Bailey prepared to meet Chase Meadows as if she were headed to war. The gray designer pantsuit was her custom-fitted armor. The soft lavender blouse added a feminine touch to the tailored lines. The Louis Vuitton spiked heels added precious inches to her five-foot-five frame at the cost of ankle pain, but she needed the confidence her power suit brought her. Her war paint was muted with a bright lip and flawless eye lines. The right handbag selected, and she was ready to face him.
She marched down the hall from the elevator to his office, looking neither left nor right. What others thought of her appearance meant nothing to her. The only thing that mattered was talking him into releasing her from their contract. Her footsteps set a staccato rhythm like the drums on a battlefield.
Chase was not her friend. Anything she said to him could be used against her. She had to keep her cool and use logic to convince him to end whatever grudges he held and let her go. Apologizing wasn't in the cards. Not with this man. If he saw weakness, he would attack like a shark to blood.
She blew by Ren Wei but stopped short in the doorway to Chase's office. Inside, a petite young woman in a short skirt and white oxford blouse stood in front of Chase's desk with her eyes to the ground and her hands clasped behind her back.
Chase's voice reverberated through the room. "What are they teaching kids in ivy league universities? I could have hired a high school kid and gotten a report with fewer errors than you made. Were you not given enough time to complete the project? Was your computer broken, or did you spend more time barhopping with your girlfriends than at your desk working? Be careful how you answer that, Allison."
The girl mumbled something that could have been an apology.
Chase's voice boomed, "Look at me when I speak to you, girl, and speak up! If you can't stand up for yourself, how can you be trusted to stand up for the company?"
Allison jumped and clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Oh, geez, am I talking to air here?" Chase flung the papers in his hand at Allison. The pages cascaded around her. "Do it again, do it right, or don't show up for work tomorrow. Dismissed."
As if released from a slingshot, Allison darted for the door, her face flushed and eyes watering. She looked up long enough to acknowledge Bailey's presence before sliding past her.
Chase slapped a button on his desk, "Send in an intern to clean up this mess." He spotted Bailey in the doorway and motioned her to a visitor chair in front of his desk.
The room was large, with enough empty space to rollerblade with ease. The colors were shades of gray and black with a monster-sized black and white print behind the desk of a classic sports car with stylized red lines. The man behind the desk couldn't have looked more stormy if he had a gray cloud over his head.
"What do you want?"
"You called me here," Bailey said as she crossed her legs, mainly to elevate the sore ankle. "I assume it was you. Judy said I had a meeting with the CEO at three. Have you been demoted?" She crossed fingers on both hands and smiled. "Fingers crossed."
"Sorry to disappoint you, but the name on the door is still mine," Chase called Ren into the office. "Ren, why is she here?"
"The Reyes fiasco and the phone."
"Oh, yes. You can go."
Appalled to be forgotten by this elitist, Bailey had a problem being summoned for something so unremarkable that he'd already forgotten about it. There went the idea that he was angry with her. She was pretty sure he would remember anger. Then again, with his stone face and piercing eyes, maybe not. She suspected he harbored a lot of anger in his life.
"Well, if you can't remember, I should go."
"Ms. Gallup, I happen to have a lot of responsibilities. You're lucky I remember who you are."
"I am truly grateful that you know who I am. Can I go now?"
"No." He spoke to the male intern who was on his knees gathering the residuals of the earlier paper storm. "Eddy, bring coffee for our guest."
"Unnecessary. I don't intend to be here that long."
"He gets paid to do my bidding, so let him."
"So your people have so much time on their hands that you can fill it with busy work?"
"No, just Eddy."
Eddy escaped the room before Chase returned his attention to Bailey. He slid her phone across the desk at her. Had she been slower, it would have landed on the floor. As it was, she fumbled it until she could finally catch it between her thighs.
"You left that in my car."
"I could have really used that last night in the pouring rain, but thanks anyway."
Chase shrugged. "Your call to get out of the car."
"It was. Is that all?"
"Marcus Reyes wants you fired."
"I wholeheartedly agree with that action. Fire me. End the contract today without any cancellation fees, and you'll never see my face again." She held up three fingers. "Scout's honor."
"Just like that? No outrage? You'll let the guy who assaulted you end your career?"
"I've been looking forward to a career change. Sounds like as good a time as any." This was going better than Bailey expected.
"How long left on your contract?"
"Five years."
Chase shook his head. "No can do. You've not been around long enough to pay for our investment in you."
"But the publicity from last night can't be good for the corporate image, especially for The Happy Homemaker persona."
"Are you pregnant?"
So, Chase remembered more than he was letting on. He'd read the articles at least far enough to get into her personal business, even if it was fake.
"You can't fire a woman because she's pregnant, so what does it matter?"
"It matters to me. Are you pregnant?"
"What answer gets me out of the contract?"
"Listen, MGM is accustomed to dealing with bad publicity. So, nothing you say will get you out of your contract. Besides, your sister called his morning, begging to go back on the air. Her reasoning was sound."
Judy couldn't even trust her to do this. She had to call ahead like a parent to micro-manage the meeting.
"What will get me out of it?"
Chase leaned back in his chair, assessing her, as if he watched her long enough he would see the weakness in her demeanor. He wasn't wrong. Many times, Bailey had done the same thing. Little things like whether a person shifted in their seat or wouldn't make eye contact telegraphed a lot. Even how quickly a person filled in the silence spoke volumes.
Bailey was willing to wait as long as it took for an answer. This meeting had to count for more than just retrieving her phone.
"Without a cancellation fee?" Chase asked.
"Without a fee." Judy would never agree to pay a cancellation fee.
"Short of death, the only way you're leaving the MGM family is to find another company willing to buy the contract."
That was not a suitable answer. It wasn't MGM she wanted to escape as much as playing Lori Laker. It didn't mean she liked working for a man like Chase Meadows. Bailey knew she could be difficult, but she had never thrown papers or anything else in a person's face. His attack on that girl earlier bordered on personal and had no place in the business.
"What if I gave up my personal earnings for the next two years? Or doubled the number of episodes I stream?"
"Why do you want out of the contract?"
Bailey wasn't ready for that question. She had her reasons, but she wasn't sure which ones she was willing to share with him. She had learned long ago that always be ready to share your greatest weakness when preparing for an interview. The trick was to turn the weakness into a strength. She imagined this question fell in the same category. She couldn't say she was burned out. That is a weakness. She couldn't admit that the only reason she had entered into the contract was out of guilt toward her sister. A blind man could find a way to use Judy against her.
But then again, she wasn't applying for a job. She was trying to get out of one. If she was a liability, he might be more willing to write her off. So, maybe it would be good to be pregnant and heartbroken over a married man. It was time to take on a new persona.
Drawing on two years of drama in high school and an innate ability to cry on demand, she drew tears to her eyes and began the biggest lie she'd ever told. That was saying something considering the world knew her as Lori Laker.
"It all started like this—"