Page 13 of Hot Nights in Morocco
“Pardon?”
“How many horses are you planning to use for this battle scene? If it’s a large number, I suggest additional time for potential behavioral problems. Bolting horses and broken limbs are hardly conducive to your intransigent set-up timings, wouldn’t you agree?”
He knows I’m mocking him with big words again. I can see it in his face. Meanwhile, the rest of the room is watching, enrapt, as our private power struggle spills out into public view.
“Are you some sort of authority on animals now?” he says, his deceptively light drawl promising a jellyfish sting of retribution later.
I shake my head and meet his gaze with another smile. I’m not an easy target, and Jake Dalton is beginning to realize it.
For the rest of the meeting he leaves me alone, and during the break I catch him staring at me. That strange smile is playing at the corner of his lips again. It’s as if I’ve passed whatever challenge he has thrown at me.
What I feel then is beyond the highest high and the bloodiest victory. It’s a bone-shaking, stomach-clenching intoxication that rocks the roots of my foundations and leaves me craving more.
Let the games begin.
Chapter Seven
Once the meeting is over there’s a stampede for the door, with Max leading the charge. “We’ll go through my diary tomorrow,” he hollers out to me before disappearing into the hallway.
Always tomorrow.As far as I can tell, his job mainly consists of him drifting around the studios and attempting to screw anything that’s not nailed down by monogamy. Through the window I watch him vault into a jeep and drive off in an enormous cloud of dust.
“Off to wine and dine some gorgeous woman, I expect,” says Rachel, her blond hair flopping dejectedly into her eyes as she bends down to switch off the conference screen. “Did you see him with the makeup designer in the meeting?”
“I was a little preoccupied.” I say grimly, tucking the tails of my long bangs behind my ears as I kneel down to help her. “Which, FYI, was about as fun as a bikini wax.”
Rachel smiles but refuses to be drawn into a bitch session about Jake. It’s something I’ve noticed more and more with his crew. He’s a hard man to work for but he receives nothing but loyalty and respect in return.
“Okay, so itwasa bit strange,” she admits reluctantly, straightening up again.
“Strange how?”
“Well, he’s never asked for opinions before, especially about movie scheduling.” She hands me a pile of leftover scripts. “Can you take these back to my desk? I’ll follow along in a bit with the rest.”
With Rachel’s words still ringing in my ears, I make my way along the labyrinth of hallways toward the production office. I’m so deep in thought that I walk straight into a row of mannequins lined up like naked firing squad victims outside the costume department. Snatching up armfuls of dropped scripts and plastic limbs, I freeze as a loudbangerupts behind me. The noise echoes throughout the vacant space like a horror scene unfolding. It’s nightfall after a long day, and most of the crew are on their way back to the hotel. I choke on my panic as dark memories force their way to the forefront of my mind.
Racing around the corner, I spy the production office up ahead. The door’s open. The place is deserted, but I can hear angry voices coming from inside Jake’s office. He’s not alone. Cassie’s there, too. She’s our lead actress, apparently. Rachel informed me of this over lunch.
Full name: Cassie Lee. Number of Oscar nominations: two. At twenty-five, and with the added bonus of having Jake cast her in three of his last six box office hits, Cassie has recently achieved superstar status and is reveling in every last golden minute of it. Which basically means she’s a royal pain in the ass.
I hate her perfect stomach.
I hate her nauseating sense of entitlement more.
I slide the scripts onto Rachel’s desk and turn to leave, but my feet clearly didn’t get the memo. Acrimony is seeping out from under the door and I can’t stop myself from eavesdropping.
Inside, Jake’s voice is beginning to spiral. “I don’t want to talk about this, Cassie. I said all I needed to say months ago.”
“I don’t believe you! Not after yesterday. I know you still want me.”
“Think what you like, make up these fucking fantasies if you must, but what happened in your trailer was a mistake. You and I are done.”
“Have dinner with me. For old time’s sake.” She’s begging him, trying to penetrate that chilly exterior.Good luck with that.
“You don’t get it, do you? Your contract doesn’t include fucking me anymore.”
“Then maybe I should quit.”
There’s a crash followed by the sound of breaking glass as an object is hurled at the wall.
