chapter two

December 15, 2011

These past few weeks had been one filled with a lot of firsts, from signing a lease on her first apartment, to winning her first match back in Femme Fatale Wrestling. And now, to top it all off, like the cherry on a yummy sundae, she was loitering in the waiting area of the posh Spa at Mandarin Oriental-- a place she hadn't even imagined existing until now. After riding the elevator to the 35th floor, she'd been overwhelmed upon stepping into the lobby. There was glass everywhere and the view was unbelievable! They'd even taken her shoes and given her a pair of really comfy sandals to wear.

Pressed up against the window, she was staring down at Central Park, totally engrossed in imagining how big a dent a water balloon would make when dropped from this height. Totally oblivious, she didn't realize she had company until he was right behind her.

"Don't get too close to the window. It could shatter, and then I'm not good at catching plummeting women. Not that...I've had any practice." The voice trailed off, as his eyes darted away for a moment almost as if he were watching the thought leave his head. In a two piece suit with the collar of his dress shirt unbuttoned stood sports agent Carson Black. "Welcome to the Mandarin. I really like this place, and think you will too." Looking around just to be safe and even peeking under a chair, he took a deep breath and offered Summer a handshake. "Just making sure.....no angry brunettes are hiding. Arabella is.....very portable. Lost her in a wax museum once."

Summer grinned at the image, and then nodded, shaking his hand back very enthusiastically. "Oh, I know! Wax museums are pretty tricky. I pretended to punch out Dr. Phil at one but Adam saw the picture, thought it was real and asked me why I hated Dr. Phil so much when he does good things for so many people. I think I still have it on Facebook somewhere." Giggling, she looked around at the opulent lobby, "thanks for agreeing to meet me, Mr. Black. I really appreciate it."

He shook her hand, and looked down at it in case of any large germs and finding none before looking back to her. "You're welcome. I watched your performance at Violent Night, very impressive and I'm always on the lookout for new talent to represent. So today in an effort to get to know you, I thought I'd treat us both to manicures." Looking down at his hands which were perfectly manicured already, he shook his head. "I keep growing claws; I think it comes from my grandfather's side of the family. He lived with a lot of cats. I don't mind cats, just not claws. Or meowing. And then there's litter boxes, and I don't know why they call them litter boxes when what goes in them is something else entirely. But... manicures, my treat!"

She leaned towards him slightly, lowering her voice, "you know, I've never had a manicure. Like... ever." Looking down at her own ragged, uneven length nails and the splintered black polish, she sighed. "Promise you won't think bad of me for that, okay? I know first impressions are really important and all that so just give me a mulligan on that one and we'll pretend that I'm as cool and classy as all the other people you represent." She paused, breathless from rambling, and then clapped a hand over her mouth, looking dismayed, "oh, God. I'm sorry. Sometimes when I get nervous I just talk a lot."

He almost recoiled when he saw her nails, snapping his finger as one of the attendants rushed over, a short woman of obvious Asian descent. "I'm here with this young lady to get a manicure today, Ms. Wu." The little woman nodded with a smile as she reached up and patted Carson on the cheek before taking off in the other direction. He reached into his pocket and removed a handkerchief and wiped his cheek...thoroughly. "It's alright; I have few...classy clients. There's a couple...and the rest are...not that classy. Though I think one may take night classes! Just not in classy, if there is such a thing as a class on classy. I don't know, I'll Google it later."

Ms. Wu waved at them, signaling them to follow her as she pointed to two open chairs across the lobby from them, between other chairs where obviously others were getting their nails done.

Summer made her way quickly towards the tiny Asian woman, feeling like every step was one more towards that greatness that she so desperately wanted to achieve. Looking back at the man who might be her agent, she couldn't help but grin. "This is so cool! I feel like Carrie or Samantha or something. But you're not Mr. Big because you're..." she blushed, realizing how stupid her words were. Instead of saying anything more, she slid into the waiting chair.

Carson removed the same handkerchief from before and began to wipe down the seat of his chair. His manicurist approached him, holding out her hands for him after he was done. He began then wiping her hands off before replacing the cloth and then removing a bottle of hand sanitizer from his jacket and squirting it on her hands, which she immediately began to rub in. It was obvious he had been here before. "You don't look like Samantha, she's got red hair. And I saw Carrie; I'm not looking to take you to prom. And I've no idea who Mr. Big is..." Satisfied now with his manicurist's hands, he took a seat in the other chair beside her.

Summer rested her hands on the table, looking over at her companion as her manicurist went to work, first removing the old polish. "Did you know Mr. Big is a chocolate bar and not just the name of a character on Sex in the City? It's got peanuts in it and stuff. I never really cared for them myself, but I'm sure someone likes them or they wouldn't keep making them, right?"

