Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
SPENCER
M arlow's boldness caught me off guard. The guys looked at me like I'd brought an enemy into our territory and she'd set off a grenade. I could feel the eyes of Seb, Graham, and Jax all on me. I could practically hear Seb's thoughts. He wanted to toss me out the window and Marlow right behind me. I listened to her lay into Joshua with abject horror. It was the epitome of watching a trainwreck in slow motion.
Did she accept my offer just to sabotage me? Was this some kind of revenge? If she didn't want the fucking job, all she had to do was say no. This was a bit extreme. I told her this client was a challenge. I felt like I waved a red flag in front of a bull, and she was charging the dude.
After I collected my wits, I looked at Joshua, expecting him to start screaming and throwing a fit—I had seen it before. He was a drama queen. My mind spun as I tried to think about how to defuse the situation. I didn't know what to say. Sorry seemed a little light.
Suddenly, Joshua grinned. I could hear the exhale from my partners. "I like you," Joshua said.
I practically deflated. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath during her entire scathing commentary.
Marlow's stoic composure brightened to her usual sunny nature now that Joshua was listening to her. "I have some great ideas," she said. "You should be designing bright, colorful, bold designs with graphic images that represent you and your personality. Your subscribers followed you because you appealed to their personal tastes. If you want your followers to be your target audience, you need to design products with them in mind. No neutrals, no boring sad beige clothes—leave that to the hygge , nature-focused, soothing influencers. Joshua Powell needs to sell Joshua Powell."
I looked at Seb and grinned. He looked stupefied. Graham and Jax had shit-eating grins on their faces. They just got to see what I saw. Now they understood why I wanted her so desperately. We all sat quietly while Marlow worked her magic.
"I like that." Joshua nodded. "What else?"
"Let me show you," she said.
Marlow broke a sketchpad out of her bag and started drawing out ideas. I watched as the guys muttered amongst themselves, feeling left out of the meeting. She got up to move to sit beside Joshua. My partners and I were completely ignored.
I had zero problem with that. She wasn't here to sit and watch us work. We wanted her razzle dazzle and she was crushing this meeting.
"Give her a shot," I said quietly to my friends. "He's having fun with this idea for the first time. Maybe some of the issues that kept cropping up were because our approach was off. Marlow is on to something."
Graham and Jax pushed back. "Do you know how much time we put into that pitch?" Graham asked.
"I can't say I like her approach," Seb said.
"That was the most intense game of chicken I ever saw," Jax muttered. "This is not how we do business."
"Yeah, insulting the clients seems like a pretty risky move," Seb muttered. "You guys call me an ass but I've never pulled anything like that."
Marlow and Joshua couldn't hear us. They were having a deep discussion about putting his logo front and center. For once, the client wasn't acting like a spoiled little prick. That alone was a win, so my friends' naysaying didn't sit well.
My irritation got the better of me. "Back off," I said, making sure my voice was still soft, but the glare in my eyes was loud enough. "Let her work before you screw this up."
That got their attention, silencing their criticisms behind pursed lips and furrowed brows. Marlow and Joshua were engrossed in their conversation, heads bent over the sketchpad as they discussed designs and ideas. The atmosphere in the room shifted, tension giving way to a charged energy as creativity flowed between them.
Seb, Graham, and Jax exchanged glances, uncertainty still lingering in their eyes. Despite their reservations about her unconventional methods, they had to see she was doing something right. Joshua had never been so receptive, and it wasn't even just because Marlow was stunning. He'd dropped the dude-bro act he put on for the cameras and revealed the clever business-minded side of him. Marlow animatedly gestured, her passion for design evident in every stroke of her pen.
As the meeting progressed, Marlow's ideas began to take shape, transforming from mere sketches on paper to a vivid vision that captivated Joshua. With each design concept she presented, his excitement grew, his eyes lighting up with dollar signs. We were forgotten. We could have gotten up and walked out of the room and I doubted either of them would have cared.
Jealousy flared inside me, but she was keeping it totally professional. Marlow didn't need to flirt to sell him on her ideas. Her sexy little brain was more than enough.
Marlow looked up and noticed all of us watching her. "I'll make sure to get the sketches colored and cleaned up," she said. "Unless you all have something to add?"
"Please, go on," Jax said with some frustration evident. "Just let us know when we're needed."
She made eye contact with me before going back to her discussion with Joshua. I was pretty sure Joshua was finished with us. None of us had the balls to tell him his clothing line was hideous, and unfortunately, he probably wasn't interested in our opinions.
Joshua got to his feet with a bright smile on his face. He tapped his finger on the last sketch Marlow had drawn. "Now that's what I'm talking about. I think you understand my followers better than I do." He grinned at my partners and me. "It's about time you got someone good in here. I was ready to walk today. I'll be in touch soon, Marlow. Fellas."
He walked out, leaving the four of us completely speechless.
"The changes Joshua agreed to will bring in a lot more revenue," Marlow said excitedly. "Not just for him, but for all of us. And most importantly, it'll create a lot of happy customers who want to wear his brand. And we'll get to take credit for it! Then we'll get more channels asking to hire us."
The mood in the room wasn't as optimistic. I was all in with Marlow, but none of the others said anything.
Marlow sensed the tension. "Did I overstep?" she asked looking from me to the others.
Jax got to his feet. "Nope," he said. "Just let me know when I'm needed."
