Page 8 of A Reluctant Boy Toy
“Why don’t you tell that to ‘my dogs’ and see where it gets you?” My grimace had caused lesser men to piss themselves. “If you feel like you have superfluous limbs.”
He took his headset off. “Goddamnit, we’re going to lose the shoot when the sun comes up. That’s a whole day behind. You know how much that would cost?”
“Would you rather Mads lose a body part? My hybrids can’t work under pressure. You know that. Bring in the Huskies if you need to. They love the excitement.”
“Craig wants the hybrids for this scene. We already shot the close-ups.”
“I’m not risking my animals’ lives for your show.” Hades and Persephone weren’t actors. If they sensed a threat, their instincts for self-preservation would take over. I didn’t know how that would play out, and I wasn’t about to find out under these circumstances. “We’ll walk, and you can complain to your lawyers.”
“All right. Okay. Let me think.” He paced while I stood my ground. After a minute, he tilted his head side to side like a prizefighter before donning his headset. “Somebody find me a stand-in for Mads who is bombproof around dogs. Is that doable? Yeah, we film her from behind when she leads the hybrids away anyway. Pull everyone from the area who isn’t critical. That okay?”
I guessed someone was shouting in his ear because he flinched visibly. Even from where we stood in the clearing with the kennel, we could hear a ripple of talk among the actors and crew while they hashed things out.
“No, I’m not fucking with you. Mads’s tension is making the hybrids nervous. If you want to bring in the huskies—” He winced. “No, it was just a suggestion. No, I don’t want you to have to reshoot the closeups. No—”
Deacon’s shoulders climbed to his ears while he listened, but he held his temper. In the end, they found a stand-in, and I had time to calm my furry friends down.
Hades and Persephone did the scene in three takes. Even if I was the only one who thought so, they had been spectacular, regally following a stand-in who wore a lookalike costume and wig into the mist shrouded trees.
Deacon was so relieved he came to thank me afterwards.
“I appreciate your patience this morning. Really. Your wolfdogs did great,” he said, just as dawn lit the tips of the evergreens surrounding us. “You were right. Tempers were running hot, and I’m sorry.”
“It was a great suggestion to get a stand-in. Whoever it was did very well.”
He shrugged. “My ass was on the line too. Anyway, I really like those mutts. They’ve had it pretty rough, haven’t they?”
“Not like some of their kind.” Wolf hybrids lived in the liminal area between wild and domestic animals. There were only a few states where they were legal to keep as pets, and California was not one of them. They were prized in the black-market world of dog fighting and exotic pet collectors who got off on owning animals who belonged in the wild.
Deacon held his hand out, and we shook. “I’m glad we worked it out.”
“Me too. I’m sorry you had such a tough morning.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” He sighed. “Now that we know Mads is so uncomfortable around dogs, we’ll need to plan ahead.”
“Just let me know how I can help.” Persephone tensed as someone new entered the clearing. It was the stand-in, wearing Mads’s sexy, silky costume and heels. How they thought an actress could walk over this turf in those, I had no idea. The stand-in stopped.
Deacon smiled brightly. “Here’s the man of the hour now. Stone Wilder, meet Sebastian Keye?”
Keye was the stand-in? The dude everyone said was so temperamental was the person who’d saved the day wearing a dress and heels?
Keye stepped forward shyly. “I wondered if I could introduce myself to Hades and Persephone.” Sebastian hesitated before taking off his wig. Sunlight fell on the tangled strands of his pale hair, making it glisten like frost. I couldn’t help but stare. “Maybe some other time, though, if it’s not convenient.”
I shook myself. “It’s all right. You can come closer.”
As he moved toward us, Persephone went from wary to curious. She sniffed at the air and even wagged her thick tail. Hades stood still beside her to check out the newcomer, but he was always reserved.
“They’re not weirded out by him like they were with Mads,” Deacon observed.
“Because he’s not afraid of them.” I turned to Sebastian. “You should be, though. They’re not trained to work with humans like the huskies are.”
“I know.” The actor nodded. “I was very cautious when they weren’t penned.”
“I saw that. Thank you.” I’d watched, not knowing he was the person under the wig and gown. He’d been calm and careful. He’d moved with grace and poise and confidence. He also really sold the dress and wig. I thought for sure they’d called in a stuntwoman. “Thank you for making it easy for them.”
“I think they’re wonderful,” he gushed before lowering his lashes as if he’d said too much. “I love animals.”
“Me too.” At this, he lifted his gaze to mine, and I was struck anew by the boy’s unusual coloring. His hair was nearly white, but his eyebrows and lashes were darker. His eyes were as gray as chimney smoke. I wasn’t used to working around industry people, especially actors. Their perfection seemed to exist only to exacerbate the ugliness around them.
