“Thank you for coming in,” he said. His voice sounded bored, “Tell Daveed to send in the next girl.”
Annie just stood there, appalled—cheated. “Mr. Rossen!” she exclaimed as she found her voice.
At last, he glanced up and his piercing eyes met hers. “Yes?”
“I may be young, I may not have a long résumé, and I might not be the most beautiful or most sexy woman trying out for this part, but I demand your respect and attention. I am perfect for this role, and I am not walking out of here until you actually watch me do this audition!” She exhaled.
One of his eyebrows rose slightly, but she didn’t wait for his response. While she had his attention, she launched back into the reading and threw all of her fire and frustration into it. When she finished, she nodded. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Rossen,” she said, though her words were calmer than she felt inside.
“Yes, thank you. We’ll be in touch,” he said as he slipped her résumé into a different pile. She felt triumphant, and a little surprised at herself over her outburst. She left the room and picked up speed once she reached the hallway. Without looking up, she slammed into Daveed and her purse and portfolio crashed to the floor, causing the contents to spill out across the foyer.
“I’m so sorry.” She looked at him and hurriedly put her things back in her purse. He grabbed her portfolio and handed it to her.
“Hey, no problem, I know he can be pretty brutal sometimes.” She smiled a weak smile and took her things from his hand.
“Thanks.” Tears welled in her eyes.
He turned to yell to whoever was listening. “Gertie, I’m gonna take my lunch, be back in an hour!”
“Sweetie, I was in the back of the room during your audition. We need to talk. Let’s go over to Starbucks across the street and get a mocha frappuccino. You look wrecked. Frappuccino can cure anything. I know Vic can be a royal bitch sometimes, but girl, have you seen that ass?”
Annie was shocked, but couldn’t hold back the burst of laughter. Who was this guy, and was Mr. Rossen gay? Is that why he acted so indifferently to her?
“Uhm…..sure! Hi, I’m Annie.” She stuck out her hand for a shake.
“Girl, I know who you are, I checked you in… and if you’re wondering, yes, I’m gay and no, Vic is not.”
“Vic?”
“Mr. Rossen, I’ve worked for him for a while now and I know what he’s like when inexperienced actresses try to get his attention. Like, you don’t exist, right?”
Annie nodded. Why was this guy taking an interest in her? He hadn’t followed any of the other hopefuls out.
He continued, “Well, Gertie and I both work for him—he’s way too much man for one assistant, so we take turns. I tell you what, sweet cheeks, if we swung for the same team, I promise you I’d be his wife! By the way, I’m Daveed,” he said and rolled his eyes. “It’s Mexican, don’t ask,” he said as he threw his palm up in the air.
They were still laughing when they arrived at the counter and she said, “Well, after that audition, I don’t know how you can work for him? How do you put up with that attitude?”
They picked up their drinks and found a table. Annie felt a lot calmer as she took a sip of her frappuccino. Daveed yapped on about how Gertie had been trying to get into Mr. Rossen’s pants for ages and almost got fired for it. Apparently, rumors about Hollywood casting couches were true. Annie just smiled, sipped and took it all in. He seemed to know a lot about Tinsel Town. Wonder just how much clout this Daveed has?
As if he’d read her thoughts, he said, “OTJ. That’s why I’m here?”
Annie gave him a puzzled look. “On the job training. I have a talent for spotting talent and I want to be where he is in two years. With my own company, casting for all the big directors. I take his abuse, and, honey, you ain’t seen nothing yet—the grief that man can dish out could curl your hair. Anyway, it will be worth it when I’ve learned how the business works and have my own contacts. Then I’ll be calling the shots.”
Annie was too unnerved by the scene with Vic Rossen to pay much attention to another wannabe’s dreams. Daveed was going to become the next great casting director. Sure he was. And Annie was going to win the lottery. She gathered her purse to leave.
