Everyone looked up as Katherine introduced Iris.
She knew the drill. People could be rude right to your face. If you weren’t the person they wanted or your reading sucked, they’d start checking their phones right in front of you. But for the most part they wanted you to be perfect to make their job easier.
The cameraman, Brian, was a skinny guy with a cropped beard and ball cap. He stepped past Iris and adjusted the camera stand. Katherine handed her a few sheets of paper with the sides she’d be reading. She had a copy of the script and had already read through it numerous times. She’d been practicing in preparation for today.
Another woman took a seat at the table. She was introduced as Sarah, the showrunner. So far, the creative team seemed balanced between men and women, which felt right, since the two lead roles were for women. Eric Gilet, the director, sat next to Iris. He looked to be in his mid forties. He wore horn-rimmed glasses, probably more for looks than need. He was handsome, more because of his self-confidence than his looks, which weren’t bad, but Iris would have described them as only a little above average. She’d gotten used to sizing people up quickly in LA. It was a habit that had saved her more than once, but she feared she was quickly becoming jaded. Looks really couldn’t tell you everything about a person, but they gave good clues.
“This is Camille Greggory. She’ll be reading Cleo’s part for this scene.” Katherine motioned toward Camille.
“Hello.” Iris and Camille shook hands.
If she got the part, Camille would be one of her character’s love interests. She’d be testing with Iris to gauge chemistry between the two actors. Camille had flawless brown skin and dark hair that curled up just where it touched her shoulders. Her eyes were beautiful, large, honest. Iris thought Camille was pretty, but not in the sort of way that she’d feel overshadowed by her or attracted to her. Camille wasn’t her type. She definitely liked to be the only femme in a relationship.
She smiled and made eye contact for a moment with her audience around the table.
“Can you state your name and then read the first scene?” Katherine shuffled papers and jotted something down.
“Iris Fleming, reading for the part of Jade in Athena.”
Eric leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed as if he were already judging her. The other guy, who looked like a rumpled frat boy in an untucked pink oxford shirt and a Red Sox cap, was the producer. Eric stood up and circled the table, pausing for a moment by Brian and the camera stand. After a few seconds, he walked over and whispered something to Katherine. Katherine nodded and then returned her attention to Iris.
“We’d like to start with page two. In this scene, you’ve just discovered that Cleo, one of your crewmates you thought you could trust, has betrayed you.”
Iris nodded.
“Begin whenever you’re ready. You have the first line.” Katherine nodded. As the casting director, Katherine had done her part. Eric, the director, would take things from here.
In a conversation scene it really helped for someone to read with you. She was happy that an actor would read opposite her, rather than the casting director flatly reading lines.
Iris took a moment to settle. She looked down at her hands in her lap. She and Camille had rotated their chairs so that they were facing each other, their knees almost touching. She closed her eyes and let the room drop away, focusing her energy on conjuring a sense of hurt and anger, which wasn’t that hard. All she had to do was picture Kent, and the night she’d found him in bed with someone else.
She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and nodded, signaling to Katherine that she was ready.
“Maybe you can explain it to me.” Iris glared at Camille.
“Look, I never meant for you to get caught up in this.” Camille averted her eyes as if she were hiding something.
“That’s the problem, Cleo, you never think. Or if you do, it’s only about yourself.” Iris exhaled and focused on Camille, as if she were the least trustworthy person on Earth. “And now there’s no way to undo what you’ve done.” Iris stood and paced. It helped to imagine the scene in her head. Jade and Cleo were in the bowels of a space ship named Athena, stolen from a military installation, making their escape from Earth. They were supposed to be on a rescue mission, stealing the ship for a higher purpose, saving the galaxy and all that, but now Jade knew she’d been played.
“Look, you’ll get a share. I’ll see to it personally.”
“You’ll see to it personally? And I’m supposed to trust you? When everything you’ve told me about this mission has been a big fucking lie.” Iris altered her voice. She wanted the pitch to be lower, stern, and commanding, the voice of someone not intimidated by the situation. “Has everything else been a lie too?” She softened her words and allowed a slight tremble for the last line, as if she were afraid of what the answer would be.
“You mean us?”
“If you have to ask, then I assume the answer is yes.” Iris was strong again, solid, sure.
“I never meant to hurt you, Jade.”
“Too late.”
Iris let the scene slip away and waited for further instructions. The showrunner swiveled in her chair. It was impossible to read her body language.
“Thank you, Iris, that was great. I think you had good emotional range in that scene.” Eric shuffled script pages. “Can you read from scene three?”
“Sure.” He wanted her to read other scenes. That was a good sign. She opened the bottle of water in front of where she’d been sitting and took a few sips.
Camille and Iris read through scripted scenes for another forty-five minutes. The more she knew about Jade, the more she liked the character, and the premise of the show. A rogue crew of mostly women, attempting to effect positive change in a future where Earth was no longer habitable and humans had scattered across galaxies in order to simply survive. She wanted to be part of this show for sure.
