For Lust or Money

Kelly glanced over to find her “younger man” standing in the door. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but seeing the typical Hollywood “himbo” as her acting partner brought a twinge of disappointment. The guy was gorgeous in that obnoxiously pretty way that was sure to make him look ten times better on screen than she did.

“Hi,” she said, forcing a smile. “Kelly Castelle.”

“Bryan Lockwood,” he countered with a nod and dazzling white smile. “Say, can we move this along? I’ve got an 8:00 p.m. flight back to the coast and I can’t miss it. I’m meeting with Hanks’s people tomorrow morning about a part in his new film.”

“Tom Hanks?” Kelly asked.

“It’s a big part. My agent says I’m perfect for it. And later this week I’ve got a meeting with Cruise’s new production company. The last thing I want is to screw that all up because of this silly job.”

“We’re almost ready,” Jane muttered.

“Cool. I’ll see you on set,” he said, giving Kelly another dazzling smile.

“What an ass,” Jane muttered a few moments after he’d left the room. “That guy was a nightmare in the chair. I had to redo his foundation three times until I got that sun-kissed, west-coast, Laguna Beach shade that he wanted.” She placed her hands on Kelly’s shoulders and met her gaze in the mirror. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. He’s got a receding hairline. I give him two more years before he’s going to need plugs.”

“Thanks,” Kelly said. “This whole job is really taking a toll on my ego.”

“You’re gorgeous,” Jane assured her. “Look. That classic profile, that perfect nose. Those cheekbones couldn’t get any higher.” She grabbed a pot of lip liner. “And look at this mouth. All those women who get their lips plumped up have got to be green with envy when they see yours.”

“All right, my ego is soothed,” Kelly said with a laugh. “No need to overdo.”

Jane carefully filled in with lipstick then handed Kelly a tissue to blot. “You’re set. Come on, I’ll take you out and introduce you to Nicole. She’s the segment producer.”

Kelly looked at herself in the mirror. She still looked good. There were plenty of actresses her age that looked older. Drawing a deep breath, she cleared her mind of all the insecurities and self-doubts. This was just another acting job. And though it might be the last of her career, she’d be the consummate professional.

And later, when she got back to her hotel, she could give in to all the emotions that raged inside of her and have a really good cry.

ZACH HAAS STOOD in the shadows of the set, staring through the lens of the television camera at the woman sitting on the park bench. Since she’d walked onto the set, he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her.

He zoomed in on her face, which was turned in profile, and studied her features. He’d worked behind the camera at Just Between Us for six months now and he couldn’t recall ever seeing a more extraordinary woman. Every feature of her face was in delicate balance with the others. Perfection, he mused. And just slightly exotic. He couldn’t put his finger on her heritage, but it was a tantalizing mix that had given her deep mahogany hair and pale green eyes and smooth porcelain skin.

“All right,” Nicole Reavis said, “let’s get started. Why don’t we do a quick run-through while George adjusts the lighting and then we’ll roll tape? We have four short little scenes here. Cultural references, life experiences, sexual compatibility and future happiness. In this first one, you’ve just met and you’re talking about music. Kelly, this is where you realize that Bryan has never really listened to the music that defines your life. And it makes you uneasy.” Nicole stepped back and walked back toward the control room. “Whenever you’re ready,” she called.

They were taping with two cameras and Zach waited to hear Nicole’s voice through the headset he wore. She’d give him and John the cues for close-ups and wide shots, as well as calling out directions to the actors over the P.A. system in the studio.

“All right, let’s get this on tape,” Nicole called after they’d run their lines.

Kelly glanced over at the cameras with a nervous look. “I—I’m used to rehearsing a bit more. Can we just run it a couple more times?”

“Don’t worry,” Nicole said. “We’ll fix any problems in editing. From the top.”

Zach focused on Kelly and smiled to himself as she began to deliver her lines. He’d spent a lot of time looking through a camera at all sorts of people and places. Nearly six years in film school, first undergrad in Colorado and then graduate school at City University of New York, had taught him that not everyone looked good on film. But no one had ever looked quite as beautiful as this woman. She was like one of those movie stars from the thirties, glamorous and alluring.

