Saving Alexander (3 page)

“Hmm, sounds titillating. Is it sexy?” Miles looked at Sage slyly.

Sage flushed, something that had been the bane of his life since he was a boy. He’d been called “Rosy Sage” when he was younger, a name he hated with a passion. “It is a bit. I’ve never really done many sex scenes on camera before, so it’ll be a real eye opener.” He shrugged. “But it’s all experience. I’ll be fine.”

“I suppose it depends on the woman you’re having pretend sex with,” Miles commented drily. “Do you know who’ll you be having it off with yet, then?”

Sage laughed at his godfather’s choice of words. “The female lead is Dianne Cunningham.”

“Wow!” Miles whistled, impressed. “She’s a beauty. Even though you don’t bat for that team, my boy, you’re a lucky man to get close to that one.”

Sage grinned. “I can kiss a woman as well as a man when it comes to acting. Of course it would be much nicer if it was someone who was my gender and looked like Tyler Hoechlin, but I can’t be fussy.” He leered mockingly at Miles.

Miles shook his head. “There’s no hope for you, young Sage.”

He finished his tea and stood up, stretching as he did so. “Right. I’d better get off, let you get yourself sorted before tomorrow. I’ll come by and sort the horses out at some stage, don’t you worry. I’ll get young Annie down the road to help me. You know she loves them and she’ll take them for a bit of exercise.”

He hugged his godson, picked up his tweed hat and disappeared out the front door. Sage heard him whistling as he walked toward home.

Sage smiled. He was really very lucky to have Miles. Closing the cottage door, he went back into his small lounge to sit down and finish the rest of his tea and biscuits, his mind in a whirl. He had a good deal of arrangements to make before tomorrow.

Chapter 3

At nine forty-five, Alexander sat in the office of the TV casting agent, Jennifer Miles, waiting for Christopher Sage to arrive for their ten o’clock meeting. He smiled at Jenny as she bustled into the office bearing a tray with two cups of coffee and a small plate of biscuits.

“Here we go, Alex. An early pick-me-upper, my very own brand of Columbian and a Jammie Dodger. You can’t get any better than that.”

Alex chuckled as he took a biscuit and a cup of coffee. “Thanks, Jen. We live for the little pleasures in life, don’t we?” He dipped his biscuit in his coffee and nibbled it.

Jenny sat down behind her desk and looked at Alex curiously. “So tell me, put me out of my misery. I know the film team had already considered Sage for this part but I heard it was your conviction he was so right for it that sealed the deal. Why did you fancy Christopher Sage for the part? I know he’ll do it justice, but I’m curious.”

Alex shifted on his seat. “He’s incredibly talented and very versatile,” he said. He grinned inwardly at “versatile,” wondering if it was true. “I’ve had a bit of a crush on him since he was in that first series where he played a doctor’s son. I started writing
Double Exposure
and he just evolved into the character. I thought that perhaps if I wrote the part with him in mind, one day I’d get to meet him. I know it sounds stupid, but—” he shrugged. “He’s really sexy and his looks certainly help. That Irish look, the black hair and blue eyes.”

Jenny smiled and he flushed slightly. “You think I’m some sort of fan groupie now, don’t you?”

She laughed loudly. “Sweetheart, I’m fifty-five and I’d like to do him if he was into ladies. He’s scrumptious and a really nice person as well. And you’re right that he’s one of the most talented actors I have on my books and he deserves every break he can get. I’m glad you went all gooey-eyed. He is so right for this part. I can feel it in my bones—this series is going to be good for all of us.”

Alex shrugged. “If it takes off like the books, I couldn’t ask for anything more.” He smiled wryly. “Becoming a New York Times best-selling writer went beyond my wildest dreams. I’m still not sure how it all happened.”

Jenny chuckled. “The readers saw something they liked, your publisher did an amazing job in promoting you and, most of all, it was a great series of books, well-written and appealing. And I’m sure there’s a little luck and good timing somewhere in there.”

Alex shook his head. “Whatever it was, I’m damn grateful.”

Jenny cocked her head as they heard her secretary greeting someone. She stood up, patting Alex on the shoulder.

“I think that might be young Sage arriving.”

Alex winced at the woman’s touch. His shoulders were still sore from the previous night’s session with Eric, the weals still bruised and painful.

