3. Eli
three
Eli
Now...
Hitting end, I place my cell phone down on the receiver, and rub at my temples.
What was I thinking, getting into this business?
I just sat through an hour-long conversation with an assistant director who called to complain about my client, Asher Saint. Asher is refusing to do a scene with a bear—a real fucking bear—while on the set in Montana for his soon-to-be breakout role in a modern western movie about… I don’t even remember.
What I know is there’s nothing in the contract that states my client has to perform with a wild animal.
Asher is right to be scared about acting out a scene ten feet from a bear. Unfortunately, if he doesn’t do this, they’ll replace him with someone who will. If he wants this role, he can’t say no. Especially not in Hollywood.
Saying yes is a must for making it in the movie industry. Asher has been starring in a teen drama for the last six years, and while he’s a great actor, he has a baby face. That face has kept him from getting the roles he wants and needs to grow as a serious actor. This role is it, the one that’s going to get him to the next level. I had to pull a favor to get him in front of the right people, and it paid off.
“Dez,” I call out from behind my desk. I lean back in my chair and stretch my arms overhead, getting the kinks out of my neck.
A second later, my assistant pops his head into the doorway to my office. “What’s up, boss man?”
“Heard that, did you?”
He gives me an unapologetic shrug. “Of course.”
I’d expect nothing less. Desmond Drake—or Dez, as he prefers to be called—is good at his job. Scratch that, he’s amazing. The best there is in the business. If I sat on the Iron Throne, he would be my Hand. He has an uncanny ability to know what our clients need, what I need to do my job, and even how I feel before I do.
Dez has been at Blaze since Hudson and I opened the place. He has been instrumental in our success. We’re a well-oiled machine because of his impeccable organizational and people skills. Dez is more than my assistant. He’s my friend, and I fear it’s time for him to step up into a new role soon.
“Two things. One, I need you to get Asher on the phone.”
His fingers fly across his phone without looking down. “Done. Two?”
“I need you to set up time with Hudson. I have something I need to run by him.”
“Well, isn’t that fortuitous? Hud is on his way back to the office and asked to speak with you. You skipped lunch, so I ordered dinner. Your favorite is already on the way.”
My stomach grumbles in anticipation of the steak burrito bowl with a side of guacamole and chips headed my way. “Thank you. Did Hud say what he wants to talk about?”
“No.” Dez purses his lips as if holding back a mischievous shine in his blue eyes. He knows something.
“Spill.”
“Nah, it’s more fun this way.”
Fucker. My stomach flips and not for food.
Before I can interrogate him, his desk phone rings. He smirks. “Food is here. I’ll be right back.”
He rushes off to the basement for the food as I call out to his back, “I hope they forgot your food.”
I can hear Dez’s peal of laughter as he disappears down the hall. Before I can dwell on the unease settling in my bones from knowing Hudson needs to talk, my phone rings. It’s Dez, and I know he has Asher on the line for me.
How the fuck did he do that so fast?
I slide the screen, answering my phone. “Asher.”
“Hey, E.” He sighs, resigned. He already knows what needs to be done.
“I spoke to Gene—”
“I’m sorry for freaking. I’ll do it. It’s just…”
“Scary as fuck?” I reply.
Asher chuckles, not expecting my response. “I… Yeah, man, I’m fucking scared.”
“I get that, buddy, but you were made for this role. I know you can do it. Gene’s been told they need to compensate you, considering the bear was mysteriously left out of the contract. I should have it within the hour for you to sign. I know it’s not much, but at least it’s something.”
“Thanks, E. I appreciate it. I’m going to need some extra cash to buy new pants after I shit myself standing in front that bear tomorrow.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Oh, I bet you will.” We have another good laugh as he fills me in on the rest of the filming, which sounds like it’s going well. “I have to go, but Dez will get you those docs.”
“Thanks again, Eli. I couldn’t do this without you.”
“Sure you could. I just got you there a little faster.”
We say our goodbyes and hang up as Hudson walks into my office, carrying our dinner. The smell of spices and meat has my mouth watering and my stomach rumbling again.
“Damn, dude. I can hear your stomach from here.” Hudson laughs as he places the food bags on the small table in the back of my office.
“Forgot lunch again.” A problem that has occurred far too often in the last couple of months. Taking the weekend off to attend my niece’s first birthday didn’t help either. But I’ll get back on track.
I move from the chair and grab some water bottles for us from the mini fridge behind my desk before sitting in the wingback chair across from Hudson. He pulls out the food containers and places them on the coffee table. Grabbing my bowl, I pick up a fork and dig in. Hudson does the same, and we enjoy a companionable silence as we eat.
I finish my last bite and grab a napkin, wiping my mouth and hands. Twisting the cap off the water, I take a swig. “Thank you. I needed that.”
“No problem.” Hudson balls his napkin and, with a Kobe Bryant like shot, free throws it into the trash can.
