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Maggie reaches out, putting a hand on my arm. “You two are . . . dating?”
I nod, pushing on. “There’s more, but that’s not my secret to tell and I promised I wouldn’t. Suffice it to say, Donnie made it sound like Keith is just fucking me to keep me quiet. But that’s not it. I love him, and he loves me.”
Maggie smiles, leaning back in her chair and giving a little fist pump to the stale sky. “That’s awesome, Elise! I mean, I hate you too—you got the hunkiest guy in country music and you held out on me . . . but I understand why you didn’t spill that around the coffee pot at the office. So, what’s the problem?”
“Donnie gave Keith an ultimatum,” I reply, loving Maggie totally in that instant as she cheers for me. “He said Keith either has to pay him three and a half million dollars to keep quiet or Donnie will publish a story with the secret Keith doesn’t want to get out and get his money that way. Donnie set it up pretty well. Apparently, he’s blackmailed other celebrities too so he’s got experience. Keith has until Monday night to decide.”
Maggie looks pissed, slamming her tiny little fist on the table and making my two beer glasses rattle. “Donnie is such a creep. I’m honestly not surprised he’s pulling something like this, nor that he’s good at it, considering how long he’s been in this business. He’s manipulative and a great strategist. But there’s always a weak point to every plan. We just have to find it and exploit it,” she declares, holding up first one finger and then another like she’s making a to-do list.
I sigh, hope lighting bright for a second before I crash back down. I look at the last dregs of beer in the nearest glass and realize it looks a lot like my life right now, a room temperature puddle of piss. “There’s no weak point. I’ve been thinking for hours now. The only way to keep Donnie quiet is to pay him off, and I don’t trust that he wouldn’t get the money and then publish the story anyway. We both know he’s fine with double-dipping considering that he slept around on his ex-wife with Francesca.”
Instead of joining me in my misery, I can see Maggie’s brain turning. I quiet down, watching the wheels spin as she talks silently to herself, until suddenly, her face breaks wide in a huge ear-to-ear smile. “I know what the weak point is, but you’re not gonna like it.”
“What? Anything, God. Help me!”
“The weak point is Donnie. He literally gives zero fucks about keeping his life private, flaunting things most people would hide—like sleeping with Francesca—so that he’s untouchable. And in doing so, he assumes most folks do actually give a shit and want to keep their secrets just that . . . secret. He targets people he thinks will do anything, pay anything, and he’s set his sights on Keith.”
I see where she’s going, and I nod, feeling a light at the end of the tunnel as she continues.
“Donnie’s entire plan hinges on that initial supposition that Keith will want to keep this quiet, and that he’ll do anything, and that will be enough to get the millions. I think he’ll likely take the money and publish too. That’s just the sort of snake he is. Probably not even give Francesca a decent cut of it either. He’ll just keep stringing her along until she’s too deep in to ever go anywhere else, then cut her free when he finds his next fresh-faced girl willing to sleep her way to the top.”
Maggie nods sadly, sparing a bit of sympathy for Francesca. I guess I can understand why. That, and Maggie’s the reincarnated spirit of Marsha Brady. “That’s right up his alley. So, based on that, the secret is coming out . . . whatever it is. Keith just needs to get in front of it. It’s the only way. Go on the morning talk show racket and apologize for the drug use and check into rehab . . .”
I give her a severe look, my inner feelings flaring up. “He’s not on drugs.”
Maggie smirks, knowing she’s been caught. “Had to try. Maybe apologize for the . . . red room of pain and explain that you’re into it too?”
I laugh, wondering if Maggie’s brain is really as innocent as she seems. “Nope, not it either. Really, I can’t say. But I know Keith isn’t going to want to publicize it. He’s worked his whole life to keep this secret.”
“Well, I have to say, I don’t think he’s going to have a choice about whether it gets out,” Maggie says, shrugging reluctantly. “But he can decide how it gets out.”
