“Well, I am, but just not in the womanizing department,” BJ said with a quirk of his lips. “Just tell me you’ve left his ass now.”
“Generally,” she said.
“Meaning?” he asked.
“Meaning just about everything I own is in my car,” she said, grinning.
“I see,” he said, his eyes looking her face over. “So how are you set on a place to stay?”
Cassie didn’t answer at first, running through her options in her head. Finally, she shrugged. “I’ll probably go stay with Tommy from the band.”
“Okay,” BJ said nodding, satisfied that she’d be safe with Tommy. “That’s good, but if it doesn’t work out I want you to let me know.”
Just then there was a knock on the office door and in walked Allexxiss, BJ’s movie star wife.
“Bren, I, oh, sorry,” she said, seeing that he was obviously meeting with someone.
“It’s okay, babe,” BJ said, smiling and seeing Cassie’s eyes widen when she saw who had just walked in. “Lex, this is Cassie Roads, she’s the lead singer of—”
“Fast Lane,” Allexxiss said, nodding. “I know, you told me about her, and I’ve seen the pictures. Hi Cassie, it’s nice to meet you … Oh my God what happened to your face?” Allexxiss said as she extended her hand to Cassie.
“Mrs., I mean, um,” Cassie stammered, not sure how to refer to BJ’s wife.
“Call me Allex,” Allexxiss said, “and then tell me what happened.”
“Her boyfriend,” BJ said, when Cassie hesitated.
“And he’s getting his ass kicked when?” Allexxiss asked BJ.
BJ laughed, shaking his head. “We’re going to try to avoid police involvement at this point, but it’s a definite possibility in the future.”
“Do you live with him?” Allexxiss asked.
“Not anymore,” Cassie said.
“And you have a place to stay?” Allexxiss asked then.
Cassie smiled. Apparently, BJ and Allexxiss thought the same way, which seemed crazy to Cassie. They were huge stars and they worried about some no-name singer?
“Yes, I’m going to stay with the guitarist from my band.”
Allexxiss nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said, sounding satisfied. “Well, what I was coming to tell you, Bren, is that dinner is ready. Cassie will you stay and have dinner with us?”
“Uh …” Cassie hesitated, torn. On one hand she didn’t want to intrude, but on the other hand she’d always been fascinated by the BJ Sparks and Allexxiss Ramsey love story, so getting a chance to be around them in a private setting was just too good of a chance to pass up. “Wow, that would be really nice, if you’re sure I’m not intruding,” she said finally.
“Not at all,” Allexxiss said, smiling.
Ten minutes later they were seated in the dining room. The dining room was beautifully appointed with mahogany wainscoting on the walls and various colorful modern art paintings, as well as sculptured glass pieces in similar colors. The room seemed like a mixture of Allexxiss and BJ, with the elegance of the wood, mixed with the bright colors of the paintings. It seemed to speak of their union.
“So how do you feel about the album you’re working on?” Allexxiss asked as they ate.
“I think we’re doing some great stuff,” Cassie said, “but I have to say that what BJ’s people are doing with it amazes even me.”
Allexxiss smiled, knowing that her husband was a perfectionist, and would only hire the best sound engineers to work with his stars. “BJ tends to look for the best.”
“Well, I just hope we can measure up,” Cassie said honestly.
“So, I gotta ask,” BJ said then, “where does this voice of yours come from? You’re so tiny, with such a huge voice.”
Cassie grinned. “Where do you get your voice?”
Brenden shrugged. “Born with it I guess,” he said.
“Same here,” she said.
He nodded. “Have you had any formal training?”
“Only choir,” she said.
“Choir?” he repeated, disbelief clear in his voice.
“Yeah,” she said, laughing softly.
He looked over at her, shocked. “Forgive me, but you don’t seem like the church type of girl.”
“Well, I’m not anymore,” she said, “but at one point I considered becoming a nun.”
“That would have been one helluva waste,” he said.
Cassie smiled brightly, wincing because she’d hurt her cut lip in doing so.
