***
I wait and wait some more. Nothing, of course, happens.
The week was hectic in the office. I finally met all the team who will be reporting directly to me—basically a bunch of young kids who just finished college. Eager young men and women ready to get their hands dirty to climb the corporate ladder. Haden has given me a ton of projects which will involve a few interstate trips. The hours are long, but Haden ensures we enjoy ourselves, taking our team out for lunch and challenging us boys on the court.
It’s late Friday afternoon when Haden calls an impromptu meeting, with even his wife, Presley, attending.
“Sorry about the late meeting. I’ll be away this weekend and won’t have access to work emails,” he tells everyone.
He confided in me earlier in the day that his mother was in town, so he took the opportunity to use her as a babysitter and organize a quick trip to Vegas with Presley. A much-needed dirty weekend since they barely spend time alone without their son.
“I won’t have access to emails either,” Presley adds.
The group snickers, both Haden and Presley breaking out into smiles like their hands are caught in the cookie jar.
“Yeah, yeah… I know what you’re all thinking.” Presley laughs. “So, we got some exciting news today. We’ve been approved to increase our budget, so we can expand our publishing services.”
“That’s great news,” I acknowledge.
“It really is. While we’ve got excellent results in the fiction department, given our geographical presence, why not take advantage of what we have around us,” she reveals.
“I’m not following you,” Pete, one of our editors, says out loud.
Haden takes the lead. “Hollywood. There’s such a huge demand for celebrity autobiographies. Now, granted, it’s a different process for establishing a book with an author. We need to utilize ghostwriters, and there will be a major push on marketing given the fan base of each celebrity we choose.” Haden tells us more about the plan but cuts the meeting short due to time.
As everyone leaves the room, he asks me to stay back for a moment. “So, I had an interesting conversation with Lex the other day,” Haden says.
“Oh, yeah, about what?”
“About how the first celebrity we’ll try to contract is Scarlett Winters.” He follows with an underlying smirk
I almost choke on my own saliva. “Scarlett Winters?”
“Yes,” he replies. “According to Forbes magazine, she’s the most in-demand actress in the world right now. Anything with her name attached means big bucks. I’ve already teed up an interview with her on Monday.”
“Are you fuc—” I pull myself up. “Are you serious?”
Haden breaks out laughing, then follows with, “I’m serious. Presley will attend the interview with you since she manages the team of writers, but you’ll need to put together a marketing plan to entice her. What platforms will be leveraged, how we can stay in line with her branding. And, plus, I understand Charlie has a keen interest in you meeting Scarlett Winters.”
“Look, I don’t mix my personal life with business.”
“I don’t care what you do in your personal life, Noah. Between you and Presley, deliver me an autobiography of Scarlett Winters, and Head of the West Coast Marketing Division is yours.”
“You can’t be serious? West Coast Marketing. That’s a huge step up.”
Lex owns three publishing houses on the West Coast, including here, San Francisco, and Seattle. I know the business is doing exceptionally well financially, given the number of New York Times bestsellers they published last year. This would be a dream position for me—a major step in my career as long as I don’t fuck it up. If Haden can run this branch successfully, then I can take on that position with my eyes fucking closed.
“Noah, it’s all yours. And if you fuck her, just make sure your name isn’t slewed across the tabloids,” he warns. “She’s sexy, but she also has paparazzi following her every move.”
“I promise to keep the tabloids clean.”
I shake his hand and wish him fun on his dirty weekend, curbing my excitement momentarily.
On Monday, I’ll meet Scarlett Winters.
I don’t care about Charlie and Kate’s stupid idea. I’ll do whatever the hell I want to do. If that’s falling in love with Scarlett, then so be it.
Let cupid target both of us.