Everyone in the room groaned, but Carter knew they would get it done. The air buzzed with a sense of urgency. Already, people talked, debating different options. No one noticed Carter until Stephen gave his final word and headed toward him.
“Carter! Just the man I needed to see.” Stephen didn’t pause as he breezed passed Carter, but he kept talking, so Carter followed. “I’ve already been on the phone with our legal team. They’ll have something for you to sign within the hour. Basic stuff, but you can have your guys look it over. We’re filming these movies back to back. We’re looking at six or seven months of principle photography, maybe a little more. The scripts are written, sets designed.” Stephen shrugged. “The rest is post-production.”
“Stephen. Wait.” Carter stopped short and thankfully, the over exuberant director did, too. “Stephen, I’m not an actor. You can’t be serious about this.”
Carter half expected Stephen to laugh and tell him this had all been an elaborate hoax. They’d been planning it all week, the whole thing had been staged. That, at least, would make sense.
Instead, the director’s expression turned more serious than Carter had ever seen it. People in Hollywood were eccentric. Stephen was no exception. The events of the day proved it. But right there, standing in the middle of a gigantic parking lot, Stephen Berg turned into someone Carter didn’t recognize.
“What makes anyone an actor, Carter?” he asked without any affectation. “Is it years of training? Studying? I’ve been in this business for three decades. In that time, actors have come and gone from in front of my camera, some to bigger and better things and others,” he waved his hand toward the sky. “Others have blown away into oblivion. Why do you think that is?”
“I’m not sure,” Carter admitted when it seemed Stephen expected an answer.
“Hmm. I’m not sure, either. I used to think I knew. I cast certain actors based on pedigree. Others, drive. Passion! Talent. Experience. Appearance. The list continues into that same oblivion. Somewhere along this crazy journey, it occurred to me. The secret.” Stephen paused to take a breath before speaking again.
“The ability to act, in my opinion, is driven by the ability to feel. Feelings. Emotions. Most of us dread them, but we can all relate to them. Why do you think actors are such tortured souls? Because they feel. Emotions can make good art and turn it into something spectacular. It has to move us. It has to make us feel something!”
Stephen brought his hand firmly to where Carter’s heart lay in his chest. “Here. And that can’t be taught. I can talk until I’m blue in the face. Instruct. Tell an actor exactly what I want from them, but if they don’t feel it, I don’t feel it. And if I don’t feel it, the audience will leave the theater after watching one of my films and wonder why they wasted their money because they didn’t feel anything.”
Everything Stephen said made sense, but what Carter still didn’t understand was what it had to do with him ousting Brent from his role in the movie and becoming an actor in the space of a morning.
Stephen must have noticed the confusion on Carter’s face. “This whole week is a perfect example. You’ve been here, take after take. No spark. No feeling! Harley is a brilliant actor, in touch with her emotions. She’s brilliant because she allows herself to feel. But her emotions often get in the way of her brilliance. She wasn’t feeling it with Brent and she couldn’t act.”
“A lot of directors get angry when this happens to actors. It’s unprofessional. And I agree. However, there are times, with certain people, you just have to provide them with the right environment. The perfect set of circumstances. And they will thrive, giving you the best performance you could ask for.” Stephen paused and his eyes met Carter’s.
“When Harley stood beside you, her entire being glowed. She came alive. And you! You reacted perfectly. Powerfully. Protectively. You did everything Brent had been trying to do and you did it just how it should be done. Effortlessly. Carter, you may not be an actor, but you have feelings, and you have feelings for Harley.”
Carter sputtered in his attempt to deny it.
Stephen shook his head. “It’s no use denying it. And it doesn’t matter. Standing there watching the two of you together, I saw cinematic gold. Anyone watching wouldn’t be able to help themselves but feel what you both feel. And that’s all I can ask for as a director.”
Hands on his hips, Carter turned away from Stephen for a moment. Was he really going to do this? Act in a movie that was almost a guaranteed blockbuster? With the hottest, in every sense of the word, actress in the world? Who he may or may not be falling for even though the entire world thought she was in a relationship with Brent James.
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” he asked Stephen.
Stephen laughed and just like that, he was back to being the zany director Carter had come to expect. “I better be! I just set my team to rewriting the script, not just for this movie, but the next two as well. The question you should ask is this, are you sure?”
Crazy. Stupid. Completely illogical.
“Yes,” he said without explanation.
Stephen chuckled. And then he laughed. He slapped Carter on the back and shook his head. “It’s going to be a wild ride, kid. And I can’t wait to see how it all ends.” Stephen began walking again, but Carter remained. “I’ll make sure you get the contract soon, Carter. And we’ll see you tomorrow morning. 8 AM call time.”
Chapter Fourteen
The fallout from Stephen’s little stunt was nothing short of apocalyptic. Missy had been furious, demanding Harley make Stephen take it all back. But she’d seen the look in Stephen’s eye. Something about the way Carter and Harley interacted had his creative juices flowing and there would be no going back.
“I can’t do anything about this, Mom. Stephen’s the director. Maybe if Brent wasn’t such a creep it would be different.”
