Page 9

I shrugged. “He’s okay.”

“Ben says he likes you. And you two have been chatting away happily for the last half an hour.” She stopped to drain her vodka and cranberry, glancing in the direction of the bar. I couldn’t work out whether she was calculating how long she’d have to wait for her next drink or trying to work out how long she had left to interrogate me before they were back. Probably a mixture of the two. “It’s going to be great. We can go on lots of double dates…and—”

I placed my hand over her mouth. Years of experience had taught me it was the only way to successfully stop her when she was in mid-flow. Her eyebrows knit together in a frown.

I took my hand away before she could consider biting. “I think you’re getting way ahead of yourself. I’ve just met the guy. At least give me a chance to make my own mind up about him, rather than you making it up for me.” She looked suitably chastened. Whatever she’d been going to say next was thankfully stalled by the timely arrival of the two men with another round of drinks.

Another thing to be thankful for was that the short break seemed to have distracted Simon from the subject of his car. The conversation instead turned to films the four of us had seen recently. We were in the middle of a heated debate about which Marvel film was the best—Georgia’s crush on Robert Downey Junior meant her arguments were far from rational—when my phone rang. Even though it wasn’t a number I recognized, I answered it anyway. Georgia immediately directed a glare my way, like she felt personally insulted by my refusal to ignore the call. I shook my head as she mouthed, “You’re on a date,” and focused on the voice on the other end of the line.

“Is that Dean? Dean Griffiths?”

The voice didn’t sound familiar. “Speaking.”

“Hi, Dean. You came in to audition for us for a part in our new drama.”

“That’s right.” It had been a long audition: a lot of waiting around with what seemed like hundreds of other actors, all vying for the same role, only for the actual audition to be over and done with in less than ten minutes. I’d left there with a heavy heart, feeling like it had been a completely wasted day, and asking myself for the umpteenth time why I bothered. They’d filmed the audition, saying that they needed to review the tapes and they’d be in touch. But, I hadn’t held out much hope on hearing from them. Maybe they were going to ask me back for a second audition?

“We were very impressed with your audition.”

I sat up straighter in my chair, ignoring the feel of three pairs of eyes all fixed on me. “You were?”

“Definitely.”

“Great. So…” I let the sentence trail off, worried that if I was the one to mention the second audition, they’d suddenly announce I’d missed out on it by the skin of my teeth, and this was just a courtesy call to let me know how close I’d come.

“We’d like to offer you the part, if you’re still interested?”

“Are you sure? I mean, that’s great. Yes! Yes, I’m still interested.”

I vaguely listened, offering affirmations where they were needed, as contracts and scripts being mailed was discussed, and availability for shooting dates was checked. Of course, I was available. Anything else could go to hell. I didn’t say that, wanting to avoid coming across as desperate. I’d barely disconnected the call when I found myself enveloped in a bruising Georgia hug. I winced when she let out an excited squeal directly into my ear. “Oh my God! You got the part. I told you, you were a great actor. Now everyone will see you in this…this…” She pulled back slightly peering into my face. “What is it—advert, film, TV…what?”

I laughed. “TV. It’s a drama. It’s going to be on the BBC. Probably BBC2. But, still…it’s BBC.”

She squealed again. Luckily, that one was a bit farther away. I still had hope of leaving the bar with my hearing relatively intact. “Everyone will see you in this drama, and realize what a fantastic actor you are, and then you’ll be swamped with offers of work, and I’ll be able to show off and tell everyone I know you, and—”

“Georgia.” I pushed her away from me slightly. “It’s only three episodes. And it’s not a huge part. I’m not making a Hollywood film.” However, the fact I couldn’t even keep a huge grin off of my own face made somewhat of a lie out of my words.

She hugged me again. “You’re so talented!”

We broke apart to find the two men staring at us, a bemused look on both of their faces. Georgia immediately piped up. “He got an acting part.”

Benedict nodded. “We kind of worked that out. Well done.” Simon added his congratulations before I made my excuses and escaped to the bathroom.

I spent a while in there, calming myself down, and reminding myself that despite Georgia’s excitement and unwavering optimism, it really wasn’t a big part, probably no more than a couple of days shooting. And it wouldn’t necessarily lead to anything else. In fact, if I was awful in it, it could just as easily damage my fledgling acting career. But at least it was something. Certainly better than the many rejections I’d received lately. At least they’d liked me enough to give me a chance. Pep talk over, I was just washing my hands when Simon appeared in the mirror behind me.

I smiled, determined to be friendly. “Oh, hey. Sorry, have I been ages? You didn’t have to come looking for me. I was just on my way back out.”

Simon stepped close, a little too close if you ask me. He smelled of cheap cologne, and beer. I fought the overwhelming urge to take a step back. Funny, how he could spend thousands on hubcaps for a car but couldn’t fork out for a decent cologne. A pillow came to mind; one smelling of a much more pleasant cologne. I immediately felt guilty. It was entirely up to him how he spent his money. I was being judgmental. Again. For some reason, Simon seemed to bring it out in me.

If Simon noticed my discomfort, it didn’t seem to bother him. “I thought we could celebrate your good news.”

Glad of the excuse to put some distance between us, I took the few steps needed to get to the hand drier, sticking my wet hands underneath. “Sure! As I said, I was just on my way back. We can—” I stopped short at the sudden grin that appeared on his face. There was something off about it.

He stepped closer again. “You’re so cute. No, I meant celebrate!”

Frowning, I tried to work out what I was missing. I didn’t have too long to consider it before his hand landed in the center of my chest, and I found myself shoved backward into an empty cubicle, his intention becoming all too clear. Too taken by surprise to protest, I didn’t even open my mouth to speak until the door was already locked and I was crowded back against the wall. “Sorry, I…” My words were cut off when his lips crashed down on mine. Being so close, the cologne was overpowering. When his tongue dove in, I turned my head to the side, wrenching my mouth away.

“Not a big kisser? No worries.” He squashed our bodies together, rubbing his hardening crotch against my thigh. At the same time, his hand swooped down, tugging at my zipper.