He wasn't wrong. She knew that they were close, but they weren't there yet. Despite all of the practice, this was still a tough play and even tougher song and dance numbers. The entire crew had yet to come together as a cohesive unit, but she knew that the moment that happened, it would be perfection.
"Want to grab a drink?" Clara, one of the other actresses on the show, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, walking them over to the craft services table. "After practice tonight? I could certainly use some time to unwind."
Simone nodded, grabbing a bottle of water and taking a long swig. "That sounds fun. I need to get out more often. I've been a hermit ever since…"
She trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. She wasn't about to admit to her coworkers that she'd been sleeping with their musical director for almost a month until he up and left for another country. Hell, she knew better than to tarnish her reputation. They'd been careful to keep their romance away from work, so even though her family knew, and a few close friends, no one from set had figured out their involvement.
"Since what?" Clara pried.
"Nothing." Simone shrugged. "I've just had a bit of a dry spell lately."
"Ooh!" Clara clapped her hands together. "We can go out and pick up guys. I'm a great wing woman."
Simone shook her head. "I don't think I'm ready to date right now."
"Who said anything about dating?" Clara teased. "I'm just talking about for tonight."
Simone laughed, but there was no way. She wasn't a hook-up type of girl, despite the way her romance with Grant had started. It just wasn't in her blood. She needed commitment and feelings, and all of hers were still tangled up in Grant. "Maybe soon, but not today."
Despite not being ready today, she wasn't going to stay celibate forever. She knew she needed to move on from Grant eventually, but he'd only just left a few days ago. Hell, she could still smell his shampoo on her pillow cases. She definitely needed more time.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Pulling it out, she read Grant's name.
Good night, beautiful.
The time difference between them put them on opposite schedules, but he had yet to miss a single night where he wished her goodnight, or a single morning where he wished her good morning. It was sweet and made her feel all warm and fuzzy, but as much as that made her smile, she also hated it.
It was impossible to move on when he was gone…and yet, wasn't.
Good night, Grant. She sent a quick text back, and then added a kissing emoji. She needed to stop and just not respond, but…today wasn't that day.
"Let's get back on set. We're going back to the start of the second act," the director called out.
Simone quickly finished her bottle of water and then tossed it in the trash. Today was going to be a long day, but, still, she loved every moment of it.
As hard as the last few weeks had been with her father's memorial and Grant leaving, her work had been the one thing to keep her grounded. Going on stage and being someone entirely different was exactly what she needed. Every one of her problems disappeared for those few minutes, and she was only there to dazzle the audience. She was only there to tell someone else's story.
She'd been worried when she first took this role that acting wouldn't be for her. She was a singer—and that's where her passion always would lie. But at the same time, she'd fallen in love with the freedom of stepping into someone else's shoes, even if only for a little while.
Simone would go home tonight and sleep alone. She would miss Grant and wonder what she was doing with her life. But Lilli, the lead in Kiss Me, Kate? She'd be on stage and damn happy driving Fred crazy.
And for a few hours, everything would be okay.
Chapter Sixteen
"I don't have time for dating," Simone told Teagan, leaning against the bar they were both seated at.
Teagan took another sip of her soda, her hand smoothing across her pregnant belly. "I didn't say you had to make a full-time job out of it. Just get back out there. It's been over a month since Grant left and you're still padding around the house in your pajamas most weekend nights."
"I'm out right now," Simone argued, pointing around them to the bar full of people in downtown Los Angeles.
She still couldn't believe she'd let her sister talk her into going out, but she had to admit that Teagan did have a point. She spent her entire week practicing and prepping for the live-streamed movie premiere of Kiss Me, Kate that was only two weeks away. The entire cast would be performing the play live on camera while it played for millions of viewers at the same time. Any mistake would be noticed, so practice had been sixteen-hour days for the last month…and would be until the day of shooting.
"Barely. I've seen you check your phone every few minutes since we sat down."
Simone shrugged. "Well…we still text here and there."
"I don't understand you two's relationship," Teagan said with a loud sigh. "Are you together? Long-distance?"
"We're definitely not together," Simone clarified, though admittedly, she wished they were. She felt so dumb even thinking that, but she lived for those few moments a day when a text message from Grant lit up her phone. Sure, they kept things PG, and he never pushed for more, but the friendship they'd developed still mattered just as much to her.
She wished she'd told him in his hotel room exactly how much their month together—well, more like three-and-a-half-weeks—had meant to her. She wished she'd told him how strong her feelings were, how much she'd really miss him…but that would have been ridiculous.
No one fell in love after three weeks.
She could feel her cheeks heating at the very idea. She was not in love. Definitely not. No way. Couldn't happen. Maybe her sister was right. She needed a new perspective, a new adventure. She needed to move on from the man she was never going to see again. He'd made very clear that they had been temporary. They were over.
"Miss?" The bartender came over and placed a glass in front of her. "The gentleman at the end of the bar sent this over for you. Amaretto sour."
"Simone!" Teagan grabbed her forearm. "If this isn't a sign, I don't know what is."
Simone glanced down at the rocks glass in front of her. She never would have ordered that drink, but…it was still a sweet gesture.
