by Sam Crescent
EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2017 Sam Crescent
ISBN: 978-1-77339-166-3
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
JUST FOR THE MOVIE
Romance on the Go ®
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2017
Chapter One
“What the hell is this?” Adam Feltworth pushed the script away from him. It wasn’t a bad script, but seriously? The story was so not him, and it was so not happening. He didn’t care.
“You asked for something different. This is what I got for you,” Niles, his trusty agent, said.
“I’m the star of action flicks, Niles, not this crap.” He was being unnaturally pissy today, but how did they expect him to take that role seriously?
“This is a romantic flick.”
“With a fat girl!” Adam shook his head.
“Look, you asked for something different, and believe it or not, this is all that came in for you. No one wants to work with you. You’ve got a bad reputation, and the truth is there’s a shitload of competition out there. You haven’t got what it takes.”
Each word was like a blow to his ego, and Adam took it. He’d been in the movie industry for over ten years, and he’d made some great movies. All of his movies were action, a lot of guns and explosions, but they were the kind that sold tickets, at least for him. He was thirty-five years old and getting too old to be throwing himself around. Adam wanted a challenge, something that took him completely out of his comfort zone.
“This is it? This is all that came?”
“When you decided to stick with one form of acting, I told you it would be hard for the studios to take you seriously. This is the consequence for staying with what you know.” Niles held his hands out. “I can’t do everything for you.”
Reaching over, he grabbed the script once again. It was a chick flick with a difference. Instead of having a super-hot female lead, he was going to be working with a bigger woman. He didn’t have a problem with working with bigger women, but he was just used to slender, petite women.
“Who is playing the lead?” he asked.
Niles took hold of his cell phone, and looked through some details. “Sarah Leigh has been cast. There’s a lot of demand for her at the moment. She’s twenty-five and worked her way from television up to screen.”
“I know who she is. She’s the girl who always plays the best friend, the second-best shot.”
“Sarah’s a sweet woman. I saw her last year at an awards ceremony, and she’s nothing like some of your costars. Studios love her as she doesn’t make demands, shows up to work on time, has a great work ethic, and is generally a good girl.”
Adam rolled his eyes. She was the complete opposite of him. Ever since he’d been able to accept a paycheck in the millions, he’d become a hard-ass. What was the point in having a shitload of money, a lot of demand for you, and not being able to use it? He’d become known as difficult and hard to work with. Now, all the studios that he’d once worked for were having the final laugh. No one would hire him.
“Fine, set everything up how I like it.”
“You’ve got to audition,” Niles said.
“Excuse me?” He hadn’t needed to audition for a part in years.
“It was the condition they put in accepting the script. Every single actor must first audition with Sarah before they’re given any part. It’s just a reading. I can set it up for this afternoon.” Niles started typing once again on his cell phone, the noise grating on Adam’s nerves.
“How many actors have they gone through?” Adam asked.
“Over fifty.”
“What the fuck? How come there’s so many?”
“This is clearly a romance with a fuller woman. The studio wants this to work, and any guy who doesn’t embrace the role, they’re not even considering. Have you ever met Sarah?”
Adam gritted his teeth. He had met Sarah, years ago when he was first starting out. There was a ten-year difference between them. She’d been a teenager, and in one of those high school dramas that kids liked.
“Years ago.”
“If you want a chance, read over the script and make a good impression. I like Sarah. I’ve spoken to her several times, and she really loves acting. Please, be nice to her.” Niles stepped away from the table as his cell phone rang.
They would be going to the studio together like always. Adam didn’t go anywhere without Niles. He paid his agent good money to get him the best deals.
And what did you do? You screwed it up by demanding something more.
It had been over a year since he’d been in a movie role. He couldn’t even land anything for television, and that was embarrassing.
Opening the script, he started reading. Adam had met Sarah multiple times, but because she wasn’t part of his world—the action, the babes, and the money—he’d not paid her any attention.
He’d watched her, though. Sarah was one of those women when they were on the screen, you couldn’t help but watch. Her smile was breathtaking. Just from looking at her, you couldn’t help but smile. She had a love of life that not many people embraced, but she did.
Reading through the script, he once again found himself getting pulled into the story. It was heavy on romance, quite a bit of sex, and it had one amazing ending. Any guy who took his girlfriend to see this movie was totally getting fucked at the end of the night. The guy in the story was incredibly possessive and protective of the woman. Adam always played the kind of guy who didn’t care if his girl was screwing someone else. The mission was all he cared about. This was a complete turnaround from anything he’d ever done before.
Niles finished his phone call and took a seat opposite him again.
“What scene will we be rehearsing?” Adam asked.
“The first kiss scene.”
