The bell dinged and the elevator doors opened.
“After you.” The words were accompanied by a gesture that suggested the men had every intention of getting into the elevator with her. There was no way she was going to let that happen.
“I’ve just remembered I need to get something from reception.” She made to move away, but one of the men grabbed her arm. “Don’t be like that.” She tried to shake him free, but his grip was strong. “We just want a selfie. To show our friends. They’re also big fans of yours.” He pulled her toward him. His friend had a phone in his hand.
Just as Olivia was about to scream for help, someone shoved two hands into the man’s chest, knocking him backward and forcing him to release his grip on her.
“Take your hands off her.” Casey spat out the words. “And get the fuck out of here before I get you arrested.”
The men looked at Casey. One of them—the one who hadn’t been shoved—stepped forward. Olivia could tell they were weighing the situation. Casey was taller than both of them, and—to Olivia—her anger made her seem like someone you wouldn’t mess with. It seemed like the men agreed with her because, muttering words like “bitch” and “dyke,” they moved off toward the bar.
Casey slipped an arm around her waist and shepherded her into the elevator. Olivia started to shake, and Casey held her closer, her arm wrapped tightly around her waist, seeming to understand—even better than Olivia did—that she needed the support as her legs turned to jelly.
“Are you okay?” Casey’s voice was gentle.
“I guess.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner. I saw them—saw you talking—but I thought you knew them.” Casey’s dark eyes flashed. “I can’t believe he put his hands on you.”
“You got there just in time.” Olivia put her hand on Casey’s arm. “Thank you.”
The feel of Casey next to her was soothing. She started to feel more solid, less panicky. But then she realized, with a flush of shame, that Casey probably heard them talking about the video. It wasn’t any kind of secret, but for some reason, she hated the idea of Casey hearing them talk about it.
“Do you get bothered like that a lot?”
“Never. Not like that. I mean, sometimes fans come up to you for a selfie, or they slip you a phone number.” She couldn’t help shuddering as she remembered the man’s sweaty hand gripping her arm. Casey responded by pulling Olivia closer. It was exactly what she needed. “But nothing like that.”
The doors opened and they stepped out into the corridor.
“Which way?” When Olivia pointed, Casey steered them in the direction of her room. When they reached her door, Casey finally let her go. Olivia felt the loss of her more than she had a right to.
“Which room is Louise’s?”
Olivia pointed across the hallway.
“Want me to knock? I think you should probably have some company.”
“I didn’t bring her wine.”
“I think she’ll understand.” Casey smiled at her. It was a beautiful smile, soft and full of concern.
“This is Louise and wine we’re talking about. She might forgive me, but she won’t understand.” Olivia reached into her pocket for her keycard and opened her door. “I could use room service to order some.”
“Good plan,” Casey said. “I have to go back down and get my stuff. And if those guys are in the bar, I’m going to report them and get them booted out of here.”
“Casey, be careful. Don’t get into anything with them. They seemed pretty nasty.”
“Don’t worry. I’m a lover not a fighter.” Casey waggled her eyebrows and Olivia laughed. Without thinking, she moved the short distance between them and wrapped Casey in a huge grateful hug. Casey took a second to respond, but when she did, the feel of Casey’s arms around her was wonderful. Olivia pulled away before she wanted to and for a few seconds they just looked at each other.
Olivia felt a little warm. Casey’s heroics tonight had escalated her crush into a full-blown swoon. It was fine. Understandable even. The trouble was, if Casey didn’t stop gazing at her like that, she was going to faint at her feet.
“Well, good night. I hope you can sleep.” Casey hesitated. “This is my room.” She pointed at a door three rooms away from Olivia’s. “If you need anything, just knock.” She turned away before Olivia could respond and headed toward the elevators.
“Casey,” Olivia called after her and Casey turned, a concerned expression on her face. “Thank you.” She had more she could have said. “Thank you so much.”
Casey looked at her for an instant before nodding and moving off.
Olivia went into her room, kicked off her shoes, and sat on her bed. She willed herself not to cry, not to let those Neanderthals get to her. Before they had spoiled her evening, Olivia had enjoyed getting to know a little more about Casey. It sounded like she had given up her job and London because she’d needed to get away. She wondered if it was woman trouble and whether, if it was, that meant that she was single. It shouldn’t have cheered her as much as it did.
She set the bath to run, determined not to give in to the shame and embarrassment that the incident had unleashed. She had a lot of other Casey-shaped things she could think about.
Her phone dinged.
They aren’t guests. They were just using the bar. It was VERY satisfying to see them get kicked out. I hope you’re settling down. See you tomorrow.
Olivia felt the relief in her body. She hadn’t realized how tense she’d been.
Thanks again. I owe you.
Casey’s response was simply the hug emoji. It made Olivia smile. She didn’t seem like a hug emoji kind of woman.
She called room service and ordered up a bottle of white wine and then she called Louise. Casey was right. She needed company. Trouble was, if she was honest, she’d rather it was Casey than Louise. Tonight they’d made a connection and she wanted more of it.
