"Oh." I was pretty sure that everyone had it, but not tothatextent. This, like so many other things, was something to remember.The guy missed absolutely nothing.
And yet, he still hadn't answered my question. "So, about that ugly shirt," I persisted, "what was it? Some sort of reprimand, like a 'Shirt of Shame' or something?"
"That's what you think?"
"Actually, I don’t know what to think, because you still haven't explained why you didn't just grab a shirt from my hotel room." I tried to smile. "I even gave you the key, remember?"
"I remember."
I still had no idea what I was missing. "But…?"
"Listen," he said. "A minute ago, you said it could've been worse, right?"
"Right."
"And it was."
I studied his face in profile. "So you're saying that itwasworse?" Bracing myself, I asked, "How?"
"Pictures," he said. "Some video, too."
I felt the color drain from my face. "What?"
"You heard me."
"So you're telling me that someone took pictures of me looking… what? Obscene?"
"Not just pictures," he reminded me. "Videos, too."
As if I needed the reminder.Still, this didn't make any sense. Jack was a world-famous celebrity. I was his assistant. We'd been at a very public place. If those pictures had gotten out, I surely would 've seen themsomewhereby now.Right?
I shook my head. "But I never saw anything."
"Yeah." He frowned. "ButIdid."
Now I was absolutely horrified. "Soyousaw the pictures? How?"
He gave something like a shrug. "Buying them mostly."
"What?" I sputtered. "From who?"
"From whoever took them."
"How?"
"The usual way," he said. "I offered money. They accepted. Done deal."
Reluctantly, I asked, "How much money?"
"Not a lot."
I bit my lip. "Do you mean, not a lot foryou? Or not a lot for a normal person?"
"Forget it," he said. "It doesn't matter."
"It does too," I said. "I should pay you back."
"If you want to pay me back," he said, "be more careful."
