Page 62 of Broken Romeo

Fuck. Me.

I might as well be naked on stage.

The black, lacy bra is cut low across my cleavage and has an immense amount of padding pushing what little goods I have up to my chin.

The panties are worse. The cheeky cut of them leaves very little to the imagination. And the dance brief thong layered below it doesn’t do much to mask what’s beneath. Thank God I shaved today. That would have been humiliating.

Why did I have to throw down that false bravado about being totally cool with showing my body in the theater?

I spin in the full-length mirror in my dressing room and gulp back the bit of bile rising in my throat. Seriously, what was I thinking?

My breaths come in short bursts. I can’t do this. I cannot go out there with my ex-boyfriend directing me while I strip down in front of him and simulate sex with another guy who clearly wants to see me naked.

There’s a knock at my dressing room door and Maggie’s voice echoes through the crack. “You ready, Kate?”

“Yep,” I say, and swallow against the lump in my throat. With a sweep of my arms, I shrug into the wrap dress, cinching the belt at the side of my waist, before making my way out to the stage.

Nolan’s already there sitting on the bed, elbows on his knees, and Holden is kneeling, talking to him.

From over Nolan’s shoulder, Holden’s gaze lifts to mine. I search his face for clues as to what they were just talking about.

There must be something Nolan’s not so good at. If my kryptonite is showing vulnerability, what’s his? I’d feel a whole hell of a lot better knowing I’m not alone in my imperfections.

Holden’s stare—that infuriatingly sexy, brooding stare—sends goosebumps pebbling across my bare flesh.

A small twitch of a smile flashes across Holden’s mouth and he stands quickly, addressing both Nolan and me together. “I want you to start the scene here, in front of the bed. You’ve just come home from your date and you both are fully aware of what comes next at this point. But Skyler, you’re more forceful than Zach. You’re aggressively sexual versus Zach… you want to take your time. Savor the moment. Of the two characters, Zach, you’re the more sentimental one.”

Nolan smirks and tosses a wink in my direction. “If that’s the case, I’ll deserve an Oscar for this role.”

Holden scowls in a sexy way that only he can accomplish. “It’s a Tony award, not an Oscar, you dumbass.”

Nolan rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean.”

Holden growls a raspy sound before scrubbing his hand down his face. “Can you two please stand center stage and start? Katherine, I want you to be aggressive. You’re the dominant one in this scene. Start by tearing his shirt and pants off. Throw him onto the bed. Just like you, he’s wearing his costume and he’ll be in boxers for the scene.”

“Don’t worry, I’m all strapped down, too.” Nolan grins and pats his palms against his pelvis. “Gotta love a dance belt… basically a glorified jock strap.”

Shaking my head, I chuckle. He reminds me so much of Duncan that I find nostalgia peeking its way into my heart… and for once in a sweetly positive way. That meathead had a heart of gold. Prior to leaving college, I didn’t think meatheads existed in the theater…but God, did they ever.

Surprisingly, even Holden shakes his head and laughs at Nolan. “Okay, guys. There aren’t many lines in this scene, and I don’t want you focusing on the words just yet, so toss your scripts aside. If you need a line called out for reference, ask Maggie.”

I wipe my damp palms on the dress, already feeling the nervous sweat breaking out across my skin.

Nolan holds his hands up, palms out. “It’s okay if I touch you… kiss you, right, Kate?”

Is he serious with that question? It’s the sex scene. Of course we’re going to kiss and touch.

I gape at him like an idiot as I answer, “Um, yeah. It’s fine.”

“Okay. I just don’t want to get reamed out by anyone.” He hitches his thumb over his shoulder at Holden, whose glare is dark and stormy.

Holden rolls his eyes. “Take a minute and talk over what you’re both comfortable with.”

He walks to the edge of the stage, giving us a little space.

“Seriously, though,” Nolan says. “Anything I should avoid? Any part of your body off-limits? Other than the obvious areas, of course.”

“My ears,” I blurt out before I’m too embarrassed to admit it. “They’re… ticklish.”

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