****
Sarah’s lips were tingling, and the back of her head was hurting from several of the men grabbing her. The kiss was supposed to start out slow and build until it was like watching fire on the screen. Biting her lip, she stared down at the script that she knew word-for-word. Every job she went into, she always made sure that she knew what was expected of her, and this was no different.
Tucking some hair behind her ear, she stood up from her chair and started to pace. This movie was a big opportunity for her, and she didn’t want to screw it up. This was her first movie as the leading lady, and the pressure to succeed was strong.
Dean, her agent and the closest thing she had to a father, came up to her. “Hey, princess, how are you doing?”
“I’m doing good. What’s next? Or are we done for today?” She kind of hoped they were done for the day. Her lips were hurting, and she didn’t know how many more guys she could handle sucking face with.
This was her first ever breakout romance movie, and the studio was determined to pair her up with someone who she shared chemistry with. They believed in the script and that, with the right casting, the movie could be a success. At size sixteen, Sarah had been prepared to slim down, but Dean told her not to. The studio wanted to do something radical, and that meant c
asting a larger woman in the main role as the love interest.
Sarah was used to having a lot of scathing reports about her weight. She’d struggled with it all of her life, but it didn’t stop her from being hired.
“You’ve got one more guy this afternoon. He’ll be arriving in ten minutes, but knowing the actor, make it half an hour.”
“Who’s the guy?”
“Adam Feltworth.”
“The action guy?” Great, her day was getting worse with him being next in line to do a make-out scene.
“Rumor has it that he’s hoping to change his image, and he wants this role.”
“I doubt that.” She’d heard he was difficult to work with, and now no one wanted anything to do with him. Sarah had watched many of his movies, and after the third one she’d grown bored. The same movie, the same storyline, and the same actions. Sarah grew bored, and she hadn’t watched an Adam Feltworth movie in over five years.
“Look, they want you, Sarah. It doesn’t matter what Adam wants. He either abides by their rules, or he’s out.”
Dean’s pep talk didn’t make her feel any better. Adam was a star in his own right, and this was just her first big movie role. Having Adam would help drive up the popularity of the film.
Taking her seat once again, she glanced at her watch to see that Adam was in fact late. Ten minutes went by, and as she looked at the director, producer, writer, and several members from the studio paying for the movie to be made, she saw they were all angry.
Half an hour later Adam walked into the room as if he owned the place. Sarah averted her gaze, not liking his attitude as he walked up to the director and producer. Flicking through the script, she listened to their conversation.
“You’re late. We will not deal with tardiness. We’re on a deadline, you miss that deadline twice in a row, you’re out,” the director said.
That surprised her, and when she looked up, she saw the surprise on Adam’s face. Niles, his agent, started making excuses.
“I don’t care for excuses. The rules are the rules, and if you have a problem, take it up with the boss,” the director said, speaking up. Mitch wasn’t in a good mood.
“I’ve never been forced to have time constraints,” Adam said.
“You want in on my movie, you will.” Mitch moved toward her. “Now, this is Sarah Leigh. She’ll be playing the main love interest, Piper Salt. The scene we will be testing today is the first kiss. Take a seat, Adam.”
Sarah forced herself to watch as Adam approached. He took a seat, and she was shocked by how childish he was being. At thirty-five years old, shouldn’t he be able to handle himself a lot better?
“Your character is David, and you’ve just realized that you’ve fallen in love with the girl everyone overlooks. Now, are you familiar with the scene?” Mitch asked.
“I’ve read over it, yes.”
“Good. Let’s go in three, two, one.”
Sarah had already placed her script down on the table, and she didn’t need to look at it. Smiling at Adam, who was in fact, David, she chuckled. “What is your problem? It was one date, and it wasn’t exactly a good date.” She reached out to take her imaginary coffee cup and took a sip.
Adam sighed, rubbing at his temple, and turning toward her. He leaned his elbows on the table, and lifted his gaze to hers. For once, she actually believed that Adam was staring at her. “You shouldn’t go out with guys that are coded or designed to be compatible. It’s a computer system. It’s not real.”
“This is how we modern women do it, David. I can’t just go wandering into some bar and wait for it to happen. I’m not like you. How many women have you screwed in the last month? Twenty? Thirty? Did you do more than one a night?” She licked her lips and tilted her head to the side. Her cheeks started to flush like they always did when she spoke of screwing, and sex, and everything she didn’t have a clue about it. Twenty-five-years old, and still a virgin, it was pitiful.
“You can’t find what you’re looking for online.”
“And I can’t find it in a bar. I mean, look at me. I’m not the kind of girl that men look at.”
She went to grab her cup, and Adam stopped her, placing his hand on top of hers. “I’m looking, Piper.”
