Twenty-Six
Annalise
After another sleepless night, Thursday dawned. The only way to get through this day was with coffee. Too bad I couldn't get an IV of it. But I somehow managed to power through it, on both a caffeine high and adrenaline rush. Friday night, once this whole presentation was over, I could crash and attempt to process the craziness that had been my life lately.
Between all the shit with Max and now this pedal-to-the-metal pace with Venus, I was a woman on the edge. But I could do it. I had to do it.
We spent a large amount of the day in the graphics department, all other projects put on hold for Venus La Fleur. The entire office rallied behind me, and I was beyond touched by the show of support.
Dinner was brought in to us, courtesy of Max Sterling, who sent along a note of encouragement, wishing us well. Jared shot me a stupid smirk as Mona read his card out loud, everyone in awe at the gesture.
Looking around the room, I could kind of understand—just a bit—what Max had said about going undercover and his reasoning. People really did treat him differently as Max versus Jared.
Of course, everyone loved Jared. They were themselves in a way they couldn't be around even Veronica, and certainly not the CEO of the entire company.
Shaking my head, I'd think about all that later. Because we had work to do.
And once again, I stayed late, this time quite a few people staying with us, Max never leaving my side, amicably doing whatever I asked of him.
Before I knew it, the big day was upon us. I'd barely slept a wink the night before, and now I really was running on pure adrenaline mixed with raw nerves and anticipation.
It was kind of like the lead-up to a big holiday, maybe how your own wedding felt, the time both at a crawl and flying. I'd confirmed the catering with Aria about a million times. I'd checked and double checked then triple checked our conference room, each time making sure everything was ready to go. The last thing we needed was some embarrassing technical glitch.
Right at four, we stood near the elevators, waiting for her arrival, my heart racing as I glanced at the time on my phone.
"Hey," Max said, drawing my attention, "you're going to do an amazing job. I know it."
"How do you know it? You can't possibly know that. Any number of things could go wrong."
"Yeah, they could..."
I stared at him, wondering where he was going with that.
"But," he went on with a smile, "you know this book, this proposal, inside and out. And no matter what happens, Venus is going to see your passion and love you for it."
Something inside me melted at his words, and amazingly, what he said helped calm me. A little. Not completely. But I'd take anything at this point.
Security texted me, as requested, and said that Venus was on her way up, and I was extremely grateful that she wasn't doing the typical Hollywood late arrival thing.
"She's here," I said, a fresh spike of anxiety shooting through me.
"Breathe, babe. No matter what happens, you're still going to be your kick-ass self."
God, it was nice having someone in my corner like Max. Wait. What the hell was I thinking?
"Thank you," I managed to squeak out. And then I did what he said—focused on my breathing.
And then she was here. Here! The elevators dinged and out she walked, followed by an entourage of men in suits.
She flashed me her million dollar smile and reached out for a quick hug. "Oh, wait," she cooed. "That probably wasn't very professional of me."
Leaning back, she gave me her hand, but not angled for a proper handshake, more like holding it out like royalty for a kiss. So I kind of did an awkward shake of her fingers and tried to quickly move on from that very odd beginning.
"So great to see you," I said. "How are you today?"
I wasn't so sure if my words registered because her gaze was on the office behind me, taking in every detail of our open space. "Ooh, this is gorgeous. I always dreamed of working in an office just like this, being a big city single girl."
My eyes tried not to stray to her ample cleavage, so perfectly displayed in her super low-cut suit.
Glancing at me again, she put her hands on her hips, giving me a red carpet pose as she arched a beautiful brow. "So do I look the part? Like a proper businesswoman?"
There was no way in hell I could say what I was really thinking, that there was such a thing as too sexy and she'd probably get reamed for violating the dress code. If I looked at Max, I would die.
"You look incredible," I said smoothly.
"Thank you. You're too kind," she purred. "I'm so excited to see more of your office and what you have in store for me."
Something about her tone and demeanor put me at ease. After all, she was weirdly thrilled just to be in an office building.
"Me too," I agreed. "So welcome to Insight Ink. Are you ready to get started?"
"Abso-fucking-lutely." She put a hand over her mouth. "Oops, I'll try my best to be more professional."
She made me giggle, and I dared to look at Max, whose amusement shone in his eyes. Maybe, just maybe, this might be kind of fun instead of terrifying.
We slowly walked through the office, everyone staring in awe at one of the biggest celebrities in the world traipsing through our floor. She gave a few royal waves to her slack-jawed admirers, and they managed to wave back. Briefly, I wondered what she thought, but she had to be used to it at this point in her life.
Leading her to the conference room door, I stepped aside to let her go in first, and all my hard work was rewarded in that moment, at her gasp. So I wasn't responsible for the long, sleek table, the plush black chairs, or the flattering low lighting. And I especially couldn't take credit for the stunning view of Manhattan displayed along one wall of windows.
