A CONTRACT ENGAGEMENT

“Then there are the people, like me, who are allergic to physical activity.” Nina said.

He snorted and sent an appraising look over her body. She ignored him and continued on.

“These are the people who watch sports. They’re tuned in to every game. The players. The teams. They run the gambit from the fanatic to the casual observer. They’re the people who will buy your sportswear not because they’re going to worry over the functionality. They don’t care. They want to look cool. They want to immerse themselves in the aura of the sports world. You’re a brand, a label. It’s a status symbol.”

Her excitement mounted with every word. He was listening intently. She had him.

“So you do dual marketing. You go after the die-hard fitness enthusiast with the sweaty workout commercials. The driven athlete who’s going to be the best and wearing your brand the entire time.” She said.

Again she paused to gauge his reaction, and he was leaning forward, his brow creased in concentration.

“Then you go after the men and the women and the kids who want your clothing and your shoes because they look good. Because they make them feel athletic without ever lifting a finger. You show them someone looking cool and sophisticated in your clothing. You show them it’s hip to have Paige Wear. They can be average, everyday Joes and still know what it feels like to be a star.”

Then she went for the kill shot. Her excitement mounted because she knew he was interested. This had nothing to do with personal attraction. He was all business right now and his eyes gleamed with enthusiasm.

“And the person you show to both of these groups, the man you have doing the sweaty, driven shoots and the cool, suave commercials is James Parker.”

Julian’s eyes widened a fraction, and then he sat back in his seat. “Wait a minute,” he said.

She waited, trying valiantly to hide her smug grin. This would be the fun part.

“You’re telling me you can get me ?” He didn’t even wait for her to reply. “Companies have been after Tony Parker ever since he entered the major leagues.”

“Yep,” she said airily.

“The point is, the man has never agreed to an endorsement deal. What makes you think you can change his mind?” Julian asked.

“And if I told you he’s willing to talk to you?”

“No way,” Julian breathed.

“It’ll cost you.”

“Hell, it would be worth it!” His eyes narrowed again. “He’ll talk to me. You’ve already been in contact with him?”

“I met him through Evan, and I might have mentioned the possibility of you doing a new ad campaign.” She replied.

“And he’s interested?”

“He’ll talk to you. I provided him research, which means you passed the first round of scrutiny with him. He’s a hard guy. You land him and it’ll be huge. Not only will you have a kick-ass ad campaign, but you’ll also be the guy who signed Tony Parker”

“I’d want exclusivity,” Julian said quickly.

“You’d have to be prepared to pay for that privilege,” Nina pointed out. She wasn’t about to tell Julian that exclusivity or not, the chances of Tony agreeing to do another deal with someone else was slim to none. The man simply wasn’t motivated by money.

“Okay, let’s forget Tony Parker for the moment. I like your ideas, Nina. I mean, the average Joe has never escaped my notice, but you’re right. I’ve never gone after him in marketing. My commercials are always about the drive to succeed. I talk to the athlete in all of us.”

“Which I’ve just pointed out doesn’t exist in everyone,” she said drily.

“Yes, you’re right. Completely. The junior-high kid trying to look cool. Huge market there that I’ve yet to tap.” he said.

“Most of my ideas are about how to structure television commercials, Internet advertising and print media to target all segments of the population from the die-hard sports and fitness enthusiast to Suzy Homemaker who just wants a comfortable pair of tennis shoes. We’d speak separately to teens, young adults all the way up to the retired folks.”

Julian nodded. “I’m interested. Definitely interested. When can you have a presentation put together for me? As I said before, I’m ready to move on this. I don’t mind taking a little extra time if I can be guaranteed better results.”

“You tell me when you can meet with us at Standard Gate and I’ll arrange it,” she said evenly.

“And Tony Parker?” he asked.

“I’ll arrange it as soon as we get back.”

“Then I’d say you’ve got your pitch appointment, Nina. I’m very impressed with what you’ve had to say. If your presentation delivers on the promise of your ideas, it’s something my company will be very excited about.”

Though she had every confidence in her ability to win him over, his enthusiasm gave her a wicked thrill. She was forced to play it cool and smile politely as she thanked him, but on the inside she was doing an insane victory dance.

She had phone calls to make. Evan would need to know so they could start preparing. They’d want to do mock-ups of the advertising and have it prominently displayed on the television monitors in the Standard Gate reception area. On the day she’d give Julian her presentation, Standard Gate Communications would be all about Mart Enterprises. No one else would exist in the time frame. Julian was present in their offices.

“You have to tell me how you managed to get Tony Parker to agree to talk to me,” Julian said as he pushed his plate aside.

A small smile flirted at the edges of her mouth and she suppressed the urge to grin broadly.

“I can’t reveal all my secrets.” She said,

“You pull this off and you’ll be legendary,” Julian said. “The man has never so much as been tempted to take a deal.”

“Don’t fawn yet,” she murmured. “He might prove to be too expensive for you.”

Julian’s eyes glinted with a predatory gleam. He had the look of a man sure of himself and all things.

“I’ve not found many things in life that proved to be too expensive. I may not always want to pay the price, but rarely have I found them out of my range.” he said.

She smiled. “I sensed that about you, which is why I thought you might be the one Tony would come to terms with. I think the two of you are probably a lot alike.”