Snow White and the Seven Hunks editedbymegan .wps (27 page)

“Why would he recognize you?”

“Because I was in it? Because he’s a pervert and he watched it?”

Brandy rolled her eyes. “Really, Nicki! We
did
the movie. How does that make SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN HUNKS Kimberly Zant 120

him a pervert to watch it? You always were
such
a prude! I don’t know how you even managed it. I’m surprised they didn’t ditch you right off.”

I stared at her blankly, trying to figure out how she’d missed the fact that I was scared shitless. How had me being upset suddenly become conceit? She acted as if I was exaggerating the situation just to preen over being recognized!

I realized I’d never understood the way my sister’s mind worked and I never

would. Struggling to shake the sense of cold fingers creeping up my back, I finally set my groceries down and began sorting them and putting them away. My fingers were cramping from clutching the bags so frantically and my arms and shoulders were

throbbing from running with two bags of groceries like a rabbit trying to dodge the crosshairs on a hunter’s rifle.

When I’d finished putting the food up, I went into my room, closed the door and then went into my bathroom, sat down on the floor, and cried. When I’d calmed down, I realized I’d probably just scared myself for no reason at all. Maybe I’d just
thought
the man had tried to follow me home?

Conceited or not, I remembered every celebrity that had been stalked, especially the ones that had been killed by their stalkers.

I tried to dismiss it, but I was so shaken I couldn’t bring myself to go out again that day, fearful that I might run into the man again, although I’d planned earlier to get started on job hunting. I shuddered every time I thought about the way he’d looked at me.

I’d grabbed a newspaper while I was grocery shopping and spent the rest of the

day studying the want ads and circling promising possibilities.

Brandy left a few hours after I’d returned, having spent those hours primping. I didn’t ask her where she was going and she didn’t tell me.

I had lunch alone and then supper. I’d never felt it before, but after sharing so many meals with the cast, it was pretty depressing to sit down in front of the TV with my food and only the TV for company. I’d begun to think Brandy wouldn’t be back when she returned.

She was sizzling with excitement. “
Five
different people recognized me from the show!” she exclaimed, her voice shrill with exhilaration. “It almost seemed that everywhere I went there was someone that wanted to meet me. They even asked for my autograph!”

I felt the blood leave my face. “Really?”

She smirked at me. “You’re jealous, aren’t you? You only had one person

recognize you.”

I blinked at her, but I couldn’t think of a response to save my life. “I’m going to bed.”

She made a sound of disgust. “God! You can’t even congratulate me? I’m a

success! You should be happy for me!”

I paused at my door and turned to look at her. “Congratulations. Good night.

Make sure you lock up.”

“Oh, I’m going out again. I just came by to change. One of the guys I met asked me out. He is such a hunk! Carl or Charles, or something like that.”

Horror washed over me. “He’s coming
here
?”

“Well, my god! Of course he’s coming here! He asked me out.”

SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN HUNKS Kimberly Zant 121

“And you gave him directions to
my
apartment?” I demanded, outraged.

She gaped at me. “Of course I told him where to pick me up! Did you expect me to …
meet
him somewhere?”

I was angry enough that I didn’t care whether I aroused her wrath or not. “This is my apartment! I don’t appreciate you bringing strange men here,
especially
after I was followed halfway home today!”

“Well, I’m staying here! They’re
all
strangers until you get to know them, for god’s sake! The Hunks were strangers—and you fucked them! At least this is a date!”

“With a guy that’s spent hours jacking off while he watched you fuck the Seven

Hunks!”

She shuddered. “Isn’t that exciting! Just imagine being so desired that men

everywhere are watching you and jacking off!”

I didn’t
want
to imagine it. I couldn’t understand why it thrilled her. “Don’t bring anybody else to my apartment! I mean it, Brandy.”

She shrugged and sniffed. “Fine! I’ll get my own place. This is a dump anyway.

Glenda brought me my first royalty check today.”

“You got royalties?”

“Oh, you did, too. I think I put yours down in the kitchen somewhere. It wasn’t much after that bitch deducted the money she thinks I owed her, but it’ll make a down payment on a new car and maybe when I get the next one I’ll get a house instead of an apartment. Or maybe I’ll get the house first and then the car?”

My god, I thought! What kind of check was she talking about? I headed into the kitchen and searched it thoroughly for the check I’d supposedly gotten. “I can’t find it,” I yelled at Brandy through the bathroom door, discovering she’d headed in to primp for her date.

“What?”

“The damned check!”

“Oh. It’s in the kitchen.”

“It’s not in the damned kitchen. I looked.”

“Well, look again. I’m sure I put it down in there somewhere.”

I found it stuck to the bottom of a box she’d tossed into the trash. The urge to choke the life out of her subsided when I saw the amount. Feeling weak, I wobbled to a chair and sat down. Five thousand dollars! In one check! I could get by a whole month on that!

I saw Glenda had deducted seven thousand from it and was torn by amazement

that it had actually been twelve and resentment that she’d taken the other half of what Brandy had stolen from her from my check.

