Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
I sigh, slumping a bit in my chair.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” I say. “Your mother’s always been dedicated to her career. Any other woman would be more than happy to give up that life because the entertainment industry is fucking brutal, especially when you’re a woman of a certain age. But your mom has decided to tough it out. Shit, Pamela will be on stage when she’s seventy if they let her.”
“I know,” Emily says in a soft voice, nodding thoughtfully. “My mom’s always been dedicated to her career, but it’s not the worst thing in the world. I know her workaholic tendencies kind of messed up your marriage,” she says with a quick tone of apology, “but it was good for me in a way. You know that my dad left us when I was a baby, right? He basically walked off into the sunset, and I never really knew him. So Pam was on her own with a baby, and she was only eighteen herself at the time. She worked hard to make ends meet, and raised me on her own. So I’m grateful for that.”
I nod darkly.
“Yeah, I think I offered to hunt down your dad in order to wring some child support out of that fucker. But Pam didn’t want to. She was past that phase of her life, and besides, I have so much money that it didn’t matter. I was more than happy to pay for anything you and your mom needed, and that’s what puzzles me. She wanted to work even after marrying me. And we married without a pre-nup,” I add in a dark tone. “She could take me to the cleaners if she wanted.”
“I know,” Emily says. “And I know her behavior lately has been atrocious, what with the possession is nine-tenths of the law thing. But Pamela has always been a good mother to me, or at least as good as she could be. She’s been a showgirl her whole life, and the profession has done right by her because she’s thirty-five and they still love her on stage. So in a fucked-up way, it makes sense that she wants me to follow in her footsteps. The problem is that I’m not my mom,” the curvy girl finishes with a wry smile. “I mean, look at me. I’m not showgirl material.”
My dark brows descend.
“What do you mean?”
Emily cocks her head helplessly, flushing a little.
“Well, I’m big, Christian. Not big big, but I’m bigger than your average showgirl. Those girls are lithe with tight, toned bodies, and you’ve seen me naked,” she says, a bit embarrassed. “I have junk in the trunk and they would never hire me.”
“You’re gorgeous, sweetheart,” I say in a fierce tone before squeezing her knee. “There’s nothing about you that I’d change, and I’ll fucking bury anyone who tries to. But your mom’s not dumb, so why does she think that you’d want to be part of a chorus line?”
My sweet girl goes a bit pale, and looks down.
“Well, of all the people who want me to change, it’s Pamela who wants it the most. She wants me to lose some weight, and then once I’ve slimmed down, she says she has connections in the business. She’ll be able to score auditions for me, and maybe even a role. That is, if I lose the weight first,” she adds in a dark tone.
I growl, angered by this news.
“What the fuck,” I rasp. “What the fuckity fuck.”
Emily merely sighs, her shoulders slumping a bit.
“No, I get it. It’s not that bad. It’s not malicious in any way. This is simply the life my mom knows, and the business has treated her well. She managed to raise me on her salary, and she’s still going strong in middle age. But I think what Pam doesn’t realize is that I don’t want to get on stage. I want to work with fuzzy kittens and abandoned puppies. I want a much more private life that doesn’t involve glitter, feathers and high heels under bright lights.”
“I’ll talk to Pamela,” I say in a low, dangerous tone. “I can’t believe your mom’s so fucking dense. What the fuck.”
Emily merely sighs again before shooting me a tired smile.
“You can try talking to her, but I doubt it’ll make a difference. I’ve already tried talking to her maybe ... oh, three hundred times, and it hasn’t changed her mind.”
But Emily’s happiness means more than the world to me, and I have a sudden desire to do whatever I can to make her day. I want Emily smiling. I want her laughing. I want to see that plush pout part with sheer joy because she’s getting what she wants.
“It’s fine,” I say in a low tone. “I’ll talk to Pam. In a civil manner, I promise.”