Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(66)
We stopped at a building labeled B7. The driver let us out and pointed over to where we should go. It was unnecessary, since Sienna was standing in the doorway, waving at us with a glowing smile that could probably light up a small city. Dressed in a white tank top and skinny jeans that must have been molded onto her body they were so tight, Sienna looked flawless. Did she come in looking like that, or had she already been to hair and makeup?
Her long black locks sparkled in the sunshine as she approached us. Tossing her arms around Kellan, she kissed each one of his cheeks in greeting. “So good to see you all again,” she cooed.
Holding his hand out for me, Kellan gave her a polite nod. Not at all bothered that Kellan and I were physically connected, Sienna looped her arm around his elbow and pulled him into the building. People in headphones were everywhere. There was so much activity that I instantly felt out of place just by standing still. I felt like I should be doing something, I just had no idea what it was.
As the boys gawked at the production before them, Sienna started showing us around. There were multiple sets inside the studio building, but we’d only be using a few of them. Really, we’d mostly be using two. There was a set that was dressed up like a stage. That one filled me with warmth and comfort—there were few things on this earth more natural than Kellan on a stage. The stage set would be used for filming the band all together. Their scenes would be small snippets that would be tucked around the heart of the video. And the heart of the video centered around set number two—a wide room with a huge bed as the main focal point. Seeing that set made my stomach churn in unpleasant ways.
Giving me a concerned glance, Kellan squeezed my hand harder. As Sienna sat on the bed, giggling in a coquettish way, I began to be filled with doubt that I could watch this. Just seeing her sitting on the mattress made me want to lose my stomach. But it wasn’t real, and I could handle it. I’d handled much worse already.
Just as Kellan was about to say something to me, we were approached from behind. Dressed in his trademark impeccable suit, Nick strode into the room with a tall man with hair longer than my sister’s. Pulled back into a neat ponytail, the blond locks almost reached his backside. Nick gave Sienna a snake oil smile, holding his arms wide open. “Sienna, baby, you look fantastic.”
She melted under his praise, leaping off of the bed to give him a kiss on the cheek in greeting. “As do you, Nicholas.”
Wrapping an arm around his pop star prodigy, Nick turned to Kellan. “Good to see you, Kellan.” He lifted an eyebrow; the look oozed triumph, like he’d known all along that Kellan would agree to this.
Jaw tight, Kellan nodded. Ignoring the heat in Kellan’s gaze, Nick indicated Ponytail Man. “Boys, this is Diedrich Kraus, visionary genius.” He indicated the D-Bags. “Diedrich, this is Kellan, Matt, Evan, and Griffin.” He squeezed Sienna’s waist. “And you already know Sienna.”
Trying to ignore the fact that I was completely skipped over in the introductions, I watched Diedrich smile at Sienna and then address Kellan. Reaching out for his hand, he spoke in a thick accent that I couldn’t quite place. Swedish, maybe? “It is very excellent to meet you.” Clasping both of his hands around Kellan’s, he exclaimed, “The camera is going to love you! You and Miss Sexton are going to sizzle every piece of equipment in this place.”
He was laughing to himself when a man in a clipboard came up to the group and announced that everyone needed to get to wardrobe, hair, and makeup. Sienna sauntered off in one direction while the boys were ushered a different way. Kellan kissed my cheek, telling me that he’d be back in a minute. I couldn’t help but wonder just what his wardrobe would consist of. Hopefully he’d at least get to keep his underwear on.
While I wondered what to do with myself, Diedrich was called away and only Nick and I remained. Blue eyes hard, he turned to me and asked, “Are you going to be a problem?”
Lifting my chin, I tried to be as confident as possible. It was challenging, but I managed to pull off a firm, “No.”
Nick gave me a lopsided grin. “Good. Because I’ll have your ass tossed out of here if you mess with this production.” Leaning in, he whispered, “And I’m pretty sure I could toss you all the way back to Seattle if I needed to. Just something for you to keep in mind, in case you find any of this . . . distasteful.” Seeming like he didn’t have a care in the world, Nick suddenly smacked his hands together. “Now, let’s do this!”
Needing to do something with my nervous energy, I headed for the snack table. I was munching through my weight in carrots when Griffin strolled into the room. He was fully dressed—tight black pants, fitted gray shirt, loose leather jacket, and a studded wristband. I’d always found Griffin’s personality distracting, but physically, he was a cute guy, and looked really good today. Standing by the set, he had a deep frown on his face. Looking around the room, he spotted me and started heading my way. Wondering if I wanted to talk to him right now, I popped another carrot in my mouth and debated moving on to the chocolates.
Grabbing a peppermint disc, Griffin quickly unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth. “This sucks,” he murmured.
I sort of agreed, but I was surprised by his reaction, so I asked, “Aren’t you excited to film your first video?”
Looking a little surprised that I’d acknowledged his existence, Griffin took a second before answering. When he did, he turned toward me, giving me his full attention. I had to fight the natural urge I had to take a step back. “Oh, yeah, I’m totally stoked. But they’re filming the band scenes at the same time they’re filming the love scene,” he pointed over to the pristine bed, “so I won’t get to watch Sienna Sexton roll around half-naked. It’s not fair.”