Chapter 3
She arrived at Sin Devicio’s with only a few moments to spare. From the admiring looks she’d gotten from the parking valets, she figured she must look amazing in her royal blue dress and spiked heels. Vic Rossen would definitely notice her today. The princess neckline accented her breasts perfectly, and with the help of a push-up demi bra, the girls were front and center. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun with tendrils framing her face and neck. She caught her reflection in the restaurant’s glass door. “Amazing,” she whispered, “if I do say so myself.”
Annie had the kind of hair that said, ‘Fuck me.’ Long, thick, pullable and fuckable. She could do just about anything with it, up, down, straight, curly. God had blessed her with a great ass and really great hair.
She trembled with excitement as she gave her name to the maitre’d. “I’m a guest of Mr. Rossen.”
The man bowed slightly and informed her he hadn’t arrived yet and led her to their table. Nervously, she took a seat, accepted water from the waiter, and leafed through the menu, mostly because she didn’t know what else to do.
As the minutes ticked by, she wondered if he’d forgotten about her. All this rushing around, and the SOB couldn’t even turn up on time. She checked her phone to see if he’d called and found a reply text from Daveed. ‘Blue honey, work it’. She replied, ‘thx, where is he?’ but, there was nothing else. No more messages or voice mails.
The waiter returned and asked her if she wanted any refills of water or an appetizer. She thought about the tips she’d made at work the night before and ordered a drink. Without those tips, she wouldn’t have been able to afford the gas it took to drive to this restaurant.
The time crawled by with no sign of her host. She was getting annoyed. He’d said noon sharp and it was almost one o’clock now, without even a message that he was on his way. She contemplated leaving, and thought fifteen more minutes, then I’m out of here. She had the day off, had tons of errands to run and other things to get done. She only had one day off a week. She wasn’t going to spend it in a fancy restaurant waiting for some jerk that needed a watch.
Just as she was about to leave, Mr. Rossen breezed through the door and walked to the table. She had to catch her breath. He was taller than she’d expected, and his expensive suit showed off every single beautiful inch. When he sat down, the waiter appeared instantly with their menus. Mr. Rossen didn’t bother to ask Annie what she wanted to eat. He ordered Mahi Mahi for the both, then smiled at her, showing off his pearly white teeth.
“Annabelle, er—, Annie, right?”
She nodded yes as she sipped on her martini.
“I’m so glad you could come today. Daveed got you all squared away with details, I presume.”
She smiled and nodded, momentarily thrown by his question. She was a southern girl and used to people showing good manners and punctuality. He was doing anything but. She couldn’t believe that he hadn’t even tried to apologize for keeping her waiting so long. But on the other hand, she also couldn’t believe she was actually here at this plush restaurant with an important casting director, so she let it go. Now, if her heart would stop pounding, she might be able to enjoy his company.
“Oh, of course. I – I can’t believe that you’re really considering me, Mr. Rossen. It – it’s an honor.” She stumbled on her words. What is happening to me? Why am I so nervous? This guy was over an hour late. You got this girl. Breathe.
“Please, call me Vic.”
“Oh,” Annie said, blushing. “I couldn’t.”
He watched her across the table and his eyes focused on her breasts.
“I insist.”
She didn’t know what to say to that so she took another sip of her drink and prayed her nerves would calm down, if only for a minute. At least, from the expression on his face, he seemed to be enjoying the princess neckline and makeup she’d so carefully applied. She put her glass down and smiled, ready to ask about the part, but he was already speaking.
“Now, I understand that this part would be a very big deal for you.”
“Yes, sir” Annie said and leaned forward excitedly. “It would be my breakout role. It could totally make my career.”
His eyes wandered across her shoulders and down her chest. “Yes, I would imagine. Now, I hope you understand, we had originally thought to cast Miss Alba or Miss Heigel for this part.”
Annie felt a little dejected. There was no way in hell she could compete with beautiful, famous actresses like that. Why did he even want to meet with her? She nodded numbly and took another sip of her martini. She had no chance at all.
Vicktor leaned forward—his eyes were as sexy as hell as he held her gaze.
“Now, I like you. I thought you gave a very passionate reading. I’m just having a hard time convincing the director and producer you are the perfect actress for the lead role. I’m sure you understand.”
She nodded, although she wasn’t completely sure she understood at all. Confusion swept across Annie’s face.
“Okaaaay?”
He smiled and one of his eyebrows rose slowly and seductively. “Of course, you would have a much better chance of getting the part if you were to help me stay, how do you say….motivated?”
Annie blinked, even more confused. “Motivated? How would I do that?”
Vicktor leaned back, and a disturbing smile slid across his face. “Well, I can think of a few things that would make me very motivated.”
Following his gaze, Annie realized he was still staring at her breasts. At first his attention to the girls was flattering—now it was making her uncomfortable. She covered them slightly, trying to catch his gaze. “Are you implying what I think you’re implying?”
He leaned forward, grabbed his chin and his finger tapped lightly on his cheek. “I only want to help you, but first, you’ve got to help me.”
She was shocked—speechless. Unfortunately, he took that as a yes.
“It’s simple. We slip somewhere a little more private, you take care of me, and then I will take care of you with the director. It’s a win-win situation, wouldn’t you say?”
She glared at him, momentarily stunned at his proposition. She couldn’t believe those words had just come out of his mouth. She thought all the jokes about casting couches were just that. Jokes. Finally, her brain began functioning again.
“No, I would not!” Annie said, as she stood up abruptly. She was so furious, she reached for her drink to throw it in his face, but the glass was empty.
He stood and raised his hands defensively. “Come on, Miss Gibbons. Don’t be like that. Like I said, I’m only trying to help you. Surely you know how this game is played.”
Annie had had enough. Sure, she wanted this job… a lot. She just didn’t want it enough to sleep with this asshole—she had her pride. She was so angry she could spit. No, she could do better. She raised her hand and slapped him across his face with all the force she could muster.
He spun a little and grabbed his cheek in shock before he turned back to stare at her. “This is—”
She glared and turned away from the table as the waiter arrived with the appetizers. She sneered back at Vicktor. “Enjoy your lunch, Mr. Rossen,” then she stormed out of the restaurant and down the street toward her car. She climbed into the driver’s seat and texted Daveed. ‘Your boss is a complete asshole’
‘Sweetie, I could have told u that’
Now, it dawned on her that she wasn’t going to get the part. It would have been a major breakthrough in her career, but at least she had the rest of the day off and got to sit at the best table in Sin Devicio’s. Too bad she didn’t get to eat the amazing food she’d heard so much about. But…she sure as hell wasn’t going to take him up on his offer, though. Arrogant bastard.
Men!
When she arrived home, she kicked off her shoes and poured herself a drink. Crap! I just slapped the famous casting director, Vic Rossen! I’ll never work in this town again! Shit! She still felt the sting on her palm from where it had connected with his smug face. Crazy bastard! I’ll show him!
She paced around her apartment and couldn’t stop thinking about what had just happened, or stop cussing him out in her head. To take her mind off it, she slid off her dress, threw on a big comfy t-shirt and felt herself calming down.
Comfort and wine, works every time.