1:49 p.m.
“He’ll be right with you.” His secretary placed a cup of tea in front of me, giving me a polite smile. She was a brunette with bright blue eyes and a nice hourglass figure. She wore a black pencil skirt, which hugged every curve, and a white shirt. When she bent over to rearrange the things on his desk, I saw the tops of her breasts.
“Scarlett,” he said behind me. I felt the urge all of a sudden to fix my hair and maybe check if there was anything in my teeth. “Please hold my calls for half an hour. This won’t take long.”
“Do you need anything—”
“No.”
She nodded, walking to the door. It closed with a small click, and he unbuttoned the top of his suit jacket, taking a seat behind his mahogany desk.
“Your secretary is pretty.” Goddamn it. Really, Felicity? That is the best you can think of to say to him?
“Yes, she is.” He lifted the document in front of him. “You didn’t bring a lawyer?”
“I don’t have one.” I wanted him to look at me! But instead he spoke as if I were no longer important to him. Like I was no one.
But it was my fault. I did this. So now I would have to deal with it, regardless of how I felt.
“It would be best if you got a lawyer—”
“Isn’t it straightforward? I practice, I dance, and I get paid?” I leaned back in my seat.
Finally, his green eyes focused on me. “No. Ms. Harper, this isn’t a high school recital. You will be dancing in front of an audience of at least five hundred. Not to mention the millions who watch live—”
“Are you trying to scare me?”
“I’m trying to figure out why someone who was adamant about punishing herself for the rest of her life suddenly thinks she’s capable of dancing in front of millions of people.”
Now he was just being hostile and an asshole.
“It doesn’t matter what my reasons are as long as I can do it. Right?”
“Can you? When did you last dance? You’re out of shape and untrained. On top of which, you do not know any of the music. You’re a good dancer, but I hardly believe you are ready to come out of nowhere and lead a production.”
“Then why am I here?” It took everything I had not to snap at him.
“Because my brother magically thinks he can make you a star in weeks. I don’t think we have time to be experimenting.”
“It seems like you’re in a tight predicament. Shouldn’t you decide so both of us can move on?”
He pulled out a list, placing it in front of me. “This is your diet, and this is your workout regimen for this week. Starting tomorrow, you will try to build your strength.”
The list was of things I could eat, which boiled down to eggs, nuts, chicken, fruit, and veggies.
I remembered this list. I’d hated it when I was young, and I doubly hated it now.
“No wine. No cheese. No bread,” he said, and for a moment it sounded like he was laughing at me.
“You know you thinking this is impossible for me actually makes me want to do it more?” I sat on the edge of my chair.
He sat up as well, leaning forward. “You say that now, but you haven’t started boot camp yet. I’m sure after the first day you will regret this.”
“I’m glad we broke up since you have so little faith in me.”
He clenched his jaw, narrowed his eyes at me. Leaning back, he slid the contract across the desk. “Read it over with someone and then get back to me before—”
I took the pen from his desk and signed it. “Are we done?”