“LA, Seoul… Barrow-int-Furness,” she laughed, never missing the opportunity to pronounce the ‘in’ with what she considered to be a good Northern accent.
I rolled my eyes so hard it ached, only succeeding in making her laugh harder.
“Okay, first of all, we live outside of Barrow-in-Furness, and secondly your accent sucks.”
“Ouch.” Becka clutched her chest. “Anyway, are you done now?”
“Jeez, yes, done!”
“Okay, lemme look.”
I took a screen shot of the page, still in edit mode, and pasted it into our chat window. I watched as she scanned the image, her eyebrows drawing together as she focused.
“Yeah, okay, looks fine to me,” she declared, leaning back in her chair.
“Rebecca, are you actually planning on doing any work today?” A muffled voice called out, making her turn her head to look at someone off-screen.
“I run this joint, I can do what I like!” She waved the person off but flashed me a quick grin and a wink. “I better go.”
I sighed theatrically. “It must be nice to be the big boss. I wonder what Celine thinks about you taking her job.”
“Oh, she knows,” Becka said with a wicked grin.
I frowned.
“She does?”
“Ha, yes. She applied for my old job.”
“You never told me that!”
Becka looked away for a moment.
“It was months ago. You had other stuff going on. It didn’t come up.”
What she meant was that I’d been sunk so far into my black pit of despair that I hadn’t been able to see past my own darkness.
I shuffled uncomfortably in my chair.
“It’s not a big deal,” Becka waved away my obvious discomfort. “Obviously, we told her to go kick rocks. Imagine having the audacity to apply for a job at the company that fired you. Big yikes!” She giggled, and then looked away, calling, “I’m coming!” She looked back at the screen. “I’ll send you that article about you know who’s lawsuit. Gotta go, babes. Have fun packing!”
And she was gone before I could even utter a goodbye. I didn’t need her to clarify who she meant by you know who. Trevor Kyle had been formally accused of sexual assault by an up-and-coming singer, and there were rumblings that more would be coming his way, but there wasn’t much more information in the public sphere. Yet.
A few minutes later, Becka made good on her promise, and a notification popped up on my screen. I clicked on it with trepidation.
The headline was about as subtle as a brick to the face. I could see why Becka liked it.
LA’s ‘Magic-Touch’ producer accused of offering his ‘Magic Touch’ for career favors.
I cringed. ‘Magic touch’ was a bit on the nose for my taste. I read on.
A Los Angeles police investigation has been opened into well-known music producer Trevor Kyle, following a criminal complaint filed in the summer by an unnamed solo artist. The singer – then aged 21 – alleges that Kyle inappropriately touched her and suggested exchanging sexual favors for career advancement. The complaint has been escalated into a county criminal case by investigators at the Los Angeles Police Department.
Kyle – formally of industry-giant, ‘Pisces’ – known for producing commercially successful records and mentoring up-and-coming talent, was arrested on Friday evening at his Los Angeles home after the Los Angeles County District Attorney obtained a warrant, following a police investigation. Kyle has since posted bail. He is now legally required to appear before a judge, with hearing and trial dates expected to be confirmed later in the year or in early 2022 due to ongoing pandemic-related court backlogs.
This publication has received reports that additional plaintiffs are preparing to file a joint civil action against Mr. Kyle in Los Angeles, citing alleged historical incidents of coercion and abuse of influence that mirror the pattern described in the criminal complaint. Although unconnected to the legal proceedings, the civil action is likely to paint the disgraced producer in an even more damning light.
I read the rest of the article with growing disgust. While we’d all known he was a slimeball, and I knew from experience whyhe’d earned his moniker of ‘grabby hands’, the depth of his depravity was something I took no joy in confirming.
