“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 receivedabout 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.