He felt a frisson of desire shoot through him and he drew a ragged breath. Ever since he’d come to Atlanta, he’d been careful to avoid any serious entanglements with the opposite sex. There had been women he’d felt mildly attracted to and women he’d taken to bed. After all, he was twenty-four years old. A guy had needs. But he’d avoided anything that came close to a real relationship.

His needs. That’s what had gotten him into trouble in the first place. Or maybe it had been all about the risk, the danger, the kick of seducing an older woman… especially a woman with power. But he’d never expected her to use that power against him. It had cost him everything he’d worked for, everything that meant anything to him.

“Zach!”

“I’m here,” he murmured to Nicole.

“Pull back a bit.”

Zach did as he was told, the murmur of Kelly’s voice serving as a soft counterpoint to his thoughts. The day he’d left New York, he’d decided to give up his penchant for older women, but now he had cause to reconsider. Kelly Castelle was the first woman he’d seen in a long time that had caused an immediate and intense reaction. Though she couldn’t be that much older than he was. She looked thirty, tops, and what was six years?

“I’m sorry,” Kelly said, rubbing her forehead. She looked up. “Can we go back and do that again?”

“If you’d read the line right in the first place, we could all get out of here!”

Kelly gasped, then turned to look at Lockwood. “I just think the pacing is a little quick for this scene.”

“Cut!” Nicole shouted.

Zach frowned, then stepped out from behind the camera.

Bryan Lockwood stood up and shook his head, throwing his hands up dramatically. “This is ridiculous. I’m just not feeling it. She’s not giving me anything to work with here. What’s my motivation? Why would I even take a second look at a woman her age?”

“I’m sorry,” Kelly said, her voice trembling slightly. “I—I’m just used to a bit more rehearsal. Let’s do it again. I’m sure I’ll be able to get it right—”

“No,” Bryan replied, “I’m used to working with professionals. It’s obvious you don’t know what you’re doing.”

Zach felt his temper rise. Just who was this jerk? He had no right to talk to Kelly this way. But before he could speak up, Kelly stood up and whacked the guy over the head with her script.

“Listen, you…you little—shit. I was studying acting with some of New York’s finest teachers while you were still watching Barney. I was doing Shakespeare in the park while you were playing a munchkin in your grade-school production of The Wizard of Oz. Don’t you dare question my professionalism or my talent. I’ve been at this for fifteen years. When you’ve been a working actor for that long, buster, you come and see me and then we’ll talk.”

“The name’s Bryan,” he muttered. “Bryan Lockwood. Remember it. You’re going to be hearing a lot about me in the next few years.”

“The only person who’ll remember you in ten years will be your mother.”

“I don’t need this job,” he muttered. “Get yourself some community-theatre castoff to do this.” With that, Bryan Lockwood turned on his heel and strode off the set.

“And you better look into hair plugs right now,” Kelly shouted after him, “because you’re going bald!”

The door slammed behind Lockwood and the studio became eerily silent. Kelly, wide-eyed and flushed with temper, glanced between Nicole and the assistant producer. She swallowed hard, then attempted a smile. “I’m sorry. I—I don’t know what got in to me. I’ve never, ever spoken to a colleague that way.” Tears swam in her eyes. “I—I don’t know what to say. Please forgive me. I—I’ll just be going now.”

“Hold it,” Nicole said. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“I—I just assumed you’d be…firing me.”

“We’ll call in another actor. We’ll have to find someone local. And make a note. We are not paying for Mr. Lockwood’s plane ticket home. Geez, what an ass.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kelly said. “I just don’t know what got in to me. I’ve never done anything like that before, I swear.”

Nicole rubbed her temple as if to ease a tension headache coming on. “We’re not going to be able to stick to our taping schedule if we have to wait around for another actor.”

“I’ll do it,” Zach said. The words were out of his mouth before he realized he’d said them. He slowly stepped out from behind the camera. “Hey, it doesn’t look that hard. And I took some acting classes in college. I’m here and you’re paying me anyway, so why don’t you let me give it a shot.”

He met Kelly’s gaze and saw a look of gratitude in her pale green eyes. A tiny smile touched the corners of her sensuous mouth and at that very moment, Zach wondered what it might feel like to kiss her. He’d soon find out since there was a kiss written in to the script.