Chasing Desire Read online

  “Busy woman, easy skin care. That’s good.”

  I look up at Macy. “That’s a great tagline. How about, ‘busy life, simple beauty’?”

  “I like that. It would get my attention.”

  “I like that better than what I had.” I type the replacement on my note cards. “Thanks for getting lunch.”

  “No problem.”

  She walks out and I get back to work as I open my lunch bag and take out the roast beef and provolone sandwich I always get, eating quickly.

  “Brayden,” Macy says over the intercom. “Brian and Shannon are here. Are you ready?”

  I tell Macy to send them in and stand to greet them both.

  “Do you have something for me?” I ask.

  “We do,” Brian says.

  I study the girl for a moment and wonder what her deal is. She’s one of only a few interns who doesn’t throw herself at me and I can’t figure out why. Not that I mind. I have my hands full as it is and I’ve been told more than once to quit fucking these girls. Inevitably, they want more, then I have to break it off, then they get all butt hurt and quit, and then everyone gets mad at me. Same routine, different girl. Shannon, for whatever reason, doesn’t seem interested.

  “Let me see what you have,” I say.

  Brian hands me a CD and I load it into my computer. Images come up with a woman and in the background are the many responsibilities in her life. Work, kids, cooking. I notice the distinct lack of a man in the background, insinuating that she does all of this herself. She looks tired, worn out, and older than she seems. A female voice comes through, “You have enough to do. Shouldn’t your skin care be easy?”

  The next scene shows the woman spreading the cream on her face and a time relapse. At the end, she looks gorgeous, youthful and radiant. All the images from the first screen replay and she looks at it all then turns back to the camera smiling. It’s fucking perfect.

  Shannon speaks first. “Is there anything you want changed?”

  “No. This is fantastic,” I say with excitement in my voice. “You guys did a nice job. Great teamwork.”

  They exchange glances and then suddenly I understand why she isn’t interested in me. She is definitely into Brian. Looking down at my watch, I save the file to my hard drive.

  “Drinks are on me if I seal the deal.”

  “You’ll do great,” Brian says. “You always do.”

  “Thanks, Brian. I really appreciate the work you both did on this.” I smile at them to show my sincerity. “You make my job easier.”

  The interns smile and I notice Shannon reach down and squeeze Brian’s hand. I put my suit jacket on and check the mirror I keep in my drawer to make sure my teeth are good. Popping a breath mint in my mouth, I run my fingers through my hair and spritz myself with cologne. Brian and Shannon watch every move I make. When I am satisfied with my appearance, I take my things and start to head back up to Charles’s office. Hopefully, this time he approves.

  “Okay, you two, I’ll let you know how it goes,” I say.

  “Good luck,” Shannon says, smiling.

  I turn back at the intern and grin. “Luck is for love and gambling. Success comes from hard work. Never forget that.”

  “I won’t,” she says.

  Walking past Macy, I smile. “I’m going in.”

  “You got this, Brayden. I have no doubt.”

  “Thanks, Macy. See you soon.” I wink at her and turn to leave, but she stops me.

  “Oh, Brayden,” Macy continues. “I found out her name. It’s Meredith. She told me she had a boyfriend until I told her who was asking.” She hands me a slip of paper, rolling her eyes. “That’s her phone number.”

  Grinning, I take the paper and put it in my pocket. “Nice.”

  “You have quite the rep around here. Why any of these women just want to be a notch on your bedpost is beyond me. You’re obviously attractive and charming, but don’t they know that you go through women like a change of clothes?”

  “They don’t care. All they want is to be with someone who makes them feel good for a little while. That’s what I do.” I sigh as I run my hands through my hair. It’s all I want, too. “Someday when I’m ready, I’ll be looking for a girl just like you. Someone I can take home to mama, so to speak.” Not that I would ever introduce anyone I actually liked to my dysfunctional mother.

  “I personally can’t wait to meet the woman who gets you to settle down.”

  “I can wait.” I smile and wink, before I head off to the elevators. When I arrive at the top floor again, I walk over to Nancy. “Is he ready for me?” I ask.

  “He is. Go on in.”

  “Thanks.”

  I tap softly on Charles’s door and step in. “Ready to see what I have?”

  “Of course.”

  Opening my laptop, I load the file and watch his face for the thirty seconds the proposed ad runs. A slight smile pulls at his lips and I know he’s pleased.

  “This is good and should get their attention. I happen to know that Christiansen is their top choice at the moment, so you need to do what you can to impress them.”

  “I’m ready.”

  “I know you are.” Charles stands and puts his suit jacket on. “Let’s go.”

  We walk down the hall to the large conference room overlooking the stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. My eyes linger for a moment as the sunlight bounces off the water in the distance.

  I hit the remote for the projector screen to slide down as Nancy sets out water pitchers and cups for everyone. She steps out and a few minutes later, returns with our guests for the day. Two women and three men enter the room and Charles steps forward to greet them.

  “Welcome. I’m Charles Capella and this is Brayden James.”

  I stretch my arm out to shake hands with everyone. One of the men speaks first.

  “Thanks for having us. I’m John. This is Kevin, Peter, Stefania, and Amy.”

