Page 78 of The Boss I Can't Stand
“Sierra!” Finn barked. I rubbed my eyes. I was going to kill him if he didn’t stop backseat directing.
“I see it,” I grumbled through my teeth, digging out my emergency sewing kit and rushing onto the soundstage to hastily repair the damage. “Give me five minutes.”
“You’ve got two and then I want things reset!”
“Get out of my shot!” X barked at him. “Are you the director?”
“Boy, he’s a peach today, eh?” Kaiden said as I drew near enough to patch up his sleeve. I tried to smile away the tension.
“I think everyone’s more than ready to call this project done,” I said diplomatically, tying the fastest stitches of my life before Finn could snap at a PA to drag me out of the shot. “Okay, you’re good,” I said to Kaiden, rushing out of the way. “All fixed!”
X had the camera crew reset, and the madness started all over again. As I stood there, it felt like I was watching something fall apart, and I had no idea what to do about it. The working relationship between X and Finn was ruined, Shaw looked like she was ready to take an acting hiatus the moment this was over, and all I could do was try to make things look pretty. Look perfect. The way I knew Finn wanted them. But right now, even that wasn’t enough.
I watched once again as Kaiden collapsed, riddled with fake bullets, into Shaw’s arms, with nothing but a sinking feeling in my gut.
27
FINN
“Another thing for when you’re back,” I said, talking to Brenna’s voicemail. “I need you to reach out to the team at the Dolby and make sure event permits have been obtained. I don’t want any surprises before the premiere next month.”
I hung up, staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror as I adjusted my tie and swept my hands through my hair. A month of post-production, four days of reshoots, and many editing hours later, we were finally ready to showcase the first rough cut ofEvery Dayto a carefully selected group of investors, distributors, and press.
The event had already been on the books before I’d known we’d have to do reshoots, which meant getting the rough cut done in time had been a round-the-clock operation. Tonight, though, it would finally pay off.
All the stress, all the aggravation, all the hours spent looking over X’s shoulder and following up with the editors daily…This was what it had all been for, and I was eager to see the first reactions to the film.
I slipped my phone into my pocket and headed back out into the bedroom when something caught my eye in the hall. I turned, taking in Sierra, clad in a shimmery floor-length evening gown, the same dark blue as her eyes.
Lord Meowington padded along beside her, staring up at her like she might produce a treat from a hidden pocket. I hadn’t caught her at it yet, but I was convinced she had started offering him treats as a way to earn his affection—and damn it all if it wasn’t working.
Actually, the treat thing worked on both of us because she looked delicious, and I wanted to devour her.
“Well?” she asked, doing a little twirl before reaching me.
“You look amazing,” I said, hardly able to take my eyes off her. I didn’t know how I ever would with all that creamy skin on display and the fabric clinging to her hips likethat. And Christ, that slit when she walked…
I tugged on the collar of my shirt. It was damn hot in here.
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the kiss I gave her, though it felt perfunctory. Stiff. I frowned, on the verge of asking if something was wrong—but she ran her hand up my chest, distracting me. “You look pretty great yourself. I’m really liking the tux.”
“This old thing?” I said, cocking my head, trying to get a smile out of her. “I had my name down for a hot designer, but she didn’t have room on her schedule for me.” I pulled her closer, running my hands over her backside. “Too busy making movies.”
She hummed softly against my neck. She’d been a little quiet, a little standoffish, since she’d run after my mother that day we watched the ruined scene. I knew she wanted me to reach out and fix things, but I wasdonecleaning up after my mother.
I’d finally accepted the simple truth that there was no fixing Cathleen Lockhart. You just had to roll with it. And I had no intention of apologizing for that day.Iwasn’t the one who’d been sneaking around set with the director. I wasn’t the one who’d bungled up what was essentially the most important sequence in the film.
I went in for another kiss, but Sierra turned her head at the last second, and I caught her cheek. It reminded me of that first fake date, all those months ago, and an uncomfortable knot tightened in my chest. I pulled back to catch her eye.
“Don’t ruin my makeup,” she said, smiling a bit.
“I’ll ruin any part of you I like,” I growled, squeezing her hips.
She laughed softly. “Not until later. Ready to go? I saw the limo downstairs.”
“Just about,” I said. “I’ve got a box of gift bags to carry down and another set I have to add comment cards to for after the screening. Someone had the great idea to tie all the cards to the bags with finicky ribbon.”
“I thought Brenna was in charge of that?” Sierra said.