Jenny bustled over to the door as someone appeared. “And here he is, my star of the moment. Sage, darling, come on in. Let me introduce you to Alexander Montgomery.”

Alex stood as Christopher Sage entered the room and kissed Jenny in greeting. The older woman smiled delightedly, giving him a warm hug.

Alex studied the man who had invaded his dreams more than once and been instrumental in bringing his sexual fantasies to a literal climax.

He was even more delicious in person. And the man was gay. That was a real bonus.

Six-foot-and-some tall, longish curly black hair, deep blue eyes that crinkled when he smiled and a rangy body that looked as if it were made to wear fine suits or nothing at all. In tight blue jeans and a checked long sleeve shirt with a white tee shirt underneath, Sage looked very relaxed.

Alex had a sudden image of peeling off the shirt to find a nice set of pectoral muscles beneath, then running his hands over them. The other man’s mouth was extremely kissable, with generous lips that Alex wanted to nibble. His cock shifted in his chinos at the images his mind was conjuring up and he cursed the sudden rush of heat to his groin.

Jesus, where was his professionalism now? He needed to get a bloody grip before anyone noticed his raging hard-on.

He reached out his hand to Sage, who was returning the scrutiny. Sage’s hand was warm and firm with long fingers and clean, shaped nails. Alex’s breath deepened at his touch. He hoped Sage hadn’t noticed.

The reality of feeling his warm skin in his own hands was infinitely better than the dream.

Sage met his gaze and narrowed his eyes. “Heterochromia iridis. I’ve never seen it in a human being before. Very striking.”

Alex stared at him. Most people simply squinted and looked at him strangely before they asked him how his eyes came to be two different colours—one green, one blue. Actually hearing someone who
knew
what the condition was called was slightly disconcerting. Especially when rendered in that very charming slight Irish accent.

“I was born like this.” He shook Sage’s hand firmly. “Not many people seem to know what it’s called though.”

Sage smiled. “I had a horse once with the same condition. He was a Pinto. It’s quite common in that breed.”

Alex raised a dark eyebrow. “Comparing me to a horse? Well, that’s one way to start a relationship.”

Sage raised one eyebrow back. “Is that what we’re doing? Starting a relationship? I thought we were here to discuss business.”

He grinned as Alex felt himself flush, then turned to face Jenny, who’d been watching the interchange with amusement.

Sage gestured towards the biscuit plate. “You don’t mind, do you? I’m bloody starving.”

He helped himself to one of the biscuits and munched with satisfaction. Alex felt slightly out of his depth with this man and needed to bring the conversation back to what he knew best: business.

“May I call you Sage?” he enquired.

Sage waved the biscuit at him and nodded, his mouth full.

“I’d like to welcome you on board. The part of Gillian was offered to Dianne Cunningham and she’s agreed to do it.” Alex stopped to take a breath.

Sage regarded him curiously. “Why me?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I know the production company wanted me to audition in the first place. But what made
you
recommend me so highly over everyone else? Not that I’m complaining, of course.”

Alex certainly wasn’t going to tell him about his crush. He shrugged. “To me, you were simply the best fit for the part based on your past performances. And your audition was incredible.” He saw Jenny grinning at his evasiveness.

Sage nodded. “Thanks. I’m very pleased of course. I really enjoyed the books. I’m not one for romance novels but these were rather different. Perhaps because they were written by a man? I’m not sure, but they were a lot grittier and down to earth. I thought the characters were very well developed. I’ll enjoy playing the part of Carter.”

Alex was surprised. “You read all three books then?”

Sage nodded in amusement. “Yes, I actually can read and I have. I thought if I was auditioning I needed to. It wouldn’t have been fair to you otherwise.” He reached over and took the last biscuit from the plate as Jenny shook her head. “Sage, would you like coffee to go with that?”

He grinned. “I thought you’d never ask. Yes, please. Just black.”

Jenny disappeared to go brew him a cup of her Columbian.

Sage regarded Alex curiously. “Jenny says she’s got the full draft script already for the first three episodes. I read just a few pages for the audition.” He sat down in Jenny’s chair, his blue jeans-clad legs up on the table, his worn brown boots showing traces of straw and mud.

