Page 104 of Keep Your Friends Close and Your… Work Enemy Closer?

"I can see that." Like a queen, she marched in and took a seat, folding her hands on the table while glancing back and forth expectantly between Max and me. "Okay. I'm ready to be wooed some more."

Smiling at her, I took my place at the head of the room, Max following me. We'd walked through this part countless times, so many times, I'd literally been rehearsing it whenever I'd closed my eyes last night. Hopefully, all that repetition would pay off.

Standing beside the large touch screen with Venus' photo on it, I started the presentation, beginning with our vision for her book, a memoir that would go beyond the surface of her fame and celebrity to reveal who she really is.

I had high hopes that we could convey what her life felt like from the inside, including lessons learned and life stories that no one else could possibly know.

Occasionally, she glanced down at the pitch book we'd designed, following along with our slides, but mostly she kept her eyes on us, on me, her face carefully blank.

She was quiet throughout, which wasn't what I expected, and she was quite difficult to read, especially because I knew from her movies that her face could be very expressive. I tried not to let it throw me, charging forward, letting Max/Jared do his rehearsed bit about the promise of giving her creative freedom in the process, something I knew was important to her.

After he was done, he gave me a look full of meaning, full of encouragement, and for a split second, I forgot about everything else, the intense pressure I was under, getting a little lost in his eyes.

Despite the stakes, this just felt good. For the first time in my life, I had someone—besides my family—supporting me, being my biggest cheerleader, and I fucking loved it.

Taking a steadying breath, I got back to work, determined to finish strongly, saving the best for last while walking Venus through the showiest part of our presentation—the possible cover designs and creative treatment for her book.

Again, she was a complete enigma while I went through the mock-ups, praying that we hadn't offended her somehow. Maybe we should have gone with more alliteration like Max had suggested.

Once I was finished, I asked, "Do you have any questions for us?"

"Yes, actually, I do." She leaned forward a bit, and I had a hard time keeping my eyes on her face and not the flash of red lacy bra beneath her suit jacket. "So why you? Why Insight Ink? Why shouldn't I go with one of the big publishing houses?"

Oh, boy. Venus La Fleur knew how to play hardball.

My eyes darted to Max who simply nodded at me. Yeah, this one was for me. But given my past experience, I knew exactly what to say.

"That's definitely a valid question, one I completely understand," I began. "A bigger publisher might be tempting since they have more name recognition. But with them, and trust me, I've personally been there, you'll be one of many. With us though?"

My eyes went to Veronica who gave a sharp nod of approval.

"With us," I went on, "you'd be the number one priority. We'd be more hands on, and we'd offer you maximum control, morecreative flexibility that larger houses just can't. With us, it's more of a collaboration, way more intimate and personal. And if that's important to you, I think we'd be an absolute perfect fit."

Really, I couldn't think of another thing to say, and I smiled at her, my heart pounding away, hoping she'd return my smile. But she didn't, and my stomach dropped.

This was it—the big moment, the big finale.

Remembering Max's words, though, helped calm me. It'd be just fine no matter what. My whole life didn't hinge on this moment, even though it sure felt like it did right now.

Giving him a quick glance, he did indeed return my smile, and it did a little something to my soul. Wouldn't it be nice to always have that?

A slow clap echoed through the room, drawing my attention back to Venus and her extra long nails attached to hands that were slowly coming together. It took a second for it to register. But holy shit, she was the one clapping!

"You did an amazing job," she said, her smile flashing bright now. "I'm officially wowed."

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

She stood up, grabbing the pitch book to her chest. "I'll have my people call your people. And don't worry, despite my outward appearance, I will never flake on you. If I say something, I mean it one hundred percent."

"That's wonderful. I'm so excited to work with you," I gushed, relief flooding my limbs, making them a bit shaky.

"Likewise, darling."

She headed for the conference room door, and I wondered if I should offer her some champagne or food. All of that effort, and she hadn't taken a single bite, only the occasional sip of her water.

"Sorry to run, but I've got a flight soon, and I really need to get out of this suit. I don't know how you do it, but these things are very uncomfortable."

Laughing, I walked her toward the elevators, Max coming along as well. "I suppose we've grown used to it," he said.

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