Is He Wearing All His Money
After hanging up with her manager, Avery Hayes took her time before checking the messages Leo Foster had sent.
She pushed herself off the sofa and walked over to the full-length mirror to study her reflection. The woman looking back at her was slim and perfectly healthy, but Avery wasn't so sure. She unbuttoned her collar a little, examining the sharp lines of her collarbones.
Jaw tight, she dug through a drawer for a measuring tape and wrapped it around her waist. Once she had the number, she looked up the waist measurements of female celebrities online. A few searches later, a sigh of relief finally escaped her.
Okay. Good. Her waistline was right in the ideal range for a five-foot-seven actress. She wouldn't have to starve herself, after all. It wasn't like she was the type to binge, but she hated it when her manager got on her case every time she so much as looked at a real meal.
Still, if she wanted to avoid dieting in the future, she'd have to get back into a workout routine. Starting tomorrow, she'd set a daily goal. Running seemed like a good place to start. The only reason her body had stayed this trim without a diet was thanks to her old, intense workout regimen.
After scheduling a morning run and ordering some takeout, Avery finally opened the messages from Leo.
Zachary Bell's apartment in Summit Ridge was gorgeous, but it wasn't exactly homey.
The kitchen was completely bare, no pots, no pans, not even a plate.
She'd been living off takeout, but she had no intention of buying any kitchen supplies.
This was just a temporary setup. Once her own apartment was renovated, she'd move back.
Besides, she had to return to New York for the bar exam soon, and who knew what the company would have planned for her by then.
Leo's message was brief: he'd spoken to the director of *The World's Game* about the role of the blind mistress. The director wanted her to come in for an audition tomorrow.
*The World's Game* was a blockbuster political thriller, a huge, A-list production centered on a male lead. The few female roles with any significant screen time had already been locked down by major actresses. Only the part of the blind woman was still up for grabs.
There were two reasons for that. First, the screen time was minimal, just six scenes total. Second, playing a blind person is notoriously difficult. The actress had to be beautiful but also convincingly portray blindness without it looking like a caricature.
The director had already auditioned a slew of actresses over the past few days and hadn't found anyone who fit.
When Leo approached him, he'd actually been considering offering the part to Devon Wallace.
She was a newer actress, but a real powerhouse talent.
She had even played a blind character before, and getting an A-lister like her for a guest appearance would have really made the role pop.
But before he could extend the offer, Leo came knocking. The director didn't turn him down flat, he told Leo to bring Avery to the set tomorrow to see if she was a good fit. Favors were one thing, but he wasn't about to let some random actress ruin a character in his show.
This blind woman was the aunt of the second male lead. She was a minor character, but her role was pivotal; a huge part of the second lead's motivation for getting into a power struggle was for his aunt.
Avery confirmed the time with Leo, then pulled up the script pages for the blind mistress. Six scenes, six thin pages. One page per scene. After editing, her total screen time probably wouldn't even hit six minutes.
It was a full script, including the lines for her costars. Avery had always been a quick study, and it only took her about an hour after finishing her takeout to have all six pages memorized. She didn't just memorize her own lines; she memorized everyone's.
But memorization wasn't enough. She had to understand the character.
She walked back to the mirror, reciting the lines to her reflection, practicing the subtle, vacant quality of a blind person's expression.
Luckily, she'd lived with someone who was blind once, so the physicality wasn't completely foreign to her.
She practiced until she was satisfied, then took a shower, did her skincare routine, and was out the moment her head hit the pillow.
The next morning, the daylight was crisp and clear. The autumn rain had finally stopped, leaving a sharp chill in the air.
Avery braved the biting wind and went downstairs to run three laps around the complex. Forty minutes later, she grabbed a bite at a small breakfast spot she found just outside, then went back up to shower and change.
It was colder than she expected, so she chose a warm, white turtleneck sweater, layering it with a black blazer and light blue jeans. Tying her long hair into a loose knot, she went downstairs and called Leo.
He told her the audition was at eight. It was already seven-thirty, and the drive from her building would take at least that long. They had to hurry.
Leo might be unreliable, but he was surprisingly diligent when it came to tasks from Dexter Reed. Just like he'd immediately contacted the other productions for her yesterday, he was on top of it now. The second Avery rang his doorbell, the door swung open.
He was dressed in the most ridiculously over-the-top outfit she'd ever seen.
His hair was slicked back with an entire bottle of mousse, and he was wearing a black velvet tracksuit with a giant, glittering skull from some new collection.
On his feet were a pair of bright orange, limited-edition sneakers, and his ears glittered with diamond studs so big they were practically a fire hazard.
Avery just stared, baffled. *Did he wear his entire bank account today? We get it, you're a rich kid. You don't have to put it all on at once.*
She felt a muscle in her eye twitch. "Are you going drag racing?"
Leo shot her a look. "You don't get it. The flashier I am, the more likely you are to get the part. Everyone knows I'm a reckless hothead. If someone doesn't do me a favor, who knows if I'll hold a grudge?"
Avery let out a dry little laugh and pressed the elevator button. "Whatever you're planning, just stay away from me during the audition."
Leo followed her into the elevator, looking annoyed. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm out here sacrificing my image to be your bodyguard, and you're not even a little grateful."
Avery gave him an icy glare. "When you came out here, didn't Dexter tell you to be careful? To not draw too much attention when you're with me?"
She and her agency, Stellar Media, were carefully trying to build her public image. Until that was solid, Dexter wanted her name kept completely separate from any man's.
Leo froze. "Oh, right. I forgot. Should I go change?" He looked down at the giant skull on his chest, his brow furrowed. Dexter really had warned him about this before he flew out to California.
Avery rolled her eyes. "There's no time. Just drop me off and leave."
"No way," Leo shot back. "Director Simon Vance is a sly old fox. If I'm not in there to make our presence felt, you might not get this."
"You don't need to be," Avery insisted. "I can get this part myself."
The opportunity was right there, and she had no intention of letting it slip away. She'd spent all night preparing for this. As long as the director wasn't holding it against her that she got the audition through a connection, she was confident she could land the role on her own.