by Holly Jaymes
I went home to my upper East side penthouse condominium and changed into running clothes and a running hat. I exited my building and went across the street to run along the river and through the park. It was early summer so it was hot and humid, but I welcomed the heat. As the sweat poured out of me, I hoped all the toxic thoughts and abhorrent behavior was flowing out of me with it.
Exhausted, I stopped, taking off my hat and running my fingers through my soaking wet hair from my sweat. Not wanting to be recognized, I put the hat back on, and with my head down, walked back towards my condo building.
I entered the building and made my way to the elevator. I got there just in time as the doors were open. I stepped in and then almost immediately stepped back out when I saw Madeline standing there.
“Are you stalking me now?” The minute I said it, I knew it was an idiot question.
She arched a brow. “You’re the one following me.”
“I live here. What’s your excuse?” The door shut behind me, so I had no choice but to ride up with her. I looked over at the buttons and noted she had pressed for the eighth floor. I reached over and pressed the button for the twentieth.
“I’m staying with my sister. She lives here.”
I stepped into the opposite corner, leaning back against the wall. Then remembering what she did to me earlier, my hands automatically drifted down covering my family jewels. My running shorts did very little to protect them from a woman who threatened to break them.
She must’ve understood what was going on because she smirked and said, “If you think I have any interest in your dick, you’re sadly mistaken. I suppose that’s a first for you, isn't it?”
I was supposed to be apologizing but she wasn’t making it easy. I was really irked that she was tossing my playboy ways in my face. I didn’t know why, especially since having a reputation as a playboy at one point was welcome. But today, I wanted to be taken seriously. I wasn’t where I was just because I had a pretty face and a great body. At least that wasn’t what I wanted. “Should I judge you by your past as well?”
Her eyes narrowed and I was certain that if she could fire lasers from them, I’d be toast. “Isn’t that what this test today was about? You are judging me by my past. Did you expect an eleven-year-old girl with pigtails and buck teeth to walk in?”
Fuck. She was right again. I shifted uncomfortably as that unsettling feeling moved through my gut again. “I’m told I should apologize to you for today.”
She laughed derisively. “Don’t hurt yourself. Besides, if someone has to tell you to apologize, how authentic can it be?”
I was beginning to think there was no way I'd be able to redeem myself in her eyes. As much as we needed to maintain that push and pull, it really bothered me that she thought I was an asshole. Maybe I did an asshole thing, but that didn’t mean I was an asshole deep down. At least I hoped not.
I looked down, giving myself a moment to get my thoughts right and hopefully to figure out how to articulate myself in a way that sounded sincere.
I lifted my head and took a breath. “I am sorry for how I behaved today.”
She shrugged. “I know how it is in this business.”
I frowned but what I got hung up on wasn’t that she was comparing me to other men in this business, it was her saying that she knew how it was in this business. She was only eleven when she left so how could she know?
She laughed but it was a sad sort of laugh. “People in power try to take advantage of children too, Mr. Wolfe.”
My heart slammed hard in my chest at the idea of an adult taking advantage of a child.
“I was never touched inappropriately, if that’s what you’re thinking. But don’t think it doesn’t exist. I was lucky to have a forceful mother and two powerful parents in the industry, so I wasn’t getting my ass grabbed back then. But I also know that when somebody has control of your career, that’s an awesome power that can be abused and often is.”
I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I wanted to assure her that that kind of thing wouldn’t happen with me, except I knew it already had, sort of. My goal hadn’t been to sneak my hands on her, but I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t manipulating her to see what she was made of and if she could carry this part. But I’d gone about it the wrong way and the guilt at that made me very uncomfortable. I wanted to tell her that but I was pretty sure she wouldn’t hear it or wouldn't believe me. My only choice was to show her while working with her.
“If you’re worried, I’m not going to sue or make any kind of fuss at your firing me. After all, I wouldn’t want to be viewed as difficult to work with.”
It was like she had a knife sunken into my chest and was twisting it as she brought up all the sordid, nasty, rotten ways people in power acted in the entertainment business.
“I think we both know that what I wanted was to know that you could inhabit Nicolette. And we both know that you absolutely nailed it. You can stop worrying about being fired. And you can be sure that I will be more careful in the future when trying to elicit a response…” Shit. That wasn't the right way to say that. “What I mean is in acting.”
She studied me for a moment, then the car stopped and the doors opened. “Then I guess I’ll see you in a week or so.”
I nodded. “I’ll see you the first day of the shoot.”
She exited the elevator car and I sagged back against the wall, hoping I hadn’t said something to fuck this all up again.
I rode the rest of the way up to my penthouse, stripping my clothes off on the way to the shower. I stood under the cool spray, replaying my conversation with her at the test today as well as in the elevator. As much as I needed to maintain that tension between us, I couldn’t shake the need for her to know that I wasn’t going to be a jerk. I didn’t want her to be apprehensive or feel like she was walking into a hostile or dismissive environment. Too much push was bad for chemistry too.
