Page 9 of Stolen Voices
Lost, lonely
Hidden from the world
Your eyes are blank as they peer into mine
The fire they once held and glowed bright
Has burned out
Soon, my mind drifts from my last Malibu visit to a set of eyes that bring forth visions of a teal ocean flowing over the rich greens of the forest floor. Of a warmth that awakens me from my cold and lonely existence.
To him.
My heart skips a beat inside, but I know you’ll never be mine.
Wild eyes watch me from under cover. My secret lover.
Your pride will be our divide, but you’ll keep me in your sightline.
Mismatching eyes catch mine like a hunter. My heart slayer.
My body calls for you, aching, please put me out of my misery.
three
Eli
Now...
Hittingend,Iplacemy cell phone down on the receiver, and rub at my temples.
What was I thinking, getting into this business?
I just sat through an hour-long conversation with an assistant director who called to complain about my client, Asher Saint. Asher is refusing to do a scene with a bear—a real fucking bear—while on the set in Montana for his soon-to-be breakout role in a modern western movie about… I don’t even remember.
What I know is there’s nothing in the contract that states my client has to perform with a wild animal.
Asher is right to be scared about acting out a scene ten feet from a bear. Unfortunately, if he doesn’t do this, they’ll replace him with someone who will. If he wants this role, he can’t say no. Especially not in Hollywood.
Saying yes is a must for making it in the movie industry. Asher has been starring in a teen drama for the last six years, and while he’s a great actor, he has a baby face. That face has kept him from getting the roles he wants and needs to grow as a serious actor. This role is it, the one that’s going to get him to the next level. I had to pull a favor to get him in front of the right people, and it paid off.
“Dez,” I call out from behind my desk. I lean back in my chair and stretch my arms overhead, getting the kinks out of my neck.
A second later, my assistant pops his head into the doorway to my office. “What’s up, boss man?”
“Heard that, did you?”
He gives me an unapologetic shrug. “Of course.”
I’d expect nothing less. Desmond Drake—or Dez, as he prefers to be called—is good at his job. Scratch that, he’s amazing. The best there is in the business. If I sat on the Iron Throne, he would be my Hand. He has an uncanny ability to know what our clients need, what I need to do my job, and even how I feel before I do.
Dez has been at Blaze since Hudson and I opened the place. He has been instrumental in our success. We’re a well-oiled machine because of his impeccable organizational and people skills. Dez is more than my assistant. He’s my friend, and I fear it’s time for him to step up into a new role soon.
“Two things. One, I need you to get Asher on the phone.”
His fingers fly across his phone without looking down. “Done. Two?”
“I need you to set up time with Hudson. I have something I need to run by him.”
