by Lori Folkman
“Well,” Paul said, “Yet another reason to be grateful not to be an aging woman.” He walked to the table and took two cannolis. Evidently he was taking them to go, because he turned around and headed back the way he came. As he passed by Kat, he said, “Nice to see you … so soon, Katrina.” There was something about the tone of his voice that made her feel … like she wasn’t welcome. Complete opposite of Lena. He wasn’t ready to sign any adoption papers. Kat felt her heart sink. Paul hated her. And she knew the influence Paul had in Ben’s life. The next time Kat got chocolate kisses, she’d be buying them from the grocery store.
Chapter Twelve ……
Ben sat in Paul’s office, across the desk from Paul. Paul’s office was ultra cool. Ben was always a little distracted in here. There was so much to look at. Plus, he wasn’t invited in all that often. This was Paul’s sanctuary. It looked a lot like a trendy nightclub. Neon lights. Modern sculptures made of glass. It felt very masculine in this room. Like they should be playing poker and smoking cigars.
Paul was reading Ben the advanced copy of the article that was to debut in Rock It magazine next week. It was a good article. They loved the new song. They couldn’t wait for the album to be released. And they weren’t alone. Ben was getting very, very good feedback from all the media outlets.
“Do you realize what we are on the cusp of Ben?” Paul asked. His face looked fixed, but his voice gave way to enthusiasm.
Ben couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, I think so.”
“No, I don’t think you do. You’ve seen good reviews before—in the teen mags. But not from these guys. The elite in the industry. These guys can make or break an artist. And they’ve just endorsed you. Before your album’s even been released. This is huge. The last time they gave rave reviews over an unreleased album, it went platinum. So brace yourself Ben, they are predicting that you’ll spend most of this year at number one.”
Ben felt like clapping after Paul’s speech. No, more than clapping: Ben wanted to stand up in his chair, stomp his feet, whistle, and then clap. And not just for what Paul had said. But because of the look Paul gave him. Paul was proud. He didn’t need to say it. Didn’t need to put his arms around Ben and give him a hug. That smile said it all.
“The coverage you will get this year will be unprecedented. I’m willing to bet that you’ll be the most talked about celebrity this year. The most photographed. Your face will be everywhere.
“Every magazine wants you on their cover. Even the ones like Woman’s Week. You’ll be spending more time doing photo shoots in the upcoming months than you spent in the recording studio. And those are just the covers that we are paid to do. The others …”
Paul hesitated, tapping his fingers on the desk. “We’ll control those as well. As best we can. We need the tabloids to be positive. No scandals. Nothing embarrassing caught on camera. You’re going to have to exhibit perfect self-control, at all times.”
Ben felt himself stiffen. Was Paul chastising him? It’s not like he’d ever had any difficulty in this department. He’d never punched a paparazzo in the nose. Never been photographed driving recklessly. Never been caught smoking on camera—which was a given, since he didn’t smoke. “It’s not going to be a problem, Paul,” he said firmly.
“It never has been a problem. But I think you will be surprised with what happens to your nerves when all this … intensifies. You know what it’s like to be followed by the paparazzi. But you haven’t seen anything yet. Everyone is going to be looking for some dirt. Wanting to be the one with the next scandal. It’s going to get crazy. And it will be very taxing. But you can never, ever, let them get to you. The press turns on you and your career is over.”
Ben thought Paul was being melodramatic. Ben had been photographed by the paparazzi since his birth. It was just part of his daily life. He couldn’t imagine it ever making him crazy. He just dealt with it. But he still responded positively to Paul. “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Paul nodded like he was pleased, as if he’d just gotten a toddler to understand the theory of relativity. But then he continued, “Your turning eighteen will change things as well. That little skinny-dip incident last year: if you’d been eighteen, it would have been released. So think through those actions. Ask yourself if those few minutes of thrill are worth having the entire world see.”
Ben swore. That’s what this was about? That was … nothing. It was the ocean. He was on a private island. No one was there. Well, except for whoever snapped the photos. But it was dark. Talk about making an avalanche out of a snowball. Seriously. The pictures were destroyed. It would have been illegal for that British tabloid to print them. So what was the big deal?
