"Ah, well, I'm actually a professional actor," Sean bragged, leaning harder into his forearms on the tabletop. "You might know me from my commercial work." He winked and continued, "Thought this would be a great way to expand my portfolio, you know?" Was this guy for real?
As the conversation went on, Megs caught the eye of a waiter and ordered a Coke. When she turned to take the glass from him, she spotted Gideon laughing across the room, and her heart skipped a beat. He looked absolutely stunning in his tailored suit, his dark hair combed back instead of mussed like she was used to seeing it.
An electric shiver ran down her spine, and for a second she imagined herself grabbing her drink and sliding in next to him. She saw the smile he’dhave on his face, the same one he’d worn when he helped her hobble to the car while holding her snapped sandal.
Gideon looked up, and their eyes met for a brief moment before Megs snapped her head back to the contestants at her table, hoping they didn’t notice her flushed cheeks.
“What about you, Megs?” Melissa asked.
She took a sip of Coke. “I need the money.”
Sean coughed a laugh. “Honesty. That’s hot.”
Megs gave a flirtatious shrug, and just like that, she’d dropped into her role. Flirty. Brazen. Say-it-how-it-is. This was just another character she was playing for the night.
"Attention, everyone!” A deep voice lifted above the chatter, followed by the clinking of a glass. Megs turned and took in the man standing at the head of the table they were about to dine at.
It was Oscar Calloway. She knew this not only because of his social media profiles but because of how commanding his presence was. The way his lips were pulled into a half smile and his hand was slung into the pocket of his tailored slacks. This man knew he was important.
“Before we settle in for dinner, I wanted to thank each of you for submitting auditions and showing up tonight. This has been an adventure for me and my team, and I’m so glad we took the plunge.”
He nodded to two women standing together in the back corner at a table littered with electronics. They must be the said members of his team, probably recording portions of the night for his social media.
“I also wanted to give a bit of insight into our upcoming events and coaching session," Oscar continued. "First, there’s a copy of my book—signed—for each of you on the far table. You’ll have some reading assignments throughout the competition that I hope will help you connect more with the material. Second, I’ve put you all into smaller groups. I felt that would be more conducive to receiving personalized feedback in our coaching session.”
Megs’ pulse quickened when she felt Gideon’s eyes on her from across the room. He was standing next to someone, a blond-haired woman who was standing a bit too close to be a complete stranger.
Oscar flashed a winning smile. "I've made seating assignments accordingly, so you can get to know your fellow actors during dinner. You'll find your name cards at your designated seat, so please take a look, and let's enjoy this fabulous meal together!" Oscar gestured grandly toward the elegantly set table.
Megs followed the others, her eyes scanning for her name card. She secretly hoped she’d end up next to Sean. Even though he was a grade-A jerk, she knew how to handle men like that. She was good at feeding egos, and that would be a lot easier than staying silent because she was seated across from someone who wasn’t a talker.
The room buzzed with a newfound energy as people milled about, searching for their places. When she spotted her name, Megs stopped and picked up her card, then glanced at the one next to it. Her heart skipped a beat.
“Looks like we’re sitting next to each other.” Gideon put his hands on the back of his chair.
“Looks like it, Professor.”
Twelve
Gideon’s eyes shuttered.“You don’t need to call me that here.” His voice was low, but somehow it cut through the clinking of glasses, the scooting chairs, and the chatter of voices, and hit her like a sandbag. Megs felt as if a hand reached inside her and yanked her insides toward the floor.
Before she could clear her head enough to respond, the woman Gideon had been standing with popped up across from them and stuck out her hand across the table. “Hi! I’m Alli.”
Megs smiled and shook it. “Megs.” It didn’t escape her that Alli didn’t introduce herself to Gideon.
“Ah, here we are.” Oscar Calloway swooped in next to Alli and pulled out her chair, then sat down in the chair opposite Megs. She glanced down the table and found Sean, Melissa, and Layla near the end. There were only sixteen people including the two women who seemed to be part of Calloway’s staff.
Megs sat next to Gideon. A woman in a sweater dress and her hair swept up in a claw clip sat on her other side.
“Is this our group?” Alli asked, pointing at Megs and Gideon.
“That it is.” Oscar grinned, pulled his napkin from the table, and spread it over his lap. “There are thirteen finalists. We have three groups of three and one group of four.”
Megs’ heart started to race. She needed to tell Oscar. If they had one group of four, that would be perfect. That one extra contestant could slide in and take her place in the group with Alli and Gideon.
“Oscar—”
“I think this worked perfectly, Gideon. I’m glad you let me know about the conflict.” Oscar was already talking and didn’t hear her say his name.