Chapter Four
The Sovereign Building’s gleaming, curved profile was one of Atlanta’s more architecturally unique high-rises. It was one of the most exclusive luxury condo complexes in the city. It always reminded Finn of the sort of building a stuntman might jump from with a hang glider.
Finn eased the town car next to the valet stand. She gave the valet her name so that he could ring Geoff Botha, her client for the evening.
Like his father, Geoff had a South African accent, he was in his late twenties, and based on her limited interaction with him, Finn had already determined he was sort of an entitled dick. Geoff’s father was one of Finn’s regular clients. He was older, distinguished, and much more pleasant to chauffeur than his son who she’d only met on one other occasion en route to a family wedding.
She walked around the car to open the door for him when Geoff appeared. He was about Finn’s height, close to six feet, and was dressed in a dark suit similar to hers. Like Finn’s, his was also Italian cut, to accentuate his trim physique. She knew already he’d had a few pre-dinner drinks. No wonder he didn’t want to drive himself.
He looked back toward the revolving glass door, and a few seconds later, his date stepped through. He obviously hadn’t been polite enough to wait for her. His date was very attractive. She was wearing an ivory blouse and a black pencil skirt, her long legs accented by impossible heels. Her brown hair framed her slender face with soft waves dropping past her shoulders. He winked at Finn after he watched his tight-skirted date slide into the back seat.
This is going to be a long night.
Finn closed the door and rounded the car to the driver’s side.
“Where to?” She had an itinerary for the evening, but it was always a good idea to check with passengers in case plans had changed.
“Bones. We’ve got an early dinner reservation, and I don’t want to be late.” Geoff spoke to her from the back seat.
“No problem.” She glanced in the rearview mirror. He slouched back with his arm around the woman, who rested a manicured hand on his thigh.
Bones was a pricey steak house with a clubby vibe. She’d been there once with Elaine. It was probably the most expensive steak Finn had ever eaten.
Traffic was moderate for a Friday night. But Buckhead was busy. Bars and restaurants would be packed based on the traffic winding along Piedmont Road from downtown. She deposited Geoff and his date a few minutes before seven and then drove around the block to look for a good spot to wait. She ended up finding a place in the parking lot of a nearby Men’s Wearhouse, conveniently located next to a Caribou Coffee. She walked back to the car with her coffee and a scone. Sugar and caffeine would help get her through the next couple of hours, depending on how long dinner lasted. Geoff would text her when he was ready to be picked up. In the meantime, she had a little time to kill.
Her phone lit up with a text from her mom with a list of groceries to pick up on the way home later. She replied and then scrolled through the news feed on the screen while she sipped her Americano.
* * *
The audition lasted past six o’clock, which surprised Iris a little. She was on her way to the elevator when Eric Gilet, the director, stopped her.
“Iris, do you have a minute?”
“Sure.” The elevator door swished closed behind her as she followed Eric back down the hallway.
She thought they were going back into the soundstage, but instead he opened a door on the other side of the hall and smiled as he waited for her to enter. The space looked like some sort of lounge similar to the waiting room she’d been in earlier. There was a mid century modern, stylishly uncomfortable looking sofa along one wall and a coffee table strewn with well-read magazines. Why did he want to speak to her alone?
“Your reading was good. I wanted a chance to talk to you a little about the part.”
“Sure. Was there something I missed?”
Eric stood a little too close, and she took a step back.
“You and Camille have very good chemistry. That’s part of what will make the show work.”
“Yes, I really like the interplay between Jade and Cloe.”
But it seemed like she and Eric were talking about different things.
“This character, Jade, she’s very…sexual.”
“If you’re talking about the fact that she’s bisexual I already spoke with the casting director about that element of the character. It won’t be a problem.”
“Great, well, I guess what I mean is that I was hoping to see even more sexual energy in the reading between you and Camille. I’m wondering if you could show me a little more of that now.”
“I don’t really understand what you’re asking.” Something about this entire encounter was beginning to make Iris uncomfortable. She glanced at the door.
“Before you leave, I thought you could show me a little more…talk through a few more lines with specific emphasis…letting your skills of seduction come through the part.” He nonchalantly sidestepped so that he was standing between Iris and the door.
It was a highly unusual request, a ridiculous request. Was he making a pass? Iris was equally angered and unnerved.
“I’d prefer to do any additional acting on the soundstage.” Iris reached for the doorknob, but Eric leaned against it, resting his weight against the door.
“If you work with me, I could make sure you own this role.”
Her arm was still outstretched, her hand resting on the doorknob. He placed his hand at the small of her back and drew her closer. She immediately pressed both hands against his chest in an attempt to push away from him. Now he had his other arm around her and tried to kiss her.
“Eric, stop.”
“You’re an incredibly beautiful woman, Iris. I know when a woman is attracted to me.”
Delusional much?
“I said stop.” She managed to wedge her elbow against his chest, which kept her face just out of reach as he once again tried to kiss her.
“I love the way your body feels so firm, so tight.”
