If Love was Fair

by Savannah Stewart

I sat up and sighed. “Thank you, Stacey.”

  “No problem.”

  She turned to leave my office.

  “Even though I didn’t keep it down, that soup really was the best ever.”

  “I don’t think I need to say I told you so. See you tomorrow, and be careful going home.”

  She pulled the door to as she left and I flopped back on the couch, cursing myself for the jarring of my tummy. Surviving the day was the only thing I hoped to accomplish.

  Eight

  “How’s that head of yours feeling?” Emily flipped the lights on midway through her sentence. Her voice sounded louder than usual, because of the thumping inside my skull.

  “It would be better if you'd turn the lights back off.” I groaned and buried my face in my pillows.

  “Stacey told me you’d left early. She didn’t mention you were hungover as fuck, though.” She laughed.

  “Fuck off.” I tossed a pillow at her, obviously missing from the sound of something crashing to the floor.

  “Good job, jackass. All of your makeup now resides on the floor.”

  “Did I break anything?”

  “Doesn’t look like it.”

  “Then I don’t care.”

  I peeked from beneath the pillow to find the light was actually off and let out a sigh of relief.

  “Stacey did tell me that you had a meeting this afternoon with a new client. How’d that go?”

  “She didn’t tell you?”

  “Nope.” Emily crossed the room and took a seat on the edge of my bed.

  “Are you lying?”

  She chuckled softly. “Now why would I do that?”

  “It’s more like, why wouldn’t you do it,” I countered.

  “Ah, so true. But this time I swear I don’t already know so spill the beans.” She laid down beside me.

  A heavy sigh passed my lips.

  “That bad?” I could hear her cringe by the way she said those two little words.

  “Hell yes it was that bad,” I piped up only to send a sharp thumping pain through my cranium and a groan to follow.

  “As long as you didn’t cuss like a sailor or proposition the guy, I’d say we’re good. Hell, if you did proposition him we’d still probably be good.”

  “What about barfing?”

  Her cackling laugher filled the room. “Tell me you didn’t.”

  “Well…”

  “Ha! You did!”

  “Not exactly.” I sighed. “I literally ran out of the room faster than a cheetah and apologized on my way out. I couldn’t throw up in front of the guy.”

  “I can’t even…” Emily rolled with laughter.

  “Thankfully Stacey was there doing damage control while I was losing my once delicious lunch.”

  “What did she tell him?”

  “That a sudden sickness hit me and she apologized. Said he seemed worried about me.”

  “You didn’t get to finish the meeting?”

  “Nope. She finished it. Which I haven’t even had a chance to go over the file yet.” I groaned and slapped myself in the forehead.

  “I’ll give Stacey a call and see how it went. She told me you were sick so I left the office.”

  “Must be nice to be able to come and go as you please.” I side-eyed Emily.

  “Don’t be hating!” She slapped my shoulder. “You could’ve gone in later yourself. It’s not like you accomplished much today from the way it sounds.”

  She slipped from the bed to leave the room and I chucked a pillow at her once more, this time nailing her in the back of the head.

  “Well, your aim is improving.” Emily flipped the light on and smiled wickedly before shutting the door behind her.

  “Asshole!”

  Her muffled laughter came from the other side of the door. She was enjoying my pain far too much.

  I tucked my leg beneath me on the couch and opened the laptop in my lap. Emily might’ve been a pain in the ass, but she’d managed to get Stacey to scan the file in and email it over so I could review the notes from the meeting with Everett. He ended up being the manager for numerous musicians, not an actual musician himself. If we landed his company as a client it would push Level PR into a whole new spectrum. We’d dabbled in so many areas of public relation advertising, but never the music scene. Bars were the extent the company had gone, and had thrived quite well doing so. I could see why Dan would want to broaden the horizons of Level PR. So my surprise when he handed me Everett’s contact info to setup the appointment wasn’t due to him giving me a potential new client, it was more along the lines that I hadn’t been around a musician since Colin, and I wasn’t sure I could swallow that giant pill once again.

  The documents loaded automatically once they were finished downloading. Stacey had done a kick ass job at having every little detail in them. She was going to be a major asset to Level, especially if she decided to pursue a position other than being an assistant to someone.

  From the looks of things, Everett had three major clients that needed a bit more marketing than he could provide with six other potential musicians he would be meeting with as the following months passed. He pitched a decent price to which we would counter offer a bit higher one, but from the looks of things he was closable as long as I hadn’t ran him off.

  Apologizing for running out would probably be a good idea so I pressed his contact in my phone and hit the speaker button. Hopefully calling him was the right decision, and didn’t dig an even deeper grave for Level.

  “Arbor! I hope you’re feeling a lot better than this morning.” I could hear the smile in his voice.

  I sighed with relief.

  “So much better than this morning. Not sure what happened there, but I wanted to personally apologize for having to run out of our meeting. I hope it didn’t cause any issues between you and Level.”

