“Well, Aly, I know you’re busy, so I’ll make this brief. I’ve heard you’re dating Gavin McNeer. Is that true?” Her tone of voice turns business-like, her eyes studying me for my reaction.
“Yes, it’s true. Is there a problem?” I ask, matching her tone in what I hope shows that I’m not intimidated by her.
“No, of course not. I just wanted confirmation to come from you. Pictures on the Internet can be so deceiving.”
I nod in agreement, silently wondering where this conversation is going.
“I also wanted to check in and see how you’re doing under all the scrutiny of dating a celebrity. A couple members of the paparazzi were waiting for you outside the office this morning when I arrived.” She holds up her hand at my horrified expression. “Now, don’t worry; I told them this was private property and would call the police on them if they show up here again.”
“Thank you for doing that, Mrs. Davidson… I mean, Kathleen,” I say with sincerity. I hate the fact that these kinds of people are showing up at my work. I’ve enjoyed not having social media anymore, and I have refrained from googling myself and Gavin. “I’m sorry for the disturbance.”
“It’s not your fault; it comes with the territory of dating someone famous. I just wanted to make sure you were handling it okay.”
“To be quite honest, I don’t enjoy the attention, but it’s just something I will have to get used to.”
“Right,” she agrees and smiles at me with sympathy. “And how is Gavin handling this newfound fame? Being a well-known songwriter doesn’t have the attention that a performer in front of big crowds and cameras does.”
“He doesn’t enjoy the loss of privacy, but otherwise, he’s great.”
“Glad to hear this,” she says, folding her hands together and leaning back in her chair. “Are the people at Charisma still treating him well?”
“As far as I know, yes, but we don’t usually talk business.” I tilt my head to the side and look at her in confusion. “With all due respect, Kathleen, why are you asking?”
“I personally have had to deal with Atticus Langston before and know firsthand what a treacherous human being he can be. I just didn’t want to hear that Gavin is being ostracized there, since he’s not dating Atticus’s daughter anymore.” She glances down at her manicure before continuing. “We would never do anything like that here, and I think it’s important for Gavin to know he has options if he ever starts to feel that way.”
I narrow my eyes at her, not liking the direction this conversation is going. “What do you mean by options?”
She smiles, sits up, and leans in closer. “Imagine how wonderful life would be if Gavin signed with us? We would promote you to be his A&R manager, so you can be there every step of the way with him on his future albums. Because he would be such an important client, we could arrange it so that you would only have one other client besides him. You would be invested in him both personally and professionally.”
Bile starts to rise up my throat, and I have to force myself to swallow it down. “I prefer not to mix business with pleasure,” I tell her coldly as I stand up, signaling I’m ready to end this conversation and leave.
“This would be the next stepping stone for your career, Aly.” She smiles at me, but I don’t return one back. “No harm in thinking about it. After all, you want what’s best for the both of you, right?” she questions with a raised eyebrow, a sly smile playing on her lips.
Shane said Kathleen can be a shark when she needs to be. I just never would have guessed I would be the one she would prey on. She stands up and walks around her desk to open the door for me.
“Thank you for all of your hard work for us, Aly. Shane raves about you and we’re lucky to have someone so dedicated to her job. You have a very bright future with us ahead of you.” I nod and give her a stiff smile as I walk past her to leave.
“Oh, and Aly?” I turn around to look at her when she calls out my name. “Please make sure to introduce me to Gavin tonight when we’re all at the game. See you later!” She smiles one more time and then closes her door.
I storm back to my office, my emotions turbulent on what just occurred. With it almost being five o’clock and Shane still not back in his office, I decide I deserve to leave early to get ready for tonight. I leave him a note and grab my belongings, needing to get out of this place to calm down and think about how to handle this.