Boys' Club

Blair shows up looking damn fine, all polished and ready for the gig. These suited clowns barely register her as she scans the room for Hank, but the second they catch her vibe they’re hooting and staring holes right through her clothes. She keeps her chin up anyway. When she finally tracks down Hank he tells her the kid named Bill just got his corner office and she’s tonight’s rite of passage. Nothing jumps off till later, though, so why not meet the wolves first? She glides from hand to hand, flashing smiles that don’t quite reach her eyes while they paw at her with dirty jokes and heavy eyes. Hank finally stands on a chair, hoots the crew into silence, and announces that Bill is officially a grown-ass man. As soon as he drops that line, Blair turns to haul Bill out. Hank plants a hand on her shoulder. "Entertainment’s public now, sweetheart." The crowd explodes—taunts, whistles, and the kind of stares that pin her shoes to the carpet. The script was private; this isn’t. But she still has to walk away paid. So she lets the snarls roll off her like grease, drops into a kneel right there on the floor, and the room goes dead quiet with hunger.