Page 5 of Callback
Again, I tried to answer, but Jude cut me off, leaning against the wall beside the sinks. “You’re joking, right?”
I huffed a breath and his eyebrows arched, awaiting my answer.
I touched a hand to my sternum, lifting my brows. “Oh, me? You actually want me to answer this time? Yes, I think I could have done better. A hell of a lot better.” I dropped my arms, willing them to relax. I was on high alert, but that was no excuse to alienate the freakingstarof the movie. I’d have to be an absolute idiot to do that. This man did things to me; things I didn’t want to feel in an audition, but he hadn’t come right out and done anything wrong yet.
His eyebrows crumpled together, and he shook his head. “Marlena—”
“Marly,” I corrected him.
“—you got the callback.”
Wait—what? It took me a moment to hear him.Reallyhear him. And it took me longer to believe him. I narrowed my eyes. “No… there’s no way. My audition was terrible.”
“Your audition was not terrible.”
I shook my head. “Itwas. I was nervous and stammering and—and they wanted to see sparks and I could barely look at you without blushing and dropping my eyes to my feet—”
“Marlena,” Jude said. “Look at me.” He placed two gentle hands on my arms, punctuating the demand. I lifted my gaze, powerless to ignore his command. “You. Got. The. Callback.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “There’s only one other actress in the running for the part right now. If you go storming back through those doors, you’re going to ruin it for yourself. Whatever it is youthinkyou did wrong, it just isn’t true.”
“But… I was so bad.”
Jude sighed, dropping his hands from my arms. “Do you know what BDSM stands for?”
“BDSM: Burritos, Doritos, Snickers, and M&Ms,” I joked without thinking. Oh, God… I’m such a shit. It was an inside joke between me and Omar because of my obsession with junk food. But as soon as the words left my mouth, I flushed bright red, horrified. “I’m so sorry—I was kidding, but it was a stupid joke—”
Before I could finish my apology, Jude threw his head back and barked a laugh. “Okay, for some that might be what it means. But for this movie, it’s Bondage/Discipline. Dominance/Submission. And Sado-Masochism.Submission. Holly and Leo wouldn’t have the sort of forward chemistry most people consider. Your understanding of her was spot on.”
His words were finally sinking in. “So… I got the callback?”
He nodded. “You got the callback. Your shy version of Holly was exactly what we were looking for.”
What the hell was his angle here? No one in this city helped anyone for nothing. He was either lying or he wanted something. “How do I know you’re not just saying that?”
Jude’s face twisted in confusion. “Just saying what? What do I gain from lying to you about your callback?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re trying to sabotage my audition. Or you know one of the other actresses up for the role…”
He ran a hand down his face, scratching at his jaw before shaking his head, defeated. After another moment, he tugged a gold watch from his wrist and dropped it in my hand. “I’m giving you my Rolex. Bring it with you to the callback. Now,” he shifted his weight, pointing to the watch in my hand. “Would I give this to you if I wasn’t going to see you again?”
My jaw dropped as I stood there speechless.
“That’s what I thought. I’ll see yousoon.” He turned slowly, sliding both hands into his pants pockets, sauntering out of the bathroom.
I looked down at the heavy watch resting in my hands and gulped. The weight of it, both figuratively and literally, was heavy and warm from his body heat. Jude’s body. A shiver ran down my spine, rattling each vertebra, despite the warmth of the gold in my palm. If what he said was true—holy shit, then I was getting a callback for this role! I swallowed a scream, peeking out the door to make sure he was gone. With the hallways clear, I ducked back into the bathroom with a silent, joyful shout, jumping up and down in front of the sinks.
