Played (Elite PR) by Clare James Page B

play, and soon the only sound in the room was Aaron’s sultry voice. She got Aaron to agree to a video stream from the apartment and Tiffany handled the rest. They’d recorded it and had it at the ready just in case the team gave her a hard time.
    Damn, Aaron looked amazing on camera. Sure, he could stand a little polish, but all these guys were a mess coming up. Images of Blake Shelton and that unfortunate mullet flashed in her mind. But Aaron’s chiseled features and his deep soulful eyes…whew. She gnawed on her lip, taking in the reactions around the room.
    Once the impromptu concert was over, everyone but Fredrick and the Ice Queen broke out in applause.
    Miranda, however, didn’t say anything, or even move a muscle, for the longest time. She set her icy eyes on the screen and then on Mel and then back to the screen, her silky hair not moving an inch as she swung her head back and forth. Mel thought she’d explode.
    “So he’s the real deal, Mel?” Miranda pursed her lips together and raised her brows.
    The room grew eerily quiet. Everyone froze, too scared to say what they thought. But the hell with it—Mel had nothing to lose at this point.
    “That’s what I think,” she said. “We go in, no apologies, no backstory. We start from scratch. Everything begins with the launch party, including the heavy hitters and key influencers in the industry. We rope them in with the music, and then Mr. Major will do the rest with his star appeal.”
    “And you think he has star appeal?” she asked.
    Jesus, was the woman blind?
    “He will when I’m through with him. So, what do you think?”
    Miranda looked at her then, in a way that wasn’t familiar. She looked…dare she say, pleased ? “I think we want him. But who could take him on? That’s the real question.”
    Mel swallowed the growing lump in her throat. It was do or die time. “I want this client, Miranda. I want to take the lead on the campaign.”
    The Weasel snickered.
    Shit, the Ice Queen wasn’t saying anything. Not a good sign. Time to backpedal. She would not screw this up for Aaron, so as much as it pained her to do it, Mel pretended to consult her notes and said, “Or, this client could be great for Emily’s team.”
    “No, I don’t think so.” Miranda studied her phone. “Emily is preoccupied with Coca-Cola this fall.”
    “Okay,” she said, moving on to second best. “Mindy’s team would also be a good fit.”
    “No.” Miranda said simply, offering no explanation as she shot that one down.
    Pack up the bags, loser. It’s time to go home.
    Mel racked her brain. What other team could handle this? Who had the room in their schedule and was senior enough to take on a soon-to-be star? Nobody came to mind. She felt her eyes begin to fill. She was really hoping her pitch would put her back on the right track with Miranda.
    Up on the screen, Aaron’s face was frozen at the end of the video—him, and his shy smile that broke her heart. If Elite wouldn’t take him on, what about another firm? Maybe Genn and her team of Neanderthals would sign Aaron. After all he’d been through, and all that he did for her, she wasn’t going to leave him hanging. But Miranda answered those buzzing questions before she could.
    “I was thinking you could take this one,” she said, as if it were her own idea.
    “Me?” Mel grabbed the chair afraid she’d drop on the spot. Hell yes, she’d play along. “I can do that. I already have a file going with ideas and have made initial calls. I’m ready to move on this whenever you are.”
    Was this really happening?
    She almost dropped to her knees and offered up The Weasel as human sacrifice to the PR gods. She felt like she was being heard, for the first time in her career. And not because she was endorsing a colleague or cheering on her team. This was all her…and Tiffany. And Mel was going to be deserving of this leap of faith her boss was making with her, no matter how hard it was.
    “Bring me the