Giving a nervous chuckle, she shook her head. “You’re my best friend.”
“I’m not looking at you like you’re my best friend. When I look at you, I see a woman I want, Piper, a woman I need.”
“David?”
He leaned in close, and Sarah couldn’t stop herself, she glanced down at his lips. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to do what I’ve been dreaming about for fucking years.” His lips pressed against hers, hesitant at first, and slowly, he deepened the kiss.
Everything fell away, and Sarah completely forgot that she was supposed to be acting. He plundered her mouth with his tongue, and instead of yanking on her hair, he cupped her cheek.
“Cut!”
Pulling away, Sarah licked her lips, and turned toward Mitch, thankful that he’d called cut.
“We’ll be in touch,” Mitch said.
Chapter Two
Two weeks later
Adam paced the floor of his apartment that he kept within the city, and he was so damn angry. It had been two weeks since he had auditioned for the role as David, and he’d not heard anything. Opening his cell phone, he checked to see if Niles had called. Nope, no call, nothing. He’d been to six other auditions, and nothing. No one wanted to hire him, and he’d been rejected from the other six movies. He just couldn’t catch a break.
Finally, he couldn’t bring himself to wait, and he dialed Niles’s cell.
“Hello,” Niles said.
“Have you heard anything?”
“I’ve just gotten off the phone with the director.”
“Did I get the part?” he asked, anxious to know. The kiss he’d shared with Sarah had played over and over in his mind. For the first time in his professional career he’d forgotten about acting; to him, the kiss had been real. He’d started out real slow as she seemed so nervous. Everything had fallen away for him, and they were the only two people in the world. It was corny, pathetic, and yet there was no other word to describe it.
“You got the part with some conditions,” Niles said.
Adam listened as he was told that he’d have to stay on set, and trailers were already set up. Mitch wanted him on time, and there were to be no demands for anything. It was the first time since he made a name for himself that he was giving restrictions.
“There will be no negotiations.”
Niles sighed. “Do you want to know why it has taken them two weeks to get back in touch?”
“No.”
“They didn’t want you. Mitch didn’t want to work with you. The studio had hoped to find someone with more chemistry. In the end, they settled on you. This is not good news. You told me to tell you like it is. Well, you’re not exactly the best option to hire right now. Studios don’t want to take the chance on a diva. I’m sorry, Adam, but I can’t get you a better deal.”
“I’m back to working my way up to the top.”
“My advice, don’t try to run before you can walk. Be grateful for the fact Sarah spoke up for you.”
“Wait? What?”
“Sarah picked you. Out of all of the male leads that they threw around, she said you captured David’s character, and there was a connection. Thank her ‘cause no one else wanted you.”
Niles hung up, and Adam ran a hand down his face in an attempt to clear his mind. What the hell was happening when it took a woman to get him a job? There was nothing he could do. Running fingers through his hair, he made his way toward his bedroom and started thinking of the things to pack. He was starting on the movie next week, and he wanted to be prepared. No, that wasn’t it. He had nothing else to do, and his life had gone from being hectic to boring.
Once he packed, he sat down on his bed and turned on the large television. He could stop by a bar
and pick up a woman to entertain him, but Niles didn’t want him getting bad publicity.
Shit, he was literally in a heap of shit, being told what to do from everyone.
Flicking through the channels, he stopped when a picture of Sarah flashed on the screen. Staying on the channel, he saw it was the entertainment news, and they were talking about the upcoming movie role.
“Filming will start on Monday, and we can confirm that Adam Feltworth has been given the main role. This will be an entirely different movie from anything Feltworth has ever done. He is known for being the hard action hero, but moviegoers have since grown bored. It has been over a year since his last movie flopped big time. We have to wonder if starring alongside golden child Sarah Leigh is a ploy to show his fans he’s got a sensitive side. Also, what does this mean about Miss Leigh? Is the pressure of a leading lady already getting to her? Adam’s name was once known as box office success. Is that why he’s on board?”
Adam hated what he was hearing, but everything they said was right. His last movie had been a mega flop, and he’d not had any contracts since.
“Sarah is the sweet best friend that is always overlooked. She started out as a young child star in adverts for food, toys, and even some clothes. Plagued with body image issues all of her life, Sarah is now making it big as plus size is becoming popular…”
The woman kept on talking, and Adam didn’t like what he was hearing. Several pictures of Sarah through the years popped up on the screen. One was her as a young girl, next as a teenager, and then one taken a couple of days ago. She was a beautiful woman. There was no denying it. Adam had often heard comments that Sarah would have a huge career if she only slimmed down. He didn’t see it, as she was having an amazing career. She didn’t need to slim down and change to make it in the industry, providing she didn’t let nasty comments get to her.
