Chapter 2

MARIAH

In the year that she had been taking the on-call phone, Mariah had never actually received a call. It was just one of those things that they kept active to entice people to come to their firm. No one ever actually had emergency public relations issues in the middle of the night. And no one had ever decided to call and check out their company in the middle of the night.

So when the phone rang, Mariah was understandably caught off guard. She was with her friends, celebrating her one-year anniversary at the firm. It had been a long year, and Mariah finally felt like she had proven to everyone that she wasn’t just ‘Daddy’s Little Girl.’ She had worked longer hours than any of the other first years. She had proved her worth to the organization.

As much as Mariah wanted to take the new client herself, she knew that her father wouldn’t allow it yet. She still had another year of working next to a more seasoned agent before Mariah would be able to accept her own clients. But she still hoped her father would consider letting her sit in on the first meeting.

There was something unique and unusual about the man on the phone. He didn’t mince words, which was an oddity in most of the clients that came to their firm. Typically, clients had no problem lying about their life and then expecting the PR firm to still be able to fix the bad publicity. This guy seemed different. When she asked if he was always a jerk, River replied ‘yes.' That caught Mariah off guard, but it was probably true.

She had confidence while on the phone with him. It felt good to talk to someone like that. But in real life, she didn’t feel confident at work at all. She constantly felt like she wasn’t doing things right, and her father didn’t help at all. He still saw her as a little girl that hadn’t grown up yet.

“Did you just land your first client?” Mariah’s best friend, Elizabeth asked.

“I’m not sure. He’s coming to the office in the morning and wants to meet with me.”

“You know your father won’t allow you to take a client.”

“I know. But the guy requested that I be at the meeting. I’ll go to the meeting at least. He sounded cute.”

“That’s alright. Your father will sign him on, and he’ll be proud of you for handling that call so well.”

“Thanks, Em.”

“Now, let’s get back to partying. You survived a year of absolute hell. Now you just need to survive another year before you get some freedom.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Mariah said as she raised her drink in the air.

“To jobs, men, and money,” Elizabeth added.

Mariah, Elizabeth, and two of their other friends all raised their glasses in celebration. They were young, sexy, and had great jobs. With Mariah finally out of training, her friends were excited and hopeful that they might see her out on the town with them more. Her schedule had been absolutely crazy over the last year. It had to relax a little now that she was moving into a first-year position.

“You look like you need another drink,” a tall, good-looking man said as he stood next to Mariah.

“No, thank you,” Mariah said and turned back to her friends.

“I insist. Let me buy you a drink. You really look like you need one.”

“I’m not sure how I’m supposed to take that,” Mariah said as her friends all stopped to assess the situation. “You’re saying that I look bad now, and I need more alcohol in my system to look good?” Mariah smiled as she chastised the man. “Or do you think I can’t afford my own drinks, and you should buy them and help the poor little woman who needs to get drunk but can’t afford it.”

The man stood in shock for a moment and then turned to leave in disgust. He was a well-to-do stockbroker type and looked like he didn’t normally get turned away by the women. He obviously hadn’t been prepared for the attitude of Mariah.

“Wow, Mariah. That was a bit harsh. He was trying to flirt with you. What happened to sweet Mariah?”

All the girls laughed. Mariah had two speeds; either super shy and sweet or horribly rude and confident. It was like she tried to hide her shy side with this act of being tough sometimes. But instead of tough, Mariah often came across as really angry.

“Elizabeth, I don’t have time for guys and their games. They think we are all dumb young women who can’t take care of ourselves. But it’s a new world, and these guys need to understand they are dealing with a whole new breed of women.”

“Or you’re just afraid to let any guy get close to you after Eric broke your heart.”

It was true, and Mariah knew it. She had opened up to Eric; she fell in love with him and thought he was going to be the man she would spend the rest of her life with. But he had only been using her to get to her father. He wanted to get a job at Public Waves PR firm, and Mariah was his way in the door. She had been too young and inexperienced to realize what was going on until it was too late, but she had learned a huge lesson. Men were always after something.

If they weren’t after her body, they were after her connections, and Mariah was sick and tired of it. She knew she had to stop being so damn shy with people and start standing up for herself. Elizabeth was probably right about Mariah being too tough on the guy from the bar, but Mariah felt great. She felt excited to stand up for herself for once.

“I should get my butt home so I can get up early and prep my father on this big new client. Well, I guess I’m assuming he’s a big client. I don’t know too many people who would need to call a PR firm in the middle of the night unless they were famous.”

“What did he say his name was?” Elizabeth asked as the girls waited for a taxi outside the club.

“River.”

“Hmmm. Maybe the baseball player?”

“I don’t know Elizabeth; he just said his name was River.”

“Oh, maybe it’s that famous guy from that one movie. You know, the guy that accidentally shot his wife.”

