“Why don’t you tell me and I can find out for you? I could be your professional tea-gatherer.” I said with a grin.
“Maybe…” she said, her green eyes shining gold in the morning light.
I followed her gaze over my shoulder and saw none other than the golden man himself, Leo Knight, lingering at the breakfast table.
Something in the way she was looking at him tugged on my curiosity, and my intuition sparkled. Whatever secret she was hiding had something to do with Leo.
She blinked as if snapping out of a trance and looked back at me. “It’s almost time to shoot my scene, I need you to get started on my hair.”
A half-hour later, I was still working on Alina’s hair.
She was an absolute vision in her incredible costume — some kind of dress with what looked like fancy caging around her ribs. When she leaned down to pick up her phone, the slit in her dress yawned open and I caught a glimpse of her lacy lingerie wrapped around her juicy leg underneath.
If I was straight, I’d very well be losing my mind over the sight of that. I’d wager that whatever episode of the Black Castle this sex scene showed up in, it would undoubtedly be the most popular.
I was very conscious of Pretty Boy Oliver hovering around, frantically sewing buttons or repairing lace on Alina’s outfit as I worked on threading together the complicated braiding and curling of her hair.
He seemed like he was about to have a mental breakdown with the stress that was coming off of him. It was as if his entire body was vibrating like a tuning fork.
“You don’t have to be so nervous,” I warned him, my voice icy.
“I have zero chill right now, Charlie!” he snapped.
I didn’t like the way my name came out of his mouth.
“ZERO chill!!!” He emphasized as he pulled a thread through Alina’s outfit.
Rolling my eyes, I curled one last strand of Alina’s white hair. Then thankfully, I got to turn the curling iron off and set it down. Moving my arm in a circular motion, I stretched it out. Orbiting clients with equipment like that was always tough on the shoulders.
“You should calm down, you’re ruining the vibe,” I said crankily.
Oliver blinked several times, his eyelids fluttering as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Easy for you to say — you have the easiest job here! All you have to do is hair. I have to create and re-create art every single time they shoot!” he spat.
A sour taste formed in my mouth. Though a younger version of me would have spat venom at him, I now had enough patience to let it go.
It just wasn’t worth it.
“I’m going to get some more coffee. Alina, you want anything?” I asked, making sure to leave Oliver out of it.
He didn’t seem to notice anyway; he was entirely focused on threading a needle with what looked like spun silk.
Alina looked up from her phone, gave me one of those million-dollar-smiles, and shook her head. She had been completely oblivious throughout me and Oliver’s entire exchange.
Huffing, I stomped over to the breakfast table to get away from him.
It seemed like every time I had an interaction with the guy, I’d liked him less.
He reminded me of the types of guys in L.A. — Where the first impression was absolutely amazing: Attractive, charming, larger-than-life personality, but when you got to know them, it turned out they were super vain and insecure.
Pouring myself another cup of coffee, I swirled it in my hand and watched as the liquid shone in the morning light. That shine was obscured by a shadow that loomed over me.
“Charlie,” said a voice that was somewhere between a hum and a purr.
I jumped, nearly spilling my drink everywhere.
When I looked up, I was surprised to see Reese Riley standing there.
He was tall — taller than I remembered, and his slim build was slightly bent, arching over to the side slightly like a line of calligraphy. He cocked his head and the sun shone on the swirls of silver at his temples.
“Y-yes?” I asked as blush rose into my cheeks.
I took another sip of coffee, effectively burning myself for a second time. I was hoping to disguise the fact that I’d been caught off guard.
A million scenarios flashed before my eyes: Reese firing me, Reese telling me off because I was spending too much time hanging around Alina, Reese reprimanding me for kissing Mason…
“Can I speak to you in private for a moment?” He asked, his eyebrows knitting together in concern.
My stomach dropped. “S-sure.”
Chapter Seven
I followed his tall, slim form across the grass to the entrance of the castle. His purple tie was billowing in the wind.
He opened a door, then another, and then finally we were alone in a huge, deserted entrance hall.
It looked like the set designers had already gotten to it, because this place was completely decked out. Tapestries hung on the walls depicting the various warring clans, candles were clustered around the edges of the room, and four long tables stretched out across the floor, practically spilling over with colorful food.
Reese took a seat at the end of the nearest table and motioned for me to take the chair across from him.
As I sat down, concern crossed his face and he began to rearrange the cornucopia next to him. He shuffled an orange, a bunch of grapes, and a few plums around in such a way until they pleased him.
It was at that moment that it finally hit me like a sledgehammer: I was actually on the set of The Black Castle.
And I was about to get fired. I’d screwed it up.
There was a knot forming in my chest, tightening. My mouth went dry, and I began to pick at my thumb cuticle.
Reese finally finished rearranging the fruit and drew his long, thin arm back out of the cornucopia.