BJ’s eyes settled on the bruises and he shook his head ruefully. “He sure did a number on you, Cass,” he said, his tone concerned.
“I know,” she said, looking perturbed at the idea.
“I want you to stay away from him,” he told her in no uncertain terms.
“That won’t be easy,” she said.
“Do you love him?” he asked, glancing over at Allexxiss, seeing the concern on her face as well.
“No,” Cassie replied. “But he’s under the impression I belong to him,” she said, her tone irritated.
“Well, you don’t. And technically you belong to me and my label now, so he’ll just have to come through me if he wants to get to you again.”
She glanced over at him, surprised by his statement. He didn’t sound the least bit possessive when he said it, but he did sound serious.
“I wouldn’t want to involve you in this, Mr. Sparks, it’s my problem,” she said.
“First of all, call me BJ, and secondly, you are an asset to my label, and by that very nature important to me. But I also don’t go in for men hitting women, so …” he said, his voice trailing off ominously. “It’s simple, you work for my label now, so your problems are my problems,” he said, his voice softer. “If he touches you again, I’ll personally kick his ass.”
****
Shannon Teary made a face in the mirror, sticking her tongue out at herself.
“Shanny, stop it!” the makeup artist raged, grinning all the same.
“I swear,” Shannon said, “if I have to stay this way one more day, I’ll kill someone!”
“It isn’t your best look,” the makeup artist, an extremely flamboyant gay guy named Andre, told her, his look critical.
“Oh, really?” she asked, batting her green eyes at him. “You mean thirty pounds overweight, brown stringy hair, and these lovely dentures that make me look like I have nightmare coffee teeth don’t work for me?” She raised an eyebrow at the man. “How do you know this isn’t my usual look?”
“I’ve seen your promo pictures, sweetie,” he said, winking at her.
Shannon Teary was a twenty-year-old farmer’s daughter, literally. She’d grown up on a farm in Wisconsin. One day a year ago, she’d been with her friend at the mall in Madison, when she had run into a man who had stood staring at her in mute awe.
“Can I help you?” she asked, looking back the man as if he was nuts.
“You’re Mary Sebastian,” he said, his tone reflecting his awe.
“Uh, no, mister,” she said, glancing at her friend.
“You’re who I was thinking of when I wrote the book,” he told her.
“Listen pal,” her friend said, stepping in for Shannon who was the polite one of the two of them. “We don’t care what fantasies you have when you write whatever you write, but we don’t want to hear about it. Come on Shanny,” she said, grabbing Shannon’s hand and dragging her away.
The man put his hand out, taking Shannon’s other hand to stop them.
“Have you ever thought about becoming an actress?” he asked.
“A what?” Shannon asked.
“Oh, we are not listening to this shit!” Tammy said. “Leave us alone buddy, or I’ll call security and have you arrested!”
The man pulled out a card and pressed it into Shannon’s hand. “I’m Benjiman Steiny, I wrote a book called “The Coming Storm.” Read it, see if you’re not Mary Sebastian. If you want a chance to be in a movie, call me at that number. But I’ll ne
ed your answer within the week, casting is just wrapping up.”
He walked away then, throwing Tammy a foul look. Tammy looked at the card. It definitely said his name.
In the end Shannon couldn’t resist the idea of being in a movie. She’d loved the acting classes she’d taken in school. Her teacher had claimed she was a natural. She’d always loved movies! But no, she’d never considered being an actress.
When she contacted Benjiman he remembered her, telling her that he’d meant what he’d said about her being Mary. He flew her to Los Angeles and had her read for the part with Allexxiss Ramsey and her director. She got the part. She had indeed read the book, and totally identified with the character they wanted her to play. The part was a co-starring role of minor proportions. She was playing the homely friend as a counter to Allexxiss’ strong female role. The one that is always wringing her hands and telling Allexxiss’ character not to do that, it wasn’t right, etc. As such, they told Shannon she needed to gain forty to fifty pounds before shooting began for her part in six months, and they’d have to die her hair to get out the natural blond streaks she had from being in the sun all the time. They asked her to drink a lot of coffee to stain her teeth, but had decided to give her dentures in the end.
