Getting The Edge

by Alexandra Warren

  “Excuse me? That is who I am. Queen Z is who I be. Haven’t you heard the song?” I had checked out the song after meeting Erin at Zalayah’s birthday party and was not only disappointed with the quality but also the lack of proper promotion that it even existed.

  “Oh, the song that has less than 100,000 views on YouTube? See, that’s unacceptable. You can do better. We can do better. Now your mom has already signed the contract so you’re pretty much stuck with me anyway. You might as well make the best of it. I have my job for a reason, you know.”

  She popped her gum again which instantly irritated me before she said, “Whatever. Do what you gotta do and I’ll do what I gotta do. Deal?” Even though the attitude was unnecessary, it felt like the best compromise I would get from her so I took it.

  “Deal.”

  After the “meeting” with Zalayah, Dawson wasted no time paying me a visit to see how things went.

  “So...is everything good? I know Z can be a handful.” I could definitely see how she could be a handful for those who weren’t equipped with the skills to handle her overblown ego.

  “Yep, everything is good. I think we have a better understanding of how this shit is gonna work. She’ll do her job and I’ll do mine. Simple as that.”

  “And she’s cool with dropping the Queen Z image?” He questioned me with a hint of disbelief that I could actually pull that part of it off.

  “She doesn’t have a choice. I think going by her actual name, which is unique in its own right, is the best move. It makes her more relatable to the market in every aspect of her career.”

  “Goodness. You are the man Jamie.”

  “Jamison.”

  “Right. Look, there’s a real party tonight. Like grown-ups and shit. The label needs some representatives to check out what J&J is working on with this new girl group and they’re throwing a promo party tonight for their new single. Wanna come with?” I knew about the party through Ariel since it was her first leading role as promoter but had no intentions of attending since it was a J&J event. Now, since I had a work-related reason to surprise her, I was definitely gonna go.

  “Yeah I’ll go.”

  “My ni...Jamison.”

  I side-eyed the hell out of him before I said, “Dawson, get your white ass out of here before you get beat up.”

  ariel.

  “My, my, my...brains and beauty. How can anyone compete?”

  “They can’t.” I laughed a borderline Hilary from Fresh Prince laugh at AJ’s stupid compliment. It was the first event that I was the lead promoter on, and I was trying to put my game face on but AJ insisted we have a celebratory drink before things kicked off.

  “That’s a fact. I’m really proud of the work you’ve done for tonight. It looks great in here and I think this group may be our best yet. They seem to be all my daughter talks about and this is just their first single.”

  “Yeah, they’re doing great things. With Intergalactic out of the way for a little while, we had to strike now.” I knew - thanks to Jamison - that we had about a month before Zalayah was due to release her first single. He insisted that we release whatever we were working on now so that we wouldn’t be competing heads-up.

  “Oh please, they’re never in our way.”

  That’s what you think.

  “Right. But I should probably get to work. The event starts in 30 minutes.” Everything had been in place for the greater part of the day. I was really just using it as an excuse to get away from his handsomely, creepy ass.

  “Everything looks pretty...done to me. Stay.” Things were getting a little ludicrous but I had to play the part, even against my own will.

  “If you insist. But when shit hits the fan, I’m blaming you.”

  “I’ll take all the blame and more if that’s the only thing standing in the way of spending more time with you.”

  I had to give him an E for effort cause boy was he playing the best cards in the deck. But there was no way.

  No. Way.

  “You have a way with words AJ.”

  “And you have a way with everything else Ariel.”

  jamison.

  Ariel had outdone herself.

  It was her first event, but you would never know it by how on point everything appeared to be. I was super proud of her and couldn’t wait to show her just how proud I was later on tonight. I knew she would be exhausted so I had plans of doing everything I could to help her...relax.

  Dawson and I had been at the venue for at least an hour but I had yet to see her. I thought about texting her to let her know I was there but figured she probably had a million things going on already. So instead, I just crowd-watched with a drink in hand as Dawson mixed and mingled with the crowd. Since I was technically here for work, I made mental notes about some of the things J&J were doing with the group such as giving them a Barbie doll look (played out), making everything about the color pink (typical), and trying to get their made-up socially-conscious taglines to go viral (Cigarettes down. Princess pinkies up? Really?) I knew that part of it wasn’t Ariel’s idea since she was the hired promoter and not marketer like me but they were definitely making it easy for us to have the better client.

  I was ordering another drink as Dawson made his way back to join me.

  “So, what do you think Jamison? Can we compete?”

  “Not only can we compete, we’re gonna blow them out of the water. This event is dope but the group is nothing unusual.”

  “The kids all seem to love them though.”

  “Well yeah cause they’re the only thing to love right now. But once we get Zalayah out and bring back our girl group in a few months, they’ll be forgotten about. I can almost guarantee it.” Dawson shook his head in agreeance as I turned around in my bar stool just in time to see Ariel slicing through the crowd with her headset on.