Chapter Nine
It doesn’t make sense that Jessie and Michael would get it on. They’re too good as friends and they don’t have any kind of spark like that.” Liam had the script in his hand and was pacing across the carpet in Olivia’s hotel room. “And I definitely don’t think Michael would be the first to confess his feelings. He’s too careful, too uptight. Listen to this.” He looked for his place on the page.
“This is my line. ‘I have been avoiding you, you’re not wrong about that. But you’re wrong about why. The truth is I’ve fallen for you. And finally admitting to myself that I want you has made it hard to see you.’ I mean, he would never admit to it, it’s just not his way.” Liam stopped pacing. He was standing next to Olivia’s chair, looking at her in the large mirror. She was midway through applying her mascara but knew that him stopping meant she had to pay more attention.
“He just wouldn’t tell her he wanted her like that. He’d be too worried about ruining a beautiful friendship.”
“What happens after he tells her?” Olivia had skimmed through the scripts last night, but she had only focused on Susie’s scenes.
“He kisses her and they end up back in his hotel room. He…I mean…he undresses her, they make love.” He swallowed, looking terrified. “I’ve never done a sex scene before. And it’s beyond scary.”
Olivia tried not to smile. She’d had exactly the same kind of feelings before her first sex scene. It was a long time ago now. She had taken her clothes off and had her hands and mouth on other actresses more times than she cared to remember. It had almost become routine, and Olivia had gotten very good at disassociating.
“And it’s Louise…” Liam let his voice trail off. “I can’t undress Louise. I can’t kiss her. And I certainly can’t do it with a film crew watching. It’s going to be super fucking awkward.” He pushed his glasses back up his nose. It was a nervous tic.
“It’s not Louise, it’s J
essie. You have to remember that. It’s awkward, I know. It always is the first time, especially when it’s someone you know, but Louise is a pro. She’ll help you. She’ll laugh at you, sure, but then she’ll help you.” Olivia smiled. “And if you’re feeling too sorry for yourself, check my scenes.” Olivia pointed at the papers on the edge of her dressing table as she applied her makeup. “Two episodes in, Susie and Phoebe get together, just like Billie wanted. And their first sex scene is in the front seat of a car outside the St. Pancras hotel while Phoebe’s oblivious husband is inside. And we’re shooting that scene in five days, assuming I haven’t pushed her under a double-decker bus by then.”
The scripts were dropped off late last night. She was already in bed. Trying to sleep, but unable to push the horrible experience with those men out of her mind. She had no intention of reading them until today. But at midnight, a text from Billie arrived that said Finally with a flame emoji and an annoying red heart. Olivia had guessed what it meant. It was obvious that the writers had been toying with the idea of Susie getting together with Phoebe, and given Billie’s constant comments, she had the feeling that Billie had been pushing hard for it.
When Olivia gave in and finally picked up the script, she found out what was going to happen. She normally didn’t care what Susie got up to, but there was something about getting naked with Billie that bugged her. She sighed and turned her attention back to Liam.
“At least you and Louise were both smart enough to insist on ‘no nudity’ clauses, so they’ll have to make it tasteful.”
“It’s Louise, though. She’ll eat me for breakfast.” He sat on the arm of the couch, kicking his feet together like a toddler. He was quiet for a while and Olivia put the finishing touches to her makeup.
“I just wanted our first kiss to be special.”
“What?” Olivia turned and gave him a quizzical look.
“I just mean, hell, I don’t even know. I always kind of hoped I could wear her down over time, persuade her to like me like that. I had this idea of what it’d be like the first time our lips touched, and in my version, there was never anyone watching.” He stared off into the distance. “But now this is going to ruin it.”
“You like Louise?” Olivia widened her eyes. “You like Louise like that?”
Liam held her gaze. “Yeah, I do.”
Olivia was amazed. Casey had picked up there was something going on and she barely knew them. How on earth had Olivia missed it?
“When did this happen?”
“I guess it’s always been there somewhere. But I kept it buried. I’m not stupid. I know she’s not into guys, trans guys, whatever, but sometimes I let myself hope. It sounds weird probably, but sometimes the way she looks at me, the way she is around me, I just thought…” He pushed his hands together in his lap. “We get on so well, we laugh so much. I guess I was holding out some stupid hope about the two of us. We’ve been having a good time together here, but then she was flirting with Casey, so I decided to go on that date. But all the time I was there I just kept thinking that I was wasting an evening I would have rather spent with her.”
Liam had it bad. Olivia felt for him.
“What makes you think she’s not into guys?”
“I’ve only ever known her to date women—and I saw that tattoo, the one that says ‘Girls Do Girls Like Boys Do.’ It doesn’t exactly take a rocket scientist.”
Olivia laughed. “Don’t mistake a drunken Hayley Kiyoko tattoo for a life philosophy. Louise has dated lots of guys. And she’s definitely not the type to limit herself to a type. Your problem isn’t that she wouldn’t like you as a guy, it’s that you’re a friend. A good friend. If you’ve got any chance of anything with her, you’ve got to get out of that friend zone.”
“Do you think?”
“I do.”
Olivia looked from Liam’s earnest face to her watch. It was one minute to eight.
