Stage Left (Bright Lights Billionaire #1) (7 page)

"Nope, but if it makes you feel good." I shrugged. "Nice to meet you."

I drove off, shouting my last two words out the window, "Mr. Lewis."

Chapter 8

Ethan

"Well... I'm impressed." Deza moved up beside me as I stood barefoot and half dressed in the parking lot. "I'd say you are too."

"Yeah. You could say that." I glanced over at her. "I'm sorry about having to stop everything. That fucking cup pinched my nuts."

I growled and turned from her, slipping my hand into my slacks and pulling it out.

"Damn, Ethan, really?" She turned and walked back to the set.

"What? Here... we could sell it and make a killing." I laughed and tossed it in the trashcan just outside the production building.

"I thought maybe having your testosterone sucked out by that girl would have calmed you down a little, but obviously not." She glanced over her shoulder and gave me a knowing look.

"What?" I laughed and jogged up to her. "You're so weird sometimes."

"You were into her. A lot." Deza stopped beside Frank. "What did you think?"

"She's the one, without a doubt." Frank turned to Ethan. "You all right, buddy? That's the first time I've seen you leave mid-scene... ever."

"Yeah. Personal problems." I folded my arms across my chest, not liking the way the girl left me feeling or the way Frank and Deza were watching me. "She was good. Lots of realism. She's at the top of my list so far, but we're comparing her to Nervous Nancy and Porno Polly."

"Ethan. Jeez." Deza pushed at my back as I bounded up on the stage again.

"Let's go. I'm having dinner with Liam. I don't want to be late, or he'll have eaten my brat and his." I let out a long breath and moved back as a pretty blond walked up the side of the stage.

"I'm Sissy." She extended her hand. Her tits were huge, and try as I may, I couldn’t stop staring at them.

"I'm Ethan. Nice to meet you." I glanced up, unabashed in my desire to objectify her. Obviously she wanted to be the center of male lust or she wouldn't have taken an air pump to her chest. "Are those real?"

"My tits?" She glanced down and squeezed them.

I half expected my cock to jump, but nothing. One thought of Riley giving me lip or being a haughty little shit to me like she had during the whole audition, and I would have to jog back to my trailer for a little bit of self-love, but this girl... nothing.

"No. I wish." She smiled. "You ready to do this?"

"You bet." I turned to Frank to wait for him to give us the go. The girl plowed into me, her hands tightening on my shoulders as her nails dug into me. She half crawled up my body before her agent pulled her off.

"Sorry. She's excited." The agent laughed nervously as I moved back.

"Goddamn it. What was that?" I turned and pinned her with a strong stare.

"I thought it was a lusty scene." She panted softly, her chest moving and tits staying still.

I turned and looked at Frank and then Deza as I walked toward the edge of the platform before jumping off.

"Fire me if you want to. I'm not doing any more of these. Get Riley. She's perfect for the part. Believe me... I've been doing this shit my whole life." I didn't glance back, but picked up my shoes and walked to my trailer as my adrenaline finally returned to normal.

The guard from earlier that day glanced up and shook his head. "That girl didn't want to leave."

"Oh no. Really?" I reached for the handle to the door. "She's still here?"

"No, sir, but I had to physically remove her. She thought you were coming back for more, I guess." He chuckled. "You got a way with the ladies, huh, Mr. Lewis?"

"Unfortunately so." I opened the door and walked into the dimmed two-bedroom trailer. After getting a beer from the fridge, I dropped down onto the side of the bed and pulled out my phone, pulling up Riley's picture. "You got me today, didn't you? You fucking knew it too. Who are you, pretty girl?"

I dropped back on the bed and closed my eyes as a smile pulled at my lips. The look on her face while we walked through the scene was perfect. I'd not seen that much passion in someone’s eyes since my first movie when I didn't know any better. I was callous and tired, but she was new, real, alive.

That she didn't want to hang out on the set with me, or interact at all had to be the most attractive part of the whole situation. I loved that she was independent and unwilling to let me be some big icon in front of her. She'd been rather straightforward with her flesh and blood comments.

My body ached at the thought of taking her to bed with me. I bet a girl like her could fit me. I stroked myself and groaned softly, needing to belong to someone that could take care of me. After so many years of being alone, even with a huge group of people around me, I wanted to belong. I needed to before I faded away forever.

I could feel it happening, and for a bleak moment today while she was giving me shit, it dissipated and I felt like someone had dragged me up from the bottom of a cold pool and breathed life into me. Fire. Heat. Passion.

I called Deza. "I want her number. Get it for me."

"What? Who are you talking about?" she barked at me, causing me to smile. I loved it when she got an attitude with me. I deserved it.

