Chapter 10
LEVI
My dick presses mercilessly against the zipper of my jeans as if determined to punish me.
Like it’s my fault Kady sent me a slightly dirty picture of herself? I didn’t tell her to pose provocatively underneath her bed sheet and add a line of text begging me to join her. Hm? Complaining? Do you see this photo? What the fuck is there to complain about other than having to be here instead of there? Where I wanna be. Where I should be. Where it might be possible to be if my future co-star wasn’t running late.
All of a sudden an attractive lithesome brunette flops down in the chair across from me. “So sorry I’m late! The meeting with my agent and publicist ran long. Over the top long.”
I close the photo and turn off the screen. “Believe me. I definitely know how that goes.”
She shakes her head, still clutching onto her bag. “They kept lecturing me about how we need to get along-”
“Mine too!”
“What the hell is wrong with them? We’re professionals, ya know? Though I guess you more than me since I’m tardy to the party.”
I give her a comforting grin. “It’s fine. Really.”
She drops the object between her feet and extends her hand. “I’m Lynn Weiss.”
“Levi Stone.”
We both take a moment to give one another a once over. Her soft, delicate features paired with her defined cheek bones remind me a bit of Elizabeth Olson, though her tom boy attire, sun kissed skin, and blonde tipped hair remind me of Anna.
Yeah. That Anna. But you can relax. I’m over her. I’ve been over her. Besides, shy of a court mandated decision, I’m not giving up Kadence for anyone or anything.
“Should we order something?” Lynn adjusts the sunglasses sitting in her hair. “Maybe share it since it’s brunch, and I hate a big meal before I head to the water.”
I spot our waitress and flag her over. “Fan of the beach?”
Her head tilts. “Basically fucking live there when I’m not bouncing all over the country for the tiny roles I keep landing. This will actually be my first lead. I’m kind of nervous.”
“Don’t be. I’ll do everything possible to make it a great experience.”
Stop scoffing. I’m being courteous not flirting.
We allow the waitress to suggest the best appetizers to share and then order them along with screwdrivers.
Relax.…One drink at brunch is polite.
The two of us start discussing our early days in the business, which eventually leads to discussing our backgrounds. To my surprise, not only is she a South Haven native, she attended our rival high school. We taunt each other over it, snack on the promptly delivered food, and laugh until our sides hurt about how irrelevant the guidance our theater teachers used to deliver really is. We move onto college conversations, and I’m swept away by the stories she recalls about her days in New York. She smiles often. Toys with the ends of her hair. Speaks with her hands. Unlike many souls who have been beaten down and scarred by the cruel habits of Hollywood, she still possesses life and hope. It’s impressive as well as relieving.
“That’s why I’m even more excited to make this movie,” Lynn dreamily sighs, pushing away her second empty glass. “I finally get to work in an environment that is second nature to me. Plus, during our downtown, I can grab my board and pass the time rather than mindlessly shop.”
“Long board or short?”
“Long. You?”
“Short.”
“Jealous. I know they get better speed, but I can’t seem to get the hang of it. It’s fucking embarrassing. I’ve been surfing since I was like nine.”
“Seven.” My fingers turn inward. “And that’s only because my mom refused to let my dad teach me sooner.”
Our shared laugh is cut short by a ringing cell phone.
I slide the device over to see Dee’s scowling photo.
It seems like the most appropriate thing to see when she calls.
“Publicist.”
“Take it,” she insists with a wave of the hand.
Leaning back in my chair, I hit the answer key, and press the device to my ear. “Are we alone?”
“My favorite way to have you.”
I smirk. “What do you need?”
“Checking in to see how your meeting went.”
“Still here.”
“Really?” The shock in her voice is unexpected. “I was expecting the meeting to last an hour. Max.”
Certain it hasn’t been much more than that, I pull my ear away from the device to check the time.
Huh. It’s been almost four hours. Weird. Doesn’t feel like it….Why are you frowning again? This is a good thing. Means we get along well. Means no one has anything to worry about.
“Where did you decide on brunch?”
“Sun Bistro.”
“You two should take a little walk onto the beach. Pose for a few impromptu photos and post them for your fans. Francesco is a huge believer in allowing audiences to experience the making of his movies. Do this and you’ll be kissing up to his million-dollar good side.”
