Page 16 of Best Served Hot
‘Because?’
Alex fixed her with a hard stare. ‘Nicole. I owe you. And I like you, despite how we met. That’s why I’m entertaining any of this. But I don’t want to talk about that. So we’re not gonna. OK?’ Alex said firmly.
Nicole was immediately embarrassed. ‘Shit. I’m sorry. I’m sort of in this place where I’m trying to be less polite. Because I’m starting to realise that I’ve been tiptoeing through my personal life, trying not to ask for much from the people in it. But you don’t deserve any hard-assery.’
Alex’s angry face softened. ‘I might deserve it a bit.’
‘You’re beholden to me for nothing,’ Nicole said firmly. ‘I only want you to help me if it’s what you want to do.’
Alex chewed the inside of her mouth for a moment, and Nicole thought that was that. She was gonna say, ‘Good luck, but count me out.’ But she didn’t say that. Nor did she wave a pair of pom-poms, either. What she said was, ‘You know what? Get the job. Get on the show. If you can do that? I’ll think about it. That’s the best I can do.’
‘Because you think I’ve lost my mind,’ Nicole said without offence.
‘That’s not the phrasing I’d use,’ Alex replied carefully.
‘That’s OK. I get it. You’ve known me for five minutes. I’m just Ethan’s mad wife.’
‘That’s not what you are at all,’ Alex said. ‘I never saw you that way. Don’t put that on me.’
Nicole paused, surprised. Alex looked angrier than she had about the directing thing. ‘I guess I’m trying to imagine what this would look like from your position. That’s all,’ Nicole explained.
‘Then you got it wrong. I don’t think badly of you. I think badly ofhim,’ Alex said, her amber eyes flashing fury.
‘Badly enough to fuck with him?’ Nicole asked.
Alex took a very large pause and said, ‘Maybe.’
Nicole smiled. ‘That’s all I need. Give me some time. I’ll be calling you with a job offer.’
Nicole swallowed the rest of her drink and stood. It was all a bit dramatic. But she supposed she’d have to get used to that. She’d spent her adult life behind the camera, creating drama for others to enjoy. And now she was gonna be smack bang in the middle of it.
The pleasure would be all hers. Well, hers and Alex’s. She supposed she could make this work without her, but she found that she didn’t want to. She wanted this to be for both of them—for everyone ever wronged like this. They deserved a win.
If she could just hold her nerve to carry out her very dramatic vengeance. Despite how at odds it was with the way she’d lived every single moment of her life until this point.
***
Alex had set her a task. ‘Get on the show. If you can do that? I’ll think about it.’ She thought it was a challenge, one that would test Nicole’s metal. But it turned out it wasn’t that difficult. With a little planning and thought, it went exactly as Nicole wanted.
The first thing Nicole did was tell Ethan that she had some post to finish up on a project out of town, and off she went back to the hotel. It was now a place of scheming and plotting. No crying allowed.
Nicole was actually between projects at the moment, but of course, Ethan wouldn’t be keeping proper track of her work situation, given his busy philandering schedule. He was out of the house enough to give Nicole plenty of time to commence her machinations, but she preferred to stay out of his way for obvious reasons. Minimal contact would help her get through the times she had to play the dutiful wife at home.
But she didn’t have to worry about that in the hotel, and her machinations began with a text to an industry friend (a friend important enough that people liked to do her favours) to put her in touch with a man, Jack Bevers. She didn’t know Jack, which was important. What was also important was that he had worked on the show a couple of years ago before he went on to greener pastures. He’d also worked on a show calledScalpels, which was crucial, as was the fact that it was out in LA now. He wasn’t in the daily mix of people who came into contact with Ethan.
It took a day to get a response, but eventually, Jack called her to ask what he could help her with. She told him she was looking to work onFoundationsbecause she was a fan whose dream it was to do an episode (it almost gagged her to say that), and she needed an introduction. As they were friends of friends, would he mind setting it up? She’d owe him one. She knew that would work because, as an established director with a decent body of work, that might be a favour he could very well call in one day.
Duly, Jack told her there was a producer on that show that he could put her in touch with. The producer, Viola, called her on zoom for a quick chat that afternoon. No, she didn’t have any eps free. They were fully booked with only two episodes left in the season's shoot, one of which was halfway done. But Viola knew of her professional reputation, and she would gladly schedule her for next season. Nicole was very thankful, and while they were rounding things up, she asked who they had booked for the next episode out of simple curiosity. She gave the name happily. Mikey Newton.
It was a name she knew, which was a stroke of luck. She’d given a couple of talks at a film school a few years ago, and Mike had gone to pains to make himself known to her. Nicole even had his number. It felt like a sign that this was what she was supposed to do.
Nicole called Mikey Newton. She was honest with him, sort of. She had been booked for an episode of a costume drama starting soon. It was a fancy show with fancy reviews. It had been kind of a get for Nicole.
But sacrifices would have to be made, so she told Mikey that she needed to get out of it, that something personal had come up (true). She told him she wanted to recommend him for the opportunity, that as an up-and-comer she liked, she wanted to see him succeed. Was he available? He admitted he wasn’t. What a shame. She’d have to think of someone else.
‘Wait,’ he said. ‘If I get the offer, I could maybe consider dropping out of the other thing?’ he said anxiously. He was being a bit cutthroat, and they both knew it. He wanted Nicole’s gig though, the ambitious pup.
‘Well, obviously, no one wants to drop out of a project this late, but… I think sometimes, things happen, and choices are made. I think most people would understand… choosing up,’ she assured him.
