AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Please tell me you’re not drinking something from Tim-whatever-the-fuck-it’s-called,” she says, eyes widening when she sees the glass.
I want to leap through the screen and shake her, because for one thing, you don’t badmouth Timmie’s, our national treasure, like that. And two, giving Emily grief about what she’s eating has the tendency to make her start counting calories obsessively for the rest of the day. I know progress isn’t linear, but we’re finally making serious headway without needing a therapist or doctor’s intervention, and I’d like to keep it that way if possible.
“It’s not,” Emily says, and lifts her glass with a sweet smile. “It’s the usual.”
“Good. Are you eating well?” Margot asks. “Sticking to the diet?”
My stomach drops.
“Yup,” Emily replies flatly. I exhale in relief, hoping that’ll be the end of it.
“Really? Because you’re looking a little puffy.”
Oh, goddammit.
“Did you call for a reason, Margot?” I ask, unable to keep the steely edge out of my voice. The look Margot shoots me tells me she’s definitely noticed it, too, but she shrugs.
“Yes and no. I mean, I wanted to talk to our girl, here, of course. Catch up a little. But also, I have some happy news that you’ll definitely want to hear.”
Emily inches forward, her eyes wide in anticipation. “Happy news? Tell me!”
“The executives still want you to put on that charity concert for Luna. We all talked it over, and we all agreed that it would be perfect for your image and would make you look better in the media after all the … drama.” The way Margot saysdramamakes it sound like it was just business as usual, not a serious stalking incident that could have resulted in death.
Emily squeals with delight and kicks her legs in the air so hard she nearly spills her coffee all over the sofa. I carefully reach over, pluck the glass from her hand, and set it down on the coffee table. My living room has had enough coffee sprayed all over it. It doesn’t need more stains.
“When? Where? How?” Emily squeals again as she sits forward on the sofa again.
Margot laughs along with her, which makes me realize this is the first time I’ve seen the woman make any sort of expression that wasn’t sour. “Next Friday. We’re holding it in the Arclight Amphitheater on Cristal!”
Next Friday? Woof, that’s short notice. Most of Em’s tour stops were booked ages in advance. These sorts of things take a lot of time and money to set up.
“And I assume that security has been hired, vetted, and will be able to do their jobs to their best ability?” I interject. It’s not that I want to rain on Emily’s parade. Far from it. But her safety is my number one priority, regardless of how I feel about her. It’s what I was hired to do, after all.
Margot waves her hand dismissively. “Not to worry. We’re going with a company we trust and have used time and time again. It’ll be great, and Kal will be able to sing again! We’ll raise funds for The Displaced Queer Youth of the Universe Fund and fix her image in one go. It’s a win-win.”
A knot forms in my stomach, but I’m not sure why. Something about this doesn’t sit well with me, but Emily’s beaming so hard it’s giving me a toothache. Fuck, I can’t damper her spirits. Not when she’s had such a rough couple of weeks. She needs this.
“Fine,” I grind out. “But I want to meet with everyone on that security team beforehand. Set up a meeting.” It’s not a request. Margot’s stern eyes find mine, and we stare at one another for a long, hard minute.
“I’ll call them after we’re done speaking,” she says.
Looks like I’ve won this round. Checkmate, Margot.
“Squee! This is so exciting!” Emily says. “I need to go get showered and start practicing. I’ve been writing some really great material. I can’t wait for you to hear it!” She catapults herself off the sofa and makes a beeline for the bathroom, leaving Margot and I alone. Great.
Margot levels a gaze on mine and frowns. “I know you’re worried. I am, too. But think about how good this will be for Kallista. She deserves to be happy. I had to fight long and hard with everyone for this.”
“I’m not arguing against it,” I say, holding up my hands in surrender. “I just want what’s best for her, too.”
She arches an eyebrow as suspicion flickers across her gaze.
“She’s my client, Margot. I need to make sure I do my job well, right?”
For a second, I think she’s going to grill me, but she presses her ruby red lips together and pulls out her little hand mirror to inspect herself. “Right. Good. I’m glad you’re taking this seriously. I’ll arrange a meeting and get back to you.”
I sigh in relief.
The last thing we need is for Margot to find out we’ve been doing a little more than flirting. The memory of Kallista’s body pressed against mine, writhing on the bed as she gasps with pleasure, makes my knot swell. Not great, considering I’m wearing sweats. Fuck, I need to jerk it, but Em’s in the shower.