She kept shifting in his arms in an attempt to break his grip. She pushed at his face, inadvertently scratching his cheek with her fingernail.
“Fuck.” He covered the scratch with his hand and glared at her.
He lost his focus for a moment and she broke free. The sudden shift in position caused him to take his weight away from Iris’s escape route. In that instant, Camille opened the door.
“Oh—” Camille stopped in the doorway. “I’m sorry. Katherine told me this room was free. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t interrupt.” Iris’s cheeks flamed, and she glared at Eric as she reached for her purse that she’d dropped as she attempted to deflect his advances. She swept past Camille into the hallway. Her heart was pounding. She was completely embarrassed. She was sure Camille would assume the worst of her.
She pushed the button for the elevator several times, impatient for its arrival. She smoothed her hair and glanced over her shoulder to make sure Eric wasn’t going to try to intercept her again. Tears of frustration and rage gathered along her lashes as she stepped onto the elevator. She pivoted to touch the button for the lobby just in time to see Eric standing in the hallway. His expression was dark as the doors closed.
Iris covered her face with her hands and tried to calm down.
Once in the lobby, she fumbled with the keys to the rental car. Her hands were shaking. She needed to get the hell out of this building and away from Eric Gilet. A wave of humid air swept past as she exited the air-conditioned lobby.
Now what?
Eric Gilet had turned out to be a complete dick. He’d been so smugly sure of his physical charms. If Camille hadn’t opened the door how far would he have tried to take things? Had she done something to give him the impression she was interested? No, she was sure she hadn’t. She’d been completely focused on Camille during the reading. Maybe that was what had gotten him so worked up. That thought made her angrier.
She hurried to her rental car and halted at the garage exit ramp to survey the street. She turned right to head downtown. She almost ran a red light a block from the garage. She slammed on the brakes just as a pedestrian stepped into the crosswalk.
“What the fuck?” he yelled and gestured with his hands.
Clearly, she was too rattled to drive. She scanned the street for somewhere to pull over.
The Peachtree Diner looked well lit and warmly inviting so she turned in.
Chapter Five
Finn eased the stretch limo over to the curb, just in front of the valet parking stand. Geoff and his date exited the restaurant as she pulled up. From Geoff’s body language she knew right away he’d had too much to drink. Finn could also read the signs enough to know that Geoff’s companion was ready for this date to be over. Good. Finn wasn’t really in the mood for a long night anyway.
She held the door open as her two passengers slid into the back seat. Traffic along Peachtree was stop-and-go as they left the restaurant.
Muffled but agitated voices from the passenger compartment caught her attention. The car’s interior had recessed lighting, just bright enough to see what was happening. There were bench seats along the sides of the stretch limo, with mini bar accessories on each end. Geoff and his date were at the far end of the passenger compartment. From what she could see, just glancing in the rearview mirror, he was trying his best to make it to second base, while his date put up defensive moves with her hands.
Finn gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter, rolling her knuckles forward as if she were making a fist. After a minute, Finn glanced into the rearview mirror again, and she didn’t like what she saw. She’d never been in a situation quite like this. There had been times when guys had too much to drink and they got obnoxious, even women on bachelorette outings could get annoyingly rowdy, but this…this was different. It seemed like a line was being crossed, and she didn’t feel right just watching it happen from the driver’s seat.
She scrolled through scenarios in her head for what to do. Each would ha
ve consequences.
At any moment, Finn expected Geoff to ask her to raise the window that separated the passenger compartment from the driver’s seat. Finn ran through repercussions in her head because she had no intention of honoring that request when he made it.
Movement captured her attention again as the young woman in the back seat attempted to deflect Geoff’s advances, which were becoming more aggressive. Their voices were muffled, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that the woman did not want Geoff’s hand between her legs. The woman’s defensive moves were becoming more frantic and Geoff’s more insistent.
“Hey! Driver! Close the window,” Geoff shouted from the back seat.
“No! Geoff…I said stop!” The woman pushed against his forearm.
Finn heard the words clearly that time. She clenched her jaw, checked traffic quickly, and pulled over. She took a deep breath as she strode around the car to the rear passenger door. Geoff was drunk enough that she figured he hadn’t even noticed the car had stopped. He seemed genuinely surprised when she hauled him from the back seat by his jacket collar.
“What the fu—”
Finn’s fist answered his unfinished question.
“Fucking hell.” He writhed at her feet, cradling his bloody nose.
When he made a drunken attempt to get up she punched him in the nose again. She was fairly sure she’d broken it that time. She wrung her hand in the air to ease the pain of her stinging knuckles and silently thanked her brother for all those boxing lessons so long ago. Geoff moaned and rolled onto his side, pulling his knees up toward his chest like an oversized baby.
The woman, her blouse and skirt slightly askew, watched with wide eyes through the open door from the back seat. Finn stepped over Geoff and leaned partway into the car. She handed the woman a handkerchief from her jacket pocket before she closed the door. She drove away, leaving him in a heap on the sidewalk.
Chasing Sunset Page 3