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Her breath shuddered out. ‘It wasn’t me, Javier. It was my father. The only thing I’m culpable of is guilt by association.’
He regarded her for several tense seconds. ‘It’s not the only thing you’re guilty of, querida, but we’ll leave that for now. As for the tequila shoot, your role in it stands. You’re good at faking things.’ The discreet sound of the concierge’s buzzer echoed through the room. Javier rose and rounded the table to where she sat. Bending low, he placed a kiss at her temple. ‘You’ll excel in this role. I insist on it. Nothing less than perfection will do.’
She still sat frozen in place when he returned a few minutes later with a casually dressed man in tow. Darren O’Hare wore boxy spectacles, behind which his grey eyes twinkled with friendliness.
‘Welcome on board. We’ve had a hell of a time placing the right person for this launch. I was excited when Javier told me we’d landed you. I’m a huge fan,’ he said, a faint Irish brogue curling his words.
Careful not to glance at Javier in case the tension between them exploded onto their unsuspecting visitor, she smiled and shook Darren’s hand. ‘Thank you. I’ll do my best to make it work.’
Darren grinned and set down his leather portfolio. ‘I’ve watched a few of your performances online, for research purposes, of course. Outstanding doesn’t begin to describe them. Dedication like that translates into everything. You’ll knock this shoot out of the park. Then hopefully I can score myself tickets to your next performance. Tickets for the last one sold out within minutes—’
‘Perhaps we can get on with discussing what we need Carla to do? That is, of course, if you’ve finished with your shameless idol-worsh
ipping?’
Darren froze at the bite in his boss’s tone. Clearing his throat, he nodded. ‘Sure...of course.’
‘Great, let’s take the meeting in my office.’
He led the way out, his strides swift and purposeful. Grabbing his case, Darren sent her a puzzled glance. Her smile felt as false as her insides felt brittle.
They entered the room to find Javier poised at the head of an oval table, arms folded. In silence, Darren produced poster-sized glossy shots from his case and spread them out on the table.
Carla stared down at the pictures, the attention to detail and the sheer magnificence of the graphics robbing her of breath. It was quite evident that a lot of time and effort had gone into creating the perfect outer package for La Pasión, the signature drink fronted by J Santino Inc.
She read the tag at the bottom of the first graphic.
La Pasión.
Taste The Edge.
Live The Edge.
‘That’s our slogan for the tequila. My department is working on the script for you and Pavlov.’
‘Pavlov Krychek?’ she asked, surprised that the Russian ice-skating supremo was on board with the project. His penchant for throwing diva tantrums was well known. He also had the insufferable egotistical delusion that every woman he came across would fall at his feet.
Darren smiled wryly. ‘Yes, he was a pain to sign up but—’
‘Sadly he’ll no longer be part of this campaign,’ Javier finished.
Darren blinked in surprise. ‘Since when?’
‘Since I fired him this morning. He made one demand too many.’ His gaze shifted to her, and Carla’s breath stalled. ‘I don’t tolerate divas, male or female. So you’ll be on your own for this one. It’ll be just you, the bottle and your ice skates.’
Her eyes widened. ‘My skates?’
‘It’s your signature accessory, the essence of who you are. Otherwise you’ll be any other dime-a-dozen celebrity with an eye-catching face.’
Darren nodded slowly, clearly still reeling from the shift in proceedings, but catching up quickly. ‘I think that could work...’
‘It will work, much better than the advertising department’s initial idea. Perhaps someone should’ve brainstormed that before resources were wasted trying to land Krychek?’
A bewildered frown creased Darren’s brow, as if he had no idea what he was being scolded for. Again his gaze swung to her, and Carla almost felt sorry for him. Javier Santino in this mood meant hell for everyone.
‘So when is all this happening?’
Darren’s glance slid to her cast. ‘The idea was to shoot the ad on a real ice rink. CGI would work, but the real thing would give it much more depth.’
