Betsy shoots her attention towards Clara. ‘So nothing happened?’
‘I-I…’ Clara stutters. She looks so scared. ‘No,’ she says flatly. ‘Nothing.’ She glances towards me, a look of pain and hurt in her eyes. ‘Absolutely nothing. I wasn’t feeling well, so I left.’
Betsy nods. ‘But you can see the problem, Marco. You’ve been inviting women up to the studio after lights out. Let me ask you this once and ask you this straight.’ Her eyes burn like flint.
‘I seriously wish you would.’
‘Marco.’ Fitz shakes her head. ‘Anger is not going to get you anywhere.’
‘For Christ’s sake,’ I say, so irritated I could throw something. Wishing I had a little office stationery to hand. ‘What are you going to ask?’
Betsy clears her throat. ‘Have you been auditioning young women after hours? Recording them and promising them record deals in return for…’ she hesitates, ‘…favours.’
‘Sex!’ Fitz shouts angrily. ‘What Betsy means is sex.’
‘No!’ I can’t believe this is happening.
‘So our missing songbird, how do you explain that?’ Betsy says. Shifting her weight slightly in her court shoes, getting ready for the kill. There’s no way she’s backing down.
‘I have no idea.’ I drag both hands across my face. Confused, defensive, hurt.
‘Nobody remembers the mystery woman, Marco,’ Fitz says sadly. Her whole body looks crushed. ‘Terry and Jeff, Clara. I even rang Amy and played her the tape. Nothing.’ She shoots me a pained look. There are tears in her eyes.
I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been. I end up crushing everything I’ve ever loved, just like my father.
‘You can see the problem,’ Betsy says, her voice sounding terse.
I’m not sure I can. What I can see is that Clara has large tears forming in those beautiful blue eyes.
‘I’m going to have to ask you to take a leave of absence. We can’t have you in the office,’ Betsy says, shaking her head in what might, if you didn’t know her well, be considered as a sad attitude.
Clara staggers to her feet. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t feel well.’ She’s crying. ‘Please believe me, though.’ She looks down at her feet. ‘Mr Delagado didn’t take advantage of me.’ Her voice cracks. ‘I’d like that on record.’
Betsy nods. ‘I’ll see you to the lift.’
Clara smiles a thin, sad smile.
‘I don’t believe any of this,’ I say, starting to pace. Wanting to run after Clara, but no doubt, if I did, Betsy would have me for harassment. What a mess if I take even one step after her.
‘Oh, Marco.’ Fitz sighs.
‘Fitz, I swear there was nothing…’
‘Hey.’ She raises both hands to stop me. ‘It doesn’t matter. Have you ever wondered why we’re not having sex anymore?’
I stop pacing. ‘Sorry?’
‘Our relationship. It’s not physical. You must have noticed.’
‘Well.’ I shrug. ‘Yeah, I mean, I think it’s more friendship.’
‘Brotherly,’ Fitz says, wrinkling her nose. ‘I’m in love with Terry.’
‘What?’ My jaw practically hits the floor. ‘Keyboard Terry? The musician?’
‘His last name is Mitchel, but yeah. And he normally plays a piano, but yeah, that’s the one.’
‘Sorry?’ Confused, I slump in my chair.
