Release Me Page 5

  “Sienna will be handling the Holmes/Jordan account,” Allen announced. “Thanks again for stepping up like this. It goes a long way in showing your commitment to excellence and to MDF, Inc.”

  “I’m honored to have this opportunity,” Sienna answered with a weak smile as her mind stifled a cringe at hearing the Holmes/Jordan name combination. How long before she saw those two names together in the society pages under the weddings and engagements section?

  Sienna wouldn’t believe that unless she saw it with her own eyes. Tobias Holmes was not the marrying type.

  She went over to her desk and flipped through the file Allen had handed her. More than ever, she needed to make sure she put on a professional face. She certainly didn’t want Aria Jordan thinking she didn’t know how to do her job. It would be hard to pull off with only a few minutes notice, though.

  Sienna sighed. Preparation was not the only reason she was stalling—and stalling she most definitely was doing.

  She and Toby had not parted on the best of terms Saturday. She was still insulted that he didn’t even know she’d moved out on her own. That meant he hadn’t even tried to keep up with what had been going on in her life these past few years.

  At least she’d had the decency to inquire about him when she saw either his brothers or Margo. That was, after all, what friends did. It was as if he didn’t care about her even as a friend.

  After their father died, money had been hard to come by for the Holmeses. As much as Toby tried to show otherwise, Sienna knew he scuffled just to find the money to buy basketball sneakers. Even with Alex dropping out of college so he could get a job and support his mother and younger brothers, there was very little money left after all the household bills were paid.

  When Toby went to St. Johns on scholarship, he did not have the funds to fly home for visits very often. Yet, the few times he was able to make it, he spent most of his time with his family, leaving very little time for her. After his accident, his trips back home became nonexistent. She never got a phone call, or even an email. Nothing.

  It takes two people to make a friendship work, and Toby just was not cutting it as a friend.

  According to the message her mother left on Sienna’s answering machine, he had called Sylvia’s house Saturday night, but that was it. Either her mother had not given him her current number, or Toby had decided not to bother with making more of an effort to get in touch with her. Whatever the case, the entire episode had left Sienna with one undeniable certainty. She and Toby were not as close as they used to be, and she doubted they would ever find that companionship again.

  Sienna attempted to ignore the pang of sorrow that settled in her chest, but it was no use. The lost of a friendship hurt, especially one as strong as she and Toby once shared. Especially when she’d always hoped it would grow into something more.

  “Sienna,” Candi’s voice came through the phone’s intercom. “Mr. Holmes and Ms. Jordan are waiting for you in conference room three.”

  Sienna pressed the answer button. “Thanks, Candi. I’m on my way.”

  Taking a fortifying breath, she headed for the conference room.

  ***

  Toby’s heart constricted. This was the type of news he would give anything not to hear.

  Devising a killer marketing campaign was paramount to Aria’s success. She had the voice. He had the vision. All they needed was the marketing savvy of a firm like MDF, Inc. He knew his limits; understood when he was in over his head. And trying to function as Aria’s producer, manager, songwriter, promoter and advertising guru was more than he could handle—especially with so much at stake.

  Of all the times for Jamie Kurshon to have a heart attack!

  That was a bit insensitive, Toby mentally chided, but their time was short. He did not need a major setback like this so early in the game.

  “Although Ms. Kurshon will not be available, her replacement is the most competent associate to join us in the last few years.” The slightly graying man who’d introduced himself as Allen Mulholland continued. “If you cannot have Jamie, Sienna Culpepper is the next best thing.”

  Who did he say?

  “Here she is.”

  He’d heard right. Toby was torn between laughter and shock as Sienna walked into the conference room. What were the odds?

  “Good morning, Mr. Holmes. Miss Jordan.” She extended her hand.

  “Morning, Ms. Culpepper.” Toby returned her handshake, a grin pulling at his lips.

  “Sienna, I didn’t know you worked here,” Aria said.

  “You know each other?” Mulholland asked.

  “Yes, we do,” Sienna answered. “Mr. Holmes and I grew up together.”

  “Well, isn’t this something?”

  “It sure is,” Toby agreed. Funny how Sienna had left him on Saturday, then avoided him the rest of the weekend, and now she was the one who would be handling his account.

  “I’ll leave you three. I know you’re anxious to get started.” With that Mulholland left the conference room.

  “I’m sorry, but I really need to use the restroom before we get started,” Aria said. Sienna pointed her down the hall then took a seat at the cherry wood table.

  “This is a surprise,” Toby said, since apparently she wasn’t going to say anything. He’d spent most of his free time since Saturday trying to determine just what the hell had pissed her off. He still couldn’t figure it out.

  “For me, as well,” she answered. Her voice was as cold as a freezer. What was up with her?

  “The big guy seems to think you know what you’re doing.”

  “I do know what I’m doing,” she shot back.

  Toby held up his hand in mock surrender, “Cee Cee, I was just joking.”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “What’s the matter with you?” Toby frowned.

  “This is my place of business,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “I do not answer to Cee Cee.”

  “Sorry about that,” Aria said, coming back into the room.

