Page 84

“Exaggeration,”a male voice in the background says.
“What deal?” I ask, nonchalantly.
Dex laughs. A rich, grumbly laugh. The one that used to make my stomach flit with nerves. It’s bizarre he’s mine. I can listen to that laugh whenever I want. I can tell him how much I want him. It’s impossible for Dex to offer up his heart in this deal because it’s already mine. “Are you asking to be polite, or are you genuinely interested?”
“Mostly to be polite but I promise I’ll listen to every single word.”
“Emmett’s dad owns Visionary Records label. He’s an executive there and right now they work with some of the top world artists. I want some of his roster to make scheduled appearances on Luxe Adventure’s cruises. We have some Hollywood A-listers but I’m trying to recruit from the music industry. Wouldn’t it be cool to spot your favorite Grammy winner on a cruise?”
I shrug. “They’re just people. I don’t know if I’d buy a cruise for a celebrity spotting. I’d spend every last dime I had on a cruise if my favorite musician would serenade me for a week straight though.”
“What?” Dex asks.
“I don’t like big concerts. As much as I love to see the hyped-up world tours, I can’t stand having to watch the performance with a slight lag on the jumbotron. Bless Taylor Swift’s soul for putting that performance on TV. I don’t want to spend my life savings watching an ant in a sparkly leotard from 100 yards away. Now, if she was performing on a cruise, it’d feel so much more intimate…a once in a lifetime experience. I’d pay top dollar for that.”
“Once in a lifetime…” Dex mutters. “Baby, I’m putting you on speaker. Say all that again.”
I awkwardly repeat myself and when I’m finished Dex drops his voice to a murmur. “We’d call it ‘Once in a Lifetime,’ Emmett.A concert cruise. What do you think? One headliner per cruise and five to six supporting acts. Each a unique set.”
“Exactly. We’d have to play on scarcity,” Emmett says. “Create some buzz with surprise performance reveals. Then preorders. Once the tickets are gone, they’re gone.”
“Could you get Shaylin?” Dex asks.
I’m so glad they can’t see my eyes bulge in surprise. Shaylin is the world’s darling pop princess and my shameless girl crush. She bought a micro pig and named it Piggie Smalls, aka The Notorious P.I.G., so basically, we’re soulmates.
“Are you kidding? She’s on her world tour. She’s basically scheduled back-to-back for three years straight.”
“We can’t get her for a week? Cancel a couple shows next year? I’ll pay her quadruple what she’d miss out on ticket revenue,” Dex pleads. “We need a major name for this to work?—”
“Dex, she’s also a billionaire. Money isn’t much of a motivator,” Emmett explains.
“Guardian,” I say. They don’t hear me the first time as they start throwing out terminology I don’t understand about investments and profit margins. I clear my throat again. “What about that charity calledGuardian?”
“What, baby?” Dex asks.
“Yeah, baby, what was that?” Emmett asks, mocking Dex. I distinctly hear a loud thud and Emmett groans, “Ow.”
I snicker before elaborating. “She’s really big on social media about the charity she supports called Guardian, which fights sex trafficking and domestic violence. They fund all sorts of things from legal guidance, safe houses, relocation, witness protection—everything. Every birthday, or every time she hits the number one album release, her only wish is for people to donate to Guardian. She’s so passionate about it. What if you donated half of the cruise revenue to the charity? I bet she’d do it.”
“Half?” Emmett squalls.
“Half would bankrupt the cruise,” Dex explains to me. “But a hefty percentage could work. Plus, that’s a huge PR move for her…”
“So, take a personal loss to launch the concept,” Emmett adds. “Then you attract more headliners who are trying to follow in her footsteps.”
“Exactly.”
“That’s actually fucking brilliant. Why didn’t we think of that?”
“Because my wife is smarter than both of us combined,” Dex says, his tone full of pride. In reality, it’s probably because they have never had to choose between a month’s worth of groceries or sitting in the nosebleeds at a concert. It’s painful when you have to pinch every penny just to be shafted with the bare minimum. I wish the world was paid based on effort and hard work, not luck and connections.
“It was just an idea, Dex.”
“Lennox,” Dex says, the background noise settling and his voice crystal clear. He must’ve taken me off speakerphone. “When you have wealth like we do, ideas become real change. Don’t forget that. You have the power to make big moves now.”
I smirk. “I thought you wanted me to sit here and look pretty. I’m just your muse.”
“Please excuse me while I pull my foot out of my mouth. I shouldn’t have said that. If you want to take on some responsibility?—”