“Does he like that?” Brynn asked.
“No, he seemed embarrassed about it,” I said.
“It’s not his fault,” Jenna said. “And remember – he has to play to the public. He has to flirt with girls a little bit if that’s part of his image.”
Nodding down to my tea cup, I pondered. Sex appeal always sells. Ethan was unbelievably sexy, and could definitely use that to his advantage. If I asked him to tone it down in any way, I wouldn’t be a good girlfriend, and more to the point I would be a lousy PR person.
“There’s a big difference between harmless flirting and actually crossing lines,” Jenna said. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
“Hey, can we come to the concert?” Brynn asked. “We usually don’t go to each other’s events, but this isn’t anything top-secret, right?”
“I thought of that too,” I said. “I’ll email you all the info. It’s at Bromney Hall.”
“Wow, that’s a big place,” Jenna said.
Brynn nodded. “That venue’s capacity is nine hundred and fifty people. How are ticket sales?”
I loved that these girls always went straight into business mode.
“Over eighty percent sold out so far. Wait until you see the VIP area I’m arranging.”
“How the heck are you going to make a VIP area there?” Brynn asked.
Our food arrived just as the conversation turned to VIP clients, staging venues, and completely geeking out for the rest of our lunch.
As I walked back to the office, I felt absolutely energized.
My work was going well. I had an incredible new boyfriend. I had discovered an entirely new physical side of me that I didn’t even know existed.
The only bit of negativity that still rattled around in the back of my mind was the knowledge that Ethan was being pursued by so many women.
How was I expected to measure up? How could I keep him fulfilled forever with that sort of competition? And was I ready to change my entire life to be with him as much as possible so that he didn’t forget about me?
10
_____
Ethan
My heart could have burst from excitement at any second.
I was about to have the biggest show of my life. We were about to name the band so that we were a permanent team. Most of all, I now had Corina.
Back when I was a nerdy little nobody, I never would have dreamed that I could be with such a gorgeous girl. It felt like absolutely everything was going my way.
After an intense workout Friday morning, I took a quick shower and made another pot of coffee. I had planned on spending the afternoon working on vocal exercises, when I got a text.
Corina: I was just sent the info of a junior stylist who is dying to work in the music industry. She can meet you at a new store downtown and help you pick out three outfits that truly embody your style, and the image you’re trying to project.
Corina: You’ll need something for on stage, then a bit of a change for the after party. Then an extra trendy outfit just in case something comes up that week.
Me: Hi. How are you?
Corina: Ha ha – sorry.
Corina: I don’t mean to be pushy, but we need to make the most of absolutely every photo opportunity.
Me: This stylist isn’t going to put me in lilac satin or anything with sparkles, right?