Okay. This wasn’t so bad. She could survive this if at least the talent was on her side. She would even forgive him for being a Fake Butt.
“The question is where we go from here.” Chris shook his head. “You’re a talented and driven woman. I understand that, and I think you could go far, but not if Bill fires you. So we need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“I think we’re both in strong agreement there.”
Something was off about this entire conversation, but even her paranoid mind couldn’t conjure a realistic scenario in which Chris was part of some criminal conspiracy related to the shoot. He was the talent. If they didn’t end up filming the commercial, he would be out money and reputation. Besides, Bill was being an idiot.
“I’ve got some ideas,” he said. “On how to save your job.”
“I’m going to secure the permits, and then my job will be fine,” Selena said, lowering her arms. “Everything’s under control, but I appreciate your concern.”
“Is it?” Chris raised an eyebrow. “Can you look me in the eyes right now and guarantee that we’ll be filming at that site soon? Bill’s so obsessed he’s not even looking into other possibilities. You’ve heard him. We all have. The man’s certifiable.”
“That’s stupid.” Selena scrubbed a hand down her face. “We’re on Maui! We could film all sorts of beautiful places. It doesn’t have to be that exact spot.”
“He’s a bit of an auteur when it comes to commercials. That’s one of the reasons I agreed to do this. That and the money.” Chris chuckled. “Just trying to keep it real.”
“You’re saying that no matter what happens, we’re going to need the site. I get that. It’s why I’ve been working on things. I visited the office this morning, and after that I did some other checking. And…”
Selena didn’t need Chris to understand all her insane plans involving checking out the site and forcing the permit office into compliance. He only needed to understand she was working on it. If he was serious about being on her side, then that’s all he needed to know to put in a good word with the director.
“I’ll have the permits in hand by tomorrow night,” she said. “I guarantee it.”
Chris burst out laughing. Selena blinked and didn’t respond as he continued. His harsh laughter continued over several long moments until trailing off.
“What’s so funny?” Selena asked.
“Don’t ever guarantee things in this business, sweetie,” Chris said with a smirk. “I know you’re used to lower-key operations, but you’re not going to last long in the big leagues saying things like that.”
Selena frowned. She liked polite Chris a lot better than smug Chris.
“This permit thing is just a mix up,” she said, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. “I can handle it. I just need you to back me up on this.”
“Can you handle this?” Chris stared at her, his eyes narrowing. “And are you going to take responsibility if things don’t work out?”
Something changed in his tone. All the kindness and understanding from before had vanished. The disdain was thick.
“I…” Selena began.
“Will you?” Chris leaned forward, an easy-going smile returning. “Because that ends with you losing your job.”
“But it’s not my fault.”
“Life’s full of things that aren’t people’s fault. But you’re the one talking about guarantees. Mean what you say, or don’t say it at all.”
“Just give me time to work my angle,” Selena said. “I’m still trying to figure out everything. Besides, I don’t need you in here telling me all of this. Bill’s made his position very clear. I thought you were on my side.”
Chris walked toward her until he was only inches away. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to intimidate her. He wasn’t glaring or scowling with his stupid little smile.
“I could help you,” he said quietly. “I’ve got some influence, and if I talk to Bill, I could convince him to use a different location. I’ll feed him some crap about how the negativity surrounding the original location is screwing up my motivation.”
“You’d do that?” Selena asked, daring to cling to a strand of hope.
Chris nodded. “I would, but you know, I’m a nice guy, just not that nice. I’d need a little something in return. This isn’t about being on your side. This is about being on my own side. That’s how the world works. Quid pro quo.”
Selena swallowed. Her stomach tightened. She didn’t like where this was going. His earlier attitude and subsequent change now made a lot more sense.
“And what exactly would you want in return?” she asked. “I’m a junior production assistant. You want me to get you more pretzels?”
Chris reached toward her cheek, licking his lips. She jerked back with a frown. The son of a bitch had come to her room with one idea from the beginning.
“Come on, Selena,” Chris said, his smile broad and his lustful gaze raking her body. “You’re not some fresh-faced intern from some tiny-ass country town. You know how this goes. I’ve slept with hotter women, but what can I say, I’m in the mood for a feisty redhead.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Selena spat out.
He scoffed. “You think you can do better than me? Better than Chris Silvers?”
Selena groaned. No one should ever talk about themselves in the third person. It was a screaming warning sign.
“I’m attractive, rich, and going places.” Chris ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek. “I get it. It’s hard to be ready when someone shows up out of the blue, but we don’t have to go all the way right now.” He gestured to his crotch. “Just a little down payment, and if you do that, I’ll do everything I can to make sure you not only do well on this job, I’ll put your name in at some production companies I know.”
“So let me get this straight.” Selena sucked in a breath. “If I
