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“A day date,” Naomi answered. Her eyes told him not to argue. “I set it up two weeks ago. My dentist is handsome and single. They’re meeting at Griffith Park at two.”
“A blind date, huh?” Josh tried to ask like a normal person, a person with less to lose.
Clara nodded. “Naomi insisted on setting it up because I haven’t gone out much since I moved here.”
Josh had kissed her and held her and been inside her, and she would still rather go on a date with some random guy.
“Your phone is ringing,” Naomi said, handing him the offending electronic device. Her raised brows said, What is wrong with you?
The caller ID made him grimace. “It’s Bennie.” He moved his thumb to send the call to voice mail. Everything was wrong and he didn’t know how to fix it. He needed to talk to Clara. Now.
“Answer,” Naomi told him.
He shot daggers at her. “Hello?”
“Darling.” His agent’s voice sounded in his ear. “It’s been too long. I hope you didn’t think you were done with me?”
“What do you want, Bennie?”
“Now, now. Better watch that tone. Someone less charitable might take offense. I’m calling to let you know about some industry developments I thought you might find interesting. I believe you know Paulo Santiago and Lucie Corben?”
Of course Josh knew those names. Paulo was the editor who’d given him the Final Cut software download in exchange for a round of beers, and Lucie was a makeup artist who told him dirty jokes until he laughed so hard he cried off all her handiwork. They were two of his favorite people in the business.
“Get to your point.”
“They’ve both been removed from consideration on any future Black Hat productions.”
He covered the mouthpiece of the phone with his palm. “Pruitt’s making good on his threats.”
Naomi cursed under her breath.
“You’re a piece of shit, Bennie. Doing that bastard’s dirty work is low, even for you,” Josh said into the phone.
“Hey, kid. I’m the messenger. For every day you go without signing a new contract, the list of people who find themselves out of work goes up. And if you’re thinking about pushing your luck, let me remind you that Mr. Pruitt’s holdings are vast. He’s got a lot of expendable resources. He can afford to wait. If you change your mind about signing, you know where to reach me,” he said before disconnecting the call.
In contrast to the people caught in the crosshairs was the implicit subtext. Josh knew that Paulo and Lucie lived paycheck to paycheck, like a lot of Pruitt’s employees. He thought about Paulo’s kids and Lucie’s expensive ongoing hormone therapy treatments.
He couldn’t let them suffer for his actions. His mistakes. He slammed his fist on the card table so hard the legs wobbled. This week was shaping up to be a real kick in the teeth.
“Damn it. I can’t be worth this much effort. Why go to all this trouble to get me to bend to his will? This industry is full of white guys with big dicks.”
“I don’t think it’s just about you,” Naomi said. “We’ve been noisy in our dissent. Word’s getting around about our little project. People are calling, ready to defect, no matter the risks. We’ve got interviews set up through next week. I think this is about Pruitt sending a message. About crushing anyone who stands in opposition to him. If he doesn’t nip this in the bud he could find himself with a mass revolt on his hands.”
“Good,” Clara said from the corner. “Sorry. That’s good, isn’t it?”
“A couple weeks hanging around a bunch of sex workers and suddenly you’ve got an appetite for rebellion?” Naomi raised a finely arched eyebrow.
Clara gave a demure shrug.
Josh sank back into the folding chair with his head spinning. There was no way he could justify being this selfish. Look at the cost. How could he let people he cared about suffer when he had the power to stop it?
“You can’t sign that contract,” Clara said. “If you sign, Pruitt and Bennie win. Besides.” She folded her hands. “There’s still nothing to stop him from firing more people after he gets what he wants. You’d be giving up your leverage.”
Josh rubbed his palms against his eyes. “My leverage doesn’t matter anymore. We can’t hire the whole industry,” he said. “Black Hat’s pockets are deeper than even yours.”
Naomi shook her head. “We need to hold out long enough to get to the press. It’s only a few more days.”
Clara smiled hopefully. She and Naomi and so many other amazing women had given their time and knowledge and experience so this tiny, probably fruitless rebellion could see the light of day.
