Page 46 of I Love to Hate You
“All right, people. It’s time to pitch,” he says. “Samantha and Chad, you’re up first.”
The six of us turn off our computers and make our way back to the conference table as Denver turns on the smart board behind him and gets it all set up for the first presentation. Erica, Derek, Kendrick, and I sit down, and Denver takes his seat at the head of the table. Chad and Samantha stand side-by-side with looks of terror on their faces as they await the go-ahead from Denver, and when he nods at them, they nod back and begin.
The next half hour goes by rather quickly. Chad and Denver rush through their pitch, both of them struggling to articulate music from an artist neither of them has listened to before today. Chad especially struggles, making it painfully obvious that he isn’t into anything rap or R&B related, as his vibe is completely dismissive. As far as I can tell from my vantage point, Chad wasn’t even trying to win pitch wars, he just wanted to sit back down as soon as possible. He let Samantha do all the talking, while he nodded and made facial expressions next to her the entire time. When they were finished, Denver didn’t look amused when he told them they needed to work on some things, but they’d discuss after everyone was finished.
Things got a little better when Derek and Erica had their turn. Their only problem was that the artist, Audrey Reed, didn’t have very much art available for them to use. As Denver stated when giving out the assignment, Miss Reed is a PR coordinator for a professional football team, so her time is clearly occupied. They managed to find a few pieces on her Instagram account, but the lack of art and information about her as a painter dampened the pitch. They would’ve had plenty to go on if they were pitching her as a PR coordinator, so out of all three assignments, theirs proved to be the most difficult. Nonetheless, we applauded them as they made their way back to the table. Once they were seated, it suddenly dawned on me that it was our turn.
As we stand in front of the group now, I can see the entertained expressions on their faces as they watch us get set up, and I suddenly feel like everyone is expecting us to do the worst. Maybe it’s because every interaction we’ve had in front of them thus far has been a bit of a battle, and they think we won’t be able to pull this off. But once the screen is set up, Kendrick nods to me and it fills me with empowerment. I have a sudden urge to please him—to make him proud by knocking this out the park. Plus, I can’t fumble this when that’s clearly what everyone expects. So I take a deep breath and turn to the board.
“So, this is Nasir Booker,” I begin. “He’s a New York Times Bestselling author with two books still on the list as we speak. He’s brilliant, and he is ready to gift the world with another masterpiece in the world of BDSM romance.A Good Girl’s Guide to Dominanceis all about getting the attention of the other side of the house. The side that doesn’t think it ever needs help, the side that refuses to stop and ask for directions even when they’re lost, the side that asks their partners if they finished because they can’t see the signs for themselves. We’re talking about men.”
“Every book Nasir writes is clearly aimed at women.” Kendrick jumps in now, his confidence and charisma on full display as he walks in front of the graphic we have on the screen showing demographics for Nasir Booker’s sales. “Women read his books and gobble up the words, letting them work magic on their minds and send heat cascading over every inch of their flesh. Nasir knows that, butthisbook is about reaching the people who need him most, and the only way to do that is to come at them from a new angle. Instead of standing in front of men and lecturing them about their obvious inadequacies in the bedroom and the BDSM lifestyle, Nasir is approaching them from the perspective of the submissive woman that most men so desperately wish they had. He’s talking to the men from the voice they want to hear and guiding them to the promised land.”
“So, the way we market this book is not the way Nasir has marketed his others,” I say, captivating the audience as Kendrick steps out of the way so the group can see me. “We market this book as a guide for men with open minds.”
“Haven’t you always wanted to know exactly what your woman wants from you in the bedroom?” Kendrick asks, looking directly at Denver, Chad, and Derek. “I mean, sure, you have your idea of whatyou thinkshe wants, but what if you could hear it straight from her mouth? Better yet, what if you could be the fly on her wall after each and every failed date she ever had? After she has terrible sex with someone else, you’re the invisible man behind the curtain listening as she details exactly what she hates.”
“You don’t have to worry about her telling you that you didn’t satisfy her,” I say. “She’s not yours … at least not yet. You have the opportunity to listen in on conversations with her friends, practically reading their thoughts as they describe things no man has ever been privy to.”
Kendrick looks up at the ceiling, gesturing with his arms. “You’ll be a god, erasing your weaknesses just by picking up a book. This is your secret weapon in the war of love between men and women.”
“You’ll become the best spy the world has ever seen,” I say, followed by Kendrick raising a fist.
“Arming yourself with knowledge no man has ever had—to use to your complete advantage.”
I bounce in, feeding off his energy. “How could anyone ever compete with you when you have the women’s playbook?”
“You learn from every man’s mistake without having to make any of your own,” Kendrick says, driving the point home with sustained eye contact with Denver. “Join the fight, and win the war of love—”
“With Nasir Booker’sA Good Girl’s Guide to Dominance,” I finish, before smiling from ear to ear.
Everyone in the room sits still, the only sounds coming from the air conditioner and their mouth-breathing. Kendrick and I look at each other, wondering what to do now that everyone is frozen solid. It becomes awkward after fifteen seconds pass with Denver just staring at us, but he eventually clears his throat and adjusts in his seat.
“Umm,” he starts, frowning as he looks down at the floor, searching for words. “I have never wanted to read a book about BDSM more in my entire life. That was phenomenal.”
“Really?” I ask as excitement erupts.
Denver stands up and begins to applaud, followed by the rest of the interns.
Kendrick looks back at me with a proud smile on his face, and the entire scene sends me reeling. I smile so hard it makes my face hurt as the group continues clapping like they’re trying to get us to do an encore.
After a moment, Denver steps forward and pulls Kendrick and I in close with his arms, whispering words only meant for us.
“I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, and I don’t care,” he says. “But whatever it is, it’s working. You two make one helluva team. So good, in fact, that I’m going to see about having the two of you pitch this directly to Nasir and his team. Even if the boss doesn’t want you to pitch it, I’ll present your pitch as your representative. Either way, your presentation will go up to the board for consideration. Fantastic job.”
Kendrick’s bulging eyes match mine as we both laugh and thank Denver over and over again. Kendrick reaches out and pulls me into a tight hug, and I drink the scent of him in, closing my eyes and forgetting all about the drama that made us hate each other. Right now, all that matters is what Denver just said.
The two of us make a hell of a team.
Thirty
~ MAYA~
“Can you believe that just happened?” I exclaim as Kendrick and I explode into the break room, our adrenaline still pumping from how our pitch turned out. My body feels on fire from the excitement, and I can tell from the look on Kendrick’s face that he’s just as hyped up as I am.
The door closes behind us, leaving us all alone in the break room while the other four interns stay back with Denver and receive tips and advice on how to improve their presentations. Kendrick and I were allowed to take some time to ourselves since we did so well, and now that we’re alone, I couldn't be more thankful that the others didn’t follow us, because I couldn't hold back this feeling for another second. It’s one thing to try to stay humble in front of those who haven't done as well, but holding in every ounce of my excitement feels likes something different entirely—much more like torture.
The second I hear the door latch, I turn to Kendrick and take him by the hands, practically jumping up and down with joy.