  Sienna shut her eyes for a second and expelled a breath. She opened her eyes and, with an overly bright smile, said, “Why don’t we get started?” She flattened the file folder open on the table.

  Toby decided to put a hold on his questions about her attitude. It was time to get to work.

  “We have a lot to do here and very little time in which to do it,” Sienna continued. “What I suggest is that we come out with all guns blazing. A full-fledged media blitz.”

  “Just remember we’re doing this on a budget,” Toby interjected. “The show isn’t paying for this, so the capital we use will be from my personal funds.”

  “That’s what sponsors are for,” Sienna answered.

  “What sponsors?” Aria asked.

  “The ones we will find. Did the show specify any rules about how to raise money for your campaign?” she asked, searching through the notes in the file folder.

  “No,” Toby answered. “All they said is that they are not responsible for any expenses incurred for any promotion outside of what they’re already providing for the show. They didn’t give us any restrictions on raising money.”

  “Excellent. We’ll get corporate sponsors. You’re gorgeous,” Sienna told Aria. “Local companies will clamor to get your face associated with their product.”

  “I’d never thought about that,” Toby said. Which is why he was more than willing to pay for MDF, Inc.’s services. He knew his limits. He did not have a mind for marketing, although he planned to learn everything he could while he had the chance. It looked as if he could learn a thing or two from Sienna. The girl was on her game.

  Toby leaned back in his chair and studied her as she laid out an entire plan. Gone were the cornrows and baseball cap. They had been replaced by a shoulder-length hairstyle that was cut to frame her oval shaped face. She’d traded in her basketball shorts and high top sneakers for a business suit that hugged her waist and heels that added a good three inches to her already impre
ssive height. Back in high school, Sienna had never worn make-up, but now her full lips were tinged with a light peach color. She looked…good. Different, but good.

  “First thing we need to do is get a press kit together. I’ll need a bio, whatever press clips you have—there must be a few write ups from your performances in Houston, right?”

  “One or two,” Toby said. “It’s not much. Just a few words from the local entertainment writer for a small independent music magazine.”

  “She’s got credentials, that’s all we’re looking for. We’ll also need press photos. I know this is going to cost up front, but it will be worth it in the end. Don’t worry, Toby, I know what I’m doing.”

  Whatever doubts he’d had when Sienna had first walked into the room were sufficiently put to rest.

  “One of the most inexpensive and effective ways to promote you is by word of mouth, which means we have to get as many people out to your performances as we can. But, before we get into any of that, there’s something I need you to do, Aria.”

  Aria’s head shot up. “What?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

  Aria had more talent than anyone he had seen in a long time, but she was easily intimidated. If she was to be the star Toby had in mind, she had to learn how to have a presence away from the stage.

  “I need to know why you want this?” Sienna asked.

  “To win on the show?”

  “No. To sing,” Sienna clarified. “I need to know what your goals are. What is it about music that draws you?”

  “I don’t know,” Aria said. Toby could tell she was overwhelmed.

  “Yes, you do,” Sienna told her before Toby could intervene. She sent him a look that clearly said she was going to handle this. Toby sat back and watched.

  “Is there anything else you can imagine yourself doing for the rest of your life?” Sienna asked, rising from her seat and walking over to the chair next to Aria. She sat, and taking Aria’s hand between her own, she said, “What is it about singing, about music, that touches you like nothing else can?”

  “It’s the—”

  “No.” Sienna shook her head. “Don’t tell me. This is for you to know, and only you. What I do want to know is where are you most comfortable singing? Is it at the huge clubs with a thousand people around you?”

  “I’ve never played to an audience that big,” Aria answered.

  “You will,” Sienna warned her. “Are you ready for that?”

  “I am,” Aria said with a firm nod. “I’m okay once I get out on stage. It’s just the waiting that kills me. And talking in public. I hate talking in public.”

  Sienna gave her a sympathetic smile. “You know, there are more people who fear public speaking than death? Unfortunately, it comes with the territory. Luckily, for you, we can work on it. I think we should start out with a few radio interviews. That way, it’s only one or two people in the studio. Then we can work our way up to spots on local news channels. Reality shows are so popular these days. They’re going to jump at the chance to interview you.”

  They had been here, for what? Ten minutes? And already, Sienna had weeks worth of promotion laid out.

  “How many concert dates do you think we can book between now and the start of taping?” She pulled up a calendar on the computer, which flashed on the large projector screen that took up the entire left wall.

  “Not sure,” Toby answered. “With the big name headliners at Jazz Fest and the French Quarter Festival this year, it may be hard to get tourists to attend a concert for an unknown artist.”

  “But it’s the local clientele that we want to win over,” Sienna reasoned. “Locals tend to stay away from the high tourists areas anyway. Native New Orleanians will be looking for ways to unwind that are set apart from the gimmicky atmosphere most business use to lure in tourists.”

  Yeah, she was good.

  Toby was almost giddy, his anticipation of the weeks to come making him more and more excited.

  Sienna tapped on the computer keyboard, but an error message popped up stating the file she was attempting to open was already in use. She cursed.

