not memorable. Nobody gets passionate about vanilla. It’s playing safe, and that’s no fun.”
Their eyes met with a sizzle and he knew she got what he was saying. Yeah, they were talking about advertising, but she totally got the metaphor. He grinned.
“Now, that Coke Zero is pretty smart,” Levi continued. “Men won’t drink Diet Coke. Put it in a black can and call it Coke Zero and boom! Men buy it.” Sloane was looking at him funny. “What?”
She turned her gaze back to the big screen TV on his wall. “Nothing. I just think you’re…smart.”
“Of course I’m smart.” He tried to sound offended.
She smirked. “And modest.”
“I think we established some time ago that modesty is for pussies.”
“True.”
“Anyway, I think you’re smart too.” He leaned over and smooched her pretty lips.
And that led to more sex, this time on his couch.
It was a great weekend.
It had been a terrifying weekend.
Monday morning Sloane pushed through the revolving door into the Lachman Building after a quick run to Starbucks.
How many times had she come so close to saying the L word? It was crazy! It just kept rising to her lips and hovering dangerously there. She’d admitted she liked him. That was okay. But she couldn’t love him.
After the weekend, when he’d taken her to Navy Pier and then Saturday taken her to that blues club, she’d questioned herself a million times about what she was doing with him. That Friday night when those terrifying words had popped into her mind, she’d nearly had a heart attack.
Spending that much time with Levi was obviously a mistake, if she was going to start having ridiculous thoughts like that.
She was not in love with the man. It was just all the…the…sex. And the fun. The laughing. The sweetness of watching him with Chuck. It was making her all soft.
She lifted her chin as she strode down the hall to her office. She was back in her preferred environment now. The office. Back to business. As she passed Levi’s office, where he was not yet at work, she once more noticed that ridiculous Justin Bieber poster. Still there.
That made her smile and shake her head. What a goof he was to leave it there.
Stop! Stop with all the…mushy girly feelings. Gah!
She dove into work, her tall Starbucks cup close at hand. An email from Derek at Verhoeven saying they wanted to work on an entirely new approach for their branded point-of-sales materials for Herstal. Something cool and different to have in liquor stores and restaurants. Hmmm. They quickly arranged a meeting with Brent and Hoyt, Herstal’s brand managers, to discuss it further.
She, Noah, Mason and Alia, one of Huxworth Packard’s print producers, were meeting with one of the photographers who’d submitted a bid on the shoot for the Steel brand. Sloane knew Mason and Alia had wanted to go with Josselin Ames, but her bid had come in the highest. They wanted to meet with her and get more details about her proposal and how it would fit with what they and the Steel brand managers were looking for, see if there was any room for adjustments in her bid. Steel wanted a print and online campaign with a fun, social ambience separate from their television commercials.
They reviewed model headshots, layouts and location needs, and determined that Josselin was the only photographer who’d included travel expenses in her bid. Because the shoot would be in Chicago and travel would be minimal, Josselin was flexible and willing to negotiate. They went back and forth on a few points until Sloane was satisfied with the numbers.
“I typically have a crew in mind when I’m doing the estimate,” Josselin told them. “They’re on hold until you actually book me, but I’ve already reviewed rates, expenses and layouts with them, as we’ve discussed.”
By the end of the meeting, Sloane had her mind made up. Josselin understood what they and the client were looking for. She and Mason exchanged glances and she knew he’d decided too. She’d gotten to know him pretty well. Alia was very neutral. Naturally, they didn’t want to commit to anything until they’d had a chance to discuss it, or give Josselin false hopes if they ended up going with someone else. But ultimately, Sloane and Mason would make the decision. Over the years they’d worked together, Sloane had learned to trust Mason’s judgment about creative aspects while she kept an eagle eye on budgets and deliverables.
After Alia showed Josselin out, they continued their discussion. They’d all