Any Way the Wind Blows - E. Lynn Harris [56]
“No.”
“Let’s get started.”
Instead of telling Gail what had happened, the lies began pouring out of me, as they had in my earlier conversation with Gail’s assistant.
I told Gail how I had been promised the job of being a part of XJI’s ad campaign if I serviced John Basil Henderson.
“What do you mean, service?” Gail interrupted.
I looked at Gail with a puzzled stare and said, “Suck his dick, sit on his dick. Whatever he wanted me to do.”
“So you are homosexual?”
“You would be correct with that assumption,” I said.
“So you didn’t get the job. Were you told why?”
“He gave me some bullshit excuse about how the other partners and office staff had picked someone else. This could have been my big break. You know, like Tyson getting that Ralph Lauren campaign.”
“Who’s Tyson?”
“It’s not important,” I said. I wanted to tell her how it pisses me off when white folks don’t know shit about African Americans. I had stopped watching one of my favorite shows, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, because white contestants didn’t know anything about us. Now I was sitting in front of someone who was displaying the same type of ignorance and I needed her help.
“Okay, go on. Wait, was this relationship you had with Mr. Henderson consensual?”
“Consensual?”
“Did you agree to have sex with him before or after he promised you the job?”
“I didn’t want to have sex with him, but things were tight and I needed the job. And it seemed that if the only way I could get it was to get on my knees, then that’s what I was going to do,” I said with bitterness in my voice.
“You know, male-on-male cases are rare and difficult. I don’t know if I’m the right person,” Gail said.
I wanted to tell Gail she was the only person. She didn’t know that LaVonya had told me a little bit about her background and why she might be interested in taking my case. Apparently Gail had been married to one of the top players in the NBA. They were one of the city’s glamorous couples, and their wedding had appeared in Town and Country. Gail was called out of town suddenly for a business trip, and when her flight was canceled, she returned home to find her handsome husband with not one, but two of the building staff (the doorman and an electrician) entertaining her husband in their bed. Suffice it to say, Gail was not a big fan of bisexual men. She owed LaVonya a favor for when LaVonya had agreed not to print Gail’s story in one of her famous blind items. I’d promised LaVonya juicy details about the talented Mr. Henderson once the lawsuit was filed. I’d lied and told her Basil had given me the names of several other high-profile athletes and entertainers who swung both ways.
“I know it’s going to be tough. But men like John Basil Henderson must be stopped,” I said firmly.
“John Basil Henderson,” Gail said out loud while looking out her huge picture window. “Why does that name sound familiar? Did he play basketball?”
“I think he played football.” I was certain Gail was wondering if Basil had “hit it” with her ex. Maybe that would convince her to take the case.
“Did you play sports?”
“Powder-puff football,” I joked.
“So you know this will attract the attention of the media?” she asked. I wanted to say if we’re lucky, but instead I said, “I have truth on my side, so that’s not a problem for me.”
“Are you prepared to put me on retainer?”
“LaVonya said you might cut me a break. I mean, if you take my case,” I said.
“Let me think about this. It might be hard to sue the firm, or even Mr. Henderson. You weren’t really an employee, and it will come down to your word against his,” Gail said.
“What if I have proof?”
“Proof? What kind of proof?”
“Say I got him to admit what happened to us on tape?”
“Are you still in contact with him?”
“No, but I have his number. I know his reputation is important to him, and he might be willing to settle if he’s approached by the right person, like a high-powered attorney.”
“I don’t want to be a part of anything like that, and you might find