Chapter 7
seven
. . .
BLAIR
“Hi, Lance. You here to see Blair?”
I hear Stella’s voice project deliberately in warning outside my door as I slide my laptop into my oversized Prada Carolyn Shopper tote. As usual, she only gets a curt nod from the self-loving narcissist as he walks right by her.
Lance walks over to the couch in my office and makes himself right at home. “Leaving early again, I see. I’m glad I could catch you before you disappeared on me.” He grabs a granola bar from the basket on the coffee table and leans back with a smirk, knowing I can’t leave until he does.
“I’m headed out for the Pink Slip premiere. What can I help you with?” I sit back down at my desk, keeping my distance and the smile plastered on my face. I refuse to let him rattle me.
“I heard you went to see Sophia yesterday. My assistant said she secured passes for you.”
“Yes, thanks again. It was a brief visit. Just building the relationship.” I try to avoid sharing any details with him. He’s smart. There’s no way he doesn’t realize I’m after her. As arrogant as Lance is, he respects the lanes. He knows that my signing Sophia is a win for everyone here so it won’t be a competition.
“It’ll be nice to see you sign someone. What’s it been, almost a year since you’ve brought on a new client?”
Asshole. Getting current talent signed onto new projects is just as important as bringing in new talent.
“Is there something specific you need from me, Lance?”
A chuckle escapes his lips as he leans back and crosses his right leg over his left knee in his classic power pose. Lance is objectively handsome, but like many men in this business, he’s compact. He claims to be five foot ten, which means closer to five foot eight or nine. He’s slim but has more of a retired golfer’s body, meaning he still does cardio but could stand to lift a few weights. He’s very charming and has a black belt in Hollywood politics. I couldn’t wait to work for him, and I loved it for a while until I made a mistake. Broke an unwritten rule. I tried to recover, but I learned quickly that I was never really on solid ground here, anyway. Nobody is. You’re only as good as the success you are having right at this moment.
“Well, it’s not public knowledge yet, but I trust you can keep a secret,” Lance teases.
I don’t respond.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors from your little buddy Jess, but we have accepted an offer from The Manhattan Group. Assuming the board approves, and we get through the regulatory piece ok, we’ll be a new company by the beginning of next year.” Lance knows he just dropped a bomb, but what I can’t figure out is why he’s telling me this information.
“I hadn’t heard. Jess is a professional. She would never share confidential information with me.”
Actually, she might, but he doesn’t need to know that.
I wonder if she knows this, though. She has shared clips of articles speculating that our financials in this current economic environment make us an ideal agency to purchase.
“With an official offer on the table, we’re creating a task force. I was considering asking you to join. It would be good exposure for you with the new buyers. Unless you’re too busy with other commitments. If it’s not the right time…” He trails off for dramatic effect.
I despise him. He loves a good mind fuck. I think you’re good enough to be on the task force, but I don’t want you to think that you’re good enough to be on the task force.
“Of course, I’m not too busy. I’d love to help any way I can.” I offer nothing else and wait to see what he’ll say next. He’s quiet, too. It’s a game of verbal chicken.
“Well, I guess you better get to the premiere. I can assign you to the task force for the exposure, but I’m not sure it will save your job if you can’t sign talent. Good luck tonight.”
He doesn’t even wait for a response before he pops up from the couch and rushes out the door. He can bait me all he wants, but he knows I’m his best agent. He may not like my priorities and focus, but I brought in more money for this agency over the last five years than anyone else.
“Goodbye, Lance. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon…” Stella’s voice trails off as she steps inside my office and closes the door. “Spill.”
It’s her job to listen in, so I know she heard the news. I recap for her what I know and ask her to get me details on The Manhattan Group. They are a sports management agency representing some of the biggest professional athletes. It makes sense for us to merge, and I’m optimistic there will be little fallout since both agencies focus on different things. There may be a few redundancies, but hopefully, the collateral damage will be minor. When the deal closes, we’ll be the largest agency in media and sports.