/> I stand there as the three men look me over, all with smiles on their faces, and when Mr. Sinclair’s eyes linger on my naughty bits, my stomach churns with disgust. When his eyes meet mine, I look away but feel his gaze on me as I say, “Thank you for coming out. I hope you enjoyed the show.”
I try to make my voice higher. I’m not sure if he remembers how I talk, but just in case, I make sure to alter it even more.
“I did, very much,” Don says with a nod. “So much so that I want to offer you the opportunity of your life.”
“Really?” I ask, my heart speeding up. I’m not sure if it’s from the excitement of Don’s deal or if it’s from the fact that Mr. Sinclair has not stopped staring at me.
“Let’s go into my office,” Ms. Prissy suggests.
The next thing I know, I’m sitting behind Ms. Prissy’s desk with the three men in front of me. Mr. Sinclair’s eyes have yet to leave my face, and my palms are clammy from the nerves. As much as I want to know what these men have to offer, I want to get the hell out of here. I thought Mr. Sinclair was a lawyer; why the hell is he doing investor shit? Does Jude know? Does anyone know?
“I’ll go first,” Mr. Sinclair says, and I force myself to look him in the eyes. Surely he doesn’t recognize me, but I can see him trying to place me in his mind. His eyes roam over each of my features as he says, “I think you’ve heard my deal, twenty-grand signing bonus, with an annual contract of seventy-five grand, and full management of Ms. Prissy’s in New York.”
When Bruce scoffs, Mr. Sinclair shoots him a dark look, but that doesn’t derail him. Looking at me, Bruce says, “We want to sign you for three years, fifty-thousand dollar signing bonus, a hundred-grand yearly contract, and free rein at the Ms. Prissy’s in Miami. We will give you lodging, a new car, and a clothing budget. You will be treated like the queen you are, Ms. Diamond.”
Holy mother of God. I knew the New York deal was going to be crap, but I never expected the Florida deal to be so amazing.
My lips go to form the word yes, but before they can, Don says, “Ms. Diamond – by the way, is that your real name?”
“No, it–” Ms. Prissy goes to say, but I interrupt her.
“No, but I’d like to keep my real name to myself until we sign contracts,” I say quickly, and I can feel Ms. Prissy’s eyes on me. Ignoring her, I add, “If you don’t mind.”
“That’s fine with me,” he says with a grin. He’s a good-looking man, young, late twenties, with short blond hair and blue eyes that shine bright in the dim light. “I can guarantee the deal I have for you will be ten times what these two are offering you. I don’t want you to run a Ms. Prissy’s, no offense,” he says to Ms. Prissy before looking back at me. “But I want you for your own show. I work for Lights and Sounds Hotels, and we want you to headline a show for us.”
“I’m not performing after tonight. I want to be strictly backstage.”
He nods, not missing a beat. “That’s fine and I can promise you that the deal I’ll have for you is something you can’t turn down. The only problem is I can’t offer you the deal without my bosses. We’ve heard of you. I’ve sent them video of your work here, and they want to see it for themselves. They can come in ten days, and we’re hoping instead of signing with someone else, you’ll put on a showcase for us and give us a chance.”
For some reason, I feel good about this guy.
“My deal will be on the table for five days,” Bruce says suddenly.
I meet his gaze and say, “I’d like to wait to see what they offer me.”
“I can’t wait that long,” Bruce says and then he stands. “So I’ll bow out of this pissing match. Good luck to you.”
“Thank you,” I say and then he’s gone.
“So I guess I’m out too. I can’t wait two weeks,” Mr. Sinclair says and then he stands. “Good luck to you both.”
I don’t say anything to him, and when he leaves, I let out the breath I’ve been holding, meeting Don’s gaze as he says, “I promise you won’t regret this.”
“I hope you’re right,” I say. “Because I just watched one good offer walk away.”
He nods and then sends me a wink. “Don’t worry. You’ll be swimming in money when we get you to Vegas. See you guys soon.”
Shaking my hand and then Ms. Prissy’s, he leaves after that and I take in a lungful of air. Biting into my lip, I replay everything that just happened.
“Did I do that right?” I ask, looking up at Ms. Prissy.
She nods. “I think you handled that beautifully.”
“What if the Vegas deal sucks?”
“Then you say no, and you wait for the next deal. You’ll be okay.”
Nodding, I look away as my heart pounds against my chest like a drum. “Can I do this in two weeks, put together a whole show?” I ask, my stomach churning with fear. I’ve always disliked that fear. It has such a power to take you down, and I hate that. I want to be strong, confident in my decision, but that just happened so quickly. I turned down two offers, and now I’m putting all my eggs in one basket. Is it the right choice? I want to say yes, that I feel good about it, but I can’t. I’m nervous as hell. Not only is this going to skyrocket my career, but I’ll also be living my dreams.