Mariah’s face went pale as she thought about the man that she had talked to on the phone. He didn’t sound like a killer, but then again, she didn’t know what a killer sounded like. It could just be some guy who needed a PR firm for his tire shop or something. Mariah didn’t really care, she was just excited to try and convince her father to let her take the sales pitch when the client arrived in the morning.

“I’m going to have to work hard to convince my father to let me take this case, aren’t I?” Mariah asked Elizabeth.

“Oh, you can work as hard as you want to. Your father isn’t going to let you take a case unless the guy is some joke of a small company. You know how your father is, he’s all about the money, and nothing else matters.”

“I know. But I might have just landed my first client. I don’t want anyone else to take on the case. I want it to be mine.”

“Show your tits,” Elizabeth said as the two women got into the back of a cab.

The cab driver tried to ignore the girls’ conversation, but he couldn’t resist looking in the mirror to see if Mariah was going to oblige the command of her friend.

“What are you talking about? No, I’m not showing my tits.”

“Tomorrow. Dress like a sex goddess and get your face in front of the new client. If the client wants you on the case, your father won’t have much to say about it.”

“I think my professional work clothing is just fine. I don’t need to show my tits to get a client.”

“Show your tits anyway. Consider it part of the new you. The more outgoing and less standoffish daughter of the CEO.”

“My father would freak if I dressed sexy.”

“Even more reason to do it. I’m not talking inappropriate work clothes. I’m just saying throw that damn black pantsuit out and wear a skirt or something. Dress like you’re twenty-two not forty-two.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Anything else?”

“Yes Mariah, for God sake take your hair out of the bun at work. You have beautiful long blonde hair; try showing it off for a change.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Mariah teased as she saluted Elizabeth.

“Hey, it might be a man's world, but we are the leaders. Take charge and stop listening to everything your father says. You are good at public relations, and you need to step up and show up. And looking like a woman won’t prevent people from taking you seriously. In fact, they might take you even more seriously if they think you have a sense of style.”

“What on earth would I do without you, Elizabeth?”

“You would shrivel up and die as an old cat woman. So you’re welcome for saving you from that fate.”

“Oh, thank you so much,” Mariah teased.

Mariah and Elizabeth had been friends for the last four years. Although Elizabeth was slightly older than Mariah, they had both been in college together. Elizabeth was just a little farther ahead in the program than Mariah was.

When it was time to get out into the workplace, Mariah helped Elizabeth get her internship at Public Waves. It was the best thing that ever happened to the two women. Elizabeth got to move into the job first and figure out all the tricks of the trade and then shared them with Mariah. Then when Mariah got into the office, the two women had a big advantage over the other new associates. Two beautiful women were much stronger than any single man they always said.

***

“Daddy, I had a call last night; a new client. He’s going to be here at eleven o’clock to meet with you,” Mariah said as she sat across from her father.

“You did what?”

“I talked to a potential client who called the after hours phone. He said he wanted a meeting, so I scheduled him with you.”

“Who gave you permission to schedule clients with me? Mariah, you are just an entry level employee. I don’t want people thinking that you are getting preferential treatment because you’re my daughter. Entry level employees don’t schedule appointments for me. Your client can meet with a first-year associate.”

Mariah had spent her entire life listening to her father and his way of thinking. It was always his way or no other way at all. That was probably why her mother had divorced him six years prior. Mariah loved her father, but he certainly wasn’t an easy man to work with.

“I can take the meeting when he arrives. I’m a first year now,” Mariah said as she continued to look down, trying to avoid her father’s intense eye contact.

“Bring Rudy, he’s more experienced. And what on earth are you wearing?”

“No, he isn’t more experienced. Rudy started at the same time as I did. This is a dress. Do you like it?”

“No, I hate it. Well, have Rudy with you. The two of you together can pitch the client.”

Mariah knew better than to try and argue with her father. It was never helpful. Once her father made up his mind, it wasn’t going to change. She hated working with him, but she needed to get a good start in the public relations world, and her father’s company was the best in Portland.

It was beyond frustrating how her father favored the men in the office. It was like he didn’t trust her to do anything. But Mariah wasn’t going to make a big scene. Her father had agreed to let her meet with the client so that was exactly what she would do. If Rudy had to attend the meeting, Mariah would just tell him they were working together. The last thing she needed was Rudy thinking that he was in charge of her.

At 11 o’clock on the dot, a tall, handsome man in jeans and a T-shirt walked into Public Waves offices. Mariah watched from her office and took deep breaths as she tried to calm herself for her first big meeting.

He looked like a celebrity, but Mariah didn’t know exactly who he was. His jeans and T-shirt weren’t the kind she got from Gap. His looked expensive. His hair was perfectly styled, and his skin slightly tanned. He had a briefcase with him, which was the only indication he held professional status.

