Jacked (Trent Brothers #1)(21)
It was also after that particular episode aired—where they showed me reuniting the baby girl that had been in the back seat of the stolen car with her hysterical mother—when all the ridiculous fandamonium started. I didn’t know what the big deal was. I was just doing my job, for Christ’s sake.
“So?” I still didn’t know what she was getting at.
“We rebroadcasted the episode after we garnered the new nine p.m. time slot. In the last few weeks our viewership has jumped significantly. The excerpt of you jumping over the hood of the car has been viewed over four million times. You were a global trending topic, Adam. Needless to say, I’m very pleased. Not only have we locked in with a major network, as of last week we currently rank tenth on the overall ratings with an increase of over seven million new viewers.”
She beamed at me, and for a moment I was captivated by her excited enthusiasm. Add that to the fact she was a young, gorgeous woman who smelled fantastic, it was almost a lethal combination.
It would be very easy to hike up her short skirt and f*ck her over the desk. She’d probably get off on it.
“Seven,” she mouthed.
My visions evaporated. “Seven million people watched the show?”
She took the papers from my hand again. “No. Twelve million eight hundred and seventy-five thousand did. The seven million is new viewers.” She gave me a patronizing smile. “I don’t expect you to understand the complexities of ranks and ratings, so don’t worry that handsome face of yours trying to comprehend it all.”
And right then her presence enraged me. Her tone was brimming with condescension, masked by the seductive way she accentuated certain words. Did she really think I was that oblivious and simpleminded?
“Fox has now given us a new mandate to maintain viewership, so what we need to discuss is how we leverage our assets to make that happen.”
I felt her heated gaze singe my cock; her double meaning so blatant even the two other suits in the room squirmed.
“I’ve decided that we’re going to rebrand the show,” Melissa continued, lifting her attention back to my face. “Our new marketing goals are to feature you as the primary focus of each episode. It would mean an increase of your on-air time, which we need to amend in your contract.”
She snapped her fingers, barely casting a glance back at her underlings. “Harry…”
He fumbled, passing papers in a hurry.
“You’ll see we’ve amended paragraphs seven and nine.” She flipped a page. “You’ll also be requested to do a few new photoshoots as we will be doing extensive promotion, both in print ads and on social media. Fox will also run promotions on their website. That’s all noted here.”
The quiet suit cleared his throat. “PR…”
“Oh yes,” Melissa continued. “We’ll provide you with a public relations manager to assist you with your own social media as well as give you media training for when you conduct interviews.” She flicked her fingers at Harry again. “Do you have the preliminary agenda for his personal appearances?”
This shit was hurting my brain. “My what?”
Harry fumbled through his briefcase while she sneered at him with the patience of a demanding child.
“Personal appearances, Adam.”
Again? That was twice she’d hit me with the patronizing tone. “Yeah, I heard you the first time.” I tried to find the loophole in the contract she’d shoved in my hand. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to comply with all of your demands, or any of them for that matter.”
“Demands?” She sighed heavily, obviously displeased. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you. Our requests are not excessive. You’ll introduce each episode, which will require some additional voiceovers and B-roll footage. We’d like to splice in some additional footage of you working on your physique and perhaps shooting your gun.” She bit into her lip, gazing up at me the way women sometimes do. “You know; sex it up a bit for the viewers.”
I was willing to bet she was imagining me f*cking her over the desk right now.
“Seventy-eight percent of the new viewership is female because of you,” the quiet suit said.
Melissa glared daggers at him for speaking out of turn.
Like Jekyll and Hyde, she turned her pacifying smile back to me. “Yes, you are the reason the ratings have increased. We’ll arrange for you to do some one-on-one interviews on the major morning shows, get some additional exposure. Who knows? Maybe you’ll love the spotlight so much it will lead to a movie career for you. You don’t want to be a cop for the rest of your life, do you?”
I sure as hell wasn’t the attention-seeking type, but when she questioned my career choice as if I’d settled until something better came along, my decision was instant. “Yeah, we’re done here.”
“But you—”
I pushed away from the wall, having heard enough. “Save it. I’m not interested.”
“Stop,” Melissa bellowed.
Whatever she had to say, she had exactly five seconds to say it.
“Twenty thousand,” she blurted. “We’re prepared to pay you an additional five figures for the next twelve episodes to finish out your contract, contingent upon you signing on for an additional three seasons.”