“We need to start from scratch”, Carmen said with a lopsided, sympathetic grin.

“I’m afraid so”, Shane murmured in a humble voice.

Carmen started fiddling again with the pen.

“Well, it’s not that bad, you know? Sometimes, clients come here with some absurd ideas and I have to spend days and days just to make them understand that what they’re planning to do is not exactly what they should do, do you know what I mean?”.

“Yeah, I guess”, Shane shrugged.

Carmen raked her fingers through her hair.

“Do you have a budget?”.

“Not really. But it’s not a big deal. I guess it’s all about profit and expenditure proportions”.

“Good. Okay, let’s recap, then. You want DEW to become the number one club in WeHo, outclassing The Planet…”.

“Right”.

“…You don’t have a budget. Not yet, at least, basically because you don’t really know how to promote your club…”.

“…True…”.

“…And you’re asking me to give you a professional support in terms of creative proposals –“.

“…And I want your agency to take care of everything…”, Shane said, and then stared at Carmen and added, in a fake sheepish tone, “….I really need you to take care of me”.

The corners of Carmen’s lips lifted in the ghost of a smile, and Shane waved her hands in the air.

“Professionally talking!”, she added precipitously.

Carmen let go an amused laugh.

“Of course”, she replied.

Were they flirting, already? Maybe not. Was there some sort of unspoken attraction, some sort of inborn, reciprocated feeling? Definitely yes. After all, Yin and Yang attract each other and nobody can do anything about it. This is what Chinese philosophy says and Carmen and Shane were, right there and right then, the living proof of it.

“So, what do you think about my club?”, Shane asked narrowing her eyes. Her words sounded a little bit out of the blue and Carmen threw her a look.

“I don’t know. The only time I went to your club, I was pretty drunk. So I don’t remember practically anything about it… with the exception of a very neat and clean toilet”, she chuckled.

Shane tried hard to hide a smile.

“That’s gross, Morales”, she replied, acting disappointed.