My spine stiffened at the mention of her name, and I hated that she still had this power over me. Hated that the mere thought of her face or sound of five little letters could make my skin crawl. “No,” I managed to say calmly. “I don’t have faith in Layla.” Not because she was a bad actress. But because I didn’t have faith that she and I could successfully be in a movie together—that we could successfully act like two people falling in love. Fucking been there, done that, and it ended in a train wreck.
“And this has nothing to do with your failed marriage? It’s based solely on talent?”
I saw the fear in Richard’s eyes. The fear of a lawsuit. Part of me wanted to lie… but I couldn’t. Not to my boss; not to the man who had taken a chance on giving two broke kids a job on a whim years ago. “I can’t tell you that my history with her isn’t influencing me. Of course, I don’t want to act with Layla. Of course, I don’t want to do a movie with the woman who used me and stomped on my fucking heart and then sold the footage of it to TMZ. But all that aside… This girl,” I grabbed Marly’s headshot and help it up. “This girl is an even better actress than Layla is. She brings an innocence and vulnerability to the role that Layla’s read didn’t have.”
Richard was silent as he took another sip. “I don’t know. We’re already taking a risk on this script as it is. Do we really want to also risk the casting on someone so green?”
My face turned brittle and my teeth gnashed over top of each other, but Richard hardly seemed to notice. He just kept right on talking. “Layla would secure future projects for the studio, too. Ginger, here, is a risk on a lot of levels.”
I pressed my lips together in a tight line. “Well, that’s why we do callbacks. We’ll see how they both do in the second audition, right?”
Silence sat heavily between us. Ash took a long pull from his whiskey before setting it onto a carved wooden coaster on his desk. “With your permission, Rich,” Ash said, “I’d like to bring in a third party to the callbacks to help us decide between Marlena and Layla.”
Richard jerked his gaze from the tumbler in his hand, wreaking of disapproval and whiskey. “A third party?”
“Yep. I think having a professional submissive in the room will offer us insight that a bunch of men wouldn’t necessarily think of.” Ash sat at his desk, rifling through papers and looked up at Rich over the top of one rustling sheet. “Don’t you think?”
Richard’s brow creased on an exhale, and he shook his head. “All right then. I guess you have it all worked out.” He tipped his head back, finishing the rest of his drink in one swift swallow, setting the glass down on Marlena’s headshot. The sweat from the glass dripped down, creating a circular stain on her face. “You’ll have a hell of a time filming with either one of ’em, I bet.” He winked, slapping me on the back as he made his way out the door.
Ash wiped a hand across his eyes, taking a drink from his whiskey. I fell back into the chair across from my longtime friend, crossing my feet at the ankles. “Well? Let’s hear it,” Ash finally said.
“Layla and I acting together will be a disaster. You know it and I certainly know it.”
Ash sighed and his drink splashed over the lip of the glass as he set it down. “But she’ll sell a hell of a lot of tickets.”
My face fell. I was exhausted. These fights, these debates about casting were too much. Layla was too much. “I can’t do it, Ash,” I finally said quietly. “You’ve known me how long now? You knew me when Layla and I were a couple and before we met and since we broke up. I can’t act with her again. I’ll end up killing her.” Then, I added quieter, “Or it will break me.” The latter was more accurate, as much as I didn’t want to admit that.
Ash leaned forward onto his knees. “Buddy, I can’t hire another girl just because you’ve had your heart broken. I have to do what’s best for the movie.”
“That’s what I’m telling you!” I pushed off the chair, pacing the room like a caged tiger. “Layla’s a good actress. I’m a good actor. But together? We’ll be awful—all that Oscar buzz you assholes have been pushing, will be out the window.” I stalked over to the desk. Lifting Richard’s sweating glass off her headshot, I pushed his finger into Marlena’s image. “Thisgirl and I have chemistry. Natural chemistry, not forced. And she’s a good actress. She would nail this part.”
Ash smirked. “Shewasgood. Did you see the way she stuttered around you?” He chuckled. “L-L-Leo, I can’t do this,” Ash impersonated Marly’s high-pitched voice.
“Exactly.” I lifted a brow. “Holly needs to be enamored by Leo.Intimidated. You think Layla’s really going to be able to act intimidated by me? Christ, that woman wouldn’t be intimidated by the devil himself.”
Ash shrugged. “Look, I admit it, Marlena’s audition was better, but she doesn’t have the audience. She doesn’t even have the sex appeal.”
“Fuck the fucking audience,” I growled.
Ash raised his hands defensively. “Whoa, man. Calm down. I’m on your team, remember? I want the best movie possible.”
I swiped a hand down my face once more before leaning my elbows onto the desk. Was it just sex appeal that Marlena needed? That was easy enough to work with. Have her ditch the blazer she wore to today’s audition, swap her skinny jeans with a short skirt and a low-cut shirt and she’d be just as worthy a sex symbol as Layla. And one that American women can relate to. “All right, Ash. Marlena needs to be sexier by day, but demure in her acting. What else?”
He took a deep breath, holding her image to the light. “She really didn’t seem to understand what BDSM is all about. I could tell she had done some research, but when it comes down to it, a Google search isn’t going to cut it with this part. We all know Layla knows the lifestyle—”
“Okay, fine. But can I just add that Holly doesn’t know the lifestyle in the beginning of the movie, either. It could work to our benefit that she’s all flush faced and innocent.” I clapped my hands together, dropping back into the seat. For the first time since I’d found out Layla was auditioning, I felt a glimmer of hope. “I can work with those things. What else?”
“She’d have to be willing to do some serious PR prior to the movie coming out. Some Maxim covers, maybe even a Playboy interview. Really pump up her image and get her in the spotlight like Layla is. Basically, she was really good in the audition. But not so good to make us forget about Layla.”
Excitement pulsed in my veins. The thought of Marlena under my command; listening to my demands, working to please me, paddling her curvy ass when she disobeyed my orders. I inhaled to calm my racing heart, clenching my eyes shut as my pulse hammered in my ears.No, stop that. This was acting. No fraternization. And in no way could Marly feel like I was using my position of power as a producer to be with her sexually. This was purely business. Two method actors—one helping the other prepare for a role. I could get Marlena ready for this part and then I could finally break those ties that Layla had over me. Standing, I gripped Ash’s palm in a firm handshake.
“I need to resign from the casting committee.”
Ash lowered his gaze, studying me. “What are you up to, Fisher?”
“It’s better you don’t know. But I guarantee that after Marlena’s callback, you’ll leave there saying, ‘Layla who?’”