Once I finished cleaning, I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and then went and grabbed a bottle of wine from my wine rack. I picked up the phone and called the building manager, making up a story about how I needed to get a hold of Madeline who was staying with her sister on the eighth floor. One of the perks of being famous was that for some reason I could get private information that I wouldn’t have necessarily gotten as a regular person. The manager gave me the condo number and I proceeded out back into the elevator, pushing the button for the eighth floor, and hoping I’d be able to strike the right balance of push and pull between Madeline and I for the duration of this movie shoot.
The Real Theo Wolfe?
Madeline
I hurried from the elevator and into the apartment. Closing the door and leaning against it, I let out my breath in a long whoosh. My second meeting with Theo had gone nearly as bad as the first. He apologized for his behavior, but was it sincere? Was he really sorry about being a jerk? Or was he just trying to make nice?
I didn’t get the feeling that he’d come to like me as a co-star when I left, so it was possible, even likely, that Corrine and Jon had told him to be nice to me. Hadn’t Theo said it himself in the elevator?
“I’m told I should apologize to you for today.”
It couldn’t be authentic if someone had to point out to him that he owed me an apology. Yet at the same time, he did make an attempt. This movie was important to him, but it was also extremely important to me and my comeback. So I would need to accept it at face value.
The next issue I had to deal with was that he lived in the same building. He was on the twentieth floor which meant he was in one of the penthouses. I wondered if I used a different elevator if I would have a better chance of avoiding him in the future. The other option would be for me to find my own place, but I wasn’t quite financially stable enough to do that. I was grateful to Nadine for allowing me to stay with her. She had a nice condo in a great location, which made my life infinitely better than if I had to go it on my own.
I pushed away from the door and m
ade my way to the guest bedroom. I took off my clothes, laying them on the bed, then I went into the bathroom and got in the shower to wash off the day’s frustration and the feel of Theo’s hand imprint near my butt.
I went through a mantra of reminding myself that I was lucky to have this job. Any other job I’d have, probably would have some element of entitled man-handling lurking about somewhere. Someone else might have fired me on the spot for calling him out, but Theo took it, and while he might have needed urging to apologize, he seemed to accept that he needed to do better.
When I got out of the shower, I threw on some yoga pants with a t-shirt and an oversized button-down shirt over it. I left my hair up in the same messy knot I had put it in when I got in the shower to keep it from getting wet.
I was hungry, but I wasn’t one for making meals. In fact, I was a terrible cook. I found some crackers and cheese. I added a few grapes to the plate and got a bottle of sparkling water. I sat on the couch, overlooking the river, and was studying my lines when there was a knock at the door. I didn’t think it was my sister because she wouldn’t have forgotten her keys. Plus, she said she had something going on tonight. Of course, she could have run home for something, but still, it couldn’t be her.
And it wouldn’t have been a guest, as I would have been notified by the front desk. Curious, I went to the door, looking through the peephole.
Theo?
What was he doing here? I contemplated not opening, but he knew I was here and I didn’t want to appear petty. So with a deep breath to help put my guard up, I turned the knob and opened the door.
He held up a bottle of wine. “I’m going to get this apology right at some point. Here’s my next attempt.”
“You did an adequate job in the elevator,” I said.
“You’re just saying that to try and get rid of me. I brought a peace offering. Maybe we can sit and talk. This movie is important to both of us, and I’d like to try and get us back onto the right track.”
I leaned against the doorframe. I wasn’t not going to let him in. But I wasn’t going to make it easy either. Theo had a reputation, and while I didn’t think he was here to seduce me sexually, he might have been trying to smooth-talk his way into making me less difficult.
“Our characters in the movie don’t like each other, at least at first. So maybe it’s not such a bad thing that we don’t get along,” I said.
He nodded and smiled affably, as if he wasn’t bothered that I wasn’t inviting him in. “That’s true. But as you know, we don’t shoot scenes in order. There are parts of the movie where we’re supposed to get along well. Very well. If you know what I mean.” His eyebrows waggled suggestively.
I knew exactly what he meant. There were several scenes in this movie that were highly intimate. I would have to look at him like I wanted him to touch every inch of me with his hands and tongue, and in some scenes, I had to act like I was in love with him. And of course, he would have to do the same with me.
I knew he could look at me with a lecherous gleam in his eyes, because he’d done that when I arrived this morning. But, maybe he was right. If we could have some sort of truce, we would be able to have that balance between having sexual chemistry and animosity that was needed for the characters. So I opened the door and gestured with my arm for him to enter.
“I hope you’re not hungry, because I don’t cook. I do have cheese and crackers that might go well with this wine.” I took the wine from him, noting the California label. I wasn’t a wine aficionado, but I suspected this one had a fairly decent price tag and so would probably taste pretty good.
I went to the kitchen area and found two wine glasses and a corkscrew. Theo had wandered over to the large window and took in the view of the river.