"Go over and thank him," Teagan encouraged, pushing the drink toward her. "This could be exactly what you need."
She chewed on the bottom of her lip, trying to decide. "Really? You don't think it's a little weird to send a drink over that only a sixteen-year-old would like?"
Teagan shrugged. "At least he made an effort. Does Grant make any effort? No. He's off living his life on another continent."
Simone rolled her eyes. "Okay. Okay. Point taken." She leaned over the bar, glancing down toward the end. Holy shit. The man sitting in the last bar seat was hot as hell. Jet black hair slicked back, he had a late-night stubble across his chin and two arms completely covered with tattoos. Everything about him screamed 'bad boy,' and, admittedly, that had always been a weakness of hers. Hell, Grant was probably the only man she'd ever dated that hadn't been full of ink and bad attitudes. Though his long hair and foreign accent could make a case for him.
"Shit, he's cute." Simone picked up the glass he'd sent over. "Okay, wish me luck."
"Good luck!" Teagan said. "Oh, and don't take too long. I don't want to be sitting here forever alone and pregnant."
"I'm just going to say thank you, then I'll be right back," Simone assured her. She certainly had no plans on ditching her sister for a guy.
Walking across the bar, she made her way to the man at the end. "Excuse me?"
He turned around on his stool, a glass of dark liquor in his hand. "I was hoping you'd come over and say hi," he replied, a slightly crooked smile on his face. "I didn't want to interrupt you with your friend there."
Simone smiled. "My sister, actually. I just wanted to thank you for the drink. It was very sweet."
"I hope it's a kind you like." He tipp
ed his glass to hers, clinking them together. "I wasn't sure what a pretty girl like yourself would be drinking."
She laughed lightly, taking a sip from the glass. It was very sugary, but not terrible. "I actually haven't had one of these since I was using a fake ID to sneak into clubs."
The man grinned. "Swing and a miss then. I'm Jax, by the way."
"Jack?" Simone's eyes widened. That was her father's name, and though he'd been gone a few months, it still felt like yesterday.
"J-A-X." His lopsided grin warmed her chest. "Not Jack."
"Oh, I like that spelling," she admitted. "It's a little eclectic. Not sure I've met anyone named Jax before."
"Glad to be your first," he replied, winking at her this time. He patted the open stool next to him. "Care to sit and have a drink with me?"
She gestured back toward Teagan. "I actually have to get back to my sister, but…thank you."
"Ah, okay." Jax nodded his head. "Can I at least get your number before you go…uh, I don't think I got your name?"
Simone hesitated for a moment, glancing back toward Teagan who was gesturing for her to go for it. "Simone, and, um…I guess so. Why not?"
"Exactly. Why not?" He pulled out his phone from his pocket and the two traded numbers.
"It was good to meet you, Jax." She let a small smile steal over her lips.
"Even better to meet you, Simone," he replied.
She quickly scurried back to Teagan, sliding back onto the bar stool she'd left open. "Oh. My. God."
"Well? How was it?" her sister asked.
"He's really hot," Simone admitted. "We exchanged phone numbers."
Teagan pumped her hands in the air. "Yes! Finally. You know the best way to get over a man?"
"Get under another one?" Simone laughed and shook her head. "I have no plans on sleeping with anyone anytime soon. Grant was…well, he's going to be hard to forget in that department."
"All the more reason to get back out there and try." Teagan took another sip of her soda. "Come on. We should probably head back to the house. See how Mom's doing."
"She did some gardening today," Simone said. "It was pretty amazing to see. I haven't seen her in the garden since before Dad died. Maybe longer."
"Slowly but surely, she's coming out of her shell," Teagan agreed. "But with the six-month anniversary coming up soon…I'm worried she might backslide."
"I think that's normal though, right? I mean, to backslide on anniversaries?"
Teagan nodded. "Probably. Still…I can't even imagine what she must be feeling."
"She's got us." Simone downed the last of her glass. "And don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."
"Are you sure about that? I might have heard a rumor…" Teagan lifted one brow, staring pointedly at her.
"What rumor?"
Teagan leaned her elbow against the bar. "I heard you might be coming to New York soon."
Simone felt her cheeks heating. She hadn't told anyone about the call she'd gotten last week. She was in the running for the lead role in the Broadway show of Anastasia, a story she'd loved since she was a little girl. Her agent had delivered the good news, but she hadn't told a soul. Why would she? It wasn't a certainty, and, to be honest, she was quite sure that she wouldn't get the role. The other players up for it were old names to the Broadway stage and blew her experience out of the water.
"It's been talked about," Simone admitted. "But it's a long shot. Like looooooong shot. Don't get your hopes up."
Teagan grinned and Simone could tell it was already too late. "You and I could be neighbors! It's about time I had someone on the East Coast with me. It's lonely back there."
"You've been in Los Angeles more than New York this year," Simone pointed out.
"True, but Reed's almost done promoting his upcoming movie. Then we'll both have three months off. We're going to travel with Piper before the baby is born. A little mini-babymoon."