He started to walk out with Graham and Seb following him.
It was just Marlow and me. I sighed, trying to figure out how to put words to what I suspected they were feeling. "You didn't do anything wrong," I told her. "You fucking killed it today. That client has been impossible. My partners are just used to being a bigger part of the process. Please don't tell them I said this, but I think they're just pouting."
She groaned. "What is this, high school? The client was happy. That's all that matters."
"I agree totally," I said. "They're usually cooler than this. But I promise, they'll see you were right when this all comes to fruition. It's just going to take some time for them to see it work. Then they'll trust you like I do."
"That's going to take months." She sighed. "Maybe this was a mistake."
"What? You can't hack it?"
She smiled. "I wasn't the one stomping out of here like a baby. I can hack it just fine."
"Good," I said, smiling back. "Just keep doing what you're doing. Please. Seriously, Joshua sucks. I can't imagine the people who find his content entertaining."
Marlow laughed and nodded. "And that's why your ideas weren't working."
"So you're a fan of his?" I asked, frowning.
"Hell no." She chuckled and waved my comment away. "I'm with you. He totally sucks. But I understand his audience and what they'll spend their minimum-wage paychecks on. I would never be in a room alone with any of them, but I know how to sell them T-shirts and hoodies."
As she packed up her sketchpad, I felt a surge of admiration for her unwavering confidence and passion for her craft. She had hit a home run her first time up at bat, and if that wasn't the sexiest damn thing I'd seen all day, I might as well turn in my man card. Only weak men were afraid of strong women.
Things around the office had been getting stale, but I hadn't realized just how stale it was until I watched her work her magic. Then again, she already had me under her spell and I hadn't even seen it coming.
"I really do think Joshua's brand could take off if he embraces this new direction. His followers want to see him in bold, eye-catching designs that reflect his adventurous personality. They want to wear what he wears, live vicariously through his posts. I can't believe that hot garbage he was trying to push was even being considered."
I winced. "You're right, but we don't typically make it a habit to tell our clients their product is garbage. We're paid to sell it."
"But how were you possibly going to make a successful campaign out of those designs?" she asked.
I opened my mouth to answer but she cut me off. "Wait, don't tell me you actually liked that stuff? I mean, like I said, it's not terrible for people like you or me to wear around the house, but the five minutes I spent looking at his social media told me it was never going to be a hit. Not for the market he was trying to target."
I couldn't help but chuckle. She had a point. Joshua's previous designs were generic, boring, and safe. Marlow had shown us a fresh perspective, and it was time to embrace that change wholeheartedly.
"You're onto something, Marlow," I said thoughtfully. "Let's not settle for mediocrity. Let's push boundaries and create something wild for Joshua's brand."
"See! That's what I'm talking about."
"I get it," I said. "It's just different. It's like driving on the opposite side of the road. It takes a little getting used to."
Marlow grinned at me, a glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes. "Exactly. We have to be willing to go against the flow sometimes to give the client what they need. The fact that your partners can't see that is the exact reason I don't want bosses. I work for the client. If they're happy, everyone gets paid."
"I'll talk to them," I said. "I swear they're not pricks. They're just passionate."
"Should I talk to them?" she asked. "I hate that I made such a bad first impression. I'm not going to change who I am, but maybe they would like to see my portfolio. Or look at the designs we came up with today. Then they can at least judge me on my ideas."
"Let me handle it," I assured her. "I'll make sure they understand the vision behind your designs and how it can elevate Joshua's brand to new heights. Don't worry about it. Just keep doing what you do best, creating magic. I believe in you."
Her smile lit up the room. "I appreciate that."
"I have an idea," I said.
She started to pack up her things. "And what would that be?"
"We'll go to lunch," I said. "All of us. Bring Kyla as well. It'll give everyone a chance to get to know each other. I might have thrown you into the lion's den a little fast. Normally, with a position like this, we would have all had the chance to sit down and talk before we hit the ground running. I didn't really give them any real warning."
"They didn't want me here?" she asked.
"No, no." I shook my head. "I didn't say that. I'm saying typically we would have at least two of us interview someone before we made a decision. Or even just a meet and greet with cheese and wine."
"Spencer, if they're not on board with me working here, I won't. We'll just count this morning as an audition and I didn't get the job."
"No way." I shook my head. "Trust me like I'm trusting you. They'll get on board. Just give it a minute."
"Fine, but if I get the feeling they don't want me, I'll leave," she said firmly. "I don't need this job. You convinced me to join you, not the other way around."
"They'll be fine," I assured her. "I'll get my assistant to make reservations. We'll make it a long lunch. Food always puts everyone in a good mood."
"Okay. I'm going back to my office to put together some ideas. I'll send them to Joshua. I don't think we need to get graphic design involved at this point. Let's see what Joshua settles on."
I nodded. "Sounds good. Let me know if you need anything. This is your baby now."
She grinned at me and nodded. "You just don't want to work with Joshua."
I laughed. "That's just an added bonus."
She headed out and I couldn't help but watch her walk away. The view of her round hips disappearing behind the closing door reminded me of the very brief moment I had my hands on them.
I walked out of the office and went to Janet, telling her to make reservations for us. I went to my office and quickly drafted an email to the guys to let them know they were going to lunch. I didn't make it an invitation. It was a demand for being rude as hell in that meeting. They needed to show up. I wasn't going to allow them to make Marlow feel unwelcome.