Role of a Lifetime

by Denise McCray

  She stood and tiptoed to the door leading to the bedroom. Still asleep. Good. She snagged a blanket lying across the back of a wing chair and went back to the chaise. After covering herself and getting comfortable, she closed her eyes and blew out a loud breath. Time to figure out her next move.

  She gave a little laugh as she thought about their weekend together. Who would believe she actually spent a night in a tipi and hung out on a Native American reservation? One thing she knew for sure was that she loved Joseph Proudfoot.

  Trying to get him to change his mind about taking the role of Sammy was a serious mistake. Joseph was correct when he described him as a drunken buffoon. Why should he perpetuate that stereotype? She needed to make things right. As quietly as she could, she entered the bedroom once more and grabbed her phone. She knew it was still early, but she had to contact Dennis. After she sent off a quick text to tell him she couldn’t continue deceiving Joseph, she smiled and looked in on him, still sound asleep. She couldn’t understand how he became so important to her in such a short time, but did it matter?

  Joseph pried his eyes open and squinted when a beam of sunlight hit him. He smiled and took a deep breath. Sharese’s perfume lingered in the air, and one whiff made his cock stand at attention. He rolled over and groaned when he found himself alone in the bed. Where had she gone?

  He settled into the soft mattress and placed his hands behind his head. The past day seemed like a dream. He met the woman he regularly fantasized about, and then began a torrid affair with her. He glanced around the room and marveled at his surroundings. She certainly did not skimp in furnishing the room. Simply the perfect love nest for a perfect woman.

  He didn’t regret attending the audition the other day, even though it did not end as he anticipated. The role of Sammy as currently written was simply a non-starter. If the producers were willing to make some changes, then maybe he’d take another look at it.

  The sound of water running in the shower let him know that she was in the bathroom. It was very considerate of her to allow him to remain asleep, but he’d rather be in the shower with her. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and prepared to join her. Before he could take a step, her cell phone buzzed. A quick look let him know she received a text. Before he could talk himself out of it, he picked up the phone and read the first few lines of the message. “I got your previous message. Keep working on him, Sharese.” He immediately dropped the phone onto the bed and plopped down next to it. What the hell?

  He shook his head, and tried to clear the remaining remnants of sleep from his mind. He clenched his fists and blew out a loud breath. She lured him here so that she could change his mind. No amount of ass, even from the great Sharese Moore, could make him reconsider his stance.

  He needed to get out of here, now. He rushed throughout the house and gathered his clothing. In less than a minute, he was fully clothed and grabbed his bag. He knew he was taking the coward’s way out, but he couldn’t face her yet. Pain radiated in his chest, from his heart, almost making him double over. He scooped up the keys to his car and headed out the front door. He took one last look at the house and peeled out of the driveway, headed back to the city.

  Sharese walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her head and a smile on her face. She couldn’t wait to talk with Joseph and let him know she’d fight like hell to have him cast in the play as her co-star. “Hey sleepyhead,” she teased as she turned toward the bed. All other words stuck in her throat when she found the covers thrown back and no one in the room.

  Her heartbeat speeded up to supersonic levels as she careened out of the bedroom and ran throughout the house. “Joseph!” No response. Where had he gone and why did he leave without telling her? A shuddering breath whooshed through her lips. How could things have changed in such a short period of time?

  After she thoroughly scoured the whole house, she returned to her bedroom and sank onto the floor. Tears flowed unchecked down her face as she stared at the bed they shared last night. A chirp from her phone signaled a new text message. Her face lit up as she lunged for it. Maybe he had to leave for work and couldn’t wait for me to get out of the shower. Her heart sank though when she read the message from Dennis. A quick check of the envelope showed that it came in about half an hour ago. He must have read it! That’s why he left so suddenly.

  In record time, Sharese dressed and made a dash for her car. She needed to make him understand that everything had changed. She couldn’t lose him, not now.

  Chapter Eight

  Bam, bam, bam! “Hurry up and open up the door, Dennis. I know you’re in there.” Sharese tapped her foot on the gleaming marble floor and glanced at her watch. The nerve of that man. It took him almost five minutes to buzz her into the secured apartment building, and now it’s been another ten waiting outside the door. She raised her fist again, prepared to bang again when the door swung open. “Bout time,” she hissed as she stomped into the apartment.

  “Good morning to you, sunshine.” The smile on his face slowly faded away when he turned to face her. “What did I do now?”

  “That damn text you sent this morning.” Tears gathered behind her eyelids, but she willed them away. “Joseph read it and took off.” She collapsed into one of the soft, leather chairs in the living room and hung her head.

  “I’m sorry, Sharese.” He sank onto the carpet next to her and laid a hand on her knee. “Did he say anything to you before he left?”

