"I don't have anything planned at the moment.”
“That’s convenient, isn’t it?”
She laid her hand flat on the pad in front of her and he could tell by the way she took a few deep breaths she was holding back her annoyance. “The only reason I have nothing prepared is because this meeting was sprung on me fifteen minutes before I walked into this room."
"Right, so why am I here then?"
Frustration grew inside of him. He’d missed a training session this morning because Dan told him to get his ass over to Star Image's office. He fully expected Dan to be waiting for him when he arrived, but instead he’d been ushered into the conference room where he was told someone would be with him shortly. When twenty minutes passed, he got tired of waiting and had taken a short walk around the office. It was either that or walk out and he knew Dan wouldn’t appreciate him taking the latter option.
“You’re here so I can get some basic information from you to enable me to work on a suitable plan of action. I need to know your likes and dislikes. What you feel comfortable doing and what you don’t feel comfortable doing.”
“Oh God, please don’t tell me you think me doing one of those dancing or singing shows is the best way to build up my image. I promise you right now I can’t dance and I really can’t sing.”
She looked as though she were seriously considering that as a suggestion. “Most of the singing competitions prefer to have unknown people on them, unless you mentor someone, and as for the dancing shows, they do teach you how to dance, so it doesn’t matter if you’re bad when you start.”
Brett couldn’t think of anything worse than being put in a situation where millions of people could watch him screw up, only to get voted off first round.
No, thank you very much.
Sure, swimming in the Olympics put him in front of millions of people but that was what he did. It was why he got up at 6 a.m. every day—rain, hail or shine—and why he traveled so much and competed against the best swimmers in an effort to improve himself.
He might get into trouble outside the pool, but at least he had some sort of control over the situation in the pool. Handing that power over to a stranger on a dancing reality show—not happening.
“Don’t worry, you’re safe from me pushing you into doing something like that. I don’t think those types of shows are good for image building, anyway. But there are other shows that could work.”
“No, I don’t want to do TV.”
“You may not have a choice. If I find something that I think could help you, then I’m going to look at it carefully and suggest you do it.”
Brett crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair. No way was he going to get pushed around by an image consultant. “If I recall, I’m the client. Your job may be to improve my image, but at the end of the day, if I don’t want to do something, I won’t do it.”
“We’ll see,” she murmured as she scribbled something on her notepad. It looked like some sort of flowchart. Words written in circles and squares with lines darting left and right, up and down. It made no sense to him, but he guessed it made sense to Cassandra.
“Tell me…” she looked up from her paper. “Do you like working with kids? Or doing some sort of construction?”
“Yeah, sure, I don’t mind working with kids.” In fact he’d done a couple of hospital visits in the past. He’d enjoyed talking to them and spending time getting to know them. Even though it was heartbreaking to see them when they were so ill, their determination to get well was fierce, stronger than some Olympic athletes he knew. “As for construction, I know some basics. It’s not something I do often because I don’t want to strain a muscle while I’m in the middle of training for something big.”
“Okay, good to know. What’s your schedule like now? Do you have any competitions coming up soon?”
“No. Apart from my normal training schedule, I don’t have anything pressing, but sometimes I like to scope out local events. I watch the competitors and, when asked, I give pointers to the kids on how to improve their technique.”
“Oh. Oh.” Her face brightened and it made her even more beautiful than before. Her brown eyes sparkled and she smiled that smile, a combination of sweet and sexy, again. “That’s good to know. I can work with that.”
Brett didn’t know what to make of the comment. Had he dug himself deep into a hole he couldn’t get out of? Well, whatever Cassandra came up with, he hoped it didn’t involve him standing in front of a camera.
"Are we done here now?" he asked.
"Yes, I think I’ve got some good ideas. Do we have your contact information?"
"Not sure, although everything you want to do will need to go through my agent first. He'll want to know all the details and then he'll contact me."
Cassandra shook her head, a cascade of caramel curls floating around her before settling softly against her shoulders. "No, that's not going to work at all. I can't always go through a third party. I need to be able to contact you directly to discuss when I need to see you and what I need to do."
"Powerz always worked that way. They would contact Dan and Dan would contact me."
"Well you're not at Powerz anymore, and that's not the way I work on campaigns."
Since when had he become a campaign and not a person? Ultimately, he was the one who would decide if he wanted to follow Cassandra and Star Image's ideas. No matter what Dan said, it was his life and he employed Dan, not the other way around. Although, at the moment, if he and Dan parted ways, he didn't think another agent would be too happy to take him on board.
Fuck, maybe he didn't have a choice.
The unbidden thought floated through his mind. If he wanted to maintain his sponsors, not to mention being able to keep getting Naomi the treatment she required, he had to toe the line this time. He had to do the right thing. And if he wanted a career after swimming then, as much as it frustrated the hell out of him, he needed Cassandra and Star Image Consultants.
"Fine, I'll talk to Dan."
"Good, and if you have any problems, call me and I'll talk to Frank. He owes me a favor now." She pulled out a business card and wrote something on the back, before sliding it across the table to him. "Here are my contact details. Let me know when you've spoken to Dan. After that, we can get moving on presenting Brett Hunter 2.0 to the world."
