Typecast

by Kim Carmichael

  Well, well, she not only recovered, she got right back on the on-ramp to the questions everyone wanted to ask, shaky voice and all. He had to give it to her for starting with a lead-in question, but the next one would undoubtedly be about Drew, which sped right to everything else.

  “Of course we keep in touch.” He offered the most benign answer possible.

  “All of you?”

  At least the woman stayed focused.

  He tilted his head and ran his thumb across the back of her hand, wishing he could explore her smooth skin elsewhere. “I would rather talk about what we are going to do tonight to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of one of your favorite films.” He smiled the same smile he produced the day the talent scout discovered him and called him a natural. Little did he know back then there was no such thing.

  Her eyes widened and her hand trembled in his. “What’s the worst part of being the bad guy?”

  Not expecting her to keep on track, he responded with the first thing to enter his mind. “Do you know that I never get the girl?” Right as the words left his lips, he wanted them back. Of all the subjects, he needed to leave his love life, or lack thereof, out of the conversation.

  “Do you ever wish you would have?”

  “Oh, tough question.” Again, she surprised him by pressing forward instead of asking if he were attached at the moment, or ever, but he needed a second to reformulate his plan. “What if I tell you after we look at a clip?”

  They both stopped and stared into each other’s eyes. If they weren’t surrounded by a multitude of people and their relationship was more than an hour old, it would be the perfect time for a kiss. He bet her lips tasted sweet with a bit of tang, and was thankful no one put any of that horrendous gloss on them.

  “You have ninety seconds and people are online commenting already,” the director announced. “Ivy, maybe you should introduce our guest?”

  “Oh, man.” She shut her eyes for a moment, pressing her free hand to her chest.

  Logan knew he played dirty, but even with her stage fright, she threw plenty of mud of her own. In fact, he just managed to avoid the splatter. “You’re fine.” All women loved the bad boy, even if art imitated life and he never got one long term. No matter, there was always another one, but not many quite like the sultry vine that made up Miss Details. “Take your time and remember to breathe.”

  When he had arrived at the studio, he’d heard her defend him, and upon entering the room, it had pleased him to find her appearance matched her voice. Dark hair that glowed with a tint of red under the lights framed her face and highlighted her huge gray eyes and perky lips. The second he had seen her, he’d almost expected a cartoon bird to appear and eat out of her hand while she waved her magic wand of facts as her weapon and won.

  “Thank you, Mr. Alexander.” She opened her eyes.

  “Logan.” He leaned in even closer, wanting to remind her of the name she would be screaming out tonight in ecstasy. “Keep your eyes on mine, and don’t forget to ask me about the new DVD set we still have to sell.” Or more accurately, get her to a different line of questioning.

  “Okay, we’re coming back in five, four, three, two, one.”

  “Now.” He squeezed her hand.

  “I’m in the middle with my conversation with Logan Alexander, one of the stars of Hollywood Stardust.” She nodded. “So, Mr. Alexander, can you give us any sneak peeks to what we can look forward to with the movie’s rerelease for the twentieth anniversary?”

  His tactic worked and he exhaled. Better yet, the woman took direction, a fact he wouldn’t forget between the sheets. “Was there anything you were hoping for?”

  She glanced up at him through her lashes. “How about a little secret?”

  Something about her seemed as if she were out of a different time or place, and it wasn’t only her chic vintage clothing. He almost wanted to invent a little nugget of juicy gossip to please her, but he would please her plenty later. “I know the DVD package will include the director’s cut with some deleted scenes, but I’ll have to check about any secrets.”

  “Maybe you could tell us some secret we don’t already know.” She licked her lips.

  If he answered honestly, he would tell her he never had seen the movie all the way through, but Logan Alexander wasn’t about honesty, he was about illusion. “The car in the film is actually mine, and the day after we wrapped shooting, I got a ticket.”

  “Were you speeding?” She let out a little giggle.

  He nodded. “Always.”

  The director approached the set and held up one finger.

  “Before we have to say good-bye, are you going to tell me if you wish you would have gotten the girl?”

  Sharp. She got back on point and that made her even more alluring. “Maybe I never found the right girl to get.”

  At last, she graced him with a smile. “Well, I know we didn’t get to spend much time with you today, but we will definitely have some follow-up stories online. I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to me this afternoon.”

  “My pleasure.” Using his character’s signature move from the film, he turned his head and pointed to his cheek. Perhaps he needed to act like his character and turn his head and have her kiss land on his lips, but maybe such a move wasn’t Internet-show appropriate.

  She gave him a slight shake of her head, but finally leaned in and pecked his cheek. “I still have more questions.”

  At her whisper in his ear, he shuddered. “Sorry, time’s up.”

  “Cut!” The director came forward. “That was sort of different, but on the bright side, you didn’t lose your lunch.”

  “You have to give me more. I barely got anything.” She pulled back.

  “You know everything I’m going to put on the record. After all, you studied me. You can fill in. I’ll never tell.” He kept hold of her hand. “However, tonight you will get everything you want, so no pouting.”

  She swiped her hand away and stood, but he wasn’t sure if this was where the scene should end. Yes, she would make the perfect distraction.

