Page 313 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B
Next thing I know he’s sliding me a coffee to-go into my hand. “You’re not choosin’ between three million and nothin’. You’re choosin’ between three mil now, and a ten-to-twenty-five mil loss in less than a year.”
He pulls me in closer,
eyes steady on mine.
“You’re gonna show ‘em how stupid Raymond looks for entertainin’ this deal, and how it shoulda never been brought to the table, wastin’ everyone’s time in the first place. Aight?”
He kisses my forehead.
Grins.
“Now go kill it.”
// 10:48 AM - SOUNDWAVE RECORDS - MIDTOWN, NYC //
Andrew
Turn that room upside down.
This shit's easy. You can handle it.
I click off my phone with a smile.
The room’s so cold my muscles hurt from fighting back the shivers, but Andrew’s fire is still burning inside me.
The table stretches long, filled with faces that are more obstacles than allies.
Raymond’s at the head, cocky, talking as if he’s got the deal in the bag. “Look,” he says, flipping through the papers, “three million, guaranteed. And that’s only the beginning. This deal will boost the label’s profile, keep us ahead of the competition, fill the gaps in our bottom line. Not to mention, we could leverage this to launch more big campaigns for our artists…”
I wait until he delivers his most important point, then pretend to tune him out, glancing over at the clock with a hum.
When my eyes slide back to Raymond,
they catch onto Gerald.
Andrew was right.
They’re watching me.
“We can’t afford to miss this opportunity,” Raymond hesitates, confusion crossing his eyes when he looks at me. Then he narrows his gaze with the look that says, ‘Just nod and let this happen,’ as he continues, “This company has the exposure we need.”
The board members’ attention is tunneled in on Raymond. Some of them are nodding, dollar signs in their eyes.
And I’ve heard enough.
“I can’t let this go on any longer,” I say, glancing at the clock and straightening my spine. “The answer’s obviously no. I can’t approve this.”
The room goes silent.
‘Cause I literally just fucking said that.
My head’s screaming—
Oh, shit.
Here we go.
All their eyes snap to me.