  “Hey Dawson, I’ll be right back.” I didn’t have time to wait for a reply as I made my way to catch up with her. We both had been so busy that I couldn’t remember the last time I actually saw her in person; had only talked to her on the phone, on Facetime, or through text. She was a few steps from entering another room when I called out to her, hoping she could actually hear me with all the noise from the crowd and surely some from her headset.

  “Ariel.” She turned around and lit up the second she realized it was me.

  “Jamison!” She gave me a quick hug before she removed her headset and continued on, “What are you doing here, on J&J turf?” Now her arms were crossed over her chest as she eyed me with suspicion.

  “Just seeing what you guys are up to so we can do it better,” I said with a guilty smile. Even though we were technically competitors, I knew I could keep it real with her.

  “Of course you are. But I’m not sure about that whole better thing.”

  “Come on now Ariel. You know that whole princess, Barbie look is played out.”

  She looked around, making sure no one was listening in on our conversation. “Their image is not my decision. My decisions only involve throwing bomb ass events such as Exhibit A that I know you guys can’t do better.” Her little glimmer of cockiness was strikingly sexy so instead of coming back at her in combat, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her in close.

  “You’re so right baby. This is amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

  “Hmm… now I’m baby huh?” She was grinning from ear to ear as she relaxed in my hold.

  “Don’t act brand new Ariel. You know I’ve been thinking about you.”

  Her smile turned to one of desire as she said, “Is that right?”

  “Yeah. That’s right.” I gave her my best exaggerated LL Cool J lip lick eliciting a giggle.

  “Well...what have you been thinking?”

  “I’ve been thinking about how much I miss being able to do this...touch you that is.”

  “Who’s to say I missed your touch?” She raised one eyebrow, pursing her lips together as she waited for my reply.

  “Very funny Ariel
. I know you miss more than just my touch.” She shuddered a little bit at the mere thought of being with me which only confirmed that the plans I had for the night were the right move so I continued on, “I want you to come by my place when you wrap up here. I know you’ve been working hard and could use a little TLC.” She had never actually been to my crib, just saw glimpses of it on Facetime, but I had cleaned up just in case she agreed to it.

  “You’re damn right I’ve been working hard so I will definitely take you up on that offer Hot Shot.” I could only smile in response and she did the same. But hers was short-lived as her face seemed to quickly change to a stern look as her eyes gravitated to something else before she jumped out of my hold.

  “Ariel. There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.” I turned to where the voice had come from and it was Mr. Jones, Ariel’s boss.

  “Why were you looking for me?”

  “If you had your headset on, you would know. Now come on.” She gave me a sorry-see-you-later look before she was whisked away. I couldn’t help but notice the way Mr. Jones put his hand on the small of her back as he led her to the room she was originally heading for when I first caught up with her. I wasn’t sure if he was doing it to prove a point until he turned his head just enough to make eye contact and gave me a smug look.

  ariel.

  Something about Jamison was off.

  He seemed so eager to have me come over when he first mentioned it at my event, but now that I was here, he was kind of...blah. He hardly wanted to talk to me, let alone touch me which actually pissed me off considering I was looking forward to the TLC he had offered earlier. We were just sitting together on the couch, watching a repeat episode of the First 48, his favorite show but one I could certainly do without, especially after the long night I had. Once it went to a dramatic ass commercial, I decided to take a chance at figuring out what was going on.

  “What’s the matter with you, Hot Shot?”

  He didn’t even bother looking at me to respond with a bland, “Nothin’.”

  “I’ve known you long enough now to know when something is wrong so spill it.”

  “I said nothin’ alright? Damn.” It wasn’t like Jamison to show legit attitude towards me which confirmed my initial assessment.

  “Is it something I did?”

  I watched as his nostrils flared up with annoyance as he said, “I don’t know. Is it?”

  “Whoa...now you have to tell me what the deal is cause this shit is weirding me out.” He adjusted in his spot on the couch finally giving me his full attention.

  “What’s up with you and your boss gettin’ all touchy-feely?”

  Oh shit.

  “What are you talking about Jamison? I haven’t touched anyone.”

  “Okay, let me try this again then. What’s up with your boss gettin’ all touchy-feely and you not doing anything about it?” All I could was release the deepest of sighs. There was no way I could explain my motives in a way that he would actually understand.

  “What was I suppose to do Jamison? Cause a scene? Tell him to get his greasy ass hands off of me? Throw a stranger’s drink at him? You’re acting like I let him grab my ass or something. It was a simple gesture to guide me from point A to point B. That’s it.”

  “Yeah, that’s how you see it. But what you didn’t see was the sly ass smirk he gave me as he did what you call a simple gesture like he was trying to prove a point; a point to me that is.”

  Wait what?

  “Look Jamison, I don’t know what that was about but being hostile about something so simple with my damn boss would not have been the right move and you know it.” He seemed to calm down some as if he was actually more concerned than upset.

