Part 5 (1/2)

Time to wrap this up and seal the deal. No way could she let the big a.s.shole and his pitch steal her thunder. ”In conclusion, I think you need to focus on a few key issues-how to get the most bang for your buck and how to grow your fan base organically.” She paused and looked around the table. They were listening. Waiting for her to finish. Interested.

”Jolt is not only the hands-on kind of agency you need, but I love your music, and I'm part of your target market. You can't buy that kind of authenticity.”

Turning to look directly at Mason's reddening face, she drew a deep breath. ”I know why a big firm is interested in you guys. You're going to be huge without Jolt or GEM. But signing with a monolithic corporation means getting lost among all the other major label acts they cater to. With Jolt, you'd be the main act, and our time and resources would be devoted to promoting you. Besides, Mason Dillon wouldn't know cool if he woke up next to it.”

Chapter 6.

Mason was torn like a day-old concert ticket. On the one hand, he was p.i.s.sed at Kevan's low blows and repeated hits to GEM and his leaders.h.i.+p. On the other, she was right in oh so many ways. Even more, she wasn't just a pretty face anymore. Nor was she only a hot, pinup body with curves he could get lost in. She'd proven she had the brains to back up the bod. In a word, she was a challenge.

And he liked a challenge.

The idea that she knew who he was shouldn't bother him, but it did. Was the connection they had even real? Had she felt what he had felt last night, or had it all been bulls.h.i.+t? It had been a long time since someone had pulled one over on Mason ”The Ice Man” Dillon.

Nail this, Dillon. Doesn't matter if she knew. You got this.

Standing, he took the cable from Kevan and plugged his laptop into the projector. His pulse was a steady thrum in his ears. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. The screen displayed the vibrant colors of the paused video demo his creative group had put together for prospective clients.

He cleared his throat and rolled the tension out of his shoulders. Time to go to work.

”Thank you, Ms. Landry, for highlighting GEM's a.s.sets and ill.u.s.trating the vast resources and connections we utilize to make our artists money. A lot of money.” Mason smiled at Kevan as she sat rigidly in her seat. Her flinty stare never left his face.

”The ability to send a tweet and gather a thousand Facebook friends doesn't make you a marketing expert, but Ms. Landry does have a point. GEM has a long, successful history in the entertainment industry, and in the past, has targeted more established, conventional artists.”

Mason clicked the projector, and the slide changed just as Kevan turned her chair to face the screen and crossed and recrossed her legs.

f.u.c.k. Those legs.

Ignore her. Do your magic.

”The music business has transformed over the last decade, and we've rolled with it. We'd really like to make Manix Curse the cornerstone of an edgier brand of our client portfolio, one that targets a younger demographic, but still utilizes our established industry expertise to help grow the band's fan base and earning potential.”

To emphasize his point, he gave his patented ”trust me” grin and pointed it at the band, desperately trying to blot out the aggravating woman sitting at the end of the conference table. Her jabs and unyielding attack had set everyone on edge.

”And how do you plan to do that, Mason?” The tall, wiry drummer asked, a glint of defiance in his eyes.

Had the drummer realized the tte--tte between him and Kevan had gone beyond the boardroom? He'd seen Jax with Kevan before the band had hit the stage last night. Yes, he'd noticed her earlier but had a.s.sumed she was just a fan.

”Great question, Jax. After studying your band and your fans, we've concluded we should focus on three key areas-sponsors.h.i.+p opportunities, greater exposure through higher profile events and tours, and a record deal with an established recording company.”

”Who is 'we'?” Marco threw in, tossing back his long, braided hair.

”My market research team was responsible for the data in this video. As you watch, keep in mind we can produce professional-grade videos for the band, too.”

”Putting something on the Internet doesn't mean anything. Contrary to popular belief, videos don't go viral by themselves,” Kevan interjected, her voice rising. ”It takes strategy and planned effort.”

”I can also distribute them through the traditional media channels, like MTV. Regardless, I'd like to take a more boutique approach and work with you directly.”

Joe nodded his head. Apparently, he liked the idea.

”One of the benefits of going with GEM is our relations.h.i.+p with potential sponsors and industry media outlets. We could explore opportunities with equipment manufacturers, drum and guitar makers, energy drink distributors. The list is endless.” He had their attention now.

Kevan appeared to examine her nails, except for the occasional burst of air from her mouth, which sounded suspiciously like disbelief.

”Our mainstream media connections can be useful, as many of those groups also own metal and hard rock media properties, both print and online.”

”Dude, like Metal Maniac magazine? How f.u.c.king cool would it be to be their featured ba.s.sist?” Conner grinned widely at his band members, who stared at him in disbelief. Did he not smile often, or were they all already on Kevan's side?

