Page 29 of Kiss & Collide
“His personnel file? Why?”
“I’m just looking to see if …” She scrambled to come up with a believable reason why the head of PR would need to see a staff member’s personnel file.
“Oh, I suppose you need to know about the investigation,” Imogen said knowingly.
Investigation?
Imogen leaned closer.
“I’m not sure because it happened before I started. But Richard said it was good that the whole thing was just a misunderstanding, because otherwise the press coverage would have been really bad. I suppose that’s whyyouneed to see it. Because of the press.”
Violet blinked. “Yes. Yes, that’s exactly why I need to see it. I need to know what I’m dealing with so I can get out in front of it, if need be. Can you help me out?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“You’re the best, Imogen.”
Okay, Reece was sorted for the day, and Imogen was on the Oscar case. She checked the time on her phone. If she hurried, she could get to the garage and tell Chase about theVanity Fairshoot before the race. As she headed in that direction, she told herself this fluttery feeling in her stomach was all due to scoringVF. She was excited about herjob. These flutters had absolutely nothing to do with seeing Chase.
12
Chase was just about to put his helmet on when Violet came sweeping into the Pinnacle garage, a vision in skinny striped pants and a red silk blouse.
“Clear your schedule after Budapest,” she said without preamble. “We’re going to Paris.”
“Paris? Why?”
“BecauseIhave gotten you a photo shoot withVanity Fair.Idid that. Me. I just got the official confirmation. You’re welcome.”
“A photo shoot with who?”
She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Chase.Vanity Fair. This ishuge. I had to hustle so hard to make it happen.”
“Isn’t that a fashion magazine? What do they want to do with a driver?”
She bypassed the question and poked him in the chest. “Hey, what happened with Clive Pennington?”
Okay, she had a point there. He’d found Clive at the after-party in Spielberg. They’d chatted about what seemed to him to be a whole lot of nothing, but then, just before Clive took off, he said they should discuss a sponsorship deal. It wasn’t a donedeal, but the conversation was happening, just like Violet said it would.
She’d even introduced him to Jeff Corbett, a marketing agent she knew. He was one of the guys who worked the kind of deals that could propel a driver to a whole new level in the sport. And now he was working for Chase, trying to pull in new sponsors for him, starting with Jet Energy. That could change everything for him. Violet had been right so far, so he should probably just keep following her lead.
“You really think this photo shoot will make a difference?” he asked.
“Not all by itself, but it’ll put you in front of the world’s eyeballs. It’ll help. So Paris. We leave straight from Budapest, yes?”
He saluted her. “Yes, sir.” Shealmostlaughed, which was a pretty big deal for Violet. He entertained himself sometimes figuring out what he could say or do to get her to crack.
“I’ll email you the details. And we’ll need to squeeze in some time to do some media training with you.”
“You said I was a natural.”
“Even a natural needs work. You have to be prepared for anything they might ask you. I’ll work up some interview questions and we’ll practice.”
She started to turn away, her attention already on her phone, but he snagged her elbow. “Hey. My room tonight? You can play reporter andgrillme.”
“You are such a freak.” She sighed, but she was smiling—again. He loved it. “Fine. Come find me after the reception.”
He was still smiling to himself as he put his helmet on and got his HANS device in place, watching her walk away.
