The door opened before she reached it and Yolanda walked in.
Stunned, Sonya froze, her jaw tight as she stared at the younger woman.
Taken aback by Sonya’s cold reception, Yolanda said, “Well, you did say to come in.”
Sonya shook her head. “I said, ‘coming’.”
“Oh. They do sound a bit alike, don’t they.”
Sonya conceded but remained cold and aloof. “I guess they do. What do you want?”
“You seem upset,” she tearfully said. “I hate to have anyone upset with me.”
“What do you want?”Sonya repeated.
“I saw you...at Zwick’s office. You probably think you slipped out before we noticed you, but...well, I noticed you.”
“And what of it?”
“I don’t want you to be upset with me,” she said through a stream of tears.
“Why would I be upset with you?”Sonya said, though she fully realized her tone was very much that of one who was upset. “After all, I am not in a relationship with Zwick. I don’t care what you do with him.”
“Yes. I know. But, well, since he’s a producer or whatever...you know, he can get you into any project...if you’re prepared to...”
“Don’t say it.”
“I had no choice, Sonya. It’s just a simple transaction. An exchange of services.”
She looked at her, unable to hide her disgust.
“He’s been pressuring me to sleep with him since this whole production started. He said he’d give me the role of the queen...you know, if anything happened to Connie.Then he promised he’d give me the lead role in his next movie.”
What else?Sonya wondered. Her role as Songbird?
“Don’t worry,” Yolanda said, as if reading her thoughts. “He won’t offer me your part. Songbird belongs to you.”
Sonya simply nodded.
“Besides, the songs you sing are out of my range. I mean, I know my limitations. I’d rather have an easier role and be brilliant, than to have a complicated role and be criticized for not being good enough.”
“How levelheaded of you,” Sonya said with a tight grin.
“Right. So, don’t worry about that. You’re safe there, Sister.”
Her senses picked up on Yolanda’s lack of sincerity. She sounded so sweet, so innocent, and yet none of it landed. It all sounded fake. Or was it just nerves?
“I suggest you be careful with Zwick,” Sonya said. Despite her apprehension, she hated the thought of something horrible happening to the younger woman.
“I am,” Yolanda quipped. “I mean, I’ve known guys like this before. It’s no big deal.”
“It can very quickly become a big deal, Yolanda. The men out here are predators, just like vultures. No, they’re sharks. Worse than that, they’re...” She had no other animal to compare Zwick to. “Pigs,” she finally said.
Yolanda laughed.
“I’m serious. They can take one look at a young woman like you, see the stars in your eyes, see the ambition and know that you’ll do just about anything to reach the top. Degrading, humiliating things. Don’t fall for it. You’ll regret it.”
“Spoken like a true big sister,” Yolanda said as she wiped the tears away. “You remind me of Jenny back home in Shanghai.”
