Page 22 of One Life to Loathe

“I’ll have you know that every woman in this production is getting in line for a piece of me,” Ed fired back. “Every single one … including Samantha.”

I hated it when he said her name. It bothered me on a level I didn’t even know I was capable of feeling. “Well, if that’s the truth, you won’t mind getting consent, will you? Prove me wrong.”

Ed worked his jaw. “I’ll show you,” he said finally, turning back to his drink. “There’s still life left in this old boy. You’ll see.”

“I’m looking forward to the show.” I pounded the rest of my drink and tried to calm my racing heart. I didn’t want him saying her name again. I couldn’t fathom the reason why, though. “Let’s see how long you make it, huh? If you lose, though, I’m going to teach you a different lesson.”

“Is that a threat?” Ed demanded.

“It’s a promise. Leave the women alone. Don’t put your hands on them. For once in your miserable life, be a human being.”

You should try that yourself, my inner voice said.You might actually get somewhere if you do.

I didn’t want to listen to that voice. It was getting louder and louder. I was here to do a job. Nothing more.

What if I couldn’t follow my own edict, though? What would happen then? I didn’t want to know. Not even a little.

7

SEVEN

Ispent the afternoon drinking coffee on Essex Street and people watching. I could’ve hung out in the bar with the other actors and “bonded”—which was the goal apparently—but I wasn’t in the mood to drink. The bulk of the cast was in there—Ed and Sylvia holding court and telling a series of stories I knew couldn’t possibly be true. It just wasn’t appealing.

Instead, I researched Salem’s history on my phone. It was going to play into the show heavily according to the notes I’d received. It was modern witches interacting with vampires who had been present for the witch trials before leaving. Now they were back and wanted to reclaim their territory. Love, of course, would get in the way. That was the sort of script that appealed to me. Obviously, it didn’t appeal to everybody, though.

My main goal when getting away from the others was to not think about Leo. That worked for about three minutes of every five-minute chunk. My busy brain kept circling back to him, though, and I couldn’t help wondering why he was the way he was.

He was a jerk—and made no bones about it—but there was something else underneath. I’d caught glimpses of it during ourtour, like when I’d accidentally tripped over the curb because I’d been so focused on something Daisy was telling us and he’d automatically caught my elbow so I didn’t go tumbling on the pavement and scrape myself up.

Now, it wasn’t as if I believed doing the bare minimum—not allowing my face to get banged up—made Leo a good guy. He wasn’t everything he put out to the universe, though. There was a different person underneath. It was impossible to miss.

I’d noticed it most when he put his arm around me during Lux’s rant. It had been instinctive for him. Lux would never have hurt me—at least I hoped that was true—but Leo wasn’t taking any chances. He didn’t think before he acted. Why, though? He didn’t like me. That much was obvious. There was a decent human being lurking under that dark countenance, though. Why didn’t he want to let that person out to play? People would like him more if he did.

Since fall was right around the corner, the days were starting to diminish earlier now. It was almost five o’clock before I realized the shadows had started creeping over the sidewalks. I still had two hours of daylight, but the sun was no longer as bright and the temperature wasn’t as robust.

I picked up a sandwich on my way back to the hotel. There was no big cast dinner tonight, although they were encouraging everybody to hang out. My plan was to get in my pajamas, eat in my room, and keep up on the research. If I happened to start digging a bit on Leo’s bad history—there were plenty of articles out there to peruse—there was no harm in it. I was just a curious co-star.

At least that’s what I told myself.

I was humming to myself when I walked into the lobby but pulled up short when I found Daisy standing in the middle of things with her fiancé. She did a double take when she saw me.

“I’ve been looking for you.” Daisy’s smile was wide. “Lux is actually having contractions. The hospital says it’s too early for her to go in, but in the next two days or so … we’re going to have a baby.”

I was amused despite myself at her excitement. “That’s good.” It really was. “I think if anybody deserves a chance to get their body back, it’s her.”

“She does kind of look like a giraffe that swallowed a basketball,” Daisy agreed. “That’s not why I was looking for you, though. I was being serious earlier when I told you about the pickle martinis. They’re the best thing this town has to offer. We’re heading over to Finz at seven o’clock.”

“Oh, well…” I looked down at my sad little sandwich.

Daisy made a face. “You’re not eating that.” She was firm, apparently not caring that she came across as bossy. “I mean, it’s fine for a snack. That’s not your dinner, though. Finz has stuffed lobster and it’s to die for.”

“Stuffed lobster and pickle martinis?” I couldn’t help being dubious. That was the sort of combination that would give me nightmares. Or, more likely, indigestion.

“You’re coming,” Daisy insisted. “It will give you a chance to cut loose away from your co-stars. Plus, I want the gossip on all of them. It will be just us and a small group of friends. Levi will be there. His boyfriend Corey too. Lux and Jesse will not be there.”

“Which is a great relief to us all,” Jax commented.

Daisy gave him a dark look. “She’s bringing forth human life. Is this the way you’re going to be when it’s my turn?”

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