"That sounds amazing," Simone said, sliding her credit card into the checkbook the bartender dropped off. "I definitely need to travel more. One of my friends just got back from a nudist spa resort outside of Palm Springs and was telling me all about it. That's the kind of crazy thing I should be doing right now."
"Probably not the best place for a babymoon, but you have fun," Teagan teased. "So…are you going to call him?"
"Who?"
Teagan scoffed. "The guy at the end of the bar. Obviously."
"Jax? Um…yeah? Probably." Simone chewed on the edge of her lip then thanked the bartender as he returned their check. "He seemed like a nice guy. I certainly am not attached to anyone right now."
"You're free as a bird," her sister agreed. "But you really should stop texting Grant."
Simone returned her credit card to her wallet. "We're just friends."
"People who have had sex can't just be friends. Penises make things complicated."
Her sister had a point. Talking to Grant wasn't as emotion-free as she tried to pretend it was. "I'll think about it. Maybe Jax will help distract me."
Maybe that was exactly what she needed.
Chapter Seventeen
"Hello?" Simone knocked on the edge of a slightly ajar giant metal door, peeking her head inside. "Is anyone here?"
A tall figure stood over a work bench, a helmet over his face as sparks flew everywhere around him. A loud whirring filled the space, and as she drew closer, she realized he was shaping metal.
"Jax?" she called out again, louder this time.
The man paused and threw up his helmet, turning to face her. "Hey! Give me a second."
He quickly tossed his helmet and the thick apron he was wearing onto a nearby wooden table then walked over to a crusty looking sink in the corner and washed his hands. He wiped down his face and arms with a clean rag, then finally came over to her.
"I'm glad you came," he said, leaning in to give her a hug.
She returned his embrace, trying hard not to notice how good he smelled—a woodsy musk that screamed all man and made her stomach tighten with excitement. "Well, I was invited."
He laughed, a hardy laugh that she could feel vibrating across her skin. "Well, of course you're invited. To be honest, though…you come across a little bit like a tiger with her tail caught. I'm worried if I let go you'll run away, or worse…I'll get the claws."
Simone couldn't stop herself from grinning. She liked the imagery, and she liked that she had him on his toes. "Better be careful then."
"Come on, let me show you around before we get started." He gestured for her to follow him.
"You still haven't told me what we're doing." She placed her purse down on a shelf against one wall. "Can I leave this here?"
"Let's put it in the cabinet," he advised, opening a small cabinet for her. She placed her purse inside and then he closed it behind them. "By the way, you look fantastic."
A blush crept up her cheeks. She was wearing tight, dark jeans under a thin white tank top, so she certainly hadn't dressed up, but he'd told her not to. There was no mistaking the way his eyes grazed her body, pausing on her breasts for a moment longer than she'd expected. She could feel her core heating up with every pass of his stare.
"Thank you," she replied. "Enough stalling. What's the big exciting idea you had?"
"We're racing." He reached out and laced his fingers through hers, then pulled her through the back door for the shop they were in. It exited out onto a small patch of grass separating them from a larger structure that looked a bit like an open garage. On the other side of the building, she could see the setup for a large race track.
"Racing?" Her eyes widened. Well, hell, she had said she was going to try new things.
"Ever been in a race car?" he asked, leading them to the garage and then through to the track where several cars were parked on the track."
"Definitely not."
He glanced back at her, running his fingers up her arm this time. "Want to try?"
"Definitely," she said quickly, a grin already light
ing up her face. "I mean, I'll probably wreck the car because I'm a terrible driver—"
"Nothing you can break that I can't fix," he assured her, leading them over to a green car on the edge of the track. "Climb on in the passenger side. I'll take us on a lap then let you do your own if you're ready."
"Okay!" Simone didn't need to be told twice. She quickly hopped into the passenger seat of the car and began buckling herself in.
Jax slid in next to her and turned the car on, also taking care to buckle himself in carefully. "Ready?"
Simone clutched the edge of her seat. "Yes!"
He slammed the car into drive and hit the gas so fast that she almost didn't feel them start. They were just suddenly flying in a flash of squealing tires and smoke and the track racing past her window.
"Ah!" She screamed as they rounded the first corner at the fastest speed she'd ever gone. It was exhilarating and exciting and everything she was craving in her life right now. The world whipped past her and she didn't miss it for a second. She was in her own little bubble, flying at breakneck speeds and leaving everything terrible behind her.
Jax knew exactly what he was doing. He was focused and concentrated, turning the car with precision and an execution that only years of practice could bring. When they were finally around the first bend and coming up on the second, she caught a glimpse of his face.
His jaw was set, tense, but the bright blues of his eyes were almost molten, filled with an excitement and passion she recognized in herself anytime she hit the stage. This track…this was his stage, and damn, he looked good performing on it.
Simone nibbled on the edge of her lip as they pulled back around to the starting line and he slowed to a stop. Oh, yeah, Jax was going to be one hell of a distraction.
"Well? What did you think?" he asked.
She could still feel her heart beating at the pace they'd been driving. "I think we should go again. And again. And again. Just to be sure, you know?"
Sheer: A Hollywood Romance (Exposed Book 3) Page 8