Chasing Perfection Vol. 2 (6 page)

“Mirage Talent?” he interrupted. “Is that two-time loser DeVon Ricci still running that circus over there?”

Alarm bells went off in my head. “Excuse me?” I managed to stay bright.

“Oh, I guess you don’t know the story, do you?” He sounded like he was enjoying himself. “You’re new in town, right? That means you never heard what happened to Emma Snow, did you?”

The name wasn’t familiar. “Um, no.”

“Well, that crazy lunatic boss of yours completely ruined her.”

I could hear the anger fueling his enjoyment of sharing the news with someone new.

“She was our prize actress, going to be the next Jennifer Cox, but your perverted boss fucking ruined her with his crazy sex games.”

So it wasn’t just me he liked to fuck with like that.

Derrick’s voice hardened. “It will be a cold day in hell before I let anyone represented by Mirage Talent read for any of my shows. Is that clear, Ms. Jensen?”

The lawyer in me immediately countered, “Well, I’m not DeVon Ricci and I’m representing two very talented young women who are quality star material. It’d be your loss if you don’t at least meet with them.” My stomach twisted at what I was going to say next, but it was the only thing I could think of. “And, Mr. Johnson, if you’d do this favor for me, all you’d have to do is let me know what I could do in return.”

He was silent for a moment. “What are you implying?”

Bile rose in my throat but I forced it down. “I’d just be very grateful if you overlooked your differences with my boss. I’d owe you.”

“Well, now, how can I be sure I can trust you when I call in that favor?” His tone had changed and was now impossible to read.

“We could always discuss it in greater detail once you schedule a reading for my clients. That way, we’re each moving towards...” I almost gagged on the words. “Mutual satisfaction.”

“Be at my office in twenty minutes. I’ll see what I can do for your girls and we’ll further discuss what you can do for me.”

As I hung up the phone, the reality of the situation hit me. DeVon had been right when he’d said Hollywood thrived on tits and ass. It wasn’t just the actors and actresses who paraded in front of the cameras who were little more than meat. I realized now that DeVon hadn’t just been acting like an ass. He’d been preparing me for situations like this. Preparing me for what really went on behind the scenes in the “glamorous” Hollywood film industry.

KRISSY

“Mr. Johnson will see you now.” The blonde receptionist with the obvious implants, expensive dye job and fake tan waited for me to follow her.

I tried not to show how nervous I was as I stood. I was grateful I’d worn this particular outfit today. It was the right combination of professional and sexy, the kind that got admiring glances from men, but generally not any glares from women. The neckline was low enough that it drew attention to my breasts, but not so low that it was inappropriate. The hemline was fashionable but not flashy, and my four inch heels made my legs look longer than what they were.

I concentrated on the task at hand as I walked after the blonde. I had clients that deserved to be considered for this project, and I was going to do my damnedest to make sure that happened.

The door was open and I walked inside. He was on the phone but motioned for me to take a seat on the couch against the wall. I did and took advantage of the time to observe and try to get a feel for the man I was about to try to charm...and maybe seduce.

The view was gorgeous, at least what I could see of it. We were at the top of one of the few skyscrapers on the west side and I wondered how far I could see. The windows were floor to ceiling and there was nothing blocking out the bright California sun. Everything in the office spoke of power and money. Typical of a man in Derrick Johnson’s position.

As for the man himself, he was pretty close to what I’d imagined. Mid-forties, slender without a hint of a gut. He was handsome, but in the kind of way that made me think he’d had a bit of work done. Not enough to be too obvious, but enough that he probably looked like a cousin to his younger self. His hair was cut short, but still couldn’t disguise the fact that it was thinning. It was black, without a trace of gray, though I suspected that was thanks to his stylist. After all, appearances were everything in Hollywood and only certain kinds of men could pull off the salt-and-pepper look.

He hung up the phone and came over to sit in the armchair next to the couch. I gave him my full attention, knowing that men like him enjoyed nothing more than thinking that a woman was completely entranced by them.

“Krissy Jensen,” he said. “I’ve heard a thing or two about you.”

With George Hamilton out there running his mouth, I didn’t doubt it.

“In fact,” Derrick continued. “Rumor has it that you’re the next golden girl of Hollywood agents.”

I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t believe for a moment that’s what he’d heard. For one, it sounded too much like a come-on. Second, I already knew how people in the industry were looking at me. I decided honesty was the right way to go in this particular situation.

“Really? That’s not what I heard.” I crossed my ankles and shifted so that I was angled towards Derrick. “In fact, one of your casting directors, Brandy, called me ‘DeVon’s new toy.’”