  “No, not a word. When I came out of the shower the bed was empty and his car gone.” She sniffed loudly and he scampered away to find some tissue. Once she blew her nose and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, she took a deep breath to calm herself. “Can I tell you something funny?”

  “Sure doll.”

  “I met the man, what three days ago, but I feel like I’ve known him for years.” She proceeded to tell him about their trip to South Dakota, not leaving out a single detail. “I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life.”

  “I don’t know what to say. The man went to a hell of a lot of trouble to make you understand where he was coming from.”

  She curled her lips inward and closed her eyes. “I’ve been thinking about what happened to me and there’s only one thing I can take away from the experience.”

  “What?” Dennis sat back on his haunches and stared at her with an expectant look on his face.

  “Offering him that role was a slap in the face. Have you really taken the time to get into the role, I mean—”

  “Here we go.” He sprang to his feet and headed toward the bar in the corner of the room. “Want one?”

  “No thank you. Just hear me out.” She waited until he poured a healthy portion of vodka into a glass and topped it off with a splash of cranberry juice. “I need you to convince the producers to cast him as the male lead.”

  “And I told you it’s a no go—”

  She raised her hand to stop him this time. What she was about to do could be the end of her career, but she didn’t care. “Tell them I won’t do the play unless Joseph is my co-star and I don’t give a damn if they sue me from here to California.” She held her breath as he placed his drink on the table and stood.

  “Baby girl, are you sure about this?”

  She smiled and nodded her head. “Quite.”

  He stood and walked over to his phone. He had a worried look on his face as the other person picked up. “Hey, it’s Dennis again. We need to talk.”

  Joseph took another long pull on the soda bottle then tossed it in the direction of the recycling bin. When it bounced off the rim and landed on the kitchen floor, he shook his head. “Figures,” he muttered as he rose and retrieved the bottle and dropped it into the bin. He opened the fridge, snagged another bottle and headed for the living room. He had a lot to mull over, decisions to make about his personal life and career.

  He dropped onto the carpeted floor and sat cross-legged before the picture window. Located in a non-descript building in
a pedestrian part of town, his condo suited him, his personality. The expansive window made his decision to purchase the place easy. The view looked out onto the Hudson River. Many a day he spent hours sitting like this, watching the watercraft move back and forth on the waters. It calmed him and allowed his mind to focus on the issues at hand. He had a feeling he’d be here a long time to unravel this mess.

  How could she have fooled him? The answer to that question was easy: he was at least half in love with her even before they met. And her invitation to come to her beach house pushed him over the edge. The woman had his nose wide open, for real. Now she owned his broken heart.

  He closed his eyes, allowed his head to roll forward and began to chant. Once in the right frame of mind, he called upon his elders for guidance. He poured out his troubles and then started chanting again. Soon, he received an answer, one he had not expected. The elders told him to forgive her and give her a chance to explain.

  He knew the next step was to act upon the guidance he received, but he balked. How could he forgive her for what she’d done? How could he gather the shards of his shattered heart and make it whole again? No other woman held so much power over him. Of course he had previous relationships, but none could compare to this one.

  He laughed at the last statement. Did he have a relationship with her? With a rueful smile, he shook his head. Who was he fooling? The woman had an agenda from jump, and he fell for her manipulations. Yeah, she acted like she enjoyed the sex, but then again, it was probably all an act. She played him, and he had no one to blame but himself.

  A buzz from his cell phone brought him out of his musings. He wanted to ignore it, but reluctantly picked it up when he saw his agent’s number displayed. “What up?”

  “What up with you? Where have you been?”

  He bit his lower lip, unsure if he should tell her the truth. Part of him wanted to put this sad incident to rest and just move on, lesson learned. But he also wanted to hear what someone else thought of the situation. “I, um, spent the night with Sharese Moore at her beach house and we flew out to meet my grandfather.”

  “Yeah, right.” She waited a heartbeat before continuing. “You’re telling me the truth, aren’t you?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “This sounds like a face to facer. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right over.”

  “That’s not—” The rest of his words hung in the air as she disconnected the call. In no more than ten minutes, the security guard alerted him that he had a guest. Knowing that Candy would be there soon, he went to the door, cracked it open and took a seat on the sofa. He turned to stare out the window once more, his mind in a whirl.

  A soft knock let him know she had arrived. “Come on in. Wow, you got here fast.” He rose to greet his visitor, but froze when he saw it wasn’t his agent. Sharese.

  Chapter Nine

  Unsure what to do next, Sharese stood just inside the foyer and waited for his response. She could tell she surprised him, but not much else. He hadn’t said a word since she arrived. Her stomach did a couple flips as the seconds ticked off and the silence lengthened.

