Celebrity 1 - Wrong Number, Right Guy (3 page)

Ryan peered out the windows of his trailer. He’d already gone to hair and makeup, and wardrobe had left his clothes on the couch. Somehow he was supposed to shoot the next scene, running from the bank building through special effects fire stripping. The fire strip would pop like gunfire, and Ryan was supposed to be dragging Selene behind him. They’d stop, he’d pull her into a deep kiss, promise they’d get through it together, and then run off the scene.

Who wrote this stuff anyway? If I were being shot at, the last thing I’d want to do is stop to kiss somebody
.
When this movie came out, though, the men would cheer on the artillery and their dates would swoon. He didn’t know how Hollywood made it work, but they always did.
His gaze strayed to the crowd of gathered people, watching the scene preparation. None of them approached the casting director. If Dar didn’t come, Ryan wouldn’t be risking his identity. Yet the prospect of Dar not showing up made his spirits sink. On the phone, Dar had sounded confident that he’d be there with his friend Brett. Since Brett was such a huge fan, Dar would have to show.
Wouldn’t he?
Two men walked up to the crowd and gently pushed their way to the front. Ryan’s pulse jumped to a gallop
. Is it them?
He stood upright, dropping the thin horizontal blinds back in place, his thoughts racing a mile a minute.
“Maybe it’s not. Calm down, Ryan, calm down. Just, look again and see what they do.”
He leaned over, and parted the blinds again, watching. A tall blond and a slightly shorter brunette man spoke to the casting director. Ryan kept watching as the men reached for their back pockets and pulled out their wallets to present their IDs.
“Geez. I think it
is
them.”
The casting director ushered them through the roped off area to hair and makeup. Someone snapped their pictures before they sat, and a clipboard passed from the casting director to the director’s assistant, who turned with the caster to look at Ryan’s trailer.
“Which one?” Ryan muttered. “Which one is he?”
The blond was so excited he could barely sit still. The brunette laughed and that’s when Ryan knew for sure. His shoulders relaxed and he found himself smiling. “Well, hello there, Dar,” he whispered to the trailer.
Ryan jumped as someone pounded on his door. Since a security guard was posted outside, he knew it had to be one of the crew. “In,” he shouted, moving away from the window.
“Why are there two guys out there claiming to be hand-picked extras?” the director’s assistant, Nathan, said even before he shut the door again.
“Because they are,” Ryan told him. “They’re nice guys and they’re fans. They are also very local. You said yourself you wanted as much local color as possible in this movie.”
Nathan sighed dramatically. “Am I going to need to get Jack in here?”
“Why would my agent care who you put on the set?”
“I just want to make sure you didn’t offer his services to represent them, too.”
“No, I’m just pulling in a favor. Relax,” Ryan assured him. “They wanted to meet me, too.”
“Yeah, I know,” Nathan said. “They told me that Ryan Fenmore set it up for them to meet Ryan Pierce. I nearly threw them out. Which tells me this is a sight-unseen publicity deal with these two.”
“Pretty much.”
“Do me a favor? I know you’re a big shot, and you never pull surprise diva shit on me like other actors do, but let me know next time I have to accommodate the local flavor. Can you do that?”
“Sure, Nathan. It’s not going to be a problem is it?”
Nathan sighed almost as impressively as the first time, adding a little sound at the end and rolling his eyes. Ryan could see the smile through it though. “No problem. I’ll make it work. Just, when you have someone to put on screen with you,
try
to make him someone who will blend in a little better.”
“What do you mean?”
“You picked a surfer dude and a boy-next-door sort. We’ll have to give them a very brief walk-on. You cool with that?”
“Sure. Whatever you can do is fine. I think they mostly want the experience, and to meet me.” Ryan shrugged negligently.
“Well, suit up then. We need you on the set in”—Nathan checked his watch—“five minutes. I have to go pep-talk Selene into showing up without her Pomeranian. Damn puff ball.”
“I’ll meet the guys after the shoot.”
“That would work best,” Nathan agreed. He had a hand on the trailer doorknob. “You need anything before I go?”
“I’m good.”
“All right. See you on set.”
Ryan waited until the door was shut. He quickly pulled on his shirt, then removed the tissues protecting his outfit from movie makeup. He gave himself one more look in the mirror to see that everything was on correctly. Shaking his head, he marveled that even in a romantic suspense, the wardrobe department found a way to slash and stain his shirt to best show off his chest and ribs.
What would Dar see when he looked at him?
A mess
, he decided.
