Hi, Writers!

As promised, I’m posting chapter two from my contemporary romcom novel Making A Difference (M.A.D.). If you want it for free for my birthday, email to me about it by the 7th of December at pinartarhan@windowslive.com. If you want to buy it, you can buy it on Amazon (aff.link).

Missed chapter 2? It’s here.

Without further ado, here’s chapter 3:

CHAPTER 3

Present Day

Zoe and Colin loved staying in as much as dining out, so this time Zoe prepared an intimate picnic setting in her living room while Colin cooked one of his own recipes. Luckily for her, the man was an expert at whipping up delicious meals. If there was a gene that made you want to cook, she didn’t possess it.

As they settled on the woolen blanket on the floor, leaning against the leg of the sofa, Colin was still a little shocked. He was expecting Jay to offer her a decent position with grand benefits, but he so hadn’t seen this coming.

“Wow!” he said probably for the hundredth time that evening and took a big bite of his food.

“I thought you’d be over it by now.”

“But it’s so huge!”

“I know. It’s amazing.” Zoe sipped her drink.

“Amazing. Astonishing. Scary. Aren’t you a bit overwhelmed?”

“Are you kidding? Of course, I am. My head is about to explode with ideas.”

“Must’ve been one hell of an intern.”

“You had doubts?”

“Never.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss. “Although…I’m a bit worried about how much less time you’re going to have for me now.”

“Says the man who signed a three-book contract and is scheduled for book-signing all over the US and Canada.”

“Well-played.”

Zoe grinned and kissed him. Colin laid a trail of seductive kisses down her neck. The food was going to get cold, but so what?

*

Zoe started work the next day even though Martin and Jay had offered her more time. Transitioning from freelancing with one client to a full-time office job where she’d be co-running a busy firm was bound to create a culture shock for anyone, but Zoe wouldn’t hear of it. She was beyond ready. Besides, Martin’s wedding was approaching, and he needed to finish updating Zoe before he went on his honeymoon.

Plus, she had to redecorate Martin’s office. It was so blatantly male, minimalistic and chromium, it gave her the chills. Jay had already assigned a generous stipend. While he didn’t believe in spending more than he had to on clothes, he never held back when it came to optimizing the work environment and increasing productivity.

Zoe was mentally renovating when Keira dropped by.

“Welcome back,” Keira said enthusiastically.

Zoe smiled. “Thanks. Feels good to be back. And I love your hair!” She did. Keira had gone with a spiky cut and dyed it black. It surprisingly made her look more feminine and contrasted nicely with her pantsuit.

“Congratulations on the book! Loved it. And love your boyfriend! Cute and brilliant.” Keira suspected Jay would grimace at Colin being described as “cute” and “brilliant.” He believed Colin was overrated, though Jay would probably deem Zoe’s boyfriend not good enough even if she were dating Hugh Jackman. She suppressed the urge to mention this in front of Zoe.

“I’ve missed you, Keira.” The girls exchanged a short hug.

“You’ll so liven up things around here,” Keira said.

“Are you implying working with Martin and me was boring?” Jay had chosen that moment to appear.

Keira grinned. “Would I ever? But there is exciting. Then there’s exciting and a damn good time!”

Jay was too used to Keira’s teasing to even roll his eyes. He turned to Zoe. “You are indeed more fun than Martin and me combined on a given day, but she really shouldn’t rub that in.”

Keira winked at him and left with the usual skip in her step.

“So when are you going furniture-hunting?”

“Already took care of it. Everything will be here by the afternoon.” Jay looked at her quizzically. “What? Like you didn’t know I’d go shopping right after I said yes. So, now that we’ve established I’m set, let’s get to it, Clark.”

Jay smiled, and they went into his office to begin with the non-financial stuff, aka the stuff they could get done without Martin.

And it was just as fun as they remembered. They knew exactly how the other one’s mind worked, and this made the process so much faster, not to mention more fun. Zoe thought about the first time they’d worked together.

*

Five Years Ago

It was early in the morning, right after the business commuters and students with early classes had left. The medium-sized coffee shop had only a bunch of people in it now.

Zoe occupied her favorite corner table by the window, typing away happily on her laptop, remembering to sip her coffee before it turned cold and mouthing the lyrics to the Elvis Presley version of Fever playing in the background.

