“Hello...Yes sir...I’m on my way then...Okay...Yes AJ. Bye.”
She took a huge sigh before she turned her attention to me and said, “Duty calls. I’m sorry Jamison.” I could tell she didn’t really wanna leave but since it was still her first day and it was guaranteed that I would see her again now that I could instantly get in touch with her, I decided not to go the selfish route.
“Don’t be. I get it. Have fun tonight.”
ariel.
I walked into the venue for the event and was impressed with what the team had put together. There were life-size pictures of each of the girls hanging from the ceiling making the guests of honor clear for those who may have been unsure. The room was decked in enough pink to make someone sick but since it was the group’s signature color, it worked. I could only dream of what it would look like once my ideas were implemented. As I made my way further in, taking in all of the fine details of the space, I felt a heavy hand on the small of my back before the person it belonged to showed their face.
“Wow Ariel. You look amazing. You always look amazing.”
“Thank you si...AJ.”
“No thank you for getting here early. I wanted you to get a little hands-on experience with some of the prep work before you were working on things of this sort on your own.” It made total sense no matter how much I was bothered by the fact that his hand, surely with an untanned line from the removal of his wedding ring, was still on my back.
“Gotcha. Well, I should probably get to it then.” I tried to get away but he grabbed me gently by the wrist pulling me back towards him.
“What’s the rush? How about we grab a drink first?” I pulled my wrist from his grip, returning it to its rightful place by my side.
“Sorry but I don’t drink on the job. Who can get work done like that?”
Apparently I was a little naïve about the whole thing as he quickly replied, “Quite a few people in this industry, me included. Now come on. One little drink won’t hurt you. And if it does...well you aren’t fully responsible for this event anyway so it’ll be fine. I’ll give you a pass.” He gave me his million dollar smile, pleading with his eyes for me to join him. Everything he was saying sounded like a bad idea, but I wasn’t really in a position to turn down a drink from my boss so I followed his invitation to the bar. He ordered a whiskey and coke for himself and a Ciroc and pineapple for me. I watched the bartender really closely, mentally calculating his severely over-poured shot.
Or maybe he was instructed to do that.
I kindly asked for a few more ice cubes with the hopes of being able to babysit the drink just long enough so that the ice would water it down.
“So Ariel, you went to U of C right? You know that’s my alma mater too.” Of course I knew it was his alma mater considering there was a building in my college named after him for his millions in donations.
“What were you? Class of ‘85? ‘90?”
He laughed harder than I expected him to before he said, “That’s a good one. Actually Class of ‘98.”
“Wanna know what I was doing in ‘98? Still playing with Barbies and worried about whoopin’ ass in hopscotch.” He laughed again and this time I actually gave him a smile as I took a little sip of the drink.
“You’re really funny Ariel. But I can imagine your priorities being a little different than mine at the time. Lucky for us, they’re about the same now.” He placed his hand on my knee under the bar counter and it made my skin crawl. He was eying me, trying to gauge my reaction to his touch and I wasn’t sure what to do. I wasn’t quite ready to lose my job for going off on him but I also didn’t want him getting too comfortable. A few jabs here and there I could take, but getting touchy-feely was crossing the line. So I stood up from the bar stool, using the excuse of needing to go to the bathroom. Surprisingly enough, he actually bought it.
I got to the bathroom and took my time freshening up my hair, freshening up my make-up, checking my phone, seeing what was trending on Twitter, just about anything I could think of to make AJ stop waiting for me. As I scrolled through tweet after tweet, a text came through.
Boss Man 1: You don’t have to play games. I get it. You can come out now.
Shit.
So he was up on game. Of course he was. He was older and surely had enough experience to read right through my antics. Instead of texting back, I walked out of the bathroom with my hand on my stomach acting like I was sick.
“Sorry about that. The sushi I had before I came must’ve been bad.” I pulled out my phone and said, “Oh, you text me?” I saw a sliver of panic in his expression before he went back to his normal, calm demeanor.