They wanted her as unremarkable as possible. It was the writer’s commentary on how women who were spineless should be nondescript. Shannon couldn’t help but agree with that, and she’d felt like she’d been cast in the perfect role. She felt like it was indicative of her whole life, unremarkable. So, her first six months in Hollywood had been a bit hindered. She discovered very quickly that no one liked fat people in Hollywood. If you weren’t beautiful, you didn’t exist. It made her sure she didn’t want this life, but then she’d fallen in love with the acting. Now she was just hoping that once she got her old body back, she’d somewhat measure up to people’s ideals of beauty in Hollywood. She also hoped that she’d developed enough talent to ever get cast again.
She had one ace in the hole, Allexxiss Ramsey liked her. They talked a few times in the beginning of shooting. She told Allexxiss how she was the homely one at home, that her friend Tammy was the tough, outgoing, beautiful one.
“I know exactly what you mean,” Allexxiss said. “I was that way with my friend Sherry when I was in school.”
“You?” Shannon said, her eyes widening. Then she shook her head. “No way!”
“Oh yeah,” Allexxiss said, smiling sadly. “Sherry was the one that got all the guys, I was always too scared to try anything like she did.”
“Wow,” Shannon said, shaking her head again. “That changed a lot, huh?”
“Yeah …” Allexxiss said, with a wistful smile, “that was about the time I met Brenden.”
Shannon, like everyone else on the planet, had heard the story about BJ Sparks and Allexxiss Ramsey and how they met. Allexxiss had been sixteen and in London with her best friend for her birthday. She’d met and fallen in love with Brenden James O’Malley. In the two weeks she’d spent with him, she’d accidentally gotten pregnant, resulting in their daughter Tabitha. Things had torn them apart for many years, but they’d gotten back together a couple of years before and the whole world was in love with their love story, including Shannon Teary.
“You two seem so amazing together,” Shannon said.
Allexxiss lit up, smiling brightly. They’d become friends in that instance.
Allexxiss gave her pointers on her acting but was also very complimentary of her natural ability. Shannon read the book a number of times and lived and breathed the character she was playing. Becoming Mary Sebastian had been easy after that. Allexxiss was impressed.
♪ Two ♪
New York, 2001
“Mackie, just stay on with me,” Janey, his current client, begged, looking desperate as he shook his head.
“You don’t need me, Jane,” he assured her.
“I do need you!” she cried, ever the actress.
“For what?” he asked mildly. “To make the new man jealous?”
Janey looked back at him doing her best to look shocked at such an accusation. Even she couldn’t act that well. John was fully aware that Janey had staged the last fight she’d gotten into with her new boyfriend, letting the guy think that another man was hitting on her. John had ended up in the middle of it, simply because it was causing a scene, and John still had an inherent desire to see justice done. He knew that Janey had maneuvered the whole thing, and some poor sucker was going to get the shit beat out of him for it. In the end, he’d intervened halfway into the fight, taking a punch in the face for it, but taking Janey’s current boyfriend to the ground shortly after that.
Janey, had of course defended John, telling her new boyfriend that John was just doing his best to protect everyone. The new boyfriend’s response was that John should have had his back, rather than the other guy’s back.
“She pays me to protect her, halfwit, not you,” had been John’s succinct response.
The boyfriend had been almost fool enough to try and start something else over the insult. Ever the need to prove he was the “man” in the group. The flicker of confident amusement that had crossed John’s face was enough to dissuade the other man from any further thought in that direction. It had, however, shown John that it was time to end the contract. Janey hadn’t needed a bodyguard, she’d wanted a man to follow her around and make her feel wanted. John had fulfilled that need for the last six months, but now he was done.
“John,” Janey said, her hand on his arm, “won’t you please reconsider?”
“Sorry, doll,” he said, “I just don’t think I can handle babysitting anymore.”
“Babysitting?” she queried derisively.
