“I’m ready,” he called to the security guard. A new group of crying and screaming teens came through the door.
Tucking the pick back in his pocket, Sterling reached for his marker and forced another smile.
Chapter Two
“I cannot believe you let me make a fool of myself in front of him,” Reese groaned. She held her hands over her ears as the Diet Dr. Pepper dropped in the machine. The sound triggered a minor earthquake in her brain. Staci insisted it was impossible to be hung over after one glass of wine, but Reese still had a headache two days after the unfortunate meet-and-greet with rock star Sterling James.
Maybe it wasn’t an alcohol hangover, but a humiliation hangover?
Staci shook her head as they walked back to their desks. “We’ve been over this. You’re the one who engineered fake passes to get us in. As usual, the whole thing was your idea. I’m just your half-willing partner in crime. I had no idea you’d get tipsy on one—one—glass of wine.”
“I didn’t either!” Reese said. “Since that was the first alcohol I’ve ever had. First and last. Never again. How do people do that every weekend?”
“I don’t know. But I will say that seeing you completely humiliate yourself in front of Sterling James was priceless.”
Reese groaned again. “Please don’t say his name ever again.”
“Night Sterling.” Staci grinned.
“Did I really say that in front of him? Do you think he heard?”
“I think that the whole room heard you. Subtlety wasn’t exactly your strong suit. Also, I feel like you should probably be talking about something else. It’s been three days.”
“Are you kidding? I will be trying to get over this for the rest of my life. I met my celebrity crush after scheming my way into a private meet-and-greet, then made an absolute fool out of myself.”
Staci sighed and Reese fell into her chair beside her. No one else in the small office seemed to be listening to their conversation. Most of their coworkers were in their twenties also and had in earbuds or were glued to screens. For a boutique social media management company, this was par for the course.
“One more question and then we should probably work.” Staci had a serious face, but Reese knew her well enough to see the smile behind her eyes.
“What?”
“Are you going to finally take his poster off your wall now?”
Reese tossed a pen at Staci. “Shut up.”
She didn’t actually have a poster of him on her wall. But she had kept one up all through college, so Staci wasn’t far off. Sighing, Reese took off her sunglasses and opened her email. She and Staci had gotten used to a rhythm of working and talking for the past two years they had been working together at Azul, a social media marketing and branding agency. Reese had started right after they graduated from the University of Texas. It took a year to convince Staci, who had said that Nashville was one of the whitest cities in America. Now that they were here, they both loved it.
Reese scanned her inbox. Most of it was junk. Her clients usually texted her or sent messages through Facebook. One of her clients, who owned a car dealership, was still trying to figure out Twitter and only communicated through Twitter DMs. Getting him to stop doing that was on her to-do list for him that week. If she didn’t stab herself in the eye first.
Social media was simple to set up, but the brands and individuals they worked for struggled with the nuances of each platform. Like, why you didn’t use eight hashtags on a Facebook page, but you did want to use eleven to fifteen hashtags on an Instagram image.
With her bachelor’s in Public Relations, Reese had learned skills like brand storytelling and visual branding that she could mix with the social media training to help their clients with their public image and marketing campaigns. While she struggled to explain to her parents back in Austin what all that meant, Reese loved everything about it. You could see the proof in the numbers that went up as her clients grew their following. Several of the minor celebrities she’d worked with had been able to secure paid sponsorships after moving from a mix of Instagram posts to a cohesive visual brand with her help. It was all about story, all about transformation, all about strategy.
What she didn’t like was spin. Sometimes it involved skirting too close to lying. Her boss, Kevin, had zero problem with it and really encouraged anything that would make their clients look good publicly. As a Christian, Reese didn’t want to lie or create fake things. Her goal for clients was to take who they were and present that in the best packaging to connect them with the right fans more authentically. She was good at what she did, so Kevin didn’t pressure her too much. Usually.
Her phone buzzed. Speak of the devil …
“Uh oh. Kevin wants me in his office. You don’t think he knows about Sterling, right? Did you put any of the pics on social?”
Reese had bare bones social media profiles set up. As much time as she spent on the various platforms for clients, she had no desire to put herself out there so publicly.
“Nope,” Staci said. “The video either.”
“You took a video?” Reese felt her stomach drop.
“The part where you were running your hands over his washboard abs was particularly compelling. I’m saving it for future blackmail. Hey, Kevin wants to see me too. Think we’re in trouble?”
They pushed back their chairs and Reese tossed her sunglasses on her desk. “I don’t know. I think everyone’s been happy with me this month. Maybe we’re getting a raise?” She chewed her thumbnail.
Staci snorted. “Doubtful.”
Despite the fact that she’d worked at Azul for three years and had rave reviews from most clients, Reese hated going into Kevin’s office. In addition to not being the most scrupulous person, he totally sucked at human interaction. Especially related to his employees. He was brusque to the point of being rude and completely unwilling to compromise on basically anything.
