Chapter 2 ZACHERY HATES ON THE GOLDEN CHILD
Chapter 2
Z ACHERY H ATES ON THE G OLDEN C HILD
Kelsey and I squeeze through the crowd, and it takes everything I’ve got to not glower at every man turning to watch her pass.
Nobody here can hold a candle to her. With blond hair, a siren-red dress, and strappy stilettos, she steals all the attention as she walks.
Not that I’m looking. She’s a coworker and a kid. Okay, maybe not a child at twenty-five, but young in the industry, having worked for Desdemona for only two years. Sharks tend to circle, and I beat ’em back, even if it means I bloody my knuckles.
We head toward this overblown man-child who undoubtedly thinks he’s the greatest thing to hit cinema since Marlon Brando.
But Desdemona wants him, and we generally do what she says.
Between her contact list, Jester’s organization, and Kelsey’s uncanny ability to spot romantic chemistry between two actors, our team makes movie magic.
In truth, there’s no reason for me to associate with Desdemona. I live off the interest of the money I socked away when my career was hot. I don’t have to work another day in my life.
But I stay for Kelsey.
Strong Kelsey. Trusting Kelsey. Long-suffering Kelsey.
I’m afraid that without me, the Demon will eat her alive.
And Kelsey loves her job. She’s good at it. The industry at large may not realize how many projects were cast from her brilliant pairings, but I do.
So does Desdemona, which is why she keeps her assistant so tightly under her thumb. No one can know that the Demon is out of touch, unable to adjust to younger sensibilities, ignorant of trends. She relies on Kelsey now.
But I don’t have the clout to do anything about it. Not an actor out of the game.
So I stay, lingering, watching.
Like tonight.
I walk up to the tall, angular Jacobs. “Been a while,” I say, easily pulling the man aside so that Kelsey can approach the actor.
Jacobs lifts his champagne glass in a half-hearted toast. “Zachery Carter. Looking for parts or for dames?”
Yeah, this will be fun. “Neither. Just making conversation. And I’m not sure any lady here enjoys being called that.”
Jacobs has no business using the word “dame.” He’s barely forty. But like so many people in this industry, he has an act. He wears a suit, for one, even though it’s balmy this evening.
And a fedora. Nobody else out here wears a hat, other than a woman in a pink sequin bra with a matching beret.
Jacobs scowls at my reprimand and sips his drink.
I’ve taken the wrong tack. I’m here to keep him off Desdemona’s new golden boy. If I piss him off, he’ll make a point of stealing the mark.
“What projects are on your desk?” I ask. “I hear you’re in demand.”
This is the right strategy. Jacobs likes to gloat, and he brings up a limited series everyone wanted to cast but that ended up going to him. As he launches into a spiel about his successes, I look over his shoulder to see how Kelsey is faring.
“I haven’t seen you at one of these before,” the Golden Child says. “You an actress?”
Kelsey shakes her head, and I’m mesmerized by how the ends of her hair brush her bare shoulders. “Oh, no. I work for Desdemona Lovechild in casting. Have you heard of her?”
He shrugs, and this is far more interesting than these ramblings by Jacobs. How can this kid not know Desdemona? He’s green, but he’s dressed to impress. Either he’s already gotten above-union work or else he comes from money.
Kelsey’s probably already put a figure on his outfit. She loves estimating the value of an ensemble. But she’ll tease any work history out of him. It’s hard for a new actor to break into the industry without our office knowing about it way before the first check is cut.
Casting is a tight community, and we all know each other. If anything other than a shoestring indie film has discovered this kid already, we should know it.
“What have you done?” Kelsey asks.
He gives her a grin that I can totally see on a big screen but haven’t yet. Who is he?
“Just wrapped my first movie.”
He’s throwing down his cards right off. Kelsey takes the bait like a good blonde in a red dress, tilting her head as if she could listen to him all night. “What project is that?”
He sips from his glass like it’s no big deal when he says, “The sequel to Darkness Gathers .”
Now I know who he is. Jason Venetian. Plucked by director Harrod Jennings after seeing him in a tire commercial. They totally changed his look. He’s unrecognizable as the guy with a midsize radial on his shoulder.
“You have your next one lined up?” she asks.
He slips on a coy expression, and I stifle a groan. That’s why it’s impossible to talk to actors. Even a simple conversation is practice for their craft. “My agent is considering some projects.”
Kelsey plucks a card from her tiny silver bag. “If you want to be up for any of our current casting opportunities, call me or Desdemona.”
He looks it over. “You got something in mind?”
Her nonchalant shrug is better acting than half the guild members on the lawn could muster. “Maybe. Give us a call.”
But when she heads toward me, I can see that gleam in her eye. She has an idea. And it’s bound to be good.
“Where’s Jacobs?” she asks me.
I realize I’m alone. “I quit paying attention.”
“Easy to do with him.” She finishes her glass and steals mine. She does this with coffee, too. I switched to drinking iced espressos with almond milk and a drizzle of caramel, shaken rather than stirred, to match her so she’ll keep doing it. “I think I got him for Desdemona.”
I glance over her shoulder. Jason watches her, taking in the backside of her dress. I slip my arm around her shoulders, setting the empty glass on a table. He can watch us both walk away. Together.
“I saw that look you had,” I tell her.
Her face brightens like it’s lit from within. Casting is her happy place.
“Remember the girl from the Rosenberg Netflix show that just wrapped, the one with the horse farm?”
“I haven’t seen her pop up anywhere yet.”
“Exactly. She would be the perfect pairing with Jason in Limited Fate .”
“The artsy film? You think he’d do it after the action flick?”
She scrunches her face in the most adorable way as she thinks. “He’ll need to establish that he has range. That sequel is going to tank. We have to get him moving in the right direction so he can roll past that stinker.”
“You think that’s what Desdemona wants Jason for?”
“No idea. But this movie could make him. Really make him. She’ll balk at getting that girl. Dang, what was her name?”
“Gayle Sumners.”
Kelsey snaps her fingers. “Right. Can’t you see it?”
“I can.” Kelsey’s doing it again. Working her magic. She’s on fire when she’s putting couples together on-screen. And it doesn’t stop with the idea. She’ll coach them for the audition and coax out their best performances, especially if we’re sending in screen tests.
She’s made more than one person redo a self-tape to ensure they put their best effort out there. Heck, she’s gone to their roach-infested apartments to record their tests and help them nail a part that can get them their shot. She studies the various directors’ aesthetics and is incredibly good at delivering what they want.
She glances around. “Do you think we can sneak out? I want to go look up Gayle’s history and find the right headshot. I could present it to Desdemona Monday morning, while she’s high on finding Jason.”
“We could. But maybe have a little fun first.”
“Fun? Here?” She lets out a huffy laugh.
“I have an idea.”
I definitely have an ulterior motive as I steer Kelsey toward a shadowy corner of the party.