"Riley Phillips. Get. Her. Number. For. Me."

"All right, Rain Man. Chill your nuts and I'll get it. I'm dealing with some very unhappy actresses right now."

"You're good at putting out fires. Just tell them the part’s taken and we appreciate them coming in." I let out a short sigh. "You want me to come back out there and just walk through the motions?"

"Would you?" She sounded like she didn't believe that I would.

Good.

"Nope. Get the number." I hung up and forced myself to get up and get changed for my brother's house. He was the only person in the world that I could simply be me. No mask needed.

*

"Get in here, you cocky bastard." Liam reached for me and pulled me into a tight hug. "Shit. It's been like three months since I've seen you."

"I know. We were filming the last bit of that new Christmas film I'm doing for the Hallmark Channel. Sappy as fuck." I pulled out of his hold and walked in.

"Liam?" a soft voice called out from the kitchen.

I turned and rolled my eyes, breathing in dramatically and reaching for his throat. "Seriously? I thought it was just going to be us."

"Come on. She's cute. If you like her, take her home with you. If not, I'll fuck her after you leave." He shrugged and moved past me, leaving me in the hall to watch him strut back into his oversized kitchen.

I took a minute to acclimate myself with the fact that I wasn't spending the evening with my brother shooting the shit, but instead playing games with some new girl he wanted to impress, abuse or mentally fuck. He was a power trip like no other.

"Ethan, get your ass in here. Jessie is a fan of yours."

"Fuck. Of course she is." I ran my hands through my hair, messing up the silly wave Frank and Deza made me keep it in when on the set.

My brother's house was almost as big as mine, but where mine was empty from hardly ever being there, Liam's was decked out from wall to wall. He'd made his billions in the advertising world, specializing in companies that catered to wealthy women. To say he was without desire for companionship would have been the truth. There was forever a new woman on his arm, and I've never met one that wasn't beyond stunning. Too bad he was a user.

"I'm coming." I walked in and smiled at the busty blond beside my brother.

She walked toward me and extended her hand as he pressed his fingers in a 'V' to his mouth and licked at it while closing his eyes.

I laughed and shook her hand, tugging at her a little as she started to turn to see what he was doing to make me laugh.

"I'm Ethan. It's nice to meet you, Jessie." I gave her a warm smile and shook my head as she blushed and took a shaky breath.

"Wow. It's really you." She glanced back at Liam. "I thought you were shitting me."

"Nope. My little brother, ladies and gentlemen."

She turned back to me as I released her hand. "How did a pretty girl like you end up with a meathead like this guy?" I nodded toward my brother who was humping the air.

He jerked up straight and pressed his hand to the counter beside him as she turned back to him.

"He's a good guy, but we're just friends." She turned back to me and pressed her teeth into her bottom lip. "He told me that you guys were related, but I just couldn't believe it."

My brother acted as if he were smacking someone while he fucked the air dramatically.

"On that note... I need to wash up for dinner. I'll be back." I turned and walked as slowly as I could to the bathroom as laughter bubbled up in me. This fucking idiot that I called family was in his early thirties and still acting like he was fifteen. I made it to the bathroom before a laugh rolled off my tongue.

I gave in to it and sat down on the toilet, laughing hard until my eyes watered. Where I was left numb by the world, my brother, though fucking insensitive as hell, infused humor back into my life every time I saw him.

"Oh... shit." I wiped my eyes on a towel hanging beside me as a knock resounded at the door.

"Get out here and stop jacking off in my bathroom." He chuckled.

I opened the door and rolled my eyes. "You're an idiot."

"Right? She's fucking insane hot, right?" He glanced down the hall. "You want her?"

"No, but thanks. I already got mine this morning, or tried to." I shrugged and moved past him.

"Awwww, man. That shit again?" He moved up beside me.

"Yeah, it's whatever. I don't really want to get into it with Barbie in the next room." I walked back in the kitchen to find her standing out on the patio by a fire my brother had started.

"Want me to get rid of her?" He rubbed my back and leaned against the counter.

"No, I can go. I'll come back-"

"Fuck that. Bro's before hoes forever, man." He walked toward the patio.

"How old are you? I swear you're the biggest frat boy idiot I know." I picked up a cracker from the cheese tray he had sitting out.

"And you're better? You tease women around the world into believing you have a heart. Hilarious." He walked out and left me with my thoughts.

He was right. I was as fake as he was.

Chapter 9

Riley

It had been two days since the audition and nothing. Crickets. I kept thinking that at least Darren would call and give me a pep talk, but nothing. Frustration raced through me as I picked up a tray of food for a large table I was serving.