She didn’t notice Jay come in and walk to the bar. The song made him wish he was at a blues bar or a dance hall. Put on the right song, place him on the dance floor with a partner who could dance, or at least follow, and well… he knew how to have a good time. He’d inherited his knack for dancing also from Faye.

As he waited for his order of a double espresso with little sugar, he scanned the room, and he was pleased to see Zoe on her own, singing Fever. The girl had the guts, the motivation and the plans to take on the world. And evidently, she had decent taste in music too. He smiled to himself, grabbed his coffee and strolled over to her table.

Zoe looked up to see Jay coming toward her and smiled. She didn’t really care if she looked silly lip-singing. She adored the song, and she wasn’t going to feel embarrassed for being caught in the moment. Besides, it was one of her good-hair, good-skin days. There was nothing wrong with wanting to look presentable in front of a teacher. OK, maybe it was a little about how attractive Jay was. Wanting to attract people you considered attractive was only natural, right?

Jay wasn’t the first good-looking teacher she knew. However, he was the only good-looking teacher with his brains, motives and success. Moreover, despite all that, he wasn’t smug. She marveled at how easy it was to chat with him. To be around him.

“Just to go? This place is great for chilling out,” Zoe commented on his plastic cup.

“So it would seem. This is a new place, right? Most coffee shops are just too loud and badly decorated to enjoy your coffee indoors. Not to mention the horrible stuff they try to pass for music.”

“This is better than a library if you know the hours to avoid. And they have decent taste. So you might want to take in the atmosphere.”

Jay took the hint and sat in the armchair across her, putting his coffee on the table. “What’re you doing here so early anyway?” he asked.

“Developing a project proposal. You?”

“I have a meeting with the dean,” Jay answered. “We’ve been working on this project together to provide a wider range of scholarships for underprivileged kids.”

“That sounds great.”

“It’s something we’ve both been meaning to do. What’s your project about?”

“A development program proposal to get free tutoring for dyslexic school kids so they can keep up with their classmates. They’ll also engage in fun confidence and skill-building activities.  Once I’m done, I’ll pitch to companies with corporate responsibility projects in education.”

The project was right up Clark & Foster’s alley, but she wasn’t going to pitch to her teacher. She was afraid it would look like she was only after scoring a good grade. Yes, she wanted an A. But she hadn’t been building connections and researching like crazy for the past few months to solely to maintain her GPA. Besides, her work was solid enough to sell itself.

“Why don’t you e-mail it to me when you are done?”

“Really?”

“If it’s feasible, I’ll try to squeeze it in with our current schedule. If not, I’ll get you in touch with companies that would kill for this kind of stuff.”

“Thanks, Jay. I really appreciate it.”

“Is this for a class?”

“It’s for me. Well, it is for the kids. I don’t have an awful lot of money to donate, and I’m good at creating stuff…And at the expense of sounding superficial, I’ve to admit it beats individual volunteer work. Most projects just have a better chance of making an impact when they are funded by a corporation that can hire experts.”

“That doesn’t sound superficial. It sounds viable. It also sounds like me.”

“I might as well deserve to be in your class.”

“I like your idealism. Balancing the fun with your conscience…I have a tendency to forget about fun.”

“I’m not capable of that. But I can’t turn off the second part either, the part about wanting to improve things. That’s your fault.” She beamed at him, and he returned the smile. She continued, “People always feel obliged to take some action only when something bad happens to them personally. I mean you are helping people fight diseases, poverty, traumatic experiences… But you basically never had any drama in your life.”

“Well, my dad’s an idiot. That ought to count for some trauma.” They both laughed.

Jay’s father was a conservative who had run for the Senate and won. He was anti-choice, anti-gay, pro-war, and Jay couldn’t believe they were related. He theorized Faye had dropped the guy on his head when he was a baby or something. Since his parents were on the same page, growing up would have been a nightmare without Faye around.

Jay glanced at his watch and jumped to his feet. “I just remembered why I took the coffee to go. Don’t forget to e-mail me the final version.”

“Will do. Thanks again.”

“Hope your zeal rubs off on the rest of my class.” He downed the rest of his coffee and headed for the exit. So what if he showed up a little late? He rarely found the time to relax and embrace the moment. It was a delightful change of pace.

