Page 15 of Broken Rules

“I did, for the most part.”

“No shit?”She shook her head.“Where did you find the time?”

“Find the time?”She barked out a laugh.“It’s sleep I’m struggling to find time for right now.”Her hair shimmered when she ran her fingers through it, begging to be touched.

Desire was a fucked-up thing.It seemed I couldn’t stop swinging from one extreme to the other between wanting to kill her and needing to fuck the sass out of her.

“Careful,” I warned, fists clenched in my pockets to keep from reaching out.The sight of the circles under her eyes helped calm some of the fire.She wasn’t exaggerating, and this was a dangerous road to travel.“We still have a long way to go.I can’t have you working yourself into exhaustion and ending up in the hospital.”

“I can handle stress.I told you.I had to step in and handleRoad to Gloryon my own.”She folded her arms, sighing softly, staring at the corkboard.“I guess you heard the news.I know word travels fast.”

“About that asshole and his three-picture deal?I heard about it earlier.”

Her shoulders rose and fell.“Please tell me you weren’t calling to check up on me,” she murmured, her voice flat.

“Based on your history with him, I thought it made sense to check in with you.”

Snickering, she turned her head, eyes rolling.“Because you wouldn’t want your precious movie to go off schedule, right?”

Why did I bother giving a shit?“Yes, because that’s all I care about,” I muttered, looking her up and down.“You don’t know anything about me, Summer.”

She was already itching for an argument—that much was obvious—and I had given her all the ammo she needed.Eyes flashing, she snapped, “I know that at the end of the day, dollar signs are what matter most.Don’t patronize me and pretend there’s more to it than that.This is a business, and we both know it.”

I couldn’t win with her.Why was I trying?“If you’re fine, I’ll take your word on it.So long as everything is ready for Monday.”The sooner I got away from her, the better.Eventually, one of us would destroy this project by saying something we couldn’t take back.

“It will be ready,” she assured me as I backed away.“Even if I don’t sleep a wink between now and then.”

“You realize there’s no gold medal for self-sacrifice in this industry, right?”

“Trust me.I have no illusions.”She shook her head as she walked to her desk to search for something in the pile of folders and binders there.“I know self-sacrifice doesn’t get rewarded.Only being willing to kiss ass and suck a little dick when necessary.”

I stiffened at her tone and the underlying accusations.“You know you don’t have to worry about that here.”There was no reason to defend myself, yet something compelled me to.Make sure she didn’t get the wrong idea.Why else would she mention sucking dick if she wasn’t thinking about it?

“I don’t have time for this.”Something about the harshness in her words and the hard set of her jaw touched a deep part of me that intrigued, challenged, and infuriated me.There she was again, acting like her word was law and to hell with anybody who thought otherwise.She took one measured step after another, staring me down.“This movie means a lot to you?Guess what?I don’t have the safety net you have.If this is ruined, I’m ruined.You can always move on with all of your money and your connections, and you’ll be fine.I don’t have any of those things.Do you understand?”By the time she finished, we were almost toe-to-toe.Her chest heaved, drawing my attention, but I was more captivated by the fire in her eyes.It was the sort of fire I wanted to put out but imagined allowing it to burn.

“You keep reminding me,” I replied.“Is there anything new you can offer?Anything else riding on this?Or are you going to keep beating your dead horse until it’s nothing but red mist?”

Her mouth fell open a second before a bright voice rang out behind me.“I bought four boxes of tea and packs of those seaweed sheets you like to snack on.”

Claudia.“Saved by the assistant,” I muttered, catching a glimpse of Summer’s scowl as she turned to meet the newcomer.

She was even cuter than her voice let on, with a curvy body and a halo of black curls.Extending a hand, I offered my most charming smile.I had to, or else she might see how close I was to losing my grip.“Hi.I’m Lex Landry.And you must be the most patient woman alive.”

6

SUMMER

“This is it.Are you ready?”

Was I ready?I knew Claudia’s question was rhetorical.There was no choice but to be ready.This was day one, our first day of shooting after a week of rushed rehearsals.All in all, though I would’ve liked a little more time to get to know my cast and for them to get to know each other, I was feeling positive and energized in the minutes before our first shot.The hours I’d spent meditating on it were helping.

But not quite enough since I was also a bundle of nerves and pretty sure I was going to pee myself since my bladder decided to act all nervous.I knew what I was doing.I had done it before.Okay, so I was working at a much higher level than I ever had, and this was a much bigger deal than an indie film none of us was very sure would go anywhere.That was more ofa passion project.

This?This had consequences.

“Oh, you’re kidding me.”Claudia’s soft muttering yanked me back into the present moment, where she was staring over my shoulder with narrowed eyes.

I followed the direction she was staring in, and my stomach dropped.“What is he doing here?”I asked in a strained whisper as Lex Landry climbed out of a ridiculously splashy sports car parked outside the border created by trucks, vans, andthe handful of tents set up to protect the cast from the sun between takes.

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