Mick frowned. What on earth does her birthday have to do with anything? “So?”
“So you need to be back for that.”
“Don’t you tell me what to do.”
Deuce smiled. “It’s not about me, Mick. It’s about Roz. What are you gonna tell Roz?”
“What is this her business? This is my business, and I handle my business my way.”
Deuce shook his head. “And you wonder why your marriage has always been in trouble. How in the world does Roz put up with you? You’ll never change.”
If that were true, Mick thought, then it was a serious indictment against his character. A serious indictment.
“That’s Mrs. Sinatra to you,” he said to Deuce, got up from behind his desk, and then made his way out of his office again.
Deuce wanted to smile and make light of Mick’s little comment, but the reality of the situation was nothing to take lightly.
Because they both knew what those DNA results meant.
If Ron Toscano wasn’t Dorian Toscano’s father, then that meant, if Bella was to be believed, that only one other man was.
Mick thought his marriage was in trouble before now. Deuce, who loved Roz, could only imagine what it was going to be after Rome.
No sir, he thought as he made his way out of Mick’s office. It was no laughing matter at all.
CHAPTER SIX
An hour later and Roz, along with two of her co-stars, were at a popular coffee shop a block down from their rehearsal hall when Kelly Cochran, the director of the latest revival of Edward Albee’sWho’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe, walked in. As he began making his rounds from table to table and talking with various Broadway insiders who were also having lunch at the café, he immediately caught the attention of Roz’s table. They were actors in his latest play. He was their director.
But for Roz, he caught her attention simply because she liked Kelly. He gave her the lead role in his big production when no other director would have even considered her. Like Kelly, she was African-American for one thing, when the lead role was designed for a white actress. And for another thing, the latest trend on Broadway was to cast the youngest actresses with the most social media followers to play every major role no matter the age of the character. Roz was not even on social media, was no kind of influencer, and had no intentions of becoming one. Kelly bucked the trend when he cast Roz.
But the reason he immediately caught the attention of her two younger co-stars had nothing to do with work. They were young and beautiful social media influencers who had no problem finding work. They were drawn to the man himself.
“Gorgeous as all get-out,” said Meg, the older of her two co-stars. “I’m a white girl from Nebraska who grew up in an all-white community, but I know fine when I see it. And that black man right there is fine as pure wine with no chaser needed thank you very much.”
Roz laughed. “You need to quit.”
“He’s not my cup of tea, but he’s fine. I’ll give him, that,” said Leslie, the younger of the co-stars. “But he’s a little too old for me, and too flirty for my taste. Especially towards you, Roz.”
“Ah that’s just Kelly,” said Roz, dismissing her concern. “He likes to kid around all the time. That’s why I enjoy working for him. He keeps it light and easy. We’ve known each other for years.”
“Are you two friends then?” asked Leslie.
“I would say so, yes.”
“With benefits?” asked Meg.
“Girl bye!” Roz said, and they all laughed. Roz sipped her tea.
“Does that really work?”
“Does what really work?” Roz realized she was looking at her cup of tea. “Oh that. It works for me. I’ve got to keep my voice together when I’m doing these major roles, and I’ve got that scene coming up where Martha lets George have it after a long night of boozing. If my voice starts cracking, I’ll lose the power she’s trying to project. I’ll lose that advantage.”
“You still didn’t answer Meg’s question,” said Leslie. “Are the two of you friends with benefits?”
“I didn’t answer it because it goes without saying. I’m a married woman. There are no benefits over here.”
“I’ll tell you what,” said Meg, still staring at Kelly, “I’d take that benefit any day of the week.”
