Page 5 of Dangerous Curves

I step over and greet Reba. “How are you?”

“I’m good, sweetheart, how are you?” Reba is a bleach blonde with hair the size of Texas, who still believes in blue eyeliner and power pink lipstick. I’ve never seen her dressed in something that didn’t have shoulder pads. Her voice is raspy from smoking two packs a day, but she’s the sweetest and hardest working lady I know.

“I’m great. So, tell me the two of you have some good news for me?”

Gary and Reba exchange a look. “We have the best news for you,” Reba tells me. “We just booked you a job with Golden House Productions. The new movie they are producing, Right, Left, Wrong should be huge at the box office. It’s also being directed by Walt McCormmick. The original stuntman had to leave the project due to scheduling difficulties and they came to Gary for a replacement. He came to me to see if you’d be interested.”

I’m frozen. This is a huge deal. Walt McCormmick is the director of action movies right now in Hollywood. Then there’s Golden House Productions...everything the company has produced in the last year has been a smash at the book office. This is literally a chance of a lifetime, but I can’t do it. Golden House is Kenndrix. It’s her production company. I’ve followed her career since the moment I walked out of the house we had called home. For the longest time, I waited and hoped and prayed that she would come back to me. I held on until I realized she wasn’t coming back. Eventually, I knew I had to let her go and with that decision came my promise to never participate in a Golden House Production. It would all be too much. My heart sinks as I realize I won’t be able to take this part. “Wow,” I mumble.

“I really thought you’d be more excited, kid,” Gary tells me.

I meet his eyes. “I’m so thankful and I know this is a chance of a lifetime opportunity.”

“Then why does it feel like you’re getting ready to tell us no?” Reba interrupts.

The heavy sigh escapes me and I stand up as I begin to pace Gary’s office. “Because I am.”

“Excuse me?” Gary asks.

“I can’t take the job.”

The room falls silent. When I finally meet Gary and Reba’s eyes, I see the utter shock and disbelief. “Do you want to explain why?” she asks.

“I really can’t,” I admit, sheepishly.

Gary nods and stands up. He walks around the front of his desk and leans back against it. “Well, if you can’t give me a valid reason as to why you can’t take this job then I hope you can understand why I ‘ll have to release you from your contract.”

I feel my eyes grow. “What? You can’t do that.”

“Actually, he can. Your contract has a clause for matters like this. He does have the right to release you from your current contract if you don’t take the job.” Reba gives me a half assed sympathetic look.

Taking a deep breath I spill out everything to them. My past with Kenndrix and her connection with Golden House Productions. I explain my broken heart and how I’m still not fully over her. In the end they both stare at me wordlessly.

Gary nods his head finally. “I get it, I really do, but she’s not going to be on the set. It’s just her production company. The big wigs never show up on set unless something goes horribly wrong. You’re safe and you’re taking this job. You need to be there tomorrow at nine sharp.”

Dumbfounded, I stand there, speechless and shocked. Gary’s tone left no room for argument. Reba stands up and my attention moves to her. “Oh, the blonde tips will have to go as well. They’ll take care of it, but just wanted to give you a heads up.”

My entire world just fell off its entire axis and I’m not sure what to do about it. I leave the office and make my way to my bike in a haze. My mind is muddled with everything from my past and present, worrying about the future. By the time I reach my bike, I know there’s only one person who can help me through this.

Five

Kenndrix

I answer the phone, already dreading whatever issue has suddenly come up on the set now. We start filming tomorrow, and already this movie has had more setbacks than any other my production company has been a part of. We’ve been lucky though. Things have been smooth sailing for us on pretty much every project since I started Golden House Productions. I know lots of other production companies that have suffered largely during their first couple of years. Starting up a production company is no different than any other business. It takes time to gain clients and make a name for yourself. Somehow, we managed to do that with the first movie the company produced. It was a box office hit with a pretty star studded cast, a great director and the audience loved it because it was a book to film. From there Golden House Productions became sought after. A sigh escapes my now tense body as the call connects. “Grant.”

“I’m so sorry to bother you, Miss Golden.” Grant still hasn’t learned to call me Drix, my stage name in Hollywood.

“Grant, please call me Drix. We’ve been over this and you’ve worked for me for months now.” His southern manners keep him from being even a little unprofessional and somehow calling me Drix is considered unprofessional for him.

Grant chuckles on the other end of the line. “Yes, ma’am. I’m sure you’re busy, so I won’t waste time. There is an issue with casting.”

My stomach plummets. Casting is probably the worst issue you can have the day before filming starts. Location or equipment issues can usually be fixed by changing up the filming schedule, but casting or director issues are not so easily handled on such a short notice. “What is it?” I ask quietly. I’m actually shocked he can hear me.

“Well, it seems the original stuntman for Bram Huvington had to be released from his contract after getting into a fender bender last night.”

Oh a stuntman issue is less difficult to resolve. “Is he okay?”

“Yes, but considering the amount of drugs he had on him, well he’s going to be in jail for a while.”

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