Love of Steel [The Callens 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Melody Snow Monroe

  “Sure. Go bury your head in the sand. What you need to do is spend some thinking about those men and how they light your fire, both in your head and in your body. A relationship takes compromise. If you ever hope to be with anyone, you’ll need to cut back on your workload in order to get some good loving.”

  “Will do.” Just not today.

  Jade headed upstairs to change. She wanted to give a few hours to working not only on the Fitzpatrick chandelier but also on her aunt’s shovel. She couldn’t believe Parker suggested she add some more scrollwork to the balcony. She’d given him the drawing of what she planned to do, and he seemed fine with the design. What was up with needing more?

  Damn. She’d never be able to figure out men.

  * * * *

  Jade hadn’t slept much last night. She’d been trying to answer the question Dakota had posed about her desire for a relationship. She wanted to be with her two men but on her terms. Every girl dreamed of having a couple of children, but Jade wasn’t willing to toss aside her hard work to stay at home all day long—at least not for a few more years.

  Or was she making up excuses? Was fear motivating her obsession with being independent?

  Hell, if I know.

  In the middle of some delicate torch work, her phone vibrated on her hip. It was Parker. All night she kept telling herself that only Logan had made the comment about giving up her job to marry a rich man. Maybe Parker still appreciated her desire to work.

  She turned off the torch. “Hi, Parker.”

  “Hey, sugar. Just calling to let you know that rehearsal is at seven tonight.”

  “Rehearsal?”

  “You said you’d be in the play, or at least you didn’t say you wouldn’t do it. I need you.”

  Damn. He did sound desperate. When he pleaded, it was hard to say no. The problem was that Logan would be there. Parker probably wanted her in Logan’s presence to lower her resistance toward both of them. She’d fallen for Logan’s debonair attention once. In her mind, the sex had been out of the world, but to him, it had probably been rather ordinary.

  “I’ll be there.” Someday she’d learn to say no.

  Once he disconnected, she turned on the torch and returned to what she loved to do. She’d finished about a fourth of the shovel when her stomach grumbled. Time to eat and shower, even though the thought of food upset her.

  Dinner consisted of an apple, a hard-boiled egg, and a piece of chicken. She didn’t go all out in the makeup department, but she wore an extra-frilly blouse and a pair of her sexiest heels. Since Logan was the leading man, she wanted to be sure he had eyes for her and not just the leading lady, whoever she was.

  The parking lot was filled with half a dozen cars. Maybe she should have asked Parker for a copy of the script so she could understand her role. She guessed it was too late now.

  She entered through the back door as the current production was going on in a different part of the theater. Laughter floated up from this second stage. A large table sat in the middle with the group of actors huddled over their scripts. Parker sat at the head of the table, and Logan was next to a beautiful redhead Jade had never seen before. In the past, Parker had convinced some equity actor to do his show to help draw an audience. Maybe this lovely lady had her card.

  Jade inhaled, pretending the flutters in her stomach came from the fact she’d never acted and not from the jealousy coursing through her. Standing as straight as she could, she floated toward them, pretending this was going to be the most fun night she’d ever had. There was a free seat next to Parker, but she doubted he’d saved it for her.

  Waiting until after Parker stopped the scene, she stepped into the light. His eyes lit up.

  “You came.”

  You asked me to. “I’m here.”

  Parker pulled out the seat next to him. “Everyone, this is Jade Callen. She’s a virgin, so be kind.”

  He must have done that on purpose, knowing she’d instantly picture how he’d pressed her back against the wall and fucked her silly. Heat crept up her face, but she graciously smiled and took her seat.

  “Your timing is perfect. Let me give you the set up. Logan is playing Justin Boudreaux, a gentleman from New Orleans who’s quite the playboy. He’s engaged to Cecile Rambert here.” Parker nodded to the beautiful redhead. “Her real name is Marlene Deneuve.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  Marlene’s smile appeared genuine, but given she didn’t look much older than Jade was, she was probably swooning that she got to play opposite the handsome Logan Smithfield.

  “We just read the scene where Cecile is pressuring Justin about setting the date for the wedding. In reality, he’s only with Marlene because he needs her father’s vote on the city council to put a certain establishment in the city limits.”

  She could draw her own conclusion about what kind of establishment that might be. It probably was like the Siren Lounge, where couples went to engage in sex in front of an audience.

  “What’s my role?”

  “You want Logan and are trying to convince him to leave Cecile.”

  This wouldn’t take much acting on her part. “You told me I didn’t have many lines.”

  “You don’t, but you have a body, hands, and lips. Use them.”

  “That’s it?”

  He sucked in his cheeks as if he was working hard to keep from laughing. She wouldn’t look at Logan. He’d be grinning.

  “I can help give you some acting guidelines afterwards.” He winked.

  This time she had to smile at his blatant overture. Maybe he was really interested in her. “Works for me.”

  Logan pushed back his seat. “Let’s put the table up and do some blocking.”

  She must have missed a lot of rehearsals or else she had no idea how this play stuff worked. Since there was little evidence of a set, she wondered if Parker expected her to start building the flats as well as act in the show. If she helped him anymore, her business would fizzle.

