AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And the wine is probably terrible. I bet she even has a bag of chips to go along with it. Maybe she has Tessa on the phone as moral support.
“Enjoy the movie,” Ezra says, and moves to the next couple behind us. The flashes continue as we walk.
That’s when Victoria’s co-star in her latest romcom, Sean Hastings, comes running up from behind us. I step away, and he gives her a hug. Immediately, the press begins taking pictures, and I relax as everyone seems to forget about me for a few moments.
I can’t help but see the way they click, the way Victoria’s eyes light up. They’re more than just co-stars. There’s a thing between them, and Sean leans in close to whisper something to her, his lips only an inch away from her ear. I’m reminded of how much I must look like that when I’m teasing Madison.
Then Sean goes back to his date two couples behind us, and I stand beside Victoria as we continue down the red carpet. “How long have you two been together?” I whisper to her.
“Since the first week of filming,” she whispers back. The whole time, we continue to smile at the cameras.
Soon. Soon I won’t have to do this without Madison at my side. I can’t wait for her to finish this campaign so I can let Emery go and just be Em again.
Chapter 45
Madison
There’s nothing quite as terrible as going to sleep by yourself when you know that the man you love was out all night with another sexy woman. I saw them on the live filming of the premiere forSome Call it Love. Victoria Durant looked gorgeous, and Em looked so handsome.
A part of me wonders if I could ever look that good standing next to him on a red carpet. Doubtful. I’m not like those women. I’m just me.
Then I remember that once upon a time, I was learning how to be that kind of woman. The false smiles and constant attention. The judgements and lying. I sigh as I realize I don’t think I could ever be that person.
But he doesn’t love those women. He loves me.
That thought is the only reason I got any sleep last night. Well, that and the bottle of wine. As I sit up in the queen-sized hotel bed, I check my phone. At twelve fifteen last night, Em texted me he was home and going to sleep along with a cute picture of him. He looks tired, but otherwise happy.
Before I even leave the bed, I open my email up to see if Marsha, the influencer I’m seeing today, has messaged me anything important. She hasn’t, but in my personal email, there’s a surprising one.
A job offer. Em had mentioned that most people would get job offers, and that’s why he’s paying us so much for our work on ChitChat. I just didn’t think it’d happen so quickly. This is the first week that the Bronze Goddess ads are running in earnest.
I guess that Herman and Schuster has been paying attention because it mentions the campaign in the email. Right next to the offer. Seven hundred thousand dollars a year. Plus bonuses.
“Shit…” I whisper. That’s a lot of money, maybe even more than I’ll make at Aspire. I’m going to turn it down, but it’s surprising how quickly they made that offer. If they’re paying attention to the Organo-cleanz campaign, then that offer will probably go up even more.
How’d they know it was me that headed up the Bronze Goddess campaign, though? Even if they knew the team somehow, why would they think that the intern with no experience would be the one to make an offer like this to?
I reply with a simple, “I am not interested in any other positions right now. Thank you.” Then I message Em a quick “I love you,” before putting the phone down and taking a shower.
I’m excited about today. Em won’t be in the public eye until I get home, and now I can focus on the campaign. And for the first time, I realize that this is far better than crunching numbers as a data analyst. The Bronze Goddess campaign may have been terrifying, but I actually enjoyed it a lot. It was like my own ChitChat channel on steroids.
It was fun even if it was challenging.
I doubt data analysis would have been this exciting. I wouldn’t have gone to Barcelona, and I certainly wouldn’t be traveling the country for it. Throw in the fact I’m basically making my own rules, and I’m enjoying my job regardless of how much it terrified me at first.
I’m someone in this field. I matter at Aspire, and I’m definitely not just a pretty girl in a dress. No, I just received a job offer from a major company without ever interviewing. Companies are going to be fighting over me.
It’s a strange feeling, but it’s one I think I could get used to. I think I like the idea of people wanting me for who I am.
***
The grease under the stove is so thick it’s impossible to know what color the tile is. Grimy yellow covers it all, and it’s obvious that no one’s cleaned them in years.
Marsha runs the scrub brush across the tiles, and just like the soap scum, the grease sloughs off into balls in the first few sweeps. She looks into the camera with wide eyes. “Buy it. Just freaking buy it. They say it’s made from coconut oil and lemon juice or something, and it takes off grease like something you’d find at the auto shop. I don’t know how that’s possible, so I’m just going to say that ScrubbingAngel was right. This won’t stay on shelves long. If you see it, buy them out.”
She stops the video and gets up. “What’s the catch with this stuff? Is it made with baby tears or what?”
I chuckle as I lean against the wall. “No catch. The inventor says that it has something to do with partial phase disruption and surface tensions. It’s in the patent if you want to get technical about it, but I’ve decided it’s just easier to think of him as a wizard.”
