“Thanks, Shauna,” Brianne said.
She didn’t think it would be that simple, but Shauna didn’t know any of the Valerie details, and at that moment, Brianne was just glad that someone was on her side in this.
“Well, I’d better go face the music,” she said.
“Enjoy it,” Shauna grinned. “You’ve got something so many of the women here want.”
Shauna walked away, leaving Brianne standing alone for a second. Was Shauna right? She should enjoy it? She had certainly enjoyed her time with Callin, and the way he had talked about seeing her in his future told her this could go somewhere. But she didn’t think she would ever be able to enjoy being the person everyone gossiped about on the set. Even if the reason they did it brought her so much pleasure.
She shook her head and sighed, and then she started off toward the make-up department again. Why couldn’t whoever had spotted them have just kept their fucking mouth shut? she wondered.
Brianne tensed up as she saw Valerie heading toward her. Valerie looked angry, to say the least.
“Brianne, there you are. A word,” Valerie said.
Her voice was clipped and cold. Brianne felt an icy feeling in her stomach. She was going to get fired. And Valerie was way too clever to tell anyone why she had fired her. She would never be able to find work in this industry again. She had to find some way to appease Valerie. She decided to start with a professional matter and see how things went.
Brianne followed Valerie down the corridor and into an empty room. Valerie left the door ajar and Brianne wasn’t sure if that was better because Valerie was less likely to yell and scream at her with an open door, or worse, because it meant Valerie planned to get this over with quickly.
“I’m sorry I was late back from lunch,” Brianne said. “I lost track of the time, and then…”
“Yeah, I just bet you did,” Valerie said with a cold smile. “This isn’t about you being a few minutes late back from lunch and you know it. It’s about the reason you’re late back from lunch. I’ve cut you some slack on this set, and this is how you repay me?”
Brianne put her head down, unsure of what to say. There was really nothing she could say. Valerie was right. She had been a lot nicer to her over the last few weeks, regardless of her motive. And Brianne had repaid her by having sex with the man she wanted to marry. It didn’t really matter that Callin wouldn’t touch her if she was the last woman on earth. Brianne had still betrayed Valerie’s trust in the worst possible way and she knew it.
“Well?” Valerie demanded. “Haven’t I treated you how you wanted to be treated on set?”
“You have,” Brianne admitted. “And I’m sorry, Valerie. Really, I am. I know you like Callin, but…”
“You think that’s what this is about?” Valerie cut in with a glare.
“Isn’t it?” Brianne asked, genuinely surprised to learn she had gotten it so wrong.
Had Valerie somehow not heard the gossip and she’d effectively told her about it? But no, it had to be that. Valerie had said she didn’t care she was a couple of minutes late; it was the reason she was late that she cared about. What else could she mean? It wasn’t like Brianne had done anything else to upset her.
“No,” Valerie said. “You can do whatever—or should I say, whoever—you want on your own time. But you did this on my time, Brianne. And you’ve made me a laughingstock on the set.”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure they’re laughing at me,” Brianne said.
“Oh, undoubtedly they’re laughing at you. As if Callin McKenzie wants anything from a lowly assistant except for a quick fumble,” Valerie said nastily. “But they’re laughing at me too. The idiot who cut her assistant some slack and was repaid by the assistant using my time to have a social life. I’m sorry to say this, Brianne, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to fire you.”
“Fire me?” Brianne exclaimed. She had expected this, but now that Valerie had said it out loud, she was a little shocked by it. Shocked and upset. She felt tears flooding her eyes. She tried to blink them back, but they refused to be ignored, and to her embarrassment, Brianne felt them start to run down her face, cutting hot little paths down her cheeks. “No, Valerie. Please don’t do that. I… I’m sorry. I swear it won’t happen again.”
“It’s too late for that, Brianne. Get your things and security will escort you out,” Valerie said.
“No, please. Just give me a second chance,” Brianne implored through her tears.
At that moment, she hated herself. Valerie was clearly enjoying this—Brianne had seen the glee on her face as she had told her that security would be along to escort her out. And she was reduced to begging Valerie to not do this. She didn’t want to beg. She wanted to be able to shrug her shoulders and walk out with her head held high, but being an assistant was all she knew how to do, and if Valerie blackened her name across the board, and Brianne knew she would, then she would be screwed. Her savings would only last her for a couple of months and she would end up losing her apartment.
“I don’t think so,” Valerie said. “You’ve gotten what you wanted once today. And that will be all.”
8
Callin could feel everyone’s eyes on him as he walked toward the set for the filming of the next scene. Shauna had already given him a heads-up that the whole damned place knew about him and Brianne.
Callin wasn’t particularly worried about it from his own point of view. It wasn’t like he had anything to be ashamed of. He had had sex with the most beautiful woman on the set—hell, he had had sex with the most beautiful woman in the world—and he
