“I’m here to see Nancy,” Holly explained.
“Do you have an authorised pass?”
What the hell? Last night Trudy hadn’t checked if she was aqualified actorcast for the movie, now she wanted a pass?
“No, I don’t. I’m hooker number three from last night, remember?”
Trudy searched her face then said, “Sorry, without the pass I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“Oh, for fuc—”
“She’s with me.” Before she could finish her sentence, Ethan’s warm hand branded her back causing her heart rate to kick up a notch.
Trudy’s eyes popped open and blotches of red crept up her neck. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know… sorry.”
Holly kind of felt sorry for Trudy so she said, “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known. Silly Ethan should have organised it for me.” She nudged him playfully in the ribs with her elbow. He glanced down at her with a frown, and she smiled back sweetly. “Can’t be too careful, all kinds of crazies could try to worm their way in to meet this guy.”
“Crazies alright,” he mumbled under his breath. She rewarded him with another jab.
Trudy’s gaze darted between them looking a little confused then said, “Ethan, can we go over something quickly before you head to makeup?”
“Sure,” he answered dropping his hand from Holly’s back. She shivered, cold without his touch.
They both strolled away looking at whatever was written on the clipboard and Holly pulled her luggage up the steps and entered the trailer.
Nancy and two other women were zooming from one end of the makeup counter to the other, five actors who Holly vaguely recognised but couldn’t put a name to, sat on the chairs in front of the mirrors. Two were the same people whose headshots she’d drawn on last night.
When a frazzled looking Nancy spotted her, her face lit up with a smile. “Oh, thank God you’re here. Jacinta, the other makeup artist, got rushed to hospital early this morning with appendicitis and we’re down a makeup artist.”
“That’s terrible. Is she okay?”
“She’s had surgery. She’ll be fine, but she can’t work for a couple of weeks.”
Now she knew why Nancy and the women were dashing from one actor to the other holding a bunch of different brushes in their hands.
“Can you help us? Want to be a makeup artist for a few days?” Nancy pleaded.
A makeup artist for a few days? Hell yeah!
If Holly smiled any wider her face would crack. It dropped when realisation sank in. “I’m not qualified.” Applying her own makeup didn’t mean she could do it professionally.
“Pfft, you weren’t qualified as an actor and you pulled that off. You have the skills to do makeup.” Nancy said as she brushed translucent powered on an actor’s face. “Stop overthinking it, Shaun here only needs a basic look, no special effects. Easy.”
Holly’s heart hammered behind her ribs, she wasn’t sure if it was from excitement or fear. Probably a combination of both. “Is there somewhere, where I can quickly change?” She couldn’t believe she was doing this. What better way to know if the desire to be a makeup artist was something from the heart or a reason to piss off her parents?
Nancy nodded toward a white door and Holly dashed inside with her luggage. She couldn’t wait to peel off the torturous shoes, skimpy clothes and get into something more comfortable. She wouldn’t mind keeping Ethan’s sweater on but that would probably be weird.
Once dressed, she raced to the counter. Her hands shook slightly as she picked up the powder and brush. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she got to work.
Within seconds, her hands took on a life of their own, as she immersed herself into the zone.
Chapter 9
After Trudy informed Ethan of the slight change to the script, he headed to the makeup trailer. The last person he expected to find was Holly. By now, he’d hoped she’d be at the train station. What surprised him the most was she was doing Shaun’s makeup. First, she’d gotten mistaken as an actress. Now she was working as a makeup artist? What the hell was going on at this studio?
She laughed at something Shaun said and Ethan’s chest tightened at the playful banter happening between them. The actor was no doubt trying to work is way into Holly’s pants, like he did with every attractive woman who crossed his path. It wasn’t his business who Holly messed around with so why did it leave a bitter taste in his mouth? Maybe because he knew his infamous reputation with women and didn’t want Holly getting hurt especially after what she’d been through with Declan.
“What are you doing here?” At Ethan’s harsh tone, Holly’s eyes widened, and he tried softening his next words. “Shouldn’t you be on a train?” That didn’t come out much better. He wasn’t sure why he was so annoyed. Was it because she’d looked like she’d enjoyed his kiss earlier and now was flirting with Shaun? This woman was screwing with his mind.
