“One of my peoplemayhave sourced it for me after I got all the details out of Kira.”
I blinked at him. Opened my mouth, closed it and then shook my head.
“You havepeoplethat can source stuff that quickly. What the - ?”
“Listen. Yes, I have people who can do that. Well, more likeoneperson – but I pay him through the nose, and, even if he’s a bit of a whiny little bitch about it, I know for a fact he likes the challenge of this shit. I think. And I like to be in control of situations. Urvi, you were so . . . I’m sorry but you scared the shit out of me. So maybe it’s a little OTT, but I’ve liked you for a long time and I –”
I cut him off with a kiss. Maybe some women would prefer flowers and diamonds, but right at that moment I couldn’t think of anything more romantic than a diabetic monitoring system.
Chapter 13
Leave Urvi to me
Urvi
“Are you going to ask her?”
I stopped dead, outside the airplane toilet. On the other side of the curtain was first class. Jack had tried to make me upgrade, but I was firm in my refusal. It was a two-hour flight. I don’t think my arse cared much what it sat on for two hours, and I was not having Jack fund me like some charity case. Ben, however, did not seem to have the same scruples. He upgraded like a shot when Jack offered. I wasn’t surprised – the guy looked like he had an evil hangover this morning, not having stumbled back from the nightclub until we were starting to prepare the breakfast.
And yes, yes I was back working. Jack hadn’t been happy about it but I couldn’t go from staff to guest at the drop of hat. It was too weird. So I’d moved back to the bunkroom with Kira and he’d grumbled but respected my decision. He’d then hilariously tried todowngradehimself at the check-in. The lady at the desk did not look like she was having a good day and a bizarre downgrade request was met with a long-suffering stare and silence. I’d managed to drag him away before she exploded.
“I haven’t had a chance,” I heard Jack reply. “She’ll be on board though. I can guarantee it.”
Ben laughed. “Been putting in the hard yards on that one have you.”
“Bugger off and mind your own business.”
“Listen, I like her. She’d a good kid and this could be a big break for her. With that song and your agency I think we could be onto something. I know you’ve been chasing this for a while.”
“Every ad agency in the UK wants the Richmond’s Christmas ad, Ben,” Jack said.
“Yeah, but you’ve been obsessed with it for years.”
“That’s because Iknewmy agency would do it better than anyone else’s. You know that too, you evil bastard. You’ve just been playing with me.”
“Well, it’s within your grasp now. All I want is the girl and that song, then we’ll be away.”
“It’s fine. Leave Urvi to me.”
I took a sudden step back away from the curtain and nearly collided with a stewardess. My mind reeled as I stumbled to my chair. I closed my eyes once I was seated and willed the impending nausea away.
The Richmond’s Christmas advert.
Even I knew that that was the most coveted campaign in the history of UK advertising. The department store had turned its fortunes around based on their Christmas advert five years ago and since then each one had been bigger and better than the last. Watching the Richmond’s Christmas advert was now firmly entrenched in British Christmas rituals. The money riding on it must be huge.
And in my stupidity I’d forgotten that these people would do anything to get ahead.
Leave Urvi to me.
Jack’s deep voice echoed through my brain. Of course he’d changed his attitude towards me. I was now his ticket to the biggest campaign of his career. So all that attention, wooing even: it had all been so that he could control me and my music for his own ends. He’d ignored me for days until I’d sung that night. He wassucha liar. He didn’t care aboutme, about my health. The Freestyle Libra, having his people source it - all of it was so that he could work his way into my heart and then use me.
Ben liked my song.
Unfortunately the thrill of that fact sinking in was overshadowed by the sense of betrayal. I squared my shoulders and told myself to get a thicker skin. I’d need it if I was going to make it in the music industry. I should be focusing on the fact that somebody wantedmysong to feature in the most popular and watched advert in the UK. The Richmond’s advert launched careers. So what if Jack had pretended? I’d just add him to the growing list of people that had let me down. First Mum and Dad, then my brother, and now Jack. It was clear that if I was going to get anywhere I needed to rely on myself. Not my family, not my friends and most certainly not a man.
*****
Jack
