365 Days with the Celebrity

Chapter 4 - The Celebrity

"Leon Waltz!" cried the paparazzi as the handsome multi-platinum singer stepped out of the limousine and onto the red carpet in a neat tuxedo with his sexy arm candy dressed in a red, plunging v-neck gown. His piercing blue eyes, caramel blonde hair with highlights, chiselled jawline, charismatic aura and sexy dance moves caused women all over the world to swoon and beg.

Leon flashed his boyish, million-dollar smile to the sea of flashing lights with his date as they walked into the luxury art exhibition and elite networking at a grand, colonial art building. Being a frequent topic for gossip in the media was nothing new for Leon. Secretly, he loathed the media for the invasion of his privacy and as much as possible, he avoided reading about himself in the tabloids, except for the swoons and flatters he received from his adoring fans on social media to pump up his already inflated ego.

"Leon! Glad to see you on time, my friend!" exclaimed Arnold Tesser, his manager who had olive skin and dark hair gelled in slicked-back style. He gave Leon a quick pat on the shoulder. "Care to introduce this pretty lady? Maybe introduce me to other hot shots like her?" winked Arnold.

"You know where to get these 'instant fixes'," Leon finger quoted with a chuckle. His date glared at them and spat out a short breath of disgust. He elbowed her playfully, but she averted her eyes in revulsion from the superstar, though her arm remained locked around the hook of his arm. Leon smirked at her reaction.

"I'll keep you guys at it. Have fun and don't forget the deal we talked about last week," Arnold cheekily reminded and he disappeared into the crowd of tuxedos and elegant dresses.

Leon scanned the crowd to look for Mr Ken Fujita, the Japanese billionaire magnate who tried to negotiate an endorsement deal with him for his entire range of sauces that carried the established Fujita label by his conglomerate, Fujita Corporation.

"Fujita-san! Glad to see you," Leon gave a Japanese bow and shook the hands of the grey-haired, middle-aged man who smiled back at him.

"Leon Waltz, handsome as ever and never alone," Mr Fujita gave a quick glance at Leon's date and turned his gaze back to the celebrity.

"Hey babe, get us some drinks, will ya?" Leon said to his date, who reluctantly walked away to the bar at the centre of the hall.

"So, young man, is the money we offered you good to go?"

Leon turned to grin at Mr Fujita, "Let's sweeten the deal with an additional top-up of $3 million as requested last week? Your offer is way below other endorsement deals I've dealt with."

Mr Fujita narrowed his eyes at him for a moment and replied, "I understand your concern, but given the fact that our brand is well-known all over the world, and there are other celebrities we could've chosen, surely this is an offer that you should not turn down?"

"Is that so, Fujita-san? From what I heard, you paid Justin Bieber quite handsomely to appear in a 10-second commercial for your brand of cars. Yet I'm to appear in every advert of yours for less. Surely, the additional $3 million is not a big sum to ask?"

Mr Fujita's face reddened at the celebrity's knowledge of what was supposed to be a secret. He had no idea who leaked out such sensitive information, but in the world of cut-throat business and celebrity, one cannot really trust those close around you.

"Besides," continued Leon as he sipped the wine that his date just handed to him, "my fan base is much larger than Bieber's. Perhaps I should endorse your rival's brand, Graine & Miller Sauces, who have also approached me not too long ago. What say you in this case?" he sneered.

After considering carefully his words, Mr Fujita nodded with a one-sided smile, "I see that I've underestimated you, and I can't jump on your toes as easily as I would like. Fair enough. I'll include the extra $3 million you ask for. Plus, I'll add another $20 million if  you can show your fans that you're trying out our sauces for one year. Propose back to me by next week the plan on how your team will execute this. I treat this as a partnership. Deal?" Mr Fujita lifted up his wine glass to the singer.

"Deal!" grinned Leon as he toasted his wine glass to the billionaire's.

That night, he arrived home to his penthouse, beaming at the deal he finally sealed. He snaked his arms around the waist of his date and planted many hungry kisses on her lips and face as they celebrated with an expensive bottle of Champagne. "This night's a good night, babe!" he exclaimed and pulled her into his room.