Page 17 of The Starlet
“Well, thanks for trying to be sneaky by sending it to my room instead of yours.” She smirks.Damn! I’ve been caught.
I smile back a full-toothed, cheesy grin. “Night, Elena. See you tomorrow morning on set.”
“Night, Bradley. Thanks again.”
* * *
“No!You can’t do this to me, Antonio. I’m not leaving.” She crosses her arms and juts her hip out.
“You will, and youare. We have a deal worked out,piccola. Zach’s promised to keep you safe while we figure out who is trying to bring us down. Please, understand this is the last thing I want to do, but I can’t let anything happen to you.”
“I’ll stay with Luca. He’ll keep me safe.”
Caleb scoffs, “That man would run from the first sign of danger. I don’t know what you see in him.”
I walk into the scene, and she glares at me.I know it’s all acting, but if looks could kill, I’d be fucked.“Am I interrupting?”
“Yes.” She appraises me from head to toe. “My brother’s insane if he thinks I’m going anywhere withyou.”
I close the distance between us, my six-one frame looming over her. “You’re insane if you think you’re staying here. I’ve met Luca Deleccio, and I can promise you, if these people know you’re with him, you’ll both be dead within a week.”
She steps closer, the tips of her shoes touching mine, her chest mere centimeters away. The fire smolders behind her hazel eyes. “You can’t keep me from my boyfriend.”
I raise my eyebrow and scoff, “Watch me.”
“Cut. That was great,” Joe announces. “Can I get a playback?” I step away from her, putting some much-needed space between us. She frowns but makes no attempt to come closer. Every time she’s close now, I fight the urge to pull her to me or bury my nose in her neck.
The crew talk amongst one another as Joe watches the playback with his headphones in place. Cristina brings me some water, which I happily accept, chugging half of it in one swallow. I glance over at Caleb, and he’s looking at his phone, ignoring everyone.
I lift my chin in his direction. “What’s wrong with him? He’s been pissy all day.”
Elena looks over her shoulder to see who I’m talking about and then looks back at me. “He did something stupid and can’t fix it at the moment. This is his way of sulking. He’ll be fine. She gives him a run for his money.”
My face lights up in understanding. “Ah. A girl. Say no more.” I pause, thinking for a moment. “Wait, is it that girl from the club? Quinn?”
She nods. “The same one.”Well, I’ll be damned. Caleb has finally met his match.
“All right, everyone. Let’s reset and take it from the top. I want to do it one more time just to make sure.”
I walk back to my starting position and watch Elena and Caleb take their spots. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and is in character as soon as she opens them. I can see the subtle change in the way she stands and the fire in her eyes. I’m in awe watching her. I’ve never seen someone get into character the way she does. She notices me watching her and makes a funny face, then sticks her thumb on the tip of her nose and wiggles her fingers as she sticks her tongue at me. I smile and laugh quietly before clearing my throat.
We run through the scene again, and it’s perfect, just like the last take.
“Let’s break for lunch. When we get back, we’ll set up for the kissing scene.”
I lock eyes with her and wiggle my eyebrows. She smiles as a pink tinge colors her cheeks. “My my, Elena. Are you blushing?” I tease. “I promise I won’t eat tuna or garlic for lunch.” I make an X over my heart with my index finger.
“That’s good, but I can’t promise you’ll be as lucky.” This girl really likes to bust my balls. I smile to myself. It’s nice, actually; I haven’t had this type of connection with a woman since Jasmine. Not that I’ve spent a lot of time dating, but still, I like it.
“You’re a ball buster, aren’t you?”
“I have to keep you on your toes.” She smirks.Don’t worry, you are. I just wish I could tell you exactly what you do to me.
Chapter 11
We walkside by side to the catering tent, and I pick up a salad with chicken and a slice of pita bread. My stomach is in knots thinking about the upcoming scene. It’s not that I haven’t done a kissing scene before—far from it. It’s just, things with Bradley are different.
I’ve never been able to joke around with a co-star like this—except for Caleb—but even that’s not the same. My relationship with Caleb is more of a brother/sister type. He annoys me, I annoy him, but we have each other’s backs when needed. Bradley and I just… click. We can joke and laugh together, and he’s easy to be around.He’s not bad on the eyes either.