Jacked (Trent Brothers #1)(137)

I probably let Nikki down a lot when we were together, but she never gave me a reason to care. Shitty, I know, but the truth.

I tipped the next sheet up to kill the glare. The print on the page was starting to blur. Melissa’s sickly-sweet perfume was making it worse, creating a headache on top of my annoyance. Erin favored the simple scent of peaches and honey—flavors I had grown accustomed to and was missing to the point of distraction. I wished she were here with me. She’d probably understand this mumbo-jumbo contract better than I could.

The fancy pen in my hand felt hot and poisonous.

Stabbing Harry in the neck while watching his condescending smile fall into stunned fear also crossed my mind.

Bastard.

I got to the section outlining my responsibility for attorney’s fees and all costs incurred from any breach or threatened breach of contract when the sweat started trickling down my back. “I’d like my attorney to take a look at this.” I didn’t have an attorney, but f*ck if I’d sign this shit on the spot.

Melissa’s heavy sigh was unnecessary. “We gave you this contract weeks ago, Adam. I presumed you’d already reviewed it with your counsel.”

Didn’t take much to bring out her inner bitch. Made the desire to get up and walk out that much more enticing.

“Been a little busy.” I didn’t need to justify my actions to her or anyone else for that matter.

She started rapping the pen in her hand on the tabletop. “Your absence from the show from your injury has cost us a lot already, Adam. I can’t keep delaying production because of this.”

“Shit happens on the job.” Her lecturing tone caused automatic guilt to arise. I was backed into a corner and there was only one way out. “You already have a signed contract for production. I don’t see why not signing this would hold up anything.”

She stared right at me. “You don’t understand—”

My chair rolled back when I stood. “I understand perfectly.” I snagged the papers, wrinkling them in my fist. “But I don’t recall seeing all this stuff about you having the right to sue me if I don’t perform for you for a certain amount of hours per week before.”

Melissa huffed. “Adam, please sit.”

Harry’s gaping pie-hole would have pissed me off had it not been so amusing.

“Actually, Ms. Werner, I think we’re done here.”

“My head of Production feels we should air the footage from the auto accident.”

Anger spiked right through me, welding my feet to the floor. “Is that how you want to play this?”

She didn’t seem to care either way.

I wanted to wipe the smug grin off Harry’s face. He shrank back in his chair when my desires registered. He cleared his throat. “Melissa, I don’t think your father would have wanted—”

Her glare turned arctic. “The company is mine now,” she huffed, and then collected herself. “It would be best to not delay this any further. Page two outlines the additional compensation we discussed. I was able to adjust that to fifty thousand for the last twelve episodes with a guaranteed one hundred fifty thousand for a second season. That doesn’t even include the variety of endorsement and modeling requests that will most likely arise, though you should probably get an agent to handle that for you. Stipulations are outlined on page seven. That’s the beauty of New York. One fantastic opportunity can lead to many.”

There were very few women in this world that I envisioned hitting, and this one was moving quickly to the top of the list. I turned my glare on the balding douche-bag. “Thought I said that any salary adjustments would go to the entire team.” The contact crinkled in my hand.

Melissa twisted in her chair, setting her long legs back on display. “Listen, Doll, it’s you we want on camera, not them. It makes no sense to give them what’s rightfully yours. I’m trying to make this a win-win for you. I don’t know why you’re making this so difficult. You’re going to be famous.”

My knees unlocked, getting me closer to the door. Screw this. Fame was the last thing I needed or wanted. These people had no clue who I was or what I wanted, beyond a solid exit strategy. And I sure as hell didn’t want her misplaced affection. “I need a few days to review all of this. I’ll be in touch.”

She was calling out my name to stop, but my entire focus was on the elevator doors in front of me.





ERIN SAT UP on the bed when I came through the door to our suite. Melissa Werner went all out reserving this place. I didn’t know what a room like this cost but it couldn’t have been cheap. I had no doubt that she had an ulterior motive but after that meeting fiasco, I expected to get the bill.

Erin was wrapped head to toe in white towels, relaxing with her computer tablet. She never left home without it, always studying something.

“You’re back early. You okay?”

I set the room key card and my wallet on the desk and pulled my coat off. I thought the walk back to the hotel would clear my head, but seeing her all washed and clean made me feel even dirtier. My choices were simple: either I give into their demands and turn my life into a joke or tell them to f*ck off while destroying the career of the woman who held my heart.

Fuck.

Erin softly padded across the floor and hugged my waist. “I didn’t expect you to be back so soon.”