Page 29 of Savage

On my way home, I received a call from River. He was in Miami with Ari and Willa, still on the road to do as much promotion as his label demanded of him.

I meant to tell him that I was auditioning for this new role come Tuesday morning, but River was too intense and too busy to even breathe air. He was beyond anxious, going over every single detail from the packaging to the photo shoot they had to do. Therefore, I figured it was best to tell him if I did manage to snag the job, not wanting to fight when it would all be for naught.

In two days’ time, I would definitely know where my fate rested.

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“You got it!” Addison screamed into the phone as I caught my breath before I bounced on my bed with complete euphoria, dressed in my little red slip.

I had auditioned this morning. Normally they waited a day or two, sometimes even a week to make a decision, but here it was, hours later, and God help me, I felt like I was about to combust from euphoria. I began to hop on my bed, jumping like a kid on their birthday.

“Oh, my God, I can’t believe it! I’m going to be in a film!” Saying it out loud made me feel rattled. This was my first, so it was a huge deal of me. “OH, MY GOD, what if I suck? What if it fails …?” And just as quickly as my excitement flourished, doubts began to cloud and cripple me.

“You’re going to be fine. Lombardo wouldn’t have casted you if he didn’t see your potential. I heard he’s a fan ofCloverso he knows your acting range. You’re extremely talented, and I’m proud of you, Cara, I really am. So, cast your doubts aside, savor this new project, and tomorrow, I’ll have more information about the cast, pay negotiations, and location.”

Addison was right of course. She wasn’t stating such nonsense because it was expected of her. She was blatantly stating facts that Lombardo wouldn’t be pegged as one of the greats if he didn’t know what he was doing. All these needless fears plaguing me were insecurities of my own making and not Martin Lombardo’s. The great man himself had chosen me, he had made the call-in casting me, and it was my turn to fully acknowledge that with pride and dignity.

Coming down from my incredible high, I crashed back down on the mattress, still grappling my phone in my left hand. Before I could share this splendid news to my friends, there was one person I had to share it first. Come hell or high water, I was going to win this argument. If River loved me enough, he would support me just as I had supported him since the beginning of time.

With Siri’s superb assistance, she dialed River’s number with one hasty command, and in no time, the phone began to ring. And with each ringing sound, my heartbeat accelerated to new peaks.

“Sorry, petal, but I’m running late to this party I’m supposed to be hosting tonight.” River’s words rushed out of him before hearing a loud thud of a door being shut.

He was probably running out of his hotel room, scurrying to get where he needed to be. Before I could utter a word, I could hear Ari and Willa’s voice echoing from a distance.

I was tempted to put this news off when he was less distracted, but if I didn’t do it now, I might not get enough courage to fight my battles right. It was now or never.

“Listen,” I began nervously, chewing my lip before releasing a shaky breath. “I auditioned for this role today, and I got it. I just wanted to tell you that.”

“What?” I could hear him pause, as if taking in this new development. “That’s awesome, babe! What’s the movie about?” he asked eagerly.

He was an artist, just as I was, so he understood where I was coming from. Therefore, revealing the next bit shouldn’t faze him much … I hoped.

“It’s a Lombardo film. I got the lead ’cause the first choice dropped out for medical reasons. Addison will dish out all the info tomorrow.”

“Fuck,aLombardo.” That statement alone said it all. “Guess that entails the same usual morsels he delivers on screen, right?” A Lombardo film was notorious for all sorts of reason, mainly one in particular. Sex and art went hand in hand with his projects.

Why is he being such a typical male right now?I sighed loudly before shaking my head in frustration.

“Yes, it comes with all that jazz, as expected, and I’m perfectly okay with it.” I made sure the last words were clearly emphasized in case there was any doubt. Nudity wasn’t a rarity these days. All one had to do was go on social media to see how crazy millennials were, sharing their bits for the world to ogle over. Again, this shouldn’t be a big deal because it kind of just wasn’t.

“Fuck, I don’t want to be a jerk, but I hate this, Cara,” he softly grounded out. “I’ll be back in two days. We’ll speak more about it then, okay? For now, I gotta go. Ari’s giving me the death stare.”

Two days. A mediated time for us to cool down and hopefully discuss this like normal, rational adults. He didn’t freak out, thank God. He seemed somewhat more ticked off, but not to the point of exploding. That was a good sign.

The heavy weight that had rested upon my chest finally lifted. All this time I had wasted on anxiety was for nothing. If he was displeased, he kept it to himself.

“All right, babe. Behave and don’t get too drunk, please.”

He scoffed as if he couldn’t believe I would advise such garbage. “What are you talking about, baby? I’m always well behaved,” he teased before adding with profound feeling, “I love you, petal.”

My heart skipped a beat. It never failed to do so each time I heard him say those three words.

Like the total besotted girl that I was, I grinned from ear-to-ear. “I love you, too, babe.”

Whatever qualms he had, he had to overcome them, just as I did with all his previous notoriety. To me, this was a job, and a job I intended to nail with everything I had.

My life was unraveling in ways I hadn’t deemed possible. Things were too good, too sweet, and the cynical part of me waited for the pin to drop and burst this bubble of happiness that I had been living in. I wasn’t sure why, but I somehow felt that sooner or later, hell would break loose and I best prepare myself not to drown once the shitstorm began.

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