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I study her carefully, watching the tick of her heartbeat throb in her neck. Her cheeks are pink, and she’s so passionate about this, that I see a sliver of myself inside her. When I first started this business, I wanted controversial. I wanted to be edgy, and that’s how I built my clients so quickly. Hearing Riley talk about this, trying to convince me, makes me realize how far I’ve come from the foundation that I built my company on. I’m lost in my thoughts as I stare at the stiletto and the silence drones on. “Why can you truss up a woman in sexy lingerie, soft lighting, and throw on a pair of heels, and tell them it’s a fantasy come true but you can’t say size does matter? Isn’t that a double standard?” she finally asks, waiting for my response.
“It’s not a double standard, it’s Martinez expectation. Sex and shoes, it’s what sells, and it’s what has sold their product for the last decade.”
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p; “Maybe it’s not their expectation, but yours. It’s old and played out. I actually expected more from you,” she says.
For the next few minutes, we argue back and forth about the design and why it won’t work. For each objection I have, Riley has an even better reason why I’m wrong. For someone who’s used to telling everyone else why their ideas are incorrect, it’s nice to have the same in return. In this business, a person grows in their craft and becomes better with criticism, but over the last ten years, no one has dared to argue with me, until now.
I started this company when I was a freshman in college, working from a small laptop on the kitchen table in my tiny apartment. Through the years it’s become the largest ad agency in New York. People respect and admire me, but very few disagree with me. I’m known for my innovation, creativity, and for continually pushing the envelope. As this fresh-out-of-college girl sits in front of me, telling my ideas and thoughts are old, I realize how out of touch I’ve become.
A hint of a smile tugs at the corners of my mouth and I feel invigorated arguing with Riley. I rub my chin with my index finger and thumb and know Riley’s got a point. A shocking ad campaign could spike sales and gain more visibility than another model in underwear wearing Martinez heels. The only issue I have is actually having Martinez sign off on the idea. I’ve seen stranger things happen, but this is out of their realm, different than anything they’ve ever done. The thoughts and ideas about the new branding we could offer them comes flooding in, and the only thing that pulls me away from the excitement is Riley’s sultry voice.
“So I’m fired, aren’t I?” She finally asks after we sit in complete silence for a few minutes.
I glance back at the design then at Riley. She stands, licks her lips and begins to walk out.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“To apply at the newspaper. Maybe I can make ad sets for the local grocery store,” she says before opening the door.
“Riley. Sit.”
She turns and looks at me, no expression on her face, but she licks her pouty lip. The unspoken attraction practically pulls her back to me. She walks back to the chair, and I study her curves, and all I can think about is kissing that feisty mouth.
“Riley… isn’t that a boy’s name?” I ponder out loud.
Riley shrugs and smiles. “My parents were expecting a boy. Instead, they got me.”
Easy laughter erupts from my throat at her casual answer and sexy smile. “I imagine they were shocked?”
“They were. I shocked them even more when I preferred baseball to ballet. I was a bit of a tomboy.”
The thought mulls over in my mind, and I wonder if that’s why she came in here dripping confidence like she just showered in it. She scoots the chair closer to my desk and rests her arms on it. I watch her chest rise and fall. Riley Harper may be one of the most beautiful creatures I’ve seen.
“Tell me, Riley, what do you suggest I do?” I sit back, cross my arms over my broad chest and watch her.
Riley looks at me, blush hitting her cheeks, then she stands up. Walking over to the glass-paned wall of my office on the 35th floor, she looks out. The sun is setting, casting an ethereal glow of purple and blue over Manhattan. I glance at my watch and notice we’ve been arguing for more than an hour and it’s close to six. Anyone else would’ve probably quit after the things that’ve been said, but not Riley. She has too much passion for her work, something this company needs.
I imagine going to her and framing her hips with my hands before pulling her against me to feel my arousal. Will she retreat, or will she turn and kiss me with that sassy mouth of hers?
“I think you need to show it to your clients.” Riley’s voice pulls me out of the fantasy and back to the present. “At least demonstrate you can do something different from girls in thongs. If they don’t like it, you can always go back to the same old boring underwear models. Tomorrow is a preliminary meeting, a perfect time discuss the new direction of the campaign. Give them a chance to see something different and let them make up their minds.”
“And if they hate it, it affects the reputation of BPC Advertising. I won’t let rookie designers influence my reputation, Riley.” My voice sounds harsh, even to my own ears.
She turns around and places her hands on her hips. “It’s not a bad design Mr. Carter, it’s just different. Something you pride yourself on being in this industry. Maybe your reputation was wrong after all, and you’re not the designer your biography makes you up to be.” Riley turns back to the studying the skyline of New York as if dismissing me in my own office.
My temper snaps and sizzles, eager to be set free. Instead, I ask her in a calm tone of voice, “How’s my reputation wrong?”
“Your reputation precedes you Mr. Carter, but of course you know that. You’ve been known to be a pioneer in advertising, but from what I saw in that folder, it looks like you’ve been recycling old ideas and just slapping a skinnier model or a new font type on it. If you try to polish a turd, it’s still a turd.”
I push away from my desk and move toward her, but in the space of five steps I know she’s right. The Martinez designs had been recycled, and maybe it was time to offer them something different. Riley is a force to be reckoned with, and her attitude lights a fire within me.
I have a feeling she’s going to be trouble, but as I watch her stand confidently in front of the windows, I’ve never wanted trouble more.
2
Riley
