Chapter Fifteen
Jeremy finished hiscoffee, answered some emails, and was in an all-around great mood. Who wouldn’t be after that spectacular morning wake-up from Blake? Even now, his body still buzzed from the aftereffects. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach, letting out a huge, satisfied yawn.
“Mmm. Gonna have to repay that favor tonight.” He made a mental note to bring home a fancy dessert for Blake’s sweet tooth. He often caught him munching on jelly beans or M&Ms while working on files or watching a movie. Normally Jeremy didn’t encourage the junk food, but Blake needed something to perk up his spirits. He’d been unusually snappish the past month, and after last night’s debacle, every effort Jeremy expended to try and convince Blake his failure to get hard was an aberration, only seemed to exacerbate his embarrassment. The blowjob that morning was a sign that everything was back on track.
Time to get down to business. Jeremy took out his wallet and extracted Carter’s business card. After staring at it for a moment, he decided he had nothing to lose by calling the man and listening to what he had to say. He picked up the phone.
“Good morning. Haywood Public Relations. How may I help you?”
“I’d like to speak to Carter, please. This is Jeremy Strauss calling.”
“May I ask what this is in reference to?”
Jeremy flipped the card between his fingers. “He asked me to call him regarding a business deal we talked about at my gym.”
“Certainly, Mr. Strauss. One moment please.”
The stock-market news played in his ear, and Jeremy welcomed that more than the piped in Muzak he usually was forced to listen to while on hold. It didn’t take more than ten seconds for Carter to come to the phone.
“Jeremy. Glad to hear from you. Have you had a chance to think about my suggestion?”
“I have, and yeah, I’d like to talk more about it. Are you free anytime soon to meet up and discuss details? I’d like to know more about your client’s product and how you see it fitting into my gym.”
“Absolutely. I have lunch free today—how about that? We can meet downtown if you don’t mind coming into the city. Otherwise, it’ll have to wait until later in the week.”
Normally Jeremy stayed at the gym for the day. He didn’t like to leave in case something happened. Gino and Benny were great, but he wasn’t sure he trusted them on their own if something popped up they couldn’t handle. But his client Braydon had canceled their personal training session for that afternoon, so it would be the perfect time.…
“I can do lunch, sure.”
“Okay. How about the Odeon on West Broadway?”
“Whoa, fancy. I usually grab a sandwich or salad and eat at my desk.” Jeremy chuckled.
“If you’re going to be my client, I’ve got to wine and dine you.”
“That I could get behind,” Jeremy said, though he still wasn’t certain if using a public-relations firm was the way to go.
“Meet me there at one o’clock. I’ll have a table for us.”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
He hung up, excitement building in his chest. For months, he’d been trying to figure out how to make his gym stand out from all the others. He didn’t intend to compete with the big brands like Equinox and New York Sports. He couldn’t. But he had what they didn’t—true personalized attention. Partnering up with a fresh new brand seemed perfect. Juicing was all the rage right now, and if he could work with Carter and his client, they might have something special. The money spent might be money earned and more.
The rest of the morning he buried himself in paperwork but made sure to leave himself enough time to get to the restaurant in Tribeca on time. He thought about texting Blake to let him know but decided to save it as a surprise for later if the deal panned out.
Jeremy walked into the restaurant. Tourists and executives filled the large industrial-designed space, their voices rising through the wide-open room with its soaring ceilings. The hostess led him to Carter, who waited for him in the back at a table for two.
“Hey, good to see you again.” Carter stood, and they shook hands. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything other than a T-shirt and sweats.” His eyes crinkled with amusement. “You clean up well.”
Accepting the menu from the waiter, Jeremy joined in Carter’s laughter, gazing down at his sweater and dark jeans.
“Yeah. My brother was a fashion model years ago, so I let him be the clotheshorse in the family. I could never spend my days with a tie around my neck. No offense.” He took a drink of water.
“None taken. I hate it myself, but I have to play the part. You know how it goes. Be what your clients expect.”
And Carter certainly did look the part of high-powered executive, with his dark-gray suit, crisp white shirt, and bright-green tie.
Jeremy understood. To a point. Why bother trying to be someone you weren’t? He didn’t want to pretend to be anyone else when being himself was enough of a challenge sometimes. “I’m anxious to hear what you’ve come up with for the juice bar.”