“What are we going to do now?” Missy shouted. “Brent was supposed to have the lead! This was going to change his image, turn him into a leading man. Now, he’ll always be type cast as the bad guy!”
“That’s because he is the bad guy! And what do you care? Villains make money, too. You’ll still get your’s.”
Missy stared at her. “This is a disaster. It’s everywhere, you and Brent. Pictures from the other night at dinner, arriving at the hotel. People believe the two of you are in love. This will ruin you both.”
Harley fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
“No, you don’t get it. You’ll fall in love on screen with Carter now. It isn’t the fairy tale people want.”
“I don’t care.” And she didn’t. Harley was relieved Carter would be replacing Brent.
“I have to go talk to Brent.” Missy spun on her heel and left.
Harley breathed a sigh of relief. The hot tub on her balcony called her name. She quickly changed into her swimsuit.
“Oooh,” she groaned as she sank into gurgling water up to her neck. This was exactly what she needed. No. What she needed was an apartment. She couldn’t take much more of living in a hotel.
Harley’s mind and body relaxed as she enjoyed the water, her thoughts became clear and she remembered Carter mentioning an apartment.
Harley reached for her phone and pulled up Carter’s number. Biting her lip she stared at the screen. She’d see him the next day. Maybe she should just wait to talk to him until then. She glanced at the time.
It wasn’t that late.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she tapped the screen to call him.
“This is Carter,” he answered and she panicked. “Hello? Is anyone there?”
“C-Carter, it’s Harley.” She sounded like a teenager calling a boy for the first time, felt like it, too.
“Harley Stone.” He said her name slow and drawn out. She could almost picture the expression on his face by the tone of his voice. Heavy eyes. Crooked grin. She imagined him settling back in a chair his designer chose for him. It was prob
ably uncomfortable, but he wouldn’t care. He’d have one foot propped on his knee and his shoes on. Tied.
This Carter didn’t run through sprinklers. This one went to night clubs and seduced women.
He seduced her with the way he said her name.
“How did you get my number, Ms. Stone?” he asked, his tone playful.
“I,” she paused to clear her throat. “I’ve had it for a long time.”
That seemed to silence him and Harley mustered some courage.
“Since last year.” Since the night they met. Chris had given it to her on a business card. After Carter left her hotel suite, she programmed it into her phone. “But I’ve never had to use it. I usually call your assistant.”
“My assistant. You mean Claire?” He seemed a bit unsettled. As though perhaps he didn’t have the upper hand anymore. “You’ve talked to Claire on the phone?”
“Of course, I’ve spoken on the phone with Claire. How else do you think information gets shared, Carter.”
“Yes, but why do you need share information with Claire?”
“What do you mean? There are all sorts of details for Homes for Warriors that need to be discussed. How did you think it all trickled into your office?”
That gave him pause. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted. “I never thought about it before. But you mean to tell me, you’ve had my number all this time and haven’t called me? Not once?”
“Why would I need to call you? Claire’s extremely capable. I figured I’d cut out the middle man and save us all some time.” Harley moved the phone away from her mouth so he couldn’t hear her chuckle.
“Did you just call me a ‘middle man’?” he asked, his voice incredulous.
“Carter, be honest. If I had called you, you would have just called Claire yourself.” His silence confirmed her suspicions.
“Did you call just to make me feel useless or was there some other reason?” he asked and she couldn’t hold onto her giggles any longer.
“I’m hanging up on you.”
“Carter! Wait! Don’t be a baby.”
She might have thought he followed through on his threat if it weren’t for all the grumbling under his breath coming from his end.
Harley decided she should stop teasing him considering she called to ask him for a favor. “I’m sorry, Carter. I guess, I just assumed you had my number and if you wanted to call, you would have.”
Yikes.
She hadn’t meant to go there.
She could almost hear his frown.
“You were the one who ran away, Harley,” he said softly.
Her eyes stung, but he was right. “I-” She didn’t know what to say.
Carter sighed through the phone. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t have your number. I couldn’t have called.” He stopped short of saying the words that came next. If he wanted.
It was time to change the subject. The day had been long and hard enough. “I called to ask about that apartment you mentioned the other night. Is it still available?”
“Hmmm. Well, yes, it is available. But-” Carter hedged.
“But what? Tell them I’ll pay whatever they ask. I’ll pay double! I just need to get out of the hotel and away from everybody.”
“It isn’t about the money. The apartment, it’s just, ahh-”
“It’s just what, Carter?” What was going on? Why was he being so cryptic?
He inhaled a deep breath before answering. “It’s in my building.”
Harley paused. “Like in the same apartment building as you?” She hadn’t pictured Carter living in an apartment building. Didn’t billionaire’s live in fancy mansions? Heck, she was only a millionaire and she lived in a sprawling ten million dollar house in Los Angeles.
Carter chuckled under his breath. “Not exactly.”
This game was really getting on her nerves. She wished he’d just spell it out. “Carter.”
“It’s in my building. Bragg.”
What?
“You live at the office? That’s a little extreme, isn’t it? Even for you?” She imagined him sleeping on an uncomfortable leather sofa in one corner of his office. That was highly unlikely, but the visual made her laugh.
