Turn It Loose by Britni Danielle Read Free Book Online

yelled again.
    He was gone.
    On one hand she was relieved he slipped out and they wouldn’t have to trade clumsy hellos and iffy promises to hook up later. But on the other, she was a bit disheartened he left without at least saying goodbye.
    “Don’t be silly, Jay. This is w hat you wanted, right?” she reminded herself. “Operation Get Laid, remember? Well, congratulations, it worked!”
    Jaylah headed to the kitchen to make a pot of too-strong coffee befor e jumping in the shower. She needed to shake her ambivalence about Faraj, and get her mind together for her meeting with Jourdan and Hillary. If she was going to transform herself from barely functioning drunk (which is how she felt) to amazingly talented writer (which is what she hoped Hillary would believe) she needed something more than a cup of Joe.
    “Dear God, I know we haven’t spoken in a while, but I really , really need this,” she prayed. “I know it seems wrong asking for your help after what went down last night, but I don’t know what else to do. Please help me be—“ she hesitated to find the right words, “the best me possible today. Ok?”
    When she opened her eyes, Jaylah noticed a tiny slip of paper with her name on it.
     
    Jaylah,
     
    I didn’t want to wake you, but I had to go to work. Last night was incredible.
     
    I’d love to take you to dinner sometime. Call me. Please?
     
    xx,
    Faraj
    0203 538 6595
     
    Jaylah did a quick cha-cha around the kitchen. Even if she wasn’t sure if she wanted to see him again, it was nice to know she left him wanting more.
     
    * * *
    “Jaylah Baldwin, this is Hillary Clarke,” Jourdan said, introducing the women. She had managed to get to Jourdan’s office five minutes before the meeting, giving her just enough time to calm her nerves.
    “Pleasure to meet you Ms. Clarke,” she said, trying her best to mimic the pomp and circumstance of the Queen’s English.
    “Please , call me Hillary,” she said, shaking Jaylah’s hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
    Jaylah wondered how much Hillary could have possibly heard given she’d just met Jourdan and hadn’t ever bragged about her bylines. Perhaps Hillary Googled her as well? “Likewise,” she said, being polite.
    “Jourdan tells me you’re looking to write for UK publications. What brings you to our side of the Pond?”
    “ As you know, the publishing world is quite hectic at the moment. I’ve been working like a maniac at The L.A. Weekly for the past five years, and just needed a bit of a change.”
    “And why’d you pick London?”
    “For one, I already knew the language. Or so I thought,” she smiled, hoping Hillary would appreciate her attempt at humor. “But seriously, I’ve lived in New York, I needed a break from L.A., and London is so vibrant and full of culture, it just seemed like the perfect place to regroup.”
    “ Have you been freelancing since coming here?” Hillary asked.
    “No, I’ve just been wandering around doing all of the touristy things and trying my hardest not to be the rude American.”
    Hillary nodded a reserved smile. “I see. I’m sort of in a pinch. I had a girl defect to Vogue , so I’m looking for a freelancer who can cover the lifestyle vertical. Basically she’d run ‘round to shows, pubs, and things of that nature, then write about the best things to do in London.”
    Jaylah’s heart dropped, another gig covering shitty unsigned bands and horribly made films? Did she really leave L.A. to do what she did back home? “I see,” she replied, trying to keep disappointment from edging into her voice.
    “I read through some of your clips and I noticed you did quite a lot of that back in L.A., although we’ve already got a music writer. So this would be sort of a ‘girl about town’ feature,” Hillary explained.
    Jaylah let out an inaudible breath before nodding enthusiastically. “So I’d be able to see a bit more of the city as well.”
    “Exactly! How about you write one