“Well, Daveed, I’ve really enjoyed chatting with you, and thanks for the coffee—but I do have to run off to work now. Here’s my number. I owe you a frappuccino,” she smiled, and quickly scribbled her number on a napkin. She handed it to him and he surprised her by pulling her back into her seat.
“Listen, Annie. I’m not in the habit of dispensing TLC and expensive coffee to all the starlets that come out of Vic’s office in bits and pieces. But you have something. Talent shows all over you and we need to stay in touch. You’re hungry for a start and so am I. Who knows, maybe we can do something together some day. You know, like hook up for a big movie role?”
Annie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. A guy who wasn’t trying to hit on her was offering a helping hand? She was suspicious. She knew this town. Everybody was out for themselves.
“Sure thing,” she said without any real enthusiasm, and then hurried to her car.
She couldn’t be late for work—not today anyway. Some bankers from Wall Street would be holding a dinner party at the restaurant she worked at tonight, and that could mean huge tips. She’d just started this job as a server in an upscale restaurant because a friend had said rich men were generous with their tips—and she needed them. She lived in a rundown condo which she shared with two stoners, and her rent was past due. Maybe tonight would pay her rent, and if she was lucky, a little extra for girlie things.
It was only after she’d reached her car that her incredible stupidity hit her. Shit! She couldn’t believe she’d gone off on Vic Rossen. She’d been auditioning for an awesome part in a real movie, and he was sure to write her off as crazy now. “Oh crap,” she thought. “I sure fucked that one up.”
She drove back to her apartment to change into her uniform and work on an attitude adjustment so she could hustle the big time customers out of some big time tips. As she pulled up to her building, the hospital called. Gramps was resting comfortably, but they told her she had to be ready to come home at a moment’s notice. They’d keep her posted.
Chapter 2
Annabelle groped for the phone, if only to shut off the annoying ringtone waking her up at—she checked the screen—“What the fuck?” she yelled. It was only six-thirty in the morning.
“Hello?” she said uncertainly. Her eyes wanted to shut so she could go back to sleep as she hadn’t gotten home from work until2 AM.
“Annabelle Gibbons, rise and shine! It’s a great day to—”
“Who is this?” she choked. Her head pounded from lack of sleep as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
After going bat-shit crazy at the audition, she’d needed to soothe herself with a few shots with the restaurant crew after they’d closed up. She wasn’t ready for a close-up, not by a long shot. The last thing she’d expected was a phone call.
“Girl, don’t tell me you already forgot about me?” The voice at the other end of the line sounded vaguely familiar. Who is this?
“It’s Daveed,” he said as if he read her mind. Your frappuccino friend! How quickly they forget,” he laughed.
She sat up with a jolt. “Oh, sorry, what time is it? Why are you up at this hour?”
“No rest for the wicked, girlfriend.” He gave a salacious laugh. “Vic, I mean, Mr. Rossen, told me to set up a lunch appointment with you today so he could discuss a few details about that part you wanted in the new Carole Stimson movie. You game, girl? You’d better be!”
Annie’s first response was to give him a snarly, ‘Seriously?’ but she bit her tongue and managed to croak out a, “Sure, that would be great,” though she wondered if this was a joke.
“Excellent. Sin Devicio’s, on Alameda - you know the place? He wants you there at noon sharp.”
“Okay, Daveed, I’ll be
there, but this better be worth it.”
“Oh, sweet cheeks. He’s ALWAYS worth it. God, if he invited me to lunch at Sin Devicio’s, I’d be so fuckin’ happy, I’d cream my jeans. Oops! Sorry! TMI, gotta go! Don’t forget, noon sharp.”
She hung up the phone, jumped out of bed and did a fist pump. She gave a victory yell and danced around in her cami and panties. She cha-cha-ed her way into the kitchen and put some coffee on. She was going to need it. Lots of it. She had to wow this Vic Rossen today or she may never get this part. Good thing she was off work tonight or she’d never get any sleep.