“Disregard it sweetheart. I must’ve sent it to the wrong person.”
I recognized his attempt at a save; a good one but not good enough for me to stop making him uncomfortable. It was the only way I knew I could keep him off my back; well off me period.
“So does your wife ever come to these events?”
“Nah, we’re actually separated. The only thing we have in common is our two kids.” I knew he was lying as I had just seen him and his wife in a picture from some awards show not even two weeks ago. It couldn’t have happened that fast.
Or did it?
“How old are your kids?”
I knew so much about the man that I could answer most of the questions myself but I hoped bringing up the fact that he had a family would deter him from even thinking about having a chance with me.
“My son just turned eighteen and my daughter is fifteen.”
“When your son turns twenty-one, tell him to come holla at me.”
Because we’re a lot closer in age than you and I.
He gave me his usual smirk of amusement as he said, “I’ll pass along the message though I’m not sure he wants to compete with his old man.” He was coming on to me full-fledge, unapologetically, and I knew if I didn’t make things clear fast that he would automatically categorize me as someone he could get.
“Mr. Jones, I’m here for business and business only.” He actually looked entertained by my statement like he had heard the version I really wanted to give him.
You greasy mothafucka. Nobody wants your old halfway married ass.
But since I wasn’t anywhere near drunk and my thoughts were able to subside instead of be spoken aloud, he simply replied, “What’s the fun in business if you can’t have a little pleasure?”
jamison.
“Jamie. My main man.”
I walked right past the hi-five my co-worker Dawson was holding up. He thought he was down because he was white and worked at a predominantly black record label, but I wasn’t buying it.
At least not yet.
“It’s Jamison. But good morning. We all set for that conference call at ten?”
“You know it Jami...son. A brotha like me stays ready.” That stopped me dead in my tracks.
“Did you forget you weren’t a brotha?”
“Unity is a mindset not a color. The sooner we all learn that, the sooner racism will die.”
I shook my head at his ideals as I continued making my way to my office with Dawson right behind me. Why he was still following me, I wasn’t quite sure but I waited until I made it completely into my office before addressing him.
“Did you need something Dawson?” I was already sifting through the various notes on my desk as he spoke.
“I was wondering if you were busy this weekend. A friend of mine is throwing a birthday party, bunch of celebs will be there and shit, but I need a reliable wingman. You seem like a mostly sensible dude¸ down for a good time, so I thought I would extend the invite. If you don’t have anything going on.” I could vividly remember college days when hangin’ with the white boys almost always equated to the worst hangovers. But a party with celebs could be good for the brand so it wasn’t completely a bad idea.
“Yeah I’ll roll.”
“Great! I’ll email you the deets.” Then he walked out, even peppier than usual.
/>
Since I had a few minutes before my first meeting of the day, I decided to check on Ariel. I hadn’t talked to her since the night we went to dinner but I missed her like it had been much longer than that. It was crazy to me how I felt so drawn to her, so quickly, without much of anything but a few conversations and a hell of a night. But I guess that was part of finding someone you lo…
Chill bruh.
Jamison: Hey you. How is everything?
Ariel: Everything is everything. Word to Lauryn Hill lol. Just busy. How’s the galaxy?
Jamison: Don’t try to clown Intergalactic like your ass doesn’t wanna be here. It’s wonderful though. No complaints.
Ariel: Lucky you. You busy tonight? I’d love to see you.
Jamison: See me? Or see my…
Ariel: LOL YOU! Okay…both? Well, that’s part of you so…
Jamison: Good answer. But I already agreed to go to an event tonight with a co-worker so your kitty cat will have to wait. ;)
Ariel: She’s watching the clock as we speak. ;)
-&-
“I thought you said this was gonna be an industry party? This looks more like a damn Sweet 16.” I was just sure the cameras from MTV were around here somewhere. The venue was dope, decorated elegantly in white and gold but the crowd was filled with babies as far as I was concerned.
