Chris whispers back. Loudly. “As long as I’ve known her.”
They must not know how to whisper or how to keep their inside voices to themselves. I guess teaching these boys manners was never a part of their upbringing…
I bring my fist to my mouth and pretend to cough.“Ahem. Ahem.” Signaling:I’m still in the room, fellas.
“Right. Charlotte, we brought you in here to make a proposition.”
“Okay…”
“We want you to date someone for us.”
“I’m already in a relationship.”
“That doesn’t matter. We can scrub your social media accounts.”
“Yes, logistics are covered,” Albert repeats.
“There will be an NDA. The other person is already on board. The best part is that you can be yourself.”
Albert chimes in, “Being yourself is exactly who we want you to be.”
“Who’s the client?” The question finally jumps out of my mouth.
I know the answer, but somehow waiting to hear the name raises the baby hairs on my arms.
“Holden Strauss.”
“You know, I think I’ll have that donut.”
I lift myself from the chair and lean toward the box, settling on a chocolate glazed.
Mid-bite, I mumble, “He is on board?”
“Yes, the first thing he has agreed to since he signed with us. Perfect to tee up before the interview.”
I reach for her—my lifeline around my neck. An unfiltered opinion.
Skye appears to the left of Albert, playing with her hair.
“So what do you think, Miss Tate?” Albert is smiling so hard that it makes me shift in my seat.
“I think…”
I think a lot of things…
How dare they make me a prostitute for their clients?
Can’t I sue for this?
Who do they think they are?
“Charlotte, we are waiting.” Chris’s feet tap faster on the carpeted floor.
Skye stares at Albert, analyzing the two of them. “Don’t you think he looks like Santa? The pants are barely buckled, the hair’s practically snow-white. All he needs to do is grow out his beard.”
Skye moves, lurking over Chris now.
“And Chris, what could he possibly be antsy about? I’ve seen how he spends his lunches—the money he is hemorrhaging off the corporate card. Don’t let that hairline fool you. A very expensive toupee.”
