AllFreeNovel
Share Us
An exasperated grunt escaped my mouth before I could swallow it. “It’s still fucked up. So the part you're trying out for is his love interest?” I paused. “As in sex scenes?” I spat out before reconstructing the impulse to ask something that didn’t sound like a jealous ass.
I heard her huff on the line, registering the accusation in my tone. “Jake, are you serious? Is that a serious question?”
I tried to formulate something funny to fill the silence, but damn if my brain wasn’t spiraling.
Then she started talking in a low voice that sounded a little too much like I was a child. “There are no explicit sex scenes, just some nudity and the implication of some illicit scenes, including one of the girl I am auditioning for masturbating while thinking about Bernardo’s character touching her.”
“Fuck,” I growled, my gut churning. I could feel my pulse racing in my neck. “Rae-kale…your tone.” There was a hint of warning in my voice, but I shifted my tactic. “How about you try being nice to me,” I said, infusing a bit of hurt in my tone, as if I were an injured boy, which belied what was happening in my head. I wanted to fucking come unglued.
“Yes, I’ll try being nice,” she murmured coyly; I imagined her talking with a smile. “But Jake, have you been to the movies lately? Like, as in the last twenty years?”
Damn it, Jake, you need to keep your head about this. “Yes, Sweets, I’ve been to a few movies in the past twenty years,” I said neutrally. “But…”
She cut me off. “Oh, but of course, you avoided any with nudity or sex.” A hint of tease in her statement.
“Hey…hey…I…” I sputtered, muffling the chuckle rumbling in my throat, grasping for my next line.
“I, Jake Skyler, prefer cartoons,” she mocked, finishing my sentence with a facetious air.
I barked out a laugh. “Damn, bawdy girl, I swear.”
“Well, I am just saying that I will be trying out for all and every part that makes sense for me. I can’t just let the studios know I would prefer a part that allows me to show my talent but not my body. I wish that were the case, but it’s not.”
“Okay, I get it. It’s just that the women in those movies weren’t my girlfriends, so I’m going to see it differently.”
Neither of us said a word. How had I expected her to react to that? This was what she was pursuing. We both sat in charged silence.
“Jake,” she said tentatively. “I’m trying to see it…well, I want to understand how you see it. I guess that’s part of being someone’s girlfriend, trying to see things the way you might, even if how I see it is that it’s a small window of opportunity in this industry and I have to consider all parts and some of those parts may have me in scenes that I understand a boyfriend wouldn’t love but I hope you can…”
“Mm-hmm…” I murmured, compelled to make some sort of agreeable sound. I could tell she was being judicious with her words. There was more beneath what she’d said aloud…or was it just my paranoia? No. My gut shriveled from what I imagined was behind the curtain. How does a young, beautiful, wannabe actress show deference to a much older, more powerful man who could possibly change the trajectory of her career?
“Jake, so this girlfriend, the one you said you wanted to be with…” I held my breath, listening to her pointed words—“is doing this, and she may be in a movie someday, without a shirt, and you may see her tits on the big screen.” She paused, then said, “Can you handle that, or do you need to date a voice actor?” I was sure she was grinning on the other end.
The last line rolled out how a skilled comedian delivers a punchline, and I gulped the bark of laughter in my chest.
A balled-up sigh escaped her, rushing over the phone.
“I know. I know,” I said, covering up the resignation that swept over me. “I promise I will be the one cheering the loudest when you get the part. Will I still feel a bit pissed that other people get to see you? Yep. I think that’s to be expected, right? I love you, so other people getting to see you, yeah, that’s going to be tough, but I know that it’s part of it, and I’ll try to keep my reactions to a minimum.” I wanted to add, as long as that asshole keeps his hands off you.
“Jake, I know you and…”
I cut her off. I was done with the fucking lecture. “Hey, Sweets, this is a work in progress for me. I’ve never really tried before. Truthfully, if I didn’t like something, I could leave, but with you, it’s different. I think you have already seen how I’d twist myself around to make sure…well, I love you…and…”
“I miss you so much, but I should get to sleep. I’m going to have to get up early and work out. I have to do the next audition in a bikini…ugh.”
Fuck me! Tell her she’ll do great. She looks amazing…tell her! “Is that in the movie…never mind, stupid question. Sweets, you’ll do great. Don’t stress about it.”
“Thanks, but I’m going to sign off now. Can’t wait to see you Friday.”
“I’ll call tomorrow. I’m going to hit the bed now, too.” That was bullshit. My knotted gut joined forces with the tension in my neck, my head pounding with images from my runaway imagination. I pressed my fingers to my temples, looking at the clock; it was past midnight. Fuck!
Chapter Nine
I sounded crazy, muttering to myself all morning while making coffee, skimming through the news, brushing my teeth, and taking in my view in the mirror; I looked ragged from another night of fitful sleep. Something had been off during my conversation with Rakell last night…I’d definitely felt a disconnect. The unsure vagueness in her recounting when she talked about the audition and dinner, made me feel like I was playing a loosely defined detective game, and it was eating at me. I grabbed a protein shake, thankful that I was heading to the stadium to meet Dwayne and Coach Easton. It was a welcome distraction.
Dwayne had said he would try to get there early to review Jaxton’s file. We were going to discuss draft picks today, and Jaxton Meurtran—a talented senior at LSU (Louisiana State University) who played like a seasoned NFL wide receiver—would be our primary focus. However, he came with a big question mark. He had been in four physical altercations on the field. If someone took a cheap shot or piled on him when the play was over or said something antagonistic, he drove into them, fists swinging. It was clear that the other teams in the SEC were aware he had talent but knew his Achilles heel and weren’t above taunting him; it benefited them for Jaxton to lose his shit on the field, costing his team yards. Twice, Jaxton’s physical aggressions had resulted in suspension, which was good news for the competition, since he was unquestionably one of the best wide receivers in the SEC.
I knew Dwayne had already spent hours watching the LSU tapes, and we were all grappling with this kid’s gifts versus his hot head. Ironically, he had no reputation off the field, as in not a peep. “He does nothing, literally,” the LSU coach had said. “He never goes out with the guys, not for beers, dinner, hell, not even for putt-putt. And after they win, he can be seen in a sea of hootin’ and hollerin’ guys with his head down, like he’s trying to block out all the noise.” The LSU coach had added, “Plus, he’s an island of pent-up anger.”
