“Yeah, it’s a laugh riot.” The reminder of cruelty in those comments swooped in like daggers to my already churning stomach.
“At least your boss seems decent. Majors is a dick. I had to clean his entire house when he saw some promo for that movie they did, but it was only Carter and not him. He went nuclear. Holes in walls, everything trashed and broken. Total temper tantrum.”
Tripp called it.
“It would be one thing if Majors was helping my career, but he’s not. He keeps saying he’ll recommend me for roles. Nothing. I’ve booked two projects, and they were both background extras.And those were auditions I set myself. I don’t think he has the pull he thinks he does. Either that, or he’s feeding me bullshit so I’ll keep doing everything but wipe his ass for him.”
Even without my vendetta against Chase Majors, working for him sounded like a nightmare. I almost felt bad for Josh.
Almost.
“I still don’t get what you expect me to do,” I said.
“Have your boss get me a job. There’s already a lot of buzz about that shitty chick flick he’s doing. I’ll take a part in that because people seem hyped. But I want a role in one of his action movies, too. A big one, not some background nobody that is too blurry to see, and then their name at the very end of the credits.”
“You think Tripp has more pull than he actually does,” I said, using his own words against him. “And even if he did, I don’t have any kind of pull to make it happen.”
“You better figure out a way.” Some of the firmness left his voice. “I’ll always have love for you, Greer. That’s why I’m coming to you first. This business is cutthroat, and I have to use what I have at my disposal. Majors is a bust, but now that you’re linked to Tripp, the media will give a shit about your dad and the Xannies. I could sell my story and use that coverage to get my name and face out there.”
“You think telling people you facilitated drug deals is going to help you?”
“No, but telling them that his actions forced me to quit and now I’m struggling to make ends meet would.”
I had no doubt that he would twist the story into something sensationalized until only a thin thread of truth remained.But since he had video footage of that thread, it would lend credibility to the entire pile of bullshit.
Shit.
I’m so fucked.
Dad is so fucked.
Rage and fear surged through me in equal measure until I was shaking so hard, I nearly lost my grip on my phone. My words came out as a trembling whisper. “I need some time.”
I’ll quit.
Or have Tripp put out a statement that I’m just his employee.
Or maybe leak pictures of him at a club with some women.
I’ll even be the photographer.
Then no one will care enough to cover the story.
But Josh cut off that plan before it could fully bloom. “I can give you a day.”
“That’s not enough time to make this happen.”
“It’s all you’re gonna get. You know how quickly shit changes.” It was almost like he could read my mind with how efficiently he torched the one hope I had. “If I wait longer, and Tripp is spotted with some woman over the weekend, no one will care about you at all. I’ll miss out on my window of opportunity. I can’t do that. I need this, Greer. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”
With a beep, the call ended, leaving me in heavy silence with my racing thoughts.
My breath came faster and faster until it felt like I wasn’t getting a single hit of oxygen in my burning lungs. My fingertips went numb. My heart slammed out of my too-tight chest, the erratic beat going so fast, I swore it would stop. That it would give out the same way all the boxes in my head were giving out. Sweat broke out across my clammy body, leaving goosebumps as my mouth filled with saliva.
Tripp will help me.
Even if he can’t get him a role inSummer, maybe another movie would be okay.
Or he could ask Tony to be Josh’s agent.