  They started at the beginning. The actors would read the lines. Since she wasn’t on until the beginning of act two, she sat off to the side and watched. Logan mesmerized her, but then so did Marlene. The woman was magnetic. Why his character would even consider not marrying her, Jade didn’t know. Logan’s character seemed close to his real personality. Given that Parker told her he’d written the play with Logan in mind, she wasn’t surprised.

  As the play unfolded, she could understand why Justin Boudreaux would need Cecile’s father’s help, but there was also a sexual draw between them.

  Parker stepped on stage. “Cecile, as soon as Justin answers the door, you strut in, throw your arms around him, and give him the best kiss you can.”

  Jade heard the direction and understood what needed to happen, but when Marlene did as Parker instructed, her stomach churned. Parker never said that Logan was supposed to grab her ass and run his hands up and down her back. She might have accepted the act during the actual performance but not during the first week of rehearsal.

  The first act took forever to get through. She couldn’t concentrate on the show because when Logan wasn’t on stage he was in the wings doing who knew what with Marlene.

  “Let’s take a break, folks. Ten minutes. Then we’ll do act two.”

  Jade stood, not really sure what she was supposed to do. Doing nothing wasn’t her style. Maybe at the next rehearsal she could work on the set in back while the actors rehearsed. If she had just a walk-on part, she didn’t see the need to be here the whole time.

  Parker jogged over to her. “So what did you think?”

  “It was wonderful.”

  Parker drew her into his arms and hugged her. “Don’t worry. You’ll be great, too.”

  A man who could read her mind was a dangerous one. “I’m not worried.”

  “Here’s the scoop. You’ll be playing a woman named Ellen. You and Justin had a baby together four years ago, but he quickly abandoned you after you told him you didn’t want to get married.
”

  She tried to put herself in this woman’s place. “Justin should have insisted.” She liked men to be noble.

  “He doesn’t beg anyone. He did ask once, but you shot him down. He’s ready to move on. Now that times have gotten hard, you want a father for your daughter.”

  “Am I in love with him or am I a gold digger?”

  “You’re definitely in love with him, but you won’t admit it. Your money is tight and your daughter needs a lot of things.”

  She couldn’t quite get a handle on Ellen’s motivation. “So this is my last chance to snag him before he marries Cecile.”

  Parker grinned. “Yes, so make it convincing.”

  Thank goodness all of Parker’s plays were rated PG. “What will I be wearing?”

  “As little as possible.”

  Dear God.

  The actors filtered back on stage and Parker returned to his director’s seat. “Okay, everyone. Let’s take it from the top of act two.”

  Butterflies licked the inside of her stomach as she waited in the wings until Parker waved her on for her short scene. She was supposed to be standing outside Justin’s apartment in the hopes of catching him off guard. Being a stalker wasn’t her choice of a role, but if it meant she could share an experience with her men, she’d do it.

  She pictured the set rotating and her balconies appearing. The door would open and Logan would strut down the steps she needed to build. Right now, they had to pretend. When he got to the right spot on the floor, she rushed up to him and plastered her hands on his chest. Since she hadn’t memorized her lines, she asked if she could ad lib. Parker was fine with that.

  “Justin, can we talk?”

  He seemed to freeze and focus only on her. The other actors melted away, and all she could think of was kissing him for real. Praying Parker didn’t yell cut, she wrapped her arms around Logan’s neck and planted a big kiss on him while she pressed her body tight against his. He did nothing in return. There was no ass grabbing, no tongue, no nothing.

  Her arms dropped to her side and she stepped back. Her brows pinched. “What’s wrong?”

  “You’re asking me that?”

  “I thought I meant something to you.”

  He looked over her head as if he was trying to come up with something to say. “Not anymore.”

  He brushed past her and disappeared off stage. Her body cramped at the rejection.

  Chapter Eight

  “Cut. Holy shit.” Parker got up from his seat and raced toward her. “Sugar, you’re a freaking natural.” He gave her a supportive hug.

  She glanced over his shoulder at Logan, who was grinning. Now she felt stupid. She thought they were talking about New Orleans, and here he was acting. “Logan was the amazing one.”

  She glanced over at Marlene, who’d stepped next to Logan and possessively wrapped an arm through his. Jade wanted to rush over and tell her that Logan belonged to her, but she wasn’t so sure that was true anymore since they really hadn’t connected since their trip. That needed to change soon.

  Parker lifted her chin. “If you want to leave, you can.”

  “The play’s not over.”

  “I know, but you have a walk-on part at the end. I know you’re busy.”

  That was true, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to be dismissed either. “What happens between Ellen and Justin? Does she get to plead her case again?”

  “Justin tells Cecile about you and your past, and she then spends the rest of the act trying to convince Justin to set the wedding date. At the end I’ll have you walk down the street. The show will end with Justin running after you.”

  She grinned. “So he’s secretly loved Ellen all this time?”

  Parker laughed. “I’m leaving it up to the audience to figure out.”

  “Pooh.”

  He sighed. “Why do you people need resolution?”

  By you people, she guessed he meant women in general. “Because your female audience wants a happily ever after.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Maybe I’ll have to rewrite the ending. Get some sleep. You look tired.”

