Waves Of Passion

Chapter 3

One year ago…

Justin Frank was what the world liked to call a charismatic celebrity. While every celebrity his age did everything to literally pour their lives out on social media and national television, Justin did everything else differently. He liked keeping to himself. As far as he was concerned, the whole celebrity status was something that he never really thought about or even considered. After all, surfing was something he loved doing. A part of him. A part of his life that he really, really loved. Perhaps that was why he was skeptical about starting a whole new life as the celebrity pro-surfer Justin Frank. When surfing companies first began approaching him after he won an amateur surfing competition in Hawaii, he began thinking of surfing as a job.

Granted, he had always thought of taking surfing and making it into a career but the way the endorsements were coming, he knew that hating surfing altogether was a very big possibility. They were all talking numbers. Profits they would make if he accepted to be a brand ambassador for certain companies. The pros and cons. How much he would make on various tours around the world.

It all sounded great but definitely not fun. He wanted to have fun surfing because after all, that was his hobby. That was what he believed he was born to do. But all the photo ops, the flashy lifestyle…that was definitely not him.

He had met with at least nine companies before he finally decided he was done being a pawn for the corporates. It was on a Friday afternoon and he was seated on the beach polishing his board when a woman walked up to him. She looked a bit too dressed up to be on the beach in her short white dress with a plunging neckline that showed off that perfect generous cleavage. Her long wavy brunette hair was flowing on her shoulders and she had her high heeled sandals in one hand.

“May I join you?” she asked and Justin looked up at her. He was not sure if she could see the lust in his eyes. Because that was all that was going on in his mind. That and why a woman of her stature (because she looked like one) was there, in a place where all the women were in two piece bikinis.

“Oh…yes. Please,” he said as he gently placed his board on the sand.

She sat down and he looked at her.

“Ahem…aren’t you going to ruin that dress sitting on the sand?” he asked. “I was going to offer you a towel…or my t-shirt or something,” he said and she smiled.

“Hey, when in Rome, right?” she asked and he nodded,

“When in Rome,” he echoed.

“Christina DeLuca,” she said stretching her hand out and he shook her hand.

“Justin Frank,” he said and she smiled at him, showing off her dimpled left cheek.

“I know who you are,” she said and he looked at her raising an eyebrow over the other.

“Now I’m at a little disadvantage,” he said as he looked at her.

“Well, you shouldn’t. I have been kind of stalking you.”

Justin forced out a laugh as he looked at her.

“Should I be worried for my safety? Maybe call the cops?” he asked jokingly and she looked at him.

“What? For a crazed fan?” she asked and he laughed. He suddenly knew what this was. He had been in this position one too many times. This was a pitch. This was someone trying to sign him. “Why do I have a feeling I just gave myself up?”

“Kind of.” He reached for his canteen. “Let me guess, you have some kind of surfing company too and are looking to offer me an endorsement deal?” he asked and she nodded.

“Right on,” she said in a soft voice. “Wave Tide.”

He frowned.

“Wave Tide?” he asked and she nodded.

“What? Never heard of a place like that?” she asked and he nodded.

“No shade though,” he pointed out quickly and she smiled.

“I know. But don’t worry about it, we are a small company. Just trying to get the firm off the ground.”

“That explains a lot,” Justin said nodding.

“I know you’ve got the best companies in the country…maybe even the world coming to you with offers but I cannot offer what I do not have,” she started as she pulled her hair to one side of her neck. “So, that said, I cannot match the best offer I know you already have.”

“You sure do pitch different from the other company reps I have met,” he said, smiling and she shrugged.

“To be honest, I have never really had to broker an endorsement deal before and this is all new for me.” She smiled.

“So, you’re taking your first walk into the wild with me?” he asked and she nodded.

“Yeah,” she said as he took a long sip from his canteen. “You are the person I have chosen to pop my cherry with.”

Justin looked at her and a naughty smile played on his lips. So, she was a picture of innocence after all? But then again, didn’t he already know that by the time he first looked at her in that perfect dress?

“Naughty and business minded,” Justin said. “I like that.”

She smiled and held his gaze for a long second.

“Adult humor never let me down,” she said in a soft voice.

Justin looked at her and took a long deep breath.

“So, now that you have established that this is a business meeting,” he started as he looked at her. “Just what are you bringing to the table?”

She took a long deep breath.

“Well, like I mentioned before, Wave Tide is a young company still struggling to get off the ground and I need the right person…the right partner to move forward with.”

“And that partner is me?”

“To be honest I am just looking for someone who will grow with me. Grow with the brand.” She nodded. “And yes, I believe that person is you.”

There was a long silence before he finally spoke again.

“Why me?” he asked and she shrugged.

“Because right now, you are Justin Frank, the guy every surfing company wants to call their own.  But I don’t want to own you. I just want to ensure you are your own person who gets paid to do what you love.”

“And how do you know what I love?” he asked.

“If you were not so crazy about surfing then you would have signed one of the many hundreds of thousand dollar deals you have on the table,” she said. “I know of at least four companies who have shown interest in you but there hasn’t been any buzz in the newsfeeds about you signing anything.”