After neatening himself up, Alejandro turned to face me. "So, Deborah, tell me about yourself. What do you do?"
And just like that, he was back to being civilized, and I was back in the con. I allowed the truth to make its way into my answer, even though I should have lied. "I'm a painter, living in New York City right now. I manage to sell enough of my art to pay the bills."
Alejandro nodded at me and let a tiny grin creep onto his face. "You won't have to worry about bills after I buy that guitar."
"You'd think that, wouldn't you? But Mom will keep the money-it's her guitar."
His eyes flared, and his mouth twisted into a frown. "You won't get any of it? Why not tell her that it sold for three hundred? Then you can pocket the extra hundred thousand."
"Do you think I'm a thief?" This conversation was verging into dangerous territory.
Alejandro burst into laughter, slapping his knee. After a few seconds, he got himself under control. "Sorry about that. It's just that everyone's a thief. Look at me-millions of poor kids love me so much that they pay money they can't afford for my music. It makes me feel like a swindler, a con artist." I struggled to control my breathing at his choice of words. Good thing he didn't stop to dwell on it. "And your mother is getting way too much money for a simple guitar. Hell, even George takes my money."
Now it was my turn to laugh but not nearly as hard. "Maybe you pay him too much."
He quickly sobered up, no longer amused. Then he checked to make sure the glass separating us from the driver's compartment was all the way up. Secure from eavesdropping, he took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "When I say that he takes my money, I'm not talking about what I pay him. George embezzles from me. I've known about it for a few months now, but apparently he's been doing it for years." He grumbled his displeasure.
I was shocked. "That's terrible. What are you going to do?"
"Not sure, but I'll figure something out."
"Why don't you fire him?"
"Can't. He has too much power, and he's ruthless. With access to all of my finances, he could ruin me before I could get control back."
"Well that sucks. How did he get so much power?"
"George has been my manager since before I got famous. He promised me greatness back then, which he delivered. But he also insisted on complete control. It seemed like a good deal at the time, but in retrospect, he cheated me."