Page 9 of Indescribable Love
“I almost want to stand up and applaud,” he told her, leaning back in his chair. “That was a very effective and impassioned speech. I’m thoroughly impressed. I would never ask you to leave before giving you a chance. That’s not who I am. The only reason I brought that whole situation up was because I needed to know if you were going to be honest with me. I get that sometimes a publicist’s job is to basically blow smoke up people’s butts.” Then he chuckled. “Something you should know about me is that I’m not big on vulgarities. I don’t think they’re necessary.”
It was her turn to nod, but she didn’t comment.
“I appreciate you not blowing smoke, Juliette. I much prefer honesty, even when it’s not pretty.”
“Oh. Um…”
“You mentioned boundaries, and that is exactly what I’m dealing with. People think because I’m nice and fairly easygoing, that I’m also a pushover. That’s not the case. I’ve been standing firm on what I will and will not share for the sake of this film.” Pausing, he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “One of my biggest faults is that I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and sometimes miss the fact that I’m being manipulated. Even when it’s people that I most trust.”
For some reason, he almost felt like he could bare it all to her right now.
But he didn’t.
Which really proved what he’d just said to her.
I’m far too trusting…
“Good to know,” she said, her tone very businesslike. “I’ve had to step in on behalf of my clients before in similar situations, so you can rest assured that I’m completely comfortable putting people in their place.”
Of this, Simon had no doubt.
Juliette was a little hard around the edges—that was obvious whenever she spoke—but if he had simply seen her and not heard her? He would have pegged her as being completely different.
She was petite, maybe five-foot-two, tops. Her hair was long and wavy and jet black, her eyes a brilliant shade of green, and when she smiled, he saw she had dimples. Everything about her exuded confidence, but when you took a little more time, you could see a sadness and a hint of uncertainty in her demeanor. Then her New York attitude came out—that and clearly her Italian heritage—and it all made for a beautiful and exotic-looking woman.
“Have you always been successful in those endeavors?” he asked.
“Yes.”
His eyes went wide. “That’s it? Just…yes?”
“Client confidentiality,” she explained. “I don’t believe in taking no for an answer. When I tell someone what my client is willing and unwilling to do, I don’t allow anyone to tell me otherwise.”
“Okay, but…”
“I find creative solutions,” she corrected. “We compromise. And when I say we, I mean my client gets their way and offers something else that is better for the project. In your case, I would say if there’s an aspect of your life that you don’t want discussed, we offer a…” She paused for a moment. “We offer an exclusive song that will only be available for the documentary. Well…at least until a month after it releases. Then you can release the single. Honestly, they’re already getting access to you behind the scenes, whether it’s writing music, rehearsing, or just hanging out at home. Fans are going to come out to theaters in droves for a chance to hear a Simon Bennett song that they can’t hear anyplace else.”
“Wow…that’s a great idea! I never would have thought of that. I’ve gotten so used to them telling me what they want that it never occurred to me to give them other options.”
She smiled, obviously pleased. “This is what I do, Simon. I find the solutions. For the next two weeks, we’re going to brainstorm a bunch of ideas that I can dole out in different situations. We don’t want to give them all the best ideas right out of the gate. We want to always have something in our pocket for when they push too far.”
He was seriously impressed. For the last few months, his stomach had been in knots because it felt like he was getting backed into a corner with how much access this crew was going to get. The director seemed ready to go for the jugular, and Simon had no idea how to hold him off.
Until now.
“I’m going to need to know what topics are off-limits and hard noes for you,” she went on. “I don’t need to know specifics if you don’t want to share the details with me. I just need to know what I’m working with.”
This was where he struggled. It would probably be best if she knew what he was most concerned about, but even with an NDA, there was always the possibility of her saying something to the wrong person.
When he didn’t answer right away, she caught on.
“My credentials speak for themselves, Simon,” she said. “Even when a client behaved at their worst, no one ever heard it from me. I’ve seen and heard things I will never disclose to anyone. I’m a vault. And, again, I don’t need specifics. I’m not here to make you pull all the skeletons out of the closet.”
“O-kay…”
“But,” she quickly interrupted, “if I know what they’re pushing you for and why, the better I’ll be able to keep them from finding out.”
Damn.