Time on YouTube and feel ashamed of yourself for having been such an unprofessional jerk! I want that woman gone by tonight. I want her on the next plane home to England where she belongs.”
“Don’t hold a gun to my head, Star. It doesn’t become you.”
“Oh yes, it does become me or I wouldn’t be playing the role of Skye in the first place! Don’t worry, Mr. Wild, if you won’t fire her, I will.” Star still had her hand on the trailer door, ready to make her exit.
“You just can’t stand me having a girlfriend, can you? This has nothing to do with professionalism. You cannot control my life, Star. I’m your director, and you’re a member of my cast. We had a little fun but you made it very clear what your limits are, and I respect that. You’re young and vulnerable, and I simply won’t take advantage. There are a lot of men out there who’d feed you bullshit—promise you all sorts of things just to fuck you and then they’d break your heart. I’m being honest. I’m twenty-six, I’m a bloody sex addict, for fuck’s sake. I’m not going to offer you marriage and babies and spin you a yarn about how we’re destined for each other, when I hardly even know you.”
“Oh, you know me all right—we’re cut from the same cloth. And you do want me: the whole goddamn package. You’re just too much of a coward to admit it! Too weak to give yourself to me a hundred percent because you know you’d fall in love with me and lose control. In fact, you’re already in love with me. Go ahead, fuck that skinny plain-Jane for all I care; it’ll be me you’ll be fantasizing about!” Star opened the door and stepped out of the trailer.
It was hard for me to admit, but what she was saying was close to the truth. “Star, this is ridiculous, please—”
She turned around and locked her eyes with mine. “You can call me Miss Davis from now on. I don’t want you to speak to me unless you’re directing me. Is that clear?” She slammed the door shut and was gone.
I’d direct her, alright. I needed her to do exactly as she was told, for once in her bloody life.
Before she took me over completely.
S HAKING, I PULLED OUT my cell from my prison uniform pocket and realized how ridiculous I must have looked just now, screaming at Jake in this hideous outfit and telling him how much he wanted me. Not.
“Brian,” I said, hearing a wheeze at the other end of the line.
“Star, what a pleasure to hear your voice. What can I do you for?”
“I want the new Script Supervisor—the woman hired for Continuity—fired. Now .”
“The one replacing Susan while you’re all in the Badlands? The English girl, Cassie?”
“Yes, her.”
“She was the only person we could get last minute—Susan has a funeral to go to abroad. Cassie’s filling in for a week.”
“I want her gone , Brian. There’s no telling what could happen otherwise.”
“What are you saying, Star?”
“Rumor has it she does drugs.” I knew I was being cruel but the words came flying out of my mouth.
He laughed raucously. I pictured his huge belly rippling with amusement—he was such a Hollywood producer cliché. “What, little Miss Perfect?” he said with a wheeze, chuckling as he spoke. “I doubt it.”
“Just make it happen, Brian.” I pressed END. I wanted to feel remorseful. It wasn’t Cassie’s fault and I was being a prime bitch. But it was true—I needed her out of sight. The idea of Jake touching her filled me with . . . fury . . . no . . . pain. Whatever it was, it made me nauseous.
I had to make him all mine or I’d go crazy.
I turned around and headed right back to his trailer. Some force was propelling me to do so, although I didn’t know what I’d do when I got there, or what I’d say. Heat rose through me. I was shaking. Indignation. Fury. Revenge. Spite. I didn’t bother to knock. I crashed through the door and was surprised that he wasn’t sitting right there as he had been five minutes