Page 14 of Tactically Acquired

“Not ready to hang up your hat yet?” he asked, shooting me a knowing look.

“Don’t start,” I said, pursing my lips.

“Don’t you ever get tired of it all?”

I knew Spencer was not like me. He wasn’t into all of this. Yes, he was an actor at heart, but he was more of a theater actor than an action star. However, with his dashing good looks and the body of a God, he was immediately shuffled into the stereotypical role paired with me. The chemistry was an instant hit, and we’d been making movies together ever since. We liked working together, and the audience loved us.

“Tired of making movies that allow me to take out my frustrations on puny men like Grouper and blow stuff up? Not at all.”

Spencer ran his thumb across his lower lip, staring off into space. I knew he was exhausted by the schedule, by the constant work that he got no enjoyment out of. He wanted to do something different. I couldn’t blame him for it. Not to mention the constant hours working with me on lines. It was a lot to take.

“Hey, we’ll go for something different after this,” I promised, leaning forward to pat him on the knee.

“Yeah?”

We would have to. There was no way around it, and we both knew it.

When his eyes lit with excitement, I was relieved for the first time ever that this was coming to an end. The studio wanted us to do another big blockbuster action movie, but they wouldn’t get another out of us. Besides, I knew of another film that was right up Spencer’s alley, and the producers were desperate for him. If we could wrap this film in time, he’d get exactly what he wanted. I would give him at least that much before we stopped doing movies together.

“Who knows, it might not be that bad,” I grinned.

“You’d look great in a period costume.”

“I would, wouldn’t I? I bet I could even pull off a British accent.”

He cringed at that. “I’ve heard you try. Trust me, it needs a lot of work.”

I grabbed a water bottle off the table and whipped it at him, but he caught it and chuckled, cracking the seal to take a drink. “So, what’s this about the boss wanting to see us?”

He shrugged casually. “Probably another scene adjustment. Another late night to redo a scene to make it just perfect.” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “Have you heard from Ginger?”

“Only in a letter,” I said, grabbing the most recent communication from the desk and handing it over. His eyebrows shot up as he read through it.

“Wow. She’s starring in a musical.”

“With Tony Stewart,” I muttered, sighing heavily.

“And how do you feel about that?” he hedged.

“You mean, other than the fact that she was supposed to be here with me?” I shrugged like it made no difference. “She can do whatever she wants. It’s her life and her career.”

“Yeah, but?—”

“But nothing. She made her choice.” I snatched the letter out of his hands and tossed it on the desk. I’d probably burn it later for fun, secretly hoping it would bring her bad luck for seven years, which it wouldn’t. It never did.

“Audrey—”

“It’s fine, Spencer.”

He stood and walked over to me as I gathered my things. We had to get back on set, and no amount of brooding over things I couldn’t change would make a damn bit of difference. But just like Spencer always did, he pulled me into his strong arms and wrapped me up in a bear hug, making me feel like the most cherished person in the world.

I relished in the warmth and comfort that only he could give me and nuzzled my face into his chest. His large hand slowly ran up and down my back comfortingly, making me wish we could be more than friends. Alas, it would never happen. We’d kissed so many times that we both knew there just wasn’t anything between us. We were great at pretending and putting on a show, but in reality, there was nothing but sibling affection between us.

“Come on. Let’s go see what Woody wants this time.”

I nodded against his chest and stepped back, smoothing out the shirt I’d just wrinkled. The costume department would have a field day with me for ruining their masterpiece if they found it in anything but pristine condition.

I grabbed my sunglasses off the table and slid them on, exhaling loudly. Turning, I took Spencer’s hand as he guided me down the steps. After he locked my trailer, we headed over to the set where Woody was waiting for us, looking just as irritable as he always did.

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