Embraced by a Donovan

by A. C. Arthur

  For the first season Giovanni had been an arrogant and demanding director that Adriana knew she had to put up with for the sake of her job. But since coming back for taping in the last couple of weeks he’d been a total ass, especially those times when he switched between gaping at her like he wanted to have her for dinner and balking at her in disgust over the littlest things. She prayed this was the norm for being in this business, but she wasn’t about to complain about any of it either.

  “I wasn’t sure why you called so I have to confess I’ve been a little anxious all day,” she admitted to Jaydon once they were both seated and she’d decided to leave thoughts of Giovanni and his multiple personality disorder back at the studio.

  “I know it seems like it’s been a whirlwind year since we first had the opportunity to chat,” Jaydon replied.

  She was a strikingly attractive woman with her butter complexion, luminous tawny colored eyes and flawless make-up. The white Armani pant suit she wore with Degras Spiked white Louboutins, and her hair swept into a neat bun, said she was stylish and professional, with the definite possibility to intimidate.

  “Seamus and I were just saying the same thing a couple weeks ago when we had lunch,” Adriana continued, speaking of the agent she’d been assigned to after signing the contracts with DNM.

  She understood that her meeting with Jaydon had only come about because of their family ties, and was extremely grateful for that fact. It was something that also added to the anxiety of this meeting and she wondered briefly if this was the part where she was politely let go.

  “Yes,” she replied with a nod. “I spoke with Seamus this morning just before I called you, so he knows that we’re meeting.”

  And he wasn’t here. Adriana took a deep, steadying breath and determinedly kept her smile in place.

  “I also had a chat with Giovanni and Lori,” Jaydon continued.

  It was Adriana’s turn to nod because she had no idea what she was supposed to say. Coming right out and asking why she’d wanted to meet with her would seem to brash and overt, two things she definitely was not. Besides, who wanted to hurry up and be fired?

  “Lori has some exciting plans for your character in the upcoming episodes. She thinks you have a lot of potential as an actress and she plans to push you to your limits before this season is over,” Jaydon told her.

  She’d also been looking at Adriana as if she were waiting for some reaction or comment, or just something. Completely uncomfortable with this situation Adriana shifted slightly in her chair and tried valiantly to keep her hands still in her lap. She’d been in meetings before with CEOs and marketing execs of companies she’d been working on campaigns with. They’d explain the product they were trying to sell and how she—i.e., her face and/or body—could help. Her then agent, Gwen, had always been there with her, smiling and assuring that Adriana would deliver. This time Adriana was alone and she still had no idea where this conversation was going, or if she’d be able to promise anything at the end of it.

  “I called them first because I wanted to get an idea of what your schedule was going to be like for the duration of the year,” Jaydon continued.

  “I would assume that depends on whether or not we get a third season,” she finally spoke because she did not want to seem like a complete dunce.

  Jaydon nodded, the diamond studs at her ears twinkling, and the huge rock on her right ring finger adding to the blinding bling.

  “That’s true and I’m almost sure that third season is guaranteed. Parker and I had a long talk about that the other night at his place. But that’s not what I’m concerned about.”

  For a brief second Adriana had allowed the words “at his place” referring to Parker, to ruffle her. There’d been a quick bead of agitation that was quickly pushed aside by Jaydon’s following words about being “concerned”.

  “What do you mean concerned?” she asked not caring at this point how it sounded, just so long as she received an answer. If there was something wrong Adriana decided then and there that she wanted to know. If she may not be working for them in the future, she could take that news just as well as anyone else. What she preferred was not to be “handled” or “coddled” because of who she was related to.

  “I had a very intriguing phone call late yesterday, Adriana. I will admit that I’m equal parts surprised and elated for you. Unfortunately, when I stopped by the studio to share the news, you had already left for the day. That’s when I originally told Giovanni that I needed to speak to you.”

  “Oh, really,” she said thinking back to yesterday and the late scenes they’d shot before Giovanni had finally called it a night and told them all to go home. “I thought he’d left before me.”

  She’d been sure that’s what Parker had told her when she’d asked what he was doing at the studio again. But that paled in comparison to the curiosity of what had made Jaydon come all the way down to the studio to speak to her. This morning when she’d called she made a point of asking Adriana to come downtown to the Excalibur building on the second floor where the DNM offices were located.

  A gold bangle clinked as Jaydon waved a hand and Adriana’s comment away. “It doesn’t matter, I’m going to hold off giving them an answer anyway. We don’t want to seem too desperate. Besides, I want to give you enough time to really consider taking this next step. Although I’ll tell you right off that it’s too big and too good a deal, preliminarily that is, for you not to seriously consider.”

  Now Adriana felt like screaming, “What the hell is it?” She didn’t of course, but she did say, “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind once you explain what you’re talking about.”

  To that, and to Adriana’s relief, Jaydon smiled.

  “You’ve heard of Thad Vestinosiv haven’t you?”

  Adriana blinked, her fingers clenching tightly together on her lap. “Of course. He’s one of the hottest movie producers out right now. His last movie alone grossed more than three hundred million worldwide.” And saying those words had her mind hop, skip and jumping to what Jaydon might be getting ready to tell her.