Well, apparently Paul thought it was a big deal. He said as much. That action showed indiscretion. Immaturity. It couldn’t happen again. “Our entire angle with this release is that you have grown up. You’re not a boy anymore. Not just for the teens and tweens. If you are to have an age-wide—and genderless—appeal, you’re going to have to act the part.”
Ah. It hit Ben like a rebounding punching bag. “Katrina.” That’s what this was all about. “You don’t want me dating a sixteen-year-old.”
Paul looked contemplative, like maybe he hadn’t thought of that before. Even though he obviously had. A lot. “She’s not just a sixteen-year-old, Ben. She’s a high school girl. An average girl. A nobody. It really does … demean your image somewhat.”
Ben shrugged. “I don’t care about image. I like Kat.”
“You do. Care about image. Image is everything.”
Ben muttered another cuss. “Yeah, I know. But Kat’s not about image. I enjoy being with her. And I’ll continue to be with her, no matter if it looks good or not.”
Paul reclined in his chair. His hands drummed on the desk. “Really? This temporary … thrill is worth risking this image, this respect that we’ve worked so hard to create?” Paul didn’t sound mad. But he sounded annoyed. Maybe even betrayed.
“Yes. She is. Absolutely.”
Paul clasped his hands behind his head. His office chair reclined so far that he was staring up at the ceiling. That was probably a good thing. He looked like he could have been shooting laser beams out his eyes.
Ben felt a little guilty. He had ignored Paul’s advice and rushed into things with Kat. He probably should have thought it through a little more … when he was less attached emotionally. Now it would be impossible to pull back and put things on hold. He needed Kat, everyday, like she was food for his malnourished soul. And Ben realized that it was probably because she was “normal.” She brought this sense of validity to his life. This connection to the real world that Ben had been missing. Image didn’t really matter in this case. She was good for him. He knew she was. And he knew that Dr. Devlin would back him on this. Not that Ben was going to go there. He’d rather have a fistfight with Paul over Kat than to have to talk to Dr. Devlin. And Paul wasn’t necessarily a lightweight.
But Ben had already formulated a plan. “I don’t want this relationship with Kat to be made public,” Ben stated.
“What?” Paul asked. He looked amused.
“Really. I don’t think that she’s ready for that kind of … attention.”
“I don’t see how we can keep this one quiet.” Paul said. He sounded like he was stifling laughter. “You can’t keep your lips off her. I’m surprised no one has snapped it yet.”
Ben bit on the inside of his cheek. Paul had a point. Kat’s lips were … amazingly tantalizing. “I know. But I’ll cool it. In public. I want the official press release to say that Kat and I are friends. That we enjoy spending time together. But that’s it. We are not in a relationship.”
Paul seemed to contemplate this. So Ben further urged, “The press will speculate, but if all they see is a couple of friends hanging out, we’ll be able to dismiss those implications. That will give us … me … time to figure things out.”
“It might work: as long as you uphold your end of the bargain.”
At least Ben got a smile out of Paul.
“No problem.” Ben said confidently. He hadn’t agreed to stop kissing Kat. Because that would be a problem. He had just said that he wouldn’t kiss her in public. He could control that.
Paul moved on to the next item on his agenda: the talk shows. “You’re booked solid for the two weeks surrounding the album release. Morning shows. Daytime talk. Night Shows. You’re doing them all. It will be a hectic couple of weeks: you might as well start storing up sleep now. But it will be great publicity.” He drummed his hand on his desk again. “Nora wants an exclusive.”
Ben was confused. Nora did have the biggest daytime talk show. The biggest anytime talk show, period. But hadn’t Paul just said that they were doing every show? “Exclusive what?”
“More than just the same press release you’ll be doing on every other show. Nora wants something … more personal. She wants to you to talk about Dan.”
“Ugh.” Ben heard a groan escape from his chest, even though he had hoped to contain it. Paul quickly held up his hand. “Nothing you don’t want to do, of course. But I think it could be good.”
