He knew very well if he wanted to have a shot at dating Jimmy, he needed to not hang on him or rely on him too much. But it had been a very kind offer. Maybe someday they would mean enough to each other that the role of boyfriend wouldn't have to be fake. But he shouldn't get ahead of himself; one night of passion did not a commitment make.
Lastnight felt like something more dreamed than real, a wonderful escape from reality with the man he'd fancied but had no chance with. Suddenly, he'd been fancied in return, and they'd had a wonderful night together. It had been almost too perfect to be real. It had surprised him that Jimmy had been a wolf shifter all along—but the invitation to meet his pack had been even more of a surprise. Thatwas pretty amazing as soon as the self-consciousness had eased, though.
If he'd done well enough that they liked his character, he'd done very well indeed. As well, meeting a whole pack would be a wonderful opportunity to get more insight into his character and what he'd lost out on as a lone wolf. He was curious and excited about that, although lord knew when they'd have time off from shooting.
Of course, if things got awkward between him and Jimmy, the meeting would likely be called off, but that was okay. He wouldn't want to make Jimmy uncomfortable. He had a good feeling about things, though. Jimmy had been so kind, and they'd had amazing chemistry in bed. There was no way Coop wasn't going to follow this thing between them and see where it went. If the answer was nowhere, hethought he could still end up with a friend—and he couldn't say that about many guys he'd been with.
The day's filming was once again long and difficult, but this time there were no night scenes, at least. He and Lincoln had to do one scene together, so there was no avoiding each other today, and there were so many takes that it wasn't a fun job. But they got through it. He thought if he couldbe super-professional, maybe they'd get past the elephant in the room and Lincoln would come to tolerate and accept him better in time. It was easy to be optimistic today.
At least it was until Commissioner Singh showed up. That would've thrown a monkey wrench into the best of days.
He hung around watching until there was a short break in the schedule, then he approached Coop with a purposefulwalk and a grim expression. Coop's heart jumped with fear; was he being replaced—again? Maybe they'd finally found a suitable actor.
He hadn't noticed Jimmy nearby (was his hot guy sensor on the blink?), but he was here now, hovering close, keeping a sharp eye on the interaction. Was he picking up on Coop's unease and staying proactively close, or did he think Singh was here for trouble, aswell? Still, what was he going to do—kick Singh off the set? It was his TV show in all but name.
Singh gave him a curt nod and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking uncomfortable as he approached. He had a sour expression, as if someone had made him eat a lemon without drinking any water afterwards. He was quite a handsome man, or would have been, if he smiled. Coop wondered if he'dever acted, and if that contributed to why he was so critical of Coop's performance.
He smiled and tried not to look nervous. "Yes? What is it, boss?"
Singh grimaced. "You needn't call me 'boss.' I owe you an apology. I should have given your performance a chance instead of trying to replace you immediately."
The apology was so no-holds-barred and unexpected that Cooper could only stare."Um—thank you," he managed finally.
Singh went on, "I was so caught up in how annoying it was, having to defend you when you hadn't been my first choice, that I didn't give you a proper chance. My husband was completely right about you. You're obviously the right man for this particular role. Now, if you'll excuse me."
"Just a moment," Jimmy interrupted smoothly. He'd eased up to them somehowquite fast, and now stood slightly behind Cooper and to his left. "An apology doesn't mean much if nothing changes. Why is Cooper being kept to a schedule that runs late into the night, when no one else has to stay that late?"
Coop felt deliciously protected, even though he knew he should protest having someone jump in to defend him. But he couldn't exactly say anything about the schedulehimself, could he? All he could do was be gracious about the apology and try to recover his wits.
Singh's expression sharpened as he studied the security guard, probably taking in far more than Jimmy would have liked as he narrowed his eyes and studied him with a precision that was unnerving. "I haven't said nothing changes. We'll be making concessions in Hayes' contract to reflect the realityof the situation. But I might ask what business is it of yours—and who are you?"
"Jimmy Holdst," Jimmy said, not backing down. He held the powerful man's gaze like it wasn't hard at all. "I work here, so I see what goes on. That's great about the contract. What about the schedule?"
Singh looked between them, and Coop tried not to blush or fidget. He wasn't a great poker player; the guyhad already guessed they were having sex. Was he going to think Coop was a slut, seducing the staff right and left? Another thing to hold against him? But Jimmy wasn't acting like some kind of seduced or tricked lackey. He sounded like an agent or something.
"I'll look into it," Singh said at last, his gaze narrowed on Jimmy. He'd come here to humble himself, but that didn't mean he wasn'tbristling under Jimmy's brisk critique.
From his reaction, the intense schedule wasn't any of his doing, which meant the director or someone else had made the call—maybe to try to get at least a few more episodes in the can before he was hit with more casting uncertainty. Strike while the iron was hot and all that. The idea made Coop feel a bit better about the intensities of being kept filmingso long yesterday. He could handle it, if it wasn't permanent or personal.
"Great," Jimmy said cheerfully. He touched Coop's shoulder. "I'll see you later, hon. Don't let the man keep you all day." And with that, he walked away, bold as you please, broad-shouldered and cheerfully in charge.
Well, damn.
Singh squinted after the wolf shifter, scowling. "Well, I see you've made yourselfat home."
Coop tried to look modest. "He's very nice, really. I'm sure he was just worried about me." He didn't come right out and say "he's my boyfriend," but he let the implication Jimmy had left stand as if they were definitely official. It was a good feeling. Unexpected, but good.
He'd thought there would be at least a little while of dancing around the issue of dating or not, as wellas keeping it secret for however long they decided. At least, something other than boldly showing off in front of the commissioner.
"I suppose it's good to have dedicated staff," Singh said doubtfully.
"Thank you for what you said, sir." Coop gave him the most earnest expression he could manage. He definitely needed not to look smug right now, because it would come across wrong—not as thoughhe was excited about seeing Jimmy, but like he was gloating. "It means a lot."
"I believe in giving what's owed. You've received your requested kill fee, as you will a few other concessions I've penciled in for the lawyers to finalize. And I'll look into what your boyfriend has concerns about," Singh added a bit distastefully. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He swept off grandly, and Coop couldonly barely keep himself from punching the air.
Yes!Things were definitely looking up. He felt more secure in his work, and his life, than he had in quite some time.
Now, there was just Rorke to take care of. But somehow he didn't think that would be too difficult, if everything else was working out so well. Anything seemed possible at the moment—in a good way.
