CHAPTER 6
“Work it PJ! Give me face! Yassss!”
The camera clicked nonstop as PJ posed under the bright lights in the SoHo studio.
Antonio had made it about twenty minutes into the shoot, sneaking into the background to observe.
He scratched his head and took in the massive loft’s surroundings.
With the draped fabric, stark white background, and funky lighting, it looked less like a photo shoot for a sneaker and more like a high-end, very abstract fashion campaign.
And what the hell was PJ wearing?
PJ was shirtless, his torso oiled down like an exotic dancer in a Magic Mike review.
A massive faux fur vest enveloped his slim frame, and a pair of track pants slung low on his hips.
His locs were braided up to look like antelope antlers.
It was…strange. It certainly wasn’t something he would have approved of if he was PJ’s agent. Had Jackie signed off on this?
As if summoned by his thoughts, Jackie appeared out of the shadows.
She was dressed in a white suit with impossibly high nude-colored heels.
It reminded Antonio of some kind of Olivia Pope, Scandal-era outfit.
Unlike the super polished character portrayed by Kerry Washington, Jackie had an edge to her.
Then again, Antonio knew that underneath the designer threads and cutthroat demeanor was a round-the-way, small-town girl.
There was a softness at her core, reflected in a laugh that rang out so musically.
He’d run a touchdown in a championship game, but making her laugh had been one of Antonio’s greatest feats. Damn, he missed that Jackie.
Antonio stared at her side profile as she tapped away on her phone with one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, a Chanel bag hung off her forearm. Her full lips, in a perfect shade of red, were pouting as she concentrated on her screen.
Before he knew it, Antonio’s feet were moving in her direction.
Jackie was too distracted to notice that Antonio was standing next to her.
Good—that just gave him more time to steal glances of her face.
Okay, and maybe he wanted a look at her ass in those white slacks.
She’d always reminded Ant of the actress Nia Long, haircut and all—Jackie was Nia’s thicker, hotter doppelg?nger.
Antonio could verify that, having gone on a date with the actual Nia Long once.
Jackie was 90s fine, as the young kids said.
Antonio leaned down near Jackie’s ear. He inhaled her perfume before speaking. “So, is he supposed to be an antelope? Or what?”
Jackie slowly turned her head in Antonio’s direction. Through gritted teeth, she asked, “Why the hell are you here?”
“I’m just here as a colleague, Miles. That’s it.”
“Steele, why do you insist on butting your nose into PJ’s business? What’s your angle? Seriously.”
“No angle.” Antonio put his hands in his pocket. “None at all, Jackie. It’s just…the kid’s nervous. This is his first major endorsement.”
Jackie blinked. “He’s nervous? Why didn’t he tell me he was nervous?”
Antonio thought it was cute to see Jackie a little off her game. “First off, you’re scary. Secondly, he doesn’t want to disappoint you. Especially after the strings you pulled to get this deal.”
Jackie’s mouth opened, then closed. “I’m not scary. Just…honest.”
“Is that what you call it?”
Before Jackie could snap at him, the photographer began to yell. “Wonderful, PJ, darling! Let’s break for ten so we can reset, shall we?”
As the crew scrambled to get things in place for the next shot, PJ strolled over to where Jackie and Antonio were standing. As he got closer, Antonio noticed that not only was PJ shining like a brand-new penny, but he was also glittery. What the entire hell?
PJ dapped up Antonio, glitter flying everywhere. “You made it, man. So, what you think?”
“Uhm.” Antonio looked at PJ, and then at Jackie, who was scowling at him. “It’s different.”
PJ frowned, then turned to Jackie. “I told you this look was a bad idea.”
“Louis St. Jean is a visionary photographer, PJ! He doesn’t have bad ideas. The man has shot for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar. All the big magazines!”
“So, what’s the vision? Glittery unicorn?” asked Antonio.
“Here.” Jackie shoved her empty coffee cup into the hands of a crew member that was passing by, then turned to Antonio. “For your information, smart ass, a unicorn has one horn. PJ is dressed as Pan. From Greek mythology.”
“The goat man with the flute?” Antonio was officially and thoroughly confused. What the hell did a flute-playing goat-man have to do with the hottest shoe of the season? What did it have to do with PJ?
Jackie was looking at Antonio as if he was a dumber than a bag of rocks. “Yes! He is also associated with the sound of that flute, called a ‘Panic.’ Like PJ’s nickname. PJ ‘The Panic’ Dawson.”
“Oh, I see.” Antonio, in fact, did not see. He also thought PJ’s nickname was terrible: The Panic? It made it sound like he was a scary shooter or something, which was far from the truth. He looked around the studio. “But where is the shoe? Shouldn’t the shoe be prominent in the ads?”
Jackie sighed. “Louis said that he’ll add the shoes in post. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“That makes no sense,” Antonio said. “Ballers wear and advertise the shoes. What’s the point?”
“Listen.” Jackie put her hands on her hips. “New Balance had to pull a lot of strings to get Louis to shoot this. He doesn’t typically do ads. He’s a high-fashion photographer.”
“Well, that’s evident in his approach,” said Antonio. He turned to the glitter-laden PJ. “Are you cool with this?”
PJ shrugged. “I mean, I get it, I guess. I was kind of hoping to be in the shoe in some of the photos.”
Antonio looked at Jackie. He didn’t want to do this, and lord knew he was already skating on thin ice. But this was PJ. He did not have a lot of practice standing up for himself. “I’ll handle it.”
Jackie whipped her head in his direction. “No the hell you won’t!”
