Brian
When the Patriots scored yet another touchdown, I decided I needed another drink. As I wandered into the kitchen and cracked open another beer, I thought of Ella. Ella was from New England. She was more of a baseball fan—apparently being from Boston means you’re born with Red Sox pride in your blood—but if she followed football at all, she was probably laughing right now. I took a long, refreshing swallow of ice-cold Corona and sent her a quick text.
If you’re a Patriots fan, I might have to disown you.
Her reply was almost instant.
LOL! You’re safe. Not a big football fan. But if I ever learn you root for the Dodgers, we can’t be friends anymore.
A second text followed that one, saying, Why? Who are they beating right now?
I smiled at the question. Ella didn’t care about football, but she was still willing to talk about it with me. I started to type a reply, but then realized that after three years I finally had her number and could talk to her now. “The Packers are down three touchdowns and a field goal,” I said when she answered my call. “It’s very demoralizing.”
“Green Bay? Are you seriously a cheesehead?”
She laughed and I smiled again. Her laugh was my new favorite sound in the whole world. “I have never had—nor will I ever have—the urge to wear a foam cheese hat, but yes, I am a Green Bay fan.”
“Why?” Ella asked. “Are you from Wisconsin? Oh my gosh, please say yes. That would be too funny. Please tell me the California playboy act is all a ruse and you’re secretly the son of a dairy farmer.”
I laughed. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I really am Los Angeles born and bred. My mother lives in Green Bay, though. She married a very enthusiastic Packers fan so, over the years, since LA doesn’t have a football team, I’ve adopted Green Bay as my own.”
“That is a little disappointing. I’m sorry your team is losing, though. I’ll send you some good-luck vibes.”
“Appreciated.”
I smiled again and took another sip of my beer. A loud cheer erupted from the living room where a bunch of my buddies were watching the game. Hopefully that meant Green Bay finally scored, but now I wasn’t that interested in going back to find out.
I slipped outside onto the back patio and shut the door behind me. Ella was quiet on the other end of the line, and suddenly I had no idea what to say to her.
I’d never been in a girl’s “friend” zone before—the thought of a girl not wanting me that way was absurd—but I was worried that’s where I fell on Ella’s radar. She had no problem telling me she cared about me, and she teased me all the time, but she never flirted with me, even when I would flirt first.
I was shocked when I found out she’d moved to Los Angeles and hadn’t told me, and she’d been so hesitant to call when I gave her my number. It was almost as if she didn’t want to be anything more than Internet friends. Three years and she’d never even asked for my real name. Granted, I’d never asked for hers, either, but that was only because I had no idea how I was going to handle the “I’m Brian Oliver” conversation when it finally came up.
Talking on the phone changed our relationship a little, and I wasn’t sure quite how to tread the water now. I felt nervous and a little stupid. The feelings were so foreign to me that I almost didn’t recognize them as self-consciousness. I’d never been self-conscious with a girl before.
“So…” I had to clear my throat when my voice didn’t want to produce sound correctly. “What are you up to? Is it okay that I called? It’s not weird or anything?”
“No, it’s not weird. I like it. You can call me whenever you want. Even if it’s just to complain about the Packers losing Monday Night Football.”
The teasing in her voice melted away my nerves. I wasn’t going to miss them. “How are things? Better than Friday? Are you surviving the stepfamily?”
“I guess. Things are kind of strange, but not in a bad way. My one stepsister is still Freddy Krueger, but I had a talk with the other one and she really isn’t as horrible as I thought. We came to an understanding, at least. I think. Anyway, happier subjects. Make me laugh. You’re the only one who ever does.”
My heart sank a little at the request. Why did Ella refuse to let me in? All her talk about mental institutions and suicide the other day really freaked me out. I knew she was having a hard time adjusting to her new life with her dad, but I had no idea her depression was so serious. I couldn’t stop worrying about her.
I wished there were something more I could do to help than make her laugh, but if that was what she said she needed, then I couldn’t let her down. I racked my brain for something she’d find amusing, but it wasn’t easy because I wasn’t really in a laughing mood anymore. Not when she was out there in need of someone to love her, and the only person I was allowed to be with right now was the freaking spawn of Satan.
