After receiving a reply from "the twink," as Brian had called him, Cynthia wasn't sure what to do. She knew she had to get Brian to attend the event he'd mentioned. Unfortunately, it was a college art show, as she'd learned after doing a little Googling. The bright side was, as she discovered after making a few calls to her contacts in the art world, the school was top notch. Many now-famous artists had gone there, and the art show in question was a very big deal. Many art critics would be there (it was opening night) to see what the up and comers were producing. If "the twink" had not only been accepted to such a prestigious school but also been invited to show his work as early as his sophomore year, he must be brilliant.
A ha! She knew exactly how to spin this. She called the Art Institute and asked them to send a program through a courier. She'd already seen it online, but having a print version would make her suggestion seem innocent. "The twink" was named Justin Taylor (he was the only blond artist), and he was HOT. Hot and brilliant. How could Brian resist? Add to that the prospect of roping in a major talent, one that their competition (Smith, Thomas & Daniels) wanted. She'd have to call the assistant of their best ad man, Johnson, to get him there, but that shouldn't be too hard; she and Liz often bandied barely veiled insults and gloated, on behalf of their bosses, of course. She would simply need to pretend that Brian had Justin all lined up as an intern for the art department at King & York and drop that little tidbit into Liz's lap. Johnson would most definitely turn up to view Brian's new it-boy and to try to steal him away. Then she'd tell Brian that Johnson had Justin on lockdown. When the dust settled, Brian would have his Prince Charming (if the fucker didn't screw it up; she'd have to go with to make sure that didn't happen) and perhaps even an extremely talented new art intern, which could very well give them an edge over their fiercest competitor. This ought to earn her a nice toast at their commitment ceremony and maybe even a raise.
Once the program arrived, she put a post-it note underneath Justin's picture, one that read, "Johnson at ST&D's prospective new intern. Wanna try to snag him for K&Y?" She slipped it into a pile of documents that needed to be signed and popped her head into his office to drop the pile off.
Then she returned to her desk and waited.
Five minutes later, Brian buzzed her. "Cynthia, get a car for tonight and put on your prettiest dress. We're going poaching."
Cynthia could hear her boss smirking. She smiled. She was way too old to do a happy dance (though she felt like doing just that), but she'd be lying if she said she didn't do a couple rounds of "Go Cynthia…It's your birthday" in her head.
TBC…
