I pull the headshot she brought to the audition from my bag.
I quickly skirt over the fact that she’s beautiful. Who isn’t, in this business? She has that indefinable quality you can’t teach, can’t Botox or artificially enhance into existence. She was born with it and has cultivated it, and now it’s come to my attention.
And I’m going to use it.
Someone taps on my door.
“Uh-huh,” I grunt, reaching for the bottle of water Graham always stocks in my office.
“You’re back.”
If there was ever a picture of Hollywood privilege, it would be my production partner Evan. Bronze- and gold-streaked hair falling in perfect-cut waves. Year-round tan. Chiseled bone structure and tall, lean frame. Even though he has a Hollywood pedigree dating all the way back to the heyday of MGM and RKO and the studio system, he set out to make a name and fortune for himself. He probably didn’t think it would be with the kid from Lemon Grove, but you never know how life will mix it up.
“My dude,” he says, walking farther into the office and dapping me up. “Welcome home. I thought you were doing the film festival and coming right back.”
Holding his smoothie in one hand, he plucks Neevah’s headshot from my desk, raising his brows and slanting me a knowing glance, even though he doesn’t know shit. “I can see how you might have gotten a little… distracted.”
“It ain’t like that.” I grab the photo and toss it onto my desk. “I mean, I did stay longer to audition Neevah, but… it ain’t like that.”
“It better not be. We can’t afford anotherPrimal.”
“If I hear one more word about that damn movie.” I sit and take a long draw of my water.
“Believe me. You getting fired from a huge movie over pussy is the last thing I want to discuss.”
“Evan.” His name is a guttural warning in my throat.
“And you better hope it doesn’t come back to bite us that you didn’t at least allow Camille to audition.”
“Auditioning Camille would have been a steaming pile of wasted time. We all know I would never cast her—certainly not after what she did, but probably not even before. She’s not right for Dessi.”
“You injured her pride.”
“What aboutmypride? Getting fired from a movie I could have directed with my eyes closed because we had a bad breakup? Are you fucking kidding me? What good would it have done to go through the motions like she even had a chance at the role?”
“We’ve seen Camille has a vindictive streak. Just saying… hope it doesn’t streak all over us. Turning down one of Hollywood’s hottest names right now, we better cast this right.”
“Neevahisright.”
“I haven’t seen you this set on a particular actress this way… well, ever,” he says, taking the seat across from me. “Don’t make the same mistake again. You aren’t—”
“Dating her?” I finish for him through tight lips.
“I was gonna say fucking her because I know you aren’t really the dating type, which was why you dating Camille was such a—”
“At some point in this conversation, should we discuss the fact that I found the actress we’ve been searching six months for? Or you gonna just keep talking about useless shit that won’t make us any money?”
“I’m not sure youhavefound the actress we need forDessi Blue.”
I take a long draw from the water bottle, cooling my aggravation because you never win a fight with Evan being ruled by emotion. “You saw her audition tape?”
“I did.”
“You watched the reel her agent sent?”
“Yup. Man, that girl can sing. Gorgeous, too.”
“And?”