But I could take credit for what was on the end table, the beautiful display of hors d'oeuvres, the champagne chilling in an ice bucket along with elegant flutes, and Venus' favorite flowers artfully arranged throughout the room. There were a few glossy copies of the proposal on the table as well as tablets so she could follow along with our presentation.
Watching her carefully, I noticed her eyes lingering on the framed pictures we'd hung on the wall opposite the windows, photos we'd had printed in black and white of key moments from her life—accepting awards, acting on set, and one famous candid from a Paris café.
"Wow," she said, cocking her head at me. "You really went all out."
I smiled at her, pride and optimism surging up in me. "I'm pretty dedicated."
"I can see that." Like a queen, she marched in and took a seat, folding her hands on the table while glancing back and forth expectantly between Max and me. "Okay. I'm ready to be wooed some more."
Smiling at her, I took my place at the head of the room, Max following me. We'd walked through this part countless times, so many times, I'd literally been rehearsing it whenever I'd closed my eyes last night. Hopefully, all that repetition would pay off.
Standing beside the large touch screen with Venus' photo on it, I started the presentation, beginning with our vision for her book, a memoir that would go beyond the surface of her fame and celebrity to reveal who she really is.
I had high hopes that we could convey what her life felt like from the inside, including lessons learned and life stories that no one else could possibly know.
Occasionally, she glanced down at the pitch book we'd designed, following along with our slides, but mostly she kept her eyes on us, on me, her face carefully blank.
She was quiet throughout, which wasn't what I expected, and she was quite difficult to read, especially because I knew from her movies that her face could be very expressive. I tried not to let it throw me, charging forward, letting Max/Jared do his rehearsed bit about the promise of giving her creative freedom in the process, something I knew was important to her.
After he was done, he gave me a look full of meaning, full of encouragement, and for a split second, I forgot about everything else, the intense pressure I was under, getting a little lost in his eyes.
Despite the stakes, this just felt good. For the first time in my life, I had someone—besides my family—supporting me, being my biggest cheerleader, and I fucking loved it.
Taking a steadying breath, I got back to work, determined to finish strongly, saving the best for last while walking Venus through the showiest part of our presentation—the possible cover designs and creative treatment for her book.
Again, she was a complete enigma while I went through the mock-ups, praying that we hadn't offended her somehow. Maybe we should have gone with more alliteration like Max had suggested.
Once I was finished, I asked, "Do you have any questions for us?"
"Yes, actually, I do." She leaned forward a bit, and I had a hard time keeping my eyes on her face and not the flash of red lacy bra beneath her suit jacket. "So why you? Why Insight Ink? Why shouldn't I go with one of the big publishing houses?"
Oh, boy. Venus La Fleur knew how to play hardball.
My eyes darted to Max who simply nodded at me. Yeah, this one was for me. But given my past experience, I knew exactly what to say.
"That's definitely a valid question, one I completely understand," I began. "A bigger publisher might be tempting since they have more name recognition. But with them, and trust me, I've personally been there, you'll be one of many. With us though?"
My eyes went to Veronica who gave a sharp nod of approval.
"With us," I went on, "you'd be the number one priority. We'd be more hands on, and we'd offer you maximum control, more creative flexibility that larger houses just can't. With us, it's more of a collaboration, way more intimate and personal. And if that's important to you, I think we'd be an absolute perfect fit."
Really, I couldn't think of another thing to say, and I smiled at her, my heart pounding away, hoping she'd return my smile. But she didn't, and my stomach dropped.
This was it—the big moment, the big finale.
Remembering Max's words, though, helped calm me. It'd be just fine no matter what. My whole life didn't hinge on this moment, even though it sure felt like it did right now.
Giving him a quick glance, he did indeed return my smile, and it did a little something to my soul. Wouldn't it be nice to always have that?
A slow clap echoed through the room, drawing my attention back to Venus and her extra long nails attached to hands that were slowly coming together. It took a second for it to register. But holy shit, she was the one clapping!
"You did an amazing job," she said, her smile flashing bright now. "I'm officially wowed."
Oh, my God. Oh, my God .
She stood up, grabbing the pitch book to her chest. "I'll have my people call your people. And don't worry, despite my outward appearance, I will never flake on you. If I say something, I mean it one hundred percent."
"That's wonderful. I'm so excited to work with you," I gushed, relief flooding my limbs, making them a bit shaky.
"Likewise, darling."
She headed for the conference room door, and I wondered if I should offer her some champagne or food. All of that effort, and she hadn't taken a single bite, only the occasional sip of her water.
"Sorry to run, but I've got a flight soon, and I really need to get out of this suit. I don't know how you do it, but these things are very uncomfortable."
Laughing, I walked her toward the elevators, Max coming along as well. "I suppose we've grown used to it," he said.
While we waited, she looked him over, and right as the bell dinged, indicating its arrival, she said, "You should lose the mustache. You'd be a million times more handsome without it."
It wasn't often the big guy was rendered speechless, but that certainly did it.
With a wink and a sassy wave, she was gone, leaving me laughing my head off in Max's face.