They had staff meetings once a week that basically consisted of Kevin asking for feedback and then shooting down that feedback while the rest of the dozen staff watched. It was painful. Reese had thought about quitting to freelance, or even starting up a small agency with Staci, but it was hard to build a reputation without an office when you were new and young. Kevin was a jerk, but he had the clients. Reese was in Nashville for the music and hoped that she could get some larger musicians and strike out on her own. Without stealing them from Azul, because she wouldn’t do that.
His door was open. “Kevin, you wanted to see us?” Staci asked. Reese usually let her do the talking.
He sat behind his desk, which was completely bare save for a laptop and a bottle of kombucha. He looked at them over the frame of his bright blue glasses, his bald head gleaming under the lights.
“Reese, Staci—thanks for coming in. I won’t waste your time. I’ve got a new big client and I’m giving him to you, Reese. Staci, you can pick up Reese’s clients.”
It took a minute for his words to sink in. “Wait—what?” Reese asked.
Normally they didn’t hand off clients. Their projects were personal, one of the hallmarks of Azul. People got attached. And they all had their different strengths in social, which led to sometimes very different campaigns. Staci might not understand how to help Talia, the newscaster who wanted to build up her personal brand, in the same way that Reese did.
Kevin sliced his hand through the air, dismissing her question. “It’s also a job that requires travel. Two months. Daniel was supposed to go, but his wife is pregnant and now on bedrest, so he can’t leave.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Reese asked. She’d never met Daniel’s wife, but that sounded bad. It was hard to tell with Kevin.
“I’m sure she’s fine. You’ll leave tomorrow, Reese. If you have a problem with this, I can switch to someone else. But you’re the one that I want for this. It’s the biggest client we’ve ever worked with. I think you’ll do great.”
Reese knew there was a compliment in there somew
here, but her brain was still struggling to catch up. Staci looked just as confused. “You’re saying that I’m going to spend the next two months working with one client? And traveling? Like, out of Nashville?”
Kevin sighed. “That’s what I said, yes. Keep up. Now, what I’ll need from you is to talk Staci through your clients this afternoon and talk with your clients about this shift. We don’t want them to be unhappy with the experience and want the transition to be as seamless as possible.”
“What kind of client? Where are we traveling? I just have so many questions. This is huge, Kevin. Have we done this before?”
Kevin sighed, as if her questions weren’t completely warranted. He picked up a folder but did not hand it to her. “This is a little outside the normal bounds for our firm, yes. You’ll be touring with Sterling James and helping with an image rebrand and social media management.”
Reese could not have been more shocked had the bottom dropped out of the room. Actually, she felt like it had and now she was free-falling down six floors. Immediately the backs of her knees began to sweat. Reese fanned her face. Beside her, Staci started to laugh. Even a stern look from Kevin didn’t stop her.
“Did you say Sterling James?” Reese’s voice came out like a squeak.
Kevin glared. “Don’t tell me you’re one of his groupies or something. I chose you because you have a knack for strategy. He’s got some major image issues right now and his manager wanted someone who is a good fixer. This account alone could move Azul into a completely new client pool of bigger celebrities. Tell me right this second if I need to choose someone else.”
Reese slapped her hands on his desk. “No! I’m fine. I’ve got this. You can trust me.”
“Fine.” Kevin handed her the folder. “I’m also sending it via Dropbox so you’ll have it online. Everything you’ll need for the client is in there, plus what you’ll need for travel. His manager will be in contact with you before you go. He just got a new manager as well. His name is Morgan something. I gave him your email and cell.”
With a look, Kevin dismissed them. As soon as they were out of his office, Reese grabbed Staci by the arm and pulled her into the stairwell. Staci was still giggling.
“Girl, you’re sunk.”
“I’ve got a plan,” Reese said.
She totally didn’t. But she would. She always did. That’s why she was the one Kevin chose for this assignment. When it came to strategy, whether that was social media or board games, Reese was the queen.
Staci snorted. “How do you have a plan already? You found out about this literally two minutes ago.”
“I will have a plan. I am going to kill this account and then you and I are going to go rogue. Not rogue. Go solo. With two. We’re going duo.”
“We can’t steal Azul’s clients,” Staci said. “As much as I’d love to never see Kevin again.”
Reese waved a dismissive hand. “That’s not what we’re doing. I would never. But working with someone high profile like Sterling James is going to mean exposure for Azul, but also for me. If I can get a recommendation from him, that would be enough to get us clients.”
“I’d love to see how you’re going to get a positive review from him after your meeting this weekend,” Staci said. “Have you got a plan for that as well?”
Reese clutched the folder in front of her. The thought of having to see Sterling James again made her feel like her legs were boneless. Any moment she would melt into a puddle on the concrete floor. “No.”
Staci grabbed her chest in mock surprise. “What? The infamous Reese doesn’t have a strategy?”
“I really don’t. Can I see the video? Just … I need to see the damage. Like, how bad it was.”
Maybe she didn’t need to see the video. Staci’s pitying look told her it was bad. But she pulled out her phone anyway. Reese died slowly, a little more each time she watched the video. And she watched it eight times. Only a thirty-second clip, but so much in that thirty seconds to be ashamed of.