  “Of course it didn’t.” He snickered. “Have you forgotten that I deal with musicians for a living? They’re hungover at least half the time I deal with their asses. You being sick is no big deal, don’t sweat it. Plus your assistant handled things just fine. So fine, in fact, I’d like for you to attend a meeting with one of my musician’s tomorrow night over dinner.”

  I sat up straight and smiled widely. “Of course. You tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.”

  “Vino’s on Fifth, at seven thirty.”

  “Wonderful.”

  “If you don’t mind, work up some ideas of how to pitch a somewhat seasoned musician to a newer crowd and we’ll see what he thinks. If he’s in, I’ll sign the contract with Level at a number of your choosing.”

  “I can do that. See you at Vino’s tomorrow night at seven thirty. Thanks again for understanding, Everett.”

  “No problem, Arbor. I look forward to tomorrow night.”

  “Holy shit!” Emily squealed from behind the couch.

  I clenched my chest and almost tossed the laptop in the floor. “You scared the crap out of me!”

  “Sorry! I didn’t want to interrupt the conversation there. You’re totally going to land Everett as a client, I can feel it.” She rounded the couch and plopped down beside me.

  “God, I hope you’re right. This could mean big things.”

  “Yeah, like a big bank account for you.” She waggled her eyebrows.

  “That, too.” I smiled widely at the thought of the commission off of that account. “I’ve gotta get my ass to work on what I’m going to pitch them.”

  Jumping from the couch, I grabbed a notebook and pen from the end drawer of the kitchen island. Whatever I pitched Everett and his client had to be something they couldn’t pass up. But the only thing I had in common with the music business was a musician I met in a bar that forever changed my life in one night. How could I pitch something I didn’t know much about?

  “You’re freaking out, aren’t you?” Emily placed a hand on mine.

  “How’d you know?” I turned to look at her.

  “It’s all over your face.” S
he half-grinned. “I know this brings up the memories of Colin, but that was a long time ago and this is your career. Push the thoughts of him away and put your mind into closing this deal, Arbor. I know you can do it better than anyone else. Show them how badass you are so they can’t tell you no.”

  “But how do you pitch something that you aren’t familiar with?” A frown had settled on my face.

  Had I made a huge mistake by taking this potential client from Dan and not passing it off to another associate that knew more about the industry?

  Emily shook me like a ragdoll. “Stop second guessing yourself! Remember the Holsten account you closed like a slam-dunk?”

  I nodded.

  “Pitch something similar to Everett.”

  “How would that work?”

  “The Holsten account has a chain of bars, correct?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, think of a musician as a bar. The only difference is they give the nightlife crowd something to relate to, sing to, and dance to. Whereas a bar, provides the facility to hang out in and the liquor to get you drunk. It all needs promoted in a similar manner to target crowds that will not only keep returning, but will also bring in new people over time. That’s what Everett is looking for. A marketing pitch that will bring in a new group of people, most likely a younger crowd, so his seasoned musician doesn’t fade out.”

  I dropped my head into my hands and groaned. “Why didn’t you get this client from Dan?”

  Emily poured a glass of orange juice and took a drink. “Because I told him you would be perfect for it.”

  My head snapped up and my eyes narrowed at her. “You did what?”

  “Oh, don’t act like you didn’t hear or understand exactly what I just said.” She took another drink of her orange juice.

  “Why in the hell would you give me this client?”

  “Because I was hoping it would get your mind back on track. An exciting new client in a different line of work than what we’re used to. Come on! You can’t get any better than that.”

  “I’m giving it back to you.” I stood from the counter shaking my head.

  “Like hell you are.”

  I scoffed.

  “It’s in your name already so it’s your baby, Arbor. Now sit your pretty little ass back down and bust out the best damn pitch you’ve ever done. Because tomorrow night, you’re going to land Everett and every one of his damn musicians.”

  I took a seat and picked up the pen that had rolled and almost fell off the counter. “If this backfires in my face, I swear to all that’s Holy…”

  Emily shushed me. “Don’t finish that sentence, young lady, because nothing’s going to backfire in your face. So hurry up and get to work so we can pick out something smokin’ for you to wear to this dinner. Because this seasoned musician could be the next love of your life.”

  “Don’t even go there, Emily.”

  “Don’t be such a prude,” she called out over her shoulder as she headed down the hallway, leaving me to figure it out on my own.

  Nine

  The taxi came to a stop and I handed the cabbie a twenty through the window. “Keep the change.”

  “Have a good night.” He waved as I exited.

  I inhaled deeply and held it for a second before letting it out slowly and entering Vino’s.

  “Welcome to Vino’s.” A man no older than thirty beamed with happiness as I stepped up to the counter to see if Everett and his client had arrived yet.

  “Hello, I’m Arbor Kenton. I’m supposed to be meeting Everett…”

  “Arbor!”

  I turned and found Everett heading straight toward me. A bright smile adorned his face, and I hadn’t noticed how good looking he was until that moment. The chatter around us faded as I focused on the black button-up that was tucked into gray slacks and cuffed to his forearms. His dirty-blond hair was styled back and to the side with product, and his honey eyes were a bit darker than his skin. Once he reached me, he extended his arms and like instinct, I went directly into them.