Cassandra stood. Brett immediately stood as well. He walked until he met her at the head of the table. She stuck out her hand to him again. “Thank you for not walking out,” she said with a wry smile.
He gripped her hand. Like before, a jolt of electricity zinged up his arm. “It’s been an interesting meeting, Ms. Fielder.”
Her sexy half smile honed in on him like a guided missile. “Trust me, it’s only going to get more interesting as time goes by.”
Oh, great. This was going to be a helluva lot of fun.
3
"If I could give you an update, I would, Frank," Cassandra muttered to the computer screen as she read her boss's email. "It would be so much easier if either golden boy Brett Hunter or your good friend Dan would get back to me."
It had been two days since her meeting with Brett. After a rocky start, she’d been confident they’d finished on a good note. Now, Cassandra was wondering if she'd been played and he'd only appeared open to improving his image in an attempt to placate her.
She got up from her desk and walked out of her office. "Melika, have you got Dan Jones’s number? He’s Brett Hunter’s agent."
Her assistant glanced up from her computer screen. "His details should be listed in Brett’s client file. Have you checked there?"
Way to look like a rookie.
"Sorry. I didn't think.” She rolled her eyes, making Melika laugh. "Have you heard from any of our TV contacts about show ideas we could present to Brett?"
She waited as Melika looked through some papers before turning her attention to the computer screen. "Nothing that seems like a good possibility so far. Well…there is this one th
ing. But I'm not sure it's something that Brett would go for."
"What is it? If it's good for his image, he’ll do it, since he’ll have no choice."
Cassandra had checked in with Frank after her meeting with Brett. Only then did she learn that his agent, Dan, had promised that anything presented to him and Brett would be agreed to, no matter what Brett thought of the idea.
"Well it's more like a charity event where athletes work with kids from the Build Your Dream Foundation to build gardens or playgrounds at their schools. It's a limited reality series, four weeks, and the viewers vote on which team did the best job."
“That sounds perfect.” Excitement filled Cassandra and she couldn’t understand Melika's declaration it wouldn't interest Brett. He said he enjoyed working with kids and it sounded like only basic construction skills would be needed, so nothing too stressful. "What's your hesitation?"
"They've already booked two athletes and only need one more."
"Okay, still seems like a great way to change Brett's image."
"You might not think so when I tell you who else has already signed to do the show."
Melika had never been one to dance around in her explanations. Suddenly, Cassandra’s glow of excitement dimmed.
"Fine, lay it on me. Who are the athletes?"
"Mitch Osborn and Drake Roberts."
Like a pin popping a balloon, Melika's words burst Cassandra’s bubble of enthusiasm. "Shit."
"Exactly."
Cassandra knew all about the scandal surrounding Brett and Mitch Osborn, and Mitch’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, Julia Ashland. Hell, the whole civilized world knew. It probably didn't make a lick of difference that Mitch and Julia were now happily engaged. Mitch still probably resented Brett for being the cause of the break-up between the aquatic world's “Golden Couple” months before the Olympics. And now they really were golden, with both of them winning Gold medals in Rio. In fact, Mitch and Brett had competed in more than one event, with Mitch winning most of them.
On the flipside, this could be a ratings goldmine for the network. Mitch and Brett competing against each other. But what if the rivalry brought out Brett’s bad side? The fact he hadn't bothered to get in touch with her smacked of immaturity. At the age of twenty-five, and as someone who’d competed in world championships and Olympic Games, he should be more reliable and mature.
When she was twenty-five, she'd already gone through a divorce and was finishing up her degree while working her butt off to keep her college costs low. If that didn't make someone grow up quickly, she had no idea what would. Of course, she could've taken Michael for a considerable amount of money in the divorce. But she hadn't. All she'd asked for was enough to buy a decent house so she had a roof over her head when she went back to college, and some money set aside in an emergency fund. A fund she hadn't touched, but was there if she ever needed it.
However, thinking about her past wouldn't solve her present problem.
Cassandra tapped her finger against her lips and let the idea fester for a few moments. "I know it's going to be awkward, but this is the only reasonable show that's popped up on the radar. I say we present it to him. Do you know if the networks are paying for the athletes to participate? If so, I’m going to suggest Brett donate his money to his favorite charity."
"Do you think he'll go for it?"
“He won’t have a choice. I was going to run ideas past Brett first, but I’ll approach Dan and present all the benefits of doing this show.” Confident she was making the right decision, she nodded. “Melika, please call Dan and ask him to come over here for a meeting as soon as possible. Also, contact the network exec you spoke to and tell them we have their third and final athlete. When you say who it is, I think they’re going to jump on it like a starving man on a stack of hot pancakes.”
* * *
The last time she walked into the conference room to meet Brett Hunter, she’d been angry and annoyed at being put into an uncomfortable situation. This time, anticipation fired through her bloodstream. The network had been super excited when Melika contacted them about Brett being interested in the show. A little white lie, but a necessary one. They’d told her they wanted to hold off announcing who the third participant was until shooting started, so they could capture the reactions of Mitch, Drake and Brett when he walked onto the set the first day.
