Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
SIENNA
The room we were ushered into was stark. Or, as others may feel, modern. We had these meetings with my label once a month, usually to discuss upcoming events and promo opportunities, but this one was unplanned. A surprise.
I didn’t like not knowing what was coming next, and neither did Louise, but I couldn’t help but feel a little smug for forcing the label’s hand.
It had been almost two weeks since our photo shoot with Studio 9 and I’d seen August three times.
We’d met up for a few coffee dates and both times photos found their way to the press, and when we weren’t together we were often texting.
But the big boost in #Saugust’s traffic came from the cover profile in Studio 9 that had come out yesterday.
Less than twenty-four hours later, my label wanted to meet with me.
There was no guessing what they might say, but it stood to reason they would be unhappy given that I’d sent the pretty princess popstar image they’d been cultivating for me up in flames, declined the Teen Vogue shoot, and had given them my written notice by way of Louise.
This new branding and the persona with August, however, felt more real than anything I’d done before, even if it was just a mutually beneficial agreement.
One long table ran nearly the entire length of the meeting room, its orange wood looking cheap instead of classic.
The chairs were the skinny, uncomfortable kind that were made for display and nothing else, but the most drab thing in the room were the studio execs sitting opposite me and Louise.
I couldn’t tell if it was a coincidence or by design, but they all seemed to be wearing the same suit: gray, medium shoulder pads, plain shirt and charcoal tie.
It made me feel like I was auditioning for one of the singing competitions Cade and I loved so much.
“Cut the crap, John.” Louise’s tone was impatient and her mouth had flattened into an unimpressed flat line.
We’d let them rant for a good ten minutes already about how they were concerned for me, for the decisions I’d been making, for my career, that I was letting down my label and my brand and that I had obligations to meet and fans to think of.
I yawned widely and gave Louise a little nod to continue chewing them out. Louise had a real way with words and it wasn’t often that she had free rein to say what she really thought — not in a professional setting anyway.
When her speech ran dry, I sat up straighter and fixed the three execs with a sharp look, retreating into the cold place within myself that allowed me to do what needed to be done.
I wasn’t sure I could even tell the difference between the execs, all three were old white dudes with, apparently, similar taste in suits.
“I feel confident that the decisions I’m making for my brand and my career are the right ones. They may not align with what you wish my brand would be, but I’m fine with that.”
The man in the middle, John, frowned at me over the tops of his glasses. “Young lady—”
A flash of anger made my hands tingle as I pushed up from my seat. “That’s the problem right there! I’m a woman, a grown woman. I am not a teen or a child, and I refuse to let myself stagnate and suffocate while I’m being wielded as if I am one.”
“Sit down.” The words were softly spoken from the exec on the far left, but his face was anything but friendly. Heavily lined and with a permanent frown on his face, there was a severity to him that had caution rearing its head.
I did as he instructed, feeling the bite of the uncomfortable chair against the backs of my thighs, and grimaced as I settled in.
“I understand you don’t like the direction we’ve taken you in since you left Rosedale and began pursuing music,” he said and I nodded. “But what you like doesn’t hold more weight than what our market research tells us.”
“It’s my life.”
“No,” he countered. “It’s ours. Your father entrusted you to us before we’d ever signed a contract, a gentleman’s agreement, and a partnership that would have lasted a long time but for his death.
Sienna Slade wouldn’t exist without this company.
We made you, and you will damned well show us some respect. ”
I licked my lips, trying to give myself a moment to breathe – otherwise I would be leaping over the table at this guy.
It was true that Sienna Slade had been part of WindRush Studios her whole life, or at least the version that they’d created and paraded around even while my dad was still alive, but maybe I didn’t want to be Sienna Slade any more.
As if seeing the hesitation on my face, Louise moved closer and whispered, “He’s Bruce. The VP.”
Swallowing, I held firm. “That may be, but I’m not my father and I don’t care what he may have agreed with you or why you signed me.
” I folded my arms across my chest and raised an eyebrow, looking at each of the men in turn.
“He’s gone, but I’m here and this is the way I want to do things.