  “You know how they are Ariel. Starts off like this and next thing you know it will be ass grabbing, or titty grazing, hell even thigh grabbing. I wouldn’t put anything past them.” I casted my gaze down to my hands that were resting on my lap as a rush of guilt swept over me. “Or has that already happened?” I couldn’t respond but I could tell he had caught my drift by the way his nostrils flared up again.

  “Damnit Ariel! I told you from the beginning that you have to play this smart otherwise it’ll swallow you up. They’ll swallow you up. Then spit you out just like the dozens of other females before you.”

  “You don’t think I know that Jamison? I’m playing it the only way I can!”

  “Well, that doesn’t seem to be working very well now, does it?” He had a point but there still wasn’t much I could do about it other than what I was already doing. Jamison was just gonna have to get over his...jealousy? I wasn’t sure if that was even the appropriate word considering he was simply trying to protect me. But then again, was it about protecting me or simply the fact that AJ had tried to stake claims on me in front of him?

  “I’m trying Jamison, okay? Working on balance. Working on boundaries. Working on work. I’m a little...overwhelmed.” I leaned back in my spot on the sofa, grateful that at least the cushions were comforting, and accepting, and understanding. Thankfully, my obvious frustration was enough for Jamison to really calm down.

  “I know baby. I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. It’s just...that shit made me feel some type of way. Like, I know we aren’t official by any means but I still wanna make sure you’re good.” His voice was laced with a sincerity that instantly turned me to mush. Jamison was like the perfect mix of edge and charm, arrogance and sex appeal, street smart and book smart, fine and...just fine.

  “I appreciate that Jamison. But I promise you, I got this.”

  jamison.

  The Zalayah campaign was almost a go. All we had to do now was let Zalayah and her mom review it before we would get things in motion. The pair was due to arrive at the Intergalactic Records office in an hour so I used the free time to check out a few music blogs. The girl group from J&J was surprisingly getting rave reviews for their first single even though their whole look was so been-there-done-that. I knew once we launched the new and improved Zalayah, they wouldn’t stand a chance no matter how much the blogs seemed to be dick-riding them at the moment.

  As I was skimming a review from the promo party Ariel threw, there was a knock on my door. I wasn’t expecting any visitors, but whoever it was must’ve been important enough to get past the receptionist so I said, “Come in.”

  The door slowly cracked open and Erin walked in, shutting the door behind her but not quite making her way over to a seat in front of my desk.

  “Hey Erin. You’re early.”

  “I know. I was...hoping I could borrow some of your time.”

  “Sure. What’s up?” I thought my mind was playing tricks on me until I heard the actual click from her locking the door. She turned around and was strutting towards me while unbuttoning the buttons of her shirt. “Umm...Erin? What are you doing?”

  “Just borrowing your time Jamison. You’ve been a Godsend thus far and well... I’d love to return the favor.” By this point, her shirt was completely undone and opened, but still covering her shoulders and arms. She was wearing a see-through bra putting her areolas and pierced nipples on full display which did look good enough to at least taste but there was no way I was gonna act on that ounce of temptation.

  “Erin, you do know this is my job right?”

  “I do. But a little nooner has never hurt anybody right?” She sat in front of me on the edge of the desk, cocking her legs wide open to reveal yet another piercing.

  No wonder she had Zalayah so young.

  “I...can’t confirm that. But I can confirm that it won’t be happening here.”

  “Oh Jamison, you don’t have to play the professional card with me. I’m not here for that part of the game yet. I’m here for one thing.... the one thing that’s clearly as happy to see me as I am to see it.” I looked down to find my dress pants displaying a boner out of this world. It was a little embarrassing that I couldn’t contain it but shit...Erin was definitely a MILF.

  “Erin, you’re a
beautiful woman. But I can’t… do that with you.”

  Apparently my words weren’t convincing enough because Erin immediately went to work, pleasing herself right on top of my desk. It was erotic as fuck but no.

  Hell no.

  “Jamison, you see how ready it is for you? Maybe just a little sample.”

  “Erin, you gotta get down. I can’t. I’m...seeing someone.” It felt weird coming out of my mouth as a reason to not go there with her even though there were a million better reasons I could’ve used. But maybe that was the one that actually held me back.

  Ariel.

  She seemed to tense up into a mini-panic from my words as she snapped her legs shut and hopped down from the desk. She began fixing her clothes as she said, “Oh my goodness, I am so sorry. Seriously. If I would’ve known, I would’ve never done that. I just thought we were...you know...two, single, healthy adults.”

  “Honest mistake. I should’ve...told you sooner.” She continued adjusting her clothes in the mirror in my office as she spoke over her shoulder.

  “She must be one special girl to lock down someone like you. If not special, then surely lucky.”

  “I’d like to think so.”

  She froze, eying me through the mirror with a smirk on her face, before she turned around and said, “You sure you don’t wanna do this?”

  “Positive Erin. But if you’re just looking for a good time, I’m sure Dawson could use a ‘nooner’.”

  “Oh Dawson. He’s fun. Old news, but fun. You should ask him about me. I’m sure he’ll have some wonderful stories to share. Maybe even enough for you to change your mind.”