The smears of coal on his cheekbone, fake blood at the far edge of an eyebrow, soot caked in his hair until it hung almost like dreadlocks, a realistic burn mark revealed on his shoulder through a rip in the thin, stained white tee. Not the greatest for first impressions.
Which is why Saturday was going to be important when he fully revealed his identity and hoped like hell it didn’t completely put Dar off.
The boy-next-door, huh? How boyish? Cute?
With his tousled brown hair and easy walk, he looked like someone comfortable in his own skin. Of course, Ryan was making this assessment from a man moving away from him in the distance.
Dar seemed to move like a man confident in his place in the world, and conscious of exactly how much space he took up in it. Ryan didn’t know that kind of confidence. Oh, he knew he was a desirable commodity in the movies.
For now
. He also knew that he had to show up for certain events and make a splash.
But all in all? Celebrity was fleeting. Dust in the wind. When it ended, and it
would
end, where would it leave him? Did he take up a job in the industry behind the scenes, bit parts, flip burgers at a joint somewhere? Who the hell knew?
Ryan looked through the slats of venetian blinds, scanning the area for Dar and Brett but came up empty. Dar could be his kryptonite. Ryan knew it, though he couldn’t say exactly why.
Dar had an innately
real
quality that not one person in his recent Hollywood experience had. It smelled like nostalgia, and hanging with friends, and not knowing what he and the guys were going to do Friday night except drink beer and possibly fuck.
Preferably each other.
He snorted.
Dar was as unattainable to Ryan as Ryan Pierce was to Dar. If only Dar knew. Probably wouldn’t believe it. Wasn’t that a switch? Dar was Ryan’s “celebrity.”
Ryan stood and took a deep breath. It was now or never. He took the doorknob in hand and twisted it abruptly. With a sharp pull on the door, natural light flooded the trailer and Ryan hurried outside, taking the steps in a couple of hops.
“Mr. Pierce, right this way,” the security guard told him.
Ryan followed. The crowd hooted and called to him. Plastering a smile on his face, he lifted a hand to wave at the fans. Turning away, he strode quickly to the bank. To the right of the bank, a blond and a brunette sat in front of a café, drinks waiting for attention on the table before them.
He didn’t let himself look over. Not until after the shoot. Not until after he had to stop and kiss Selene amidst fake gunfire. It would be his reward for doing the scene believably. Hopefully, Selene remembered to brush her teeth this time.

Brett looked faint when Ryan Pierce walked by. To be fair, Dar felt a little star struck, too. The man was impossibly good-looking. Taller in person than Dar expected, and loaded with charisma. He seemed to spark with energy on every step he took.

“That’s what he said. The guy is a movie star. He has work to do. I bet we get to meet him later on.”
“Quiet on the set!” a loudspeaker demanded.
The scene started. Camera men jogged backward from the double doors of the building, soon followed by Ryan and Selene running hand in hand.
“Cut!”
Cameras repositioned. A grip moved in range. Lighting shifted and cameras on tracks rolled forward. Ryan and Selene walked back to the front of the double doors.
“And, action!”
Ryan ran several steps, retracing what he’d just run in the moments before, but this time, he pulled Selene into his arms.
“I won’t let them hurt you, Carrie. I’ll never let them hurt you,” Ryan swore passionately.
“Johnny, this has always been my fight. If you stay with me, they’ll kill you, too,” she bemoaned just as passionately.
“Cut!”
Ryan and Selene stepped away from each other. The director came over and chatted with them for a moment. Makeup was retouched. Dar had never seen anything like it. The moment seemed so ridiculous, he wondered how they’d cut it and add music to fill out the scene for the theater.
“Ready?” The director sat in his chair and waited for the nods from the stars. The running and declaration happened three more times with different angles.
The last time, Ryan pulled her closer.
“I can’t leave you,” he insisted into Selene’s upturned face.
Her lush red lips parted. Her brow furrowed with worry. “Why?”
“I’m in love with you.”
She shoved his chest ineffectually. “You
hate
me.”
“I only said that to keep you safe, Carrie. Letting you go would destroy a part of me I never knew existed until you walked into my life. I’m not leaving you. Not ever.”
Dar’s breath caught as Ryan roughly jerked her against his body, grabbed the back of her hair, and held her steady for a burning kiss.
“Cut! Let’s shoot that scene again,” the director called. “God yes, with me in it this time,” Brett breathed.
Dar kicked him under the table.