  “I’m sorry,” Sienna said, sending an apologetic glance, which was funny since Toby was the one who’d taught her many of the most choice swear words in the first place.

  “I forgot to logout of the calendar on my computer. Let me run to my office to see what my schedule looks like this week,” Sienna said. “I want a few days to go over this, then we can meet again to set this course into action.”

  She rose from the table and was out of the conference room before Toby could stop her.

  Leaving Aria, Toby got up and headed in the direction Sienna had taken. He passed three offices before coming upon the door, which held a silver plate etched with her name. He gave two quick knocks, then pushed the partially opened door a little wider.

  “Nice cubbyhole,” he said, giving her small office the once over. Even though it was a little bigger than a broom closet, Sienna had added her own style. Two potted plants sat in opposite corners, with another, smaller one on her desk. A square geometric-patterned rug took up most of the area in front of her desk.

  The wall behind her sported an array of framed and matted postcards, probably from the collection she’d maintained since the third grade project back in elementary school. Sienna had become obsessed with collecting a postcard from every country in the world.

  Toby motioned toward the postcards with his head. “How many countries you got left?” he asked.

  She glanced behind her at the display. “I stopped collecting,” she answered. “Why wait weeks for a postcard to arrive from Russia when you can get an email instantly?”

  He nodded his agreement. “I guess framed emails just don’t hold the same appeal.”

  “No, they don’t.”

  The awkward silence that stretched between them was as foreign as it was uncomfortable. He could not remember a time when he and Sienna could not find something to say to each other. Even when they were fighting, she still talked to him. It usually came in the form of shouting, with a blunt object being pitched at his head, but there was communication. Always.

  He didn’t know what to make of this stagnant air between them. When they were younger, Sienna had been his salvation when things got rough; the person he could turn to when he was ready to find a machine gun and open fire on the world. He could not fathom a time in his life when his Cee Cee wouldn’t be there for him.

  Toby knew he was mostly to blame for the gulf between them. During those first few months after the accident, he had shut everybody out. The thought of seeing pity on their faces had been more than he could bear at the time. But in the back of his mind, Toby knew Sienna would always be there for him.

  Now, he wasn’t so sure.

  “Did you need anything in particular?” Sienna asked.

  There. That hint of coldness in her voice. He knew he was not imagining it.

  “Toby,” she said, clearly losing patience. “Why are you standing there like a statue?”

  “No reason,” he said. “I wanted to check out your office. I had no idea you worked at Mulholland, Davis, and French when I picked them to run Aria’s campaign.”

  “Funny, I knew about your job at Price Waterhouse, the nightclub in Houston, and now as a record producer.”

  There was no mistaking the acid in her voice. It would not be more apparent if she had the words “Ticked Off” stamped on her forehead in bright red letters.

  He knew he should have done a better job at keeping in touch. After all Sienna had done for him, he’d owed her at least that. But she had been the hardest to face. Of all the people in his life, Toby felt that Sienna was the one he’d let down the most by not making more of his promising professional basketball career.

  But that wasn’t an excuse, and it’s not as if he could tell that to Sienna anyway. Bottom line, he should have kept tabs on her, if only to show his interest in what was happening in her life.

  S
ince she stared at him, fully expecting an answer, Toby decided to tell her at least a partial truth.

  “To be honest, I didn’t have much to do with anything back here in New Orleans. Other than my weekly call to Mama on Sundays, and coming home a couple of Christmases ago…I just…” He shrugged.

  “Yes, I know,” she answered resignedly.

  It’s a good thing they would be working together on this project. He’d have ample time to get back in his best friend’s good graces. That is, if she even considered herself his best friend anymore. From the vibes radiating off of her right now, Toby doubted it.

  “I was thinking,” he continued, sensing an overwhelming urge to change the conversation’s direction. “Since you’re now in charge of marketing Aria to the general public, I think you need to see your new client in action.”

  “I’ve heard her song on the radio,” Sienna answered. “But you’re right, if I’m going to create a marketing scheme around her music, I need to see her perform.”

  A smile widened across Toby’s face.

  Little Cee Cee definitely took her job seriously. It wasn’t a surprise. There was not a single thing Sienna started that she didn’t put her entire heart into, no matter the difficulty. At times, Toby found himself in awe of all she used to take upon her shoulders: working in her mom’s store, babysitting, playing ball, maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, and always being there for him.

  “When is her next performance?” Sienna asked. “I’m going to need a copy of that schedule as soon as possible, by the way.”

  Toby’s smile became just a bit wider. “Busy Friday night?”

  Sienna rolled her eyes, the makings of a smile tipping up her lips. “You are determined to make me admit I don’t have plans for Friday, aren’t you?”

  “Not at all. I never doubted you had plans, but if you do, I think you need to cancel them. This is, after all, your job.”

  “I hate you.”

  Toby chuckled. Saying she hated him was Sienna’s weird way of showing affection. Just hearing it again chipped away a small piece of the boulder that had been weighing on his heart. Cee Cee had always been able to shoo away any gray cloud hanging over him with one of her quick comebacks.