Page 21 of Keep It

When Anya stormed into my hotel room, practically joining me in the shower, I don’t know what came over me. It was the easiest thing in the world to flirt with her, tease her until that pretty blush spread across her cheeks. The minute the door had slammed behind her, I tried and failed to regret my actions, and only the cold water snapped me out of it.

Today, she’s leaning against the car as usual, coffee cups in hand. I take mine from her outstretched arm and slide inside. As soon as I settle in, I look over at Anya who has her nose buried in her phone.

“You’ll probably get twenty minutes before we have to get you to makeup.” She knows I need some time to relax before getting dressed up like a show pony. “So you can have some time to hide the horns before anyone important sees you.” She looks up and gestured to my hair and nonexistent devil horns, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Funny.” I deadpan, trying not to touch the top of my head.

She giggles and returns to her phone, “It’s the new guy’s first scene today, he plays Russell Jones. He’s ‘Robert’s nemesis who wants to sabotage the plan.’”

“I have read the script, thanks,” I say dryly. “Who’s playing him?” I haven’t familiarized myself with the cast or crew list, and I obviously didn’t have any chemistry reads. Even for me that’s a rarity. The director usually pushes to get me to read with prospective cast — even when I’m a done deal. They like to make sure I have some spark with my co-stars. My father has already handled my scripts, my schedule, mymeasurements. I have no doubt that his word on casting was final and it didn’t matter if it worked for me.

If I’m being honest with myself, I can’t even bring myself to care. This ride is already on the tracks and it’s too late to get off now so I might as well get on with it. I know Anya, and Gwen and whoever is playing my scene the day of, and that’s enough.

“Callum McBride.”

I instantly stiffen.Callum McBride.

I haven’t seen him since the party at Cassie’s Malibu mansion. The night I punched him so hard he fell through a glass table dusted with coke and he cut my lip with his plated signet ring.

“That’s who’s playing Russell?” I ask quietly, my ears ringing.

Anya’s head snaps up. “Yeah, looks like a last minute casting.” She looks at me quizzically. “Is that a problem? Do you know him?”

I look at her incredulously. Sometimes it surprises me how little Anya knows about me. I’m so used to everyone knowing everything there is to know from Twitter or a vague blind item. Or at least thinking they know everything.

“We have…” Beef. “A history”

Anya nods and bites her lip. “Is it going to be a problem?”

I’m shaking my head before she’s finished talking and the lie tumbles out of my mouth without warning. “Nope.”

“Okay.” She looks skeptical.

“We’re here,” the driver announces, in accented English.

“Merci, Jaques.” Before Anya has climbed out of the car, I’m already hustling to my trailer.

I feel Anya behind me but before she can step over the threshold I spin, “Twenty yeah?”

“Uh, yeah?”

I close the door in her face.

In the trailer I pull my phone out, dialing his number before I can talk myself out of it.

“McBride. Are you fucking kidding me?”

“It took you this long to notice?” The chuckle my father has at my expense makes my teeth grind. “Just what I thought, you have no care for the job at all—”

“Have you upgraded coke for crack? Why the hell did you think this was a good idea?” I spit.

“Listen,” Charles says, I can imagine his neck getting red. “It was a last minute addition and we’re announcing it this week. The buzz is going to be immense.”

“The only thing that’s going to be announced is my exit from this shitty little film.”

My father snorts, “You’ll do no such thing.”

“I’ll walk off right now.” Before I ever have to work with a snake like McBride.

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