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Valerie looks at Max. "May I?"
He nods, giving her the go-ahead to provide her input.
"As we all know, your videos are known for their sex appeal. Down and dirty, just the way your fans like it. Why fix what isn't broken? I see women reaching for Ryan as he sings, throwing themselves at him, believing the words are for them. The key here is to leave the meaning ambiguous and open-ended so that every poor soul out there can fantasize that they are the one getting their brains screwed out by him."
She seems pleased with herself when she shrugs, and Olivia looks underwhelmed, to both my surprise and horror. I say to my surprise because Valerie is right. All their videos follow the same storyline. Women throw themselves at the band, thrusting and grinding as the music takes a back seat. It's to my horror because I know how important this account would be to this agency, and judging by the disappointment on Olivia's face, we are a few moments from blowing it.
I take a deep breath. "Or, you could go in a completely different direction."
All eyes are on me, especially Valerie's. I can feel the heat radiating off of her.
"And by that, you mean?" Olivia asks, intrigued by my sudden outburst.
"Well, these lyrics don't sound like they were meant to be ambiguous. It's the kind of words that are meant for one person, so tell that story. Tell the story of the bad boy who was immune to love until his kryptonite came along."
More silence fills the space between us. The only exception is the large clock ticking on the back wall.
"Keep talking." Olivia urges after a few seconds. Ant has stopped drumming on the table, and Gareth seems to be listening now.
"It's like this; of course, women want to feel like they could get lucky enough to roll around in the hay with a member of Chaotix. But what would be the epic dream beyond that? To know that beyond being a meaningless fuck, it's possible to tame even a man like that. Show the turmoil of a man so afraid to love, so closed off from it all, and then the release when he surrenders to it."
I glance awkwardly around the room. Max is sporting a shit-eating grin that says, "I told you so." Jim looks equally as pleased. I don't even bother looking at Valerie; I already know what she has in store for me.
One corner of Olivia's mouth curves into a smile. "Now that is something I can work with. Thoughts?" She directs the question to the boys. All three of them look at Ryan, and I immediately discern that he is the point of contention she referenced.
He leans back in the chair, places both hands on the back of his head, and speaks after what feels like an eternity. "Finally, someone gets it."
Everyone on the Acton PR team lets out a sigh of relief.
"Alright, so it seems like we could be onto something. However, It goes without saying that this firm has never handled a client of this magnitude, though I am not sure, considering this latest development, that it couldn't work. Be that as it may, it's still a risk. Why should we choose you over a larger, more experienced agency?" Olivia crosses her arms and regards Max and Jim, then her eyes find mine.
"If you have to ask yourself that, then maybe you shouldn't," I say, the words coming out much more confidently than I had anticipated.
"Pardon?" I know I've surprised her.
"It's clear that these larger, more experienced agencies have a singular point of view regarding the Chaotix brand. Same tours, same music videos, same everything. If you want something new, something outside the box, you'll have to switch up the scenery. You seem to be very good at what you do, Mrs. Alton. So are we. We may not currently have our toes dipped into this market, but that should only tell you that all our resources would be funneled into this project. Plus, our fresh ideas will never have graced your competition’s ears. It's a win-win for both sides." I finally take a breath and pray that I haven't just blown this.
A smile reaches her lips. "I have a proposition. We'll get your notes on the shoot, allow you to handle the project completely, and if it turns into something worth a damn, you've got the contract for the tour. Call it a trial run."
Max jumps up from his seat. "I believe that is more than fair, Mrs. Alton. We'd be happy to assist in any way necessary."
She scoffs. "Be careful what you ask for; these guys can be very demanding."
"Ah, we can handle it." Jim offers, rising to stand at Max's side.
"Very well, you can excuse your team, and we can talk about logistics." Olivia's smile finds me. I return it, grab my tablet, and exit the room. Once out in the lobby, I resist the urge to begin jumping wildly around.
"Holy shit, I can't believe that just happened," I say to myself, my mind buzzing from the excitement.
"Oh, really? Because you made me look like a fucking idiot in there, Juliet," Valerie sneers. "I'm a senior account manager; you understand that, right? How dare you jump in on my pitch."
I shift uncomfortably. "I wasn't trying to take over the pitch; I just saw that they were hoping for something a little different. I just wanted to help the team land the account, Valerie. It wasn't personal."
There is nothing I can say that will make Valerie believe that I wasn't gunning for her. Her paranoia over my motives here has always been evident, and despite every effort to prove myself, she's always maintained her apparent hatred for me.
"Yeah, okay. Tell it to someone that buys your shit, Juliet. Your little charm may have worked on them, but it will be the other account managers that handle the contract… and me. Learn your place, and fast." With that, she turns on her heel and stalks to her office.
"Wicked Witch of the East Coast strikes again," Kate mutters under her breath as she takes a seat at the reception desk.
