He laughed, crossing his hands over the dark wooden top. “Filming begins in two weeks. It features a group of six girls, highlighting their lives in LA. Similar to the show your sister is on but more upscale. Think flying in a private jet to Bali, dining at only top-rated restaurants, being chauffeured around town in a Rolls-Royce.”
I didn’t know this life. My sister earned a shit-ton, but that wasn’t me. I’d purchased a seven-year-old used car and would be paying off my student loans and credit card debt until I died. The efficiency I rented was far from phenomenal.
“Don’t worry,” he added. “The show will assume the cost of everything and pay you a hefty salary.” He pushed a stack of papers in my direction. “The preliminary buzz has been so strong that they’re anticipating to break all streaming and cable ratings records in their category. Advertising fees have doubled in the last month alone. In other words, I expect a second season.”
This was heavy.
But it was nothing compared to the feeling that hit me when I glanced down and saw the salary listed on the first page of the contract.
I clasped my hands together to stop them from shaking. I’d be able to pay off my student loans and credit card debt along with my car and prepay an entire year—or four—of rent, and I’d still have a massive amount to stow away in the bank.
“That salary is only a starting point,” Dominick said. “Brett and I will get you more.”
“More?”
“We’re good for about a twenty percent increase,” Brett admitted.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
Seeing.
Reading on the sheet in front of me.
“As for the role, the studio is looking for someone with spark. Not the fire starter, not anyone shy or reserved. I need a woman who’s quick-witted and charming.” His eyes narrowed. “I get the feeling that’s you, Kendall.”
“It is,” Dominick agreed. “Straight down to her core.”
I searched their faces, needing to hear the answer even though they were showing it to me. “You’re sure I’m right for this?” My hands gripped the armrests even harder, the wood beneath them probably soaked from my palms.
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Dominick replied. His voice lowered, a sound I’d heard plenty of times last night when his body was on top of mine. “America is going to be enamored with you.”
I shifted my gaze to Brett, swallowing, as he said, “This will only be the beginning. You’re going to get endorsement deals, other TV show offers, paid appearances. The list is honestly endless.”
“And you think I can handle this with no training? No time spent in front of the camera? No knowledge of this business at all, aside from what I’ve done for Daisy?”
Thoughts were circling so fast in my brain, I couldn’t keep up.
“Yes,” they said simultaneously.
I shook my head, trying to process. “Can I have a second to think about it?”
Brett lifted the contract from the table and handed it to Dominick. “Your lawyer needs to review the terms, and we have some negotiating to do. That will take about forty-eight hours. Will that be enough time?”
I nodded.
“You need to know, you’re not alone in this, Kendall,” Dominick told me. “Brett will be your agent now and going forward.”
“Unless you would prefer someone else,” Brett responded. “We’ll also supply you with a manager—Valerie, a colleague of mine, she’d be a perfect addition to your team. And legally, Dominick has you covered for anything you need.”
When I quickly peeked at Dominick, his eyes were making that promise.
“Before you leave, I want you to stop by my assistant’s desk. She’ll need a copy of your license and contact information, so we can email you the contract and get you into our system.”
I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn’t a fly on the wall. That I was really here, that Brett was going to represent me, not Daisy.
“Do you have any questions for me?” Brett asked.
I had a million, but I didn’t even know where to start. But there was something nagging at me, something that probably wasn’t defined in the contract, so asking was the only way I’d know.
“Will filming be all day, seven days a week?” I took a breath. “I’m trying to figure out if there’s any way I can still help my sister—I know she needs me—and continue volunteering a few days a week.” I looked at Dominick. “I found a super-cute retirement home by my apartment, and the little ladies love my watercolor class.”
Dominick turned to glance at Brett and said, “What did I tell you?”
Brett nodded. “You’re right. She’s fucking perfect.”
Charlize: Good thing you budged. I could have birthed a man-baby for how long I stood in that line. Hope your meeting went fabulously and you weren’t too late. Awesome to meet you today, girlfriend.
Charlize’s private message through Instagram was the first thing I saw when I got in my car and opened my purse. I needed a few minutes to cool down before I called my parents to tell them the good news and attempted to drive home. My phone was the perfect distraction. But even as I scanned his words again, the aftershock of my meeting with Brett and Dominick wasn’t just sending waves through me; it was churning a tsunami.
Me: I was sooo late, but something buck wild and completely unexpected happened while I was in there. I was offered a TV role, and now, I need to decide if I’m going to accept it. Who would have thought? Because I seriously wouldn’t have.
I hit Send and continued to stare at the screen, wondering why I was confessing this to a total stranger. But I had no one’s house to drive to right now, no one to talk to about this. Aside from my sister, I had no friends in LA, and Daisy wanted to disassemble my body at the moment and drop my limbs in the Pacific. My friends back in Boston would think I’d lost my mind—and maybe I had—but something told me Charlize would understand in a way they wouldn’t, and he’d give me some sound advice.
Charlize: WHAT? Oh, hell yes. Not that I’m surprised. You’re gorg, and you’re in LA. It was only a matter of time before you got scooped up. When are we celebrating? And it’d better be with something stronger than a latte.
Me: Tonight?
Charlize: Yes, girl. Yesss!
Six
Dominick
“You know she’s scared shitless, don’t you?” Brett said the second Kendall walked out of his office. “The whole time she was in here, she looked like a goddamn deer caught in headlights.”
“She’s humble.” I leaned back in the chair, using my palms as a pillow, fanning my arms to each side. “And her sister wants to fucking kill her, so there’s that too.” I smiled as I thought of the glimmer in Kendall’s eyes when I’d offered her the show. The way her lips had turned upward, her brows rising, the heat that had moved into her cheeks. “Man, she’s going to be perfect.”
He lifted his coffee and moved back in his chair, kicking his feet onto the top of his desk. “You know, when I first met James, I didn’t tell her I was an agent. I didn’t hide the fact; I just didn’t mention it. Jesus, I couldn’t keep my goddamn hands off her that night.” He shook his head, grinning. “Once we parted that next morning, we texted a few times, and then the opportunity to be her agent fell right in my fucking lap.” A serious expression took over his face. “Except there was one problem. I’d already slept with her.”