Laura Mayes rifled through the files on her lap, looking uncomfortable. "There's no acting experience on record," she said apologetically. "I'mnot sure why his tape was in with the others, but he has zero experience. He was just reading for a bit part in the production. He works at the studio, cleaning the toilets or something. It was probably a favor from someone on staff, letting him read in the first place. His tape was certainly not supposed to go in with the regulars, and in my opinion, he shouldn't have been here today."
Sahil cast Grant an incredulous look. Their favorite was a nobody who couldn't act? "He seemed good on tape," said Sahil. "And he showed promise today. You know he did. Are you certain about your facts?"
"He's a nobody," she said. "I'm afraid we really need to look elsewhere."
"Nope," said Grant. "The man can act. He has the right look for the role, and he's got the charisma we're lookingfor. You're going to have to do better than that. Is he on someone's blacklist?" He gave her a stern look.
Sahil, who always got a little buzz out of his mild-mannered husband taking someone to task, hid a grin and settled back to enjoy it.
"I'm not lying to you." Laura looked offended. "I can check into his background if you want, and see if there's some experience that hasn't been included,but from the information that's available to me, it's a fluke he's here at all, and he's not a trained actor."
"You think he's in disguise as a nobody?" Giltner snorted his disdain. "That's Jimmy. He works security here. It's not a big secret." He seemed to be getting an awful lot of enjoyment out of the argument.
"And who do you suggest we hire?" said Sahil. "Did you see someone better?Are we actually at the level where a security guard is the best we've seen? If so, what are you doing to improve the odds besides sitting there and looking smug?"
Grant closed his hand around Sahil's upper arm, a warning to lay off. He was good at dialing Sahil back when he had to, but Sahil didn't want to be dialed back. He wanted to go for the jugular, dammit. Somebody was at fault forthis hassle, and the director was here now, acting like it was no concern of his. Well, maybe it was, but it had damn well betterbecomehis concern. They could hire a new director, too.
He narrowed his gaze at Giltner, who was raising an eyebrow at him in a challenging way, as if to say, "Bring it, little man."
"Let's not fight," Grant suggested in a way that wasn't actually a suggestionat all. "Bring Jimmy back, and we'll talk to him. We'll ask him about his experience and why he auditioned."
Giltner leaned back, slouching in his chair, and Laura Mayes looked from face to face before waving disgruntledly at an assistant. "Go fetch James Holdst."
The assistant scurried away, leaving the four of them to wait in a not entirely friendly silence.
"Um, hi?" The man Giltnerhad identified as a security guard walked back onto the stage, smiling and squinting. He didn't seem to know what to do with his hands. "They didn't give me a script this time. Is it just the same thing over again?"
Well, at least that shows he can memorize things, if Grant does insist on him.Sahil cast his husband a quick glance to try to read his expression, see what he was thinking,but Grant was being impassive. That meant it was up to Sahil to go ahead with this.
"Have you ever done any professional acting work before?" asked Sahil.
"No, sir. I was going to play a role earlier, but it got cut. Just a couple of lines. I still don't know what this part is." The guard clasped his hands together nervously, but his smile was warm and self-deprecating and very attractive.He definitely had a face for acting. "I was in some high school plays, but nothing I got paid for."
"Do you have any training as an actor?"
"No, sir. I didn't think that mattered as much for walk-on roles."
Again, Sahil glanced at Grant; again, he saw nothing. "This isn't a walk-on role. You would be a major part of the cast if you're chosen." Sahil let himself sound stern.
"Oh, well,then I think I'm in the wrong place here." The man let out a nervous laugh.
It came to Sahil along with a sinking feeling that he did recognize this man. He should have known he was a security guard.Is my memory slipping in my old age?He was the one who'd stepped forward, defensive of Cooper Hayes, prickly on his behalf about the taxing filming schedule.
He hadn't looked the same ontape, when he was acting. In person, he'd been almost growly, every inch a security guard. Only his face was the same, and even that looked different with his hair combed this way instead of straight back. It was looser, softer, with a wavy blond appeal that would certainly be a selling point to a lot of people.
Everybody fucking loves blonds, Sahil thought bitterly.Big muscle-y ones, too.He'd been short, dark-skinned and slender all his life, the exact opposite of that popular sun-kissed surfer look. But he couldn't let his own insecurities get in the way here.
"We'll have you back to do another reading," Sahil said abruptly. "Make sure you memorize whatever they give you and practice it as well as you can."
Beside him, Grant moved, clearing his throat a little. "If youwere cast, you'd be required to take some extra acting lessons as well as whatever work you do on the job. It would be a full-time commitment, and then some."
"I understand. Thank you. Would I get my old job back when my part was over?"
"Of course," Sahil said when it became clear that nobody else was going to answer. Holdst still seemed to think this was a short-term thing. Perhaps itwas for the best that he didn't know what they were actually considering him for. Best not to get the boy's hopes up, for one thing. He wasn't an actor, and a few lessons weren't going to fix that. Even if he was almost unrecognizable from the day Sahil had met him before, and even if he had done a good job at this reading, and the other, and...
We'll see what happens. Fuck. I do like him,or I wouldn't be worrying about sparing his feelings.
Or was that because he now knew the kid was a wolf? Damn it, he'd always had a soft spot for wolves, even ones as self-possessed as this one clearly was. He had a sweet humility and an easygoing warmth about him, now that he wasn't bristling with protectiveness over Cooper.
