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Citrus perfume wafted around me as Crystal got everything ready. She started by removing the makeup I’d applied that morning, then wheeled a three-tiered trolley next to my chair, perched on a leather stool, and pulled bottles and brushes out from a drawer.
I watched our reflections in the mirror while Crystal worked, swiping three shades of foundation on my jawline before muttering, “That’s the one.” She dispensed the beige liquid on apink sponge and dabbed it into my skin, applying a much thicker layer than I would have.
People milled behind us and at first, it was only makeup artists and actors that I didn’t recognize, but then I caught a glimpse of a familiar face and my heart thumped.
Wyatt.
Not only was he behind me, but he was walking in my direction and his gray eyes stared straight into mine in the mirror.
“You’re a bit sweaty.” Crystal dabbed the sponge along my hairline with extra energy.
I tried to rein in my anxiety, but Wyatt was moving closer and closer… and then he was behind my shoulder. He placed his hand on the top of my chair and even though he wasn’tactuallytouching me, I could feel the heat radiating from his skin.
“Congratulations. Kyla, is it?”
I nodded, my throat too dry to speak. Despite being cast in the lead role, I still felt like talking to the talent was strictly prohibited.
Besides, Wyatt Cole was one of the most gorgeous humans I’d ever seen: even this close, I couldn’t see a single flaw in his appearance. His eyes were the color of a tempestuous ocean, his shaggy blond hair framed his freckled face and lightly brushed the collar of his t-shirt, and through the thin fabric, I could tell that his chest was more muscular than I would have expected from the characters he played in his movies.
Crystal squeezed my jaw as I tried to turn around to make sure he was really there and wasn’t a figment of my imagination.
“Stay still,” she instructed. “Or you’ll end up with a mascara wand in your eye. Is there something I can help you with, Wyatt?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed and watched Crystal work. I wished he wouldn’t — the beads of perspirationon my forehead must have been visible from where he was standing.
“Do you have any acting experience?” he asked, and I winced.
“I was in a school musical…”
“That’s better than nothing.” If anyone else had said that, it might have sounded like an insult. But Wyatt flashed me such a wide smile that it felt like he genuinely meant it as a compliment. “At least you’ve performed for an audience. Stage fright is the biggest issue for new actors.”
Crystal had finished my foundation now, and the expensive makeup made my skin look like it had been sculpted from unblemished clay, but my eyes were still naked and vulnerable.
When I agreed to do this, I hadn’t thought about the sex scene or stage fright: I hadn’t thought aboutanything. I was completely unprepared. But as though he could read my mind, Wyatt put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
My heart skipped a beat, and I hoped he couldn’t feel my pulse.
Shut up, hormones, I thought.He’s a huge movie star. There’s no way he’s interested in you.
“If there’s anything you need, let us know. Preston’s a hard-ass, but we’ll help you prepare for the role.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.”
What else could I say to a celebrity who’d just offered to dedicate time to me?Can you teach me how to cry on cue?No way — it was too much. I couldn’t ask for help with that. And Idefinitelycouldn’t ask for help to prepare for the sex scene.
He gave my shoulder a squeeze and grinned, unaware of how terrified I really was.
Crystal finished my makeup and instructed me to change into the jeans and peasant top that Brooke had worn the day before. The change room was four curtains that hung from the ceiling and I fumbled with the buttons and zippers, aware thatWyatt was out there somewhere, on the other side of the fabric, and if I accidentally elbowed the curtain, he would see me in my underwear. Finally, I was dressed. Brooke was taller than me and the jeans were a couple of inches too long, but I no longer looked like myself.
From now on, I was Daisy.
And it was time to start filming.
10
KYLA
Reciting the lines with April in the conference room was one thing, but doing it with cameras focused on me was something else entirely.
