Page 14 of Back Up Plan

“Thank you,” Ari said as she made her way to the elevators. The building had hardly been updated since it was built, the art deco interior shining through the modern details. She clicked the up button and walked toward the open, gilded elevator.

It wasn’t until the doors closed that Ari remembered that she had completely forgotten to research the technician entirely. A year ago, she never would have dreamed of entering such a confrontational meeting without a little research. But, she took a quick breath in and reminded herself that it was just a conversation.

It was a quick ride up, but she managed to sneak in a response to Cass before the doors glided open:

See you at 9, 246 10th Ave.

Just as she hit send, the elevator doors parted to reveal a carpeted hallway with a set of tall, glass doors. Last Stitch was stenciled onto the glass.

Ari reached for the door handle only for the door to swing open before she even made contact.

“Hello, Ms. Graves. Thanks for coming down,” the receptionist said as she guided Ari down a long hallway.

The office was large and spacious, mimicking a traditional SoHo artists loft, but it clearly had far more amenities.

“Ms. Owens is waiting for you in the ADR room,” She continued.

Ari nodded and followed her lead, “That’s great.”

“As you know, Kylie will be in great hands here. We’ve placed a few orders to ensure her riders are completely accommodated. We’re even including a mini fridge in the suite so she can take breaks at her leisure,” the receptionist added.

Just as she finished, the receptionist paused outside of the closed ADR studio and held her arm out for Ari to enter.

Ari swung the door open and started talking, “So, you’ve been harassing my client?”

She fell silent as the large, soundproof door slammed behind her.

Stunned by the tenor of the voice coming from behind her, Cass took off her headphones and swung around, “Who the fuck…”

“Oh fuck,” Ari and Cass said in unison.

Shaking her head, Ari complained, “Of course, you’re the tech up my client's ass.”

“And you’re the agent who doesn’t let me do my job?” Cass questioned.

They stood in silence for a moment.

“Small world, huh,” Cass said with a chuckle.

Ari rolled her eyes and argued, “So, you stalked me on LinkedIn but couldn’t bother researching a celebrity’s agent?”

Cass shrugged, “And you’re supposed to be a big, bad agent who doesn’t even dig up some dirt on the sound tech you’re trying to intimidate.

Clenching her jaw, Ari held her tongue. Even through her annoyance, she needed to negotiate something better for Kylie. But, her heart was racing so fast she could barely think. She hadn’t been alone in a room with Cass and something about her frustrated expression made Ari want to… well she didn’t quite know.

“Look. My client is frustrated and nervous, so we need to resolve this,” Ari said.

Cass nodded, “Well, we’ve met all of her riders. What else did you have in mind?”

Ari clicked her tongue, “Some respect for one of the highest earning new-comings in the world.”

Standing, Cass laughed, “There’s one of those every couple years. She needs to learn how to respect the process.”

“Who said the process requires overstepping your place?” Ari argued as she took a step toward Cass. She hadn’t ever noticed that she was ever-so-slightly taller than Cass, though the heels certainly helped.

Cass stepped closer, matching Ari’s approach. She looked down Ari’s body, enjoying looking up at her.

“Are you saying I’ve overstepped?” Cass said, staring into Ari’s hazel eyes.

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