The Arrangement

Chapter 17

So gym bro Brad is an actor... in the indie movie Theo is directing.

I am by the lunch boat on the island where the filming is taking place, picking up Theo's lunch for Carl and I bump into none other than Brad.

"Hey, you're Theo's new personal assistant, huh?" Brad says, he regards me with knowing. He quirks an eyebrow and smiles, although he tries to hide it with a cough.

Something about him is rubbing me the wrong way already. Maybe because he's screwing the director's girlfriend, but also because the way he's acting towards me hints at condescension for the fact that he knows I'm in the adult industry through Tabby.

"Yeah, Theo's an awesome guy, I'm so lucky," I say.

Brad blinks at me. "Wait, have we met before?"

"I'm not sure how," I say, looking for Theo's tag on his lunch.

"I'm almost positive you've given me a dance," he says.

My heart skips in my chest. Fuck off.

"Could have," I say with a shrug, turning to look at him. This guy has an ego the size of Alaska. It's clear to me very suddenly that he's using Tabby for his own ego as much as she's using him. "I've given a lot of dances. I don't remember you. Sorry."

Match made in Heaven.

Brad's eyes widen. "So you're open about it then?"

"Huh?" I ask.

"I thought that was against your NDA?" Brad says. "To talk about it."

"That I'm a dancer?" I ask him, turning to face him and looking him in the eye. I'm not scared of him, and I sure as hell won't be playing his game. "It's 2023, why would I be afraid of talking about it? It's a perfectly legal way to make money. It's crazy how you've heard of me, but I haven't heard of you and you're on this movie set being directed by Theo." I'm not proud of that last add on sentence, but what can I say? I'm still Evie.

"Burn. I'm Brad McGill," Brad says with a laugh, his face turning red, he offers a hand. "Nice to officially meet you, hot stuff."

"My real life name is Evie," I say, taking his hand and shaking it. "I need to get Theo his lunch now. It's what we personal assistants do you know." I wink at him and turn back to the bags of lunch, find the one with Theo's name on it, and hurry off.

I find Theo, standing under his big shade tent with a bottle of water in hand, talking to an older man who looks like a beach bum, but might also be a billionaire producer. Theo smiles at me as I hand him his lunch. "I saw you met Brad McGill. Great guy. He's an up and coming talent. I'm taking him out to dinner tonight, along with Sasha Grey and the one and only James Kline." He nods at the older man, who smiles and waves at me. "You and Carl will be coming along of course."

"Yes, Mr. Thatcher," I say. Of course Theo is taking Brad out to dinner. That bastard probably loves that he's pulling such a stunt: Doing the director's wife and having the same director buy you dinner. 

Why are people so awful to each other for their own amusement and ego? This is why I may never again have a relationship. I just stepped into a full laundry load of drama.

"Why don't you go back to my yacht, and hang out there? I won't need you till 4 PM," Theo says.

How boring! Oh, I'll make him pay for that...

Or maybe he's making me pay right now. This is after all a Dominant/submissive arrangement and he didn't get a chance to make me strip down for him yet.

"Paxton, can you escort her back?" Theo asks.

Paxton nods. "Sure, Theo. Come on, Evie."

*

Once we're back aboard the yacht, I realize I can't hold in what I'm thinking to Paxton. "That Brad guy."

"Yeah?" Paxton's expression is a poker face.

"You know anything about him?" I ask him.

"He's an up and coming actor, someone says he's the next Timothee Chalamet," Paxton says in a dry sort of way.

"You don't like him either?" I ask.

"I see everything, Evie," Paxton says.

"I feel like we're cursed with the same problem," I tell him.

"What do you mean?" Paxton asks.

"I saw him with Tabby," I blurt out.

Paxton runs a hand through his hair. "Fuck."

"Yeah," I say.

"Look, Theo knows," Paxton states.

"Huh?" Now I'm majorly confused.

"You don't think he's been with her this long to not know what kind of person she is? He might be a bit in denial about it all, but he knows she's unfaithful whether he wants to admit it or not," Paxton says and sighs. "It's stupid. He could dump her tomorrow and I'd hand him a gold medal, but they've been through too much together I think."

"Quite the little drama y'all got going on here," I admit.

"Welcome to the show business crowd, you already knew that was typical here, what with your relationship with Mac Ryder," Paxton says. "That's why you are even more qualified to take this kind of job."

"Touché," I say. "Mac was constantly alluding the paparazzi, except, he wasn't quite at the level of celebrity success as someone like Theo. Mac is only known by other fans of the rock genre."

"Do you ever talk to him anymore?" Paxton asks.

"No, and I don't want to talk about him either," I say.

"Fair enough," Paxtons says. "Well, I'd better get back to Theo. See you later."

"Wait, Paxton, have you told Theo about what you know about Brad?" I ask.

"Do you want to tell him?" Paxton asks, eyebrows raised. "Do you really want to get more involved in this. It's a job, that's what you said earlier to me."

"Yeah, but it still doesn't seem right that everyone knows she's out there making a cuck out of him," I say.

A smile twitches on the corners of Paxton's mouth. "Yeah, it's not right. And you totally have a crush on him."

"Fine, fuck off then," I tell Paxton with a roll of my eyes. "Tell his royal highness I don't appreciate him putting me on this boat away from the action."

"Oh, I'll be sure to," Paxton says, with a devilish expression. "I've decided I like you a lot, Evie. Keep at whatever this is. It's quite fun."