Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Yes, dear. Normally we wouldn’t, but this has big money behind it. And if the king marries one of you, it will be a huge ratings draw.”
“It’s funny you say that because Luca says the producers are hoping he breaks it off,” I say with a little laugh.
I can practically hear her eyebrows rising. “Luca? I thought his name was Reginald? Such a stuffy name for a lovely man.”
“He goes by his middle name.” I feel my face heat. I shouldn’t have given that away. “He’s a nice man.”
“So I’ve heard.” There’s a pause that lets me know she’s thinking. “You know this project is important to me. Is there any chance that you didn’t understand what you were seeing? If he’s having an affair, it’s a different story. If extramarital sex takes directors out of the running, I won’t have anyone to hire.”
“I know what I saw.”
“But Joe said it was consensual.” I can tell she’s looking for any way out of this. I’m sure I’ve shocked her.
“What I saw wasn’t consensual.” I’m going to stand firm.
“But you haven’t talked to Patrick yet,” she says.
“He ran out. I haven’t left my room yet, and he’ll be out on the one-on-one dates all day. I won’t have a chance to talk to him until the ceremony tonight.” And I’m sure he’ll be in a great mood after a twelve-hour workday with four more to go. I don’t envy him the long days he has to work.
“Well, I’ll handle things from here.” She is silent for a moment, tension heavy between us. “You’re a good person, Anika. Thank you for everything.”
It seems like a weird thing to say, but I’m sure she’s tired and she’s got a ton of work to do now, too. “Of course. I’ll see you when I get back from Europe. Unless you need me sooner.”
The line goes dead.
I take a deep breath and try to banish the sense of dread that suddenly comes over me. I tell myself it’s just nerves because this is a sticky situation I’ve stepped into. There will potentially be a legal fight if Jessica can’t convince Joe to quietly resign.
There’s a knock at my door.
I cross the room and open it, and Hannah and Riley are standing there, shoulder to shoulder, both with concerned looks on their faces.
“Did you hear they fired Patrick?” Riley asks.
“I mean he wasn’t the most polite guy in the world, but he was very efficient,” Hannah adds. “He was excellent at keeping us on time, and he made me understand why we have to eat before dates, not during. Even if the date food looks way more delicious.” She blushes. “No offense to your mom.”
Funny little trivia about shows like ours. Those fancy dates you see with all the fine food are strictly for show. The champagne is real and so is the food, but eating a burger on air isn’t sexy. Eating anything is hard to film.
My heart clenches at the words. Though not the ones about my mom. She’s fine. “None taken. What happened?”
Hannah walks in, setting herself on one of the unused beds. “No idea. I just saw him downstairs and it looked like he’d cleaned out his locker. I asked Lily, and she said the PAs had been told they have a new head. One of the older guys. It seems so weird. I thought he and Joe worked well together.”
“I wouldn’t say that was the vibe I got from them.” Riley sits beside Hannah.
“What did you get?” I’m beyond curious. I have to believe that the situation with Patrick will be resolved when Jessica takes action. Though Joe firing him means he can sue Pinnacle, which means more lawyers. “Did you see anything?”
“I think the director has a thing for Patrick, but Pat doesn’t reciprocate,” Riley says. “I’ve been in the situation before. You have a boss and he gets a little too close when you’re talking. Hugs you a minute too long. Wants to be alone with you. You don’t want to lose your job so you have to walk this balance beam of being polite and friendly with him, but not allowing it to go too far. I think Patrick fell off the beam.”
“That sounds terrible.” Hannah’s head shakes in sympathy for those poor souls. “You think he gave in? For the sake of his job?”
Riley flashes her an indulgent grin. “No, silly. He’d likely be here if he had. I suspect he finally gave the old goat a hearty no. You seem unsurprised to find out the director’s at the very least bi. That doesn’t fit my wide-eyed country girl.”
Hannah leans into her. “Well, my momma told me that everyone I met outside of the country would be deviant sex people, so I expect it. Though I didn’t expect that Anika would be one of them. Why do you need condoms? Holy crap, are you having an affair with a member of the crew?”