Tiffany Ashley - Beyond the Velvet Rope

The line went dead.

Thandie stared at the phone. She wasn’t certain if she should be upset or think the whole thing comical. In this day, it was hard to believe such blatant sexism still existed. She was tempted to call him back and give him a piece of her mind, but before she could, her cell phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Thandie, it’s Warren.”

“Warren—”

“I heard what happened. I’m so sorry.”

“How did you hear so quickly?”

“Elliot had you on speaker phone.”

“He what?”

“He talks to everyone on speaker, but nevermind that. I’ll talk to him.”

“Was he serious?”

“Unfortunately, yes. He has good reason, but that doesn’t excuse his behavior.”

“Seriously, he won’t hire me because I’m a woman?”

“Not to worry, kiddo, I’ll talk to him.”

“I’m not sure I want you to talk to him.”

“Don’t be silly. He’s just being difficult, and you’re offended.”

“‘Offended’ is hardly the word, Warren. I’m pissed.”

“Let me talk to him.”

“He’s an asshole.”

“That’s a bit harsh,” he said defensively.

“I thought I was being kind. He hung up on me, Warren.”

“I’m sorry about that. Elliot is always pressed for time. You’ll see that soon enough. He called you during one of the staff meetings. He’s already on another conference call.”

“He interviewed me for a job during a staff meeting?”

“I’m making things worse, aren’t I?”

She didn’t answer his obvious question.

“Not to worry. I’ll talk to him. Everything’s going to be okay. Are you still interested?”

She was silent for a long while. She’d done her research on Elliot Richards. Having the club magnate as a client would add major weight to her portfolio. But having him hang up on her not only wounded her pride, it made her mad as hell. Just who did he think he was? She was now determined to make him eat his words. “Yes, I’m interested.”

“That’s my girl. I’ll talk to him. Just sit tight, and I’ll call you back.

The call disconnected.

Again, she looked down at the phone, still reeling from Elliot’s quick brush-off. Her initial shock melted away, leaving only angry determination in its wake. Her resolve to capture his account now lit her on fire, and she made a silent vow that she would be on his payroll. She’d been in the business for years, and she had worked with the worst of the worst. Whatever Elliot Richards had to dish out, she was confident she could handle.

* * *

Thandie was still fuming over her conversation with Elliot Richards days later. True to her word, she’d placed daily phone calls to his office and was informed he was either in a meeting or on a conference call. She was impressed to learn that he was never out of the office. His assistant insisted that, “Mr. Richards is always working.” But knowing this did not help her get him on the phone. He was becoming as unattainable as Bigfoot. To make matters bleaker, she hadn’t heard from Warren in days. She’d taken his silence to mean he hadn’t been as persuasive as he’d hoped. This didn’t deter Thandie. If anything, it made her more persistent.

It was 10:00 a.m., and Thandie was beginning her morning meeting with her assistants. As always, the women were avid listeners, and took detailed notes. Amanda, her lead assistant, shouldered the more important responsibilities. It wasn’t that her other assistants weren’t good at their jobs; they just tended to be easily excited when in the presence of a celebrity or really cute guys, which unfortunately for Thandie was a common occurrence.

“Raja, call Chantel and see if we can get some gift certificates. Chantel’s little spa is the newest hot spot for models. And while we’re on the subject of models, Amanda call Sookie and confirm Jarvis will be at the Simmons party. I know his people have already confirmed, but he’s notorious for double-booking and then blowing off both commitments. If we can guarantee he’ll be there, then we can be certain the other music honchos will be there.” Thandie snatched up her phone and began entering a cryptic message. “And just to be certain, I’m texting his girlfriend, Tamika. I can’t stand the woman, but she’s media-hungry and can’t turn down a chance to be seen. If she comes, he’ll be there.”

“Thandie.”

She turned when Len called her name. “Yes?”

“You have Warren on the line.”

Sending off her text message, she plucked the cordless phone out of Len’s hand and cradled it on her shoulder. “Warren, I’m in a meeting. This’ll have to be quick.”

“You’re in.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re in. Elliot has agreed to hire you. You’ll need to come down here ASAP. I guess all those messages you’ve been leaving him worked.” He laughed good-naturedly. “Elliot’s agreed to meet with you on the eighth at 5:00 p.m.. This is the only time I could get him to confirm, so make sure you’re here and on time. Call Romero, Elliot’s personal assistant, tomorrow morning and tell him when you can come, and he’ll set up the plane tickets. Whatever you say to him will be repeated to Elliot, so try to keep the ‘he’s-an-asshole’ comments to yourself, please.”

“Do I have you to thank for this?”

Warren laughed. “Elliot’s a complicated guy, but once he had some time to think about it, he saw this was the right thing to do.”

“That sounds a little far-fetched.”

“Well, I do have my ways.”

She could hear the humor in his voice, and it made her smile. “I’ll call you later.”

“Excellent, kiddo. I’ll take care of everything else. Oh, and Thandie?”

“Yes?”

“It’ll be nice to see you again.”

“Same here.”

Chapter Four

Miami, Florida

As soon as Thandie entered the baggage claim area, she saw a sign reading T. Shaw. The man who held it up was handsome, with bright brown eyes, spiky brown hair and a perfectly trimmed goatee.

She made her way toward him, catching his gaze when she was only feet away from him. He smiled brightly.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi.” She smiled and pointed at his sign. “I’m Thandie Shaw.”

His eyes widened. “You’re T. Shaw? Shit, nobody told me you’re a...” He cleared his throat and collected himself. “Forgive me. It’s just that...you’re not at all what I expected.”

“So I see,” she murmured coolly.

“It’s just that we’ve never worked with a woman.”

“So I hear,” she murmured coolly.

He blushed rather innocently. “Sorry to stare. I’ve worked for Babylon for two years, and this is the first time I’ve known a woman to be hired before. You must really be good at what you do.” He folded the sign up and tossed it into a nearby trash bin. His hands now free, he offered to shake her hand. “I’m Adam Parr. Elliot thought it would be good for me to collect you, since we’re going to be working so closely together. I’m the VIP host.”

She nodded her head appreciatively. Adam helped her with her bags, and the two headed outside.

Adam smiled. “So how do you know the big boss?”

“Big boss?”

“Elliot Richards. How do you know him?”

“I don’t,” she said simply.

“Oh,” he paused. “I thought you two knew each other and that was how you landed the job.”

“No.” She pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes. “We’ve never met. I’m actually a friend of Warren Radcliffe.”

“Oh, the other boss.” He lifted her bags into the trunk of his car. “Warren’s cool. He’s very...active for a guy his age.”

Thandie smiled. “I bet they were saying that when he was twenty.”

“Knowing Warren, you’re probably right.” Adam slammed the trunk closed and opened the passenger door for her. “I was told you would be traveling with a group.”