The leather squeaked as Riley shifted.
For a moment, she thought of defending herself.
I’ve worked hard to get sober! You constantly bringing my past up doesn’t help me any.
Those words never left her mouth though.
One day—maybe even soon—she’d stand up to Rita. But today wasn’t that day.
“As I said, diva sells! No one wants a nice girl. You know, my team spends a lot of time poring over social media analytics. Mentions of you fell by thirty-three percent last week. Across all platforms. You’re doing good, but the offers we’re getting are…” She grabbed her phone from her lap, tapped a few times, and then started reading from it. “…cable series. It’s prestige. And you’d probably get an Emmy for it. But an Emmy isn’t an Oscar, is it?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Rom-com over at Paramount. Another one at Universal. I think they’re trying to make you this generation’s Meg Ryan.” Scoffing and shaking her head, Rita added, “But no one knows who the fuck Meg Ryan is these days.”
She put her phone down and leveled an icy glare at Riley. Heavy silence settled over them for a moment.
“My point is, darling, we need a shakeup. Something to get your name out there again. On-set diva behavior would help. We want you to be Hollywood royalty, so start acting like it.”
Rita stood and started pacing the length of the trailer.
“But we need more than that. We need a relationship that captures America’s imaginations.” Her face lit up as she snapped her fingers. “And grabs international attention. The industry is exploding right now in Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Hollywood is trying to get back into China too. Let me see who’s testing well in those markets and we could pair you with him.”
Rita was already texting someone on her phone. Probably an underling, Riley thought, telling them to research how West Asian and East Asia focus groups perceived various actors.
Riley stood now, too. “Rita. I don’t want to be in a fake relationship. I just want to… do my job.”
The agent didn’t even take her eyes off her device as she laughed. “Acting is actually just a tiny part of… well, acting. It’s all about the game, honey. You gotta play it if you want to get ahead in this town.”
A moment later, though, she did look up and lock eyes with her client.
“You’re going to play ball, right? I’d hate to release a certain photo in my possession.”
Riley stiffened and tried not to gulp too loudly, but it was hard choking down the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.
And there it was. That old familiar threat. The real reason why she never stood up to Rita.
“I’ll play ball.”
She hated that she was showing fear. Rita was supposed to work for her, after all. This was not the way things were supposed to be!
Rita’s stance and face softened.
“Darling, darling. Don’t be so uptight. I’m doing this foryou. I’ve seen stars and I’m telling you, you’re the real deal. As your agent, it’s my job to look out for your best interest. Just trust me. You’ll be bigger than anyone else by the time I’m through with you. You’ll be one of the all-time greats!”
Riley knew the truth: she was Rita’s cash cow.
But now wasn’t the time to bring that up. Besides, it was true that when Riley made money, Rita made money. They would both benefit from Rita’s efforts.
That didn’t make any of this easier.
Right now, Riley just wanted to forget about it all.
At least she was going to Auntie Athena’s tonight.
Perhaps she’d be in a better mood there. Where she could be her true self…
Chapter Four
It took the better part of two hours to get the rocket off the pool’s floor.
The house’s owner was not happy, either.
