Page 40 of Sharing Shadow Secrets
“So thirsty.” She giggles, and I take a sip of my water. “I do want those things,” she says with the cutest smile on her face.
“Thank God.” I wink. “Let’s not be strangers, okay?” I squeeze her hand and know I shouldn’t touch her anymore.This was the “let’s be friends” chat.Considering we’ve never actually slept together, it should be easier than previous times I’ve had this conversation, but it still hurts. “If you need introductions to anyone or whatever, I’m here.”
Taylor’s expression softens, and while this sucks, I don’t think it’s the end for us. I think it’s a pause. I fucking hope it’s just a pause because I really like her.
27
Walking back to my apartment alone, I wipe away a tear. Here I am ending something really good, but I do need to focus on making money. I’m legit stressed about that. Brandon’s showing me that he will be a distraction. Random pop-ins, being too amazing. Him and his ex are messy. For his body to react the way it did just from a text … I don’t think he’s ready for this either.
This is the right decision.
I hope I didn’t just make the biggest mistake of my life.
Almost Two Weeks Later
Thursday, August 7th
“Taylor,” Nicholas says, almost in a scold at our kick-off meeting in his office at High Five. “We are not paying a thousand dollars to have a model pretend to bite people.”
I’ve never been in this office before. It’s all wood: ceiling, floors, walls. It feels like a time capsule. When he renovated the bar, he obviously didn’t touch this room.
“I wasn’t planning on paying anyone,” I defend. “I thought you or Aaron or one of the other guys here would be willing to do it.”
“No. We are not doing this stuff anymore.”
“Why?” I press.
“It was different when we were single …”
I laugh softly. “That reminds me … I need to add matchmaker to my resume.”
He chuckles. “If you want a vampire, you’re gonna need to find someone to do it, or we can just not do it.”
“We have to do it! For the content,” I say, leaning forward in the leather chair across from his desk. “This type of stuff is what makes people click.” Nicholas tilts his head back, and I double down. “Video content performs better than photos. That’s why we need action. The action is the bite. People will share that on their social media, which leads to views and follows. This stuff, as gimmicky as it is, is vital for the overall social media presence.”
“I have to sell a lot of drinks to hire some model to pretend to bite people.”
“It’s not about the evening’s drink sales. It’s about awareness. So people know that your bar exists when they come to Lake Geneva on vacation. Making it a ‘must’ on their agenda. It's about the brand: that High Five is always a good time.”
He grumbles, but I think it’s a noise of agreement out of spite.
“It’s advertising for the future, and a grand is really nothing, especially when you think about pay-per-click and paid ads. A thousand dollars gets you almost nowhere in so many different verticals. In my opinion, this is the best use of the money.”
Nicholas chuckles. “You’ve made your case. I don’t think you’re wrong. But … know that no one at the bar will be your model anymore.”
“You should focus on recruiting good-looking people who want to do it then, so that you don't have to pay for models,” I say, raising my hands playfully.
“Or you can work a model into all of your future ideas.”
“So I’m guessing you don’t want to hear about my thoughts on there being a really cute Santa and Mrs. Claus at this year’s Christmas pop up …”
“Absolutely not,” he says firmly, although he’s smiling.
“Come on! It would be so cute. I mean, it’s how you two met.”
“No.”
That tone.I’m not pressing any further today.
