He knew Valerie wasn’t going to be happy about this, and he also knew that she wouldn’t confront him about it; she would take it out on Brianne instead. He was prepared for what would come next. Valerie would threaten Brianne, and the next time he managed to get a moment alone with Brianne, she would tell him they couldn’t do this anymore. And then he would have just cause to go after Valerie and tell her to stay the hell out of his business.
He really wanted to get to Valerie before she got to Brianne, though. He knew how intimidating Valerie could be, and he was worried that Brianne would be more afraid of Valerie than she was into him. If that was the case, he could lose her for good.
“Have you seen Valerie?” Callin asked one of the runners as he moved past him carrying a clipboard balanced on top of a large brown box.
“She went that way,” he replied, pointing down a quiet corridor.
Callin thanked him and headed into the corridor. He paused when he heard voices coming from one of the rooms. The door was ajar and Callin stood out of sight when he recognized Valerie’s voice. He would wait until she was finished whatever conversation she was having and then he would talk to her while she was alone.
Callin realized the other voice he could hear belonged to Brianne. She was crying and begging Valerie not to fire her. Callin felt anger explode through his body at the sound of the panic and upset in Brianne’s voice. He wanted to burst in there now and demand that Valerie stop this right now, but he took a moment to rein in his dragon, who had stirred at the sound of Brianne’s voice and gone into protection mode.
When he was confident he was in control of himself, Callin pushed the door open further and stepped into the room.
“Can I help you?” Valerie demanded.
He ignored her and focused on Brianne.
“Brianne, I left my cell phone in my trailer,” Callin said. That much was true. “And I really need it.” That part was a lie. “Would you be so kind as to go and grab it for me?”
“I…” Brianne started.
“You’ll have to send one of the runners for it. Brianne, unfortunately, no longer works here,” Valerie said.
“Yes, she does. We’ll talk in a moment. Brianne? My cell phone?” Callin said.
Brianne nodded and flashed Callin a grateful smile. His dragon ached for her, wanting to go after her and make sure she was okay as she scurried from the room, wiping the tears from her face quickly.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Valerie?” Callin demanded.
“Look, Callin, what you do and don’t allow your assistant to do while she’s on the clock is your business. Personally, I want someone professional, and I don’t pay Brianne to fuck around on the set,” Valerie said.
“She was on her lunch break,” Callin pointed out, ignoring the crass way Valerie spoke.
Valerie shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s not professional and you know it. Besides,” she added with a smile that made Callin’s stomach tighten, “I did you a favor. You’ve had your fun with her and now you don’t have to be the bad guy that has to avoid her for a while and then break her innocent little heart.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Callin demanded. “Why would I do that?”
“Oh, come on, Callin. We both know someone like you doesn’t want anything more than a bit of fun from a girl like Brianne,” Valerie said.
“By a girl like Brianne, you mean a girl who is gorgeous, funny, and utterly amazing?” Callin said.
“No. I mean a human. We both know how this plays out. You screw around with humans until you’re ready to get serious and then you and I become mates,” Valerie said.
“Okay, let me make this clear to you, Valerie. The chances of you and I becoming mates are up there with the chances of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny being real,” Callin said. “And I’m not just screwing around with Brianne. She’s special.”
“And now she’s fired,” Valerie said. “So, if she’s so special, I suggest you go and find her and apologize to her for not being able to keep it in your pants and getting her fired.”
Callin felt his temper rising again and he took a moment to calm down before he spoke again. When he did, his voice was as cold as Valerie’s always was.
“Brianne is not fired. And if you are ever nasty to her again, then you’ll be the one who is gone,” he said.
“Excuse me?” Valerie said, raising an eyebrow.
“You heard me. You treat her with respect, or you’re off the movie,” Callin said.
“You wouldn’t,” Valerie said, although some of the edge had gone out of her voice.
Callin knew that she knew for a fact that he really could get her kicked off the movie every bit as easily as he had gotten her into it. The question was whether or not he would have the balls to do it. And he knew he would. Valerie had pushed him far enough that he would do it and suffer the consequences within the pack.
“Try me,” Callin said. “Now, I’m going to go and find Brianne and reassure her that you just overreacted. And when I’ve done that, you’ll find her and apologize to her. I’ll respect the fact that you don’t want us carrying on while we’re on the set, but we are going to be together and nothing you can say or do is going to change that. Am I making myself clear?”
“Crystal,” Valerie muttered.
Callin started to walk away, but Valerie wasn’t done.
“I wouldn’t bank on you two being