  “Well, he called me last night wanting to know how I managed to keep such a delectable secret as you under wraps for so long. He said you were “sublime” and that he absolutely had to have you for his upcoming movie, an adaptation of a sweeping tale of eroticism and obsession.”

  Adriana swallowed and blinked again. She unclenched her hands, and pressed her fingers back together once more. There was something she wanted to say. Of course she should say something. But she didn’t. Couldn’t. At least not right away.

  Jaydon gave her a knowing smile. “I’ll continue,” she said flipping open a folder that had been sitting on her desk in front of her. “Filming is set to begin in November but he’s been having the hardest time finding the right female for the lead. His son is a huge fan of Indiscretions and he mentioned you to him. Thad said he watched the entire first season in one sitting and was captivated by your performance. So much so that he wants to fly you to Paris where he and his crew will be for the next couple of months to have you read for the part.”

  “He wants me to read for the part in his next movie?” is what eventually came out of Adriana’s mouth. A second later and feeling like an utter idiot she shook her head. “I meant, I cannot believe he wants me.”

  “I know,” Jaydon replied. “First off, I couldn’t believe he was calling me himself instead of having whoever the casting agent on this project is do the honors. I kept looking at the phone wondering if I was hearing correctly. Not that you are not talented enough to do this, but just that, wow, Indiscretions is your first acting job. How fabulous is it to have a producer like Thad calling for you to read for him this quickly in your career?”

  “Too fabulous to be able to put into words,” Adriana spoke with a nervous chuckle before dispelling the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding all this time. Her heart was beating wildly, her hands now full-on shaking as she looked back to Jaydon. “What should
I do? How am I supposed to handle this? I mean, hell, I don’t know what to say.”

  Jaydon chuckled. “I know. It was a lot for me to digest too, but that’s why I wanted to hurry up and tell you last night. So anyway, now that you know. I want to keep him guessing for a week or two, then when you figure out that this is too damned good of an opportunity to pass up, we’ll call him and schedule the reading. In the meantime, he was having the script couriered directly to your apartment, so when you get home this evening it will be there.”

  “A movie script is going to be at my apartment waiting for me,” Adriana said, hating that she was repeating Jaydon but too astonished to do anything else.

  She’d wanted to act, had wanted that since she was a little girl, but her parents had insisted she finish school as they did not want any child-stars in their household. By the time she’d graduated a modeling scout had already seen her in the school talent showcase and the moment she’d graduated she’d been whisked off to New York for interviews and sessions to get her portfolio started. Everything happened so fast after that, so much so that she hadn’t thought about acting for years to follow, not until she’d hit that wall and almost crashed and burned.

  “Like I said this is a fantastic opportunity, Adriana. You can’t imagine how many African American actresses would kill for a chance to read for Thad, let alone have him seriously considering you for the part even before the read. This is really the big time so make sure you give it a lot of thought. Read the script and make sure it’s something you think you can do. Because once we agree to this you’ll be off in another world and the things that you’re doing now, the places you’re going, people you’re seeing, you may not have room for anymore. I want you to be absolutely sure.”

  Jaydon’s phone rang the minute she stopped talking and Adriana was thankful. She didn’t know what to say to all that Jaydon had just told her. Sure, filming a feature-length film would be a big responsibility, but the way Jaydon was talking seemed pretty damned dire, almost as if she were trying to talk her out of taking the job. Which made absolutely no sense because DNM would get paid a sizable chunk of change if she did decide to do the movie.

  “I’ve gotta take this,” Jaydon whispered, her hand covering the mouthpiece of the phone. “Go home, read the script and think about what I said.”

  Adriana nodded. “I will. Thanks,” she said before standing up to leave.

  The second Adriana was out of Jaydon’s office she’d wanted to jump up and down and scream and shout and for once in a very long time, simply be happy. But she was in the middle of an office with people watching her as she moved down, passing the many cubicles. Before she could reach the elevator she’d pulled out her cell phone and dialed Gabriella’s number. She had to tell someone this good news before she burst with excitement. When it went straight to voicemail she frowned and left her sister a message to call her right away. She was just about to board the elevator and intended to head to the garage, get her car and go home to get that script. But she glimpsed the logo for the television station and immediately thought of Parker.

  His office was on the fifth floor, she remembered because she’d gone there the day she’d signed the contract to begin working on Indiscretions. The day her new career and for all intent and purposes, new life, had begun. It only made sense that as this new offer had come as a direct result of that contract being signed a year ago, that she should go back to the beginning. That Parker should be the one she tell this news to first.

  Before her mind could wander in other directions, before she could think of anything to change the decision, she pressed the button directing the elevator to the fifth floor. Unlike the elevator in her building, this one quietly ticked off each floor with the flash of a lighted number just above the control board. She looked down at the tips of her Balenciaga spy sandals and smiled at the cheerful lavender polish she’d put on her toes. After years of wearing too many designer dresses, swimsuits, blouses, slacks, and whatever else, it always boiled down to the shoes. They were the one accessory that never failed to make her smile. Even today when she already had something to smile about.

