Only One Touch (Only One 4)

“Becca, it’s Adrian.” I stop moving in my kitchen when I hear the voice of Adrian Kirkpatrick, publicist to five of my clients. He sounds out of breath. I can tell he’s either walking somewhere or running. It’s only six where he is, so he was definitely woken up.

“This better be a fucking wellness check,” I say, but my stomach tells me otherwise. I turn on SportsCenter right away to see if I missed something.

“I’m on my way to bail out Andrei,” he says, and I close my eyes as I hear his car starting.

“What happened now?” I ask. I know I’m not going to like how this conversation ends.

“He was caught speeding on the I-9. When they searched him, he had cocaine on him, and when they tried to detain him, he assaulted the officer.”

“For the love of fucking Christ,” I say, putting my head down. The towel falls off my head, and I put the call on speaker. “I’m done.”

“Oh, come on, Becca,” Adrian huffs out, and I can almost see his face. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Not that big of a deal?” I repeat, my voice staying calmer than the rage coursing through my body. “Not that big of a deal would be him being cited for jaywalking. Possession and assault are totally a huge fucking deal.” I raise my hands in the air and shake them.

“I admit, it isn’t going to look good,” Adrian concedes, and I roll my eyes, “but I think we can put a spin on it.”

“Spin it?” I ask, but I’m really not asking. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. This can be him starting over. People will relate to him.” I don’t think this will ever happen. I don’t tell him that the only thing anyone will wonder is how many times we can give this guy a chance.

“You can do whatever you like,” I say. “My office is going to be issuing a statement that we are parting ways and wishing him well.” I grab my phone and text my brothers that we have a problem.

“How is that going to look on your side?” he says, and I chuckle.

“It’s going to look like we don’t stand for this shit. We aren’t going to condone this behavior. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you bring in. Our company has a name to uphold and an image to protect, and having this isn’t something I want—”

“Just like that?” Adrian cuts me off.

“Just like fucking that,” I say. “I stood by his side when he crashed not one but two cars and entered rehab. I stood by his side when he beat the shit out of his girlfriend, and I had two of his three sponsors pulling their contracts. This is strike three.” I shake my head. “I warned him the last time, and you were there. I will not be here to clean up his mess. That is what he pays you to do.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” he says. “I’ll tell Andrei when I see him.”

I disconnect the call and then call my brother Trevor, knowing that Francis is probably still sleeping. “How is it that you have drama at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning?”

“I’m dropping Andrei as a client,” I say, and he listens as I fill him in. “I’ll call Amanda now so she can issue a press release.” I mention our public relations director.

“Yeah, I would do the same,” he says. “You tried and stuck by him when no one else did.”

“I’m going to wish him well and move on,” I say. “Now I have to go eat my breakfast and try not to dwell on it.” I tie my wet hair on top of my head again. “I’ll send you a copy of the letter once I’m finished with it.”

My morning flies by as well as the afternoon, dealing with the aftermath of Andrei. His arrest is front and center at noon, the same time we release our statement. I rub my hands over my face and look down to see that I’m still in my robe and my breakfast is still sitting there but cold. I throw it out and grab one of the pre-made foods I have delivered. I pop it in the microwave to heat it faster and eat standing up this time, not bothering to move from the kitchen when my phone pings. I groan when I see it’s a reminder for tonight.

Candace’s birthday party

Putting my head back, I can sense a headache coming on. I finish my food and make my way to my bedroom. My bed calls my name, and I finally listen to it and crawl into my bed naked. It takes me no time to fall asleep, and when the alarm rings two hours later, I almost send Ralph a message that I’m going to bail, but I know I have to make an appearance.