Their request made Cassandra uncomfortable. She didn’t want to blindside any of them. She tried hard to get them to reconsider, but the executives dug their heels in. If worse came to worst, she would take it up with Frank, although her gut was telling her that even with her boss’s support, the network wouldn’t budge.
Part of her now wished she hadn’t committed Brett, but it wasn’t like any contracts had been signed, since that’s what today’s meeting was all about. Once she had Brett’s agreement, she and Dan, and if needed, Frank, could negotiate the finer points of the deal.
“Good morning, everyone.”
Cassandra walked into the room, her step faltering when she saw Brett standing by the window. He wore a tight fitting black t-shirt, the fabric clinging to his wide shoulders and bulging biceps. He’d teamed it with black jeans that sat low on his hips. His dark hair was slicked back, completing the bad boy image he was well known for.
Geez, she needed to get a grip. The guy was six years younger than her. She’d done the relationship with an athlete before, and it was a road she had no plan to venture down ever again. Besides her past, Brett was a client. She never got involved with clients. The only reasonable explanation for her reaction to him was that it had been a while since she’d been out with a man. Maybe she would take Melika up on her offer to arrange that blind date.
Now definitely wasn’t the time to be thinking about blind dates or sexy, hot swimmers. She had a job to do. One she was damn good at.
She sat at the table and let several seconds tick by as they waited for Brett to join them. “Do you plan to stare out that window for the whole meeting or are you going to be civilized and sit down with the rest of us?”
Oh crap. What the heck possessed her to say that?
A snort of laughter pulled her attention to her left where Brett’s agent, Dan, sat. “I don’t think anyone at Powerz ever had the guts to talk to Brett like that. I’m impressed, Ms. Fielder.”
“And here I thought you supported me, Dan.” Brett paced around the conference table and pulled out the chair next to hers. “You know, that fifteen percent I pay you.”
A delicious shiver trickled down her spine. She expected him to take the seat next to Dan.
Oh boy, she was in serious trouble.
“You know I’ve got your back, Brett. It’s just nice to see someone take you down a peg or two.”
Brett’s forearm muscle tensed, his hand closing in a fist quickly before opening again.
Interesting. Was there an issue between Brett and his agent? If there was, that could be a problem. A problem she didn’t want any part of.
“Why don’t we get down to what we’re here for?” Cassandra mentally crossed her fingers the change of subject worked and she wouldn’t get caught up in an argument between the two men.
“Sure,” Brett said. “The sooner we get this sorted out, the sooner we can all move on.”
His voice was controlled and steady, but he was angry, and she had no idea why. Had she been so lost in thought she hadn’t noticed the tension when she walked into the room? Quite possible. It wouldn’t be the first time she hadn’t been aware of emotions swirling around her. If she had been, she might have picked up on the sexual vibe between her ex-husband and her former best friend.
What was wrong with her today? Her thoughts going off on tangents in all directions, except in the way her mind needed to go. She was never this flighty when it came to meetings, and this wasn’t the one to start being that way. Whatever was going on between Brett and Dan was their issue. It had nothing to do with her. All she had to do was get Brett to agree to do this show and then
look at other opportunities to improve his image.
“Right, well the reason we’re here today is to present to you, Brett, a unique opportunity for you to be front and center with the public in a manner that will improve your image.”
“I can’t wait to hear it after that introduction.”
Cassandra didn’t need a sarcasm sign held up to know he wasn’t being sincere. She bit down on her tongue to hold back the angry retort from erupting out of her. Brett was bristlier than a porcupine today.
Please God, give me the strength to last the next few weeks.
4
Brett knew he was being an ass. He shouldn't take out his annoyance and anger at Dan on Cassandra. She was, after all, only doing her job. Before she’d walked into the room, Dan had told him, in no uncertain terms, that he would agree to whatever Cassandra presented in the meeting, even if he didn't want to do it. Brett knew his agent was only doing his job and he'd already said he’d cooperate with whatever Star Image wanted him to do. He just hadn't liked being spoken to like a naughty little boy. He'd managed to keep his nose out of trouble after the nightclub incident. Dan should be happy with that.
"Are you even listening to me, Brett?"
Cassandra's impatient tone penetrated his thoughts. Shit, how did he cover the fact he'd zoned out? The truth might work.
"Sorry, I was thinking about something else. One more time?”
Her eyes narrowed and he had a sneaking suspicion she didn't quite believe the sincere tone he'd tried to inject in his voice.
"Fine, but please pay attention. I don’t want to repeat everything I say."
"Why don’t I just say yes right now? Wouldn’t it make things easier if I do?"
It's not like I have any choice.
Yeah, saying that out loud would likely make Dan angrier. If Brett wasn't careful, he might find himself having to search for another agent. He knew he'd never get anyone half as good, or someone who’d stand by him if he got into another scandal.
Fighting for Redemption (The Elite Book 4) Page 2