Alex wondered where he’d been to get his boots in that condition. He noticed they were at least a size eleven and he had a sudden thought in his head about men and big feet.

Sage saw him looking at them and coloured slightly, removing his feet from the desk. “Sorry. Bad habit. I shouldn’t really be doing that here. I’ve been mucking out stalls.”

“You have horses?” Alex didn’t know anyone else who actually had any, let alone mucked them out.

Sage nodded. “I have two back home. They keep me grounded when I need the distraction from show business.”

“Where’s home, then?”

“I have a cottage with a fair bit of land in Finchingfield, a small village in North Essex. But London will become my home whilst we’re filming the TV series. I’ll be at your beck and call.” He smiled slightly. “I understand you intend being on-site as we do the day-to-day filming?”

Alex heard the amusement in his voice and bristled. “I’m not one of those controlling author freaks who want to vet everything that gets done or tell everyone what to do,” he said sharply. “I was offered a collaborative role with the film company and I thought I could learn something about the business while I worked, something I’ve always wanted to do. It made sense to be there to help out where I can.”

And I have nowhere else useful to be. I may as well get the next book written in my spare time.

Sage nodded, obviously not believing him from the look on his face. “Of course. I understand.”

Alex scowled at him as Jenny walked in with the coffee. “Sorry it took so long. I took a couple of calls in between. I hope it’s still hot.”

She placed Sage’s coffee on the table, looking at them both. “So have you two been getting to know each other? What do you think, Sage? Do you think the two of you will work nice together?” She frowned. “Is that mud on my blotter? Have you had your feet on my desk again?”

Sage grimaced and stood up, brushing the dried mud off onto the floor with his hands. “Sorry. There, all clean now. I was telling Alex I intend on staying in London whilst we film so I’ll be around twenty-four seven.”

Alex grinned at the exchange. “Janine Fortress is the scriptwriter and Luke Belmont is directing. I believe you’ve worked with him before?”

Sage nodded, looking pleased. “Luke directed the last TV series I was in. He’s incredibly talented and focused. It’ll be good to work with him again. He’s slightly crazy and unorthodox but pretty much a genius.”

Alex laughed softly. “He’s one helluva live wire and his reputation for being a little eccentric certainly precedes him. I thought he was a real character.” Alex looked at Jenny. “I imagine you’ll be giving Sage the full script to read and he can start thinking about his character? We start filming in four weeks’ time.”

Jenny tapped a finger on the manila envelope on her desk.

Alex looked over at Sage. “Where are you going to be staying then if you’re not on your farm in Finchingfield?” Moorcroft Studios in London wasn’t far from where Alex lived so the commute would be convenient for him.

Sage smiled, a little edgily, he thought. “It’s not a farm; it’s a cottage with horses. And I intend staying with a friend in Chelsea so the film studio is just a tube hop away.”

Alex wondered with a slight pang what kind of a “friend” it was, surprised at himself for even having such a thought. With his background, he knew he’d never have a normal relationship with any man.

Jenny snorted. “Good God, Sage, don’t tell me you’re staying with Dan? The two of you together is a recipe for disaster. I remember the last episode the two of you got involved in.”

Sage’s face went deeply pink and Alex gazed at him in amazement. He’d never seen a man blush like that before. It was adorable.

“That was a one-off,” Sage muttered. “It won’t happen again, I promise you. “

He looked at Alex uneasily and Alex made a mental note to interrogate Jenny later and find out what had happened. This story sounded very interesting.

Jenny snorted. “This is Dan we’re talking about. I’d be careful if I were you.”

Sage changed the subject. “I googled you, Alex.” He sounded more than a little curious.

Jenny sighed. “You are such a nosey parker, Sage. You just can’t bear going in blind, can you?”

The man grinned in agreement but all Alex felt was a sense of dread.

“There’s not a lot on the web about you, other than when you started writing and became this best-selling novelist. Are you a man of mystery then?”

Alex knew Sage was probably just teasing, but his words struck a chord of fear that he hadn’t felt in a while. “I’m a very private person,” he said curtly, probably too curtly from the expression on both Sage and Jenny’s face. “I don’t like talking about my private life. The only detail anyone needs is on my website.” The only personal thing he’d made no secret of was the fact he was gay. That was all the information he was prepared to release.