"You're really going to make me get on one of those dangerous things? I could get killed."
"Calm down, Annie, you won't be killed. He's a great teacher. He'll make sure you don't even fall off."
She rolled her eyes. "Gee thanks. Is he going to teach me how to drink beer, swear like a sailor and flash my breasts at passing trucks?"
He grinned. "If you ask him nicely."
She crossed her arms and tried hard to swallow her simmering temper. Bob had been good to her, giving her a chance. He may have done it in memory of his best friend, but he'd stuck by her even though she didn't bring in as many clients as her father had. She owed him and she would love to repay him by getting Dug-E. But did she have to drink beer?
"So who is this amazing teacher?"
"A friend of mine. We've known each other for fifteen years."
"Fifteen? How old is he?"
"Thirty-four."
"Isn't that too old to be a rebel?"
At least thirty-four was better than eighteen. He might not be as juvenile as Dug-E. Although he was male...
"He's perfect for the job."
She groaned. The noose tightened. "I can't wait to meet him. What's his name?"
"Zack DiMarco."
She laughed, but Bob didn't join in. "The millionaire?"
"No. The billionaire."
"Why would Zack DiMarco teach me to ride a motorbike and drink beer?"
"Because we go way back."
"You must be close."
He shrugged. "I'll give him a call. I'm sure he'll free up some time to take you on as a student."
"Yeah." She sighed. "What better things does a millionaire have to do but teach me to be a rebel?"
"Billionaire."
***
Zack answered his cell phone on the third ring. "Yo."
"Zack? It's Bob."
Zack broke into a smile at the sound of his friend's voice. "Hey, Bob. Long time no see. How's business?"
"Great. The most lucrative deal of the decade just landed on McCallum and Horton's table."
"Yeah?" Zack saved the spreadsheet on his laptop and closed the file. The financials of Deet Electric could wait. It wasn't often Bob called him. It must be important.
"We've got the chance to sign up a young rapper, Dug-E Dug—"
"That's his name?" Zack laughed. "Sounds like a gardening tools manufacturer I bought last week."
Bob chuckled. "He's about as smart as a shovel too. But we haven't got him yet. He thinks we're too old for his image." He snorted. "What would he know? McCallum and Horton invented cool. We put the hip in hippie, the roll in rock 'n roll."
Thirty years ago. From what Zack knew of the music industry, McCallum and Horton hadn't signed a hot artist in at least ten years. Not since Bob's partner had died. Whereas McCallum had been the talent scout, Bob brought the business brain to the partnership. Together, they'd been a force in LA. Alone, Bob was a jockey without a racehorse. Going nowhere.
"So, how can I help?" Zack meant it. He really wanted to do something for Bob, especially now when things weren't going so well for the agency. It was the least he could do for the man who'd helped him get started on his own path to fortune.
"Mac's daughter works for us," Bob said. "She's a nice girl. A great girl actually."
By which Zack guessed he meant she was an ordinary agent. "I think you've mentioned her before."
"She's our best shot at getting Dug-E but she's a little on the...conservative side."
"Your late partner's daughter? So she's not a chip off the old block?"
"Not even a splinter. She was never into the scene like Mac."
Zack's personal assistant entered his office and handed him some paperwork on Deet then left, closing the door silently. He threw the file onto his To-Do pile without looking at it. He'd had enough of Deet, enough of spreadsheets and profit and loss analysis. He needed to go for a ride on his bike, maybe head out to his ranch for a few days to clear his head. Lately, nothing at work could hold his interest for long. Why anyone would think what he did was glamorous, he'd never know.
"I want you to show her a good time, Zack," Bob said. "Take her to parties, teach her about motorbikes, sex her up a bit."
"Turn her into the party animal her father was."
"Exactly. And I need it done in the next week."
The ranch could wait. This might be interesting. Zack needed a new challenge. Life was so same-old lately. "No sweat. I'll turn her into a woman everyone wants to know. Dug-E will think she's the coolest person on the West Coast by the time I've finished with her."
***
That afternoon, Annie sat at an outdoor table at La Merlina café, sipping iced tea and picking at a plate of fruit shaped into flowers. She'd been amazed that Bob had set the meeting up with Zack DiMarco so quickly. They must be very good friends if the wealthy playboy could drop everything on such short notice.
La Merlina was the flavor of the month in LA. The décor was so minimalist it was barren. The only decoration was on the walls, signed by the celebrity diners. It was so chic, the staff kept Annie waiting fifteen minutes before she was shown to her table. It was the sort of place she should take clients and be seen. She'd never been there before.
Anyone who was anyone sat inside where the air conditioning kept temperatures and tempers down. Only Annie and a few wannabe starlets sat outside under the umbrellas, trying to appear cool despite the trickle of sweat down their backs.
She regretted not getting Zack to make the reservation. He was one of the hottest properties in town. He may not be an actor or agent or connected to the movie business in any way, but he was known around town. For all the wrong reasons as far as Annie was concerned. The self-made billionaire with a penchant for fast cars and fast women had a reputation most men envied.
It was almost impossible for him to evade the limelight, even if he'd wanted to. Which he didn't seem to. Not if the gossip columns were anything to go by. Of course, Annie only read the gossips to keep her up-to-date on who was 'in' and who wasn't. It was necessary in her line of work.
She'd seen Zack's type before. She'd grown up around people like him. Her father had attracted the womanizers and she'd spend most of her childhood avoiding them. It seemed she wouldn't be able to avoid Zack DiMarco, not for a few days at least.
She drummed her fingers on the table. He was late. Typical.
She uncrossed her legs, hot from the stockings. She wished she hadn't worn them. She had on a short cream skirt, a matching short-sleeved jacket and black accessories. On her feet she wore a pair of three inch heels she'd bought two years ago in an attempt to make her appear taller around the supermodel turned pop princess McCallum and Horton were courting. The supermodel signed with Jamieson and Jamieson before Annie got to wear them and they'd been relegated to the back of her closet ever since.
She hoped they might make her more conspicuous in a restaurant full of pretty young things. But no one took much notice of a five-foot two woman with caramel colored hair and breasts that didn't defy the laws of gravity. This was LA after all.
She checked her watch again. She'd give Zack another fifteen minutes. Usually she wouldn't wait that long but she owed Bob. He was more than her boss, he'd been her father's friend. If meeting Zack improved their chances of getting Dug-E, then she'd do it. Seeing Zack in the flesh had nothing to do with it. Honest.
Ten minutes later, the roar of an engine drew everyone's attention. She knew without even turning that Zack had arrived. Who else would be so arrogant as to be nearly an hour late for an appointment then offend all the diners with the noise of a fancy car?