The mention of something she said made Carson's body shiver for a moment as the woman kneeling in front of him looked up with an apologetic look, as though she did something wrong and went back to using an emery board on his nails. "I've never watched Sex in the City, but I've had it. So maybe that counts. Anyway!" He shook his head, as if needed to get back onto topic. "After watching you in action at Violent Night, I saw the potential you possess and how much I can expl....assist you in becoming a top name in the company. I have some experience with making stars.....but mostly signing them."

"You really think you could make me a star?" Her eyes were wide, totally filled with guileless innocence, "you have no idea how long that's been my dream, Mr. Black. I mean, wow... you really think I have what it takes?!"

What else was he going to say, but "Of course! I keep my ear to the ground on new stars coming in, just not literally. The ground is dirty. My ear isn't. It's a figure of speech. But I heard what management was saying after your match. I even overheard Cody with some very strong words after your match. Like....impressive....great.....OUCH!" The manicurist looked up to him with concern. "No, I kinda stepped on his foot..."

"Cody called me impressive?" She wiggled in her chair, clearly overcome with joy. "That's so awesome. He's a really good friend. I mean, Cody is the reason I even ended up in FFW originally. Wow. Well if he said it then it's gotta be true, right? Because Cody is a good person and he would never lie." She missed the humor in his story, completely blown away by his delivery. "I'd really like your help, Mr. Black. All of this stuff is so new to me. I mean, I barely even know how to do the real basic stuff and I definitely don't want to screw it all up from the get-go because I forget to do a promo or say something I shoulda or..." she looked down at her nails, which were now nearly as perfect as his-- well at the very least, they didn't look like wild animals had been feasting on them.

"Well that's why I'm here...that and to get a manicure. I'm willing to lead you and guide you through the ranks of FFW, and get you into the top half of the card ultimately, if not a main event!" He was rather proud of himself as he said it. "Look at my client list; it's full of champions and number one contenders to champions! That's not by accident." It also wasn't by any fault of his either, but that seemed like a bad point to bring up. "Besides I am familiar with someone who can train you. He's been training one of the Future Shock rookies this season, and everyone says how awesome she is."

She nodded, "I didn't realize you had so many clients. I just knew of... um..." she drew a total blank on the names, looking at him helplessly. "That girl... the Ultraviolence Champion. Ohmygod, I can't remember her name. Don't tell her I forgot it, okay?" She was blushing, turning bright red as she looked away, watching the woman rub oil into her cuticles. "So, you know a trainer? Would he be willing to work with me? I mean... I know a lot of stuff already and I did train at Wild Ones for a couple years so he wouldn't be starting from the ground up. I just need to y'know, broaden my base."

"Sure, he would. He's been on Twitter asking for new clients anyway. Because he needs the cash for video games or something." The little woman finished his nails, as he stared down at them with a smile. They didn't look a bit different, for the record. "You sign with me, and I'll put you in touch with him. He works out of New York, and I'm sure he could show you a few things. His name is.....um...Andy."

"I really do want to sign with you. I just..." she lowered her voice, "I don't know if I can afford someone as skilled as you what will all the champions you manage. How-" she broke off, trying to phrase her question just right, "I mean, how does it work? Do you get a salary or a cut of things or..." she waved her hands, annoying the woman who was attempting to finish them off with a clear coat polish.

"I get a percentage of what you make. And my usual rate is 20%. You don't have to pay anything up front. My success depends on yours. It's my job to ensure you succeed, because we both make a lot more if you do. I'll also handle any travel you need as well, and can get you appearances where they pay you to show up and meet fans. And I get 10% of that. Basically my job is to make you more money so I can make it too." He reached into his pocket, careful of his newly polished nails and removed a folded up document. "I can make you a champion with your skills."

She positively beamed at the word 'champion', eagerly reaching for the document he was holding out. "Show me where to sign, Mr. Black and you've got a new client. I promise I'll do my best... no, more than my best to make sure you look good."

"I like to hear that. I've marked the lines with an X that you need to sign. Twice on the first page, once on the second, and once on the fourth." He removed a pen from his pocket, offering it to her. "I'll get that Andy's number for you, and you can get together on your training when you're ready."

"Oka-" as she reached for the pen, her cell phone began to ring in her pocket, blasting the chorus of her entrance music. Looking sheepish, she reached for the phone and held up one finger, "hold that thought. I have to take this." She put the phone to her ear, and spoke quietly into the handset, "Adam, what do you want?"

Adam, on the other end of the line, was barely audible above the sound of dozens of barking dogs. "Hey there, I miss you. Oh, you said you wanted to see 101 dalmatians, right? Well...I'm here at the pet store. They only have three! Where do you want me to get the other 98? By the way, they are really expensive!"

"Wait... are you BUYING dogs? I said I wanted to watch the movie. You know the one with Glenn Close and all the dogs? Oh my..." she covered the mouthpiece, looking up at Carson Black, "it's my boyfriend. We've got a bit of a situation, I think." Speaking to Adam again, she said, "don't worry about the other 98 for now. I'll figure something out when I get back, honey. I love you!"

Before he could say another word, she ended the call and reached for the pen, ready to sign her life away for the chance to be a champion.