“So?” I prod. It’s not like Hudson to prevaricate. We’re both straight shooters, so when he fiddles with the label on his water, my senses go on high alert. “Hud?”
Hudson is usually all smiles and laughs. I used to be the same way until… I shake my head and concentrate on my business partner.
He finally stares me in the eye, and I notice my friend seems agitated. His hair, which is usually slicked back, is disheveled like he’s been pulling at it all day, and he’s not wearing a tie. “Dude, talk to me.”
“I’m tired. My mom just dropped a bomb on me. With how fucked everything has gotten, she’s moving herself and Penny to England. She said they need a chance to start over without my father’s tainted past haunting them. I get it, but taking Penny? I’m having a hard time accepting it. How am I going to go without seeing my baby sister every day? I feel like she needs me, you know?”
“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that. But hasn’t it been hard on Penny at school?”
Penny just finished her first year of high school a couple of weeks ago, but the rumors—that are more fact than fiction—have made her a target for her peers the entire year. While she’s a tough kid, there is only so much one person can take.
Harold’s seedy indiscretions still follow me and Hudson around, and we are nothing like that creep. I had always looked up to Harold, but learning the truth about who he was behind closed doors messed with my head. It was still hard to rectify the man and mentor I knew with the predator he truly was.
He nods in agreement. “Yeah, but…”
“I know. She’s your kid sister.”
Despite being grown men, my brothers and I still struggle with not being around each other every day. With Jace and Mason in Oregon, that just leaves me and Cameron here at home in Los Angeles, and even then, he travels eight months out of the year playing for the Evaders.
Now that Cam’s secretly dating his worst enemy’s sister—a woman that I recently met and really like for him—we hardly talk. I might give Cam shit about needing me too much, but the truth is I love it. Being able to provide him or anyone I love with help is something I enjoy. I’ll even admit that being needed is my love language.
“It’s fucked, and… Well, I need a favor, E.”
Hudson has never asked for a favor, and the way he’s staring at me makes me nervous. He might as well be one of my brothers, and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him.
Back when I started in this business, I learned really quickly that the Hollywood adage was absolutely true. It’s all about who you know, not what you know. Aside from Hudson, I didn’t know a single person. Sure, I got my foot in the door starting at the Campbell Group, but I wanted to make a name for myself.
When a friend and fellow intern called me asking for help, looking to get in touch with a client on our company’s roster, I told him he’d owe me one. He easily agreed, so I gave him the phone number.
After that, I started going out and making more connections, bartering information with fellow agents and leveraging anything I could. Eventually, in my world, the saying became, “It’s not who you know; it’s who you owe”.
Long story short, about a year later, I needed the name of a certain baseball scout, and I reached out to him. Let’s just say that celebrity couple is still together, and my brother is on the Los Angeles Evaders.
Over time, I have amassed a small fortune worth of favors. I know that sounds shady, like I’m blackmailing people or something. I’m not and would never. I like to think that when I trade favors or cash them in, I’m helping the person I’m working with.
Full disclosure: I do like holding favors over my brother’s heads, just to fuck with them. I don’t plan on cashing them in because I know my brothers would do anything for me, like I do for them.
Hudson is like a brother to me and falls into the “nothing owed in return” camp, so I easily answer, “Anything. Name it.”
“I want to take a few weeks off. Help my mom and Penny move. I know this comes at a stressful time, but can you run this place without me for a while?”
“Fuck, of course. Goes without saying.” I get up and close the door before I bring up my idea. “Since you brought it up, I wanted to talk to you about hiring another agent. We could really use the help.”
“We do, but—”
I cut him off before he freaks out. “I want to promote Dez. He knows this place inside and out. He trained Reenie, and she’s an exceptional assistant because of it. We can start now with a trial period and hire a temporary new assistant. Dez can run your desk while you take as long as you need, and I’ll be here to support him the entire time. When you get back, we can discuss his promotion. I trust him. Implicitly.”
“Hell yeah. I love this idea. I’ve thought Dez should have a bigger role here for a while now. I just wasn’t sure you would let him go.”
I blow out a rumbly breath. “I don’t want to, but I can’t hold him back and I don’t want to lose him.”
A wide grin takes over Hudson’s face. “It’s done, then. When I come back, we tell him, and then we’ll celebrate.”
“Perfect.” I grin at Hud. Dez is going to be so excited. He’s so fucking ready for this promotion.
I pull out my phone and send Dez a text.
“You’re a genius, Eli. Now, you only have to take care of Callie, and Dez can handle everyone else so you won’t have too much extra work.”
My eyes snap to Hudson, and I almost drop my cell. I must have misunderstood him. “Wait. What?”
“I need you to take care of Callie,” he repeats slowly.
“You want me to take care of…” My throat closes around her name, and my heart hammers in my chest.
“Callie.” He says her name slowly as if I’m an idiot. “I need you to personally handle her contracts and be on set with her.”
My eyes bug out of my head, and I find my voice. “No. I can’t.”
