Page 38 of The Boss I Can't Stand
I finally got the Bluetooth disconnected. “There, happy?”
Sierra settled into the passenger seat, her cheeks still as pink as a sunrise. Tension settled over us like a strangling weight. But now that it was silent in the car, I finally had a chance to think about Ro’s message I’d overheard. Who the hell was she having sex dreams about? I almost wished I’d let that next text play.
I cleared my throat as we arrived at the production lot.Focus. There was no time to wonder about Sierra’s fantasies. I was trying to market an awards contender. This movie was everything, and nothing was going to derail the PR plan, especially not Sierra’s sex dreams.
“Jillian has the first interview scheduled for this morning,” I said. “We’ll just crank it out before work and then she can get it circulating by the end of the day.”
“Great,” Sierra said, following me out of the car and through the office to the interview room.
“Hey,” Jillian said as we walked into a small room with anEvery Day Is Sundaystep-and-repeat set up behind two chairs. She’d arranged a small camera crew to record the footage.
Sierra looked around with apprehension.
“Just pretend they’re not here,” Jillian said, latching onto Sierra’s arm and ushering her into a chair while fluffing her hair over her shoulder. I took the other chair. “I’m going to ask you two some questions. Really simple stuff about the movie. You two just stare at each other adoringly and all that jazz.”
“Got it,” I said, turning on the charm like a light switch. I grinned at Sierra. She offered a small, uncertain smile in return.
“Okay,” Jillian began. “Tell me what it’s been like working together these past couple of months.”
I stared into Sierra’s dark blue eyes instead of the camera. “Inspirational,” I said, my tone dripping with all the sincerity I could muster. “Sierra brings so much creative vision to the project.”
The camera panned toward Sierra. She looked at it from the corner of her eye. “Yeah, it’s been good,” she said, sounding a little wooden.
“Good?” Jillian said, prompting her for more.
“I mean, really great.”
I grimaced. Sierra wasn’t kidding about being a bad liar. “You have to give us more than good and great,” I muttered from the corner of my mouth.
Sierra flushed.
“And now that you’ve been working so closely, how would you describe each other’s biggest strengths?” Jillian asked.
“Oh, that’s easy,” I said, looking at Sierra like she was the most dazzling person in the room. “Sierra is one of the most dedicated people I’ve ever worked with. And her attention to detail is what truly sets her apart.”
“Uh…well,” Sierra started, her voice wavering. “Finn…Finn is, uh…really good at…keeping everyone on track, I guess.”
“You guess?” Jillian said.
Sierra glanced at me, then away quickly. “I mean, he’s always, like, organized and makes sure we don’t, um…fall behind,” she said, stumbling over her answer as her cheeks turned even redder.
“Hey, that’s a compliment,” I chuckled, nudging her while trying to play off her awkwardness as endearing.
“Okay, let’s break for a second take,” Jillian said.
“What’s your deal?” I whispered to Sierra as the crew reset for another take.
“Me?” She stared at me like I’d sprouted a second head. “What’syourdeal? Your fake charming mode is creeping me out.”
I glowered at her. “Do you actually want people to watch our movie or not?” I pretended to laugh, loud and hearty, as Jillian re-started the interview with another question. I casually put my hand down on Sierra’s knee, and her leg shot out like I’d knocked her knee with a reflex hammer.
I shot her a tense grin, left my hand in place, and squeezed gently, hoping she’d relax.
“You know what?” Jillian said, cutting the interview short. “I think we’ve got some workable stuff.”
I cocked my head, giving her alook. If we put this on the internet, people were going to think Sierra was being held at gunpoint.
“We’re gonna pull the audio and turn this into a podcast interview,” Jillian amended.