And I was suddenly inspired. “Have you ever read The Taming of the Shrew?”
“I haven’t read the play, but I’ve seen the old Elizabeth Taylor movie.”
“My girlfriend is the shrew, only there’s no taming her.”
Ella laughed. I was glad to have successfully cheered her up, but I wished I were joking. “I’m serious. I think she might actually be the devil reincarnate.”
“She sounds a lot like my stepsister.”
“Worse. I promise. Much, much worse.”
“Then why are you dating her?”
“Because she’s really hot and the sex is good?”
I knew that would work. Ella’s disgusted groan made my smile come back. “Nice, Cinder. How completely shallow of you.”
Ella was teasing, but she also believed me. She really did think I was nothing but a shallow, egotistical playboy. Yeah, I sort of was, but that was only because the girls I knew were all like Kaylee and not worth giving my heart to.
I hated that my reputation might disappoint Ella. She wasn’t interested in players like me. I was proud of her for that, but it rankled me at the same time because that was probably the reason I was just a friend to her. I couldn’t tell her everything, but I was suddenly desperate to make her understand that there was more to me than the guy she believed I was. “Honestly, it’s not her looks. It’s more complicated than that. She’s kind of this high-profile girl.”
“Celebrity or supermodel?”
I smirked.
“Heiress?”
If she only knew how right she was. Kaylee was all three of those things, but I couldn’t tell Ella that. Kaylee and I were in the media too much right now, and I didn’t want Ella to figure out who I was on her own. That wasn’t going to be easy for her to swallow. I wanted to be there face to face when I explained. “No comment,” I said, and she burst into laughter.
“Ha!” she shouted. “I knew it! Mr. VIP with his fancy women. You should try dating a nice, quiet librarian or something. Then you might not have to call your girlfriend a shrew.”
“Actually, that could be hot—hair in a bun just screaming to be let down, some nice, thick glasses, a tight skirt, and a silky blouse with lots of buttons for me to rip open? I would totally make love to her up against the stacks in the classic literature section.”
There was a choking sound and then Ella said, “Um, okay, that was definitely an over share.”
I grinned at her bewilderment and dropped my voice to that low, soothing tone I knew she liked. “Are you blushing right now, Ellamara?”
“I’m pretty sure even my grandmother is blushing in her grave after that visual, Cinder.”
That visual? My smile widened even further. Had she just pictured herself as my fantasy librarian? Friend zone, my ass. Brian Oliver is no woman’s friend. I had to take advantage of this opportunity.
“Have you ever thought of becoming a librarian, Ella? You’d probably make a really good one, what with your love of reading and all your haughty indignation. Or I could totally picture you teaching in a boarding school, handing out detention slips and spanking all the naughty boys with a ruler.”
“Spanking naughty boys with a ruler?” Her voice was so flat that I burst out laughing. “You are hopeless, Cinder. How about we get away from the cheesy porno dialogue and go back to the complicated ‘no comment’ shrew you mentioned. Tell me why you’re really dating her, if it’s not just the sex.”
“You’re no fun.” I pouted, but then sighed for real. Kaylee was such a mood killer. “All right, fine. So she’s basically The Boss’s Daughter, right? And, of course, she’s totally in to me.”
“Oh, of course.”
“Yes, of course. Stop interrupting me, woman.”
“Stop making me.”
Infuriating girl! I had the sudden urge to shake my phone. “Anyway… She’s got a lot of clout, so my dad and a bunch of other people are really putting the pressure on me to keep her happy.”
“That’s awful!” Ella’s voice sounded equally amused and appalled. “How can you let them tell you who to date?”
“It’s complicated.”
Grimacing, I chugged the last of my beer. I knew I sounded ridiculous, but how could I make her understand? “My life is complicated. There are a lot of people who think they own it. Especially my dad. I don’t really have a lot of control over anything.”
“Do you ever stand up for yourself?”
