Which I’m pretty sure pisses him off a little. He flings himself at me, pulling me into a tight hold.
“It’s gonna suck when you die at the end,” I say, totally myself now.
“You’ll save me.”
“I’m going to change the end of the movie. Let you get shot in the knee. Then, when you’re writhing in pain, I’ll knock you off that cliff myself.”
“But I’ll grab you and both of us will roll down the hill. You’ll land conveniently on top of me. Then you’ll kiss me,” he says with a grin, moving his lips closer to my face.
“No. You’ll kiss me.”
“That’s what this is all about.” Knox is talking to the whole room. “She doesn’t even have the part and she’s already demanding a rewrite. You know, sweetheart, all you have to do is ask.”
“The last thing I’d want to do is kiss you.”
“Cut,” a voice says.
Knox says to the guy who seems to be in charge, “Where'd you find this girl?”
“We all know where he found you. Under a rock,” I quip.
“Everyone knows I was a model well before I started acting. And what’s your name? Besides one that no one knows?”
“It’s Keatyn.”
“Well, Keatyn, you need to learn a thing or two about this business. You don't stray from the script like that, especially at a screen test. You're lucky I'm such a professional and went with it.”
“The screen test was just to see if we have chemistry. Which, clearly, we don't. Which means they'll probably kill you off even earlier. Heck, maybe they'll let me kill you off.”
“You just wanted to kiss me.”
“If they make me kiss you in the movie, I'm requesting a stunt double.”
“You know I'm a movie star, right?”
“How could I forget? Your picture is splashed on every magazine. You with a different girl. Your mother must be so proud. You should take a tip from Tommy Stevens. You know what happened to him after he met Abby?” I make a rocket with my finger. “‘From the atmosphere to the stratosphere,’ he always says. And what’s with you playing the bad guy lately, anyway?”
“Just trying to break the mold.”
“You want the big romance action stuff, you need a leading lady.”
“Let me guess. You want to volunteer? No one knows you, sweetheart. You just want me to help you get famous.”
“I hope you got all that,” I hear a familiar voice say. I turn around, but can’t see him in the lights.
“Oh, you’re in trouble now,” Knox whispers to me. “That’s the director. Hope you enjoyed your two seconds of fame.”
“At least I’m not going to die in the movie,” I tell him. Then I turn around and scream, “Uncle Matty!”
I hear Knox say to the casting director, “Uncle Matty? Just who the fuck is she?”
“This, my boy,” Matt says, putting an arm around each of us, “Is the girl who not only just saved your character’s life, but is also going to make you a very rich man.”
Matt turns us back toward the lights, which have dimmed, and addresses his crew. “Meeting in ten minutes. And someone order in dinner. We’re going to be here all night doing re-writes.”
Then he leans toward me and says, “Go check on Tommy back there. He said he needed a minute.”
I walk in the direction Matt pointed, suddenly worried.
Did I embarrass Tommy by going off-script?
This is why I never wanted to audition before.
But Matt didn’t seem mad. He’s even changing the script.
Writing the daughter out of it and giving Knox a bigger role, most likely.
I walk off the set defeatedly and find Tommy sitting in a director’s chair with his head down.
“Tommy, I’m sorry I went off-script. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
His head pops up and his eyes are shiny. “Embarrass me?” He stands up and pulls me into a hug. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of you.”
I’m not ready for that.
5pm
“Hey.” I let myself into my loft and find Aiden in the kitchen putting away groceries. “I sort of lied to you,” I say abruptly, standing in front of him.
“About what?”
“Remember when I told you that I didn’t want to act?”
He squints, remembering, I think. “Uh huh.”
“Until I did the play, I was really afraid I wouldn’t be good enough. And that thing Annie told me about . . .”
“The nationwide search?”
“Yeah. It was for a lead role. I’m not ready for that.”
“Trying to be like Abby Johnston would be a lot of pressure for your first role.”
“Exactly. So, today, I didn’t really have a hair appointment. I had a screen test. It’s for a really small part.” I’m practically bursting with excitement. “I did good.”
“Of course you did.”
“Aiden, just because I did well in a little play, doesn't mean I have what it takes.”
He shrugs. “Whatever. I know what I saw.”
I smirk at him. “And the fact that you maybe had a little crush on me didn't affect your opinion?”
“You're wrong. It was a big crush.”
“Oh . . .” I say as his lips crash into mine, giving me such a hot kiss that it makes me want to tell him a secret every day.
Even after weeks of kissing him, I still feel that same crazy flutter in my stomach the second our lips meet. I still feel the god-like power of his lips. I still feel like I should be showered in glitter as a fairy godmother grants me my wish.
But this kiss could not go in a fairy tale. It’s way too deep.
Way too passionate.
Like, I’m pretty sure my thong just caught fire.
When his lips trail down my neck, I say, “I think I need to celebrate.”
He kisses just under my earlobe and whispers sexily, “I think what you need is a good screwing.”
Ohmigawd!
I do.
I so do.
And what a way to celebrate!
He takes my hand and places it on his zipper. “This is for you. What do you feel?”
“Hardness,” I practically whimper.
“Maybe you should unzip my pants. Get a better feel.”
Jeez, this is sudden. I mean, I want to do it, but my hair’s probably a mess from the wind and drizzle outside. And I'm not wearing the new bra and panties I’d hoped to seduce him in.
Stop scripting, Keatyn.
He wants to screw.
You want to screw.
Sorta.
Except, I don’t. I don’t want just that.
I want him to tell me he loves me.
But what the hell?
I give him a sexy grin, slide my hand down into his pants, and wrap my hand around . . . a box.
“What the heck is this?” I ask, pulling it out.
“Open it.”
I take the lid off and find a pair of earrings. Beautiful gold earrings, each with an amber stone. Hanging from each stone is a golden screw.
The construction kind.
“I did a little shopping today. Saw them. Couldn’t resist.”
“Very cute,” I say, removing my earrings and putting on the dangling screws. “Just for you, I'm going to wear them every day. So while we’re in class, you’re gonna see them and think of us hammering, nailing, and screwing.”
“I already think about that every day in class. And don’t forget drilling.”
“So, what do you imagine? Me, naked, right there on my desk?”
I notice that there is new hardness where the box used to be.
“Can you imagine it?” I whisper in his ear. “I’m lying naked across my desk, waiting for you to get done with your French test.” I slide my hands down the front of his shirt. “But you're having a hard time concentrating, because je suis tellement excitée que je me touchais.”