Annie sucked on her bottom lip. What to do? What to wear? Sin Devicio’s was one of the best restaurants on Restaurant Row in the expensive park of the city. She would never have been able to afford to eat there on her own. Even if he was just going to tell her to come to call-backs, or to discuss what she’d done wrong, she didn’t care. Just eating at Sin Devicio’s would be worth it.
She pulled out her phone and texted Daveed.
‘What’s his fave color?’
After a few minutes, she still hadn’t heard back from him, so she opened her closet to figure it out on her own. She had to be sexy, but not slutty. Something shockingly wonderful, but respectable. Nothing black, this was a lunch date. Something colorful, but subtle. She settled on a royal blue dress with a princess neckline. The color accentuated her bright blue eyes and lightly tanned décolleté. And the princess neckline—well, it would highlight the girls.
There were still a few hours before the lunch date and she didn’t want to get dressed too early, or end up arriving late, so she sipped her coffee while she wondered what the meeting was about. Was she hired? Did they want another audition? Was this her big break, her dream come true? Her heart was racing and she knew she’d better slow down and relax.
She flopped down on her bed and set her alarm for 9:30. Just a little more sleep and she could handle the day. Last night had been a bear and she sure as hell didn’t want to show up for lunch with bags under her eyes, looking like death warmed over.
Her outfit was ready, so all she needed to do was shower, get dressed and go. She drifted off to sleep, just as the birds started chirping the day awake. Just a couple more hours….
She jumped up when she heard her phone’s alarm beep. She reached for it, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and complained that she never got enough sleep.
“Oh shit!” she said when she saw the hour. She got out of bed, ran into the bathroom and started the water. “Damn alarm, you were supposed to go off an hour ago!” she hollered, then hurriedly jumped into the shower, Shit! She clipped her long brown hair on top of her head and grabbed the razor. She quickly shaved her legs, but everything else would have to wait. No one was going to see it anyway. She only had forty-five minutes to transform herself into a goddess and get to Sin Devicio’s.
She had to work fast, because she was going to make it—even if it killed her.
Chapter 3
She arrived at Sin Devicio’s with only a few moments to spare. From the admiring looks she’d gotten from the parking valets, she figured she must look amazing in her royal blue dress and spiked heels. Vic Rossen would definitely notice her today. The princess neckline accented her breasts perfectly, and with the help of a push-up demi bra, the girls were front and center. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun with tendrils framing her face and neck. She caught her reflection in the restaurant’s glass door. “Amazing,” she whispered, “if I do say so myself.”
Annie had the kind of hair that said, ‘Fuck me.’ Long, thick, pullable and fuckable. She could do just about anything with it, up, down, straight, curly. God had blessed her with a great ass and really great hair.
She trembled with excitement as she gave her name to the maitre’d. “I’m a guest of Mr. Rossen.”
The man bowed slightly and informed her he hadn’t arrived yet and led her to their table. Nervously, she took a seat, accepted water from the waiter, and leafed through the menu, mostly because she didn’t know what else to do.
As the minutes ticked by, she wondered if he’d forgotten about her. All this rushing around, and the SOB couldn’t even turn up on time. She checked her phone to see if he’d called and found a reply text from Daveed. ‘Blue honey, work it’. She replied, ‘thx, where is he?’ but, there was nothing else. No more messages or voice mails.
The waiter returned and asked her if she wanted any refills of water or an appetizer. She thought about the tips she’d made at work the night before and ordered a drink. Without those tips, she wouldn’t have been able to afford the gas it took to drive to this restaurant.
The time crawled by with no sign of her host. She was getting annoyed. He’d said noon sharp and it was almost one o’clock now, without even a message that he was on his way. She contemplated leaving, and thought fifteen more minutes, then I’m out of here. She had the day off, had tons of errands to run and other things to get done. She only had one day off a week. She wasn’t going to spend it in a fancy restaurant waiting for some jerk that needed a watch.
