Page 65 of The Dramatic Life of Jonah Penrose
“That’s good, for now at least. We don’t want his agent getting wind of it.”
“Stephen?”
Melanie nodded. “He’s a savage son of a bitch. He doesn’t care who he throws under the bus. And I’ve heard he’s trying to get that little boyfriend of his a bigger role than the one he has now.”
Jonah continued to wipe his palms on his napkin. “Boyfriend?”
“Henrik Larsson.”
Henrik Larsson made my life a misery.
Jonah assumed, when Dexter told him about Henrik basically oustinghim from his role inWest Side Story, it was because of a fling they had. But no, Stephen was involved,Stephenbroke his heart, and if Jonah was going to put two and two together, which he definitely was going to do, he guessed the breakup came from Stephen’s eyes wandering to Henrik.
“He’s not a leading man,” Jonah said.
Melanie snorted and gave a nod. “You said it, not me. Ah.” She nodded and waved to someone coming from behind Jonah, and when Jonah turned his head he saw Julianna Orwell, in all her fabulous glory, walking toward them.
He’d seen photographs of her, of course, but nothing compared to just how stunning she seemed in real life. He couldn’t peg her age, not from just looking at her, but if memory served correctly, she was in her early fifties. Her shoulder-length, spiraled black hair shone beneath the chandeliers, and her cool brown skin showed absolutely no signs of aging. Jonah stood as she approached, as did Melanie, and he took her hand into his when she extended it with a dazzling smile bright enough to rival Dexter’s.
“Wow, sweaty palms,” she said with a thick Welsh accent and laughed, and oh God, why didn’t he wipe his hands on the napkin some more? “Hey, Melanie.” She leaned forward and kissed the other woman’s cheeks before they all took their seats.
“Thank you both for meeting with me,” she said, placing her phone on the table and dumping her handbag on the floor. “Jonah, I saw you inThe Wooden Horse, and, wow.” She placed her hand over her heart. “You were phenomenal. You took my breath away.”
“Thank you,” he said, overwhelmed by her; how on earth was Julianna Orwell giving him a compliment? “That means so much, honestly.”
“It’s a tough role, emotionally charged, and so much choreography. I’m in awe of the entire cast and crew.”
“I think everyone was surprised at how well it’s done here,” Melanie said. “I’ve heard rumors about a Broadway transfer.”
Julianna nodded and took a sip of her water. “Yes, I think it would translate well on Broadway.” She narrowed her eyes at Jonah and smiled. “If they asked, do you think you would run away to New York to play Achilles?”
“No,” he said with surprising confidence. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Broadway would be incredible. But not right now. My family’s here.”
“Of course. It would be a big move.” Julianna tapped her finger on the menu in front of her. “Which is good news for me, because that means I don’t have to compete with New York directors wanting you.”
“Are we getting straight into business?” Melanie asked, picking up her own menu to study. “I’ve told Jonah you’re doing the revival, but not much else.”
“Well, we’ve secured a theatre. It’s slightly bigger than the Persephone, but that’s all I will say for now. I want it to be more immersive. I want some tables actually on the stage so the audience can be part of the show. But that’s not really the interesting part, is it?” Julianna laughed. “You are both here to discuss casting with me.”
“When will you be auditioning?” Jonah asked.
“We will put out casting calls soon for the ensemble roles. But for the main parts, we are reaching out to people we’re interested in to see if it’s something they would like to be involved with. For full transparency, I am meeting with a couple of other actors for the role of the Emcee. We’ve already cast our Sally, but I’m keeping that a secret from anyone who isn’t signed to the show.” She mimicked locking her mouth shut and throwing the imaginary key over her shoulder.
“I think I know who it might be,” Melanie said, eyes twinkling.
“And I think you will be wrong.” Julianna waved down a waitress. “Can we get some mixed starters to share, please? Then we will order the mains soon.” The waitress nodded and scribbled on her notepad before scurrying away. Julianna opened her mouth to talk again but stopped and waved her hand in the air, her vibrant smile somehow getting even brighter. “Oh, look!” she said, raising her voice. “Stephen!”
Jonah turned his head in the direction she was waving, only to see Stephen Carrington at a table with Colbie and Dexter. Dexter’s eyes caught his and the two of them stared, not really knowing the correct protocol for bumping into a partner when they were clearly at meetings they were keeping secret from each other. Stephen stood from his chair, crisp suit tailored perfectly to his body, and made his way over to their table, wherehe leaned down to kiss Julianna on the cheek. He’d slicked his dull gray hair away from his chiseled face, skin clear of stubble, eyes dark, reminiscent of a shark.
“Julianna, darling,” he said, his voice dripping with money. “How truly wonderful to see you!”
“And you,” Julianna said, placing a hand on his arm in a sign of familiarity. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch.”
“It’s just business,” Stephen said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “You know what it’s like, signing contracts.” He let his eyes linger on Jonah, the slight curl on his upper lip giving away his apparent distaste for him, which was rather ironic, seeing as Jonah thought he resembled a rat dressed as fake royalty.
Melanie cocked her head to the side as she gazed at Colbie and Dexter at the table across the room, then smiled as she turned her attention to Stephen. “You should probably get back to them. Colbie Paris isn’t a woman who likes to be kept waiting.”
“You’re right,” Stephen said, his words friendly but tone laced with poison. “Important changes happening over at the Persephone. Though, I’m sure you know about that already.” He offered Jonah a pitying look. “Anyway, Julianna, it was lovely to see you. Give me a call and we can get dinner.”
