Page 107 of Role Play
I caught my bottom lip between my teeth. I couldn’t exactly say:Because he’s my uncle and I need to go tell him I’m banging the director. Instead, I shook my head. “I have no idea.” My voice caught. Shit, even I wouldn’t have believed that. Clearing my throat, I tried again. "Well, Mr. Blair walked in while I was doing the stand-in thing last week and he, uh, he seemed worried about a sexual harassment suit. You know, having an assistant act as a stand-in for a sex scene. He's probably wanting to make sure I don't sue the studios orsomething."
A heavy exhale threatened to escape my lips as I finished the lie. It wasalmostbelievable.
“I thought maybe it had something to do with your consentcontract.”
I gave a nervous giggle. “Why would the president of the studios care about that?” I asked, my voice unnaturally high-pitched.
Kelly nodded, seeming to buy that and held her arms out. “Well. Go on, girl. I’ll take the laundry down. Richard Blair waits for noone.”
I swallowed, handing Kelly the basket of dirty clothes and moved beyond her shoulder, tentatively. “His office is the last one on the left of the main hall,” Kellysaid.
Once more, I froze. Of course. I wasn’t supposed to know that. “Right. Thankyou.”
Minutes later, I was in front of Uncle Richard’s door. I’d been in this office a million times when I was a kid. Granted, it had been six years since my last visit, but even still. I could be blindfolded and know my way around. Uncle Rich was a man of habit and I had no doubt he still had his scotch cart in the left corner and a French press on his sidetable.
The door swung open and Uncle Rich towered over me. What was it about men like him—Uncle Rich, Ash, Jude… just about any Hollywood type? They were large. Tall, hulking, muscular men that were intimidating just to bearound.
Well, intimidating for most. Rich wasn’t so intimidating after you’d seen him catch your stomach bug at age ten and hurl into your cabbage patch garbagecan.
“Lucy,” he said, startled. “I thought you maybe forgot. I was coming to see what the hold up was.” He stepped back, holding the door for me as Ientered.
“The hold up was that I was busy doingmy job.” Whoa. Down girl. I didn’t need to go rage queen on his ass. Not justyet.
He cocked an eyebrow at me. His brown eyes sparked, widening in such a slight way that if I hadn’t known my uncle so damn well, I would have missed it. He wasn’t used to people talking back to him. Not at his job. And even though he knew me from the day I was born, my back talk always seemed to surprise him. “Care to try that one again?” heasked.
I sighed. “I still have work to do after we wrap. I didn’t think you’d take me so literally as to send my boss for me the second we finishedfilming.”
“Ah,” he said. “I’m sorry for sending Kelly to get you.” His expression softened and he gestured to the leather chair across from his desk. “Sit, Lucy,” hedemanded.
I did as he asked, sinking into the leather armchair and feeling a bit like I was eight again and being grounded for drawing boobs on the chalkboard. “Mr. Blair,” Isaid.
“It’s Rich, and you knowit.”
“Not here, it’s not. Andyouknowit.”
A smirk tugged on his lips as he nodded. “Very well.” He held out a hand. “You called this meeting. What’s goingon?’
I cleared my throat. How in the hell was I going to tell him this? Where would I even begin. I closed my eyes, breathing out a long, hissing breath. “I have a confession to make,” Istarted.
“Ah,” he said quietly. “Here wego.”
My eyes shot open, burning into him. Heknows?
He sat back in his chair, folding his hands casually, even though I knew it was anything but. “Here we go?” Irepeated.
“It’s about Friday night, isn’tit?”
Ice shot into my veins. Hedidknow. But he was acting socalm.
“Lucy,” he smiled and leaned his elbows onto his desk. “It’s fine, baby bear. I don’t recommend you get drunk every weekend with your coworkers, but you worked hard last week. You earned a fun night letting loose. Though next time, I’d prefer it if you didn’t let yourself go so loose that you’re dancing up on my lighting assistant. We’ve all had our fun on film crews, but you have to keep in mind what’s appropriate and what’snot.”
“How did you know I was dancing with Miguel?” I sat there, stunned, my mind filtering through the fog of what Uncle Rich wassaying.
He rolled his eyes. “Lucy,nothinghappens on one of my crews without meknowing.”
What the hell did that mean?And also, it was clearly bullshit since he still didn’t seem to know that Ash and I were together. “That didn’t answer my question. How did you know I was dancing with Miguel atAlma’s?”
“My assistant was out with you all thatnight.”