“When I can.”
“And you don’t think the choice of who you date is one of those times?”
“Not this time. This chick is really important. If I broke it off and she had a tantrum—which she definitely would—she could really screw up a lot of things for a lot of people. Me, more than anyone. I’m stuck for now. I’m hoping that if I can just be a big enough jerk, she’ll get tired of me and dump my sorry ass.”
“That is seriously crazy, Cinder. You know that, right?”
“I know.” Shaking away all depressing thoughts, I headed back into the house and tossed my empty beer can in the trash. “But it’s not the most horrible thing in the world.” It was only temporary, after all, and I had Ella to keep me sane until it was over.
“Because at least she’s super hot and the sex is great?”
I chuckled at Ella’s sarcasm. “Right. Although, maybe it’s not as great as I thought. You’ve really got me stuck on this librarian idea. I bet I could—”
“Okay, this is where I hang up,” Ella interrupted.
Laughing again, I opened the fridge. All this talk of hot librarians—Ella as a hot librarian—gave me the munchies. “Why?” I asked as I spotted some fresh strawberries. My brain immediately went to feeding them to Ella, and then I thought of other things I could do with Ella. “You don’t want to work out any dirty fantasies with me? It’s your fault I’m having them. What are you wearing right now, anyway?”
“HA!” Ella laughed. “No! We are not going there. Not ever, Cinder.”
“Why not?”
“Just, no, you perve!”
Ella was trying to hide it, but I had her completely flustered and I loved it. Asking her to call me was the best decision I’d ever made. “Your loss,” I teased. “I could have rocked your world, baby.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Kaylee suddenly shrieked, startling me so badly I dropped the strawberries all over the floor.
Shutting the fridge, I turned around to find Kaylee so red-faced I was sure she’d heard a lot more of that conversation than just my last statement. For some reason, that made me want to laugh. I had to bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep from doing so. “I gotta go,” I said into the phone. “I totally just got busted by the shrew.”
“The what?” Kaylee screamed.
On the other end of the line, Ella giggled. “Congratulations. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you get dumped.”
At hearing that, I couldn’t hold back my laughter any longer. “You’re the best. I’ll call you later.”
I hung up the phone and met Kaylee’s glare with big, innocent eyes. “Problem?” I didn’t wait for her answer before I bent down to clean up the mess of spilled fruit.
Kaylee’s heels clacked across the tile floor as she crossed the kitchen. They came to a stop in front of my face, and the right one began tapping obnoxiously. “What do you think?” she spat.
“I think we’re not in public, Kay, so I can do whatever the hell I want.”
“There is a whole room full of people out there. Any one of them could have heard you.”
“But they didn’t.”
“I did.”
I pulled the last AWOL strawberry from beneath the fridge and stood up. After chucking the container in the garbage, I noticed Kaylee was still standing there, waiting for an answer. The only one I could think of was “Good.” She’d hated that response so much when I gave it to her at the club in front of all her friends that I’d adopted it as my number-one reply lately.
“Why do you insist on being difficult?”
Snorting, I pinned her with an obstinate look. “Maybe because I’m being blackmailed into a fake engagement with the Wicked Witch of Hollywood?”
Kaylee glared again and then stomped her foot as she huffed in annoyance. “Your father’s here, and he brought Zachary Goldberg with him,” she said, storming out of the room.
No way. I followed her out of the kitchen and, sure enough, there was my father and one of the most prestigious film directors in LA standing behind the sofa with beers in their hands, cheering on the Green Bay Packers.
“Hey, Dad. What are you doing here?”
Even more shocking than my father’s presence was the huge, happy smile he greeted me with. “There’s the man of the hour!” I tried to hide my shock as he jovially clasped his arm around my shoulders. “Son, you know Zachary Goldberg, don’t you?”
Still stunned, I shook hands with my idol. “We’ve never met, but it’s an honor. I’ve followed your work since I was a kid.”
