CHAPTER 20 ALEXIS
“Where have you been?” my father demands before I’ve even cleared the doorway into his office.
“A friend was in town, so we arranged brunch.” Simple, direct, and true. Well, true-ish. I’m not sure he’s my friend, but I’m not sure he isn’t, either.
“What friend?” he sneers, and you’d think he’s talking to the sixteen-year-old Alexis who cowered under his tone.
But I’m not her…even though he’s managed to keep me under his thumb, as Danny said.
I’m not sure if I should go for the truth or not here. I’m falling for Danny already, but the next six months will tell a lot about whether there’s any sort of future for the two of us.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m back, and I’m ready for whatever you needed.”
“What friend?” he repeats through a clenched jaw. His nostrils are flared, and that’s never a good sign. Usually I’m not the one to make him upset. I do what he asks, and I live under the conditions of the contract I signed twelve years ago.
He’s not going to let me out of this until he has an answer.
“Just a friend.” That’s a lie. It was more.
“Who?” he roars.
I cower back a little as the truth spills from my lips. “Danny Brewer.”
“Danny Brewer?” he snarls. “Danny Brewer? Where did you meet him?”
“The Beverly Wilshire,” I say softly.
“At a hotel? Alexis! Have I taught you nothing? Oh my God, you had sex. Did you have sex with him?”
“Daddy! No! Of course not!” Not that I didn’t want to. “How could you even ask me that?”
He draws in a breath through his nose like he’s trying to calm himself down. “That man has a terrible reputation, and if anybody saw you going to his room, if you were ever associated with him…”
“What?” I spit out. “Then what?”
“Then our entire brand would be called into question.” He says the last part quietly—almost eerily.
“Well maybe it should be, then,” I say petulantly. And then my voice gains volume. “You come at me with this bullshit that I’m an influencer, a role model to little girls everywhere, and I’m twenty-eight but I’m living life like some repressed teenager.”
“Do not raise your tone with me, and watch your mouth. You knew what you agreed to, Alexis.” He shakes his head as if the case is closed.
“That was an awful lot of power to give a sixteen-year-old with stars in her eyes, Dad. Maybe it’s time we revisit that contract.
” I shrug, and then I spin to storm the fuck out of the room only to run right into Brooks, who I had no idea was standing directly behind me. When the hell did he storm in here?
“What’s going on in here?” he asks quietly.
“She met Danny Brewer at his hotel room,” my father says as if I’m not standing right here.
I lift my chin up. I will not let these two bully me about my feelings for him. “I like him. He’s fun, and he’s lighthearted, and he seems to get me in a way no one else ever has.”
“It’s just sex to him, Alexis. It’s a challenge,” Brooks says.
“We didn’t have sex,” I say, gritting my teeth together. And this time I say the rest of what I’m thinking. “But not because I didn’t want to.”
Brooks flinches at that, and I don’t bother looking at my father for his reaction.
I push past Brooks and head for the doorway, and on my way out, I spin around to face these two. “You know what else? I ate donuts and bacon. Two fucking pieces.”
And then I run across the entire house toward my wing, up the stairs, and into my bedroom. I slam the door and lock it, and then I run to my bed and cry into my pillow.
It’s incredible how I could have such a good morning with Danny only for my entire day to be ruined in five seconds flat when I returned home.
They give me a good half hour to cool down as I lay there contemplating all this, and that’s when I hear a knock at my door.
I hear the doorknob jiggle even though nobody was invited in. “Alexis, open the door.”
It’s my father, and I know I’ll have to face him eventually.
Something I didn’t really consider when I signed away my life twelve years ago was the fact that my father would also be the man running my career. I mean, deep down I knew that, but most people in this industry are able to draw a line between family and work.
I can’t.
They’ve always been entwined, for better or worse. And having my father be such a huge part of my career has ultimately always been a blessing. He helped guide me through the confusing end of my teenage years and through my twenties.
But as I barrel on toward thirty, I find myself wanting to become my own person.
It’s silly to think that I haven’t grown. I’m not the girl I was when I was sixteen, but my father is sure trying to keep me there.
I blow out a breath as I unlock the door and open it. I stand in the doorway, though, blocking his entrance.
“I don’t want to fight with you, darling,” he begins. “I’m sorry I raised my voice.”
I don’t care about the yelling. I often hear him yelling on the phone, and I know it’s his personality—to raise his voice, to intimidate, to overpower.
And that personality has made him a hugely successful agent.
He doesn’t just represent me—one of the world’s biggest pop stars, soon to be one of the world’s best actresses.
He also represents a whole host of other talent, from singers, rock stars, and country bands to some of the most promising names in Hollywood.
But that makes this a whole lot messier. I can’t just fire my agent because of a disagreement. He’s my father. He’s my only living parent. He’s the man who has done everything for me and my best interests over the last twenty-eight years.
This is just a disagreement, though. I’ll make him see things my way.
I hope.
He clears his throat. “I need to talk to you about something.”
I finally open my door to allow him in. I have a little sitting room in the front of my bedroom with two chairs and a table between them, and I head there so we can sit and talk.
“I think you’re right,” he begins.
My brows raise.
Wait a minute.
Is he…
Is he admitting he was wrong?
Or just that I was right?
I guess those are two different entities.
“About?” I ask.
“The fact that we should rewrite your contract. Frankly, I’m surprised you waited until now to ask.”
Shouldn’t an agent be looking out for his client on things like that?
I don’t ask.
