Rock Star Billionaire

"Leo, what the hell is going on here?" I said as I walked into his office and found him leaning against the floor to ceiling window with both palms pressed to the glass as if he were single-handedly holding up the wall.

"Don't start with me, Cam," he said in a voice that sounded more weary than angry.

"I'm not going to, I just want to know what's going on," I said calmly. "C'mon, tell me what happened and why you're so damn angry."

"The son of a bitch..." he began as he dropped his hands and turned around to look at me. His mouth twisted into an ugly grin.

"Leo, just tell me what's going on and we'll work it out," I said.

"Richard Metzler wants to sign a contract with us for security coverage during the election campaign," Leo said.

"Okay, so what?" I replied as I watched him start to pace in front of the window.

"He's demanding that we limit our work to his campaign alone," Leo said running his hand through his already messy hair.

"I still don't get what the problem is," I said. "So, we only work for one candidate. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that Metzler isn't really giving us an option, Cam," Leo said. "He's gotten a hold of our financials and he knows all about you."

"How the hell did he get that information, Leo?" I asked as I felt the anger rising. "This was the one reason why I had not want

ed to move forward with this idea and now you're telling me that it's turned out exactly the way I'd feared it would?"

"I don't know how he got it, Cam," Leo said as he moved away from the window and walked to his desk. "I had the lawyers bury it so deep that it would have taken dynamite to uncover it."

"Obviously Metzler has the necessary explosives," I said bitterly. "Dammit, Leo. I never wanted to go down this road!"

"I know, I know," he said as he dug through a stack of papers and pulled out one sheet. He handed to me saying, "Look, we can make this work. We can just choose to work with Metzler. The contract is unbelievably generous, and it'll get our name out there for future business."

"What if I don't want to do this, Leo?" I asked. "What happens if I say no?"

"Metzler releases the financials and exposes us in the media," Leo said quietly. "I'm sorry, Cam."

"This is fucked up, and you know it," I said looking down at the sheet detailing the proposed contract with Metzler's campaign. The amount of money they were willing to pay us for security services bordered on obscene. I looked at Leo, "What in the hell? This figure is more than we would have made from all four campaigns."

"I know," he nodded. "Can't we just take it and run with it, Cam?"

"What? And then be another one of the companies that Richard Metzler bought off on his way up the political ladder?" I asked. "Hell no!"

"Cam, we don't have a choice," Leo pleaded. "We have to take the offer or we'll be exposed."

"No, you've got it all wrong, my friend," I said shaking my head. "We won't be exposed, I will. And that makes all the difference in the world."

"Cam, I didn't do this on purpose!" Leo yelled. "I really did think that making the move into campaign security was a profitable decision!"

"But you didn't think it all the way through and anticipate every possible outcome!" I shouted. "You didn't think about my life at all!"

"No, I didn't!" Leo yelled then backing down a bit he collapsed into his chair and rubbed his eyes before looking up. When he did, I could see the anguish, "I didn't think of you this time, Cam. That's true. But it's because for the past decade I've thought of nothing but you. All day, every day. I think about how every decision will affect you. How ever deal will affect you. What about me? When is it my turn to think about me, Cam?"

"Leo, you knew the deal when you took the job," I protested.

"I did, indeed," he nodded. "But it's been ten years, Cam. At what point are you going to let go of the memory and start living? Because until you start living in the world again, I can't."

"Leo..." I said not knowing how to respond to his raw honesty. He was right on some level. I had been living a life closed off from the rest of the world as I tried to absorb the enormous loss, but now I wondered if it wasn't time to open up a bit and pull down some of the protective walls I'd built. I sank down into one of the soft chairs that faced his desk and dropped my face into my hands.

"Cam, look, I've done everything you've ever asked me to," Leo said quietly. "And I've never complained, but now..."

Leo got up out of his chair, walked around the desk and perched on the edge of it. He leaned forward and rested his hand on my shoulder.