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)
“You don’t have to confess anything.” I know what I saw, but I also know that it’s sometimes hard to admit that you’re a victim. “I’m sorry if I caused you trouble. I didn’t mean to. I thought I was helping you.”
He growls a little. “I keep trying to poke holes in your goody-two-shoes persona.”
I’m offended by that. I recently had a torrid affair with royalty. I should get some cred for that. “I don’t have a persona, and I’m certainly not a goody-two-shoes. What does that even mean? Everyone wears two shoes. I would hope they’re good.”
He snorts at my rebuke. “It’s an old saying. My parents are in their eighties. They’re actually my grandparents. Mom died and Dad hit the road, and I was a two-year-old left with super-conservative grandparents who were looking forward to retirement.”
And he was gay, which had to be hard on him. “I’m sorry.”
For the first time he smiles and there’s no wariness behind it. “Don’t be. They were great. They loved me and supported me and they were…a little shocked when I first came out, but then those two people who went to church every Sunday were taking me to pride parades. My dad…I call him dad because that’s who he is…told me I shouldn’t ever be ashamed of what God made me. And then he promptly told me I couldn’t be alone with any male friends in his house. He was probably right about that. That door being open saved me many a misstep.”
It’s the first time he sounds like a genuine person to me and not a walking ball of irritation. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Anyway, sometimes I sound like an old dude because I’m around old people most of the time. I like to listen to their lives. They have a lot to say, but not many people listen. They would absolutely call you a goody-two-shoes and tell you you’re naïve.” He rests his head back. “I assumed you would think I wanted it.”
“Why would you assume that my eyes don’t work?” I ask. “I saw you. You were not consenting.”
His gaze turns my way. “Ani, do you think this hasn’t happened before? Joe Helms is one in a long line of predatory men who think anyone beneath them is theirs for the taking. The funny thing is when I work for an out gay director, I never have trouble. It’s the ones in the closet who think they can take whatever they want and have zero consequences.”
“And you’re stuck in the job because if you quit or cause trouble, you might not get another one.” I know the business. “I don’t know if he bought my act or not. There’s a whole lot more to the story. I called the CEO of Pinnacle and told her what happened. I was literally there to find out if Joe was having trouble. She thought he was harassing women.”
He whistles. “That explains a lot. I have to admit I was surprised when you took the job. I assumed you were there for some weird reason that was likely about watching me. Paranoid, I know, but it wouldn’t be the first time. I was probably awful to you because I suspected you were there for nefarious reasons.”
I’m curious. “Why would you think that?”
“I asked around. You’re way overqualified. You should have been the boss, though even that would have been a step down for someone like you. So I didn’t trust you.”
“Well, I was there for something other than a paycheck, so you were right about that,” I admit. “Are you still mad?”
“I’m not mad. I’m at a loss. No one’s ever done anything like that for me. The couple of times I complained I was either let go or told to keep my mouth shut because I’m a man and no one is going to believe I didn’t want a little sex.”
My heart hurts for him. “I’m sorry. I believe you.”
“I know, and that’s both comforting and scary,” Patrick admits. “What did they do to you? What did they threaten you with? Did they find out you were hooking up with the king on the sly?”
It’s my turn to be surprised. “How did you know that?”
He gives me his dumbass-said-what look. “Anika, why do you think I took that pink bear out of there? You were the only one with a bear in your room. I need you to put on your thinking cap for this one.”
Revelation dawns on me, and I realize Patrick saved me from a much worse possible fate. I also feel some relief because Luca isn’t the one who told them. They already knew. They might have even used that footage to get Luca to agree. “It was a nanny cam.”
He points my way. “She shoots, she scores. I can’t believe you didn’t catch that trick. Man, if something shows up in your room on a shoot like that, you have to suspect there’s a hidden camera. You were the golden girl of that shoot. They wanted something on you in case they needed leverage. I know these particular producers and they’re usually cool, but there’s money on the line this time. I took the camera but it had a wireless connection, so me destroying it didn’t destroy what they already had on you.”