Page 7 of One Time in Paris
Too quiet.
Isla had seen that look before. The way Davy bit her lip, eyes just a little too shiny.
“What is it?” Isla asked gently. Davy had just started a job at the Travelog Channel—a huge promotion. “Did something happen?”
With a sharp sniffle, Davy blinked back tears. “No. Not yet. But I’m one bad pitch away from getting fired. My boss called me into his office last Friday and told me that if I didn’t have an innovative idea on his desk when I return from this trip, I may as well pack my things.”
Oh no.
“What? Davy! What about the cheese adventure?”
Davy sat, shoulders slumped. “Turns out they did that exact segment four years ago. Cheese capitals of Europe. Tanked harder than my high school math scores. So not only did I pitch something that’s already been done but I also pitched a failure of a concept, too.”
“I know of an exciting boutique inn in Costa Rica that would be happy to host you for a travel docuseries.” Isla slipped her arm around her shoulder with a comforting squeeze.
“Do you know that I tried to pitch something like that to them? Antony said I had to do better than a Costa Rican inn and rolled his eyes. Heactuallyrolled his eyes at me in a meeting. In front of everyone, Isla. I almost evaporated into my seat I was sweating so badly.”
“You can’t let him intimidate you. You’re good at this. This is what you were born for—you said it yourself.”
“Oh, who am I kidding? My parents sent me to school hoping I’d get an MD and an MRS., and so far, I’ve failed on both accounts. I’m a has-been wannabe filmmaker who can’t even pitch a tantalizing idea to keep my entry-level job at the Travelog Channel. This isn’t National Geographic, Isla. They give shows toinfluencerson a regular basis. Most of our shows are on YouTube—only a few make it to the cable channel or get picked up by a bigger network. The only film that got me noticed was because you starred in it, and you’re so freaking beautiful that no one was paying attention to the filmmaking.”
“Stop it.” Isla shoved her away. “Listen, this is what we’re going to do. Between scheduled selfies and whatever horrors Kelsey has planned, we’re going to brainstorm ten killer ideas. Minimum. Okay?”
“Okay,” Davy answered tearfully, clearly unconvinced.
Isla stood, determined to cheer her up. “What’s on the agenda for tonight?”
“Silver dresses, dinner, Chippendales show at nine thirty, then time in Ellis Island Casino.” Davy sighed with about as much enthusiasm as Isla felt.
“Sounds like we need to pre-game.” Isla unzipped her carry-on and pulled out a bottle of tequila she’d picked up duty-free at the airport. “To solving our problems,” she declared with a confidence she didn’t know she possessed.
“How much of that bottle do you think it will take before I believe it?” Davy groaned.
Isla poured two shots and raised hers with mock solemnity. “Let’s find out.”
4
AIDEN
“This is bloody mad.”Aiden pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly to keep his temper in check.
“Sit down. Grab a drink.” Felix peered up at him from the bar with a chagrinned expression.
With a clenched jaw, Aiden slid into the barstool beside Felix. He’d always hated Las Vegas. Probably unreasonably so. But something about it had always seemed so...irritatingly dirty. Infuriatingly sleazy.
Thiswasn’t helping.
“Look, we’ve known each other for a long time, Aiden. I told you from the start that I’ll always shoot straight with you. And I’m warning you now because I consider us friends.”
Friends?He barely knew Felix Covington. His company was among many that Camden held contracts with, and the two men were friendlyenough,but Aiden didn’t know if he could name three personal facts about the man.
Felix sipped on his Manhattan and winced. Perhaps at the drink. Perhaps at his own lack of subtlety.
“This is business, pure and simple,” Felix said. “The company just isn’t impressed by the way this whole Ipolymer deal has gone down. You keep saying it’s going to happen, and—look—I’m sure you’re trying your best, but you can’t shit where you sleep. Frankly, that sort of behavior just hasn’t impressed my board. I’m doing what I can, but partnering with another company is looking more appealing to them the longer this drags out.”
Aiden let his eyes drift from the bar toward the chaotic, blinking lights. No wonder people lost all sense of time in here. The noise, the crowds, the flashiness, the fliers of mostly naked womeneverywhere—it was overstimulation dressed up in neon—even with the jet lag. If he tried to lie down and go to sleep right now, he’d struggle to shut his brain off. It was like drinking inside a pinball machine.
He ordered a gin and leaned back, thinking before he responded. Felix’s news wasn’t just a blow—it was earth-shattering. If Covington Biotechnics partnered with another company, the repercussions would be felt in every single division of Camden Enterprises.
