Page 46 of The Actor: Harrison

I chuckle. “Yes, you were.” I reluctantly let her go from the embrace. “Where’s your car?”

She lets out a defeated sigh. “At the shop. It was making a weird noise the last couple of days and I had to suck it up and get it fixed.”

“How did you get here?”

“Same way I’ll go home: Uber.”

I shake my head and grab her hand in mine. The feeling of her fingers wrapping around mine is something I didn’t know I could crave. I’d never let her go, if it was up to me. She follows me silently to my SUV and smiles at me when I open the door for her.

“Like a true gentleman.”

“Iama gentleman!” I point out.

“Well, I can’t say that isn’t true.” She chuckles.

I turn around the car and can’t hide a bit of nervousness gripping my stomach. I take a deep breath before jumping in.

“Listen, I saved a bottle of champagne to celebrate the wrap. Do you want to share it with me?” I blurt out when I start the car and drive off the parking lot so I have an excuse not to look her in the eye if she rejects my proposal.

“I though you billionaires drink champagne every day. Are you telling me you save it for special occasion like us commoners?” she says with a grin.

I chuckle, glancing at her. “I’m not that kind of billionaire.”

“I noticed. I would love to celebrate with you,” she adds, and my nervousness eases a bit.

I don’t know where we are with this thing between us, but I decide I’ll take a step at time. She’s coming home with me and that’s good enough for now.

***

I park in the garage and guide her through the lower level of the house, enjoying her puzzled face as I twist and turn a few times. This space made me dizzy too when I first bought the house.

“Of course, you have a wine cellar.” She rolls her eyes and I can’t hide a grin from my face.

“Where did you think I kept the wine?” I raise an eyebrow at her, but I’m genuinely curious.

I grew up in a very rich family, the wine cellar was the bare minimum of what my father looked for before buying a house. I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I don’t know where people usually keep their wine.

“I don’t know, I keep it in the fridge or in a cabinet near the sink.” She giggles.

She doesn’t giggle a lot, only when she’s really comfortable with a person, and I’m glad she’s doing it with me. There’s a certain degree of satisfaction in making her feel like she can trust me. She’s used to counting only on herself.

“It’s the best way to ruin a good bottle.”

“I can’t afford good bottles, Harrison. I drink cheap wine from the supermarket,” she says. There is no reproach in her tone. It’s just a statement about her life and I can’t figure out why she’s so broke when she has the talent to become a millionaire. Or maybe I know the reason, but it’s so unfair I can’t believe there is not a way to make it right. At the very least, karma should do the thing.

I enter the room where I keep the white wines—because yes, I have separate rooms for red and white bottles—and I grab the champagne. Our walk to the upper level into the main living room is silent and I can’t tell if she’s nervous or just taking in my house.

I don’t know what she expects from this night. Champagne and a good talk? Sex? Both? It’s unnerving how much I can’t read this woman. Usually, I know when I pick up my date how the night will end. It takes me one look—at how they act, how nervous they are, how they are dressed and where they want to go—to understand if sex is on the menu for the night.

Sienna isn’t like any other woman I’ve met. She doesn’t dress to impress, she’s confident and sexy enough in her own skin to know she doesn’t need to show off to get exactly what she wants. And she doesn’t assume you’re attracted to her. Her jealousy when I filmed with Viola was a clear enough sign that she doesn’t expect me to choose her because she thinks she’s better than other women.

I like this balanced part of her character: she’s aware of her potential but doesn’t let it tear other people down to get what she wants. Maybe that’s why she didn’t make a big splash in Hollywood right from the start. She’s too honest and loyal to make it in this industry.

We reach my living room and I motion for her to sit on the couch while I grab a couple of flutes. I uncork the bottle and pour the wine into the two glasses.

“To this movie. Hoping it will have the success it deserves,” I toast.

“To this movie,” she echoes with a grin before sipping from her glass.

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