“That’s because it is. A Sweet 15 actually. She wanted to be different.”
“Bruh...why the hell did you need me as a wingman for a teenage party? You better not be trying anything with these young ass girls in here!” I was already ready to whoop his ass for this To Catch a Predator bullshit.
“Hell no man. I’m friends with her mom and she’s looking for new representation for her pop-star, fifteen-year-old daughter. Ahem, her party.” Thankfully, his reasoning actually made sense.
“Oh, so you needed me as that kinda wingman. The one that scores the deal because I already have the perfect target market in mind for a little girl like…” I looked up to find a banner of the girl’s stage name, “Queen Z? Really? We might need to change that. Actually, we definitely need to change that.” No teenage girls wanted to follow somebody for an extensive career that already thought that damn highly of herself.
Princess?
Sure.
Queen?
Nope.
“See. That’s why I brought you with me. Always thinking. Always creating. Always making shit happen.”
I followed Dawson through the crowd to a VIP section that was better-suited for people like us considering there was a fully-stocked bar. We made our way past a number of people before we stopped near a woman who grinned seductively away from her guests at Dawson before she excused herself and headed our way. As she approached, I got a second to take her in and well, she was downright gorgeous with skin a shade beyond chestnut, hazel eyes, and a head full of long, bouncy curls.
“Erin, I’d like you to meet Jamison. Jamison is one of our new marketing managers at Intergalactic. I think he would be just the guy to take on the marketing campaign for your daughter.” She eyed me for a long moment, and even had the nerve to look me up and down before licking her lips.
“You want him to take on my daughter? Or take on me?” Her grin turned to one of greed before she continued on, “I’m kidding. It’s a pleasure to meet you Jamison. Thanks for coming out to celebrate with us.” She extended her hand to me and I shook it, taking note of the fact that it took a little long for her to let go.
“Thanks for having me. So where’s the little Queen?” I said it sarcastically to hint at the fact that I found it ridiculous. I followed Erin’s head nod and gaze to a stage where a spitting image of her was dancing amongst friends.
“So she...dances? Sings? Acts?”
“Triple threat Jamison. They don’t call her the Queen for nothing,” Dawson chimed in. It still bothered me that they held a damn teenager in such high regard but I bit my tongue for the moment.
“I see. Well there’s definitely a larger market available than the one she is currently accessing. I mean, I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard of her and considering I know quite a bit about the industry, that’s a problem.” Erin side-eyed me as I kind of expected, but it was true. Even though I technically hadn’t been in the industry for long, I always stayed up to date on what was happening.
“Well Mr. Know-It-All, considering you’re just getting started at the label and my daughter has been killin’ the industry since she was a three-year-old, you may want to do your research before approaching potential clients.”
“Killin’ the industry since she was three? If you believe that then no wonder your daughter is missing out on money. Being the kid in a damn McDonald’s commercial isn’t killin’ the industry. Being an extra on a Nickelodeon show isn’t killin’ the industry. Being featured on a Just For Me relaxer box isn’t killin’ the industry. At Intergalactic Records we make power moves. Leading roles, endorsement deals, trademarks, all from some simple marketing strategy tweaks. Let me get my hands on her marketing campaign and we will create a brand. Well, a rebrand, because that Queen shit has got to go.”
Sugarcoating had never been my thing so I wasn’t gonna do it for the sake of a deal. It could’ve easily been my downfall, but I would much rather keep it real with her than reel her in on some bullshit. Dawson could only stand nearby in shock that I had come on so strong but Erin actually looked interested.
She strutted a few steps closer to me before she whispered in my ear, “Jamison, you have no idea how much that just turned me on. But for the sake of keeping things professional, I’ll just say you’re hired.”
ariel.
The weekly meeting at Jones and Johnson was awkward as hell. This week, Mr. Johnson was leading it so Mr. Jones - AJ - used all of his free time to ogle me from the head chair. I tried to pay attention to the pie charts Mr. Johnson referenced over and over, but my eyes kept shifting to AJ’s gaze on their own. And the second he knew he had my attention, he would do something out of line like bite his bottom lip.
