Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
After bringing Bella back upstairs, he showered, dressed, and headed to the set location downtown, which was a mansion they’d rented to film a party scene. He arrived on the closed set, gave his identification to the security guard, who checked to make sure his name was on the list, and let him past the barricades. He walked up the outside steps and into the house with a marble entryway.
He immediately saw Isaac Reynolds, the director on all the Steele movies, and walked over. “Hey.”
“Xander, how are you?” The older man with a big head of salt-and-pepper curly hair slapped him on the shoulder.
“Doing good. Ready to see this book on the big screen.”
“Just waiting for our leading lady.” He glanced at his watch. “Almost time,” Isaac said. “Do you have any idea how fortunate we are to have gotten Sasha at the last minute? This is going to help set up the franchise for a long, solid run.”
He nodded. “I’m aware. Where is she getting ready?” Xander asked.
“Hair and makeup is finished. She’s waiting in one of the upstairs bedrooms.”
“Isaac! Need you over here!” someone called.
Isaac pivoted and went to see what was happening, so Xander headed to the circular staircase and walked up. He caught sight of Jared outside the farthest bedroom and found his target.
“Hey,” Xander said, joining him.
Jared tipped his head. “All’s quiet,” he said as if Xander had asked him a question.
“Good. I’m going to check on Sasha.” Before he could take another step to the bedroom, a man with an iPad and headset stopped him.
“No one’s allowed back here,” he said, eyeing Xander up and down with disdain.
Xander narrowed his gaze. “I’m approved. I’m one of the writers.”
“Then I need to see some ID.” He puffed up his chest but couldn’t come near Xander’s size or bulk.
What was with this guy? “I checked in when I got here.” Xander wasn’t showing his ID to some production assistant with a large ego.
“Curtis, what are you doing back here? You’re wanted on set,” Marcie Raydor, an assistant producer, snapped.
The guy shot Xander another glare and walked away.
Xander turned to Jared, intending to tell him to look into him. And everyone on set.
“On it,” Jared said, pulling out his phone.
Relaxing, Xander stepped up and knocked on the bedroom door. The door opened and Sasha stood before him in full makeup and a gown, and he sucked in a shallow breath. Though he knew the scene they were starting with involved looking for information while a party was going on, he’d forgotten that meant Sasha would be dressed like a queen.
The purpose had been to draw attention to Amanda, Sasha’s character, and away from Steele as he searched the house. Right now Xander couldn’t think about the story. He couldn’t focus beyond the sheer perfection standing in front of him.
She wore a red silk dress that exposed more skin than it covered. Her hair was pulled up in an intricate design, revealing her slender neck, and her cleavage was exposed enough to tempt any man.
He let out a groan and stepped forward, but she put out a hand, bracing it against his chest. “Don’t even think about it,” she warned him in a teasing voice. “The dress is set and my makeup is on. Nobody will be happy if you kiss it off.”
“Except me,” he said in a gruff voice.
Her eyes dilated, making him feel better and less … rejected, which was ridiculous. He understood how things worked on set. “I need to go downstairs. Will you be watching?”
He nodded. “You’ve got this. Go get ’em, sunshine.”
She smiled and he escorted her downstairs, stepping aside as she strode into the spotlight. He noted that Jared was downstairs as well, not calling attention to himself but there if she needed him.
For anyone who thought shooting a movie was exciting, they were wrong. Normally it was dead-ass boring. The same scene, shot over and over, and just when they got everything they needed from one angle, they started again with the camera from a wholly different perspective. Hours passed until they took a legitimate long break and Sasha disappeared with her makeup artist for a touch-up.
When the director finally called cut, Xander turned and realized Sasha’s agent stood beside him. “Rebecca,” he said, recognizing the curt sound in his voice. Fact was, he’d never liked her.
“Xander. Like what you see?” She tipped her head toward the set.
“I do.” He’d been damned impressed. Despite the hurt during Sasha’s rise to stardom, he’d watched her earlier films. But to view her acting now, with her increased maturity and wisdom, was a thing of beauty.
“She’s going far. As long as you don’t try and pin her down again,” Rebecca said.
And there was the agent he despised. “The only one who controls Sasha’s life is Sasha.”