  “I hope I’m not late.”

  I inhaled just enough to enjoy the woodsy scent of his cologne before stepping back.

  “Right on time.” He grinned and winked. “Our table’s this way.” He motioned in the direction he’d come from.

  I took the lead and he followed closely behind me as we weaved through a few tables before stopping at an empty one. Everett pulled the chair out for me to have a seat and helped to scoot me forward once I was seated.

  “Thank you.”

  “No thanks needed.” He took a seat directly across from me and amusement danced across his face as he placed his forearms on the table.

  “So…” I nibbled my bottom lip. “Where’s the client?”

  Everett chuckled, “No how’s your day been? What’s good here? Just straight to business, huh?”

  I continued to nervously nibble my lip.

  “All right then.” He cleared his throat. “I’m the client.”

  “I’m sorry…” A giggle bubbled up my throat. “What did you just say?”

  “I’m the client.” Amusement was still dancing across his beautiful smile.

  “You’re the client.”

  He nodded.

  “I’m—okay—I wasn’t expecting that.” I adjusted myself to try to hide the shock I knew was plain as day on my face.

  His warm hand covered mine.

  “How about we have a nice meal and then talk business?”

  I grinned. “Let’s do that.”

  We spent the next hour talking about our dreams and aspirations. I’m sure I sounded like a fool when I admitted that I didn’t have many dreams, I just simply wanted to be happy with whatever path I go down. Everett, on the other hand, was a man who lived and breathed his career. He had come a long way in the music business and was easily on the route to be one of the top management agencies out there if he played his cards right. From the sounds of it, he was hell bent on playing those cards right.

  “How’s your lobster?”

  I moaned as I ate the last bite. “Probably the best I’ve ever had. Thanks for talking me into it.”

  “Only the best.” He smiled.

  A hot flash rolled through my body from his words. Everett was a very nice person. Easy on the eyes, and an all-around good person. He wasn’t one to come across as too forward or creepy. I liked that about him. The only thing keeping me reserved was the fact that I couldn’t date a client even if he was interested. Which I wasn’t a hundred percent sure he was interested.

  No, there wasn’t a handbook specifically stating no fraternizing with clientele, but what if things went south? I’d lose one of the top clients I’d managed to snag for Level PR, which I hadn’t accomplished yet.

  “Would either of you like dessert?”

  Everett moved his attention from me and grinned at the waiter. “I’m good. But the lady might be interested in something.”

  His eyes found mine and I shook my head. “I have no room to hold anything else.” Laughter dance within my words.

  The waiter nodded.

  “The check is fine.” Everett placed his napkin on his plate as the waiter grabbed a few of the items off the table.

  “Of course.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t want dessert.” He leaned his forearms on the table.

  “Why is that?”

  “You strike me as a girl who would love dessert.”

  I grinned and dropped my eyes to the table.

  We’d been at Vino’s for quite some time but the conversation of work hadn’t come back around. I was beginning to feel like Everett had invited me on a work outing with hopes that it would be more like a date. For one, he didn’t bring a client along like he’d stated. It was him. For two, he asked if we could have a nice dinner and chat before we dove into anything, which we had. Lastly, he was staring at me like I was the most intriguing woman he’d ever met and all I was doing was twisting a strand of hair around my finger hoping
my thoughts weren’t evident. No one had looked at me like he was looking at me since Colin.

  The thought of his name made me sigh. It’s crazy how one single night could change your life in so many ways. I had no clue back then what was ahead of me, and Lord I wish I had.

  “You okay?”

  I reached for the glass of water in front of me and quickly took a long drink.

  “I’m fine. My mind got away from me there.”

  “I know how that is.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Sorry it’s gotten so late and we haven’t gone over anything. I have enjoyed learning about you.”

  That damn grin of his was going to be the death of me.

  “I’ve had a nice time as well.”

  Everett’s phone vibrated against the table. He flipped it over and pressed the screen. A few seconds passed as his eyebrows dipped. From the looks of it he’d gotten some news he wasn’t too happy about so I didn’t interrupt to give him the check that the waiter had laid between us. I slipped some cash inside the black holder and excused myself. Everett didn’t glance up from his phone as he replied with an okay.

  I wasn’t sure what had happened, but his mood seemed to tip in another direction. I knew how important work was to him, even just being around him for a short period of time. So the last thing I wanted to do was be a distraction. I pushed through the dark wooden door that led into the women’s restroom and stopped at the sink. I didn’t need to use the restroom but I wanted to give him some space and check myself in the mirror.

  My cheeks were flushed from the alcohol we’d started our meal with, glad I had switched to water, and my eyes had an unfamiliar sparkle to them, making the deep green tones shine through the brown a bit more than usual. The entire meeting unfolded in a completely different way than I’d pictured it.

  “You need to go back out there and talk business. Nothing else but business.” I wiped under my eyes and gave myself a stern nod in the mirror as I finished up washing my hands.

  I tossed my paper towels in the trashcan on the way out of the restroom. As the table came into view I noticed it was vacant, with glasses and clean plates positioned for a new couple to come in for dinner.