Page 66 of Broken Beyond Repair
Once a coughing sound subsided, she could hear Peter and Sydney talking. Her face twitched as Peter told Sydney that she was ‘into the ladies’. Her eyes shot to Sydney’s, which were already waiting for hers. Her lips offered a faint smile in what she hoped she was reading correctly as empathy at being exposed.
Her eyes closed altogether at the crassness of ‘Bea was hungry’. She had been and remained so.
As Sydney attacked back, she glanced over at her, only to find the woman grinning to herself.
A smile came to her own lips as Peter rebutted the use of the word ‘predator’; that was exactly what he was, and he went on to openly admit to assaulting ten women. One was too many, but ten! That Peter had done that under her nose to women she owed a duty of care to was sickening. She hoped they didn’t think she knew or condoned it. Sydney was clever with her exaggeration of the numbers to garner a reaction. It was unlikely a man had ever admitted to assault as swiftly as he had.
Beatrice shot a questioning look to Sydney as she could be heard spurring Peter on to retrieve the phone. Sydney pointed down the top of her trousers, causing Beatrice to laugh out loud.
“Why was he coughing at the beginning?” Beatrice asked as the recording ended.
Sydney’s eyes glistened. “I kneed him in the balls.”
“Oh, thank you!” Beatrice chuckled. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time. I didn’t think it was the done thing these days.”
“I think it needs to be done more.”
“Did he try it on with you?” Beatrice held her breath as she feared Sydney’s response.
“Verbally, not physically, and I admit I encouraged him towards kneeing distance.”
Sydney had put herself in harm’s way for her. Beatrice clutched her stomach to settle a tingle of delight, even though it was more pleasant than the feeling of sickness it replaced.
“I am grateful for this, Sydney.” She tapped the phone. “If he doesn’t sign those papers, though, then you’ve left me in a difficult position. Can I assume you don’t have a string of my previous assistants lined up to point the finger for assault?” Just the thought of it again was enough to re-establish the nausea.
Those poor women.
Sydney shook her head sheepishly. “I’ve been told by Alison’s PA — he was the one who told me — that none of them would either.”
Beatrice exhaled. “Then we best hope that you did enough to convince him that we have.”
A hot tear rolled from her eyes.
“Hey,” Sydney uttered sympathetically, “it’s over now.”
“Over. Your optimism is misplaced. Until he signs, it’s not over.”
Beatrice realised then, that the tear was from relief that someone else knew her secret. She’d spent so long terrified that Peter would tell someone—or that she might inadvertently give it away herself. It might have been different if it was anyone else, but Sydney understood how she felt; she understood her. There was nothing that Sydney didn’t know about her, and that made her feel seen. For the first time in her life, someone knewher, and she trusted that person with all of it.
She’d never told Alison about her sexuality. Being her closest friend and agent was a difficult role to navigate, and she’d never wanted to put Alison in a position where she might have been conflicted as to what might be best for her client and friend personally and professionally.
Now that Beatrice considered the information divulged about her on the tape, Sydney’s behaviour that morning came to mind. If Sydney had known yesterday that she wasn’t the only one of them interested in women, had waking up in bed together made her uncomfortable? Her behaviour was a clear overreaction to something. Adrenaline coursed through Beatrice’s veins at a thought—had Sydney developed feelings for her? As much as the thought excited her, it also petrified her.
CHAPTER26
“It suits you,” Sydney said as they left the consultant’s office. “I’m not sure the bright pink did much for your image.”
“Now you tell me!” Beatrice laughed. “It’s so nice to be able to walk again unaided.”
“Not totally unaided,” Sydney said, her voice strained as Beatrice took a step and she took on a disproportional amount of her weight.
“Sorry.” Beatrice adjusted herself slightly, only to stumble.
Sydney tightened her grip around her waist to stabilise her only to find her hand on the side of Beatrice’s breast.
“I’ve got you.”
She slipped her offending hand back down to Beatrice’s waist with lightning speed, hopeful the flub went unnoticed.
