I had actually forgotten all about Jenner Collins. He must have been the figure that I thought I saw enter during my reading. I was determined not to think about it at all.
“I’d rather focus on the exercise,” I told her, my voice flat. I hoped that she would take the hint that I wasn’t in the mood to talk to her about this.
Unfortunately, she didn’t. For the entire first exercise she kept up a running commentary about how much she loved Collins, what a great actor he was, how inspiring it was to be in the same room with him, let alone perform for him.
Her constant gushing did nothing to change my frame of mind. In fact, it made me feel so irritated that I was soon projecting that on Jenner himself. Who the hell did he think he was anyhow? Some useless Hollywood pretty boy. Whatever. Why would I let myself get worked up over him?
Looking back on it, I should probably thank blond girl for annoying me so much. When they finally called my name to participate in an exercise, I was feeling completely confident—cocky almost—and not at all star struck.
There were a few who couldn’t say the same. The same younger woman I had noticed in the first reading was placed in my group. Throughout the exercise she kept looking nervously out into the audience. She missed a few opportunities to add an obvious line. Oh well, I thought to myself. Her problem. If she wanted to be all star struck by Collins, she could go right ahead. I had more important things to do.
The improv exercise felt great. They asked us to play a game called Dinner Party. One participant played the party host, while the rest of us were assigned silly mystery characters. The host then had to guess who we were based on our lines and behavior. I was given a piece of paper with the name Monica Lewinsky on it. I quickly decided to let go and have fun with it. I was highly gratified to hear some laughter in the darkness as I continually tried to rub an imaginary stain off the leg of my jeans.
After everyone had a chance to participate in an exercise, they finally called us up in pairs to read our prepared lines. This time I was called first. I was paired with a handsome older guy with slightly graying hair. In the scene, he was playing my father while I played Jillian, a young woman struggling to overcome the abuse she had faced in her childhood.
From my preparations with Jen the night before, I had already fallen in love with this character. She was a lot like me, to be honest. A little bit sarcastic, a little on the dry side. But underneath her tough exterior you could tell she was very passionate, very loyal. Jen too had told me that the character reminded her of me. I took it as a compliment.
I felt good during the reading. The guy I was reading with was clearly talented, and we fell into a rhythm with each other quickly. When Jackson called time on us, I actually felt disappointed. I would have liked to keep going.
I didn’t have to wait long. I was called back up several more times. I read with two more older men, both reading the role of Jillian’s father. I was then asked to read with two different young guys. One, a tall, thin guy about my age, was really cute. I could feel a chemistry bouncing between us from the first few lines. It’s such a funny thing, how strong that indefinable force can be. But I could tell he felt it too, and it made my own reading stronger.
After that, Jackson asked us to hold tight for a minute. We could hear muffled conversation from behind us. I assumed he was talking to his partner and to Jenner Collins. For the first time since I had started reading, I began to feel nervous.
“Okay, we want to thank you all for coming in,” Jackson said, moving up the aisle to stand before us. “We’re going to send most of you home now, but there are a few of you that we need to see a little more from.”
My heart started pounding at a rapid pace. What did that mean? Was this a nice way of saying that they were making a cut right now? If you were asked to stay, was that a good thing? Or were they sending home the ones they were already sure about?
Jackson started rattling off a list of names. Mine wasn’t on it. I felt my palms start sweating. “If I called your name, you can go now. Thank you very much for coming in and we’ll be in contact with you early next week.”
Oh my God. So that meant they wanted me to stay. I still didn’t know if that was a good thing or not, but I hoped it meant they liked me.
Blond girl was not asked to stay. She was looking at the ground with a blank expression on her face, and I had a feeling she was fighting tears. She must think being asked to go was a bad sign. In her case, I had to agree. Though she was beautiful, I hadn’t felt very much talent in her readings. Maybe she was too worked up about Jenner.
Once the theater had cleared out, Jackson passed out more packets. He told us we would have a few minutes to look over the new material before we started again. When he handed me mine he asked me to look at the part of Kate .
Hmm, so they weren’t asking me to continue reading for Jillian. Again, I had no idea how to take this.
When I was called up, I did my best with the new material. It was much harder than it had been reading the lines I had prepared with Jen, but I think I got through it okay. I was again asked to read with the dark haired guy who I had felt such a connection with. This time I managed to catch his name, Tyler, and I think our second reading was as good as our first.
When we had exhausted every possible pairing, Jackson once again asked us to sit while the three of them conferred in the back. This time, I sat next to Tyler. He seemed not at all concerned with the events taking place behind us. Instead of making small talk, he pulled out a phone and began texting. I had to admit, it was a relief over blond girl’s incessant chattering.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming,” an unfamiliar voice said. I looked around to see a taller man walking down the aisle toward us, Jackson scurrying behind in his wake.
Oh my God, I thought. It was him.
All of my swagger about not caring about Jenner Collins left my body faster than you could say Golden Globe. I had always thought that he was good-looking in his films and appearances, but up close and in person, Jenner Collins was gorgeous. There was no other word for it.
