AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Not that I’m much better.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Stella blurts out as we near the exit.
I stop walking and give her a half smirk as I lean against the wall, studying her face. The din around us has diminished some, but it’s still too much. I want out.
“Maybe,” I tease. “But considering we just met, I’m not sure I’m going to answer it.”
She nods quickly and looks at the ground, twisting her hands nervously in front of her. “That’s fair…”
My eyes dart toward the door again, the urgency to escape from this show pressing on me. Yet I’m trying to work on being more present, so I pause to gaze at her. “You can ask, Stella. We’re going to be working together. You don’t need to be nervous around me.”
I wish she’d ask faster, though.
She lifts her head, that shiny, beautiful dark hair falling away from her sculpted cheekbones to fully reveal the soulful dark eyes. “Why are you doing this?” she whispers. “Heart’s Desire, I mean.”
She waves her hand around, as if I don’t know which show she means.
I’m vaguely amused by her directness, but I’m not sure my agent, Rueben, will appreciate me answering honestly. All the same, I can’t help but want to. There’s something achingly innocent about Stella that makes me want to be honest with her.
“You don’t think I’ll find my true love here?” I ask, sounding aghast. “You and I won’t be together forever? That hurts, Stella.”
Her lips part, and she gapes at me as I blink worriedly, staring deeply into her eyes. For a few seconds, neither of us speaks until I burst out into peals of hysteria, and she exhales, dropping her chin.
“I’m sorry,” she blurts. “I’m not used to people I work with being… funny.”
I whoop so loudly, the nearby grip almost drops what is in his hands. Snorting, I cover my mouth and regain my composure.
“You’re going to be fun to work with, Stella Crestwood,” I say as I push open the exit door to see us both outside.
Reluctantly, she follows me, glancing behind her as if she expects Jessie to come chasing after her.
“I hope you think so,” she replies nervously.
The heat of the mid-afternoon California sun burns down on us, but I barely notice as I study Stella’s gorgeous but worried face.
I wonder what she’s like in the sack. The serious ones can’t let loose, but she has a gleam of something in her eyes.
It would be interesting to find out. I wonder if I’ll have the opportunity. From some of the others I’d spoken to who had worked in reality television, they could become big orgies. But other programs were simply filmed, and the contestants just went home. I suppose we’ll see whatHeart’s Desirebecomes. Just because I got suckered into doing it doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun with it.
“It’s going to be over in a few weeks, and we’ll both have the credit to our portfolio,” I tell her comfortingly. “Even the worst acting jobs are good for something, right?”
She appears relieved by my advice and finally offers me a warm smile.
“You’re right,” she agrees. “Thanks, Forrest.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” I tell her. “I can be a tyrant to work with—especially if you make me look bad.”
She shakes her head vehemently. “I would never do that! I want to learn from you, not harm your reputation!”
“No,” I reply. “You won’t. It’s written in my contract.” I take the edge from my words with a smirk, but that doesn’t make them any less true. “It’s only a month, Stella,” I tell her as I head left toward my Maserati, and she pauses by the studio gates. “We’ll support each other through it, okay?”
“Deal,” she breathes, sounding relieved, but I’m already getting into my car to escape. It’s been the longest day ever, and it’s going to be a month from hell.
CHAPTER 4
Gabriel
As soon as I finish filming my intro on the soundstage, I rush through the building, looking for Stella Crestwood. The cameraman took longer than I expected, and I’m irked that I missed Stella before she left.