A hand slipped around my waist and forced my smile to stay up as I introduced Kaylee. “Ah, yes,” Zachary said, leaning in to kiss Kaylee’s cheek—the customary LA greeting for someone of the opposite sex. “My congratulations to the happy couple. Between the surprise engagement and your upcoming movie together, the two of you are the talk of the town right now.”
Kaylee subtly squeezed the arm she had around me in a very “I told you so” manner. “All good, I hope,” she said, as if she were the first person to ever come up with that oh-so-clever response.
I tried not to roll my eyes at the cliché. If Kaylee could be half as smart as she was evil, she’d be a genius.
Zachary was polite enough to laugh with her. “It’s all very good,” he promised, shifting his eyes to me. “Especially in regards to you, Brian. I’ve heard all sorts of buzz about your performance in The Druid Price. Your father was just showing me some of the footage this afternoon. Very impressive.”
I tried to contain my surprise, but my head was spinning. Zachary Goldberg was one of my all-time favorite directors. He had a true talent for drama and had been nominated for more Academy Awards than Steven Spielberg. Praise from him was hard earned. “Thank you, sir.”
“Call me Zachary, Brian. Please.”
“Okay, Zachary. Well, welcome. Make yourself at home. I hope you like the Packers, because any Patriots fans have to watch the game from outside, and they only get the cheap beer.”
Zachary laughed heartily as he shook his head. “I wish I could stay, but I’ve got the wife at home waiting for me. You know how it is.” Zachary glanced between Kaylee and me, grinning. “Well, maybe not yet, but you’ll find out soon enough.”
Forcing a laugh, I pushed my acting skills to the limit. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Zachary believed the lie. “I just wanted to stop by and meet you in person. I’d love to set up a meeting with you sometime soon. I’ve got my hands on a brilliant adaptation of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and I think if I had you attached, I could get the green light.”
My jaw nearly dropped to the ground, but this time I didn’t bother to try to hide my excitement. “You’re doing The Scarlet Pimpernel?”
Zachary’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “You’re familiar with the story?”
Was I familiar with it? “I love the story. I’ve read all the books. I would kill to play the part of Sir Percy.”
Zachary chuckled. “I knew you were the man I wanted to talk to. Are you available to meet sometime this week?”
“I—hold on.” I turned to where my friends were all still engrossed in the game. “Hey, Scotty!”
I’d invited my assistant, and the poor guy was so Boy Scout that the few Playmates present kept mauling him. He hadn’t stopped blushing since he arrived, and he looked really relieved to be needed at the moment. “What’s up, Brian?”
“Do we have time to meet with Mr. Goldberg this week?”
“We’ll make time.”
“I’ll come, too!” Kaylee jumped in. “I can bring my father,” she told Zachary. “He’s a big fan of Brian’s, you know. I’ll bet the three of us could talk him into signing on.”
Zachary licked his lips and gave Kaylee the biggest smile I’d ever seen on a grown man. “That would be fantastic, Kaylee.”
From the way Zachary’s eyes lit up, I wondered if that hadn’t been part of his intent all along. Everything in Hollywood was always a power play. Getting the millions upon millions of dollars needed to fund a major motion picture was never easy no matter who you were, and getting the green light for a classic period piece like The Scarlet Pimpernel was damn near impossible.
“I’m not familiar with the story,” Kaylee said, “but it sounds pretty exciting.”
“Oh, it is. And you would look stunning in an eighteenth-century costume. I’m sure we could find a place for you in the film somewhere, if you were interested.”
“What a generous offer, Zachary. Thank you.”
I watched the two of them schmooze each other with a sense of astonishment. I may have hated Kaylee, but even I had to admit the power that I, as Hollywood’s hottest up-and-coming actor, and Kaylee, the heiress of the city’s largest motion picture studio, had together.
Kaylee was right. We could own this town together if we really wanted to. The problem was: I didn’t want to. Not if Kaylee and I had to be a couple to do it. As flattered and excited as I was about possibly working with my favorite director playing another of my favorite characters, I was worried that Kaylee was going to like the power we had a little too much and not want to let me go after the awards season was over. Somehow, I was just getting sucked in deeper and deeper.