“Hey, Taylor,” David said as he gave her a friendly hug.
“I was just texting my girl. She’s all bummed out that she wasn’t able to come for summer school.”
Inwardly, he groaned. The two girls he’d looked forward to spending some quality time with wouldn’t be on campus this summer. His dry spell might last him until school started back up for the fall semester.
“I understood that she was living with Matt and Crystal so they could all afford an apartment. What happened with that?” he asked.
“I’m the third wheel,” Taylor grumped and then leaned in as if to tell David a secret. “Between you and me, I don’t think Crystal and Matt will make it through the summer.”
David honestly couldn’t care less about those two because he considered Matt to be Coach Clayton’s primary butt-kisser. And Crystal seemed to pick her boyfriends based solely on how they made her look. Not that she wasn’t smoking hot; she was. He just had no interest in a gold digger.
“What are you going to do if they break up?” David asked.
“I can afford the rent if they move out. I just wish they would decide if they’re going to fight or make up. I’m tired of the drama, and it’s only been a weekend.”
Most of the students who went to USC came from families with money. It sounded like Taylor was one of them.
They exchanged contact information, with Taylor promising to let him know if Milena planned to visit this summer.
David and Ruth found Cassidy waiting for them. She’d made a good call by ordering nachos so they could snack before they ordered.
Oliver joined them a few minutes later.
“You’re buying, right?” were the first words out of his mouth.
“A free steak Friday night wasn’t enough for you?” David shot back.
“Don’t be a drongo, mate. I’m just saying you’re rich, and you should defo hook your friends up,” Oliver tried.
David’s new teammate got an upgrade. David wasn’t going to slap him down for suggesting this; he was going to kill him, and with Fritz’s help, he could hide the broken body. He took a deep, cleansing breath because he knew he was reacting like a petulant teenager, but Oliver brought out the worst in him.
“Okay, I’ll buy lunch, but don’t ever ask again. I’m not looking to hang with people who expect me to pick up the tab.”
Oliver held up his hands.
“Seriously, mate. Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I was just joking around.”
David had heard enough.
“Get whatever you want, but I’ve got better ways to spend my time,” he said as he dropped a large bill on the table.
Oliver looked surprised when Cassidy and Ruth got up with David. Then they went down the street to the Korean barbecue place.
◊◊◊
In the late afternoon, David met about twenty football players on the practice field. He wanted to implement something similar to what they’d done in high school, where they learned the playbook on their own time.
The first meeting was more of a get-to-know-you session, and they just had fun playing touch football. It felt good to get the kinks out and actually throw a pass. Everyone had a good time, so David considered that a good start.
◊◊◊
David had invited Frank Ingram and Kent Crain to dinner at his townhouse. These two were key members of his team: Frank handled all of his PR, while Kent, who reported to Frank, was responsible for hiring his personal assistants. The three of them were eating on the rooftop so that David could use his new grill.
“There are beers and sodas in the fridge. I hope you’re hungry because I’m making fish tacos on the grill.”
The three of them were comfortable with each other, and they all quickly relaxed as David cooked. Ruth and Cassidy had joined them for dinner, and the guys caught up and shared small talk. The two girls cleared the table and left so that David could have a private word.
“I’m considering terminating my contract with the management company. Because of our relationship, I wanted to give you the heads-up before I went elsewhere.”
Frank had been made president because of his management skills, while Kent ran the day-to-day. Frank glared across the table when Kent suddenly looked nervous.
“Is this because Kent sent his girlfriend to the UK as your PA?” Frank asked.
“That, and I don’t ever want Lexi to be my PA again,” David said.
Of all the things he could have said, none of them would have surprised the two men more. After all, David had claimed on numerous occasions that she was the best PA he’d ever had.
“Why? What did Lexi do?” Kent asked.
“It’s not my place to say. You should ask Lexi,” David said.
“And you’re mad enough that you want to fire us?” Frank said.
“The UK trip was a disaster.”
David spent the next ten minutes highlighting everything Kristen did that was unprofessional, embarrassing, or borderline illegal. He covered in that analysis all that she’d done that could have, or would have, had disastrous consequences for the movie or the people involved in it. David noted that that included high-level movers and shakers like Chubby Feldman as well as David himself.
“I pay you good money for support, and I, by God, expect professional assistance. I held back from talking to Grace Davenport directly about this while I was in New York because we’ve been friends for the past few years. But Kent, I’m wondering if I can trust you anymore,” David said.
They both knew that if David had talked to her, they might very well have been fired. Frank had been around and witnessed Kristen in action but had focused his efforts on PR without exercising any oversight at all over Kent. And Kent would have been fired simply for thinking with his dick. It didn’t matter that the girl was gorgeous, and it didn’t matter whether she was exceptional in bed. Kent had spent most of his life around beautiful and ambitious girls who used their bodies to get what they wanted. He was hired to be a professional who wouldn’t succumb to that kind of manipulation.
“David, I’m so sorry. Moving forward, I will only supply you with seasoned personal assistants,” Kent said. “Are you sure Lexi isn’t who you want? I could pull her from Ben Cowley for your press tours for Love Letters and the second Star Academy movies.”
“Let me be clear so there are no misunderstandings. Lexi Andon is never to be sent to be my PA again. If she is, I will publicly announce to the world my lack of confidence in both of you and say that is why I’m moving my business.”
“What the hell did she do to make you so mad?” Frank asked.
“I’d like to know too because I’ve never seen you this angry,” Kent added.
“Can we just say it’s personal and leave it at that? I know that I sound harsh, but I mean every word I’ve said. If I never see her again, I’ll be fine,” David said.
Both men looked at each other and let it go. David was sure Lexi would hear about it before the night was out. In some ways, he felt like a coward for not calling her directly. But the truth was that if she talked to him, David might forgive her. If he did that, he would hate himself.
◊◊◊
Ten minutes after they left, David’s phone began to ring.
As he was going to bed, his phone buzzed on his desk for what felt like the twentieth time over the last two hours. It was Lexi. This time, he picked it up and rejected her call. Then he blocked her.
David checked, and he had fifteen messages. He deleted them all.
◊◊◊
Chapter 16
Cassidy
She could hear David shuffling around in his bedroom. Something must have happened after she’d left him with Frank and Kent because he usually went right to sleep. She heard his door open and then footsteps as he went up the stairs to the roof.
Cassidy got out of bed to see what was up. She found David sitting on the couch, so she sat next to him. The cool night air was a jolt to her system, sending any of her own desire for sleep fleeing. She shivered. He must have felt the movement because he slipped off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.