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Emily opened the envelope and they examined the contents. David looked around and nodded. “Your table’s not far from mine. They usually make sure the assistants are close by. Some of these guys couldn’t take a shit without them.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head. She giggled. “Just remember to stay where I can see you, okay?”
She nodded. He patted her shoulder and turned and walked away.
Her stomach started to churn again as she was left alone, but she took long, slow breaths and maintained a semblance of control. She watched David’s retreating form for a moment before scolding herself, then went in search of her table. It was very close to David’s, as he’d said it would be and she snagged a seat where she could see him clearly.
Unfortunately, David was sitting at the same table as her parents, but their backs were to her, so she relaxed. A bit. David caught her gaze and gave a small nod, then turned back to a conversation he was having with the man next to him.
She stared at the back of her mother’s blonde head. How much had she known about the abuse? Had she known anything? Her father was an amazing actor, having been in a handful of movies before Emily was born, but found he made more money behind the scenes than he ever would as an actor. Her mother had been an extra in one of those movies and they’d met and fallen in love. At least that was the family story. After she ran away, Emily suspected it was more of a mutual desire for success and fortune, and together they’d achieved it. They had a certain level of respect for one another, but love? She doubted it.
A divorce would be messy and a sign of failure.
Her father slept around. Did her mother know? Did her mother sleep around too?
Did she really want to find out if her mother was okay with what happened? It was bad enough knowing her dad’s kinks.
Emily shuddered and pushed the thought away.
The assistant’s table filled up with chatting people her age, with a couple of them a few years older. The young attractive assistant was the rule in LA. It was likely more than half were sleeping with their boss as well. She pulled out her phone, pretending she was doing something important, not wanting to engage with anyone.
“... he had a fight with his wife before he left. Looks like I’ll get the chance to comfort him tonight...”
“... wish she’d make up her mind about the trip. I hate it when she’s indecisive...”
“His son called. He crashed the Audi. Again.”
Emily tried to ignore the conversations but gossip was always tantalizing, no matter how much she despised it. Her parents were experts at spinning gossip to their advantage, something she’d never quite succeeded at. She hated lying, though the past few years had taught her that sometimes lying was imperative for survival. She supposed out here it was also a form of survival. Gossip could make or break your career. If you could spin it here, you could make it anywhere.
“Who are you here with?” A pause. “Hey!”
She looked up, eyebrows raised at the guy’s sharp tone. He stared at her, questions in his eyes.
“Me?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, dummy. You. Who’s your boss?”
She glanced over at David, who was laughing at something, though it didn’t quite touch his eyes. Poor guy. “Um. Mr. Powell. Warecorp.”
The guy arched a brow and looked across the room. “He’s so yummy. What happened to Becky?”
“She’s on maternity leave.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.” He paused. “I’m Toby Jacobson.” He held out his hand.
Emily stared at it for a moment before giving a tentative smile and shaking his hand. “Emily Dawson.” Why was it too bad Becky was on maternity leave? How did he know Becky? “Who’s your boss?” She asked more out of making polite conversation than actual curiosity.
“Joe Parker,” he said, his voice haughty.
Emily forced a smile. Breathing no longer brought oxygen into her lungs and her heart pounded in her chest like a bass drum and thundered in her ears. “Oh.” She looked at the back of her father’s head and wished she could run away. How had she had the bad luck of ending up next tohisassistant? She glanced at the guy. Normally her dad had young blonde assistants barely smart enough to turn on the computer. This guy had intelligence in his eyes and had been sifting through his envelope like he knew what he was doing. “How long have you been with... Mr. Parker?”
“Couple years.” His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head. “You do look familiar. Have you been to this conference before?”
She shook her head and turned away, trying to hide her face. “No.” She sucked in a breath through pursed lips, hoping to keep the breathing exercises subtle as she slowed her rampant heart rate. Oh, God, she was going to let David down, she knew it. How would she keep it together?
She had to. She would be strong. For the kindness of David. He deserved that much.
She could feel the guy still staring at her. Why?
Toby jumped up, his chair almost falling backward, and walked toward David’s table. He leaned over and whispered into her father’s ear, then gave him a triumphant smile. Joe didn’t react and his assistant spoke again, but her father waved his hand in the air. Toby turned and walked back to the table, a frown on his face, glaring at Emily.