Derrick gave one of those laughs that was too charming to be real. “I do apologize for Brandy’s comment.” He shook his head slightly, as if he’d had to scold a child who’d been impolite in public. “You do have to realize, though, that DeVon isn’t exactly the most admired person around here.” He quickly clarified. “Not that he isn’t a great agent. He is, but his personal sexual preferences and behavior are notorious.” Derrick’s expression was shrewd, like he was gauging my reaction. “He ruins the women that he takes to bed.”

I gave him a tight smile, and let it express my doubts.

“Believe what you want,” Derrick said, reading me correctly. “But sooner or later, you’ll find out just how much of a bastard DeVon really is.” He gave himself a little shake, as if getting rid of all the negative things we were discussing. “Enough about that. Let’s talk about what you came here for. You wanted me to look at someone.”

I handed him Cami’s and Lena’s files. “There are a couple different parts I was thinking they might be good for. Jennifer, Cassidy, Beverly and maybe Dawn if you wanted to go a different direction.”

He studied each of the files without saying anything and that made me feel good. That meant he was taking my request seriously. “We’ve already cast Beverly and have a pretty good idea of who we want for Cassidy. We are going a different direction with Dawn, but your ladies won’t work since we’re changing her to a him.”

I tried not to let the disappointment show.

“But, I do like this Cami. There’s something about her.”

I smiled despite wanting to look cool and aloof.

“I agree that she has the potential to be Jennifer.” He closed the files and handed them back to me. “I’ll let her read for it.”

“Thank you,” I said sincerely. “You won’t regret it.”

“Now,” he said. “You’d mentioned that if I gave one of your clients a shot, you’d be willing to return the favor. What, exactly, are you willing to do now that I’ve kept my side of things?”

I shifted in my seat. Here was the part I hadn’t wanted to think about. I glanced down at Derrick’s hand and saw a band on his left hand. That could be my out if I played it right. I gave him a half-smile. “Like I said, you can just let me know what you’d like me to do, but we definitely don’t want to upset a certain someone.” I gestured towards his hand.

“Oh, this?” He held up his hand. “I’m a widower. Just never got used to going without the ring so I haven’t taken it off.”

I swallowed hard. Shit. There went my easy out.

“You can relax.”

He smiled at me but it didn’t put me at ease. His next words, however, did make me more wary.

“I’m not trying to get you to fuck me or anything like that.” He leaned back in the chair. “I’m not like your boss.”

I ignored the insult towards DeVon and waited for the other shoe to drop.

“There is, however, something you can do for me.”

Here it came. “What’s that?” I asked.

“Get me information,” Derrick said. “Tell me what DeVon is up to. Which screenplays have his interest. Any new clients. Like I said, I can’t talk to the bastard, but I would sure like to know his comings and goings.”

I kind of wished he’d just asked for a blowjob. I wanted to get Cami a chance to read for this part, especially since I was sure that they’d all love her as soon as they heard her, but I couldn’t double-cross my boss, no matter what I thought of him. I didn’t do that. I’d been stabbed in the back before and I wasn’t about to do that, not unless DeVon did it first. Besides, I wanted to make it in this town, not completely burn the bridges I’d made. Derrick must’ve sensed some of that about me since he’d been trying to run DeVon down with all of the comments about how he treated women, but I could tell that he wasn’t entirely sure what I’d say.

The thing was, I wasn’t going to refuse. In fact, I had a plan. I nodded. “Agreed. I’ll see what I can do.”

The surprised look on his face said that Derrick hadn’t expected me to go through with it. “Excellent,” he said. “I’ll have Brandy contact you to set up the read for Cami.” He held out his hand, gripping mine for a few seconds longer than necessary. “I look forward to seeing you again...very soon.”

I resisted the urge to wipe my hand on my dress as I stood and I was glad I did because Derrick leaned in close, putting his mouth next to my ear.

“It’s not that I don’t want to fuck your brains out, but I don’t like sloppy seconds.”

My chest tightened and I took a step back. I spoke in the most sugary sweet voice I could muster. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve never fucked DeVon.” The smile I was wearing was forced, as was the expression on my face as I gave Derrick a look over. “Such a shame you had to jump to conclusions. I would’ve loved playing around with you.”

Before he could respond, I spun on my heel and walked away as fast as I could without looking like I was running. My temper was boiling and hot tears pricked at my eyelids. I wasn’t sure if they were because I was hurt or because I was furious. Either one was a viable option.

I’d actually thought Derrick was going to be a good guy. That he was going to prove that DeVon was the exception and not the rule. I’d actually been foolish enough to believe that he was all about business, even if he had been asking me to spy on DeVon. Then he threw all of that away and showed his true colors. At least DeVon didn’t hide his intentions or couch propositions in lewd insults.

I shook my head as I slid into the driver’s seat of my car. DeVon was better looking that Derrick and could have any woman he wanted, but did that really make him any better than Derrick, simply because he was hotter? Wasn’t he just using women for sex, too? Who was I kidding, entertaining the idea that DeVon could actually have feelings for me?