But Antonio was already walking toward the photographer, with Jackie hissing at his back.
Antonio adjusted his tie before speaking. “Excuse me, Mr. St. Jean?”
Louis St. Jean glanced up from his seat. He looked Antonio up and down. “And who might you be, handsome?”
“Antonio Steele, Athletics Management Worldwide.” Antonio extended his hand, and Louis took it, shaking gingerly.
“I thought the fierce one in the white was his agent?” asked Louis, pointing toward Jackie.
“She is.” Antonio looked over his shoulder at Jackie, who looked like she wanted to knock his head off his shoulders.
“I’m her colleague. Here to support the team.
Your reputation precedes itself, Mr. St. Jean.
That shoot you did last year—GQ, right?—was impeccable.
Awe-inspiring, truly. New Balance is lucky to have you. ”
Antonio had no idea if Lous had done a shoot for GQ last year. It just seemed like a magazine that this pretentious guy would work for.
“Thank you. GQ doesn’t pay me enough for the magic they expect from me. So little time. So little talent. But not with PJ! PJ is just wonderful, darling! The boy is a natural in front of the camera! Just look at him, gorgeous.” Louis beamed as he angled a digital camera toward Antonio.
Antonio nodded as he looked at the photo of PJ, who was draped in a sheer cloth of some sort. Good lord. “I see that. Your vision is absolutely amazing. It’s just, if I may be frank with you, Mr. St. Jean?”
“Please. Call me Louis, handsome.”
Antonio smiled, turning up the charm. “Well, Louis, the thing is, PJ is the face of New Balance. Ushering in a fresh, new generation of consumers for the brand who are quite sneaker-obsessed. You’ve got to show the shoe with PJ in it.”
Louis squinted as he looked at Antonio. “But the shoe doesn’t go with my theme. We’re focusing on the whimsical, darling. We can add it in post.”
“Oh yes,” agreed Antonio as he put on his most serious face. “And I love it. But the star of the ad should be the shoe…with PJ in it. “
Louis shook his head. “No! No! The shoe doesn’t go with the aesthetic!”
But it’s a damned shoe ad, thought Antonio. “How about this? I get that he’s supposed to be Pan, and Pan plays a flute right? Why not have him holding up the shoe like a flute? Just an idea.”
Louis stared at Antonio a bit as he rubbed his chin. “Hmm. I hadn’t thought about that. Go on…”
“And maybe lose the glitter?” Antonio asked. “Just a bit of it.”
“You’re pushing it, handsome,” Louis remarked. “Very well.” He clapped his hands loudly to alert his team. “Everyone, new direction for our last couple of shots. Bring in the shoe!” Louis turned toward Antonio and waved him off. “You can go now.”
Antonio smiled. “Certainly. I’ll let you get back to making magic.”
Before he could turn around, Antonio felt the sharp edges of Jackie’s nails grabbing his arm. Her piercing grip stung, but if he was honest, he liked the pain.
“What is wrong with you?” Jackie asked. “You cannot just go up to Louis St. Jean and—”
“He’s going to incorporate the shoe, Jackie,” interrupted Antonio. “You’re welcome.”
“That’s what’s up!” PJ exclaimed.
Jackie blinked. “How’d you get him to agree with that?”
Antonio smirked. “You must have forgotten how convincing I can be.”
“Ugh.” Jackie dropped Antonio’s arm as if it were hot coal. Instantly, he missed the feel of her hands on him. “You’re so freaking smug.”
“I just reminded him that New Balance was the client. And PJ and his shoe—despite his vision—are the stars. That’s all.”
“Why do you do this?” asked Jackie.
“Do what?”
“You swoop in to interject, like you think I can’t handle it. It’s getting to be a habit for you, and I don’t like it. Marilyn entrusted me to be PJ’s agent. I don’t seem to recall you even being in the running for the job. Where’d you even come from on this?”
Antonio swallowed. Jackie was right. He was coming dangerously close to encroaching on her territory. “Jackie, I’m a friend to PJ when he needs one. I understand what it’s like to be a young dude out here, a hot rookie, being the face of a brand.”
“Ha,” Jackie laughed. “One off-brand cereal commercial does not make you the face of a brand.”
“First of all, it was two cereal commercials. Healthy cereals. Secondly, I also had a brand deal with Under Armour way before they were popping.”
“I don’t care what the fuck it was!” Jackie whisper-yelled.
Antonio watched as she closed her eyes and let out several deep breaths.
“Listen, for the duration of this merger, don’t talk to me.
Don’t even look in my direction. Stay away from me.
And stay away from my fucking clients, or I’ll go to the board and tell them you are trying to do some underhanded shit. ”
“Jackie, I swear I’m not trying to do anything! It’s not like that.”
Jackie swiftly moved in front of him, poking a finger in his chest. “Didn’t I say not to talk to me? That starts now, playboy.”
The crew stopped to look over at Antonio and Jackie, who were now making a scene. PJ had a worried expression on his face.
“Fine.” Antonio began to leave, not wanting to embarrass PJ further, but he stopped abruptly.
He turned back to look at Jackie one last time.
She rolled her eyes at him, then turned her back.
Even when she was pissed off, she was still beautiful.
Someday, he’d like for her to look at him the way she had when they first met.
But at this point, that was asking for too much.
Especially when every time he tried to get on her good side, he found a way to tick her off again.
When Antonio got to the elevator, he pulled out his phone to send PJ a text. He’d meet him back at his hotel for a drink later. He was going to need one.