“I don’t ‘live at the office’,” he replied in a tone that reminded her of Nick when he made fun of her for something. “I live above the office. In the penthouse.”
Now, that made more sense. “Ohh, I see. And this apartment?” Goodness! Talking to him was like pulling teeth!
“It’s in the other half of the top floor. It was supposed to be for Chris, but he hates it and never wanted to live there. Even when he lived here, he lived here with me. But it’s gorgeous. Furnished.”
Harley chewed on her lip as she considered what he was saying. “So, we’d be neighbors?”
She heard him sigh into the phone. “Yes. There are only the two apartments in the building. It’s secure. At night there’s only one way in or out. We have a night watchman and state of the art security. During the day, it’s busy. The building is home to Bragg Enterprises, but only on two floors. The rest is let out to other businesses. There’s a private entrance in the parking garage under the building that I use.”
Just the two of them?
Then a horrible, awful thought occurred to her. What if Carter had a girlfriend? He hadn’t mentioned one and he’d almost kissed her twice in as many weeks. Would he have done that if he had someone special in his life?
Although, he’d almost kissed her twice when he thought she was dating Brent. What should she make of that, she wondered.
“So, um, is it just you over on your side?” Harley’s face flushed hot enough to set her phone on fire.
“Hmm. That’s kind of a personal question, Ms. Stone.”
“Stop teasing me, Carter!”
His laughter made her smile.
“Yes, Harley, it’s just me on my side.”
Should she do it? Anything would be better than where she was currently. And a penthouse apartment wouldn’t be just anything. She felt certain it would be perfect. Even with Carter as her neighbor.
“Can I have it?” If she was being honest, she desperately wanted to be Carter’s neighbor. The thought of it sent thrills everywhere.
Carter sighed again. He’d been doing that a lot since they started talking about the apartment. He was conflicted about offering it to her and she supposed she understood.
“It’s okay if you don’t want me as your neighbor, Carter. I get it.” All she needed to do now was send him a selfie of her pouting.
“You are such a brat, you know that?” She pictured him running his hands through his hair. “Yes, you can have it. But I’m not charging you rent. I don’t need the money and it’s just sitting there collecting dust. Actually, I better get someone in there to clean before you move in.” He paused. “When do you want to move in?”
Tonight, she wanted to scream. “Tomorrow? The next day?”
“I’ll see if my housekeeper can get someone in tomorrow while we’re on set. Hopefully, it will be ready by the time we’re done. Do you have much stuff to bring over?”
“No. I’ll just bring things a little at a time.”
“I have a set of keys. I’ll bring them tomorrow, but Harley?” Something in his tone made her think she wasn’t going to like what he had to say next.
“Yes.”
“Brent.”
Right. Brent. That one word. One name to ruin everything. Even suffering a mild concussion earlier, he’d been a royal pain when Harley went to find him like a dutiful girlfriend. But she wondered who she pretended for anymore?
“What about Brent?” she sighed. Someday, she hoped to never say that name again.
Carter hesitated. “You have to know I can’t stand the guy, Harley. After what happened with Kaden. The way he treats you. I’m trying really hard not to judge right now, but, well, he’s the reason I didn’t mention the apartment the other day.”
He thought she’d be bringin
g Brent over to her apartment and if they were truly dating, she probably would. But the prospect of getting away from Brent held the most appeal in finding her own place.
“Things with Brent are complicated. But if you’re worried about him hanging around, that won’t be a problem.” She had no intention of inviting Brent over to her apartment. Ever. “The only visitor I might expect would be my mother.” Although, Harley was seriously considering moving and not telling her mother where she was going.
“Harley,” he sighed. “You have every right to have guests over. I’d never dictate that to you, but,” he stopped short. She heard what he wasn’t saying.
“You’re letting me live in your apartment for free. I can follow a few rules that might otherwise be deemed unethical.”
Carter chuckled. “Wow. Gracious of you.”
Harley’s grin hurt her cheeks. She enjoyed bantering with Carter. “No, what’s gracious is you letting me stay in your family’s building. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Now that was settled. “Alright. So, can we talk about what happened today?”
Chapter Fifteen
Carter sank back into the soft leather of the driver’s seat in his Aston Martin. He’d been on his way to his brother’s house when he got a call from an unknown number. He’d been tempted to ignore it, but something told him to answer.
He was glad he did. He’d been wanting to talk to Harley after everything that happened earlier in the day. He thought for sure that was the reason she called. It threw him off when she admitted to having his number. And speaking to Claire! Just the thought of the two women together made him itch.
Then, she asked him about the apartment. Carter would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about Harley moving in to the apartment next door. He’d have offered it to her the other night, but the idea of her having Brent over had him gnashing his teeth.
She said their relationship was complicated. What did that mean? Everything about her body language when she was with Carter told him she felt the same attraction he did. Twice, he’d lost all sense and almost kissed her and she’d almost let him. Those weren’t the actions of a woman devoted to another man.
Humbling the Spoiled Billionaire Page 8