Starlit: A Novel

by Lisa Rinna

  Finally, that morning, Mandy had responded positively to Sadie’s threat to break down the door with a crowbar. “Oh, OK! But I’ve got to warn you: I’ve been doing a lot of thinking—among other things. In fact, I have something to show you. It puts my career in a different perspective.”

  That was all they needed to hear to feel some relief. At least Mandy still felt she had a career.

  They’d decided to meet at the Denny’s on Sunset, where they had always gotten together for cheap food and gossip in the old days—those days being close to six weeks ago, before Tally had Steve in her life and Sadie began working for Josh.

  By the time Tally got there, the restaurant was just filling up with the early dinner patrons. Sadie had arrived first and snagged the back corner booth. She patted the seat beside her as Tally approached. “Well, how did it go?”

  “Badly. I feel like such a loser.” Tally still had the smile on her face, but she could feel it quivering.

  Sadie noticed. “The last thing you are is a loser, and you know it. Just look at how much you’ve accomplished in a few short weeks. You actually have a manager! Plus, you’ve been promoted to Randall’s master class.”

  Tally caught the edge in Sadie’s voice. With her advancement and Mandy quitting the class, Sadie had to fend for herself in Randall’s intermediate course. She glanced up anxiously at her friend. “You don’t hate me, do you?”

  “Of course not! I just wish it were me as opposed to you who was getting rejected at all those auditions.” She frowned as she pushed away her water glass. “Then again, maybe not. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it would be nice to have the opportunity to audition, even if nothing came of it. Right now, with as hard as Josh is working me, I might never have an acting career.”

  “Why do you say that? Sadie, you’re meeting so many new people! Directors, screenwriters, stars, casting directors—”

  “Big deal! They don’t see me as an actress. They see me as Josh’s gofer who brings them coffee and jumps like a puppet whenever he throws a screaming fit.” She rolled her eyes at the thought. “And that’s every hour on the hour. I should know, because he expects me at my desk by eight every morning, and sometimes I don’t leave until nine o’clock. And if there is some event that he or his clients need me to attend with them, I might not get home until after midnight. I had to lie and say I had a doctor’s appointment just so I could leave to come here.”

  “I had no idea. I guess we’ve both been so busy we haven’t caught up in a while,” Tally said as she took a sip of her water. “So, are you going to quit?”

  “I don’t know. Well, I guess not yet.” Sadie grabbed a roll from the free bread basket their waitress had brought over and spread butter on half. “You want to hear something funny? I’ve got no one to blame but myself. I’m actually pretty good at what I do. It’s almost as if I can read Josh’s mind. And to tell you the truth, as frustrated as I am about having to put my acting on hold, I don’t mind working late with him.”

  Tally smiled. “Just what’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’ve got to admit it, he is sort of cute. I mean, if you like immature guys who curse you out one minute, then tell you how he’d be lost without you the next.” Sadie shrugged. “He might be right about that. My God, I truly believe that if I were a guy, he’d make me follow him into the john and wipe his butt for him.”

  “No wonder you don’t have time to go to auditions.”

  “I might be dropping out of class, too. Last week, I was late again and got railed on by Randall.” Sadie grimaced as she said this. “Besides, class isn’t fun anymore without you or Mandy there, sweating it out with me.”

  “Speaking of Mandy, what do you think is her big surprise?”

  Sadie, who had been periodically glancing at the entrance to the Denny’s, choked on her water. “She’s wearing it! Or I should say, it’s wearing her.”

  Tally looked up to see Mandy walking toward them. She wasn’t the only one. Mandy now had the attention of every man in the room—38D’s on a tiny frame like Mandy’s were certainly eye openers, and the top she was wearing definitely added to the effect. It was tight and sheer enough to make out her nipples, which, despite the obvious fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra, were firm and high.

  Ignoring the stares, she sauntered slowly to the table and slid into the booth. “So, what do you think?”

  Tally gulped. “I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that you’ll at least get a reading from any director you meet. How about you, Sadie?” Tally waited for her friend to agree. When Sadie didn’t speak up, Tally nudged her. “She’s not Medusa, Sadie. You didn’t turn to stone.”