*

Five Years Ago

NYU campus

Two days after they had run into each other at the coffee shop, Zoe was resting on a bench, reading Dan Brown’s Deception Point.

“How’s Brown treating you?” Jay said, walking toward her. He had caught sight of her on his way to his office on the campus.

She looked up. “I love my mainstream thriller.”

Jay sat down beside her. “I love any book I can’t put down, so I have a weakness for Brown too.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“Hate to be a cliché but it’s The Da Vinci Code.” Not a literary snob either, thought Zoe. Jay Clark was officially her favorite teacher.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you –”

“Did I have a chance to read your proposal?” he cut in. Zoe nodded with anticipation. “I e-mailed you ten minutes ago.” Jay smiled.

The suspense was killing Zoe. “So, what did you think?”

“Faye told me she could give you a hand if you needed.”

“You showed this to Faye Clark? And she liked it?”

“She was impressed by the effort and heart of it. Martin has some suggestions on funding, but basically, you did one hell of a job.”

Zoe needed to get into the nearest closed space to dance around. She wouldn’t be able to get back to normal unless she got the excitement out of her system. Dancing was her favorite way of calming down. And celebrating.

“Thank you,” she managed, her veins abuzz with excitement.

“I’m not done. We want to see if you can pull off organizing the whole thing for real.”

“You want me to actually do this? With your resources?”

“And if you succeed, Clark and Foster will be more than happy to offer you an internship. What do you think?”

“I think I’ll get to work on it right away.”

“Let’s meet in my campus office. You have any classes after four?” She shook her head. “It’s settled then. Martin will also be there to talk the details through.”

She nodded. Jay got up and walked out.

She was delighted. Landing an internship with Clark and Foster was extremely hard. Unlike most companies that hired and discarded interns, and treated them like low-lives that were barely smart enough to serve coffee and paid them ridiculously little (if they paid at all), Clark and Foster treated them as one of their permanent staff. They were respected, fairly compensated, looked after and given opportunities. In return, they were expected to pour themselves 100% into the company.

You didn’t intern at Clark & Foster to fill a month. You interned there to prove yourself worthy of a career there. They only hired the smartest, most dedicated and emotionally invested people. She’d better not screw this up.

*

Hi, Writers!

As promised, I’m posting chapter two from my contemporary romcom novel Making A Difference (M.A.D.). If you want it for free for my birthday, email to me about it by the 7th of December at pinartarhan@windowslive.com. If you want to buy it, you can buy it on Amazon (aff.link).

Missed chapter 1? It’s here.

Without further ado, here’s chapter 2:

Making A Difference (M.A.D.)

CHAPTER 2

Zoe felt glorious. There she was, at the Fifth Avenue Barnes and Noble, at the signing of her boyfriend Colin’s book. His mystery novel was self-published into oblivion a year before they met. Not only had she found him a brilliant agent who scored him a contract with a major publishing company, but she had gone on to carry him to the top of the bestseller lists with her marketing campaign.

She had stumbled upon the book in a tiny local bookstore. She’d devoured the four hundred pages over a weekend and called the author for a meeting at the publishing company she was then working for. Unfortunately, the company had no interest in purchasing the rights. Even though she had been zealously recruited by one of the partners, somehow they had had little faith in her judgment on this matter. They failed to acknowledge she had a potential bestseller in her hands. So she quit and promoted the book as a freelancer, and here they were.

Zoe wasn’t about to get humble, though. Her success had nothing to do with luck. She had trained with Jay, her brilliant mentor. She had worked hard and paid attention. And she had officially shoved it to her old firm.

Who said you couldn’t have it all? She had quit resisting the lovely 29-year-old author few months ago. They liked each other, and it felt right. What the hell? You could mix business with pleasure after you kicked the business part’s ass, right?

She smiled as the store assistant informed her the crowd was bustling, and they were ready to let people in. She thanked him and nodded.

She turned to Colin. “Ready?”

“I think so. I mean I’ve only been fantasizing about this moment since I was eleven.” They smiled warmly at each other, and the doors opened.

*

As people moved forward in the line, a guy in his mid-thirties noticed Jay approaching. He nudged the woman next to him. “Isn’t that Jay Clark?”