The kiss was shot once more. After the director called cut, Selene hands remained fisted in Ryan’s shirt as she held the kiss until Ryan had to peel her fingers away.
Ryan’s expression was one of amused annoyance as he turned away from her, and headed to the café.
“Oh. My. God. Here he comes! Do I look okay?” Brett’s hands shook as he ran them over his chest.
“You look fine. Relax,” Dar whispered before Ryan got there.
Ryan stopped behind one of the wrought iron chairs. “Hi,” he said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
“Ohmygodhi!” Brett yelled, leaping to his feet, knocking the chair over behind him. “I’m Brett. I’m totally your biggest fan. On the planet. For all time. I swear.”
Dar barely stifled his laughter. He’d never seen Brett so keyed up. And the look on Ryan Pierce’s face could have been horror. His brown eyes widened and he unconsciously leaned away from the blabbering Brett.
Covered in makeup and movie set blood, Ryan still looked incredible. God, he was sexy. Dar stood less quickly. He rubbed his hand on his hip and held it out. “Hi, my name’s Dar Phillips. It’s amazing to meet you.”
Ryan cautiously looked away from Brett, seeming to determine he wasn’t a threat, and smiled with relief at Dar’s outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you,” he murmured in silky smooth tones.
Their fingers touched and Dar swore he had a moment of tingling awareness. His fingers closed on Ryan’s in a gentle squeeze. Ryan looked from their hands to Dar’s face. He seemed watchful, uncertain of what was expected next.
“Can I get your autograph?” Brett interrupted.
“Sure,” Ryan said, sparing Brett a look and a kind smile. “Where do you want me to sign?” His fingers slipped from Dar’s grasp and Dar felt a moment of sharp loss.
“You’d never sign where I
really
want it, but maybe a copy of the scene script?” Brett asked.
They’d both been given photocopies of the scene and Brett held his out.
“Do you have a pen?” Ryan asked.
Brett’s face fell. “No.”
“That’s okay. If you want, we can go back to my trailer for a few minutes and I’ll sign it there,” Ryan offered.
“Yes!” Brett erupted.
“Geez, Brett, chill,” Dar said.
Ryan laughed lightly and motioned them to follow. Brett walked side by side with Ryan. Dar followed up behind, his gaze traveling the length of the superstar in front of him.
He really is that good-looking in person
. He walked, leading from the hip, in a relaxed stride.
Dar glanced around. Fans continued to call to him and as they approached the trailer, Ryan had to tell the security guard that it was okay to let Dar and Brett pass. But Dar kept looking for someone with a clipboard to be watching them. None were.
“Mr. Pierce, is Ryan Fenmore on set?” Dar asked.
The security guard coughed.
“Please, call me Ryan. Fenmore? Yeah, he’s here.”
“I was hoping to meet him today.”
“He’s with some people at the moment. Busy guy.”
Dar frowned. “I guess that’s okay. I’ll meet him later.”
Ryan Pierce flashed his famous smile. It was almost enough to make Dar forget about his smoky voiced phone-a-friend. Almost.
Dar followed the other two into the trailer, and closed the door behind them. “Do you let everyone come in here?”
Ryan stopped his search for a pen. Looking at Dar over his shoulder, he seemed to consider Dar’s question. “Never,” he said after a moment.
“Not even Selene?” Brett asked. “I bet Selene comes in here. I bet she
comes
in here a lot.”
Neither Dar nor Ryan missed the double meaning.
“Never,” Ryan said again. He located the pen, then crossed to take Brett’s script. “Make it out to Brett?”
“Yeah. Can you say,
To Brett, my inspiration. I’ll never forget the scene we shared
?”
“Oh, my God, Brett.” Dar had no words. None.
Ryan grinned. “It’s fine. To Brett, my inspiration. I’ll never forget our scene together,” he said as he wrote.
“Awesome!”
Dar shook his head, laughing.
“What about you, Dar? Do you want an autograph, too?” Ryan asked, holding up his pen and reaching for the script Dar held.
Dar looked at the collection of papers, then at the extended hand. He took a breath and met Ryan’s expectant gaze. “I’ll pass. I’m not going to forget meeting you,” he decided. “I don’t need your name scrawled on a piece of paper to prove it.”
Ryan’s smile broadened. Dar couldn’t help but smile back.
“You’re sure?” Ryan asked again, one brow rising. His eyes twinkled with—pleasure?
No, couldn’t be
. He’d basically rejected the man’s autograph. Maybe it was amusement lurking in the deep brown depths. * * *