Page 67 of Manhattan Bossholes

VINCENT

Iclosed my eyes and threw my phone on my desk.

Our social media director had forwarded me an Instagram post featuring our carefully selected Evermore campaign model in the tackiest, most low-rent money grab post imaginable.

Why the hell did a $10k-a-day model feel the need to do sponcon for something called “flat tummy tea”? Ingrid Olafsson had just wrapped an incredibly lucrative cosmetic campaign and had signed on with Summit to be our “face” for the Evermore campaign, but there was no way I was going to attach our good name to a model who shilled dangerous drinks that promoted disordered eating and a negative body image.

“Linda,” I barked into the intercom. “Please get my team in my office, now.”

Even though I led the request with “please,” I’m sure she could tell how unhappy I was.

“Okay,” she replied meekly, and I realized once again I’d come off like an asshole. It wasn’t her fault things were going into the shitter.

“I appreciate it, Linda,” I said quickly. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” came her much perkier reply.

My office was full within five minutes. Everyone who mattered was in the room looking as sick about Ingrid as I felt, but no one was willing to make suggestions.

“What about swapping her out for Lucy Dubois?” I asked. She wasn’t a model in the same way as Ingrid, but she had a substantial following on social media, and she could sell the hell out of a product.

“Nope,” Bradley frowned. “She just signed with Branson Designs, and her schedule is completely booked. We would have to delay the launch if we wanted to hire her.”

“Fuck,” I seethed.

We didn’t have much time, and a pre-campaign pivot was the last thing I needed.

“What about Maya?”

Every head in the room swiveled to Piper as she made the suggestion.

“Oh, no way,” I said, shaking my head. “Absolutely not.”

“Why?” Piper asked. “She’s a legacy model with Summit, and she has brand loyalty. It’s the obvious choice.”

Obvious? Maybe. But that didn’t take into account that Maya was a walking disaster zone, a train wreck wrapped in designer silk. She was also the last person I needed in my life again. “She comes with baggage,” I reminded Piper, giving her a look I hoped would make her get the hint and stand down.

“What’s worse, a little baggage on a shoot that’s already been scheduled to the hilt, including all our staff, make-up artists, and the male model, or scrapping the whole thing and starting from scratch, which could potentially delay the launch?”

A ripple rolled through the crowd at her obvious common sense, which just fueled my annoyance. Of course she was right. Piper was always right. But it didn’t make the suggestion any easier to swallow. Not when the name “Maya” brought back a legion of aggravating memories.

And yet here Piper was, completely willing to rise above the petty exchange they’d had the night we met my dad for dinner. She was such a class act—a true professional. All she wanted was for the campaign to succeed.

Fuck, I could take a lesson from her.

I glanced at our booker Stephanie. “Do you think you could make it happen?”

“Definitely,” Stephanie replied. “I still have her agent on speed dial, I’ll get to work securing her.”

“Please do.”

Piper gave me a commiserating smile, and I tried to focus on that and not the gnawing distress in my gut at the thought of the two of them in the same room again.

Miraculously, everything came together, and a week later, we were ready to go. Yeah, we had to basically kneel before Maya and beg her to do it, but she came around after we’d tossed her enough dollar signs and perks.

The chaos in our studio was actually normal on a shoot day. The music was pumping, and dozens of people were running around the space taking care of last-minute prep. Rodrigo, the male model we’d hired to pose with Maya, was already shirtless and oiled up.

Piper was locked in work mode, bouncing between the set, the lighting controls, and the computer where the images would be viewable as she shot. As usual, I kept to the back of the room so I wouldn’t be a distraction as everything got underway.