  The doors opened and Adriana stepped off the elevator, her back straight, steps confident and sure as she moved to the oval shaped receptionist’s desk in the center of the floor. Above the pretty Asian woman’s head was the DNT logo, the name Donovan spelled out in script beside the capital letters. Unlike on the second floor where Jadyon’s office was, the walls here were dove gray, the carpet a shade paler, the desk a dusky gray color shined and lacquered.

  “May I help…oh, I’m sorry Ms. Bennett,” the receptionist spoke, covering her smile only momentarily as she stared up brightly at Adriana. “I didn’t expect to see you walking in here today. I just love Indiscretions, by the way. The girls in my apartment complex and I have weekly watch parties with tons of food and drinks so we don’t have to leave the apartment for anything that entire hour. You and Tyler sure do heat up Monday night television.”

  Again, Adriana found herself smiling. This wasn’t the first time she’d had a fan of the show tell her what they liked or didn’t like about an episode or the entire first season. And it certainly wasn’t the first time she’d been noticed by someone she didn’t know. It came with the territory when her job consisted of being plastered on billboards and magazines. This too was a part of her life she’d learned to deal with, to put into its own compartment and handle accordingly, even after all that she’d gone through.

  “Thanks. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the show,” she said, a rehearsed comment, but still sincere. “I wanted to see if Parker Donovan was in.”

  The receptionist, whose name Adriana did not know because there was no plate on the desk giving the information away, was probably around her age, late twenties. She wore her hair long and bone straight, held back from her face with a thin gold band that made the golden streaks mixing in a little less startling. Her eyes—sporting a flawless smoke black look to match the black pencil dress she was wearing—had widened, as she stood. “Yes. Yes. Of course, he’s in, let me just call his assistant to let her know I’m sending you back.”

  She’d already picked up the slim phone hurriedly looking down at the numbers then back up at her. “She watches the show too. Her name’s Darlene and I’m Sarah. Oh, she’s not picking up. Might be in the kitchen, we had pizza and brownies for lunch today. They always order lunch on the monthly meeting days. Anyway,” she said placing the phone back on its base. “Do you think I could bother you for an autograph? It’s okay if you say no, but I just know the girls in my building will flip when they hear I actually met you in person.”

  “It’s no problem, Sarah,” Adriana told her. “No problem at all.”

  She’d just finished signing not one, but four slips of paper, addressing them personally to the ladies in Sarah’s building, adding her name with practiced flourish.

  “Nobody told me we had a celebrity in the house,” he said and Adriana immediately turned.

  Her stomach did that little flutter thing it had done last night when he’d asked her out to dinner. She’d had a huge salad for lunch before coming over for her appointment with Jaydon so this time she couldn’t attribute that to hunger.

  “Hi. I was just coming to see you,” she spoke and took a step toward where he was standing.

  On each side of the receptionist’s station were glass double doors. Parker must have come from the ones on the left. At any rate, he was there, not five feet away from her, looking—well, looking as tall, dark and insanely handsome as only he could. But she did not want to go there, not to the way that light gray suit hung on his shoulders as if it had been cut and sewn specifically for him, or how the sage and silver paisley tie brought out a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. No, that was not why she was here.

  “I have something to tell you,” she continued. “Can we go to your office? Or no, you were leaving for the day. I’m sorry. I should have called first but I was in the building so I just
figured I’d come up.”

  “It’s fine,” he said. “Come on in.”

  He carried a leather bag in one hand and with the other extended his arm toward the door indicating she should go ahead of him. She did, waving to Sarah as she passed, “Thanks for your help, Sarah. Hope you tune in for season two.”

  “Oh I definitely will!” she replied exuberantly, adding even more pep to Adriana’s step.

  “You made her day,” Parker said coming up beside her, leading her down the hall to where his office was.

  It was all the way at the end of this floor, in the right corner. Why she remembered that she had no idea.

  “She watches the show. Her and her friends. Can you believe that?”

  “I can. It’s a good show,” he told her. “And I should know I produced it.”

  “Not a modest bone in your body is there?” she asked tossing him a grin over her shoulder.

  “Nope, only smart ones. That’s how I knew this show and you would be a hit,” he was saying as he opened his office door and led her inside.

  Adriana walked in already knowing what she would see. Sure, it had been a long time since she’d been in here, but she’d memorized everything about that day, about him. She hadn’t wanted to admit that because it was just weird. Her therapist would say it was progress, but she definitely did not want to think along those lines.

  The furniture was black, the walls just as in Jaydon’s office, bright white. She looked immediately to the left where there was a black leather sofa, its legs shiny silver, bright against the dark carpeted floor. Her heart thumped wildly at the fact that this would be the first thing in his office to draw her attention.

  “So what’s up?” he asked, moving over to that couch, setting his bag down on the floor. “Is everything alright at work?”

  “Huh, oh yes, I told you that’s fine. Why do you keep asking me about that?”

  He shrugged. “I’m the producer, remember?”

  “You’re never going to let me forget,” Adriana replied. “Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to tell you. I got some good news today and I wanted to tell you first. I mean, I think I should tell you first since you played a big part in getting me this far.”