The woman looked at the direction he was pointing at. “Yep.”

They weren’t the only ones who recognized Jay. A middle-aged woman standing closer to the store called out, “Hey, Jay!”

She didn’t personally know Jay. But even if you’d watched the news once in the last ten years, or picked up a business magazine, you recognized Jay Clark. He was that weird rich businessman who didn’t live like the rich and invested most of his money in trying to save the world. Actually, he was more concerned about the people. The environment mattered, but he believed enough people were already at it.

Jay turned to her and smiled. “How’re you doing?”

He loved being the kind of celebrity that he was. He had the money and the power. He also had the most significant people on speed dial. The paparazzi weren’t intrigued since he didn’t date supermodels or drive Ferraris. OK, so he had dated one movie star, a gorgeous one at that, but she was just an acting student back when they met at NYU. She was still a struggling gem, aspiring to be discovered when they broke up right after graduation. And the few girlfriends after that piqued the interest of Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur and Forbes magazines, including his fiancée Carla.

A young hipster in the line couldn’t resist asking, “So who are you saving today, buddy?”

“Just here to get my copy signed.”

“Well, I know you are sort of a celebrity, but shouldn’t you at least pretend to be in the line?”

Jay smiled. “Oh, I’m not looking to meet the author. Good day.” He toddled on, leaving the guy puzzled.

*

Jay entered the bookstore, marched past the line and headed directly toward Zoe. She was standing by the desk where Colin sat blissfully signing his books. Jay caught Zoe’s eye, and they beamed at each other. As they hugged, he said proudly,     “Congratulations!”

Man, she looked as beautiful as he remembered. She had her long brown hair down, slightly curled. She rocked her jeans with her long legs, knee-height boots and fitted cotton blouse.

“Thanks. Colin, this is Jay Clark. Jay, Colin Nelson.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. Enthralling book.”

“Thanks.”

They shook hands, and Colin turned to the college-aged girl in front of him and greeted her. The girl didn’t seem to be in any rush. Instead, she beamed at Jay and said, “You can go first.”

Jay smiled back. “That’s okay. I’m not in the line.”

As a reply, she addressed the crowd behind her, “Hey, does anyone mind if Jay Clark gets his autograph before us?” They didn’t, so Jay gave his book to Colin. It was neither the time nor the place to admit he wasn’t here for him.

One guy asked the people behind him, “Who the hell is Jay Clark?” and got a collective condescending stare.

“Thanks,” Jay said as Colin returned his freshly signed copy. He got back to his readers, and Jay handed his book and pen to Zoe. “Your turn.”

“Are you serious?”

“You know I’m a fan.” Jay grinned. Zoe signed the book, returning his grin.

“How’s your schedule this week?” asked Jay, taking the book back.

“It depends. Am I meeting you?”

“And Martin. We have a job offer for you.”

“In that case, my schedule is wide open.”

“You are OK with a breakfast meeting tomorrow?”

“Sounds good.”

“How about that coffee shop you love, the one near NYU?”

“Perfect.”

“See you at nine, then.” Zoe nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling.

*

Jay had come to Colin’s signing to arrange a business meeting. He had always been supportive. He had followed her whole career and not just this latest accomplishment. But she hadn’t seen him much in the last few years apart from various benefit events or gatherings with her former co-workers. Yet he knew she was ready. Oh, and trust him to add the personal touch of arranging the meeting at her favorite coffee shop in the whole city. When it came to bosses, Jay Clark was the best one you could have. She couldn’t wait to work for him again.

*

Colin admired the intimately lit, mid-sized Italian restaurant Zoe had chosen for their celebratory dinner that evening as the scents of several dishes wafted lightly in the air. Yummy food, soothing music, excellent company. The atmosphere was complete with candlelight and fresh flowers on the tables, as well as a trio playing Italian hits on the stage.

“Nicely chosen.”

“Thanks. I wanted the venue to match the magic of the occasion.” Zoe basked in the simplicity of it. She couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate their mutual success. It was always a risk to be involved with someone you worked with. Thankfully, their professional relationship had ended without a glitch.

