possible when you woke up this morning. So, stop being greedy.”
I clench my jaw. “I’m not being greedy. This is business, and I’m letting my agent get me the best deal possible, which is exactly what your agent initially did for you, and what he’s also doing now. Don’t think, even for a minute, your donkey dick is some kind of dangling carrot for me.”
“Sure, bunny. You’re not any more believable now than you were on Sylvia.”
“If anyone is being greedy, it’s you. You’re the one who messed up, not me. So, you should be the one to have to sacrifice to fix your mess.”
Sexual heat washes over him. He leans forward sharply, sending his sexy cologne into my nostrils. “You wanna see me being greedy, sweetheart? Then let me eat your pussy. I’ll show you a kind of greed that’ll take your breath away.”
I inhale sharply, taken aback by the hungry look in his eyes.
“Laila!” Daria barks from across the room. “Stop talking to him right now!”
I lean back sharply, feeling like a kid who’s been caught saying a curse word. “He wasn’t convincing me of anything,” I blurt. But even I can hear the lie in my tone.
“Oh, jeez,” Daria mutters, throwing up her hands. “Seriously? The world is full of big dicks, Laila. He’s got nothing to offer that can’t be found elsewhere.” She leans into the speaker phone. “Nadine, we’re gonna have to call you back. Savage is trying to charm the pants off my client, literally.”
Nadine replies she’ll give our side fifteen minutes to reach a deal. “We’re running out of time here, folks,” she says sternly. “If you don’t call us back within fifteen minutes, saying you’ve reached a deal on your end, we’re going to cut bait and move forward with our Plan B—someone else we’ve already lined up to replace Savage, if needed.”
Well, that gets everyone’s attention, especially Savage’s.
Daria ends the call and rests half her bottom on the edge of her desk. “Okay, gentlemen. You heard Nadine. She’s already got someone else lined up. So, the question Savage needs to ask himself is this: ‘Do I want one hundred percent of nothing . . . or fifty percent of something?’”
“He’ll give her ten percent,” Eli says.
And Daria replies by launching into a long speech about why I’m not going to take anything less than half Savage’s salary, whatever it is. “This would have to be an equal partnership in all ways,” Daria says. “Because Savage needs Laila as much as she needs him.”
Eli protests. Daria gives as good as she gets. And through it all, I bite my lip to prevent myself from caving. Honestly, if left to my own devices, I’d take the offered ten percent and be done with this. At this point, if push came to shove, I’d do the damned show for free, for nothing but the exposure and that invaluable performance slot in the finale.
“Laaaailaaaaa,” Savage coos softly, like he’s camped between my legs and has just raised his head. “Sweetheart, call off your pit bull. Let’s do this. Ten percent.”
“Mr. Savage,” Daria says, “Laila hired me precisely because I’m a pit bull. Fifty-fifty, or she walks. Tick tock.” Daria glares at me, her dark eyes commanding me to keep my mouth shut. But I can’t help myself. The pressure is getting to me. Maybe I am being greedy here, like Savage said.
“Savage, I have family members I want to help out with—"
“No, Laila!” Daria commands, putting up her index finger. “You don’t need to justify getting yourself paid. Men negotiate massive paydays for themselves in every industry, and nobody ever holds it against them or wonders if they have family members to support.”
I look at Savage, suddenly remembering our conversation in that green room in Philadelphia, when I admitted I’d been hired as a mentor on Sing Your Heart Out. “Actually, that’s an excellent point, Daria. In the past, I’ve made the mistake of mixing business and emotion and not realizing what I’m worth. A really savvy businessman once told me not to do either. So, this time, I think I’ll follow his brilliant advice.”
Savage narrows his eyes and practically snarls.
“So, what’s it gonna be, gentlemen?” Daria says. “We’ve got four minutes before Nadine hires Savage’s replacement. We want fifty percent of Savage’s take, whatever that is. Final offer.”
Eli throws a Hail Mary. He says Savage has four bandmates, and a shitty deal with River Records, which means he nets far less from his music