film. I sent an email to the casting director this morning and should hear back soon.”
“That’s great. Are you sure you don’t want me to put in a word with my aunt?”
“I’m sure. I’m going to get that role, and I’m going to get it on my own.”
Trent nodded his head in acknowledgment before turning to Olivia, who was shaking hands with Ryker. “Olivia, this is Skye Jessamine. Skye, this is Olivia Townsend.”
“Thank you for coming,” Skye told her. “Before we begin, do you feel capable of castrating any man standing in my way?”
Olivia didn’t blink. Her eyebrows didn’t so much as twitch. “I have a dull knife I use to make sure it hurts more.”
“And what about women who are in my way?” Skye asked.
“I punch them in the tit with rings on so it hurts even more.”
The men looked uncomfortable, but the women broke out in laughter. Skye grinned and only then did Olivia let loose with a smile of her own. “You’re hired.”
“Excellent. This is going to be fun.” Olivia took a seat at the table and pulled out a contract. Skye read it over. Her eyes blinked twice at the retainer fee, but if Olivia could fix these problems, she’d pay double. She signed it and handed it back to Olivia.
“Excellent. I looked over all the documents Karri sent me. My first question: did you ever sign an agreement with your lawyer? I didn’t see it anywhere.”
Skye shook her head. “Jim, my agent, hired him. In fact, Jim hired everyone.” Olivia frowned, then pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her. “With your permission, I’ll email this to him immediately.”
It was a letter of termination of representation. Skye picked up the pen Olivia handed her and signed it. Olivia pulled out a little wireless scanner and scanned the document. Seconds later it was sent.
“Now, let’s get those photos down and scare the shit out of anyone who published them or is thinking of publishing them. How does a two hundred and fifty million dollar lawsuit sound?”
Skye blinked at the sum. “Really high.”
“Not so high when you break down your annual income. It’s all explained in the brief I’ve written.”
A thick binder was presented to her. Skye opened it and saw her name listed as the plaintiff and a very long list of defendants. “How did you get this done so fast?”
“I’m the best. You’re not paying for me to doodle. Now, before I file this, read it over and then tell me what happened from the very beginning.”
13
Trent read the brief over Skye’s shoulder. It was more than good. It was the ballbusting suit Skye had wanted. It was a take-no-prisoners statement to send a big message in bright neon lights: Don’t mess with Skye Jessamine.
After reading the entire binder, Olivia asked Skye and Karri to start at the beginning. Skye told Olivia how she was discovered, her move to L.A., how she hired Jim . . . everything. Three hours later, Skye looked up from the revised document. The rest of Trent’s family had gone, but Granger and Castle stayed. They took notes quietly and asked questions occasionally.
“Where do I sign?” Skye asked after she’d read the revised suit.
“Here and here. I can file this electronically, and I already have people in my New York, Washington, and L.A. offices on standby to serve the defendants as simultaneously as possible.”
Skye signed and then Olivia got to work scanning the documents and working on her laptop. Skye finally took a deep breath and sat back in the chair. Trent could practically see the weight lift off her shoulders.
“Miss Jessamine, I think you need to see this,” Georgina called out as she turned the volume up on the daily gossip news show that just came on.
The perky anchor who’d interviewed Skye numerous times looked into the camera with a breaking news logo next to her head. The logo disappeared and was replaced with a picture of Skye and a second picture of Tony Ketron. “We have breaking news that Skye Jessamine, America’s Sweetheart, is taking on an edgy new role in Tony Ketron’s upcoming film. The contracts were just signed and insiders say that after Skye’s racy photos, stripping for the gritty Ketron film won’t be a problem.”
Skye’s whole world stopped, yet she felt the rest of the world racing by her at the speed of light as she sat frozen in place. She struggled to breathe as anger strangled her until she felt Trent’s