One More Time(36)

The second his name is out of her mouth, I’m on high alert, attuned to her like a guard dog. I didn’t like that hand on her chin one bit.

“What did he do?” I growl, moving closer to her, my protective instincts taking over from my conscious knowledge that I shouldn’t be so close to her.

“Offered to make me a star,” she says mockingly. “I mean, I’ve heard that kind of shit before, but I guess I was just naive, thinking that once I landed this role, men would stop asking me if I wanted to fuck them for one.”

The moment Jenna tells me what Richard Thurgood said, I see red.

Then we both see white. A flash of light. The flash from a camera.

Fuck.

“Cast album!” some youthful intern I’ve seen around set says with a way-too-perky smile. “Can I get one of you two looking a little less intense?”

“No fucking pictures!” I bark back. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

“Oh… sorry… I just thought, like… I mean you two are the whole movie...”

She trails off, and I feel incredibly guilty. I’ve officially terrified a totally harmless intern. And for what? Doing her job?

I run a hand through my hair and take a breath to cool down. “No, it’s not your fault. It’s just that this isn’t really a good time. We’ll come find you later, okay?”

“I totally get it Mr. James. I’ll delete the picture right now,” she says, fumbling with her camera.

“Call me Tanner. I didn’t mean to flip on you. I’m just—”

But she’s gone before I finish what I was saying. I’ll have to smooth that over later, but for now my only concern is Jenna.

“So he propositioned you?” I ask, wanting to have a very clear picture of the reason I plan to be facing assault charges tonight. My fists are already clenching.

“He—yeah, but you know what? It doesn’t matter.” I can see her shutting down.

“It does matter. I know you don’t like conflict, but this guy needs a throat-punch for saying shit like that to you.” I can’t just let her back down on him. I know her. It’s going to weigh on her. It should weigh on her. I know that kind of fuckery goes on all the time in show biz but it’s bullshit.

It’s not going to happen on a movie I’m producing. Not with a partner I’m working with. And I’m sure as shit not going to let it happen to Jenna Stahl.

I’m half out of my seat, but Jenna tugs me back down. “Look, Tanner. Stop,” she says insistently.

I pull my arm away in a huff but I stay seated.

She goes on. “If you go over there acting all alpha-male on him, it’s just going to start the rumors.”

I think guiltily of Amber. How many rumors did that conversation start?

“Besides. I told him I’d call his mother personally the next time I heard him speaking that way to a woman. And then I pulled out my phone and showed him her number. She gave it to me at a party in Milan a few years back.”

It takes a moment to digest this but when I do, I laugh. Heartily. New Jenna for the win. Hedda Thurgood is an Old Hollywood legend known for both her fashion and for biting off more heads than Amber could ever dream of.

And speaking of.

“You were jealous, though?” It gives me such perverse satisfaction.

“Only for a second.”

“Just one second?” I know she’s lying. I saw how many times she looked over at the two of us on that couch.

“Aren’t we supposed to be fucking right now?”

As far as subject changes go, it couldn’t be more obvious, but goddamn was I glad to hear it.





13





Jenna





I know what bad form it is to ghost a party honoring my director, and I fully expect that someone will bring this up tomorrow when we all finally roll in at the thankfully late call time. As long as Angela doesn’t get anything out of it.

Shit. Angela.

There’s no way in hell she won’t be sniffing around over this.

But I couldn’t stay there any longer. When my thoughts get this twisted up, I’m not fit company. Just look at me now, curled into one side of the limo, the side of my head leaning against the cool glass of the tinted window, pretending to answer emails on my phone instead of talking to the very person that probably deserves the conversation most.

I could slap myself for getting so jealous over Tanner’s five-second conversation with Amber. I have no right to be jealous. We are not a couple.

I realize there’s a little something else under my feelings of envy for Amber. Because while I’m sitting here staring blankly down into my little glowing screen, it’s not her face I keep seeing over and over again in my mind.

It’s Tanner’s yelling at that innocent intern to stop taking our picture.

That hurt.

He doesn’t even want pictures of us together. I want to believe it’s just about being safe with the media. That was my idea at first, too. But why was he so insistent and mean with the poor PA? He must really want to make sure there’s no trace of us even looking like we might be together hitting the press.

It’s the reminder I needed. We are not going to work – not now or ever. This party may have come at the perfect time. I should thank Amber and that snap happy PA. Because if I’m being honest, I was starting to fall hard for Tanner all over again. And that was the one thing I promised myself I wouldn’t do.