Mitchell Dunn had the corner office to beat all corner offices. Big enough to swing not just a cat but an elephant, with a luxurious expanse of pale, plush carpet, a selection of mid-century and antique furnishings clearly put together by an interior decorator, and a view that stretched from the city to the hills.
Jacinda sat in one of the huge leather armchairs on the other side of his desk, and looked at that view as she waited for him to finish his phone call. Her feet barely touched the floor, and she wondered if the choice of enormous chairs was deliberate—there was no better way to get the advantage in business, or in life, than to make others feel small.
She wasn’t going to feel small though. Greg had tried that often enough, and it was exactly what she was here to stand up against—not just for herself, but for anyone else in his orbit. After a night’s sleep to recover from the flight, this was her first stop.
Mitchell finished up his call and tossed his phone onto the expansive mahogany desk. “We’ve been following your story online,” he said, getting straight to business. “Obviously it needs to be addressed.”
It was the first time she’d seen him one on one, without A&R people or assistants—and actually, he was smaller than she remembered. She took off the baseball cap she’d worn on the drive there, and ran her fingers through her hair. It had grown since her home haircut, but the natural color starting to show at the roots was pretty much the same as the brown she’d used to cover her faux blonde.
“Yeah, Greg called last night,” she said. She didn’t add that she’d ignored his call. And his next call. And the one after that.
“You’re looking…different,” Mitchell said. “Are you seeing Heather this week, now you’re back?”
“No,” she said. “I hadn’t planned to.”
She knew what he was getting at—as the stylist who worked with most of the label’s artists, Heather would throw a fit if she knew that Jacinda had put a box color in her hair. Not to mention her lack of makeup. But, for better or worse, she’d given up hiding behind layers of Mac or Lancôme. A little piece of that barefoot Sweet Breeze Bay girl had come home with her.
“Oh.” His eyes swept her from head to toe, communicating his thoughts without a word needed. “And what does Todd think about this new look?”
“It seems likely that Todd and I will be parting company.” She didn’t offer any more details. That was between Hannah and her husband. Soon to be ex-husband.
Mitchell raised an eyebrow. “I see. But I hear you’re on board for Eli’s tour?”
She still wasn’t thrilled about Todd and Greg coming up with that, but in the end she’d agreed with Hannah that she shouldn’t throw away the opportunity—not until she was sure about what she wanted to do next. If nothing else, it would be the perfect way to test her new look with an audience, and try out some new material. Plus, she needed something to keep her busy. Something to stop her mind from wandering back across the seas, to a complicated man, in a small bay, in a faraway country.
She nodded. “Yes, we’re getting together tonight with his team to start planning.”
“You and Greg?”
She paused for a moment. “That’s why I’m here. There’s a problem with Greg. He’s been acting inappropriately for a long time…and after my last show, he went too far.”
She was ready to elaborate, but Mitchell sighed.
“You’re not the first person to mention this.”
“You knew?”
He leaned back in his chair, peaking his fingers together. “You know this business well enough by now. Greg gets things done. He plays the game. Do you think you would have come this far without him?”
A hot point of anger concentrated in her chest as his words sank in. “Well, I’m not playing his game anymore. If the label still wants me after the fallout from Lainey’s interview—”
“Oh, we still want you,” he said, interrupting her. “In fact, we think you just upped your currency.”
She frowned. “In what way?”
“You just got a whole lot more interesting,” he said. “And we want to capitalize on that. We want you out there doing press and kicking ass.”
She shook her head. “That’s pretty much the opposite of what I want to do.”
“Cin.” His mouth twisted into a smile. “In this world, everything plays into your brand. It’s entertainment. And right now, people are extra entertained by your scandal. It’s tragedy, sex, and drama, all the stuff that keeps people engaged. Once you put yourself out there, the personal is always public. And your ‘personal’ just got a whole lot sexier.”
She forced herself to take a breath before she answered. “I’m not using my personal life—and someone else’s personal life—to build my brand. There are real people involved here. Real people I actually give a damn about. And I’m not making my ‘brand’ sexier.” She made air quotes around the hated word. “And Greg is a deal breaker. If we can’t find a solution, then…”
“Then what?” His tone dared her to say it.
“Then I’m out.” She stood up, calm as the water in Sweet Breeze Bay on a still night, despite the fact that she’d just put everything on the line, in the hands of the most powerful man at Altitude Records. But she had no regrets. She’d already considered walking away, and if it came to that, she’d have options. She didn’t know exactly what they might be, right now…but one way or another, she’d make it work.
“I’ll have to think about that,” Mitchell said, not getting up.
“Okay,” she replied evenly. “You know where to find me.”
And she went out, leaving the door open behind her.