  “Please have a seat¸” I say. “We have an exciting presentation for you today.” Everyone takes a spot around the large oval, ebony table. The two women smile at me. Stefania is very pretty while Amy is particularly unattractive. She has a nose that dominates her face and when she smiles, there is something very masculine about it, but I will have to treat both women equally. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

  “We’re looking forward to what you have,” Kevin says. “We’ve seen a wide range of proposals lately.”

  “I believe what we have today is right for your target market,” I say, turning down the lights. “You’ll see what I mean.” I hit play on the presentation and then lean back against the wall so I can study everyone’s reaction to it.

  Right away, the women are engaged while the men make notes. It’s over quickly, but I can tell they like it. Of course, they will try to poker face it. They always do. What they don’t know is that I can see their tells a mile away. When the video is over, I turn the lights back up and walk confidently to the front of the room.

  “Before I ask you what you think, I want to tell you a few more things about our approach. I’ve been researching your company and products for several months now and what I’ve learned is that your ideal customer is a working woman with a family and many obligations. She has a lot on her plate and the last thing she needs is to make taking care of her skin a chore. Am I right so far?”

  Heads nod and I continue. “She’s upper middle class and your product is an affordable alternative to department store brands. She can get it while she’s buying her other groceries, making it an economical and convenient choice.”

  “Yes, that’s right,” John says.

  “Great. Well, we started by conducting an informal survey down at Gaslamp and asked women three questions. One, do you have a skin care regime? Two, what do you like about it? And finally, if you could change anything, what would it be? After compiling the answers of one hundred women the theme was clear. Make it simple. A no-brainer. Something she can do in the three minutes she has
left before she falls asleep exhausted every night.” I pause dramatically and let my eyes gaze at both women and smile. They immediately return my gesture with their own grins.

  I cover the detailed demographics and the many options I developed for future ad campaigns over the next hour. The group stays engaged with me, asking questions and making notes. I feel that it’s going well so I add in my final pitch in an effort to seal the deal.

  “So,” I continue, “What we presented is an ad we think speaks volumes. This woman has enough going on with everything in her life. She doesn’t need more work to do, but she wants to feel beautiful and look her best. Busy life, simple beauty.”

  The room is silent for a few moments while everyone looks at each other. Charles looks around the room and he looks like he is about to say something. I really hope he doesn’t. This is my baby and I don’t want him to take one single ounce of credit for this close.

  John speaks up first. “Could we have a moment alone to discuss what you’ve presented?”

  “Certainly,” I say. Charles and I step out of the room.

  “Good sign,” Charles says. “If they weren’t interested they would just leave.”

  “Agreed.” I pace the hallway, waiting for them to call us back in. I need this account. I hope it was enough.

  Fifteen minutes later, John appears at the door and motions us to come back in. We walk in and both Charles and I assume our confident stance. John smiles and looks at his coworkers.

  “We like it. Our only concern is making it appeal to women without kids and family, like Stefania here.” I look over at the slightly chubby blond. While she could stand to lose a few pounds, her skin is pale like cream and her eyes shine a bright blue.

  “Well,” I start, “Just because you aren’t married with kids yet, doesn’t mean your life isn’t full, right?” She smiles and nods. “I can’t tell if your glowing skin is natural or a result of using this product.”

  “I use the product,” she says.

  “I do, too,” Amy chimes in.

  “Fortunate company to have such lovely examples of the product.”

  Stefania and Amy giggle like small girls until Kevin clears his throat.

  “We can add a little more to the commercial,” I say. “How about some images of a gym workout and maybe someone sitting in a classroom, like an adult student?”

  Stefania’s face lights up. “That’s perfect. I am a student now.”

  Kevin and Peter have been quiet the majority of the meeting, so Charles engages them. “Do you gentlemen have any questions for us?”

  Kevin speaks. “No. We agree with John.”

  “Are you able to do a version in Spanish for us?” Peter asks.

  “Ah, glad you asked,” I say. “We have that written in the proposal. We can have it produced and live in a matter of weeks, upon your approval, of course.” I glance at John, who is clearly the head decision maker of the group.

  “Well,” John says. “We’ve made our decision. We’d like to work with you. Except for the few changes we discussed, this ad is perfect for our product.”

  “Excellent,” I say, glancing over at Charles. “We can set up time to discuss the changes and I’ll have the full contracts sent over to your office by tomorrow, if you’ll just sign the Exclusivity Agreement for now.”

  “Sounds good.” John scribbles his signature on the page and the group gathers to leave. We all shake hands and say our goodbyes.

  Charles and I walk back to his office. “I thought it would take them longer to decide after the flashy presentation they saw at Christiansen this morning.”

  “How did you find out what was presented?”

  “I have a mole over there. A guy who’s been trying to get into our company for six months. He tells me everything.”

  “You gonna hire him?”

  Charles’s lips bend into a frown. “No. I don’t like him at all, but he keeps me informed so I talk to him. Supposedly, they were pretty wowed, but I think Christiansen neglected to do their research on the audience. They are not known for their slick, flashy ads, so maybe they went a bit over the top. We know that doesn’t work for everything and you proved that today.”

