Chapter 1
THREE YEARS EARLIER
The director gave me a nod, the camera was rolling. I turned, bit my lip and gave the guy behind me the best sexy come hither look I could muster, and then lifting my ballgown slightly began to run across the moors, laughing and looking back at him until he caught me up and spun me around. He slowly put me down, pulling me against him, and leant down to kiss me.
‘Hold that…’
And we did, like a kiss suspended in time while the wind whipped around us.
‘Cut, that’s a wrap, nice work Cathy and Liam,’ the director called.
Liam cleared his throat and straightened, moving away from me.
‘Nice work, Liam,’ I grinned, teasing him.
‘You too,Wyldegirl,’ he winked.
Several costume ladies raced over to lift my dress and help me back to the changing room, or tent in this case. The perfume commercial was done, my first ever.
I was theWyldegirl.
Chapter 2
GRADUATION DAY – NOW
There were two things I wanted out of life – to be a famous actor, and Heath, not necessarily in that order. It was graduation day. I pushed open the lecture room door and entered the theatrette; there was a buzz of excitement in the air. Heath’s rehearsal was just about to start.
I sensed Heath before I saw him; I turned and watched him approach. Tall, solid, dark-haired and edgy; I know him better than I know myself. No words were wasted greeting me, he just kissed me; I’m not a PDA type of person but he had no problem with it. Heath grinned when I glanced at some of the first-year students who were sitting in the theatrette watching us and smiling; I knew my skin was flushed.
‘Cathy, should I have you right here and now, give them something to really smile about?’ he said, his lips close to my ear, his deep voice exciting me.
‘No,’ I pulled away, horrified at the thought which just made him laugh. ‘That’s not the performance they came here to see!’ I exclaimed.
‘They are probably going to have to do sex scenes somewhere in their acting career,’ he said, wide-eyed as though his idea wasn’t totally ridiculous.
‘Yes, but that will be acting,’ I reminded the man who took my virginity and was still the only man I’d ever been with. I wanted it to stay that way. There were lots of girls in our theatre company who wanted the chance to bed him too.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, the cast ofMacbethon stage please,’ our director called.
‘That’s me. Got to go,’ Heath said, all serious again. He gave me a quick kiss and departed. It felt like he had never been a student, he’s been an actor since day one of our course; he looked the part, he owned the stage, I’m an imposter trying hard. I watched him go and then I glanced at the same first-year girls to find them watching him too. Sigh, it happened when you loved a gorgeous guy. I made my way to my rehearsal group who were sitting in the middle rows of the theatrette.
‘Hey,Wyldegirl.’
Yeah boys, thanks for remembering. If I had a dollar for every time someone called meWyldegirl since I made that commercial three years ago, I would have made more than I did on the commercial, and I made enough from that to pay off my studies and Heath’s if he hadn’t got a scholarship.
Ryan, Jack and Emmett were in my class, they were stars in the making; Heath called them pretty boys. Unlike Heath who got in the first time, we auditioned a few times to earn our places. The guys were all about the big roles, the big bucks and the actresses they could bed. They thought Shakespeare was a drag and wanted to do action roles, the occasional romance to get the chicks, and a major drama in the hope of clutching a few awards. It took all types.
I dropped down in a vacant chair beside them.
‘Nervons?’ I asked Jack.
‘Nuh,’ he said, all bravado.
Ryan leant forward. ‘I’m shitting myself,’ he said, and I laughed.
‘Yeah, me too,’ I confessed.
A couple of first-year students shuffled over and sat behind us; one of them leant closer to me.