  Sadie blinked twice, then exhaled. “Mandy … why?”

  Mandy sighed. “Sadie, let’s face it: Randall was right. I don’t have half the talent you and Tally have. And I guess I just got tired of casting directors looking in every direction but mine. Now they’ll look right at me.” She pushed her shoulders back and proudly looked around the room. “Like every other man. And you know what? I love it!”

  Tally frowned. “Randall is just trying to toughen us up for the audition process.”

  “No,” Sadie said slowly, and took another sip of her water. “Randall is unnecessarily vicious. He should be inspiring us to greater heights, not driving us to desperation.” She gave Mandy’s breasts a sidelong glance. “They’re double D’s, right? Aren’t they heavy?”

  “OK, yeah, maybe I went a bit overboard. Even the doctor was a little concerned,” Mandy said, sheepish.

  Tally shook her head. “If he was concerned, why didn’t you listen to him? Look, Mandy, I know you weren’t happy with what you had, but now you could get a job in the Playboy Mansion.”

  Mandy giggled uneasily. “Hey, don’t think I haven’t thought about it! I used all of my savings and part of my rent money to pay for the girls here. If I can’t come up with five hundred bucks in the next week, I’ll be kicked out of my apartment.”

  “If you need a place to crash, you know you can always sleep on my couch,” Tally said as she reached over to give Mandy a hug.

  “That’s sweet of you, but I don’t know if there will be room for me and the twins on your couch. These babies take up a lot of space, if you haven’t noticed.”

  “Trust me, we have. And so has every guy in this room,” Sadie said as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. “Hey, you can move in with me, if you want. My roomie’s moving out at the end of the month. And thanks to work, I’m barely there anymore, so you’ll have lots of privacy.”

  “Sadie, thank you!” Mandy looked as if she was about to cry. Then, glancing over her shoulder, she muttered, “Oh my God, that guy is actually coming over here.”

  Sadie guffawed. “Something tells me he won’t be the last. You’ve now got a natural homing device for jerks. You’d better get used to it.”

  The jerk in question was short—not even five-foot-seven—but he had wide sculpted shoulders and, from what the girls could make out through his tight T-shirt, massive biceps and an admirable six-pack. His red hair was scruffy, as was his goatee, and he certainly had an air of confidence about him.

  When he reached the table, he ignored Sadie and Tally and focused exclusively on Mandy. “Hey, you’re not an actress, are you?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am,” Mandy replied primly. “And by the way, so are my friends here.”

  He barely nodded at the other two girls, then gave Mandy a business card. “Here, take this, OK? We’re always looking for extras.”

  Mandy scrutinized it. “Dandy Candy Productions? What do you make, kiddie films?”

  The man snickered. “Not exactly. There’s not a lot of dialogue. It’s just a whole bunch of girls and boys having fun. Lots of fun, if you catch my drift.”

  “You mean you do comedies?” Mandy asked, excited. “I’ve always wanted to do comedy. I’m classically trained, and most of my stage work has been dramas—”

  The guy cut her shor
t with a hearty laugh, then he winked at her. “We pride ourselves on how expressive our actresses are, and we totally appreciate improv. Why don’t you come over sometime tomorrow and check us out? I’m sure we can put you in a scene or two. We shoot in the late afternoon.”

  “Wow! Sure, but … are you a SAG signatory? Because I’m not in the union yet. How much does it pay?”

  The man brushed off her concerns with a shrug. “Don’t worry about SAG, and yeah, the money is great—if you’re as good as you look.” His grin said it all: he thought she’d be great.

  Mandy smiled back seductively. “OK, yeah, sure.” She followed him with her eyes as he walked away.

  “Give me that card,” Sadie demanded. Mandy handed it to her, and Sadie looked at the address. “You know, this is all the way out in the Valley. In Chatsworth. Omigod!”

  “What’s the matter?” Tally took the card. After reading it, she looked up sharply at Mandy. “That guy—Jerry Conover—he produces porn!”

