I propped my chin in my hands. “Yeah, I know. I feel stupid that at my age I’m not sure what I want anymore…or where I belong.”
“Really?” James asked, his voice filled with curiosity. “What happened to designing? You used to be so excited about fashion.”
“That’s just it.” I hesitated before continuing. Saying it to James made it more real than ever, but scary as well. “I’m never gonna make it to the big leagues like Zac Posen, Marc Jacobs, or Julian Cornell. I found out I enjoy the business end, like how to market stuff to get it to sell, as much as making the actual clothes.”
“You had some excellent suggestions for Sparks and this club as well when we spoke.”
“Thanks. They’re the first things that came to my mind.”
“Which is why,” James continued as if I hadn’t spoken, “I’d like you to consider leaving Man Up as a dancer and coming to work as a marketing strategist for both clubs, as well as act as host for Sparks.”
“Um, what?” I laughed. “You’re kidding.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” James cocked his head and remained unsmiling.
Now that he mentioned it, James rarely laughed at all. Only recently, when he revealed that he and Rhoades were related, did he allow anyone to see he had a sense of humor.
“N-no. But I don’t understand.”
“Then I’ll explain. With my purchase of half ownership in Sparks, Marcus has ceded the day-to-day running of the club to me, but I can’t be in two places at once. I will have to spend more time at Sparks, and at least in the beginning, I want people there I can trust. People on my side.”
I straightened up in my chair. James wasn’t shitting me. He was serious.
“I’m on your side. You know that.”
“Thank you.” With a tip of his head, James gave me a flicker of a smile. “If I didn’t already believe that, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Now let me continue. Sparks is a well-known commodity in the city’s entertainment industry. But I want to make it shine even brighter. I’m counting on you to come up with a business plan and a strategy to keep the standards high and make it a more dynamic, exciting full-service entertainment space. At the same time, I don’t want to leave Man Up in the cold. Your idea of somehow tying the two clubs together, which would need to be fleshed out more thoroughly, was exactly what I was looking for.”
My head spun. “Um…wow.”
Laughter spilled out of him, and his eyes twinkled. “Oh, come on, Frankie. I know you can do better than that.”
I suddenly saw James as a man—a very attractive man—and not a boss. Who was he, really? Why did he remain so closed off and hidden? My gaze flitted to the oil painting of his father, and somehow I knew the key to James lay in his relationship with that man.
“What do you say?”
I raked my hand through my hair, so nervous and unsure, I couldn’t keep still. “I have no idea. Is that stupid? I mean, of course this is an amazing opportunity. I wanna say yes, but a part of me doesn’t believe it’s true.”
“It’s true.” James leaned back in his chair. “Believe it.”
“Um. Okay.Whew.” I drew in a deep breath. “I kinda don’t know what to say.”
“Well, that must be a first.”
I shot him a look. “Very funny.”
“Let me be more specific. I want to hire you to do the marketing for Sparks and Man Up. I also want you to be the host for Sparks to get a feel for the place. For that, I’ll pay you seventy-five thousand dollars a year. We’ll start with a one-year contract. Full benefits including paid vacation, sick time.” He drummed his fingers on the desk. “What am I missing?”
“Hours. I want to be able to spend some nights with Aaron.” Feeling a bit bolder now, and with my heart beating so fast, I couldn’t be sure I was breathing, I threw it out there. “If I’m working five days a week for you doing the marketing—which, by the way, I have some great ideas for—then I can’t also be spending every evening working at Sparks. I’ll be more tired than if I still danced here, plus I’ll never see my boyfriend either, now that he’s gotten a full-time job.”
“True,” James said and sat so quietly, I grew nervous.
“Um, so I’m thinking it’s a no, then?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Why do you have to answer a question with another question?” I huffed, annoyed and a bit exasperated. No wonder Austin said Rhoades and James had a somewhat strained relationship. If I had to listen to this shit all day long, I’d kill myself.
James stood and extended his hand. “Welcome aboard. Can I call you Frankie Marone, Marketing Director?”