As I worked to get the cork out of the bottle, I occasionally glanced at him. I could definitely see why women threw themselves at him. From the back, he had broad shoulders that tapered down to narrow hips. His jeans looked well-worn, and made his ass look squeezable. I wondered how he’d feel if I turned the tables.... I shook my head. Most men didn’t mind if a woman touched them.
I brought the glasses of wine to the living area, handing him one and putting mine on the coffee table. I went back for the refilled plate of cheese, crackers and grapes, setting them on the table as well.
“So, how long have you lived here?” he asked as he made himself comfortable on the couch.
I sat in one of the other chairs, tucking my feet under me. I took a sip of my wine, studying him over the rim of my glass before answering.
“I haven’t been here very long at all. But my sister has lived here for a year or so.” I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he’d seen Nadine here in the building and what he thought of her. I knew they’d never spent any time together, because Nadine would have said something about it. She had a tendency to avoid celebrity types in her personal life. Like me, she had seen celebrity marriages and relationships just didn’t work. Not only did she have a front-seat view of our parents’ disastrous marriage, but also, as an entertainment lawyer, she saw it in her clients even though she didn’t do divorces or those types of disputes. Her clients were frequently involved in personal dramas they felt compelled to share with her. She never gave me details, because that would be unethical, but she did often tell me that Mom and Dad were the norm when it came to celebrity relationships.
“Is she in the business too?” he asked, sipping his wine.
“Not exactly. She’s an entertainment lawyer.”
“So why are you back?”
I guessed he wanted to get to the nitty-gritty of my life and why I was back, and in his movie. I realized that while he was being friendly, and telling me he wanted to get to know his co-star, in reality, this was likely more of the same. I was still auditioning.
“I tried to stay away and have a normal life, but as it turns out, I like acting and I miss doing it.” I considered telling him that I thought I was good at it, but he’d just think I was being conceited.
“There’s lots of ways to act without coming into the movie business again,” he said.
I wondered what he was getting at. Why not come back into the movie business? “I like the movies.”
“So, you never thought about television or theater?” he asked, reaching over to get a piece of cheese and a cracker.
I wanted to tell him to mind his own business. I wanted to tell him that if he didn’t want me in his movie, to just say so to my face or fire me. Trying to convince me I made a mistake and might be better suited to other acting options wasn’t going to work.
“I like television. I got my start there. And I even like the theater, although I don’t have much experience there. But I much prefer movies. I think maybe I have a little bit of acting ADHD. I like to do short-term projects where I can immerse myself into the character, and then a couple months later, move on to something entirely new. With theater and TV, it’s a lot of the same over a longer period of time. Not that I’m not open to those opportunities, but my preference is film.”
He nodded, like he understood.
I decided it was my turn to play twenty-questions. “You’re at the top of your game. Why start a production company?”
“I suppose it’s for some of the same reasons you like film. I want to be involved in different aspects of the industry to keep things interesting. Plus, I can’t act like this forever. If I diversify my skills, I’ll have a longer career in the industry. Finally, it gives me control over the projects I’m in and how they’re produced.”
This was the first time, since I met him this morning, that I felt he was sincere. I was catching a glimpse of the real Theo Wolfe.
I actually considered pulling out a second bottle of wine as Theo and I finished the one he brought. As it turned out, Theo was an interesting person to talk to. And I was getting a lot of insight into how the film industry had changed over the last fifteen years since I left. However, it seemed like a dangerous idea to get too tipsy with
Theo Wolfe around. I actually wasn’t very concerned that he might make a move on me, but booze had a way of lowering inhibitions, and as the wine made me loose and relaxed, I was noticing all the fine parts of Theo Wolfe.
He finished his last bit of wine. Setting the glass down on the table, he stood up. “Well, I guess I should be going.”
The fact that I was a little disappointed told me that it was absolutely a good idea that he got going. “Let me show you out.”
I stood and walked with him to the door. He opened it and stepped into the hallway, turning to look at me. “Thank you for the crackers and cheese.”
“You're welcome.” I leaned against the door jamb like I had when he arrived. “So is my audition finally done? Do I have the part or not?”
He arched a brow and looked at me as if he hadn’t been expecting that question. “The audition was done before today.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m not sure how you got the impression that I was still interviewing or auditioning you because you have the job already. Today was just about seeing how we work together.”
I rolled my eyes. “Let’s be honest now, Theo.”
He gave me a smirk. “I like how you always say exactly what you’re thinking. Yes, there was a part of me that was concerned if we would work well together. You more than proved yourself and even taught me a thing or two in the process.”
I wasn’t sure what I taught him about acting, but maybe I taught him something about manners.
“This movie has some touchy-feely scenes and I don’t want to do anything that is going to make you uncomfortable, so I’m thinking maybe we’ll need to talk through those scenes to make sure we’re on the same page.”
I was a little surprised by his comment. And warmed by it. “I understand what the scenes are and that there can be a little bit of interpretation. But if choreography can help out, I can do that too.” All of a sudden, I realized that as a child actress, I’d never done a love scene. The idea that I was about to pretend to make love to someone on screen sent a scary chill down my back.