Gross.
I focused back on the screen as my less creepy boss began discussing what some of the other record labels in the city, including Intergalactic Records, were up to this week. I was especially interested to see if any of the work Jamison talked about with me privately showed up on the radar. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and initially planned to ignore it since I was in a meeting, but it wasn’t uncommon for some of the other staff to check their phones, so I pulled it out of my pocket still trying not to draw too much attention to myself.
Boss Man 1: Girl...the things I would do to you…
Don’t react Ariel.
He is looking for a reaction.
Begging for a reaction.
Just be cool.
I casually put my phone back in my pocket, not bothering to look his way no matter how tempted I was to hit him with the rudest of scowls. I refocused my mind on the meeting just as Mr. Johnson mentioned Intergalactic possibly working with a solo teen pop act to override the new girl group we were working with but then my phone vibrated again. I peeked up at AJ, doing nothing to hide my annoyance this time, but his attention was elsewhere making me even more curious of who the notification was from.
Jamison: I miss you pretty girl.
Ariel: I miss you more handsome. And a solo teen act huh?
Jamison: Gotta stay competitive right? ;)
“Ariel, what do you think about that idea?”
Shit.
I instantly panicked. I got caught red-handed not paying attention to what was going on in the meeting. And to my surprise, it wasn’t Mr. Johnson calling me out. It was AJ.
“I think...it’s interesting.”
“What’s so interesting about it?” So he wasn’t gonna let me off easy. He was probably just mad that I hadn’t responded to his pervy ass text even though it was clear I had received it.
“Umm...the whole thing. It’s all...interesting.”
“You know if you wer
en’t so busy playing flirty girl on your phone, maybe you would have a better idea of what’s going on.” The Lord was clearly with me because I was so tempted to go off; so tempted to read his text message out loud and make a point of his little remarks. But since I wanted to keep my job, I kept it together.
“My apologies.” I gave him my best glare and he still seemed satisfied with his work. Mr. Johnson on the other hand wasn’t too pleased with the unnecessary interruption so he proceeded to the next bullet point on the agenda.
Once the meeting was over, I pretty much dashed to my office in hopes of avoiding a run-in with both of my bosses as if they couldn’t get to me if they wanted to. I shut the door, wishing I could lock it for the day, and began pacing the floor. It was the only thing that would prevent me from unleashing the wrath I really wanted to. I hadn’t even been there a month and AJ was pulling little stunts non-stop. I had to do something and quitting was not an option.
I went back and forth for at least ten minutes before an idea hit me. Maybe if I were to play into what AJ thought could happen, he would lay off me as far as business was concerned. I wouldn’t have to go all the way to make him hopeful; just far enough to keep him off my back about the actual work-related stuff. I knew if I didn’t, he was sure to burn me as far as the industry was concerned so a little flirting was gonna have to do the trick.
jamison.
“I’m supposed to just trust you with my career? Dawson told me you’re still pretty new here which means you can’t possibly be the expert that would take me to the top.”
I couldn’t believe I was actually entertaining this conversation. If it was up to me, I would’ve already sent her little ass packin’ but now that the label had picked up on the possibility of having a new teen girl act to compete with Jones and Johnson, that was no longer an option.
“Look here Zalayah. Just because people in your camp think so highly of you doesn’t mean the world does. You wanna know what the world thinks of you? Absolutely nothing. Because they don’t know you outside of this city. Is it a good city to start with? Definitely. But if you’re trying to expand your brand, you need to cut that diva shi...stuff out and listen to me.” She rolled her eyes and popped her gum but allowed me to continue. “Now, if you want to be a star, I can make that happen, but I refuse to work with a teenage brat. So two things need to happen, you need to fix that shi...crappy attitude and you need to let go of who you thought you were gonna be as far as this industry is concerned because that Queen thing is dead.”
Getting The Edge Page 4