Page 75 of Professional Consult

“That will certainly cut some of the risk involved with going forward.” Milton clicks and unclicks his pen. “But this is all contingent on whether Alicia wants to play ball.”

“Oh, I have a feeling she will.”

LEXI

I sit in a cold booth, fidgeting with my purse strap. Typically, I’m not a nervous type. I’ve succeeded at just about everything I’ve ever set out to do.

But I have so much riding on this, I can’t afford to fuck it up.

“Is this seat taken?”

I look up to see Alicia Davies staring down at me, her mouth a thin, pursed line.

She’s pissed at the sight of me. She has every right to be.

“It’s yours, if you want it.”

She slides into the booth, then gestures to the waitress.

“Vodka sour.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the waitress says, then hurries to grab her drink.

Alicia’s eyes bore into mine. “You have some nerve asking anything of me.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“That you could be so selfish, after all this time, is beyond my comprehension.”

“I’m not saying I’m innocent, but I was, by definition, a pawn. I had no idea the crap that was being said by my people. That we were involved. Heck, I didn’t even have access to the internet until my late teens. I was kept under lock and key because they were so eager to protect their investment.”

“I remember how fanatical your parents were.”

“It’s part of the reason I was emancipated.”

“Part?”

“They embezzled my money…and there were other things best left unsaid.”

“You end up broke?”

“Almost. Luckily, I found help that was able to uncover hidden offshore accounts they’d been padding. I was out a good chunk of change, but I’ve done well since.”

“I wasn’t so lucky.”

“I know, and I’d like to help with that.”

“But only if it benefits you.”

“While it does benefit me, I’d like to think I would have helped you regardless.”

She snorts out a condescending chuckle. “If you’re so concerned with helping me, why haven’t reached out before now?”

“I was embarrassed, and I had little to offer. If you haven’t noticed, I keep a low profile. As soon as I ditched my parents and manager, all offense stopped. It’s because it was never slung by me.”

“But you certainly didn’t correct matters.”

“If that’s what you want, I will. Once the show is on air, I’ll issue an apology.”