“I wrote that to protect you when you were young, but you aren’t so young anymore, and maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s time to give you a little more freedom.”
My eyes light up. I’m not sure what he means by that, but I like where this is heading.
Until he drops the next bomb.
“There’s just one big detail I need to discuss with you before we do that.”
My brows dip. “What is it?”
He clears his throat, and then he stands.
He paces around the room a little, and this is unlike him. He’s nervous.
He’s never nervous, which means I’m not going to like what he says next.
“You know Bodega Talent Agency is the biggest agency in Los Angeles. You’re also aware that D-Three is the biggest management company in Los Angeles.
” He pauses in his pacing and squares off against me as he poses his next question.
“Two huge Hollywood companies. I’ve done some thinking about what the future of this company might look like, and I’m seriously considering a merger. ”
“A merger?” I repeat.
“The Bodega Donovan Group.”
Bodega Donovan.
The names together send a shudder right through me.
“Why would you want to merge with D-Three?” I ask.
“Lots of reasons, the foremost being their Hollywood division. We always say I represent some of Hollywood’s brightest upcoming talent.
They have established talent over there, and it would give us more opportunities outside of the clients on Brooks’s load.
It would give you more opportunities since we want to grow into your acting chops as we look toward the future.
” He glances at me. “That is still what you want…right?”
“So a merger would give us a bigger choice of roles?” I ask.
He nods. “Much bigger. Your costars would be heavy hitters. We’d even have a wider range of potential opening acts for your tours if you still want to hit the road. More options for featured voices on your albums. Overall more opportunities for you, my dear.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” I ask. I’m not even sure why he’s telling me all this. Sounds like a no brainer to me.
“The problem is that the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice will scrutinize this merger since we’re reducing the Big Four agencies in Hollywood to the Big Three.
That could cause delays in the merger, which of course we don’t want.
It’s already going to be at least six months, maybe longer, until we have all the right paperwork in place for this.
And I should also mention that one area neither company has much representation in right now is sports, something Brooks pointed out to me.
This friendship of yours with Brewer could prove to be beneficial after all. ”
My brows rise. “Excuse me? I’m not friends with him for some business acquisition.”
“Just friends, right?” he asks.
“Yes.” For now. Until November.
He studies me, and then he nods. “Okay. So you’re on board with the merger, then, correct?”
I nod. “Absolutely.”
“Then I’m going to need your help,” he says.
My brows dip together. “With what?”
“The merger won’t be questioned by the DOJ or the FTC if it’s happening due to marriage.”
“Due to marriage?” I repeat, and then his words actually hit me. “Oh, no. No, no, no. Dad. No.”
“Brooks is going to propose to you publicly, and you are going to accept.”
“Absolutely not.” I shake my head. “It’s bad enough that we’re pretending to be a couple. We’re lying to everybody, and—” I cut myself off.
Oh my God.
He’s been planning this.
For four years.
It’s why he started this whole Brooks and me thing in the first place.
The truth blasts me right in the face, and I feel betrayed. By my own father.
He planted the seed four years ago knowing he’d want this merger eventually.
“And they already believe it, so what harm is there in taking it to the next step for a business acquisition?” he asks. “You do this for me, and we sit and have a talk about the terms of your contract.”
“Are you seriously blackmailing me right now?”
“This isn’t blackmail, Alexis.” He’s so goddamn calm and I feel the inferno raging inside me.
“Your contract clearly states that I will hold final decisions over any amendments. I’m willing to talk about those amendments if you accept his proposal.
You won’t have to go through with the wedding.
Arthur already believes you’re together, and if we can get him to think you’re going to get married, Brooks thinks there’s a better chance he’ll agree to this merger. ”
“You haven’t even talked to him about it yet?” I yell.
“We’ve discussed it in the past. I want to make it a reality, and Brooks agrees with me. He’s the future of the company anyway.” He’s so matter of fact that I want to stand up and scream.
“How long have you been planning this?” I ask.
“My dream when I started this company was to pass it down to my children. But you have your own talents and aspirations, Alexis. I don’t expect you to want it.
But maybe your children will, and I want to gift them with the biggest agency Hollywood has ever seen.
And if it’s a merger of this company, and you and Brooks produce a child, then it stays in our family. ”
“A child? Are you insane?” I ask. I have no interest in Brooks, nor do I have an interest in children with Brooks.
“You literally just said I don’t actually have to marry him, and now you’re talking about children?
” It feels like he slipped up—like he just said I wouldn’t have to actually go through with a wedding to appease me, but his plan is to get us engaged and somehow get me to agree to a wedding followed by children who can have their grandfathers’ merged companies.
I won’t. I don’t want to marry Brooks.
But I do want that amended contract.
In fact…I want out of this business relationship completely.
My problem is that I have nowhere to turn to figure out how to do that. All the lawyers are loyal to my father. I’m under his careful watch, so I can’t just slip away and find someone I trust to talk to about all of this.
It’s complicated, and I need time to think. I need a way to figure this out.
“Brooks is a good man, Alexis. He’s a solid choice for your future, and he’s the only one who knows how to get through to his father. This is the way.”
“Then find another way,” I hiss.
He shrugs. “You want those roles? You want those guests on your albums? You know who’s on D-Three’s roster. Just think about everything you’d be giving up before you say no.”
He leaves those words behind him as he walks out of my room, and I’m left to contemplate if I should agree to his terms or be stuck with the same contract I’ve had since I was sixteen years old.