Page 1 of The Starlet
Chapter 1
Ugh!My head is pounding, and the light is too bright. I swat, hoping the sun gets a clue and goes behind a cloud or something. I need to stop going out with Caleb. I hope this boy gets out of his funk soon. I can’t stick around to watch him crash and burn. I know he’s upset over Cassandra, but he’s going to throw his career away if he continues on the route he’s going.
He needs to find a nice girl, one who won’t put up with his crap.Lord knows, I’ve had to deal with it enough. The rays of light filtering into my room dim a little, and I sigh in victory, winning this round against the evil sunlight.
I didn’t drink very much last night, but I still have a bit of a hangover this morning. I turn to look at the clock and contemplate if I really have to get up now or not. I want to roll over and sleep for another few hours. No such luck though. If I don’t get up now, I’ll be late and the studio will hate that.
Justine, my manager, called me last night, telling me the studio wants me to come down to read lines with the new potential Zach Petrov they found.Thank God!The last person I wanted as my love interest was Marcus Gordon.
Marcus is nice enough to the general public, but he treats his female co-stars like shit. Or so I’ve heard. When he signed on to be my love interest inKeep Her Safe,I was dreading it. I even tried to throw his audition by giving a crappy performance, but they thought that just added to the character dynamic. We begin shooting in just over a month, and Marcus decided to drop out of the project for, as he so eloquently put it, “more serious roles.”Good, one less asshole I have to deal with.
That was last week, and they have been struggling to find a new Zach since. The back-up actor for the position is on location in Greece and won’t be back in time, and they have been auditioning actors left and right. When Justine called me to come in and read lines, she told me they think he’s the one. She couldn’t remember his name; although, anyone has to be better than Marcus.
I take a fast shower, pulling my hair on top of my head to avoid the spray, and pull on a light blue sundress and a pair of Tory Burch flip flops. I add a splash of makeup to my face and let my loose, blonde waves fall down my back. One quick glance in the mirror and I’m off, weaving my way through L.A. traffic. It’s late enough in the morning that a lot of the traffic has died down, but this is L.A. There is no such thing asnotraffic.
After pulling into a parking spot at the studio, I grab my phone and race inside. I glance at the girl behind the counter. She’s so busy with the phones, she doesn’t even notice me. I make my way to the back rooms, figuring someone will spot me. They wanted me here sooner than this, but I told Justine I couldn’t make it until nine-thirty due to prior obligations. He was six-feet-one-inch of pure masculinity, and I had a hard time pulling myself away from him last night. He was a mistake that happened a few weeks ago, and I just can’t seem to learn from it.
I see Justine waiting impatiently for me as I round the corner.
“How was your prior obligation?” she asks, trying to keep her smile at bay.
“You know I don’t kiss and tell, Justine.” I grin at her as she shakes her head.
“Well, everyone is here, including Bradley Mathas. He’s the one they want, but they want to see what your chemistry is like together.”
“Is he cute?” I ask, punching her lightly in the upper arm, wiggling my brows.
Her sly smile is all I need to confirm it. I step through the doors and lock eyes with one of the most beautiful men I’ve laid eyes on in a long time—including Mister Prior Obligation. My heart skips a beat as I take in his form. He’s tall. Much taller than my five-foot-five frame, with dark hair, dark eyes, and a medium build. He’s muscular, there is no question about that; he’s just not as jacked as some men get.Please, let this man get the part!
Joe is standing next to him and clears his throat. I snap my attention to him, offering a sly smile.
“Joe, wonderful to see you again,” I say as I flip my hair behind my shoulders. I take a few steps toward him, and he closes the gap.
“Hey, Elena, thanks so much for coming in today.” He pulls me in for a quick hug.
“You know I’d do anything for you, Joe.”
He places his hand on the small of my back and motions toward Bradley. “Well, let me introduce you to Bradley Mathas.”
Bradley takes a step closer and extends his hand. “Elena Conners. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The deep timbre of his voice sends a shiver down my spine. I take his hand in mine, and he gives it a gentle squeeze. “Likewise.” I smile.
“All right, let me get you the scene, Elena, and we can get the show on the road.” Joe walks to the small table and retrieves the paper before handing it to me.
I look over the scene he wants me to perform, and I have to laugh to myself.Of course, they would choose this one.To be fair, this is the exact scene I would choose, too, if I wanted to check on someone’s chemistry together. We get into position. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and get into Sofia’s head.
I open them and glare at Bradley. “You can’t treat me like this. I’m not your damn prisoner, Zach.”
“You’re whatever you need to be. Right now, consider me your warden. I promised the Donatos,your brother, I would keep you safe. If that means I have to keep you under my watchful eye at all times, so be it. Now, get ready for dinner. I have a meeting I can’t miss.”
“The only person that’ll need protection around here is you!” I try to storm off, but he grabs my upper arm, pulling me back to him.
His voice is low, almost like a growl, and our eyes remain locked with each other. “You have two options: submit to me and survive, or don’t and die. Do you really want to test the theory on the second one?”
His eyes flick down to my lips and back up again. I pull my arm free from his grasp and straighten my spine. “What should I wear for dinner tonight,Warden?” I seethe, the sarcasm dripping like venom.
He takes a step toward me, so our chests are practically touching, and tucks some loose hair behind my ear. My heart is fluttering in my chest, and the close proximity is making it difficult to breathe.