“We’re going to end this for tonight. You’ve made our decision very difficult,” Jenner said, smiling kindly at us. “I would expect to be in contact with all of you early next week,” he continued. “Thank you again for participating tonight. I really do appreciate it.”
There was a finality in Jenner’s words and everyone began to rise from their seats, gathering their things. It all felt very anti-climatic to me. Of course, I hadn’t expected to find out my fate tonight, but I didn’t much like the idea of having to wait until next week to hear who had succeeded. Why would it take them so long to make their decision? Were they seeing other actors besides us?
Feeling unsettled, I gathered up my things and followed the group out of the theater. No one spoke to me at all as I passed through the lobby. I got to my car, feeling strangely lonely and very scared. No sooner had I started the engine than my phone began to buzz in my pocket. I had turned off the sound while in the audition. Looking at the display I noticed that I had four missed calls. Two from Jen, two from Ginny.
Smiling slightly, I called the house. Jen picked up on the second ring. “We’re dying!” she shouted into the phone. “That was the longest audition ever! How did it go?”
I sighed, then put my car in gear, eager to get home to my friends. “To be honest with you,” I said, “I have no idea.”
Chapter Six
“This is amazing,” I said, staring out the window of the limo.
“Yup, pretty much,” Ginny agreed, though without the same level of enthusiasm.
I guess I couldn’t blame her—I’d been saying basically the same thing all afternoon. But how could you blame me? So far that day I’d been chauffeured to the airport in a limo, flown on a private jet to Las Vegas, where we were picked up at the airport by another limo, and now we were zipping down the strip in total luxury while we drank champagne.
I could get used to th
is kind of life.
“You’re totally right, Annie,” Kiki said happily, peering out the window at the bright lights. “This is going to be, like, the best weekend ever.”
I didn’t even roll my eyes at Kiki’s words. After a few hours with her, I barely noticed her excessive language. Besides, today my excitement might actually match hers for once.
I looked out the window at the sights of the strip. I had thought downtown Detroit was pretty bright with everything all lit up, but we had nothing on Vegas. It was flashing neon as far as the eye could see.
“It looks like our hotel is pretty close to a lot of cool sites,” Jen said, looking down at her Vegas guidebook. “We should really make a list of everything we want to see and do, so that we don’t miss anything. I mean, we only have three days!”
While Jen’s eyes were glued to her guidebook, I rolled my eyes at Ginny. It was so typical of Jen to spend her time researching and planning while the bright lights of Vegas passed her by.
“Oh my God!” Kiki squealed suddenly, and everyone quickly turned to face her.
“What’s wrong?” Ginny asked.
“I think we’re almost there!” Kiki cried.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Matt roll his eyes and turn his attention back to the newspaper he was reading. I caught Jen’s eye and we broke out into grins. As an old friend and her current brother-in-law, Matt had a lot of experience dealing with the overwhelming force that was Kiki.
“Oooh, we are, we are!” Kiki cried, and I turned my attention back to the window to get a glimpse of our hotel.
“Wow,” I whispered, staring up at the massive building in front of us. “It’s huge.”
“It is,” Ginny said next to me, sounding pretty awestruck herself. “And look at all the lights…all the people walking around.”
I turned and met her gaze, and saw my own excitement mirrored there. “I think you were right,” she said, smiling. “This is going to be awesome.”
“Come on,” Kiki said, literally clapping her hands. “Let’s get inside!”
It felt unnatural to me to jump out of the car and leave our luggage behind for someone else to take care of, but I tried to follow Kiki’s lead and play it cool.
Once we reached the lobby, however, all pretense of cool went out the window. I couldn’t help but gaze around the opulent room with my mouth open. I had never seen anything like it.
“Holy shit,” I muttered.
“You said it,” Ginny agreed.
Tasteful colored lights reflected off the dark floors and marble columns. Beyond the check-in area I could see giant crystal columns flanking an escalator, all bathed in a soft purple glow. None of it was quite what I expected—definitely not flashy or gaudy. Instead, it struck me as very chic, very cool.
“This says there’s a mall in here somewhere,” Jen said, turning her attention back to her guidebook as Kiki and Eric headed over to the desk to check us in. “It’s supposed to have awesome shopping. And I guess the casino is that way. Oooh, and it says there’s a really good club over there…”
“Sweetie,” Matt said, taking her hand. “You’re on vacation. Let’s put the book away and relax, okay?”
“Yeah,” Ginny agreed, snatching the book out of her hand. “No planning on this trip. We’re all just gonna go with the flow and have fun.”
I laughed at the crestfallen expression on Jen’s face. For her, planning was fun. But letting go a little definitely wouldn’t hurt.
“We’re all set!” Kiki said, hurrying over to us. “They have us in three different rooms, but they’re all really close to each other. And they’re supposed to have amazing views.”
“Let’s go check it out!” I said, feeling like I might soon join Kiki in bouncing around.
As we headed to the elevators, I put my arm through Ginny’s. “So,” I said. “Are you totally bummed you’re stuck rooming with me?”
Gin snorted. “Yeah, right. We’re gonna have a blast. It will be like old times.”
“Yeah, but won’t you miss Josh?”