She was in a breath-taking (she hoped) strapless blue mini dress. Colin looked dashing in his black jacket, black shirt, dark jeans ensemble. On his worst day, Colin could play the second best-looking guy in a Hollywood movie. “You did it. You topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.”

“Which I could only dream about until you took a chance in me. So we should toast to being a great team. An epic team, in fact.”

“To us.”

“To us.”

They smiled, clinked their glasses and sipped their champagne as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Nothing quite beat the honeymoon period of a promising relationship.

*

The modern and cozy coffee shop offered everything a student or a freelancer could need: optimum-height tables with comfortable chairs, a fast and free Internet connection, jazz and Indie rock numbers playing in the background at a moderate volume. The walls were enchanted with unpretentious paintings, which appealed to the regular guy and not just art buffs. Most importantly, the coffee was delicious and affordable. The shop also welcomed its share of business people who chose leisurely over rigid.

Jay and Martin occupied a roomy table at the back. Jay relaxed into the leather sofa while Martin took a large sip from his double espresso. “So you don’t hate me?”

Jay grinned. “For the last time, I can’t hate you because you want to be more involved at home and make your bride-to-be happy.”

“I’m so glad Zoe still wants to work with us.”

“So am I. If we didn’t know the right person, I would be having a nervous breakdown right about now.”

“You and me both. I’m still a part of everything. I just…need to be in the office less.”

“I get it. She’d like to have children with a guy who doesn’t sleep in his office, regardless of how awesome that office might be,” Jay said.

“It has been six years, but she feels like we’ve dated only for six months. And she calculated my office hours to prove her point. Using a spreadsheet.” Sally was a rare breed whose soft and sweet warnings were scarier than any yelling could ever be.

Jay glanced at the coffee bar, his face deadpan. “There aren’t many web designers out there with her persuasion skills. She should have been a hostage negotiator or something.” They exchanged grins as both men envisioned the not-so-unlikely scenario and sipped their coffee.

*

At five to nine Zoe entered the café. Martin and Jay got up as she walked toward them. Zoe and Martin hugged.

“Hey, kiddo. It has been a while.”

Zoe laughed. “Kiddo? Seriously? You do realize you are only ten years older than me?”

Martin shrugged. “Felt like a kiddo moment. And it has been a long time.”

Zoe nodded. She and Jay hugged shortly, and they all sat down. Zoe noticed the tall cup of steamy cappuccino before her. It even had a pinch of chocolate powder on it. Talk about customization. She shot an amused look at Martin and Jay.

“Martin is in a rush to make the offer,” Jay said.

“Glad to hear that. I’m trying put on a cool professional facade, but I may not be able to keep it up much longer.” Zoe was getting more and more excited.

“Neither can I,” said Martin. “So, Zoe, how would you like to be Jay’s partner?”

Zoe had to gulp down a rather large and scorching sip of coffee. “I’m sorry?” She gawked at them. Were they joking? They seemed serious. Not that they would ever joke about anything related to their company. Still…He said partner?

“We mean it,” Martin said, reading her reaction. “I’m getting married next weekend. Sally and I want this next phase of our relationship to be about us. She was pretty patient with me working fifteen-hour-days. But we’re planning a family. I have no intention of being a dad who’s rarely home and misses everything.”

Zoe tried to digest it all. “Martin, it’s your company. You determine your schedule. Are you sure you want a permanent vacation?”

“Well, it’s not permanent,” Jay cut in. “He’s staying on as the head financial consultant. He’s just not going to be involved in management or event planning or any other fun stuff.” Martin conveniently ignored the last part of the comment.

“And you want me to be your right hand?”

“Pretty much,” Jay said.

“Guys, I appreciate your believing in me, but I was an intern five years ago.”

“You weren’t an ordinary intern, though,” said Martin. “You’ve always aspired to be an integral part of Clark & Foster. You scrutinized our every project, every step. You know the company inside out. Hell, you are still in touch with most of our staff!”

“What about my lack of experience?”

“Sometimes energy, youth and enthusiasm count for more,” Jay said, darting a knowing glance at Martin. Martin rolled his eyes. Jay grinned and turned back to Zoe.

“Plus, you are not exactly inexperienced, are you? We kept up with your career, just like you kept up with ours. There is no one better suited for this.”

