She laughs. “Why not?”
“Because it’s everything you said youdidn’twant to write. Propaganda. A love letter to your boyfriend. Not to mention, it’s full of brazen fabrications and untruths.”
“Name one thing that’s not true.”
“All of it! It’s not any one thing. It’s the total effect of it, put together. You’ve made mesound like a saint.”
“The article is well-researched and every word is accurate.”
I scoff. “I funded your grant because I wanted to fuck you. Did you forget about that?”
Georgina folds her arms over her chest and leans back from the kitchen table. “Then why’d you pay for my father’s medication, on top of my salary? Why’d you donate so much money to the cancer charity, if your only goal was getting me into bed? Surely, you could have paid my measly little salary and nothing else, if you sincerely didn’t haveanyaltruistic motivations.”
Well, shit. She’s got me there. I’ve already told her, repeatedly, I had parallel motivations on that front. So, fuck, I guess I need another tack. “Yes, okay, but you make it sound like I’mneverselfishly motivated, in anything I do, and you know that’s a bald-faced lie. There’salwayssomething in it for me.”
“Is that so? Why’d you help Keane with his career? His agent wouldn’t send him on any serious auditions, so you pulled strings, without a moment’s hesitation. What’d you get out ofthat?”
“Where’d you hear about that?”
“Kat.”
I roll my eyes. Fucking Kat. It’s no wonder her family calls her The Blabbermouth. “Did Kat bother to mentionJoshasked me to do it?”
“You also helped Hannah get a job.”
“BecauseHennasked me to do it. Whoop-de-do, I sometimes do favors for my two best friends. It hardly makes me a saint. Do you know how many favors they’ve done formeover the years? Josh paid foreveryfun thing we ever did in college. He flew a group of us to Thailand for spring break! Did you know that, after graduation, he’s the one who gave me a loan to help me get River Records off the ground? I oweeverythingto Josh for that loan. Just as much as I owe CeeCee for puttingRock ‘n’ Roll’sreputation behind a nobody-band called Red Card Riot. And don’t get me started on Henn. You already know that guy helps me left and right, in a million ways. And not just regarding occasional hacking. He’s my conscience. He keeps me sane and on the right track. So, okay, yes, I do nice things for my friends, sometimes. It doesn’t mean I have a ‘heart of gold.’ It only means I’m not a sociopath. But that’s hardly something to praise me for in a gushing piece of tripe.”
She giggles. “It means you’re fiercely loyal. Which is how I’ve describedyou in the article. Yet another thing I’ve said that’s totally true.”
I scoff. “I’m almost always motivated by selfishness, Georgina. One way or another. I just mask it well.”
She flashes me a look of total incredulity. “What about Zander? Were you being selfish when you helped him land a job as Aloha’s bodyguard?”
“Actually, yes! Ha! Aloha needed a bodyguard on her upcoming tour, and I knew Zander would be a perfect fit for her in terms of personality. And Ialso,selfishly,didn’t want Barry going on tour with Aloha himself—which was exactly what Aloha, little miss diva,was demanding. Iselfishlywanted Barry to stay in LA and work onmyshit. So, I pulled strings and arranged a win-win-win-win.”
“That doesn’t sound selfish. It sounds brilliant. Which, again, is exactly how I’ve described you in my article.”
“Georgie, I get what I want by giving other people what they want, too.”
“Exactly.” She laughs. “Wow, Reed, you’re such a dick.”
I run my hand through my hair. “Why didn’t you at least tell the golf story?”
“Do youwantme to tell the golf story?”
“No. Not particularly. But I don’t want you to compromise your journalistic integrity by excluding it.”
Georgina shrugs. “I decided that story wasn’t on-brand forRock ‘n’ Roll.Which is the publication I decided to write this for.”
I lean back in my chair, bewildered. “This is insane. You make me sound sonice.And we both know I’m not. I mean, I am. But notthisnice. I’m short-tempered. Harsh. Vaguely annoyed at all times.”
“I’ve said all that.”
“But not enough. Oh! I’m arrogant, too. But you didn’t bother to say that.”
“Okay, I’ll add it. Fair point. Anything else?”
“Just paint an accurate picture of me, for crying out loud. Come on.Drag me.”
