“I offered to walk her out, and that’s when I knew she was coming home with me.” We went through a door into a strange office-like area. “There was a puddle of coolant under her car.” He pulled to a stop and glanced around the empty space. “Nina?”
“We’re in here,” came a voice from down the hall.
Scott moved toward it, so I did the same, not getting much of a chance to look at the computers set up in the awkward space. He turned a corner, stepping into a room that was staged as a bedroom, even though legally it couldn’t be. The windows were fake.
My brain slowed as I saw the woman who had to be Scott’s wife. Shit, she was hot. A tall, lanky blonde with a body built for fucking and—
The blood in my veins stopped, solidifying.
My brain disconnected and shut down.
All I could do was stare at the girl who’d fucked up my life.
“This is Colin,” Scott said, oblivious to the anger swirling around me like a dark cloud. Was this some kind of joke? Because there was no way stick-up-her-ass, mad Madison Perry was supposed to be my audition partner.
“And this is Madison.” Then Nina pointed at me and turned to the girl. “See? I told you he was hot.”
Madison’s voice was flat. “We’ve met.”
My heart began working again, and as I pulled in a short breath, my hands clenched into fists. Not because I wanted to fight, but because there was so much tension coursing through me, I needed something to hold it back.
I wanted to tell her to get the fuck out of here. This audition was too important to me for her to screw it up. But, shit. If she was supposed to be my partner, didn’t I need her?
Scott’s gaze bounced between me and Madison. “So . . . I guess you two have already—”
“No,” came from us in horrified unison.
Was it possible she’d decline to do the scene?
I glared at the girl across from me, who had the nerve to look the best I’d seen her yet, and my blood burned hot.
My head was opposed to the idea of fucking her, but my dick? That was another story. Think about it, a persuasive voice argued. Don’t you want to fuck the girl who’d fucked you over? Wouldn’t it be hot to have her on her knees, sucking your cock, or bent over the bed as you drilled her from behind?
I pictured Madison naked and sweaty, gasping for breath between moans, begging me to make her come.
Well, now I wanted that a hell of a lot more than her bowing out of auditioning with me.
Everyone sensed the friction in the room, but Nina was the first to speak. “I’m getting the impression you two aren’t exactly friends.”
“We’re not,” I said, forcing myself to sound casual. “But it’s fine. It’s not a problem for me.”
Madison understood the challenge I’d issued and glared back in defiance. “It’s not a problem for me either.”
A cruel smile tweaked my lips. She’d tried to sound strong but failed. As far as I could tell, this was win-win. If she backed out, that wasn’t my fault. They’d find someone else for me to audition with. But if she went through with it, I’d get to show off how good I was. Maybe even get her addicted to my dick and then cut her off.
“Okay.” I could tell Nina wasn’t one hundred percent convinced this was going to work, but she shifted her focus to her husband. “I put his contract on your desk. She’s already signed hers. You want to grab that and some in-ears while I go over the basics with them?”
Scott nodded and headed out through the doorway, leaving me alone with the two women. I hooked my thumbs into the pockets of my jeans, doing my best to look at ease, even though I felt awkward as hell.
“We’ll start with scene direction.” She picked up a set of papers from the side table, which was probably Madison’s contract. “During filming, Scott and I won’t be in the room. If one of us is in there, the actors tend to look at us, and we’ve found it’s better when the viewer believes it’s only the actors in the scene. They like watching something that seems unscripted, even when it’s not. But you’ll still receive direction from us, when you need it, from the monitors you’ll be wearing. They’re devices that are small enough they can be hidden inside your ear.”
She strode to the doorway and showed it was a pocket door as she slid it halfway closed.
“Also, this will be closed to keep out sound while filming, but Scott and I will be watching the screens just outside the entire time. If either of you ever gets uncomfortable or wants to stop at any point, or even if you just have a question, please let us know. We can always edit it out, and it’s very important to us you feel safe.”