Page 27 of The Client
Lifting my chin, I say, “I’m signed to KZM. I model. Professionally.”
“You’re not a model anymore. At least, not for the six months that you owe me. I’ll be keeping you too busy to worry about photo shoots interfering with what I paid for. I’m sure Mr. Zoric would agree. Should I call him back to verify?”
A burst of panic hits me square in the chest, immediately followed by anger. He’s really got my attention now. I need my career. It’s my only foothold in the wider world. I have to make him understand that.
“You can’t do that. This thing happening between us right now was never supposed to be part of my contract. I am a model because I have obligations and responsibilities and if you take that away from me, I won’t be able to fulfill them.”
“I don’t give a shit about any of that.”
I’ll be punished for this. But I will reach out to Mr. Zorich and beg him to take it out on me and not my family. Standing, I lower the hem of my skirt and lift my chin. “Forcing me to disappear from the industry for six months is a death sentence. I’ll never find work again. I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”
His fist comes down on the top of his desk so hard and so quickly that I jump.
“You’ll do anything that I fucking tell you. I thought you would understand that easily, but it seems we have some work to do.”
He’s going to tell my boss that I’m impertinent and uncooperative. I know I should stop talking, that I should sit down and resume the position. But I can’t.
“I have a life outside of this and I need to take care of it. You will kill my career. Please, can we negotiate an agreement on this?”
He shrugs. “The way I see it, I’m paying you plenty as it is.”
“You’re payingZoricplenty,” I seethe. “I have no idea when I’ll see a paycheck from this, nor what kind of percentage I’ll be looking at. With modeling, I’m paid up front.”
“Ah. It always comes back to money,” he says bitterly. “The only thing that matters.”
“Yes. Money. Have you ever noticed that only the rich can afford to be snide about it? But I can’t. Unlike you, I wasn’t…nie urodzilem sie w czepku!”
For a moment, he just blinks at me. “Pardon?”
My face heats. “Nothing. It’s a Polish saying.”
“Tell me what it means.”
“It means…born in a bonnet. Born lucky.”
He leans forward and gestures around the office. “You think I got where I am because of luck? You think I haven’t worked my ass off for this?”
“I’m not saying you haven’t worked hard. I’m saying you were first in line. It’s called McConnell Enterprises for a reason, no?”
That smirk curves his lips again. “Not first in line. But point taken.”
We sit there staring each other down, and I can’t tell if he’s mulling over what I’ve just said or merely drawing out his response so he can enjoy his power over me some more.
Keeping my voice steady, I make one final plea, appealing to his ego this time.
“If I disappear for six months, I’ll be out of the industry for good. I know you have a name and a reputation to maintain, and I don’t think it would be nice for your image if the press were to find out you’re dating an unemployed former model. Wouldn’t you rather be seen dating someone successful? Someone who doesn’t seem like a…” I rack my brain for the word he called me last night. “A gold digger?”
He lifts a brow, and I know I’ve got him thinking. How simple that was. I just had to make everything about him, not me.
“I’ll take it under consideration,” he finally says.
That’s all I get. A maybe. Fuck.
I just have to hope he’ll come around. And hope even harder that he doesn’t tell Zoric I was uncooperative. Because the last thing I can do right now is ask Rhys not to rat me out to my boss. It would only give Rhys even more leverage over me, seeing how much I fear Zoric.
Checking his watch, he says, “You’ll be moving in tomorrow. Go home and pack. And don’t bring anything that isn’t essential. Your needs will be provided for.”
There’s not a hint of warmth in his tone, just pure, cold dismissal. I stand up, knees weak, clutching my purse like it’s a lifeline. I have to remind myself that as long as I can still take care of Eva, it doesn’t matter that I’ll be treated like an object instead of a person.
