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work. The minute they saw our exchange, they probably decided not to answer. I gave up, promising myself I’d make some calls when things calmed down. I dialed Peter. He’d at least answer my call.
    “You left a hooker in your house,” Peter said, after quizzing me about my date. “And you think that was a good idea?”
    “I wasn’t sure how to get rid of him,” I said honestly.
    “’Get the fuck out’ always works for me.”
    “I couldn’t do that.”
    “He understands English, doesn’t he?”
    “He speaks English very well.”
    “You’re too nice, Matt. No wonder Jeremy took advantage of you for so long.” Ouch. That was the problem with good friends. Eventually they knew enough about you to say terrible things for your own good.
    “Meet me at the gym after work,” I suggested.
    “I’ve already been this week.” Peter’s approach to health was the bare minimum. He was blessed with good genes.
    “Please,” I begged, while trying not to sound like I was begging.
    “Is that your solution to the Eddie problem? You’re just not going home?”
    It seemed like a good idea to me. “He’ll get bored and leave.”
    “That’s not going to work,” Peter predicted. Then he gasped dramatically. “You want him to be there.”
    “I don’t, believe me.”
    “Yes, you do. You just can’t admit it.”
    “Are you going to meet me at the gym or not?”
    “Fine, I’ll meet you at the gym. Whatever.” He was about to hang up when I caught him and asked if there might be anything for Tiffany at Momentous Studios. “Well, no,” he said, “But I did hear of something that might suit you. A VP position.”
    “Really?”
    “Fax your resume over to Bobby Sharpe.” He gave me the number. “He’s family, and you’re just his type.”
    “Oh. Is that a good idea?”
    “Darling, what’s a little sexual harassment if you get to be a Vice President? The worst thing that will happen to you is that you’ll sue for oodles of money.” Obviously, Bobby Sharpe was not attractive. If he were, Peter would have suggested I sleep with him to get the job.
    I had a lunch meeting with a hideous woman from the Home Entertainment division who spent the entire meal trying to get me to feel sorry for her and then seemed to resent it when I did. I got back to the office a little after two. I’d just sat down at my desk when my cell vibrated. It was Eddie.
    “Do you have an extra key around here somewhere?” he asked.
    “Oh, you know, I don’t,” I lied. There was a key under the potted jade plant next to the sliding glass door that led from the living room to the patio.
    “I just thought, in case I get a client or something,” he explained. “But that’s okay. I’ll just take the day off.”
    “I’d hate for you to lose money because of me. We can see each other another time.”
    “It’s sweet that you worry about me. I thought you’d have more movies around. You know, because you work for the movies.”
    “You want to watch a movie?”
    “Yes, I’m tired of Judge Judy .”
    I didn’t like the idea of this guy looking around my house for movies to watch. Of course, I also didn’t much like the image of him sitting on my sofa watching Judge Judy all day, either. “I thought, you know, when we talked before, I thought you might be leaving.”
    “No, I do not have to,” he said, as though I’d just begged him to stay. “What time will you be home?”
    “I don’t know,” I mumbled.
    “Six? Six-thirty? If I had a key, I could go and buy some groceries. You do not have any food. I washed the dishes, though. In the bathroom sink. That’s a pain in the ass.”
    “I think it would be better if you went home. We can see each other in a couple of days,” I said, though I was beginning to think I never wanted to see this guy again.
    He laughed. “Don’t be a worry wart. So you’re in a bad mood. It will take me five minutes to change that… won’t it, Dirk?”
    I started to make another