Tangerine

Chapter 21

Soundtrack: The Kinks - A Well Respected Man (1965)

Dedication: Nya — Thank you for your sweet comments. I'm so glad that you like my stories, and even more glad that one of those is Tangerine :) — Jen

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"You're going to want to sit down," is the first thing my manager says as I enter his modern London office. He motions for me to take a seat in front of his large metal desk, so I do, not saying a word just yet. He leans forward with both hands clasped together, riddled with a stern expression. "How was your day off?"

I'm caught off guard by his question.

I wouldn't have felt so sick on my way over if I'd reckoned my manager was inviting me over for a chat.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't wanna talk about it," I stare at the older man before me. "Can you just tell me what this is about?"

My manager nods. "Straight forward, alright."

I can tell Mitch is antsy. He fiddles with the clock on his desk, rearranging his basket of pens like it's a priority to do so. He plays for time without getting to the point right away.

Then, he clears his throat.

"Normally, I would yell at you. I hope you know that. However, we've clearly already been through that," Mitch watches me intently.

I readjust myself in my seat.

"What you did was wrong. You broke a contract and that is a huge offence on your part, Scarlet. That can never happen again, do you understand?"

I lower my head, uttering a lame: "Yes."

"We've given you some breathing space this time because of a certain change in events, but if you do something like that even one more time, further action will have to be taken," Mitch raises his eyebrows in disapproval. "I do hate to say it, but that's how this business goes."

"Sure, I understand," I nod, taking a deep breath, "but what's this change in events?"

Mitch runs a hand across his brow, visibly attempting to lower his level of stress. After a long pause, he manages to speak. "It turns out that Samuel Kitchen is a recovering addict."

My heart skips a beat and not in a good way. "What the fuck?!"

"I'm so sorry, Scar," Mitch swallows deeply. "I would say we should've done our research and looked into him further, but honestly, even his own team just found out."

"What do you mean, addict, Mitch?" I press on, still gaping in front of the man.

"Samuel was a regular user of cocaine," Mitch informs me bluntly. "He's been in private recovery and going through withdrawal for the past few days. That's probably why he was so on edge during your date yesterday."

"I went out with a coke addict," I fall back into my seat, slumping in pure bewilderment. "Great."

"That still gave you no right to break a legal contract," Mitch raises his eyebrows.

I roll my eyes. "Seriously? I-"

"However," Mitch continues, cutting me off, "I'm saying that as your manager. I've had a lot of time to think about it and, as a human being, I see your intent. I believe everything you said about the lad, and I honestly don't blame you for feeling the urge to walk out."

I take another deep breath, blinking at the man before me, before uttering a small: "Thank you."

"I had no right to talk to you like I did," Mitch admits, looking me straight in the eye with an honest, forgiving expression. "I'm sorry, Scarlet. My emotions were running high and it was completely unprofessional."