  She called upon her stage training to control her galloping pulse and stepped all the way inside. “Hello, Joseph.”

  “What in the hell are you doing here?” He stood beside the sofa, arms crossed and face unreadable.

  “I came to apologize.” She took a step in his direction, but stopped when he held up a hand. “Let me explain.”

  “You don’t owe me an explanation. As a matter of fact, you don’t owe me anything.” He walked over to the door and swung it open. “Please leave.”

  She took a deep breath and sauntered over to the sofa he just vacated. After she made herself comfortable, she turned to him and licked her lips. “I’m not leaving until we talk.”

  He slammed the door shut and leaned against it. Dramatically looking at his watch, he announced, “You have five minutes, then I never want to see you again. Ever.”

  Her heart constricted at his words, but she gathered herself and started to speak. “I never intended to hurt you. That’s the last thing I wanted.”

  “Yeah, right.” His lips twisted into an ugly smirk while he glared in her direction.

  “The truth is that I asked you to spend the weekend with me so I could talk you into changing your mind about the part.”

  “I know that—”

  “Let me finish, please.” Her gaze followed him as he perched on the edge of a nearby stool. “That was my intention until I got to know you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She knew it was now or never. “I’ve never known anyone so passionate about their beliefs and willing to sacrifice a great opportunity for them. Your people obviously mean a lot to you and after meeting them I can see why. So you see, now I understand why you’re so opposed to the offer. That’s when I texted Dennis and let him know I couldn’t follow through with the plan.”

  He continued to stare at her with a skeptical look on his face, but did not utter a word. He looked away for a moment, and then returned his focus to her.

  She wished she could tell what he was thinking. As the seconds ticked by, her anxiety level spiked. “Say something, please. I’m telling you the truth.”

  “I believe you,” he finally whispered. When she rose to approach her, he stayed her progress by raising his hand. “I believe you and I forgive you, but I can’t forget how your duplicity made me feel.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Like I said, I forgive you.” He walked back to the door and held it open. “Will you please leave?”

  Tears sprang to her eyes as she gazed into his face. “No, not before I finish.”

  With a loud sigh, he closed the door once more and leaned against it. “Go ahead.”

  Instead of speaking, she rose to her feet and began unbuttoning her blouse.

  “That’s not going to work again. Don’t bother.”

  Instead of stopping, she continued to remove her blouse, then her lacy, blue bra. She smiled when his gaze zeroed in on her left breast and the image of a silver wolf. “You like?”

  He slowly approached her and dropped to his knees. With a tenderness that made her weep even more, he lifted her breast and began to tenderly caress it. “It’s beautiful.”

  “I didn’t have the time to actually receive a tattoo. This is a temporary one. But I intend to follow through and make it permanent.”

  “But, why?”

  “Because I made some dumb decisions in my life, about my career, ones I now regret. You’ve shown me how to be true to myself and still be a success.”

  He stood and pulled her to her feet. In one smooth movement, he lifted her in his arms and headed for the bedroom. “How about we scout out space for a couple more?”

  She nodded her head and planted a kiss on his shoulder. “I’m all yours. As long as you’ll have me.”

  Sharese and Joseph held hands as they walked the red carpet for the Tony Awards. The camera flashes almost blinded them as they made their way toward the theatre and past the large crowds.

  “Over here! Turn sideways, Sharese,” a photographer yelled in their direction.

  The pair stopped and struck the requested pose, his hand lovingly on his wife’s growing belly. There was no doubt the couple was still very much in love and excited about the baby. So many cameras went off, it looked like high noon rather than a typical New York evening.

  “Happy, Mrs. Proudfoot?” He looked down into his wife’s upturned face and smiled.

  “The only thing that could make me happier right now would be both of us walking out of here with a Tony in our hands.”

  “That would be nice, but as long as you leave with me, I’ll be the happiest man on Earth.”

  “That’s one thing you’ll never have to worry about,” she crooned. “Our love will survive, no matter what happens.”

  “I love you, baby.” With that, they entered the theatre, a bright future in front of them
.

  ROLE OF A LIFETIME by Denise McCray

  Kindle Edition

  Copyright © 2013 by Denise McCray

  Cover by www.RomanceNovelCovers.com

  ISBN 978-0-9889770-0-6

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Role of a Lifetime Copyright © 2013 by Denise McCray ISBN: 978-0-9889770-0-6.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.

  Denise McCray is the author of a novella (BARED ESSENTIALS) and two short stories

  (CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION and WISHING FOR LOVE) published by Decadent Publishing.

  A die-hard fan of all Pittsburgh sports teams, she spends most of her time reading and writing sizzling romances. Please feel free to drop her a line at denise@denisemccray.com and check out her website www.denisemccray.com.