Reese had been nursing a crush on Sterling James for six years. Like most of the girls (and women) in the United States. Heck, the world. He just finished up a world tour the year before that was supposedly the highest-grossing tour of all time. All. Time.
He was a legit rock star, but with pop elements that made his appeal even wider. You could be a thirteen-year-old girl and like him or a twenty-eight-year-old guy and like him without being embarrassed about it. He was a talented singer, song-writer, and guitar player.
He was also criminally good-looking. Go straight to jail, do not pass go, no get out of jail free card kind of attractive.
Reese couldn’t be the only woman who had dreamed out an entire wedding to Sterling, down to the favors and the music for their first dance—the stripped-down version of his song, “Love You to the Moon and Back,” of course. But she may have been the only one who snuck into a meet-and-greet only to tell him that he was going to marry her. Or maybe this happened so frequently, he would forget all about it. Reese would just be another number in the fans who told him they were going to marry him group.
There was probably already a Facebook fan group dedicated to this very thing. Because Sterling truly had that kind of magnetism.
Staci seemed to be reading her thoughts. “Forget strategy for a second and that horrible first impression. What about your feelings for him?”
“Feelings? Not a problem. He’s a celebrity crush, not a real one. The kind of thing you indulge in because it’s never going to happen. I don’t have any illusions that he’s going to fall for me.”
“That’s not what you said the other day. In fact, I think you said you were going to marry him.”
“This is going to haunt me for my whole life, isn’t it?”
“Nope. Just be glad I didn’t put the video on YouTube. But seriously, you don’t think that you’re going to fall for him for real spending all this time together? You and Sterling James. On a tour bus. For two months.”
“No way,” Reese said. She was almost positive she wasn’t lying, even if her cheeks felt hot. “You know how these famous people are. In real life most of them are horrendous human beings. That’s why they hire people like me to clean up their image. So, how do I handle problem number one: the fact that he’s going to fire me when he recognizes me? Can I pretend to be a twin?”
“You told him your name. He signed it on your picture, remember?”
Reese groaned. “Yes, vaguely. I could blame the alcohol?”
“Do you want to confess that one glass of wine makes you loopy? He probably wouldn’t even believe that. And you don’t want to seem like you have a drinking problem. That may be your best bet, though.”
Reese leaned back against the wall of the stairwell, looking up to the red ladder leading to the roof. Clutching the folder to her chest she sighed. “I’m totally screwed, aren’t I?”
“Aw, honey. That’s not the Reese I know. Pull yourself out of your funk. You’ve got to tell me about all your clients. And please tell me that I’m not getting the guy who keeps using Twitter to talk to you?”
“Consider him payback for taking this video,” Reese said. “Okay, let’s start working. I’ll get you settled on my clients and figure out how to handle Sterling James.”
They pushed through the stairwell door and headed back to their desks. Work always made Reese feel better. Better about the fact that her last boyfriend broke up with her and got engaged to someone else two months later. Better about the fact that she had dreamed about working in the music scene here in Nashville but was still stuck working for Kevin doing client work that had little to do with music. Better about the tiny apartment she and Staci shared.
She didn’t know if work could fix her current underlying problem, though, because now her work was the problem. In the form of one way-too-hot Sterling James, who probably thought of her as somewhere between an alcoholic and a stalker.
Hopefully she could get a second chance on a first impression. But as she ope
ned the folder to see what Kevin had given her about Sterling, Reese had a feeling that second chances were only real in the movies.
Lord, she prayed silently as she sat back down at her desk, I don’t want to just pray when I need you, but I think I’m really, really going to need you. Consider this me begging. Help!
Chapter Three
Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
“Are you trying to channel your spirit animal or something?” Staci asked.
Reese knew that Staci was looking at her from the driver’s seat, but she kept her eyes closed. “I don’t believe in spirit animals. But if I did, I would have a tiger and it would be totally fierce.”
“Well, tell your non-existent fierce tiger spirit animal that it’s time to put on your big-girl panties and get out of the car. The tour bus isn’t going away. Neither is the fact that you were an idiot when you met Sterling James and now you have to look professional. I’ve got work, so time to go.”
“I can’t do this.”
“Girl, if anyone could do this, it’s you.”
“But I made a fool out of myself.”
“Explain it. You had a glass of wine. You don’t drink. Move on. Be your confident, smart self. You got this. You are a professional.”
“But what if I do really want to have his babies?”
“Reese! Get out of my car and do your job!”
Reese sighed and opened her eyes. “You’re a terrible friend. Beautiful, but terrible.”
Staci rolled her eyes. “And you’re overly dramatic.”
“Give me a hug, bestie. Are you going to make it two months without me?” Reese leaned across the console, ignoring the gear shift stabbing her hip, and pulled Staci into a tight hug.
“I’m going to party like it’s 1999 in our apartment. I might find a new roommate by the time you get back. Who knows? Maybe I’ll finally meet a man.”
“Just remember that I brought you to Nashville. I can take you out.”
Managing The Rock Star (Not So Bad Boys Book 1) Page 2