”You're such an egomaniac,” Mandi said. Obviously, it was her job to keep her metal men in line, because Conner looked duly contrite as he bowed his head, but Mason caught him throwing a secret thumbs-up to Marco.

Mason's usual confidence grew as the band radiated enthusiasm for his plan. ”Metal Maniac is owned by a media conglomerate we do a lot of work with.”

These guys wanted to be rock stars, and he was their answer to the big time. Now to clinch the deal. ”The biggest piece to your success puzzle entails ascertaining a substantive recording contract. I'd like to shop you around and try to negotiate a plan that would include an advance, travel cost, and support, as well as the best royalty options. Maybe some higher-end equipment.”

Check and mate.

”Which of your partner labels would be interested in Manix? I mean, do you think Lady Gaga's label is going to take a second look at a heavy metal band?” Kevan scoffed. Mandi and Jax laughed. Kevan was starting to play dirtier, and he was fighting the call to lower to her level.

His face flamed, and he nearly lost his tightly held control. Instead, he replied, ”Actually, Ms. Landry, I have a lot of success signing artists with almost every major label, several of which cater to the markets Manix Curse entertains, including both Metallica's and Korn's labels.” Take that, little Ms. Music Diva.

”And now here's a short video we put together, highlighting some of our successes over the last several years.” He flipped off the lights and pressed the play icon on his laptop before sitting across from his former lover and current business enemy. The sweet vanilla smell he'd whiffed when she'd fallen stayed in his nose, wreaking havoc with his concentration.

As everyone focused on the film, Mason glanced around the table at the rapt faces of Joe and his band. He smiled to himself, pleased he'd begun to win them over. His eyes latched on to Kevan, the colors from the demo reflecting on her unblemished porcelain skin. Her body language showed strength and control, but her shadowed eyes gave hint to a gloomy sadness within. Not your problem, Dillon. This was business. He was a take-no-prisoners kind of guy.

After the fifteen-minute presentation finished, Mason stood and flipped the lights back on. He turned to Joe and the band. ”Any questions?”

They all shook their heads. ”I'd really like to thank you for meeting with us today,” Joe said. ”You both have great plans for leveraging the momentum of this band. It would be extremely difficult to decide between the two paths suggested.” Joe paused and took a deep breath.

”Which is why I'd like to take both of you on tour with us. We have a small marketing and PR budget and want to see what each of you brings to the table-not just in theory, but in practice. The tour is eight shows over a week and a half, but you'll get a chance to show us firsthand what you're capable of doing for the band.” He looked from Kevan to Mason. ”What do you say?”

The room was heavy with silence. Kevan's eyes were wide, and her mouth formed a grim line. She was definitely not happy. In fact, she looked like she might hate him. Was she as off balance as he felt? Strange. Off balance wasn't usually a feeling he had to deal with.

People usually sought out his expertise. He wasn't used to being pitted against newcomers and minor agencies. For years, he'd had a reputation as the marketing golden boy because of his ability to pluck seemingly unknown acts from obscurity and catapult them into superstar status overnight. Pop bands and coffeehouse musicians definitely wanted him on their side. Promoters and marketers wanted to work for him.

Kevan took a long pull from her bottle of water as her eyes darted back and forth between the people at the table. Was that panic starting to flood her expression? Mason knew she'd never go for the tour, since she could hardly stand to spend five more minutes in his presence, let alone two weeks. For some reason, the fact that she looked like she might dart from the room-and he might never see her again-rubbed him the wrong way.

Even though, technically, he was the one who'd left that morning. And he didn't do repeat nights with the same woman. And Kevan was now the compet.i.tion.

”Honestly, Joe, I appreciate the opportunity, but I need a little time to think this over,” Kevan said quickly before Mason had a chance to respond.

”Well, why don't you both take a day and give me a call? We hit the road at daybreak on Tuesday and head for Eugene first, then down the West Coast. Laura can email you the schedule.”

After some hurried handshakes, it was over. Before he could stop her, Kevan said her quick farewells and charged out of the room, reminding him of those cartoon characters with bright red faces and steam shooting from their ears. He remained professional, but cut his good-byes short and rushed out after her. What was it about this woman that got under his skin? Even after she had tried to gut him in the meeting, he still couldn't stand to see her walk away.

I walked away first.

He'd been irritated and even a little angered by her confrontational att.i.tude, but throughout the meeting, she'd held her own, sharing innovative ideas and a clear concept of her plan for the band. A completely different, more gra.s.sroots plan than his, but still good-very good. Her contrasting and conflicting facets fascinated him. Light and dark juxtaposed with hot and cold. Despite his initial impression of her good-time-girl personality, she was all business in the conference room-professional and polished-so unlike the spirited woman who'd come apart beneath him hours before. Her genuine shock at his presence in Joe's conference room led him to believe that maybe he'd misjudged her. Perhaps she hadn't known who he was.