Page 55 of All That Glitters

Empire jumps at my intrusion, and maybe I mistake the shock on her face for relief, but I’m too furious to care.

“Marcus, it’s good of you to join us,” Parker says smoothly, without getting up from his seat. “I wasn't aware you’d be joining us today. I was under the impression you had better things to do than hold your client’s hand.”

Filming halts, and Empire covers her torso with her hands. Her arms cross over her front, with one hand draped above her crotch.

“What the hell am I seeing here?” I gesture toward the scene, and my free hand clenches into a fist.

“I’m not sure what you mean?” Parker asks. “Please clarify.”

I’m going to kill him slowly. I’m going to torture him and keep him alive long enough to see his eyes glaze over in pain to make him pay for this. “You know full well what I mean. You’ve got my client here nude and about to engage in a highly sexualized scene without protection of any kind.”

On purpose.

Parker hadn’t told me about today’s filming on purpose. I know it in my gut.

“Well, we have a budget,” he says smoothly. “You wanted more money for your star, and so decisions had to be made. Cuts had to be made. The money had to come from somewhere, which means there was no room left—”

“So you decided not to hire an intimacy coordinator for her first role? And you’re blaming it on budget cuts?”

“You assured me I was working with a professional actress, despite this being her first major role. None of the professionals need an intimacy coordinator,” Parker replies. He glances over to the director at his side, who shrugs, noncommittal.

“Bullshit,” I bark. “She’s standing there completely nude—”

“That’s what the scene calls for. You understand. I’m sure you’ve read things over with her, because she seems well practiced.”

This motherfucker has it coming. He has so many horrible things coming to him, and I’ll be the first. My arm swings before I think better of it, and my fist buries itself against the side of his nose half a second later. His head snaps back on his neck, blood erupting from the area.

I’ve punched plenty of people in my life, but never have I gotten as much pleasure as slugging Parker gives me, especially at the crunch of broken bone.

“You son of a bitch,” I grind out as others rush forward to help Parker. “You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve. Try to take advantage of her again, and I’m going to rip your balls off,” I say with a snarl.

“Marcus!”

It’s almost impossible to hear Empire through the ringing in my ears. I don’t dare think about what would have happened if I hadn’t shown up when I did, what might have gone down if I’d been even five minutes later. Without taking my eyes off Parker, I snap my fingers.

Empire gets the hint, thank fuck, and grabs her robe, throwing it over her shoulders.

“Are you crazy?” Parker’s voice is muffled by his hand and, I’m happy to see, the flood of blood flowing between his fingers. “Marcus, you’re out of your mind. You broke my nose!”

“Yeah, I’m fucking crazy. You’ve known me long enough to understand. You pull another sneaky stunt like this, and see what happens, Heath. Mark my mother fucking words.”

Empire scuttles to my side, and I tuck my arm around her, half dragging and half carrying her off the set. Her legs give out on her the second we exit the soundstage. Our luck, no one follows after us. By the time we make it to the car, she’s sobbing, and I’m furious enough to see red along the edges of my vision.

I’ll break more than his nose.

Not the smartest idea, but if he tries anything else, then I’m going to break his kneecaps, then his arms.

Bundling Empire in the passenger seat is the smart move. I’ve got to let go of her at some point, but I can’t move. I can’t make myself enforce the distance yet. I clutch her to my chest painfully, her fingers burying in the fabric of my shirt to keep me just as close.

Her tears soak through the front of the shirt.

“I’m sorry,” she sobs out. “Marcus. I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“I…I-I wasn’t prepared to get naked today. That’s why I was having trouble with my lines.” She rubs her cheek against my chest before craning up to look at me. “I’m sorry, Marcus. I’ll do better next time.”

My insides are shaking. I should do a lot better than just break Parker’s nose. I want to sock him right in the gut, kick his balls back into his body, make him pay for trying to convince Empire she’s the problem. That she wanted more money and so she has to be treated in such an inappropriate and embarrassing manner.

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