“Do you mind if I keep you company?” A charming smile danced across Mike’s manager’s lips as he closed the door.
I glanced at his face. He was a handsome guy; anybody could see that. Over six feet. Athletic. Gray eyes. Blond hair. Symmetrical. A few years older than Mike. “Sure.” This week was getting shittier by the day. A little company might take my mind off things for a minute.
He sat, unbuttoning his jacket. “You look familiar. Have we met before?”
“We might have crossed paths once or twice. Mike’s agent is my mother.”
“You’re Andrea’s daughter? Maggie Dawson,” he said slowly, as if he felt stupid not to catch the last name resemblance.
“The one and only.”
“So humble.” His laugh made me laugh. He was one of those people. “And pretty.” A glint of mischief flickered in his eyes. “Very pretty.”
I tilted my head, measuring him. I was unable to decide whether he was being honest or just saying things to get in my pants. “I have a boyfriend.”
“I’m sure you do. It’d surprise me if you didn’t.” He sipped on his cocktail. “How is it that we’ve only crossed paths once or twice?”
“I went to England for college and only returned two years ago. Since then I’ve been really busy, and Mike has been traveling a lot.”
“I see. What does the one and only Maggie Dawson do?”
I scratched my forehead. “That’s a…tough question to answer.” I couldn’t risk telling him the truth. He’d tell Mike.
His jaw flexed. “Is it?”
A giggle escaped me. “Yeah.”
“Okay, and what did you do before that?”
I giggled again. “Okay. I used to be an architect, then I quit to be a writer.”
“Screenplays?”
“I fiddled a little with that but not for long. They’re not really my jam. Novels is more like it.”
“But…?”
My gaze drifted to Mike. He was talking to some woman in a skirt so small it could also be a headband. She couldn’t keep her hands to herself, and Mike didn’t seem to mind. “Somewhere down the road, I lost interest, again. The novel remains unfinished, and I continue to stay undecided about which career to make mine.”
“Let me guess, now you’re going to try something completely different?” James asked.
I glanced back at him. “You guessed right. Being good at something isn’t enough when it doesn’t make you feel what you wanna feel.”
“A girl with passion who’s not afraid of taking risks and exploring new things.” He leaned forward. “You’re a dangerous person, Maggie Dawson.”
“Unlike you.”
He stared at me, his eyes curious.
I nodded toward Mike, who was talking to a short man in a blue suit now. “You and Andrea have been pressuring him into taking projects he hated, unwilling to take any risks to explore his talent and take it to the next level.”
James sighed, his eyes fixed on the glass door. “You don’t know anything about this business. Risk-takers, especially sex gods like him, most likely fall from grace. The success rate is less than seven percent. Seven.” He looked directly into my eyes. “Impulsive people who have no sense of consequences ruin lives, even their own.”
“You think you’re looking after him, protecting him from ‘impulsive people and their influence’?” I made air-quotes. “C’mon, James. You’re just playing it safe so you can keep squeezing him for money.”
“Everybody plays it safe,” he continued. “Directors don’t see Mike the way he wants to be seen now. They won’t cast him in those movies. Producers aren’t willing to take any risks either. What are we supposed to do?”
My eyes flicked at him, challenging him. “Look for fresh voices. Undiscovered talents. Do you know how many writers and directors are sitting out there hoping, praying for an opportunity like that? Hire a talent scout or organize a Twitter pitch party. Hold a fucking online contest for all I care. Let the world amaze you with what it’s got.”
