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Of course she did.
She held up the script for the first episode. “So let’s start with the moment when Geordie leads the mob into the jail and tries to free Effie.” Effie was going to refuse, but the script had Geordie and Effie going at it up against a wall first.
One thing Cole could say for Zoya: she knew what the audience wanted, and she had no hesitations about giving it to them. And what they wanted was him naked. Early and often.
“Right.” Tasha held up her hand. “I’m certain you’re nice and you’re good at what you do, Maggie.” Her tone hinted she was not actually certain about that. “But—”
“This is only my third job,” Maggie said. “And really, it’s my first one not as a shadow or an assistant.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m changing careers. I was a high school drama teacher, and—”
She’d been a high school drama teacher? Adorable.
The job, not Maggie.
Well, also Maggie.
“Excuse me?” Tasha repeated, and they were back to her “petulant, anxious diva” routine.
And she’d accusedhimof being jumpy.
Maggie smiled sweetly, as if they were having a normal exchange, and said, “Yup.”
“She’s working with Bernard Caldwell, one of the best in the business,” Zoya put in. “He’s the senior intimacy coordinator, and she’s the junior IC. Sadly, Bernard broke his leg in a recumbent bike accident, so he didn’t want to travel to the UK, but he did all the preproduction and is consulting with Maggie every step of the way. We’re lucky to have her.”
Zoya was trying to make it clear she’d made her decision and she didn’t intend to hear any debate on the matter.
But, of course, Tasha ignored Zoya’s will in the way some people ignored those warning labels on pillows that saidDon’t remove this. “I was never on board with the idea of an intimacy coordinator, but you have got to be kidding me with this. I’m a professional, Cole’s a professional. Let’s justgo.”
With a sweep, she rose from the table and blew out of the room.
Silence settled while Cole tried to decide what was the best way to apologize for Tasha’s behavior without having it sound like he was criticizing her, because he was certain she had a good reason for being a brat to Maggie. He just needed to pry it out of her, and then they could fix it together.
Before he could figure out what to say, Zoya got to her feet with a sigh. “Let me chat with her. Maggie, don’t worry, this isn’t about you. You keep talking with Cole, and I’ll be back in a few minutes with our leading lady.”
They watched Zoya leave, and then Cole said, “Tasha isn’t normally—no, okay, she’s normally like this. She’s kind of ... dramatic.” Although the fireworks were typically more like a mask. This felt real.
“She’s an actor.” Maggie didn’t seem to be offended, which was good because Cole didn’t want to trash his best friend. “I’ve been watchingyour old work. You’ve done a decent amount of intimacy—a lot of nudity and some simulated sex.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of ... expected, I guess, with the type of parts I do.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
“It’s the job.”
Her eyes narrowed. That hadn’t been what she’d asked, but she didn’t push him on it. Instead, she said, “Tasha, though, hasn’t. The movies you made together,Chaos PrincipleandFuse, there was some kissing, but no nudity, no simulated sex.”
There had been a love scene in the first version of the script forFuse, but Tasha had convinced the director to cut it. Cole hadn’t asked why. He’d been too grateful to be making the movie. The truth was he hadn’t thought he’d had enough power to make any kind of demands. If they wanted him to get naked, he did. If they wanted him in bed with this costar or that one, he got in the damn bed.
Whatever Maggie was implying, it almost didn’t make sense.
“Tasha was worried about getting typecast in rom-coms.” He was fairly certain she’d said something like that to him once.
“Hmm.” Maggie clearly didn’t believe the explanation, and Cole didn’t really either.
Huh, howhadTasha avoided getting naked on screen for so long?
