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Better yet, what the fuck was wrong with her? She thought of the whiskey she d tossed back
before she came and silently cursed Matt. This was his fault.
 See something you like? he asked.
 Not really.
He was quiet for a few moments, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.  What s going on, Betty?
 What do you want? she asked bluntly.
 You.
Wait. What?
 Excuse me?
He took a step closer and it took everything that Betty had in her, to not move back.
 Have you read the script yet?
The script.
Oh. Right. The script.
Betty considered her answer. She could tell Beau to take a hike and hope that after tomorrow she
would never see him again.
Or, she could tell him the truth.
That she d read the script.
That not only was he a brilliant actor, Betty had seen another side to the man. His writing was
intense. Deep yet subtle. The characters he d created were raw and real and she d bawled like a baby
when she d finished it.
She could tell Beau Simon that her first thought after reading the script, had been that she would
sell her goddamn soul to the devil himself, if it meant she could play the part of Eden.
She could tell him that she knew& deep down, she knew this was her chance to do something
with her life. Really do something, and do it well.
She could tell him that for once in her life she thought she could be extraordinary at something.
That her family would be proud of her. That her dad& that her dad would know she wasn t just a
fuck-up.
But she didn t say any of those things.
Because no matter how badly she wanted the role, Betty knew she could never let Beau Simon
know how much she needed it. How much she needed him. A girl had pride.
 I read the script, she said softly.
A moment passed.
And then another.
 Is that all you re going to say.
She shrugged.  For now it is.
Beau shook his head.  I m not playing games, Barker. Either you want the role or not.
His voice deepened and he took another step closer to her. His eyes were narrowed and she
knew he was about to burn the short end of his fuse. Beau Simon wasn t used to getting the run-around
from anyone, especially those of the female persuasion.
She forced her hands to hang loose at her side, while she glanced behind Beau. Where the hell
was Matt?
Sitting at the bar, no doubt, onto his second bottle of whiskey. Which, at the moment didn t seem
like all that bad of an idea.
 I want the role, she finally admitted.
Was it surprise that flickered across his face, ever so briefly?
 Good. Beau ran his fingers through the silky strands of blond that fell across his forehead and
onto his cheek.  Okay. This is good. He smiled.  I knew you d come around, Bets.
Bets? Since when did he call her Bets. Bets was a nickname. A family name and only those
close to her used it. For Beau to call her, Bets, it just seemed& too intimate.
 Good. I ll put in a call to Mason Gerard tomorrow and tell him the role s yours. He ll be
pissed, hell, he wanted Mindy Boatwright for the part, but he ll get over it.
 Mason Gerard, she repeated dully. She d met him once when she d been dating Bailey. He d
looked down at her as if she was a distasteful bug he wanted to crush on his way over to the cocktail
bar.
Beau nodded, though she wasn t entirely sure he was aware she d spoken, and he was already
reaching for his cell.
Mason Gerard was big time Hollywood. His studio put out quality films, ones well received by
the critics and movies that managed to gross millions and net the studio a good chunk of money.
 You told Mason Gerard you wanted me in the film?
Beau s head snapped up, his cellphone in his palm.  You re the only one I wanted.
 But he didn t want me. Okay, she could have done without the whine, but still, Mason Gerard?
 You can t blame him, Betty. You re not an actress. Not in the traditional sense and he s old
school. Hell, I couldn t even get him to look at the audition tape, but don t worry. This is my baby and
if he wants me in the film, then he ll go along with it or I ll find another distributor to partner with.
His words stung and the thought of Mason Gerard made her nauseous.
Suddenly, all the doubt-weasels she d worked so hard to banish were back. Sitting on her
shoulder. Filling her gut with panic.
 I didn t say I d do it.
The words popped out of Betty s mouth before she could stop them.
That brought Beau up cold.  Are you kidding? His words were hard, and they fell like stones.
Something shifted in his eyes and Betty licked her bottom lip, suddenly really, really nervous.
Here she was, on the cusp of blowing it again.
 I m not playing games, Betty. Where are we going with this?
Dammit. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
 I just mean, she dragged a huge gulp of air into her lungs as Beau moved closer.  I don t know
if I can work with you. Not after what happened between you and me&  Oh God, she was
backpedalling like a newbie.  That night& you and I. It can t happen again and, she thrust her chin in
the air, trying for some bravado.  I m not sure if you can& I m not sure you get that.
She wasn t sure if Beau was trying not to laugh, or if he just found her idiotic ramblings amusing.
But there was a killer smile lurking around his mouth and dancing in those baby blues.
Kill. Me. Now.
God, she was babbling like an idiot. Not making sense. Not making anything close to sense.
She swallowed and watched him closely wishing he d move the hell away from her. He was
tall, hot as hell, and that pulsing had moved to between her legs. It was a steady throb a distraction
she didn t need.
 So, Beau said, a dangerous tone in his voice.  Let me get this straight. You want the role, but
you re hesitant to take it because you don t think I can resist your& charms.
She folded her arms across her chest and tried to stay calm. Why couldn t she have just told the
truth for once?
Just laid it on the line.
Yes I want the role. End of story.
Why did she make everything into a drama?
And Good Lord, why in hell were her nipples saluting the man as if they wanted him to rip her
top off and&
Sweat beaded along her top lip.
 Well, I m not sure, she managed weakly.
Beau leaned close. So close that she could count the number of eyelashes that swept down as his
mouth hovered a whisper away from hers.
She was frozen in place, breath hitched in her throat, pulsing still going on down there and yet&
all she could think about was how good he smelled.
And how long those damn lashes were. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]