“Just pay me,” John said simply, tired of dealing with tirades, and knowing she was winding up for another one.
“I’ll send you a check,” she said primly.
“You’ll have a cashier’s check in my hand by five today,” he countered smoothly.
She looked back at him, surprised by his non-reverent attitude. There was no reason for her to be surprised, he hadn’t taken any crap from her in six months and he didn’t intend to start now. The last thing he was going to do was wait for his last paycheck from a woman that couldn’t keep her nail appointments straight, let alone who she’d paid and hadn’t.
By seven o’clock that evening, John had his last check safely stowed in his coat pocket. He boarded a plane back to New York. By ten he was in his apartment, listening to messages as he relaxed on his couch with a glass of wine, flipping through his mail. He had to decide which job to take next. It was good to be sought after now. In the past few months, things had gotten hairy. He’d had to turn down two jobs, because Janey “needed” him. He had worried that it would affect his options. It hadn’t. He had three requests for bodyguard work. Life was definitely good.
****
“Where are we going?” Tommy asked, looking around at the studios.
“Number four,” Cassie said, pointing up at the numbers on the outsides of the buildings.
“Okay,” Tommy said, following Cassie’s lead, glancing around him as he did. He couldn’t believe that he was on an actual movie lot.
Cassie had gotten permission to bring him to the filming of The Coming Storm. He was acting nonchalantly, but the truth was he was thrilled as hell.
They found the building and went inside quietly. Standing back, they watched the scene being filmed. Allexxiss and a dark-haired girl were on the sound stage. The dark-haired girl was shaking her head, backing up with a horrified look on her face.
“No, Sarah you can’t!” the dark-haired girl exclaimed, her hand going to her mouth.
“I have to, Mary, and if you can’t handle it then you better get out now,” Allexxiss said, narrowing her blue eyes at the other girl.
“But if you run they’ll just find you!” the dark-haired girl exclaimed again. “They’ll put you in jail, you need to tell the police, they’ll handle things.”
>
“The police know, Mary, and they won’t do anything, just let me get this done!” Allexxiss said, throwing clothes into a suitcase.
The dark-haired girl lunged forward, putting her hand on the suitcase and slamming shut. There was a shocked silence, and then she said, “Ouch shit!” And everyone on the set broke up into laughter as the she shook her hand making a face.
“You shut it on your hand, didn’t you, Shannon?” Allexxiss asked, laughing as she reached for the younger girl’s hand.
“Yes!” Shannon said, making all kinds of comical faces even as she continued to shake her hand. “Owie, owie, owie!” she said, stomping her foot, and grimacing comically.
Someone came forward then with a towel, and Shannon took it, thanking the young man.
Allexxiss glanced over to where Cassie and Tommy stood watching. She motioned for them to come over.
“Hi!” Allexxiss said, reaching over to hug Cassie.
“Allexxiss,” Cassie said, gesturing to Tommy, “this is Tommy Timmerman, he’s the guitarist for Fast Lane.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Allexxiss said, smiling warmly at Tommy. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“All lies, I’m telling you,” Tommy said, grinning.
Cassie laughed, shaking her head.
Allexxiss glanced over her shoulder. “Shannon!” she called. “Come here, I want you to meet a couple of people.”
Shannon walked over, smiling shyly at Cassie and glancing at Tommy.
“Hi,” she said, smiling still at Cassie.
“Cassie, this is Shannon Teary, she’s playing Mary Sebastian,” Allexxiss said. “And Shannon this is Cassie and Tommy, they’re in a band called Fast Lane.”
“Currently,” Tommy put in, winking at Cassie who laughed.
Cassie put her hand out to the other girl. “It’s nice to meet you, Allexxiss was telling me about your lucky break, a lot like mine at her husband’s hands. She says you’re a really gifted actress.”
“Well, thanks,” Shannon said, smiling over at Allexxiss, “but she’s the best. I’m just trying to keep up. You can see,” she said, holding her hand up with a red blood welt on it already, “I’m not exactly coordinated.”
In the Fast Lane Page 4