“Who is he?” Elizabeth whispered as she came into Mariah’s office and waited for the secretary to call.

“River, that’s all I know. His name is River. Geeze, we talked about this, but he looks familiar.”

“You know who that is?” Elizabeth said with sudden excitement.

“River,” Mariah joked.

“It’s River Anders.”

“Yep, still don’t know who that is. Is he famous?”

“Oh, my God, Mariah. You are the least single, single woman I know! He’s only the most eligible bachelor in Portland and like one of the top millionaire bachelors in the country. You have to pay attention to this stuff!”

“Oh yeah! I know who he is now. Is he a billionaire?”

“Yes! Well, millionaire for sure, not sure if he’s a billionaire yet or not. His fresh food delivery company is about to be purchased by Amazon I read it in the business trades. He’s going to be even richer as soon as that deal goes through.”

“Hmm. He doesn’t dress like a millionaire.”

“You need to be good to him. He could mean huge business for the firm.”

“Yes, Elizabeth. Because I was planning to be a total jerk to a new client.”

“Mariah, you tend to be a little rude to hot guys. Just be nice to this one.”

“Of course, I will. I can control myself. Geesh, Elizabeth.”

Mariah and Elizabeth waited for the secretary to call after she took River into the conference room. They waited and waited, but she never called. Finally, Mariah got fed up with waiting and looked out to see what was going on.

As Mariah peaked out of her office, she saw Rudy and her father going into the main conference room to meet with the new client. She couldn’t believe it. After her father had just chastised her for setting up a meeting with the client for him, he was now walking into the room without her.

“Kim, what’s up? You were supposed to call me,” Mariah said as she stood at the front desk to their office.

“Rudy said to call your father right away. It was River Anders.”

“I know! He’s my client. I talked to him. I set up the appointment. You were supposed to call me.”

Mariah stormed back to her office where Elizabeth had made herself at home behind her desk. She didn’t know what to do. He was her client; she wanted to land the deal. It was a huge deal for her company, and Mariah had been the one who talked to him. She needed to do something, but she was paralyzed by fear.

“My father and Rudy went into the meeting without me.”

“That’s bullshit. You walk in there and take over that damn meeting. He’s your client.”

“It’s OK. I didn’t really know what I was going to say anyways. I’m sure my father and Rudy will do great.”

Elizabeth frowned in disappointment at her friend. Mariah was good at her job, and she would do fantastic with a huge celebrity like River. But she had to have more confidence in herself. It was disgusting what her father was doing. He would have pawned the client off on Mariah in a second if it was just some small business from the neighborhood.

“Mariah Waves. This client was made for you. He has a huge business based on healthy eating. He’s got no idea how to manage his image and is always getting things written about him in the tabloids. He needs you. He needs this firm. You can’t just sit back and let your father take over. Your dad is great, don’t get me wrong, but he doesn’t understand women. And I bet you that River has a million female fans that he needs positive PR for.”

Mariah just stood in her doorway as she tried to figure out what she should do. She wanted the client, but there just was no way she could step into a meeting her father was having. He was too intimidating to her.

“I’ll talk to him after his meeting. Maybe he’ll let me help a little on the case.”

“Stop Mariah. You stop right now,” Elizabeth said as she turned Mariah around and started to push her down the hall. “You are going into the room right now, even if I have to push you all the way there.”

“Elizabeth, no. It’s fine.”

Mariah pushed back against her friend and tried to stop the progression down the hallway. Mariah couldn’t go into that meeting; she had no idea what she would say, and she certainly wasn’t prepared to confront her father about the situation.

“It is not fine. You open that door and go in there,” Elizabeth said as they stood outside the main conference room.

“I’m not going to be rude and interrupt their meeting. I’ll talk to him later,” Mariah said as she desperately tried to get away from Elizabeth.

“No, you’ll talk to him right now,” Elizabeth said as she opened the door and pushed Mariah into the conference room.

Her father and Rudy looked up at her as she stumbled into the room.

The client had his back to the door but turned around just in time to catch Mariah’s face right in his lap as she tripped on her four-inch heels and landed right on top of him. His arms grabbed her just before she hit the ground and saved the situation from being, even more, embarrassing than it was.

The embarrassment flushed through her face instantly, and Mariah felt her pale skin as it turned a burning hot shade of red. She could never hide when she was embarrassed. Her skin instantly turned red, and she felt the warmth all the way up her neck and to her cheeks.

“Hello,” River said as he lifted Mariah’s chin to look up at him. He pulled her up to the standing position and smiled a mischievous grin at her as she stood next to him.

“Um … Hello. I, um … I’m sorry. I tripped,” Mariah said as she made her way to the other side of the table to sit next to Rudy.

Mariah was mortified that she had just fallen in the new client's lap. It was beyond embarrassing, and she didn’t know how she would ever prove that she could take on the client after that.