  “I just did what seemed right for the client.” I take a seat in one of his chairs.

  “I’ll talk to the others about pushing through your promo. I think we could get it done in the next month or so. You’ve earned it.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  Charles leans back in his chair and places his hands behind his head. “Then you can stop calling me boss. After you move up here, I’ve decided I’m going to retire.”

  “Retire? You’re so young.”

  “Exactly why I want to. I want to spend time with Carrie and still have fun while I’m able to enjoy it. Besides, have you seen my wife? I can’t leave her unattended for too long. I’ve met our pool boy.” Charles smiles, but I detect authentic concern.

  I laugh. “Yeah, I’ve seen her. How old is she?”

  “Twenty-eight. My oldest daughter is three years older.” He shakes his head. “She keeps me young, though. Anyway, I know she won’t be around forever so I better enjoy it now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “In ten years’ time, I’ll be an old man and she’ll move on to someone younger and richer. That’s how this goes. For now, she’s mine.”

  “Is that how you look at it? Doesn’t she love you?”

  Charles looks at me like I’m an idiot. “Does she love me? She loves my money and the lifestyle I can give her. I think she is fond of me, but love? Doubt it.”

  “That’s kind of sad.”

  “We’ll see what you think after three divorces.”

  “I don’t see how I’ll have three divorces if I never marry in the first place.”

  He looks hard at me. “You will. All the execs are married. You have so many events and crap you have to go to. You need a pretty wife on your arm. It makes you respectable.” He chuckles. “Well, it makes you appear respectable. Whether you are or not is your business. And when you get sick of your pretty little wife, when she gets fat or boring or too tired for blow jobs, then you find a pretty girlfriend to take care of your needs. Then your formally pretty wife finds out, again, and leaves you, taking half your fortune with her. Alas, you will make more money and you will find a new pretty wife and repeat the process until you die. Basically.”

  “Gee, Charles. That sounds great. Where do I sign up?”

  “Make fun, but it’s just how it is. Ask anyone of the top guys here. All of us are on our third or fourth wife. Brad Stone is on his fifth and he’s only forty-eight.”

  “All the more reason to avoid marriage number one then.”

  “What are you, almost thirty now?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You need to get on it. You can’t be a man whore your entire life.”

  “Man whore? Nice.” Charles laughs. “Anyway, why not? It works well for me. I do what I want, when I want. No ties, no drama. I like my life.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s all that matters.”

  “Yep.” I stand up and brush my hands over my slacks. “Are you coming out with us tonight for drinks? We’re going for a few across the street.”

  “No. I told Carrie I would go to her sister’s birthday party with her. Have one for me.”

  “Will do.” I chuckle. “See you later then.”

  “Yep. Good job today.”

  I pause for just a moment to let his words sink in. It’s taken me three long years and hundreds of closings to get a ‘good job’ from him.

  “Thanks, Charles.” I walk out and give Nancy a thumbs-up.

  “Congratulations on another close,” she says, smiling.

  “Thank you,” I say, taking a small bow. “I thought it was going to be a little tougher, but it must have been what they wanted. They made their decision quickly.”

  “Charles must be pleased. Pretty soon, I
’ll be answering your phone.”

  “Aw, you don’t want to work for me. I’m even worse than that guy,” I say, nodding in Charles’s direction.

  Nancy laughs. “Well, don’t tell Charles, but when he retires, I’m going to do the same. My daughter just had her first baby and I want to stay home and spend time with her.”

  “That’s great. Congratulations. As long as you are here while Charles is, then he’ll be fine. All hell will break loose if you try to leave before that.”

  “Trust me, I know.”

  “See ya later, Nancy.” I wink and head back to my floor.

  When I see Macy she stands waiting to hear the news. “Well?”

  “You are looking at the new account manager for Stunning Lady Cosmetics.”

  “Yay! That’s wonderful. Not that I doubted you.”

  “Thanks. I’m happy about it. I even got a little praise from Charles.”

  “No way?”

  “Yeah, crazy, right?”

  “You’ve earned it.”

  “Thanks. Hey, could you call Brian and Shannon for me, please?”

  “Absolutely.”

  I go into my office and fire off a quick email to my staff inviting them out for drinks. Brian and Shannon appear in my doorway.

  “We did it!” I say. “Thanks again for the work you did today. I hope you’ll come to the bar tonight. Drinks are on me.”

  “Yeah, we’ll be there,” Brian says. “That’s awesome you got the deal.”

  “Yes, congrats,” Shannon adds.

  “I just wanted to personally thank you both. It was definitely a team effort today.”

  “That’s what we do,” Brian says.

  “I’ll be putting in personal recommendations on both of you.”

  The two interns look at each other and grin. “That’s great,” Brian says.

  “Okay, see you both soon.”

  Brian and Shannon leave and I pull my phone out of my pocket. I have several texts from the various women I date right now. It’s clear I can have my pick for the evening. I see a text from Denise and select it to find a picture of her boobs and it makes me laugh. I think Denise just secured her spot in my playbook for the night. I text her back and tell her to meet me at my place at nine.