Just as she was about to leave, Mr. Rossen breezed through the door and walked to the table. She had to catch her breath. He was taller than she’d expected, and his expensive suit showed off every single beautiful inch. When he sat down, the waiter appeared instantly with their menus. Mr. Rossen didn’t bother to ask Annie what she wanted to eat. He ordered Mahi Mahi for the both, then smiled at her, showing off his pearly white teeth.
“Annabelle, er—, Annie, right?”
She nodded yes as she sipped on her martini.
“I’m so glad you could come today. Daveed got you all squared away with details, I presume.”
She smiled and nodded, momentarily thrown by his question. She was a southern girl and used to people showing good manners and punctuality. He was doing anything but. She couldn’t believe that he hadn’t even tried to apologize for keeping her waiting so long. But on the other hand, she also couldn’t believe she was actually here at this plush restaurant with an important casting director, so she let it go. Now, if her heart would stop pounding, she might be able to enjoy his company.
“Oh, of course. I – I can’t believe that you’re really considering me, Mr. Rossen. It – it’s an honor.” She stumbled on her words. What is happening to me? Why am I so nervous? This guy was over an hour late. You got this girl. Breathe.
“Please, call me Vic.”
“Oh,” Annie said, blushing. “I couldn’t.”
He watched her across the table and his eyes focused on her breasts.
“I insist.”
She didn’t know what to say to that so she took another sip of her drink and prayed her nerves would calm down, if only for a minute. At least, from the expression on his face, he seemed to be enjoying the princess neckline and makeup she’d so carefully applied. She put her glass down and smiled, ready to ask about the part, but he was already speaking.
“Now, I understand that this part would be a very big deal for you.”
“Yes, sir” Annie said and leaned forward excitedly. “It would be my breakout role. It could totally make my career.”
His eyes wandered across her shoulders and down her chest. “Yes, I would imagine. Now, I hope you understand, we had originally thought to cast Miss Alba or Miss Heigel for this part.”
Annie felt a little dejected. There was no way in hell she could compete with beautiful, famous actresses like that. Why did he even want to meet with her? She nodded numbly and took another sip of her martini. She had no chance at all.
Vicktor leaned forward—his eyes were as sexy as hell as he held her gaze.
“Now, I like you. I thought you gave a very passionate reading. I’m just having a hard time convincing the director and producer you are the perfect actress for the lead role. I’m sure you understand.”
She nodded, although she wasn’t completely sure she understood at all. Confusion swept across Annie’s face.
“Okaaaay
?”
He smiled and one of his eyebrows rose slowly and seductively. “Of course, you would have a much better chance of getting the part if you were to help me stay, how do you say….motivated?”
Annie blinked, even more confused. “Motivated? How would I do that?”
Vicktor leaned back, and a disturbing smile slid across his face. “Well, I can think of a few things that would make me very motivated.”
Following his gaze, Annie realized he was still staring at her breasts. At first his attention to the girls was flattering—now it was making her uncomfortable. She covered them slightly, trying to catch his gaze. “Are you implying what I think you’re implying?”
He leaned forward, grabbed his chin and his finger tapped lightly on his cheek. “I only want to help you, but first, you’ve got to help me.”
She was shocked—speechless. Unfortunately, he took that as a yes.
“It’s simple. We slip somewhere a little more private, you take care of me, and then I will take care of you with the director. It’s a win-win situation, wouldn’t you say?”
She glared at him, momentarily stunned at his proposition. She couldn’t believe those words had just come out of his mouth. She thought all the jokes about casting couches were just that. Jokes. Finally, her brain began functioning again.
“No, I would not!” Annie said, as she stood up abruptly. She was so furious, she reached for her drink to throw it in his face, but the glass was empty.
He stood and raised his hands defensively. “Come on, Miss Gibbons. Don’t be like that. Like I said, I’m only trying to help you. Surely you know how this game is played.”
Saddled On The Cowboy: A Hot Western Romance Page 12
