Page 64 of Wild Omega

She bats my words away with a shake of her head, which tosses silky red hair in all directions. “No need. I noticed you online while I was researching, and when I saw you in the coffee shop, my first thought wasI’m going to steal him from Lyra Gray no matter what.”

I choke on my food, both her declaration and certainty catching me off guard. My body rebels and after a few polite coughs fail to deal with the problem, I throw my bowl toward the table and give up being delicate to hack into my hands.

A moment later glass clinks and a warm hand rubs my back. “You okay?”

I nod and splutter. “Went down . . . the wrong way.”

Red offers me the glass of water she brought over, and I sip, blinking to clear my watery eyes. “Did you really think that even before meeting me?”

She nods, smirking. “I thought you had serious style and werefine. Since you’re available, you’re hired on the spot.”

I shake my head in wonder. She’s so confident, like she knows exactly what she wants and how she’s getting there. “Just like that?”

“Mm-hmm.” She winks at me, and then lifts her carb-loaded fork. “And damn, Rickon, this is delicious.”

“Thank you.” I beam, thrilled my omega likes my cooking. Not to mention I just found myself a new job. Life’s looking up.

She studies me intently as she chews and swallows. “So, what auditions are coming up?”

“Hm, I know of an action one about a high school student who has to go on the run after she’s implicated in a school shooting, or we could try a drama about a lonely woman who finds healing working at an animal rescue center, or—” Her brow furrows and I hurry on, amazed at how attuned I am to her every expression. “Depending on your resume, we could audition for Director Yun’s next project. It’s a romance drama movie about a beta jockey who awakens unexpectedly as an omega but wants to stay in the sport.”

Red’s eyes light up. “Yep, that’s the one we’re auditioning for. Sounds fun. “

I hum under my breath. I only saw a little of the concept and script when Lyra looked it over, but it won’t be an easy role. “It’s a pretty complex film, with racetrack settings, bullying, and love interests from the OCB who investigate a crime ring at the track.” I tap my bottom lip while I think and then a bigger realization zips into my head. “You ever ridden a horse?”

“No.” Red shrugs and grins. “How hard can it be?”

I groan softly. “Very hard, especially at speed.”

Her tongue darts out to wick across her lips, and I track its progress. “You sound like you’re talking from experience?”

“Yeah, well, Callisto comes from money, and I hung around his place enough. His mom used to have horses.”

Her face falls at the mention of Callisto, and my stomach swoops with the same feeling. She doesn’t seem like the kind of person to wallow, though, because the next moment a smile’s back on her face. “Great, you can teach me.”

I keep my doubts to myself about how quickly someone can learn horse riding. If she can meet the rest of the requirements, they’ll use a stunt double and green screen the up-close riding scenes, but it creates more work for the production team.

I run a hand through my hair. “Okay, do you have an acting resume? If not, I’ll grab my laptop, and we can type one up for you.”

The couch creaks as I lean forward, anticipating that I’ll have to type one up. If she doesn’t have a document like a birth certificate, she probably won’t have a career listing either. We’ll need to get an IMDB profile launched as well. I’m curious about the secrets she’s keeping locked up, and what’s brought her here. I want to know everything about her, but I know better than to pry all at once.

A guarded expression crosses her face, and she squeezes her knees together. “It’s all foreign. Nothing will translate here.”

A furrow digs into my forehead. “We don’t need to translate them. Most foreign films are dubbed—”

Red shifts, turning her face away from me, and Callisto’s warning rings in my mind.An ‘in’ to a movie career.Nausea worms through my belly. “Red?” I clear my throat. “You have acted in a movie before, haven’t you?”

Her lovely blue-gray eyes flit to me before darting away to examine the empty bowls on the coffee table. “I’ve acted . . . In fact, I’m a superb actress. You’ll see.”

A chill creeps down my arms, making my hair stand on end. “But you don’t have any actual film experience.”

She turns slowly to meet my gaze, pale eyes sheened with emotion. Her silence confirms my theory.

I slump back in the seat. “Acting school?”

More heavy silence.

“Shit,” I mutter, my knee bouncing to bleed off the icy adrenaline rushing through my veins.

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