Page 15 of Total Creative Control

By nine-thirty, Lewis and Toni were still locked in Lewis’s office arguing about their pitch to Telopix. Through the narrow strip of window in the door, Aaron glimpsed Lewis from time to time. Sometimes lounging back in his chair, sometimes pacing, sometimes with his fingers tugging at his hair in frustration. Once, Lewis popped his head around the door and bellowed, “Aaron! The fucking laptop’s buggered.”

In fact, he’d somehow managed to dislodge the HDMI cable connecting it to the projector. God knew how because Aaron had screwed that bastard in himself. Hard. But Lewis was a magnet for technical gremlins. They followed him around like Jägerbombers on a mission.

He’d only just sat down at his desk again when reception rang. Fumbling his headset back on, he accepted the call. “Yep. Aaron Page.”

“Aaron,” came Dymek’s voice. “One of Mr. Hunter’s ‘friends’ is here.”

That was a euphemism for one of Lewis’s many ex-boyfriends. Aaron sighed. “Tell him Mr. Hunter isn’t in.”

“I did. But it’s you he wants to speak to, not Mr. Hunter.”

“Me?Why? Who is it?”

Dymek sighed. “How do I know? Pretty boy. They all look the same.”

“You could try asking his name.”

“You ask his name. He is in the lift.”

“What?” he squeaked. “You sent himup?”

The noise that came down the line was the vocal equivalent of a Slavic shrug, and then the phone went dead. Aaron stared at it, then set it down. “I think Dymek is done dealing with Lewis’s exes.”

“As you should be,” Jason said, without looking up. “That isnotpart of your job.”

“My job is to make Lewis’s life easier.”

“His working life, not his love life.”

Aaron huffed out a sigh. “When they show up here, itishis working life.”

Jason did look up then. “You know, Toni would never expect you to do this for her. Not in a million years. She’d treat you with respect, nurture your professional development...”

“And yet, I’m still not applying for theBow Streetjob.”

“I don’t get it,” Jason said, shaking his head. “Getting to spend six months working with Toni developing the pilot for a new show? It’s a fantastic opportunity. I thought you’d jump at the chance.”

“In case you haven’t noticed,” Aaron said, gesturing at his full desk, “I already have a job. A great job.”

“Come on, Lewis could spare you for a few months.”

Aaron gave him a speaking look. “You think so?”

“Thereareother PAs, Aaron. Admittedly, not ones who’d fetch Lewis a bacon butty every morning. But he’d survive.” Jason tipped his head, frowning. “You’re really good at the script development stuff. Don’t you want to move into that kind of role?”

Aaron shrugged, glancing along the corridor towards the lifts. “I haven’t really thought about it,” he lied.

Jason gaped. “You haven’tthoughtabout it? What about Lewis? Hasn’t he suggested it? I’m not interested in script development but Toni’s always looking for ways to develop me in my role. I’d have thought he’d want—”

“He’s a little busy for that,” Aaron said, standing up to greet the man who’d just appeared around the corner of the corridor. Tall, slender, and beautiful, he walked with the sullen grace of a catwalk model—all sharp hips and pouty lips—which, of course, was exactly what he was.

“Mason,” Aaron said. “Nice to see you again.”

Mason Nash was—or rather, had been—Lewis’s latest. They’d been together over a month, which, for Lewis, counted as a long-term relationship. Aaron had quite liked Mason, who could be funny and was surprisingly sweet underneath his spoiled ways. Aaron believed he’d been genuinely hurt when Lewis dumped him.

“Is he in?” Mason said, glancing anxiously at Lewis’s office door.

“He’s in a meeting.” Aaron came around from behind his desk in an attempt to usher him back the way he’d come. “Sorry, mate, but this isn’t a great time. Lots on today.”