A Miami Affair. Sherelle Green

“As long as you’re leading an honest life, you should have nothing to fear from the media. Photos and articles about me pop up on newsfeeds all the time. Something about me is constantly floating around on some form of media, whether it be false or true information. Yet, instead of letting what’s portrayed define me, I use the media to my advantage. The publicity only fuels my success.”

      Becca was already shaking her head in disagreement. “I can’t imagine every part of my life surfacing on newsfeeds. Especially if it’s depicted in a negative or false manner. If I wanted to be in the media all the time, I would have taken up acting.”

      Josh laughed. “In today’s connected world, you have to be willing to put yourself out there. In regards to the gala, we would control media coverage as opposed to the media controlling us.”

      “I understand your point, but I’d much rather be known for what I accomplish, and based on coverage I’ve seen where celebrities attend fundraisers, it’s more about who they may be dating or what they’re wearing rather than the cause.”

      A quick glance at the time let him know that he needed to wrap up the meeting. He should have ended it ten minutes prior, yet strangely enough, he was enjoying his debate with Becca too much to end the conversation there.

      “Becca, I can promise you that Prescott George has The Aunt Penny Foundation’s best interests in mind.” He leaned a little closer to her. “What you and Haley are doing for less fortunate students is admirable and I appreciate the vision and history behind your organization. I only want to help others see the amazing work you’re doing. You don’t just have the support of Prescott George for the gala. You have our support in all your efforts for the future.

      “If you allow me to implement some of my publicity ideas for your foundation, I promise that you will not be disappointed. So what do you say? Are you on board?”

      For a few seconds, he wondered if she’d been listening to what he’d said. She was looking directly at him, but her mind seemed to be miles away. The silence gave him the chance to observe her a little more closely. She looked a lot better in person than she did in her pictures.

      “Okay,” she finally said. “If you think that having the media present will result in additional donations for the foundation, then I’m willing to give it a try. I’m sure you have to leave for your flight soon, so I’ll review the rest of the packet and discuss it with Haley before getting back to you.”

      “Sounds good. I’ll also send you the information electronically before my flight.” Josh extended his hand to her.

      Becca glanced at his hand, but didn’t shake it. “If I disagree with any of your ideas, then we’ll rework the plan before you take action, right?”

      “I’ll agree to that.”

      “Good. Then we have a deal.” She finally shook his hand and when she did, he briefly relished how soft it was.

      After he led her off his yacht and back through the gate, he smiled as he watched her walk away. You surprised me, Becca Wright. He couldn’t quite place his reasoning, but he had a feeling he’d just met his next big challenge.

      * * *

      Becca glanced at the clock on the wall. 9:00 p.m. She should have left the office hours ago, but she still had a mountain of paperwork to enter into the intranet and loads of mail to organize before she could call it a night.

      “I think I’ve zapped all my brain cells for one day,” Haley said, standing near the doorway of Becca’s office. “I think you should tackle the rest of your to-do list tomorrow.”

      Becca ran her fingers down her face. “I wish I could, but I forgot to call the temp agency about Stacy and I really want to get some more work done.”

      “I figured you’d say that.” Haley walked to the front desk and came back with two cupcakes and two coffees.

      “You read my mind,” Becca said accepting her coffee and cupcake. “Is this from the new bakery down the street?”

      “Sure is. I asked Leanna to get it for us before she left.”

      “For this, I can take a break.” Becca cleared a small space on her desk as Haley took a seat across from her. As usual, they were the last two in the office. In the span of one year, The Aunt Penny Foundation had gone from twelve dedicated employees to five, including Becca and Haley and the part-timers. In a way, Becca couldn’t even blame their receptionist for abruptly quitting. To say that the foundation had seen better times would be an understatement.

      Becca took a bite of the cupcake. “Oh my God, this tastes so good.”

      “It does,” Haley agreed. “Gooey red velvet goodness. The perfect carbs for a long day. Which reminds me... The temp, Stacy, showed me a picture of Joshua DeLong this morning. Does he look as sexy in person as he does in the photos online?”

      Becca frowned. “We can’t get the temp to do actual work, but she shows off Josh’s picture with the same amount of dedication that we wished she’d put into her job?”

      “Oh, so you’re already on a first-name basis with the Millionaire Mogul?”

      Becca laughed. It was a well-known fact that the Prescott George organization was often referred to as the Millionaire Moguls. “Have you read the articles online about Josh?”

      “Of course I have.” Haley took a sip of her coffee. “Stacy was eager to have me read a couple articles, as well.”

      “Tomorrow I’m calling the temp agency for sure,” Becca said, shaking her head. “Anyway, most of the articles portray him as a cocky, arrogant corporate raider who can somehow ease the worries of even the most skeptical client. Those qualities—combined with his charm—are what make him a force to be reckoned with.”

      “Did you get a different impression?” Haley asked. “Was he less impressive than what the articles say?”

      Becca thought about the meeting she’d had with Josh, from the moment she introduced herself to him all the way to the moment he walked her back to the gate. “I wouldn’t exactly call the articles false.”

      Haley raised an eyebrow. “Okay, bestie, what aren’t you telling me?”

      Even now, Becca could feel those vibrant blue eyes watching her walk to her car. “He was exactly how one would imagine Joshua DeLong to be...cocky, arrogant and charming. He spent the majority of the meeting trying to convince me that inviting celebrities to the gala would give our foundation an opportunity to receive even more donations and offer unprecedented media coverage.”

      “That sounds awesome,” Haley said enthusiastically. “I knew I had a good feeling about working with the moguls.”

      “You would be okay with all the publicity? What if all the media coverage doesn’t truly capture the essence of The Aunt Penny Foundation?”

      Haley shrugged. “Isn’t it better to give ourselves the free publicity and take every chance we can to try to save the foundation?”

      That was exactly what Josh had said. “If you’re okay with it, then I’ll email you the information he sent me so that you can review it, as well. I’ll admit he has some pretty good ideas. I just want to make sure I understand his angle.”

      “I know that look,” Haley said. “You don’t trust him.”

      “I barely know him.”

      “Exactly. So you don’t trust him?”

      Becca thought about his perfect white teeth, soft-looking curly hair and grand yacht. “I’m just skeptical, and Josh is a smooth talker. By the end of our conversation, he almost had me convinced that I should just hand over the reins and let him drive the entire time.”

      Haley’s eyes softened. “Listen, Becca, we both know that the past couple years have been difficult for the foundation. We aren’t getting the sponsorships and donations we were before.