“No,” I said. “I graduated from school a couple months back, and I’ve been pretty focused on studying for the bar.” Which was a lie, since what I’d really been doing was binging sitcoms on Netflix, going for long runs along the river, and eating frozen yogurt with Lori. I just didn’t follow the news closely and didn’t bother with gossip.
He didn’t seem phased. “The young pop star in question has a husband,” he said. “And her husband is a member of the Italian parliament. I think you can imagine how this would be bad for me.”
“Is it true?” I asked suddenly, the words blurting out like I had any right to know the answer. I felt like a moron almost instantly, and wished I hadn’t said anything, but Rees didn’t seem to mind.
“Don’t answer that,” Jack said before Rees could open his mouth. “It doesn’t matter if it’s true, it’s all just—“
“It’s true,” Rees said, tilting his head. “Does that bother you?”
I tried to hide my disgust, and clearly failed, because Jack groaned again and rubbed his face even harder, like maybe he could get the discomfort of this conversation off his skin.
“It’s not my business,” I said though I was definitely judging him. Rich, gorgeous, a total asshole, and willing to sleep with a married woman, as if he couldn’t have any other single girl he wanted. That didn’t sit right with me at all.
“I didn’t fuck the girl, if that’s what you think,” Rees said.
“Rees, seriously,” Jack said. “As your lawyer, and your friend, you got to shut the fuck up.”
But Rees ignored him. I felt my heart beat rapidly, and I tried to understand what he was doing. I didn’t need to hear any of this—although he clearly wanted me to know for a reason. Italian pop stars with politician husbands were the thing of a movie or a soap opera, not something that ever protruded into my life, not matter how far removed. And yet here I was, nodding along like it made total sense.
“Giana and I were friends,” Rees said. “The rumors that we were seen together are all true, of course. I visited Italy, and I spent time with her while I was there. But we never kissed, never slept together. Although I assure you, she would have, if I wanted it.”
“That’s presumptuous,” I said, and immediately regretted it. He raised an eyebrow, like I’d cursed in church or something.
“I don’t think it is,” he said. “I’m good at reading people, and there’s no doubt in my mind that she would’ve slept with me.”
“I’m sure you think so, but not all women worship at the altar of rich men,” I said, and inwardly I was like, what the hell is wrong with me? I was trying to get a job, not trying to scold him for a being a dick. And yet keeping my mouth shut wasn’t exactly one of my skills.
But it didn’t seem to matter. If anything, he smiled a little, and his lips parted—those full, pretty lips—showing off straight, white teeth.
Jack, for his part, was sweating. “I think that’s enough detail,” he said. “We have a lot of girls to interview.”
“No, we don’t,” Rees said. “I want to hire you, Millie.”
I let out a surprised laugh. It was a scoffing sound, and tore form my throat like a train. I wished I hadn’t done it, because Jack rubbed his face, again, like he couldn’t believe any of this shit, and he was right. All of this was unbelievable.n
I more or less insulted Rees a second ago, and now he wanted to hire me. I’d been on job interviews before, and I was pretty sure that’s not how they were supposed to go
“There are plenty of other girls,” Jack said. “If we could just—“
Rees held up a hand. “Millie, do you want this job?”
“I need a job,” I said, which was passive, I’ll admit, but the truth at least. I wasn’t sure what I wanted from Rees Court anymore. I tapped my fingers nervously on the black arm rest of my chair while Rees watched me, clearly contemplating something. The silence was heavy, and I felt like I was watching my entire life unfold in front of my eyes.
“I’m running a SPAC,” Rees said finally, and some of the tension released from the room. “Do you know what that is?”
“No, I don’t,” I admitted, although I hated to tell him that I didn’t know something. I got the sense that he prized intelligence and knowledge, and besides, I didn’t want to see the smug look on his face as he explained.
But, of course, he looked smug anyway. “Don’t feel bad,” Rees said. “It’s a strange financial situation. They’re very in vogue right now.”
“SPAC stands for special purpose acquisition company,” Jack said. “Which I know probably doesn’t tell you much.”