If you had just listened to me before when I told you I didn’t like the direction we were moving in, then maybe I wouldn’t have had to take such drastic action. ”
The man on the right, silent up until now, sat forward and steepled his fingers together. “It seems we’re at an impasse then. But I will warn you — there are certain benefits, protections, that we’ve granted you as one of our own that will no longer be available to you.”
I glanced at Louise and saw the same frown on her face that I assumed was on mine. “Are you threatening my client, Charles?” Louise’s voice was icy and John, in the middle, blanched, while the other two men remained unmoved.
“Merely stating the facts. We’ve been taking care of you for a long time, Sienna. It would be a shame for you to throw all that away, for a boy.”
The laugh I choked out echoed in the hollow room and the chair was noiseless against the thin carpet as I pushed away from the table and stood.
“August is not the reason I’m doing this, but thank you for reaffirming for me that this is the right decision.
” I offered Louise my hand and helped her up too.
“You can expect to hear from my team to negotiate the termination of my contract.”
“You’re making a mistake, Sienna,” Charles called as we turned our backs to them and began to walk away.
I didn’t think he was right, but the certainty in his voice made my jaw clench. What did he know? Or think he knew? What were they protecting me from?
Louise stayed silent as we walked out of the building, shaking her head at me when I opened my mouth in the hall. Once we were outside, she let out a relieved breath. “Sorry, I just guarantee that they could listen in on us while we were still in there.”
I nodded. “It’s okay. I’m just surprised they’re taking it this badly. Most companies would be happy for me to have had a PR spike. Hell, they should be ecstatic that I landed Studio 9.”
“Well…” She shrugged. “I guess control matters more to them than profit. If they can’t control you, then you’re of no use to them.”
“At least it’s done with now,” I said, breathing a deep sigh of relief as we stepped back onto the street and into the cool air.
“I hope so. But in the meantime, I think we should forget about those losers and get horrendously drunk.” Louise grinned and I linked my arm through hers, brushing some of my blonde hair out of my face before it could stick to my lip gloss.
“You see, this is why you’re my agent.”
“Because I encourage you to drink at—” She checked the time and winced. “Barely noon?”
“Exactly.” We laughed as we climbed into the town car where Cade waited, curiosity on his face. “We’re going drinking,” I said in explanation and Cade chuckled before putting the car in drive.
“Celebrating? Or commiserating?”
Louise and I looked at each other before laughing. “Both.”
“I know just the place.”
We’d started with shots, and that was probably our first mistake. The bar Cade had taken us to was nice, but not fancy, and the bartender was fighting a laugh as Louise struggled to climb back up onto her barstool after a quick restroom break.
We’d bitched about the three execs for about a half hour and had ordered fries at some point around our fourth drink.
Louise’s paper straw had turned to mush by drink six and now, whenever she sipped, her drink spilled out of the side of her mouth until she was wearing most of it down the front of her pink blouse.
Cade had left us here to decompress while he ran an errand.
Apparently he knew the owner and was not in the least worried about our safety.
I was pretty sure our livers were most at risk since we’d walked through the heavy double doors.
Plus, it was practically empty inside given the relatively early hour.
“Oh my god.” Louise turned to me, closing her eyes and starting to sway to the music over the speakers. The lighting in here was warm, making the dustings of highlighter on her face glow as she began to sing along. “This is you! This is your song!”
“You’re so right,” I squealed back and jumped up off the stool, nearly toppling onto the hardwood floors before righting myself and pulling Louise with me so we could dance.
I picked up our drinks, handing Louise hers as we built to the chorus with our fists pumping the air.
“Lose my numberrrr, forget my nameeee, got what you wanted, can’t say the saaaame—”
Louise started giggling as I shimmied and then took another sip of my drink, frowning when I realized it was empty.
“You know what would be so good right now?” Louise did a little jump, throwing her hands up in the air. “Muffin!”
“Sorry girls, we don’t have any cake on the daytime menu,” the bartender chipped in and I laughed, hiccuping.
“No, that’s okay. She doesn’t want to eat cake, she wants my cat.”
“But not to eat,” Louise clarified, leaning up against the bar and batting her lashes at the young guy who’d been serving us.