  “What?” Mandy grabbed the card back. “How do you know that?”

  Sadie pulled out a new iPhone from her purse.

  “Wow,” Tally said. “When did you get that?”

  “It’s from ICA, in case Josh needs to reach me or I need to look something up when I’m out of the office at a meeting.” She fiddled with the phone for a second, then showed her friends the screen. “See? According to Google, Dandy Candy makes films with titles like Hot and Bothered, Mother May I, and Prince Cumalot. I’m guessing none of them has been up for an Oscar.”

  “Oh … no,” Mandy said, tearing up. “I just can’t catch a break.”

  Tally knocked her water glass with Mandy’s. “Hey, you and me both.”

  Sadie suddenly sat up straight. “I just had an idea! Josh can’t figure out how on earth she did it, but Susie Sheppard was able to break her contract with Burt Tillman, and he’s looking for a replacement for her on Dana Point. Apparently, they want a ‘fresh face.’ You’re both certainly fresh! Why not audition for it?”

  Mandy frowned. “That’s easy for Tally, she has a manager who’ll get her in. But what am I supposed to do, just crash the audition?”

  “I can set it up for you. That is, Josh can. And since all his calls go through me, if any questions come up, I’ll make sure you’re cleared.”

  Mandy shook her head uncertainly. “But what if he finds out? Won’t he fire you?”

  “They’ll only call if they want you back for a second audition or if they want to offer you the role. If that happens, then Josh will certainly be happy to represent you, and it’ll be a feather in my cap, too, because I discovered you for him.” She smiled proudly. “It’s a win-win all around.”

  “Will you vouch for me, too?” Tally asked softly.

  Her friends turned to her. “Don’t you think Steve will send you up for it?” Sadie asked.

  Tally shook her head. “He must have heard they’re looking, but for whatever reason, he hasn’t mentioned it to me. Since that’s the case, I’d rather he didn’t know—at least, not unless something comes out of the audition.” It was hard for her to tell them the truth: that she suspected he might actually be afraid she’d succeed and then leave him.

  Mandy looked confused. “But if you get it, won’t he be angry that he didn’t get the commission?”

  “He might be angry, but it won’t be about that.” Tally sounded resolute. “Not that it matters. Besides, he’ll still be my manager, so he’ll get his cut. What do you say, Sadie?”

  “Sure, whatever you want.” Sadie raised her water glass for a toast. “Here’s to one of you landing on the show. Can you imagine being able to say, ‘I took Susie Sheppard’s place on Dana Point’?”

  Chapter 8

  “THEY’RE READY FOR you now.” The receptionist for Burt Tillman Productions nodded toward a set of double doors at the end of the hallway.

  Don’t panic, Tally thought. You can do this.

  She didn’t jog quickly down the hall like the girl before her had done, only to sprint back out a minute later with tears in her eyes. Instead, Tally walked slowly and steadily and tried not to get distracted by the posters of all the hit shows that lined both sides of the corridor.

  Before she turned the knob, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and vowed, “I will get this role.”

  There were six people in the room. She didn’t recognize the director, Larry Hornsby, and the show runner, Chase Bracken, but she knew who Burt Tillman was.

  The casting director beckoned her to the front of the room. Sadie had made sure that both Mandy and Tally received the scene pages in advance, and Tally had spent the night before memorizing her lines and playing them out, again and again, in front of her mirror at home.

  But her plan wasn’t just to read the lines and pray that they chose her. She wanted fully to embody the character, Jamie, a bright, single woman who had grown up in Dana Point but whose family had moved away when she was a young girl because of some scandal that wouldn’t be revealed until later in the season. Her love interest was to be the character Hank Franklin, a real estate developer whose fiancée, Katherine, the character that had been played by Susie Sheppard, was now in a coma. This would leave him with a dilemma. Would he stay loyal to a woman who was more than likely brain-dead or rediscover the love he had for his childhood sweetheart?

