Page 6 of Dramatic AF
He nodded thoughtfully for a moment, then looked at me again with narrowed eyes. “Either way, you’re still a target.”
“I get it, but I don’t really know what I can do about it besides quit, and I’m not going to do that.” Sighing, I brushed my hair away from my eyes and took a calming breath. “Thank you for telling me, and you know, for not hexing me or whatever.”
He grunted and glanced away, clearly uncomfortable with my gratitude for some reason. “I’m not saying you should quit, but I do think you should look into getting some protection for the next few weeks.”
“Protection?”
“Even if I cancel the job, there’s a good chance that whoever hired me will just send someone else.”
“But a bodyguard?” I recoiled with a wrinkled nose. “Do you really think that’s necessary?”
“I really do. Someone proficient in magic would be ideal.” His gaze slid back to mine once more. “I can recommend someone if you want.”
“You could,” I agreed, a smile stretching my lips as an idea began to take shape. “If you cancel this job, though, you don’t get paid, right? And you wouldn’t really be doing anything, so that means you’re free.”
“Yes, but I don’t think that’s—”
“I can pay you,” I interrupted. “Whatever you were paid to curse me, I’ll double it, per day, until after opening night.”
Though he didn’t answer right away, I could tell I’d gotten his attention. He stared at me, his jaw flexing as he grinded his teeth, and his fingers curled inwards, forming fists at his sides.
Whatever his reluctance, I didn’t think it had anything to do with money. So, I said nothing to further convince him and just waited. And yeah, maybe I puffed out my bottom lip a little or batted my lashes a few times, but I just wanted to help him make the right choice.
“Okay,” he said after what felt like years. “I’ll do it, but you don’t have to double my pay.”
“I insist.”
“But that’s—”
“Great!” Shifting my cup to my left hand, I bounced forward and extended the right one. “I’m assuming you can start right away?”
A breath huffed from his lips, but he didn’t look angry or frustrated this time. Rather, he looked…amused.
“Do we have a deal?” I insisted, inching a little closer.
“Yeah,” he said with a little shake of his head. Then he took my hand, sending another current of warmth up my arm. “We have a deal.”
three
~ Trick ~
Iwouldn’tcallsittingarounda theater and staring at Jayden all day a chore.
The guy was stunning, and by the end of the week, I could say with confidence that he had more than earned his reputation. He had a grace about him that few could imitate, and he wrung every ounce of emotion from each one of his scenes.
He could also be unpredictable as hell.
Just that morning, I had watched him emerge from behind the wrong curtain with such enthusiasm that no one could tell if it had been a mistake or a bold artistic choice. The rest of the cast often wore expressions of confusion or amusement, while the director’s face regularly cycled through several shades of exasperation.
Yet Jayden’s natural charm made it impossible to stay annoyed for long.
At the same time, once he dialed into a scene, every word from his lips commanded a hush from the room. The moment hebegan speaking, the world narrowed its focus, as if the theater itself paused to listen.
It didn’t take long for me to understand why he had been cast as the star. With Jayden at the center, the universe around him spun a little brighter.
Outside of rehearsal, however, he could be just as impulsive. One minute he’d be practicing lines with the solemnity of a priest. The next, he’d be making shadow puppets with the prop lights.
And every so often, in between the chaos, he’d glance over and offer me a quick, conspiratorial grin—as if sharing a secret only the two of us understood. That look, more than anything, lit a fire inside me, a burning need to find the person who had initially hired me.
