Peach-Cranberry - superstar!au
(A/N) i don't like this much more than i liked the first part but it's fine. enjoy!
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Sarah pushed open the door to Jaffrey's office with one hand, the other occupied by a warm cup of tea (Peach-Cranberry green tea - Something the office had gotten specifically for her. Rising star privilege.)
"Hey, Jaffrey, Daniel wanted you to read the letter before we-"
There goes the tea.
Sarah looked up in shock, seeing annoyance on Ava Bekker's face. and a wet stain down the front of her tee shirt. Ava pushed past her and stormed off without a word.
Sarah looked at Jaffrey, wide-eyed.
"Just... Just sit," He sighed, and she hurriedly sat down in front of his desk, "What were you going to say?"
"Daniel said to tell you to read the letter before we start our meeting."
"Okay, yes, I.. I read it during my meeting with Ava," He nodded, and clicked his pen a few times, giving her a look.
"What's uh... What's that look for?" She asked, quietly.
"You like women, right?"
Sarah was dumbfounded. She chewed on her lip for a moment, "I... I do..." She trailed off, "Why?"
He clicked his tongue thoughtfully, before opening his mouth to speak, "Yesterday, with Daniel, we discussed how you're doing great, you're getting attention, but you're not... You don't have very many connections. You don't have friends who aren't," He rolled his wrist with an open hand, gesturing to Sarah, "Your friends are all normal," He said, bluntly, "Your friends don't mean anything to the media, and we decided we needed to do something about that. Get you in on big name events, more red carpets, introduce you to people, et cetera et cetera."
She nodded.
"And, and..." He stammered, trying to find his words, "Your career is building, and this is a good thing, we like that, but we have another artist who's career is in a bit of trouble, and..." He dropped his pen on the desk, "One failing artists affects the whole label, a lot of times the revenue for building careers like yours comes from older, more famous artists' revenue. Less revenue from older artists means less opportunities for you. The artist in question needs a public distraction right now, something positive."
Sarah did not nod this time, "So... What do you want me to do?"
"One way people build their careers, and this is very common, is to artificially date another star," He asserted, "There will be a contract, a set amount of time to date, scheduled outings, maybe a few interviews, and typically a big event where you will appear together. Sometimes there's a shared project, usually a few magazine covers, and usually at least one smaller promotional event for each individual's current projects. And, whatever revenue you both take in during this time is evenly split between the two of you."
"You want me to... Pretend to date someone?"
"Yes, exactly," He pointed at her, "You got it. This is a good career move," He promised, "You don't have to decide right now, but-"
"Um.." She interrupted, took a deep breath, "I'll do it. Who am I going to date?"
"We uh.." He stammered a bit, "We actually can't tell you that until we confirm that this is happening. Although..." He sighed, "The other artist is not in any place to deny."
Oh.
Sarah put together the pieces. Ava. Ava's the only one she knows from this label who wouldn't be in any place to deny such a feat.
Her career is in jeopardy, while mine is starting to flourish. I need better connections, and she needs a public distraction.
"What if... What if we don't get along?"
"That's just part of the territory," He shrugs, "If that happens, your outings and appearances will be tailored so you don't have to talk much. You don't have to be friends, you just have to work together."
"Just work together," She echoed, thoughtfully, "I... I can do this. When do I start?"
"Well, there will be a meeting between your team and my team with the other artist. Everyone - Sponsors, wardrobe, finances, event coordinators, lyricists, everyone that might be involved."
Sarah nodded, "And how long will this last?"
"The contract will last a year initially, with option to renew based on outcomes and career goals."
"And then what? We stage a break-up?"
"It depends on how you two get along. If you get along well, we'll plan for an amicable break-up where you two remain friends. If you don't get along, we'll plan for a messy one and really squeeze out the drama."
Sarah was thoughtful for a moment, "I want to do it."
"Great," Jaffrey wrote a note on a blue sticky note, "I will organize the meeting. Expect news within the week."
Sarah nodded, and there was silence.
Jaffrey looked up, "Why are you still sitting here?"
"Oh," She hurriedly got up, "Uh, thank you. Have a good day."
Jaffrey grunted in response, and Sarah pulled the door open to leave.
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(A/N) anyways leave a comment if you enjoyed it :)