“Dude.” Hudson groans. “She’s not what you think. Besides, she’s our biggest client. I love Dez, but Callie needs one of us in her corner. I need you to watch over her, Eli. And don’t be a dick to her.”
Dropping my chin to my chest, I rub my temples, easing the mounting tension in my head. I can’t help being a dick when I’m around Callie. She throws me off center, and my default setting gets switched to “asshole” around her.
“I’m not a dick to her.”
“Yes, you are. I need you to do this for me. I don’t ask for much. She’s our most important client, and you know it. I need you to run point while I’m gone.”
Deep down, I know Hudson is right.
There are some clients that need more attention, especially on the music side of things. But Calliope fucking Wright isn’t your average client. She’s a shining star. A young, beautiful, shiny star.
And the bane of my existence. She’s been a problem since the day I met her.
Met her or caught her?
I fight the urge to growl at my inner thoughts. Instead, I turn my attention back to Hudson. “She has a personal manager. Why does she need one of us to take care of her?”
“Have you met the dragon lady? Silla’s fucking nuts, man. There is some weird dynamic between her and Callie. I haven’t figured it out yet. Maybe if you spend time with Callie—watch her—you will figure it out for me. I’d really like to get rid of the witch.”
That’s the problem. I don’t want to watch Callie. I don’t want to figure her out. I want to stay far away from the woman with the captivating eyes so dark they look like a starless sky.
“What’s that face?” Hudson points his index finger at me and waves it around.
I straighten in my seat and take a sip of water. “There was no face. I obviously have no choice, so catch me up.”
My best friend doesn’t bite. He knows me well enough to see I’m deflecting. “Oh, there was a face.”
“Hud,” I deadpan.
Hudson stares back at me. I have three brothers, so this is an easy win for me.
He breaks contact first. “Fine. You win. Callie is recording a few new songs and will start her West Coast tour in September. It’s a brief run because I don’t think she’s ready for a full US tour, let alone a world tour like Silla wants. I had to battle that botoxed crone on this. She wants Callie out there all day, every day.” He mumbles something about money under his breath that I can’t quite make out.
“Then what do you need me for? Shouldn’t she be busy with rehearsals and recording tracks?” I ask, hoping I can get out of babysitting duty.
“I need you at the sessions and rehearsals, doing that thing you do.”
“What thing?”
“People watching. Reading everyone in the room. Watching Callie’s every move when you think no one is looking.”
“I don’t watch her every move. I barely notice her,” I grumble.
Hudson chuckles. “Keep telling yourself that, man.”
His words hit too close to the truth. Ignoring his comment, I continue, “I’m not a fucking babysitter. Send an intern to watch and report back.”
“If I thought an intern could do this, would I have come to you?” he asks, eyebrows raised.
“No.” I bristle. He wouldn’t.
“Alright, then. Take your fucking laptop and phone. I have a table set up near the water station, or I sit in front of the stage. Rehearsals are at The Ricochet Lounge, seven sharp. Recording sessions begin at four at Pink Pony Studios. I need you out there watching Callie’s every move. Something is going on, and I want to know what it is. And don’t let her sign anything Silla gives her without looking at it.” The concern in Hudson’s voice piques my interest.
Sign what? What is he not seeing that he thinks I can? I want to ask, but I have a feeling he is purposefully being vague.
“When are you leaving?”
“Starting tomorrow. We leave next Monday.”
Fuck . This is all happening too fast.
“I know it’s soon. Tomorrow, I’m spending the day with Penny before we help Mom pack up the house. Not that she’s taking much. She is serious about a fresh start. I can stop by at the end of Callie’s rehearsal. Check in on things. I’ll have Penny with me, but she loves Callie, so maybe I’ll score enough big-brother points until I see Penny for the holidays. Then maybe she won’t hate me when I can’t be there for her.”
“Penny will love that, and she’s not going to hate you, Hud. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know. I just don’t want her thinking I’m abandoning her like our disgrace of a father.” Hudson sighs and scratches his chin.
My friend is struggling. The thought of his sister moving must be killing him. He’s been like a father to Penelope since their dad disappeared into thin air after the allegations came to light.
“She’s fifteen, not five. She understands,” I remind him.
He nods, but I know his head is elsewhere.
“Any word on his location yet?”
“No, the slimy bastard still hasn’t surfaced.” He runs his hands over his face, exhausted from the situation. He’s done everything he can to help the authorities find his father. No one knows how Harold disappeared without a trace.
“They’ll find him,” I assure my friend. Although, I’m not sure anymore. It’s been almost two years.
“I hope so. Anyway, you good?”
My stomach churns, and I’m not as confident as I sound. “Yup. All good.”
If only I could believe that because, deep down, I’m not sure I can hide how being near Callie affects me. Distance is the only way I know how to keep the vow I made to myself when Hudson and I started Blaze.
Never mix business with pleasure.
Never get too close to clients.
Never be like Harold.