The door flings open again, admitting Director Yun. His face burns a fine shade of crimson. “Well, this is a fucking fine day, isn’t it? Couldn’t the bastard have gotten caught before we started filming?” He slams his hands down on the desk and scans his remaining cast. “Dammit all!”
His flinty gaze meets mine, and he flinches. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Red. I didn’t mean to imply that illicit haze use is acceptable in any way.” He points, swinging his finger to include all the other actors. “I pay you all well enough to buy the legal versions, hear me?”
Everyone nods.
“Politics aside, we’re three quarters of the way through filming with a missing actor. We can’t have this kind of smear on our name, so I’ll have to recast James’s role or cancel the project. I wanted to hear from all of you before I decide. Either way, this will set us back by months.”
One of the main jockeys lifts his hand. “What do you forecast the impact will be on the movie if we don’t recast?”
“You mean leave Brad in it?” Valencio collapses into his chair at the head of the table with a sigh. “I hate to say it, but Brad’s whole shit show will probably bring our movie more attention. Especially if his trial aligns with the release schedule in any way. That’s been the case in similar situations in the past.” He shakes his head. “But I don’t want that kind of stain on our production team. More than that—” The director swivels his chair in my direction. “It’s not fair on Red to even ask her share a screen with a user.”
A lump lodges in my throat, and I nod gratefully to the man who took the biggest chance on my career. While the movie’s producers discuss the budget, I study my hands, trying to sort through my messy feelings. Leanne’s words about climbing out of a pit flit through my thoughts. It does seem like I’m always climbing up, straining to reach some level of normal that comes easily for everyone else.
No, not everyone.
Zack’s dragging himself up one new experience at a time, and even Callisto and Rickon face major challenges. Maybe we’re all climbing out of canyons but don’t realize it.
“I’d like to hear your thoughts, Red.”
I flinch and turn my attention back to the discussion. The director extends his open hand in my direction.
I suck on my cheeks, thinking it through. “Everyone probably knows there’s no love lost between me and Brad, but I’m not real keen on re-filming all the scenes we’ve done so far. ButI’m thinking that about half of James’s scenes weren’t close up.” I spread my hands to indicate the mid-distance filming. “If we got a new actor, could the technology handle face swapping everything that isn’t close?”
The director purses his lips, deep in thought before he finally nods. “Yeah, that could work. It might take me a few weeks to replace the actor, but we could use a body double for the sex scenes so we don’t hold up the filming schedule. If you’re willing?”
“Yes, that works for me.” Anyone’s better than Brad, although my stomach curls up at the idea of a stranger.
The main producer scrubs a hand over his face and groans. “But we still have final race scenes to film after. This could blow out massively by the time you get a new actor on board.”
I lift my hand tentatively. “Can we exit James from the story altogether?” I ask. “I mean, from this point forward so there’s less for the new actor to take on? Like, a good ol’ bus accident or something?” I smack the back of one hand into the other with a loud clap, miming the accident. “Poof! Poor grieving omega rides the last race with only Ethan holding her together.” I point to Sebastien, who plays the OCB agent Ethan Hulo, and he nods encouragingly.
“The viewers would understand why we did it, too,” Sebastien adds.
Valencio crosses his arms over his chest and hums. “We were trying not to deviate too much from the original story, but our contract does allow for creative license in the storytelling. But a main character getting run over by a bus is too obvious.”
True—even if I wished Brad himself would get squashed flat.
“We’ve already established James is an investor,” Rickon says. “What if he gets a call to go to a racing program overseas? The love scenes can be a bittersweet moment when they both know they’re saying goodbye but don’t say the words. Let Ashanafind out in a roundabout way and encourage him to pursue his dreams, just as she has. Then anything else we hear about James comes via a magazine article about his great overseas success or via letters. Ethan steps up to be Ashana’s primary supporter.”
Valencio rubs a line on his forehead, considering. He turns to the head screenwriter with a questioning lift of his brows.
The woman nods. “I can make that work. Nuanced rejection coupled with chasing one’s own dreams. Very thematic for Ashana’s journey.” She clicks her fingers a few times, tracing an invisible storyline. “And James has a proclivity for chasing success; that’s been established well.”
The director nods slowly, pursing his lips as his gaze settles on me again. “But we don’t have a body double for him. There was no need since he didn’t have any stunts and does his own sex scenes.”
I blow out a noisy breath. Of course that obnoxious brat wanted in on the shots that make his body look good. The good news is, I won’t have to see Brad ever again, let alone pretend to make love. The bad news is, a stranger doesn’t sound any better right now.
I glance at Rickon. This might be the only time I regret that he’s not wide-shouldered and muscled. I blink as my thoughts collide, sparking something new. What if it wasn’t a stranger, but someone I trusted?
“I know someone,” I murmur.
Other voices drown me out, the actors all discussing tweaks to the script and possible actor choices, but Valencio sees me speak. “Quiet now,” he orders, banging on the table. “What was that, Red?”
A shiver of excitement runs through me. Would it be possible? Should I even go there in the first place? But I can’t shake the reassuring feel of Callisto’s arm around me in the bed.
“Red?” Rickon repeats.
“I know someone,” I say. “Someone with a similar body type, but less muscled.”