“I’m about to go, but we are definitely continuing this conversation later. And don’t think that me giving you advice means that I approve in any way of the two of you getting together. I do not want to be third wheeling you guys all through season four. And I definitely don’t want to be picking up the pieces if you try and it doesn’t work out. Sometimes friendship is worth a whole lot more than a shot at love.”
As she finished speaking, there was a knock at the door. She knew it was Casey. She was always on time. Last night, she’d sent Olivia a text suggesting that she call for her rather than them waiting for each other in the lobby, and Olivia liked it a lot that Casey was thinking about her safety. When she replied to agree it was a good idea, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from adding a sentence—a sentence that didn’t need to be added—about how grateful she was for Casey’s help and how nice it had been to spend some time getting to know her.
This morning, when she read it back, she cringed. She’d inserted herself into Casey’s quiet time with her book and her paperwork and then got her embroiled in something dangerous. The fact that Casey had been so sweet about all of it didn’t mean a thing. This morning she resolved to be a lot cooler, but knowing Casey was just outside her door, Olivia felt her heartbeat speed up a little.
She quickly checked her reflection in the mirror. She was going to do a photoshoot and an interview with a queer lifestyle magazine. They would redo her makeup completely when she got there, but for reasons she was acutely aware of, she didn’t want to be picked up and driven there by Casey with her face completely bare.
“I’ll get it.” Liam crossed to the door.
“Liam?” He turned back to her. “This might be a good thing, you know. She’s gonna taste those lips of yours, put her hands on that super toned body of yours. Give her your best moves and maybe it’ll be just what you need to get you out of the friend zone.” She smiled at him and he smiled back, but the tension in his face told her that he wasn’t convinced.
As he opened the door wide, Olivia saw Casey standing there. She was wearing pressed pants, her gray shirt fully buttoned up, but her sleeves were rolled up over her forearms. Olivia remembered—with a sense of arousal and a strong feeling of gratitude—the feel of Casey’s arm as she’d wrapped it around Olivia’s waist and gently shepherded her into the elevator the night before.
“Hi, how are you doing this morning?” Casey’s eyes showed concern and her voice was soft. It was like a caress.
“I’m fine, thank you.” Olivia picked up her bag. “And I’m ready when you are.”
Casey stepped away from the door, and Olivia followed Liam out into the corridor, letting her room door close behind them.
“How was the burger?” Casey addressed Liam.
“It was amazing. The date not so much.”
“It happens,” Casey said. “I think I’m supposed to say something reassuring about fish, sea, and plenty at this point. But it might be better if you hear it from someone who believes it.”
Olivia had offered exactly that platitude to Liam when he told her the date was a bust, but she wasn’t sure she believed it either. He headed into the room next door to hers, just as Billie emerged from the room on the other side.
“I thought I heard your voice. Good morning.” She looked Olivia up and down. “Well, someone looks ready to slay.” She took a few steps forward and put her hand on Olivia’s arm. “I enjoyed our chat last night. I’m glad that you’re as excited as I am by us getting to be together on screen finally.”
Sometimes Olivia wondered if Billie was a little crazy. She had said no such thing. She had been polite in responding to Billie’s texts, but done her very best to close down Billie’s flirting. And she distinctly remembered saying that she would wrestle a grizzly bear if they paid her to. It wasn’t kind, but she wanted Billie to get the message and leave her alone. And it worked—last night. But here she was again acting like they had something special going on.
Olivia
instinctively moved a little closer to where Casey was standing. “We’re just heading out to a magazine shoot.”
“I know. I know your schedule.”
Billie’s eyes drifted from Casey to Olivia and back again, and she gazed at Casey with a curious expression. It was like she had just noticed Casey’s presence. “And our tall, dark, and handsome driver does house visits now? I hadn’t realized the service was that good. I’ll be sure to ask for that for next time.”
The look Billie gave Casey suggested she wasn’t happy to see her.
“I just asked her to knock for me on her way down. She’s staying on our floor. It avoids hanging around the lobby and being bothered by fans.” Olivia couldn’t help but feel defensive of Casey and of her own interest in her.
“Well, have fun.” Billie didn’t sound like she meant it. “And I’ll see you later for the run-through. I can’t wait to get Phoebe and Susie started.”
Olivia almost cursed. She had forgotten they were doing that this afternoon. Sitting around a table and running through the script was one of the things she’d always liked doing. Before Billie. And her gigantic ego and her appetite for making Olivia feel uncomfortable. Last time, nearly all the suggested rewrites had been Billie’s, and they had mostly been intended to give her more to say. Running through Susie and Phoebe getting together wasn’t going to be a lot of fun.
Olivia walked off down the corridor, knowing Casey would follow. As they were standing together in the elevator, Olivia wanted to thank Casey all over again for stepping into that situation for her last night, but something about Casey’s demeanor stopped her. She seemed gloomy and uninterested—the opposite of how she’d been in the bar. As they reached the ground floor, Casey headed back to the bar without speaking, and Olivia watched as the bartender immediately placed two takeaway coffee cups on the counter.
Never Be the Same Page 10
