Say It Sexy Read Online Free Page B

happier.
    Violet stood at the kitchen sink, washing her NutriBullet free of kale and cucumber residue. I didn’t have to see it closely to know that’s what was in it. It was all she’d been having for lunch and dinner for a week now. “Lost eight pounds,” she sang, pumping a fist in the air.
    “That’s awesome. Go, you. So what’s this week gonna be, moving up to carrots and fruit?” I laughed, plopping my purse into the counter stool.
    She set the dishes to dry and wiped her hands. “Actually, yes. Though carrots have way too much sugar, but my friend’s mom insists it’s packed with every nutrient a person ever needs to live, so I’m gonna give it a shot.”
    “Vi, it’s a carrot. You need more than that.”
    “I need to lose fifteen pounds is what I need.”
    “Why? You’re studying to be nurse, not an actress. Be glad you don’t have the pressure of keeping fit if you want to keep a job.”
    “What if I want to be a hot nurse?”
    “You don’t need to lose weight. You need protein.”
    Violet rolled her eyes. “You and your protein. Your dad and his protein. God, I swear if he hadn’t been Mr. Universe when he was younger, you’d have probably lived a normal existence.”
    “Um, I hate to point out the obvious, but the reason I didn’t have a normal existence growing up wasn’t because of Mr. Universe.” I gave her a knowing look and took off the jacket I’d put on for breakfast with my parents.
    “Oh, that’s right. It’s because he’s been a high-up executive producer in Hollywood for thirty years, and he makes you dress like you’re going to a high-stakes business meeting just to visit his house. My bad.” She laughed to herself.
    “Don’t forget because I’m also an only child.” I grabbed a carrot, pointed it at her, and took a big, crunchy bite.
    “Three strikes.” Violet came around the corner, flipped up my tight ponytail, and plopped onto the sofa to flip through Netflix. “It’s a miracle you know how to have any fun at all.”
    “Who says I have fun?”
    “You know what I mean. You like gardening, fixing up the yard, cooking…”
    “I’d hardly call that having fun.”
    “Okay, but you’re not a party type like half the kids of your parents’ friends. You’ve stayed true to yourself, on the right path, with a good head on your shoulders.”
    “You mean I’m straightlaced?” I laughed, shaking my head at the irony. It was no wonder I’d been cast for the show.
    It was another thing I took pride in. The fact that despite my father being part owner and an executive producer at Fluidity, his position hadn’t influenced the director’s decision to hire me. In fact, if anything, the director, Lyle Steinberg, had said he’d hired me in spite of who my father was, not because of it. Normally a production company brought in a director of its choosing and called the shots, but in this case, it was Lyle who’d come to Fluidity, giving it first dibs on the production of a show for which Lyle had been handpicked as the director. He’d been afraid that by hiring me, my father would try to stifle his creativity, but after he’d seen my audition, he’d said he’d never find an actress more perfect for the role of Lacey.
    I slipped into my bedroom for a quick change into a tank top and worn yoga pants my father would never catch me in. Then, I returned to the living room to sit next to Vi. “Man, that was stressful.”
    “What was? Changing your clothes?”
    “Going home—well, my parents’ house. We start Straightlaced meetings and readings tomorrow, and my dad is going crazy.”
    “Because he wants it to go well?”
    “Because it has to go well. This series has to knock it out of the park, or else everything my father has invested in Fluidity over the past thirty years will be for nothing.”
    “And you’re the show’s leading lady. No pressure.”
    “Exactly.” At least it was a testament to how much my father believed in me, if he felt I could