I say with a sulk, “I guess not. Should we leave Lucia in there alone with him?”
“Lucia will be fine. She’s had much worse first dates. I’m taking you to the batting cages so you can work off some of your aggression. And then…” He shoots me a meaningful look. “Then that ass is mine.”
That cheers me up a bit. “But what about Maddox? What do we do about him now?”
“Now, we wait.”
* * *
As it turns out,we don’t have to wait very long. News breaks a couple days later that Maddox Kepler is in deep shit for breach of contract. The footage of our conversation is making the rounds on social media. You can’t see me in the video at all, only hear my voice, which means no one can see what Cassius calls my “murder face,” and Maddox ends up looking like a total asshole.
“Lucia was filming us?” I ask Cassius after watching the clip for the tenth time.
“Yes, she got some other footage as well, Maddox calling us derogatory names and being generally homophobic, but I thought this bit would be more effective in getting him booted off the show.”
“Where was the camera?” I didn’t even see her holding her phone.
“In the brooch.”
“What?” I ask, impressed. “That is some James Bond shit right there.”
“Just call me Double Oh Seven, babe.”
“Did you know it was a breach of his contract?”
“I did.”
“How?”
“Because I read yours. I told you you’re not supposed to talk about the show outside of the studio. Season spoilers are a big no-no, especially before the show even airs its first episode.”
“What do you think is going to happen to him?” I’m nervous on Maddox’s behalf, even though I still hate his fucking guts.
Cassius shrugs as if he couldn’t be bothered. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
The next Monday I’m invited to a meeting with my agent Shondra, Steve the director, Marina the casting director, and Barry Behrakis, the show’s producer and alleged recipient of one blow job from Maddox Kepler. Cassius comes along as my manager again, mostly because he’s good at making decisions and asking tough questions, a fucking bulldog is what he is. They ask me details about the night, what was said between Maddox and myself. Cassius mentions that Maddox has been bullying me on set, and I try to play it off like I’m not too upset by it, even though I am.
“We’d like to expand your role,” Steve says. “We’re going to need to rethink the remainder of the season, but we’re envisioning another altercation takes place between Tris and Carson and this time, your character comes out the victor.”
I resist the urge to fist-pump because it sounds too good to be true, a fight with Maddox Kepler that I can actually win.
“What will happen to Maddox’s character?” I ask, and they all glance around at one another ominously.
“We’re still working out the details,” Steve says, which may as well be the death knell for Carson Chance, “but we’ll need you to commit to five more months of shooting, with breaks of course. Can you do that?”
I nod in triumph. “I can definitely do that.”
Outside their suite of offices, I grab Cassius in a big bear hug and lift him off the ground. He squirms and fusses at me for it.
“You’re going to wrinkle my suit,” he says prissily, but there’s a smile of satisfaction on his face.
“I can’t believe it worked,” I say after setting him down again. He adjusts his tie and straightens his suit jacket like some hot-shot mafia type. I can’t wait to get home and go down on him. Maybe in the car on the way home? He’s pretty good at multitasking.
“Of course, it worked, Adam. I can’t believe you doubted me.”
“I won’t doubt you ever again. Listen, I really owe you one,” I say, giving him my absolute best smolder. “Tonight, you are getting whatever you want.”
“I always get whatever I want.”
