Page 21 of Scoring Chance

“Well, my team and I have a lot cooking,” Kyle interjects, never one to let a moment exist without him. He used to see me as an annoyance, until he realized I was the real deal. “Ardmore Expedition Stores has been so enamored with our work that they’re considering…” Kyle pauses for effect. Damn it, even I lean forward in my seat, intrigued. “Advertising in the Super Bowl. And they’d want us to make the commercial.”

Stan’s mouth falls open, while the rest of his face beams. The conference room lights up with excitement. “We’ve never done a commercial for the Super Bowl. One hundred million people seeing our work.”

“More than that. The right commercial can go viral. We might be looking at billions. Quite a spotlight for Petty/Marsh,” Kyle says.

I grumble while keeping a polite smile on my face, something I’ve mastered through years of listening to scathing client feedback.

“Great work, Kyle,” Stan says.

“Ardmore has been so impressed with our work that they want to expand their advertising, and what better way than the Super Bowl?” Kyle flips a pen in his hand. The joy radiating off him turns up the panic in my chest.

“That’s awesome,” I say, and before I can think it through, the words keep coming out. “I also have some exciting news. I’m going to make Silq Cosmetics a Petty/Marsh client.”

That quiets everyone and pulls focus back to me.

“No you’re not,” Kyle shoots back.

“They’re unhappy with their current creative. They’re about to put their agency into review.” I silently thank Maya. For the great sex and possibly saving my career.

That elicits actual gasps around the room. Stan, a man with a great poker face, can’t help but raise his eyebrows. Even Kyle has a flash of shock.

“Really?” Stan asks. “They just hit the Fortune 500 list. Some people think they could eclipse Revlon soon.”

“If they have the right creative,” I say, keeping cool. “We should be getting their RFP next week.”

After Maya’s tip, I found out that Silq’s head of marketing is connected to Bill on LinkedIn; they met at some corporate function and stayed friendly. I sweettalked Bill (a challenge) to get me an introduction, then I sweettalked the head of marketing to get us an invitation to compete.

“We’re going to land them. I have the best team working with me. I don’t have any doubts.” I manage to be cooler and calmer than George Clooney sipping his branded tequila. Inside, though, I’m freaking the fuck out.

This would be a wonderful sendoff gift for Stan. Landing Petty/Marsh’s biggest client ever, a true sign of how he’s been able to build up our agency during his tenure. There’s no way he could deny choosing me for creative director after that. Now I have to do the damn thing.

“If we get the Silq business, does that mean we’d get free products?” asks Ainsley, a mid-level graphic designer. “Asking for a friend, of course.”

“We’ll see,” I say.

“You think we can get Silq?” Stan asks.

“Absolutely. We’ve never gone after a client of this size. But we have it in us.” My stomach tumbles around like the most aggressive dryer cycle.

“Well, if you need help, Des, I’m happy to assist,” Kyle chimes in. “You know, since I have a fresher, younger perspective.”

Kyle is only thirty-five, nearly a decade younger than me. He had less of a ladder he needed to climb thanks to daddy.

“I think I’ve got it from here, Kyle. Thank you.”

“Competition—I love it!” Stan rubs his hands together. “I’ll be making my decision on my successor by December. Let’s see what you boys got.”

Just then, Stan’s secretary Myrna enters. She’s a lifer, knows the birthdays of every single person in this office from memory. She whispers something to him, which elicits a look from Stan I’m not used to: giddiness.

“Des,” Stan says, “do you have any big news you want to share?”

“Does it get bigger than Silq?”

“Anything else you want to tell us about?”

“We’ve finally convinced Vernon Auto Parts to start a TikTok.”

“Not work-related. Is there anything else going on in your life?”