She stopped in her tracks in front of me, and for a second I wondered if my animosity had been written all over my face, but then I immediately realized what had caught her attention. The agenda I was holding had the name of my agency embossed on it.
“Are you their client or working there?” she asked without any sort of introduction.
“Hi. Have we met?”
“I asked a question.”
“I don’t make it a habit to answer strangers.”
“So you work there.” She plopped in the chair in front of me, waving the waiter away. “I heard my ex is a client of the agency.”
“We do not discuss our clients with outsiders.”
She smirked, crossing her fingers together over the table. “That’s okay, I don’t have anything to discuss. But if your agency knows what is good for them, they’ll drop him.”
“Now you’ve piqued my interest,” I said mockingly, leaning forward and mimicking her pose. She stared at me, dumbfounded, as if wondering why I wasn’t falling at her feet. “Why is that?”
“Because I’m gonna roast him good. Wouldn’t look good for the agency.”
“We have an excellent track record of helping our clients out of difficult situations. You’re underestimating our abilities. And completely overestimating yours.”
Her eyes flashed. “I read that article in LA Lifestyle. You think that’s going to do anything?”
Yes, I did, but I wasn’t about to share that with her. Several gossip outlets had since picked up the article, quoting parts of it. While he didn’t mention Marion’s name anywhere, the article did serve its purpose. People tend to think that a party admits its guilt when it stays silent.
“You think he’s going to look good after I’m done with him?”
“I think that you’re trying to intimidate me. It’s not working.” I looked her straight in the eyes.
“Well, that’s unfortunate for your agency, isn’t it? I have connections in this town. Connections he doesn’t have despite all his money because he’s never cared about people enough to actually interact with them.”
I wanted to throw in her face that she’d cheated—that she’d betrayed Reid deeply. I wanted to start a full-on fight, but I couldn’t do that. The second I revealed this was personal to me, I was at a disadvantage.
“Maybe he just chooses the people he lets in very carefully,” I bit back, immediately realizing I’d revealed too much.
“So, he’s your client. Then you probably know he has an iceberg instead of a heart. Cares more about those damn hotels than anything.”
“I don’t judge my clients. I just do my job.”
There, that sounded neutral, not like I was personally involved with him.
“Good luck. Being with that man was such a drag.”
“So why were you with him?”
“Hoped I’d convince him to back up an investment round in my upcoming TV show.”
Was she for real? I blinked, trying to keep my composure, when all I wanted was to lean over the table and slap her. I’d read rumors that she was in talks to develop a show similar to America’s Next Top Model, but this was.... She’d just used him? Who did that?
“By the way, if you use any of this against me, I’ll deny it. It will be your word against mine.”
“I know how to do my job.” I smirked. I couldn’t use this, no, but it did give me a better idea of the snake Marion was. Reid had been too much of a gentleman—he’d skipped over some details. My heart clenched. What if he still had feelings for her? This thing between us was new, but I couldn’t bear the thought.
Despite her venom, I couldn’t deny she was absolutely stunning. She was tall and willowy, with skin so flawless, I wasn’t sure she wasn’t airbrushed. Was it her beauty that had blinded Reid?
“If I were you, I’d throw in the towel before this gets too messy.”
“That’s not my modus operandi.”