“Sure. But I’m not going to let it ruin my trip.”
“This is why I love you,” I told her, as we followed the rest of the group onto the elevator. “You might be an old married fart but you can still have fun without your hubs.”
“I’m actually looking forward to it,” she said, squeezing my arm a little. “I don’t get to see you as often as I want these days.”
“We’re all gonna have so much fun!” Kiki said, peering around Eric to look at us. “Just you guys wait!”
The elevator pinged as we reached our floor, and I felt another little jolt of excitement. I wondered what the rooms would be like in a place this nice.
“Okay, this is you guys,” Eric said, stopping at a door and handing me a small envelope with our key cards. “Jen and Matt, you’re two doors down.” He handed Matt their cards. “And Kiki and I are right next to them.”
The girls and I grinned at each other goofily for a minute, like little kids at Christmas, before we all dived for our doors. I frantically fumbled with the key card, finally getting the door open so Ginny and I could rush inside.
“Wow,” Ginny said, stopping in the foyer. “I mean…wow.”
I was having trouble finding words. The room was huge, bigger than Jen’s and my entire living room. Probably our entire first floor combined. “Did you know she was getting us a suite?” I asked.
“Nope,” Ginny said, setting her purse on a small coffee table. “But I sure as hell ain’t complaining.”
In addition to two queen-sized beds, there was also a living room area and giant floor-to-ceiling windows. The staff had pulled the curtains, giving us a spectacular view of the Vegas strip far below us. I walked over to the window, staring down in amazement.
“You have to see this,” I called to Ginny, who had wandered into the bathroom. “There’s a replica of the Eiffel tower down there!”
“Hang on,” Ginny called. “This bathroom is incredible.”
I ran in to check it out and saw Ginny sitting, fully clothed, in the marble tub, testing its size. “This is bigger than our kitchen!” she cried.
I started laughing and found I couldn’t stop. I felt giddy with excitement. Ginny started laughing too. “Can you even believe this?” she asked.
“Come look at the view,” I told her, grabbing her hand to pull her out of the tub.
We ran back into the living area and stood at the window, gazing down at the lights.
“Oh my God!” Ginny squealed, grabbing my arm and pointing. “It’s that fountain! You know, from the George Clooney movie!”
“You’re right!” I told her, following her pointing finger down to the Bellagio fountain, which looked familiar to me from Ocean’s Eleven.
“You guys,” a voice said behind us, and we spun around. Jen was standing in the still open doorway. “Isn’t this amazing?”
“Do you have a view like this?” Ginny asked.
“Yes!” Jen said, coming over to stand with us. “It’s totally incredible!”
“Look at our bathroom!” Ginny said.
“Mine is like that too!” Jen said, sounding more and more like Kiki with every word.
We were saved the embarrassment of jumping around like five-year-olds when the porters showed up with our luggage. Seeing them standing there in the doorway with my bags had the effect of reminding me that I was actually a grown woman. I tipped the porter generously and Jen slipped away to help Matt unpack.
“Late dinner and drinks in half an hour,” she called over her shoulder. We had all eaten on the plane, but that felt like hours ago. We had a full night of partying ahead of us and I was determined to have the energy to go the distance.
Chapter Seven
‘While it’s important to have confidence when dealing with men, it’s equally important not to be too bold. Men like it when you let them make the first move. A woman who insists on ignoring this fact will have a hard time making a man int
erested in her.’—The Single Girl’s Guide to Finding True Love
“Wow,” I said again. “I know I keep saying it, but this place is unbelievable!”
“I know!” Ginny squealed, grabbing my arm. “Look at all the people!” Our group was standing at the entrance to the casino. Everywhere I looked I was bombarded with noise, lights, conversation, and people. It was so cool.
“What should we do first?” Jen asked.
“Drinks,” I said immediately.
“Obviously,” Ginny agreed.
We headed over to the bar and placed our orders while we all gazed around. “I want to try this,” Jen said excitedly. “I want to learn how to play cards.”
Matt chuckled and put his arm around her. “I have a feeling you’d be pretty amazing at that.”
“I want to try the slots first,” Ginny said.
In the end we decided that Kiki, Jen, Matt, and Eric would head over to the blackjack tables while Ginny and I gave the slot machines a try. The two of us headed to the loudest, most garish machines we could find and sat down together.
“So, how does this work?” Ginny asked, adjusting her sparkly top. She and I couldn’t help but to get a little gussied up before coming downstairs, and I was glad we had done so. I had already spotted several guys I wouldn’t mind getting to know a little better.
“I think we just put our coins in here?” I said uncertainly.
We decided to give it a try. Within a few minutes we were each out five bucks.
“Wow,” Ginny said. “That wasn’t quite as much fun as I thought it would be.”
“Let’s walk around a little,” I said. “Do some people-watching.”
We grabbed our drinks and made our way deeper into the casino floor. There was so much to look at it was hard to focus on anything. We ended up gathering with a small crowd around a craps table. There was a man there who seemed to be on some kind of roll. Every time the dealer rolled the dice the people around him would start screaming. He seemed to get free drinks every few minutes.
Three Girls and a Leading Man Page 4
