Page 32 of Breaking Free

“I...uh...sure.” She wanted to saywhen hell freezes over, but he hadn’t actually hit on her, just offered lunch. Was her paranoia making her imagine things that weren’t there? She needed to talk to Cindy and Josie about this.

“Let’s make it real soon, yeah?” Hunter joined Morgan, who was waiting for him, and the two men disappeared behind a door down the hall.

Piper frowned, unable to shake off the ick.

“Ole Hunter is on the prowl again, I see.”

The snarky brunette sat with a smug smile, pecking away at her keyboard. Her gaze didn’t veer from her computer screen, but she was obviously aware of everything around her.

“What does that mean?”

“He had a fling with his last lead actress. It’s his MO, and why he chooses nobodies. They’re so desperate for their big break, they don’t say no.”

“You know Hunter well, then?”

“Everyone knows Hunter, aka Horn Dog, aka Cunt Hunter.” She said the crude nicknames without flinching or loweringher voice. “He has a thing for blondes.” For the first time, the woman’s eyes shifted from the screen and met hers. “Even fake ones.”

Piper’s spine stiffened at the insinuation because she’d never once colored her hair. In turn, her gaze rose to the bitch’s sleek French twist, the salon-created caramel strands in medium brown gleaming under the lights. She immediately chalked up her comments to envy. Maybe she was the one who had a thing for Hunter.

“I know from experience because I used to be a bottle blonde, but I had enough self-respect not to succumb to the pressures of the casting couch. But to each her own,” she said with a shrug, going back to her typing. “Some people will do what it takes to get ahead. Like taking their clothes off in front of everyone.”

She swallowed hard. “There wasn’t any nudity in the script I read.”

“You mean all six pages of it? Don’t be naive. There are at least two hard R scenes. Cunt Hunter insisted—for ratings so he said.” She let out a little laugh with her smirk. “It’s another reason he wanted a nobody. Most A-listers can draw viewers by name alone, not with gratuitous sex and nudity.”

The phone rang. While the woman answered, Piper made her escape—disillusioned, insulted, and sick to her stomach. Once outside, she ignored the bustling noise of Vine St. and dialed her agent, hoping for reassurance.

“Piper, dahling,” her agent answered cheerfully. “How did the audition go?”

“I thought it was going well until they cut the scene early.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. Think positive.”

“Something happened afterward. I ran into Hunter Ainsley, the director, on my way out. He offered me the part.”

There was a pause. “But that’s wonderful news, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. I heard some disturbing things about him.”

Cindy listened as Piper recounted the conversation with the receptionist. Several seconds ticked by, before she spoke up, her exaggerated accent suddenly gone.

“I’ve never heard these nicknames or the slightest whisper of impropriety about Hunter, and I’ve had several clients who have worked with him. They’ve reported that he and his crew were professional and respectful. Maybe this woman had a bad experience or has an ax to grind.”

“What should I do?”

“My advice is the same to every woman working in the industry. Trust your instincts. But don’t let one person’s opinion cloud your judgment.”

Piper hung up, feeling slightly reassured as she walked around the block to the garage where she’d parked. In her car, with the AC blowing full blast because the heat wave in southern California just wouldn’t quit, she dialed Josie.

“Hey, it’s me,” Piper said when her friend answered. “I have a question that’s rather, um, delicate.”

“Really? Okay, then. Shoot.”

“First, I ran into Hunter today. Did you know he was the director of the series I auditioned for?”

“I had no idea. He rarely talks about his work with me. In fact, our schedules are so different, we hardly see each other. But knowing someone on set would be good, wouldn’t it?”

“I was hoping you could tell me. He offered me the role, but a young woman who knows him made him out to be...”

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