“I let Georgina out of my sight because she was with Leonard and his daughter, and you texted me ademandto meet you outside the VIP door.”
“Okay, we’re wasting time. Moving on. I need a favor.”
I explain what I want and Owen tells me what I’m asking for might as well be the moon and the stars, thanks to the short turnaround time I’m demanding.
“If anyone can work a miracle, it’s you,” I say.
Owen mutters something under his breath.
“I’ll pay triple market price,” I toss out. “I don’t care how you make it happen. Just do it.”
He sighs. “Okay, I’m sure I know someone who knows someone who can help me. I’ll see what I can do. No promises, though.”
I smile to myself. When Owen Boucher says he’ll “see what he can do,” the task is as good as done.
“So, based on this ‘favor,’ I’m assuming Georgina’s interview of you is either going very, very well... or you’ve somehowreallypissed her off?”
I roll my eyes to myself. Fucking Owen. Nothing gets past him. “It’s door number two, unfortunately. She’s in my guestroom down the hall at the moment, trying to resist her stated desire to ‘punch me in the face.’”
Owen chuckles. “Oh my. What did you do, Reed? And is it wrong I’d kind of like to see her follow through with that threat?”
“I did something monstrous.” I flap my lips together. “I didn’t sugarcoat my opinion regarding her stepsister’s music demo.”
“Oh, the horror.”
“I know.”
“Were you harsh about it?”
“No, I was honest.”
“You were harsh.”
“No. Well, maybe a little bit. I got pissed for a second there, so maybe I didn’t word things as nicely as I should have.”
He chuckles. “Was she already planning to sleep in the guestroombefore you listened to the demo, or is she freezing you outbecauseof the demo?”
“She was already planning to sleep there.”
“Well, that’s good, right? At least, you know she already hated you, even before you pissed her off.”
“There was never any question she’d sleep in a guest room,” I lie. “Georgie and I have a purely professional relationship, Owen.”
“Oh, really? Then why wasn’t I allowed to let C-Bomb get her alone?”
“Which you fucked up.”
“And why am I moving heaven and earth to arrange that delivery for first-thing tomorrow morning?”
“For your information, I had the idea to give Georgie this present hours before she wanted to punch me in the face. I just didn’t get around to asking you to arrange it before now.”
“Uh huh.”
“I can give a gift to a woman I’m not romantically interested in. Look how many gifts I’ve given to CeeCee over the years, to celebrate a birthday or whatever accomplishment.”
“CeeCee isn’t a twenty-something-year-old fireball who’s built like a brick house. And CeeCee isn’t staying at your house for a full week, at your invitation, when a hotel would have been perfectly convenient. And CeeCee isn’t a woman you won’t let tour with RCR, or party with C-Bomb, even though both things would have made for an awesome article, and you know it. Should I go on, or are you going to cut the bullshit?”
“No, don’t go on. In fact, shut the fuck up.”