Zoe took a deep breath. “I was ready for an appealing offer. But this is…just… wow.”

Martin turned to his partner. “I don’t think she is saying no.”

“Nope. She’s not.”

“A chance to work with my two mentors, at the highest position there is? You bet I’m not saying no. It’s the most terrific challenge ever, and I am overwhelmed.” She felt like jumping up and down on the sofa. She took one more sip of coffee to calm down. Okay, maybe more caffeine wasn’t a good idea. “If you think I can handle it, then, absolutely. I’m in.”

“Oh, you can do more than handle it. I am pretty sure you’ll kick ass,” Martin said.

“Welcome back,” Jay said.

*

Zoe barely remembered calling Colin after the meeting. She was pretty sure she had accepted this life-altering, beyond-her-dreams offer, but she might not have been articulate enough to give him all the details. Everything felt surreal.

Thankfully, Colin would cook a celebration dinner at his place, which suited her just fine. She would be too hyper to behave herself at a restaurant. A partner at Clark and Foster? Wow!

*

Thirty minutes after the meeting, Zoe was sitting at the kitchen counter opposite Mel in their apartment. The two young women had been best friends and roommates since their first year at NYU.

“Holy crap!” Mel said after she told her the news. “This is amazing!”

“I know.”

“Have you told Colin?”

“Yeah, I called him on my way home. He’s still processing. So am I!”

“Well, it is huge. It’ll probably take a while for the news to sink in. But I agree with Martin and Jay. You’re the one for the job.”

“Thanks. I mean it’s scary, but I couldn’t be happier.”

“I can see that.” Mel smiled. “But do me a favor, and don’t tell Colin about the other thing.”

“What other thing?”

“About you and Jay.”

“There is no me and Jay.” Mel gave her friend a skeptical look. “There was no me and Jay. It was just a crush.”

“I’m not sure the word crush quite covers it,” Mel said.

“Fine. I was smitten. But everyone had a thing for Jay when he taught at NYU.”

“Me included,” Mel agreed. “He was young, hot, brilliant, fiery… And he didn’t have the slightest interest in sleeping with his students, though I’m not sure you were happy about that.”

Zoe playfully punched her friend on the shoulder and said, “It was five years ago. Get over it.”

“Oh, I’m over it. All I’m saying is you shouldn’t share everything with your boyfriend, however wonderful he might be.”

“Trust me, I know. No guy wants to hear about an ex-crush, especially if that crush will be a permanent fixture in his girlfriend’s life. But his mind’s probably already gone there. Jay was my lecturer for two semesters, he is my mentor, we are close…”

“Good point. Well, congrats, once again.” Mel stood up. “Got to start getting ready for my date now.”

“How is it going with John?”

“This is our fifth date. How long do you have to wait before saying you have a boyfriend anyway?”

“No clue. A couple of weeks? A month?”

“Might just see how he updates his Twitter. If there’s nothing even slightly hinting at me after date six, I’m chucking him,” Mel half-joked.

“Have fun!” Zoe called after her as Mel scurried out of the room.

Zoe smiled, then returned her thoughts to this morning’s meeting. Not many people had their life exactly where they wanted at twenty-six. Nope, scratch that. Her life was better than what she had originally envisioned. She had assumed she’d be working closely with Martin and Jay. Replacing Martin hadn’t crossed her mind.

The first time Zoe had seen Jay was on a CNN interview. He was twenty-five, having recently co-founded the company. He believed in himself, Martin and their dreams. He was determined to make a difference in the world, and from that interview and onward, she knew he would. She had also discovered her passion. She was hooked on public relations, on what it was and how it could be utilized. She enjoyed the marketing aspect of it, but what truly entranced her was how a message could be manipulated into the next great thing or a disaster.

After gobbling up all the essential resources on PR, including the firms, its relationship with business and advertising, and most importantly all the projects of Clark and Foster, it was inevitable to choose NYU: a university with a substantial PR program, the university Jay Clark graduated from. It was just the luckiest coincidence that he’d decided to teach there while she was in her third year.

*

Five Years Ago, NYU

The vast lecture hall was crammed, with some students ready to listen on their feet. Zoe and Mel had secured their front row seats an hour ago. Excited and anticipating whispers filled the room. After all, Jay was to PR what The Rolling Stones were to music.