Being at work was cathartic, so much so that I had picked up three extra shifts in the last two days. I was bone tired, but my mind was occupied. I would have gone nuts otherwise.

Charlotte hadn't stopped asking questions about Ethan, and he was the last thing I wanted to talk about. I couldn't shake him, which I knew was exactly what he wanted. Not just from me. No. From every woman with a pulse in America.

"Here we go, guys. Lunch is served." I lowered the tray carefully and then started to hand out the plates as my phone buzzed in my back pocket. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No, this looks great." The older guy at the end of the table glanced up at me. "Settle a fight for me, please."

"Yeah, sure." I ignored the buzzing and turned my attention to the guy.

"Are you a model?" He lifted his eyebrow.

"No." I laughed, almost flattered, but I'd stopped letting customers influence my mood a long time ago. Otherwise I'd be an emotional roller coaster.

"See!" the teenage boy at the end of the table yelled. "You're an actress aren't you? I've seen you in a commercial on TV."

"That's right. I do a few commercials." I picked up the tray, glancing down at the guy closest to me. "Hope you didn't lose any money."

He chuckled. "It's all good."

I smiled before walking to the back and putting the tray up. I pulled out my phone and walked to the break room. Unknown number.

I hit redial and waited until a woman answered the phone.

"Hi, this is Riley Phillips. I think I missed a call from you." I leaned against the wall and glanced around, grateful that the room was empty. I liked most of the people I worked with, but wanted some time to myself more than anything. I'd eventually wear out and spend a day in bed working through my fears over working with Ethan, which were growing larger than taking on the job if I were even offered it. It seemed far bigger than I was capable of grasping.

"Hi, Riley. This is Deza. I was hoping that we would hear from you yesterday, but we didn't. I just wanted to make sure that Darren called you with our offer."

"Your offer?" The room spun around me, and I sank down in the chair closest to me.

"Yep. I assume that means he didn't call?" Her voice showed her disdain.

"No, but I'd love to hear whatever offer you guys are calling about." I pressed my fingers to my mouth, contemplating for the first time in four years that things might actually work out. Maybe this pipe dream wasn't a waste of my life.

"How about we have an early dinner and talk. I'd rather go over it all in person. Will that work?"

"Absolutely. I get off in two hours. I could shower and be anywhere you want me to by five or six?" I leaned back and let the smile that was pulling at my lips lift them until my face hurt.

"Let's meet for sushi and sake at Pho Village at six. Sound good?"

"I'll be there." I took a sharp breath. "Is Ethan coming?"

"Do you want him to?"

"No. I'd rather it just be us." I held my breath, not sure if I was coming off right.

"That sounds great. See you there."

"Thanks again." I dropped the call and glanced around as tears filled my eyes. Was this shit real? Was I really meeting with Ethan Lewis's agent? There was a chance that nothing was going to come of it... but what if something did?

And if she offered me the part in the movie, was I up for it? We were talking about Ethan Lewis. Academy-award-winning Ethan Lewis.

Wicked, sinfully hot Ethan Lewis.

I let out a groan and got up. I couldn't think about it or I'd chicken out.

Anyone with any measure of sense would.

*

"Thanks again for meeting me tonight." I sat down across from Deza as my heart worked harder than it ever had before to keep up with my racing pulse.

"Of course. I can't believe Darren didn't call you." She rolled her eyes. "I swear. That man is going to be the death of me, and yet there isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him."

"He's a good guy, but he doesn't care much about my career. I've been doing commercials under his care for four years. I'm graduating soon and honestly have started to give up on my dreams of being an actress." I shrugged and pulled my napkin in my lap, deciding to go for honesty with the woman across the table from me. It was make it or break it time for me.

"That's sad. You're one of the most talented actresses that I've seen in forever, at least for your age." She huffed and picked up her menu. "I only got to see you for five minutes, but never in the ten years that I've been with Ethan have I seen him come alive like he did with you."

"Really?" The air pulled from my lungs as I watched her. "I thought he was just messing with me."

She laughed. "Oh, he tried to, but I think you won that round. He's a good guy with a shitty reputation. It's a lot harder to stand in the bright lights than most people know. You start to burn and your life flakes away while everyone's getting married, having kids and finding purpose."

"Wow. That's deep." I leaned back and set my menu down. "Don't humanize him for me, please. I'm already fighting against the attraction of him just being him. I might have put on a good show, but I'm one of the girls standing in line to see his next film, and don't you dare tell him that."

She laughed and set her menu down. "I like you already. We didn't get much time to talk the other day. Tell me about yourself."