“Really? How?” Ben could feel the sarcasm drip off his tongue. “We’ve purposely built my entire career independent of Dan Wilder. I thought … I thought we agreed that down-playing him was the best option.” How many times had they discussed this? Children of stars rarely achieved success riding on their parent’s coattails—especially their dead parent’s coattails. It always backfired. There was always disappointment. The child could never measure up. And to come this far … to be so close to achieving stellar success without ever once making mention of dear old dad—wasn’t that just a testament that it worked to stay out of Dan’s spotlight?
“Of course, Ben. I’m not saying we should change our strategy. But you have never mentioned Dan publicly. Not even once. I think that the press is going to start wondering. They might get … suspicious. Why does Ben not like to talk about his dad? They might roll with it.”
Ben felt the groan again. Paul might be right. But still. “I’m not going to go on Nora’s show crying about how … incomplete my life has been without my dad. I’m not going to lie.”
“No, no, nothing like that. Just a few simple statements. Like resemblances between you and Dan. What song of his you relate to the most. Those type of innocent remarks. Nothing … intimate. And nothing deceiving. Just more than you’ll give anyone else.”
Ben hesitantly agreed. This seemed to make Paul happy. “Good. I’ll tell her. She feels like … like the Wilder legacy is her story. She did your parent’s first interview after they got married. And your mom’s first public appearance after Dan died. Nora hopes to continue that relationship with you. She wants your trust.”
Yeah, whatever. It was all about money with Nora. And ratings. That’s all she wanted from Ben. Not his friendship. Not his trust. But he obliged anyhow. Because that’s what a Wilder does.
“Next, Jackson has asked if he can show the video to his video club. Do some sort of report on it. After it’s released. But, I didn’t know how you’d feel about that. Technically, we can’t attribute the finished video to Jackson. It’s a far departure from his original treatment. I don’t want him boasting credit for its success.”
Yes, technically Paul was right. So why did Ben feel his hair bristle like a dog’s when defending its territory? “No. That video is Jackson’s. He should get full credit for it. It wouldn’t have happened without him. None of it.” Really, shouldn’t Jackson get some sort of finder’s fee for introducing Kat to Ben? “I want his name on the credits. And he can show it to his club all he likes.” Ben almost felt a click in his brain. “In fact, he should show it to the entire school. They should do a big tribute for Jackson … and Kat. It’s a pretty incredible piece of work for two high school kids. They should be praised for it.”
“Ben, I can’t really force a school to acknowledge students for extra-curricular activities.”
“No. But we can do it. Let’s make it a release party. At their school.” It was an awesome idea. Ben should have thought of it sooner. “We’ll launch the video by inviting their entire student body watch it. Even give out some free downloads.”
“Hmm.” Ben could tell that Paul was already thinking of a hundred different line items. “But we release at midnight.”
“We’ll bump it up. Release at noon. And invite the press for a preview. That way we’ll have everyone talking about it right when it’s available. All the kids at that school will Facebook their friends in other schools and hype it up for us. Free advertising.”
Again, Paul thoughtfully said, “Hmm.”
“Plus, we can make it an entire giving back to the schools thing. Ya know, donate money from downloads back to the schools. Entice kids not to pirate.”
Paul stroked his chin. “That could work. If it’s just a small amount. All we need to say is ‘A portion of the proceeds.’ Kids might dig that, if they knew they’d be helping their school.” He reached for a pad of paper and began scribbling notes. “Who do you want to promo the event? We could get a celebrity DJ, like Toby. Or maybe even send Tim. He seems to have taken Jackson in as some sort of apprentice.”
“No. I’ll do it.”
Ben’s statement obviously flabbergasted Paul. Paul’s pen rolled to the floor. And he never dropped stuff. “You want to go speak … to a bunch of high school kids? And that’s what you’re thinking, right? Just speaking? Because a concert of any sorts would be … extremely difficult to pull off this quick. Not to mention the cost. You wouldn’t be able to charge at a school. So it’d be an out-of-pocket loss.”
