revamping his image in the first meeting before signing him as a client. “The songs you made about your mom and the ongoing public battles and lawsuits between the two of you…that will take more than a miracle to fix. Because how can we tell the world to love you if your own mother hates you?”
“Ouch! Damn, girl. A little harsh?” Andrew winced in mock pain.
“That’s the other thing you should know about signing with New Images by Keys and Morales. I have been known to tell it like it is and keep it one hundred percent real with our clients. I figure you’re paying me to help you get other people to believe the hype. And in order to best help you make that happen, I have to be able to tell you exactly what I think with very little filters. We create the press—we don’t necessarily believe it.”
“Well, that’s refreshing. An image consultant who keeps it real.” Andrew nodded as he studied her. “I’ll tell you what. How about you let me take you out to dinner after I sign with you. It can be the first of many, because I like your style, girl.”
Maritza smiled. “Since I will take you on as a client, I should let you know the third thing. I will not date you, because I don’t date clients. And you need me as an image consultant more than you need me as date. Because in order to become a man that I would even consider dating you have to clean up that image of yours.”
He burst out into a fit of laughter and for a minute she thought she might have overplayed her hand.
She definitely didn’t date clients. But maybe she shouldn’t have been so smug and sassy in the way she turned him down.
“I like you, Maritza Morales, and I’m going to take your advice and sign with New Images to clean up my image, so that one day when I ask you out on a date you won’t have any choice but to say yes.”
It was all she could do not to let out the breath she was holding and keep a straight face. “You’ve made the right choice, Andrew! Trust me, I’m a much better image consultant than I am a date.” She stood to shake his hands and willed her legs not to shake.
This was the biggest client New Images by Keys and Morales had ever nabbed. They were moving on up! Between signing Andrew “Speed-Lo” MacGregor and Lace Monroe, even more eyes were going to be on their firm. And she had signed them all by herself, by being her somewhat blunt self.
Usually Penny was the one who sealed the deals, because she had a more pleasing personality. But Maritza had just proved she could sign the big clients as well.
She felt like celebrating. She felt like telling someone about her big scores. Too bad she had lied to Terrill about having a hot date and she didn’t really have any plans, unless Ben & Jerry’s counted as a hot date.
Now that’s a ménage for you, she thought as she envisioned herself wrapped around a nice cool pint of Chunky Monkey.
As she walked Andrew to the door, for some reason one of Billy Dee Williams’s lines from Mahogany ran through her head. “Success was nothing without someone you love to share it with.” Although for some reason the Billy Dee Williams in her head looked an awful lot like Terrill Carter.
And she had no idea what to think about that, let alone what she was going to do about it…
Chapter 3
“O h, Mrs. Hightower, I don’t think that would be a good idea. Besides, I—” Penny’s words were cut off by Jason’s mother, Celia Hightower, and Terrill knew things were about to become seriously awkward.
Church service had just ended and they were on their way out the door, despite the fact that he had really wanted to talk to the young woman who sang lead in the choir’s rendition of “Maybe the Lord is Trying to Tell You Something.” That sister could sing the old-school Whitney Houston under the table and he really wanted to see if he could sign her.
But he was willing to pass up on signing the next big mega-superstar singer, since Penny seemed hell-bent on
“Ouch! Damn, girl. A little harsh?” Andrew winced in mock pain.
“That’s the other thing you should know about signing with New Images by Keys and Morales. I have been known to tell it like it is and keep it one hundred percent real with our clients. I figure you’re paying me to help you get other people to believe the hype. And in order to best help you make that happen, I have to be able to tell you exactly what I think with very little filters. We create the press—we don’t necessarily believe it.”
“Well, that’s refreshing. An image consultant who keeps it real.” Andrew nodded as he studied her. “I’ll tell you what. How about you let me take you out to dinner after I sign with you. It can be the first of many, because I like your style, girl.”
Maritza smiled. “Since I will take you on as a client, I should let you know the third thing. I will not date you, because I don’t date clients. And you need me as an image consultant more than you need me as date. Because in order to become a man that I would even consider dating you have to clean up that image of yours.”
He burst out into a fit of laughter and for a minute she thought she might have overplayed her hand.
She definitely didn’t date clients. But maybe she shouldn’t have been so smug and sassy in the way she turned him down.
“I like you, Maritza Morales, and I’m going to take your advice and sign with New Images to clean up my image, so that one day when I ask you out on a date you won’t have any choice but to say yes.”
It was all she could do not to let out the breath she was holding and keep a straight face. “You’ve made the right choice, Andrew! Trust me, I’m a much better image consultant than I am a date.” She stood to shake his hands and willed her legs not to shake.
This was the biggest client New Images by Keys and Morales had ever nabbed. They were moving on up! Between signing Andrew “Speed-Lo” MacGregor and Lace Monroe, even more eyes were going to be on their firm. And she had signed them all by herself, by being her somewhat blunt self.
Usually Penny was the one who sealed the deals, because she had a more pleasing personality. But Maritza had just proved she could sign the big clients as well.
She felt like celebrating. She felt like telling someone about her big scores. Too bad she had lied to Terrill about having a hot date and she didn’t really have any plans, unless Ben & Jerry’s counted as a hot date.
Now that’s a ménage for you, she thought as she envisioned herself wrapped around a nice cool pint of Chunky Monkey.
As she walked Andrew to the door, for some reason one of Billy Dee Williams’s lines from Mahogany ran through her head. “Success was nothing without someone you love to share it with.” Although for some reason the Billy Dee Williams in her head looked an awful lot like Terrill Carter.
And she had no idea what to think about that, let alone what she was going to do about it…
Chapter 3
“O h, Mrs. Hightower, I don’t think that would be a good idea. Besides, I—” Penny’s words were cut off by Jason’s mother, Celia Hightower, and Terrill knew things were about to become seriously awkward.
Church service had just ended and they were on their way out the door, despite the fact that he had really wanted to talk to the young woman who sang lead in the choir’s rendition of “Maybe the Lord is Trying to Tell You Something.” That sister could sing the old-school Whitney Houston under the table and he really wanted to see if he could sign her.
But he was willing to pass up on signing the next big mega-superstar singer, since Penny seemed hell-bent on
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