"You DARE me to turn you down?" I asked, laughing. "What makes you think you've got what it takes to be a Talent Associates Rep?"
"Only 200 million in annual contract revenues for a list of 35 of the most attractive clients in athletics and entertainment," she replied calmly, her red nails tracing the line where her breasts threatened to overflow her blouse.
I stood there and pondered her list of assets. Lana Morganthal was a bombshell in every surgically and chemically enhanced way possible. Curves compounded into curves. She was very attractive.
She had become a widow the night before when her husband Larry had died suddenly while ringside at a championship boxing bout in Las Vegas. Gorgeous, smart, talented, young and a widow. In another life, she would make some Greek shipping magnate the perfect mid-life crisis mate. Instead she was contemplating working for me.
Her recently deceased husband was my former mentor at Talent Associates. When he had left, I was his hand-picked successor. Even though Larry's death was sudden, it was also expected. Overdue in fact. He was considerably older than his fourth wife, and he had been in and out of hospitals and clinics for almost two decades. Their marriage was more an alliance of business partners. Lana was more than attractive, her most compelling asset was her shrewd mind and keen business sense. She used all of the weapons she had at her disposal to attract and retain clients, including her ample sexuality. Once she got her foot or her tits in the door, her clients found that they had zealous representation from Larry and Lana. They didn't have many clients, but they did have quality clients.
"I guess I can take you on as an intern....." I eyed her for a reaction.
"I might be interested," she responded coyly. "If I get to work late hours with you in a mentor-pupil relationship where you take a little extra time to teach me the ropes. Personally." She moved across the marble floor of foyer and rested her palm on my arm, slowly walking those long red nails up my sleeve, game to continue the charade. I broke first.
"Seriously, Talent Associates would be honored to have you come aboard. We will be glad to create a division just for you to head. How about Vice-president of Cross Market Operations with an instant partnership? You can stay in Las Vegas if you'd like, or move to LA, New York, Miami, Bern, or Melbourne. You keep your current book, we will bill you for the appropriate support, and the new business you generate will be prorated at the partnership rate. We'll help you staff up, certainly."
"That's too generous, David," she protested weakly, clearly pleased.
"We want you and we will do anything to get you," I said as straightforward and honestly as possible.
"Anything?" she asked again, clearly playing the coquette again.
"Anything at all," I replied, not inflecting any innuendo.
"I will think about your offer until after the funeral. Then we can talk more." She brought us back to the real reason I was in Las Vegas. Larry Morganthal was dead. "There is one thing that you can do to show you are earnest."
"Name it."
"Convince your sister to be my assistant." Until now I had overlooked Becky's presence in Lana's suite high above the Las Vegas Strip. She had come with me to Las Vegas only because I couldn't manage to fly her home first. She looked business sexy in her custom gray suit with sheer cream blouse and white bustierre. Even in the presence of Lana, Becky could make a few men turn their heads and take note. She didn't need chemicals and plastics to look gorgeous.
"Becky isn't in the business Lana. She and I were having dinner in Seattle last night when I got the news."
"If I am not mistaken, David, Becky is looking for a reason to change her locale. I am going to guess that she is either recently divorced or in the process of getting divorced. Am I right?" she asked Becky. Becky slowly nodded.
"Then this is the perfect time to start a new project. We can support each other, since we each lost someone close to us. What do you say, Becky? Want to give it a go?"
Becky gave it a long thought and then declined. "I am honored, Mrs. Morganthal, I really am. But I don't know the first thing about David's business. My girls are in college or just starting and this might not be the best time for me to be starting something new."
"This is the perfect time. You are really and empty nester now. Experience is over rated. When I started working for Larry, I didn't know a contract from a contact. Now look at me. I'll make you a deal, you work with me for say.....thirty days. If you don't like it, we part as friends. If you do, I'll pay you what the top assistant at TA makes and put a down payment on your new house here in Las Vegas. It's the cheapest airport in the country to fly in an out of, and I imagine we will have unlimited use of a corporate jet anyway. Seeing your daughters will be easy."
Becky looked at me and I gave her the 'It's your choice' look in return.