“No concert. Just the video … on a JumboTron. And then I would talk to them. Tell them to stay in school and that kinda crap. Sign a few autographs. Pose for a few pictures. Ya know, the norm.”
Paul had found a new pen. He tapped it on the desk. “Alright Big Kahuna. We’ll get on it. We’ll get everyone there. Make a big deal out of it.”
“But keep it secretive with the press about Kat and Jackson’s involvement … if you can. I don’t want it to turn into a zoo before the release. For them … I don’t think they really like the limelight.”
Paul let out a chuckle that sounded like a “Hmm, yeah right,” kind of chuckle.
Ben wanted to tell Paul of Kat’s goodness. Her kind and gentle heart. Her caring nature. Her integrity. She wasn’t after Ben because he was rich and famous. He could tell that about her. She genuinely liked him, not his money. Not his celebrity. She wasn’t the kind of girl who wrote obsessive fan letters and slept with Ben Wilder silkscreened sheets.
But Ben knew that Paul wouldn’t listen. Nor would he spend time around Kat, getting to know her. But Ben could show Paul, by letting Kat’s goodness show in Ben’s actions. So he suggested something else he’d been thinking of. “I’d like to do some charity work.”
Paul was smiling, but not a happy smile. A you’ve-got-to-be-out-of-your-freaking-mind smile. “Like work in a soup kitchen?”
“No.” Ben wasn’t going to let Paul make fun of him on this one. This was important. “I want to do something for sick kids. Kids who have cancer and stuff.”
“You’re talking about the Make-A-Wish Foundation?”At least Paul wasn’t making fun of Ben anymore. Ben could see that Paul was beginning to take this serious. Paul’s eyebrows were raised. He was breathing deeply like he always did when he was pondering something. “Maybe. Let’s put it on hold for a bit. Once we have a better idea of record sales. Then we’ll have an estimation on how much money we can donate.”
“Not just a donation, Paul. Something I can do. Like singing for the kids. A mini-concert or something.”
Paul’s eyebrows rose even higher. If Paul actually had hair, his eyebrows would have connected with his hairline. “That would be great publicity. The press would eat that up.”
Okay, Paul missed the point. But what could Ben expect? Making Ben look good is what Paul did best. Paul had the greatest marketi
ng mind in the business, and Ben was lucky enough to have him for a dad. Well, a stepdad. So Ben would let Paul think that this was just another promo. But Ben was on higher ground. He had a purer form of motivation: to impress Kat.
Paul agreed to look into this. Ben suggested that it be done soon, before the album’s release and the expected mayhem broke out. But in reality, the sooner he could impress Kat, the better. He didn’t know that he’d entirely won her over yet. Sure, she was into him. But not in the same way he was into her. She seemed to have … reservations of some form or another. He’d yet to see her entirely let her hair down around him, so to speak. In actuality, she almost always wore her hair down. It drove him nuts when it was up, like when she went to her dance classes. Wrapping his hands through her hair was almost as tantalizing as kissing her. But this wasn’t a hair issue. This was an issue with that internal kill-switch of hers. Ben needed to figure out how to disconnect it. Entirely. He longed to have that same relationship with Kat that Jackson had.
Ben had to acknowledge that he was jealous of Jackson. That irked Ben to no end. And not because Jackson was his friend. It was because it was Jackson. In what world would Ben be jealous of a guy like Jackson? Kat’s own stepbrother. Ex-stepbrother.
Ben couldn’t imagine how those two families had been able to stick together after all that strange wife swapping stuff. And how Jackson and Kat’s relationship seemed thicker than blood, even with that weird history. Which was why Ben thought he deserved more from Kat. More than what she gave to Jackson. Ben couldn’t wait to get there.
Just as Ben reached for the door to Paul’s office, Paul called out to him. “One more thing Ben,” he said. “That … other item. I spoke with our attorney. We won’t have a problem. Copyrights were never issued on those songs. They weren’t recorded. So the intellectual rights belong to Dan. His Estate. The estate that you will be the benefactor of in a few months. So we’re all clear.”