I direct my attention to Lynn. “My pub thinks it’d be a good idea for us to swing by the beach. Take a couple pre-production photos to prove we’re getting along. What do you think?”
“Totally in.”
“Lynn’s good with it.”
“Use appropriate hashtags. The movie title especially.”
“Got it.”
She makes an air kiss sound and ends the call.
I prepare to turn the screen off when my eyes settle on the background of Kadence and I lying on the patio couch with the beach displayed beautifully behind us. A sharp pain swims around the pit of my stomach and I state, “I uh….I need to call my girlfriend before we head out.”
“Take your time,” Lynn happily hums. “I’ll get the check.”
“I can pay.”
“No. This one’s on me. You can grab the next.” She doesn’t allow a rebuttal. She points to the phone in my hand and reiterates, “Call her.”
An unusual need for privacy pushes me to my feet and towards the corner of the outdoor patio where Steel is standing. I motion my head to the side indicating I need some space. He gives me a curt nod, steps a few feet to the side, and returns to scanning the small area for any possible threats.
With one hand keeping my cell in place and the other wrapped around my stomach, I impatiently wait for her to answer. When it goes to voicemail, I end the first attempt, and immediately try a second.
Thankfully, it only rings twice before her voice graces my ears. “Hello.”
“Hey babe!”
Kady’s tone is clipped, “How’s lunch? Oh wait, is it Happy Hour now?”
Guilt grinds itself into my tone. “I’m so sorry for not texting or calling sooner. Brunch ran into lunch-”
“And now lunch is running into happy hour.”
I swallow the growing shame. “It wasn’t intentional, I swear. We just sort of started talking and time seemed to slip away.”
Shit! That sounded bad didn’t it?
Rushing away from having to deal with the poor choice of words, I ask, “How are you? Still naked in bed?”
“Nope.”
“Still thinking of me?”
“Working.”
Pretending the cold shoulder doesn’t sting becomes more difficult. “You wanna tell me about it tonight over dinner? We have to take a couple of preproduction photos but afterward-”
“Can’t.”
“Can’t tell me about it or can’t do dinner?”
“Dinner.”
My voice tries not to waver. “Can’t or won’t?”
I don’t bother pretending the drawn out pause doesn’t hurt to hear.
She’s pissed. I get it. But it’s not like I purposely ignored her! And chatting with Anna was simply following strict orders from my team. What? No. I didn’t say Anna! I said Lynn. Brunch with Lynn….
Kadence circumvents answering my challenge. “I have plans with the girls tonight.”
Unsure if that’s true or a lie she plans on making true, I desert the idea of seeing her today and search for the next available moment. “Tomorrow? I’ve got a doctor’s appointment in the morning and a meeting with my combat instruction afterward, but I can definitely make you dinner.” Not getting an immediate agreement pushes me to add, “Maybe those spicy shrimp and avocado quesadillas you love? Black beans…. Chile lime corn salad. Each other for dessert.”
The curt tone remains. “I’ll check my schedule.”
“Ok….” I dejectedly sigh. “Text me later? Let me know you girls got home safely?”
“Sure.”
Another stretch of silence swings back and forth between us.
My head drops forward in acceptance of my defeat. “Enjoy your night, Kadence.”
“You too.”
I start to say something else when the call goes to dead.
Yeah, I know I fucked up. She was more or less waiting around for me to call. We spent the night separately because of this brunch, but I never thought the damn thing would be the cause of it twice. No, Kady’s not super needy or super clingy, which I appreciate, however she is sensitive of broken implied promises such as when I assure it’ll be a quick meal and we can spend the afternoon having endless orgasms to make up for the one’s we had to do without. I’ll fix this. I will. I’ll check out Marlz’s new condo, grab an early dinner with him, and then hang out at the house just in case I can convince her to come over.
Turning back around, my eyes settle on Lynn who offers me a familiar bright smile.
She won’t be a problem. Just because she looks like my ex, sounds like my ex, and possesses many of the same personality traits as my ex, doesn’t mean I’m interested in anything more than the professional relationship we’re cultivating. Like I told Kadence this weekend. I’ve earned some trust. Let me have it.