  Tally meticulously prepared for the role. First, she watched the most recent season’s episodes online in order to familiarize herself with the plotlines and characters and to get a feel for the program’s directorial tone. Jamie was supposed to be an excellent sailor, and for the audition, Tally had bought an outfit that fit the profile: white jeans, a blue-and-white-striped boatneck top, and Sperry Top-Siders. Just dressing for the part put her in a different frame of mind. She wouldn’t have much time to make an impression; just three small scenes.

  Utilizing the techniques she’d learned in Randall’s class— digging deep into her emotions and keeping it authentic—she’d gone over the audition scene again and again, acting it out in a variety of ways. Finally, she’d settled on what she thought was the best possible way to play it. Tally knew she had to be convincing as Jamie, whose innocence is shattered in the scene when she hears that the one man she’s been pining for not only is about to be married to another woman—a woman now in a coma, at that—but also was the cause of her father’s financial ruin. Much of Tally’s emotion would have to be expressed in her eyes, through a tremor in her voice, and with a flinch she’d practiced, and she was ready to reflect the devastation Jamie feels at hearing about Hank’s dual betrayal.

  Well, it’s now or never, Tally thought.

  Burt Tillman’s rage over Susie’s blackmailing stunt had not yet subsided. After stumbling out of the hotel like a prisoner who had just been given a reprieve, he went through a series of emotions: disbelief, denial, outrage … but not acceptance. No, he would never accept what she’d pulled.

  Especially when he was drunk, he’d plot and scheme ways to seek his revenge. For example, he knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy who’d whack her without a second thought. Or he could hire a private eye to do the kind of surveillance that would pull up something he could use to blackmail her. Better yet, he could leak whatever they dug up to the press and ruin the bitch for good. A soberer head prevailed, though. The bottom line was that Susie Sheppard just wasn’t worth that much effort, let alone any jail time, and frankly, he was glad not to have to deal with her on a day-to-day basis.

  Besides, the best possible revenge was to ensure that Dana Point flourished without her; that the ratings not only stayed steady but soared; and that, eventually, the fans would forget about her and shift their loyalty to someone more deserving. To that end, Burt had only one goal: find an actress who embodied the soul of the show, and the fans’ hearts and minds would follow. However, they’d been auditioning all week, and so far, the auditions had not yielded an actress with the presence, looks, and acting chops to accomplish all that.


  Until now.

  The casting director had introduced her as Tally Jones. She had large, luminous brown eyes, high cheekbones, graceful elegance, and a shyness that bespoke an endearing vulnerability. Her cute little nautical getup drove home the fact that she’d fit right in on the Dana Point set. In fact, she looked so perfect for the role of Jamie that Burt was almost afraid of what would come out when she opened her mouth.

  He needn’t have been. Her reactions to the stiff, sullen read by the casting director were spot on, and Burt was enthralled by the subtle nuances of even her smallest reactions. When the line demanded anger, she didn’t growl it with the heavy theatrics of the other actresses who had auditioned for the role or as Susie would have done if the line had been hers.

  By the end of her last line, she had him in tears, and not just because she was so damn believable but because he knew that Susie would be so damn pissed when she realized how easily he’d replaced her.

  After Tally finished her reading, the room was silent for a moment. Then, in unison, all eyes turned to him.

  Burt smiled. “That’s our Jamie. My dear, welcome to the Burt Tillman family.”

  As the rest of the execs gathered around Dana Point’s newest addition to congratulate her, Burt took his leave.

  It was three o’clock: happy hour.

  Chapter 9

  STEVE SMILED AND nodded and murmured all the right phrases to let Tally know that, yes, he was proud of her and that this stint on Dana Point was only the beginning of a lot of good things yet to come. Then Tally dropped the bombshell: the role wasn’t for just one episode or, for that matter, a multiepisode arc. Nope, Burt Tillman wanted to sign her to a five-year contract.

  Steve kept the smile on his face, even as his heart nosedived into his gut. It’s the beginning of the end. She’s on her way up, which means she’s on her way out, too. Then came the salt in the wound. The contract wasn’t even being sent his way but to Josh Gold’s office. Because he had sent her up for it.