  Because I’ve worked nonstop to build your damned set that you don’t like. “I thought you needed help building the flats.”

  “Tomorrow we’ll discuss that. Go.”

  She could use the time to work on Logan’s staircase as well as the month-end books. She waved good-bye to Logan, but apparently he didn’t notice. Marlene was in his face.

  Fatigue attacked her the moment she walked into her studio. If Parker thought she looked bad, it might be best to actually get some rest.

  Unfortunately, she couldn’t sleep. Kissing Logan and not feeling even a spark between them unnerved her. Either he didn’t care for her anymore or he was the best damned actor this side of the Mississippi. She wasn’t sure she was willing to go through that quasi kiss each night for the next several weeks.

  The whole three-way relationship wasn’t going to work if something didn’t change. If only she could figure out what to do to reignite the fire between them. Contacting Parker made the most sense as he had been supportive.

  * * * *

  A knock sounded on his back door. “Logan?”

  “In here.” He poured the hot drink into his cup

  Parker stepped into the kitchen and made a beeline to the coffee. “Got an extra cup for me?” The play hadn’t finished until after eleven, and Parker looked none too perky. “You look like you could use some caffeine.”

  “You can say that again.”

  Logan poured him a cup. “Here.”

  “You look like shit, too.”

  That was because he hadn’t shaven and was dressed in a T-shirt with holes, which wasn’t his usual style. “Thanks.”

  “Something wrong?”

  He brought his mug to the table and sat down. “You have to ask that question?”

  “I thought Jade’s performance was terrific.”

  “Did you see the hurt in her eyes when I didn’t respond?” It had killed him to walk away from her without an explanation.

  “You were acting.”

  He lifted the mug and blew on the steam coming off the top. “Tell her that. She looked at me like I’d slapped her.”

  Parker seemed to contemplate that comment for a while before speaking. “This stay-away shit isn’t working, is it?”

  Ya think? “I plan on cornering her at the rehearsal tonight. I can’t wait around until she comes to us. That stupid idea of mine backfired big time.”

  Parker sipped the hot brew. “I think she needs to know that we want her. When I took charge in making love to her, she loved it.”

  “You’re right. I wanted her so bad that I let my priorities get messed up.”

  He waved his mug. “To tonight then.” Parker finished his coffee. “Gotta go. I need to start working on the set.”

  “I thought Jade was going to help.”

  “I think we’ve pushed her enough. I’m going to call Colby Stone. He once told me that if I ever needed some help with the sets he’d be willing to lend a hand.”

  He was the vice president of Callen Construction and a whiz with a hammer. “I guess you didn’t hear. Someone mentioned that Tracey had the baby last night.”

  “Damn.”

  He tried to think of someone else in construction. “Call Wade Watson. He’s helped in the past.”

  “Good thinking.”

  He knew firsthand how hard it was to get good help. After Parker left, he got dressed and headed out to the construction site. He’d already sold many of the homes and couldn’t be happier. He’d been serious about looking for another project. Building all those green homes had taken years. Now was the time for a little downtime. Renovating a warehouse like Jade had appealed to him. There were several abandoned ones in town that would make for a great place to live. Many were more than ten thousand square feet. The inside would give him carte blanche, but he’d only proceed if he had Jade on board. He wanted her to move in with him a
nd Parker. To make the place something she’d be proud of, he’d need her input.

  After he made all his calls for the day, he stopped at the Eatery for dinner. Play practice was going to run from six to nine tonight, and he hoped he had some time to be with her. He’d brought his script and went over his lines. Usually, he recorded the play on his iPod and played it back while he drove. Between going back and forth to work and back and forth to the theater, he’d have his lines committed to memory in no time.

  He was one of the first to arrive for rehearsal. Hammers were going crazy behind the set. Logan made his way backstage, hoping that maybe Jade was there to help, even though he hadn’t spotted her truck out front.

  Parker and Wade were there. He stepped up to the man his cousin had married. “Hey. How’s Sam?”

  “Loving being a mom and loving running her dude ranch.”

  “Tell her I said hi.”

  Wade nodded.

  Logan stood next to Parker. He looked up and flashed him a brief grin. “Give me a sec.”

  Parker secured the last piece of the wooden structure and put down the hammer. “That’s about it for tonight.” He pulled out his phone. “Guess it’s time for rehearsal. Wade, we can’t have the banging during rehearsal. I really appreciate your help.”

  “Happy to lend a hand.”

  Parker looked tired. “You eat today?”

  “Had a bag of chips.”

  “You’ll live to one hundred on that.”

  His friend patted his abs. “Jade didn’t seem to mind.”

  Speaking of her, he hated that she might think he hadn’t loved the kiss. Before he could figure out how he wanted to handle the situation, Marlene and three of the other cast members came in. He turned his back to the leading lady, needing her to understand that Justin might want her but he didn’t.

  When 6:00 p.m. rolled around, Parker called the cast in. Since Jade wasn’t in the first act, she probably figured she could come along in an hour. The blocking went well, and they even got to work on their lines.

  At the end of act one, Parker called for a break. Logan was worried.