  “Ivy!” Craig ran after her.

  Damn, damn, damn. At this point, escape was Ivy’s only option, and she rushed down the hallway back toward her office. She didn’t even get one of Craig’s questions in. Even if Mr. Alexander didn’t respond, it would have hung in the air and started chatter. Then after practically having foreplay with Mr. Alexander on a live feed, the second she turned her back, he up and vanished without as much as a good-bye. As she had thought, the entire flirtation had been nothing but a ruse to throw her off the trail, and it had worked. With stars in her eyes, no wonder she was tricked. Now, she had to find him. If she had to tackle him to the ground and straddle him, she would get the damn answers.

  “Ivy Vermont!” Craig’s voice grew louder.

  After basically promising her boss she would succeed, she failed. Her job was on the line and she had to fix the disaster. With no way out, she stopped and spun toward him.

  Craig skidded in front of her. “I’m not sure what to say about what just aired on our website.”

  “Well, we can start with congratulating me for getting through the interview and only stuttering a few times.” She gave him a smile and went in for the save. “I think it was very on point and relevant, and it was only the beginning.”

  “Beginning?” Craig held out his arms and looked around. “What are you talking about? This was an important story for us.”

  “Yes, and it needs to develop over time. You can’t expect me to meet him and bring up all the tough questions right off the bat.” The words spewed out of her mouth in such a convincing manner even she believed them.

  “So you are going to bring up the old, tired tomes that have been out there like a bad GIF of some silly animal repeating some inane gesture rather than coming up with something fresh?” Logan made a tsking sound and joined them in the hallway.

  How the man continued to sneak up on her was beyond her k
nowledge, but it was a detail she would get to the bottom of along with everything else. She bit her lip and formulated a plan. Yes, she had to make the situation into a beginning, not an end. “Of course not. In fact, as Craig said, this is an important story, way too important to be told in one afternoon.”

  Craig exhaled and Logan leaned back on his heels, but she managed to get them both to remain silent and continued. “I mean, we barely scratched the surface with Mr. Alexander. Hollywood Stardust was one of those movies that literally changed a generation, so how can we even expect to tell the story in a five-minute video?”

  “I am extremely complex.” Logan tilted his head.

  “I don’t understand.” A fine sheen of sweat broke out on Craig’s forehead. Maybe he needed a trash can.

  Somehow, with Logan, she had gotten through the interview—maybe it wasn’t great, but it had been better than she had ever done before. She had always been bonded to this movie. It had to be a sign. “I would like to cover the anniversary of Hollywood Stardust up until the gala for the new director’s cut at the studio. I will interview the other cast members, and I’ll uncover the myths and the truths, and see where they all are now.” For once, her parents would believe in her. She would keep her job, and if she could cure her stage fright, maybe she could go on to her dream of being an actress.

  Craig gave her a slow nod.

  Her heart sped and her mind went with it as she practically saw into the future with videos and stories and a world where she went from roving reporter to actress and carried on her family tradition. In fact, the story might even be better than sex with Logan. Maybe. Probably not, but she would have her career. “Since we know the story was important enough for the vice president of the studio to speak with Mr. Alexander, and we are under the same umbrella, I’m sure there will be no problem securing the people needed to pull this off.” She held her breath waiting for Craig’s decision, but she swore Logan’s complexion paled.

  “You could be on to something.” Craig tapped his fingers against his lips. “Yes, this could be exactly what we need. I’m sure with the magnitude of the story, Julia will be more than happy to work on this project.”

  Both her heart and her mind, in fact all of her organs, stopped, actually seized. “I did better than ever today. I can do this.” Her voice came out more of a pathetic whine rather than a demand.

  “Ivy.” Craig’s tone turned parental.

  Her throat dried out, and though she wanted to stand on her own, she turned to Logan for help. Earlier, he was the first to request her and his input had to matter.

  “I’m not so sure about this little plan. Stay right there.” Without an ounce of snark, he held up one finger and walked down the hall.

  As if they both had agreed not to speak until Logan returned, they glanced at each other and then turned away. She watched Logan pace back and forth, hunched over with his phone up to his ear.

  Time seemed to halt, and she wondered what caused Logan’s sudden change in attitude. She only needed to convince Craig.

  At long last Logan returned, his pallor the same. “The execs love the idea, and as luck would have it, I will be your tour guide.”

  Why did she feel she had betrayed him in some way? “What does that mean?”

  “I will introduce you to the people you need to speak to. I will be all things Hollywood Stardust.” The color of his eyes seemed to darken.

  “That sounds like a plan. I am sure once Julia returns we can get this going.” Craig extended his hand.

  She bit the inside of her mouth to stay quiet. Funny, when the cameras weren’t rolling she could speak perfectly fine.

  “I made my preferences for a costar clear before, but make no mistake who the star will be.” Logan barely gave Craig’s offering a glance, but leaned over to her. “You.”

  His word tingled in her ear. While she wanted to take hold of the man and tell her boss they were an unstoppable team, she needed to win on her own merit.