A few minutes later, Jay appeared in his trademark semi-casual style: blue Levi’s, dark beige suede jacket, dark blue shirt matching his eyes. No tweeds, no patches. He stepped on the platform and smiled confidently.

“Hey everyone. I’m Jay Clark. I am an NYU graduate who was dying to come back. Now, I will be upfront: I’m extremely demanding and challenging. I’ll spend the next couple of weeks talking to you and getting to know you. And then I’ll make you work your asses off. So if you are only here to shine your CV or out of plain curiosity, you will be in immense pain for a semester. Drop out before it’s too late. I won’t be cutting anyone slack. And those of you that are here out of your passion for the subject are also screwed. I will let you pick my brain, and you may not be able to handle it.”

He paused to let everyone take it all in. Some laughed, some exchanged low-pitch grunts and whispers. Many students eagerly clung on to his every word. A few just gaped at Jay. This wasn’t the pep talk they were expecting. He continued, “It’s all about changing things for the better. Helping out because you can. I bide my time between clients, benefit events and organizations. Clark & Foster doesn’t do charity to evade taxes or get discounts. We are in the business so that we will have millions to spend on the causes we believe in. Profit is never the end goal, just the means to an end. We are excellent at what we do. We don’t solicit for clients. The clients seek us, and we work with them only if they possess certain principles.” He had their undivided attention. “Enough about me. What do you want to do with your lives?”

A guy from the rear spoke up. “Potential nightmare student here.” Jay smiled, amused. At least he was honest. “I want to work as a celebrity publicist. It’s good money, and I can manipulate. Who knows? I might use my clients’ connections to become a celebrity myself.” He was clearly having fun depicting his fantasy future career. Several classmates nodded, clearly willing to follow similar paths.

“Basically you want fame and money?” Jay asked. The guy nodded. “You’ve just scored yourself a nightmare teacher, then. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll already have helped the society enough for a lifetime.” The guy looked terrified as the rest of the class laughed. Jay continued, “Guys, I am one of those people you either love or hate. But either way, you will talk about me. And I will find a way to use that word of mouth and transform it into something useful.”

Zoe and Mel were all ears as he moved on to his next victim, motioning a girl from the middle rows to speak up.

“I plan to start my own PR firm. I’ll try to work with firms with integrity. But there aren’t many of them left.”

“I’m going to be the spokesperson of a multi-national corporation,” a guy at the back added.

Mel joined the conversation, “I’m an advertising student. I wanted to be in your class because it’ll help me be better at my job. No, scratch that. It’ll make me better in general. I want to learn whatever I can from you. And I welcome the workload.”

Jay nodded in approval and turned to Zoe. “And you?”

“I want to follow in your footsteps. With a twist.”

“A twist?” He was intrigued.

“You pay so much attention to survival. Food, water, clothes, health, shelter… And of course, that’s the core. But here’s the question: why do we want to stay alive? Why should they fight? We need to show people why it is worth living, and not be done after providing the basics.”

Her response got cynical hoots from the class. One of the students mocked, “Yeah? We can’t take them shopping with us, you know.” A couple of others cracked up.

Zoe ignored her and kept talking to Jay, “Life isn’t about consuming. Or entertainment. It’s whatever makes you get up in the morning. We need to share our lust for life, make it contagious. Give them reasons to feel something other than gratitude. And we can inflict happiness only if we are happy. So I’m going to work for a firm that shares my ideals, will help people survive and help them feel glad to be alive. And I’m not saying I can ever be as selfless or work-oriented as you. Having fun means too much to me. I want to have a job I’ll love, one that will give me the energy and the tools to improve things.”

Jay was impressed. Even the cynics in the class were beginning to pay attention: she was determined, eloquent and idealistic. Oh, and beautiful on the side of gorgeous. “I like the approach…?”

“Zoe.”

“You’re going to have to fight a lot for what you believe in, Zoe.”

“Comes with the territory. I’m used to it.”

Jay smiled at her. And Zoe smiled back. He knew in his heart that this smart beauty was going to make a big difference in the world. He just wasn’t prepared for how much impact she’d have on him.

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Stay tuned to read chapter 3 tomorrow!