Stage Fright (Bit Parts) Read Online Free Page A

of the line.  Now, I groaned and buried my face in my hands.  “I’d say there aren’t enough cosmopolitans in the world.”
    “I accept that challenge.”  He signaled the waitress.  “Can we have another round for the lady?”
    I finished my second cosmo before switching to amaretto sours which was not a good idea since I guzzled one before I realized it.  Fuzzily, I remembered that I had to drive home, but decided that was a problem for future Cassie.  Present Cassie was determined to get drunk off her ass.
    It took another amaretto sour before Andrew could talk me into a duet of The Time of my Life.  Then one more before I could be persuaded into singing Call Me Maybe.  By the time Andrew and I paired up for Summer Nights, I had to hang onto him to remain upright.  Whenever I drank, my equilibrium was the first thing to go.  I had wanted to drink in order to forget my sadness and jealousy, but it hadn’t worked.  Now I was sad, jealous, and unable to walk a straight line.
    As we reclaimed our seats, I noticed a giant of a man sitting alone at a corner table.  Even though the bar was dimly lit, the man’s stunning looks were evident.  His skin was as dark as the night outside, and his head was crowned with dreadlocks.  Wide shoulders filled out his jacket, and his broad chest tapered to a narrow waist.  A hint of a beard hugged his perfect jaw and set off his luscious lips.  A silver earring winked high up in one ear.
    The man wasn’t exactly staring at Andrew, but he was definitely interested in my friend.  “Looks like you’ve got an admirer,” I said sourly.  It figured that Andrew would get the standing O, a personal invitation to audition for Hedda Widderstrom’s new play, and the handsome guy.  If Andrew and I weren’t such good friends, I might have hated him.
    Andrew glanced over and shook his head.  “He’s not my type.”
    “Are you kidding me?  He’s gorgeous!”  I snuck another peek at the hottie.  The man leaned back in his seat, his wrists resting on the table, but tension thrummed beneath his relaxed surface.  He looked both patient and ready to spring, like a cat guarding a mouse hole.
    Andrew took another pull from his beer.  “He’s definitely gorgeous.  He’s just not gay.”
     “He’s been checking you out for the past ten minutes,” I argued.
    Andrew shrugged.  “I’m telling you, the man’s as straight as Darryl’s acting.”
    I was about to fire off Andrew’s least favorite word – gaydar – when his phone rang.  He read the display and immediately answered.  “Hey, love.  What’s up?”  His tone was light, but he frowned, worried.  His right hand wadded up his napkin.  “Yes, I’m still at the bar.”  He laughed nervously.  “One beer.  Just like I promised.”  His hand smoothed out the napkin before wadding it up again.  “Yes, I know I said I’d be home before midnight, but it’s the cast party.”
    I turned away from the conversation.  Rolling my eyes and glaring at the phone wouldn’t do anything but start another quarrel.  Andrew already knew how I felt about his boyfriend.  In my opinion, his bad boyfriend.  Caleb was a small man with an impressive set of biceps, a permanent sneer, and an aggressively direct stare.  He was at least a dozen years older than Andrew, and I always got this creepy teacher/student vibe whenever I was around the two of them.
    My eyes returned to Mr. Mysterious in the corner.  He wore a tailored coat and a gray striped scarf loosely knotted around his neck.  He ignored the drink in front of him and watched Tabitha butcher Dancing Queen.  Maybe he wasn’t gay, but he sure wasn’t interested in me.
    Suddenly, Andrew left the table, his phone still pressed against his ear.  His forehead furrowed as he talked.  No doubt Caleb would spend the next twenty minutes giving him crap for staying out too late.
    The front door opened, and Charles came into the bar on a blast of frigid