  “This is a huge undertaking. Ivy will be involved, but we need a true professional.” Craig kept his hand out.

  Before Logan came back with another one of his quips, she thrust herself between them. “No one knows the movie better than I do. I am the only person who can do it justice.”

  “But you tried before to ask the right questions and froze. This story could save us.”

  Of course, what her boss left unsaid was that the story could break them just as easy, and she wouldn’t allow him to taint her with her own history. She needed to give him some other facts to go on. “I know Ryder Scott wasn’t the first person cast for the role of William. I know when Erin Holland dyed her hair for the role of Roxanne and broke out in hives. It delayed production for four weeks. I know the homework that the character Charles was doing on the road was indeed Drew’s homework, and it was chemistry.” She sucked in her breath to keep going.

  Logan tapped her. “What about me?”

  “I was going to use the car, but you beat me to it.” She swallowed. “But in case you were wondering, I know you were the first cast and I also know you were the first offered a contract for the never filmed sequel.”

  “And there you have it.” He patted her back.

  “Ivy, I told you before, we need this story.” Craig’s voice took on the same tone he used every time he became exasperated with her. Deep down, she knew he wanted her gone, but obligations and friendships wouldn’t let him go through with it.

  She took a slow and even breath, promising she would utter the next words. “Craig, if you let me be the reporter and I don’t live up to everything you want out of the story, I will resign.”

  Craig lifted his hand to his temple. “What?”

  “Let me make it to the gala, and if by that time you don’t have everything you want, I will come to your office the next day, hand you my letter of resignation, and you never have to feel guilty.”

  He furrowed his brow, but didn’t fling himself in front of her and tell her not to do it. His lack of action told her everything.

  “I never had a woman go to such lengths to be with me. Well, back in the day I did, but those girls did some insane things. I almost expected one to mail me an ear or other body part.” Logan looked up to the ceiling and tapped his chin. “Actually, only yesterday, I got comped a turkey sandwich just because I am me. So honestly, I suppose I have women go through great lengths to be with me all the time, but this instance will definitely stand out.”

  At Logan revealing maybe a little too much, she shrugged and focused on Craig and her fate.

  “Just get the story we need.” Her boss clasped his hands as if praying.

  “I understand.” She made her deal and sold herself.

  “Well, they say all the best business happens in hallways with ugly linoleum flooring.” Logan took his turn to offer his hand for a shake.

  “Let me tell production what is happening so we can clear studio time.” Craig rubbed his hand over his forehead and walked away, muttering to himself as he left.

  “I believe we need to keep business separate from pleasure. Rest assured, when I take you out this evening, I will not put it on our expense report.” Like earlier, Logan held out his elbow. “Shall we get started early?”

  Alone with Logan, she needed to do some proverbial bud nipping and looked up into his face.

  That face was not conducive to nipping, and she lowered her gaze to his neck. “Mr. Alexander, we are not going out in a social capacity. While I appreciate you offering to undertake this project with me, it will only be for professional purposes.”

  “No matter what happens, let me make something perfectly clear.” His absolutely serious tone made her look into his eyes. “I know you and your idiot boss thought you were speaking some secret language before, but I deciphered it very well.” He glanced up and down the hallway and bent down to her ear. “I don’t care what you think you’ll be getting. I will set up all the interviews, and I will control everything, so don’t think you
’ll be getting some big scoop. I hold the spoon and I do the feeding.”

  She didn’t move, didn’t react, and didn’t respond. Was he the villain everyone thought or was he only playing a role?

  “Promise me we won’t have six weeks of arguments when we can make an amazing story.” He raked the back of his hand down her arm.

  She ignored the shivers he created throughout her body. If she didn’t promise, nothing would happen. She would have to get the story Craig wanted a different way, but her specialty was tracking down the facts. Once in the inner circle, she could circumvent him. “I promise.”

  “I take my promises very seriously.”

  “I need to go do some research, Mr. Alexander.”

  “You can meet with Logan tomorrow for our first assignment. Mr. Alexander won’t be available.” His deep voice vibrated through her.

  “Until tomorrow then.” Villain or not, his mere closeness stirred every inch of her to life. While she had met stars before, grew up among them, no other held his magic. The man possessed some sort of estrogen magnet, and no doubt his typecast wasn’t by happenstance. She needed to go sit under an air conditioner vent.

  “Until tomorrow.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “I thought I should return the favor. It’s purely professional though.”

  She shut her eyes, again forcing away any reaction. His every move was manufactured to make her forget her name. No matter what, she had to get the story and had to work with Logan. She turned on her heel and walked toward her office, giving a quick glance to her smart 1950s business suit. Maybe for once she would stand out for more than her excellent choice in clothing.

  HOLLYWOOD STARDUST

  DISSOLVE TO:

  INT. BACK OF STEVEN’S FATHER’S RESTAURANT – DAY – INDIANAPOLIS, IN

  STEVEN, ROXY, WILLIAM, and CHARLES sit huddled together in a booth in the back, working on their projects due before spring break.

  ROXY

  I want to go to Hollywood Stardust.

  ROXY puts her elbow on the table and rests her head in her hand. Looks off far away.