"First you tell me what offer it is that you're bringing with you. I've been scared shitless over what you might or might not be offering me. I'm at the point of wanting to give up, remember?" I tried to hold back the emotions that beat hard against my insides. This lady didn't know me, and if she was anything like the other agents in Hollywood, she didn't want to.

"We're doing one more round of auditions. There are three of you that will be trying out." She gave me a tight smile. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but you're in the lead by a good amount. Come to the audition and kill it like you did the other day. You hit a home run, and I'm thinking we're going to change your whole life."

"Okay." I nodded and glanced up as the server walked up. Deza ordered a sushi platter and I handed over my menu, willing to share with her.

"Now, tell me more about you. Darren must have seen your talent and been blown away. I'm a little shocked that he didn't work to develop your career a little, but he's a hard man to read." She shrugged and picked up her wine, taking a quick sip.

"I started acting like most people do in junior high and high school. I joined up with the drama club, though I was a cheerleader. Odd combination, I realize. I just wanted to express myself in a way that brought people joy or sadness or something. Drama was my outlet. I graduated valedictorian of Billmore High just down the road, and my speech at commencement was more of a dramatic retelling of the last four years for some of us. I used humor and strong emotions to bring the crowd every experience I could provide. Darren approached me afterward and offered me an audition for a commercial."

"His niece must have graduated with you." She smiled. "Keep going."

"I started at UCLA, hoping that the acting career would take off, but it never did. I tried to get my foot in the door over and over the first two years, but after that it was easier to pull my head from the clouds and get a real job that would pay the bills. My dad died when I was little, and my mom never has gotten herself back together. I kept hoping that I would land something big so that I could pull her out of her poverty, you know?"

She nodded and took a slow breath. "That's powerful stuff. I love it. Thank you for sharing yourself with me. Most actors will make something up and live behind that made-up persona just to survive. I'm scared that Ethan has started to do that."

I tilted my head to the side and studied her a little. "You really care about him, don't you? I mean, not just as a meal ticket, but as a brother or friend or lover."

She smirked. "Is that your way of asking if we're sleeping together?"

"No. I would have just asked. I'm embarrassingly straight forward. I can't seem to help but be direct, even when it's detrimental." I laughed and picked up my mixed drink, lifting it in the air and smiling at her. "To new beginnings, even if we never get one. Someone's getting it."

She laughed and hit my glass. "I think you have one coming, kiddo. You've got a great story, a good cause to push you forward and passion. It's the thing that will drive you to be better than the best."

"I'm not sure that's who I want to be, but I'm willing to show up for the audition whenever it is." I leaned back. "It's another love scene, right?"

"Yeah, but this one is long and far more intimate. Ethan actually hates them, but we figured if we were going to do another action movie, that we'll be filming two to three sex scenes that force him to make like he's having sex with his co-star. They are the hardest scenes to pull off."

"I know." I tapped the table and pursed my lips, thinking through whether I wanted another scene with Ethan's hands on me. I wasn't sure it was such a good idea, but it was just acting. Just play making. Nothing real or sustaining. No commitment.

I needed to find Jace and have him take me to his bed the night before going to see Ethan again. That would at least chill me out. I was far too sexual to just show up and go through the motions with him without wanting to push things past the casual working relationship. Not that a guy like him would ever want a simple girl like me, but one could dream.

"So we'll do another one and then make our final decision. Should you get the part, we'll give you a week to think things through."

"And would you guys consider letting me have a long conversation with Ethan? I want to pick his brain and make sure we would be compatible as co-workers. He's a little more crude than I expected, and where that doesn't bother me too much, I want to understand what I'm getting into." I picked up my glass and took a drink, enjoying the burn of the liquor as it raced down my chest.

"You're not like anyone I've ever met. Most women would jump at the chance to breathe Ethan's air, but something tells me that you're going to give him a run for his money, and honey, he's got loads of it." She laughed.

I smirked. "I'm just practical. I want the part, don't get me wrong, but I can't chase a dream that's too hazy to make out. I want to understand it better and make a good decision should the offer come up."

"Then we'll have you meet with Ethan either way." She thanked the server as the girl set the sushi platter down. "One more thing."

"Sure." I picked up my chopsticks and started to pull a few items onto my plate.

"Darren isn't doing you any good. Consider letting me pick you up to be agented by me whether this offer goes through or not. I have time for one more strong actor on my list. I'd like that to be you." She lifted her eyebrow at me. "Just consider it."

"Okay. I can do that, but if we decide to work together, I have one request."

"Sure, anything."

"You tell him." I laughed, teasing her as her face fell.

"Never mind! You're not
that
great."