I headed to the bathroom again. “When do we get another one?”

“She said next month. I got more than you because I’m the star.”

Rolling my eyes, I went to hide my check in my room.

Brandy was still in the bathroom primping when her date arrived. I didn’t want to let him in and I wanted to choke Brandy for putting me in such a spot. Finally, when I’d found a hammer under my sink and tucked it between the seat cushion and the arm of my couch, I let him in.

I didn’t like the way he looked at me. He seemed friendly enough … actually a

little too friendly. “Rose Red!”

SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN HUNKS Kimberly Zant 122

I smiled at him thinly.

“So … you two really are sisters?”

I gestured for him to sit in the chair and headed for the couch, perching on the edge next to the hammer. “We really are.”

He settled back in the chair. “That was some video.”

“Thank you.”

“What was it like?”

“What was what like?”

“Filming it.”

“Pretty much like it looks on the film.”

“What made you two decide to do something like that?”

Brandy robbing the boss, I thought. “I don’t know. The opportunity arose and

we just went with it.”

“I’ll bet you two are making a killing.”

“We were just cast members.”

He lifted his brows, running his gaze up and down me as if he could see through my clothes. “I wouldn’t mind getting into something like that … if the money’s good.”

“You should talk to Brandy about that. I only did it the one time—just for the experience. She was the star, you know.”

The ‘star’, thankfully, entered the room at that moment. She surveyed me and her date suspiciously.

Yes, Brandy, we took the opportunity to fuck like rabbits while you were getting
ready!

“Well! I’m ready!”

“You look good enough to eat!”

I got up and walked them to the door. “I’m locking up. Just beat on the door

when you get back.” And barricading my bedroom door!

“Oh! I’ll just see you tomorrow!”

It made me uneasy, but what could I say? She was thirty-six. She’d survived this long.

I didn’t see Brandy again for three days. I was so sick with worry by the time she dragged up I was ready to kiss her and forgive her for three sleepless nights while I lay wondering if the police would beat on my door and tell me they’d found her body.

“Where have you been?”

She looked at me in surprise. “I told you I was going to look for my own place. I just came back to get my stuff.”

Resisting the urge to choke the life out of her for putting me through pure hell, I followed her into the room where she’d been staying and watched her pack up. I would’ve been more relieved to see her leaving under other circumstances. I no longer really wanted my apartment all to myself, though. “How did the date with what’s-his-name go?”

She flicked a glance at me. “Who?”

“The guy you left with three days ago?”

“Oh. It’s was alright. He’s hung like a stud canary, though.”

I gaped at her. “Brandy!”

She snickered. “What can I say? I got used to having more. It was a real

SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN HUNKS Kimberly Zant 123

disappointment.”

“That’s mean. You didn’t tell him that?”

“Of course not! Can you believe he thought he could get into the porn biz?”

Actually, I was used to people with colossal egos, I thought wryly. Jeez! Brandy was full of herself! Honest to god, one would think she’d just starred in a major motion picture!

Not that I was willing to even
think
of Gabe’s project as a sleazy porn—because it wasn’t! I was sure it would become a cult classic, but he’d only done it to get up the capitol for what he really wanted to do. Even some of the Hollywood people had done
some
porn trying to break in.

I was proud of him and the others for being so resourceful! It wasn’t just

anybody that could parlay a tight budget into big money! And I knew it had been tight.

They’d
all
put money in to make it happen. I knew they were all going to be fabulously successful! I couldn’t wait to see their first full length animated feature!

When she’d finished packing, she stacked the boxes by the door. “Well, that’s

that! I’ll have somebody come by and pick it up later.”

“I could help you move it,” I said instead of reminding her that I’d asked her not to tell people where I lived.

“I’ve got things to do. Somebody will come by,” she said airily, stopping to give me a quick hug before she left.

“A mover?” I asked doubtfully as I watched her walk briskly down the hallway

outside.

“I’m not sure yet! See you!”

Grinding my teeth, I closed the door and locked it. I’d actually thought I might venture out myself—at least long enough to deposit my damned check! I considered it and decided to go anyway. If her ‘somebody’ came by while I was out they could just come back! I had a life, too!

Not much of a life, but I had things to do!

David, Scott, and Daniel were propped against my door when I got back. I

couldn’t believe my eyes, or how happy I was to see them. “I didn’t expect you guys!

You came to move Brandy’s things?”

They seemed happy to see me—a little awkward, but friendly. “Glenda sent us,”

Scott volunteered.

I unlocked the door and invited them in, struggling with the temptation to ask

about ‘my’ guys. “Luckily for you, she didn’t have much here,” I said jokingly. “Can I get you anything? Something cold to drink?”

“We need to get going. We’ve been here a while.”

“Oh.” I tamped my disappointment with an effort and showed them the boxes. It felt really odd, I reflected when they left, almost like meeting complete strangers—and only a few days ago we’d been fuck partners!

That brought me crashing to earth, shattering the last of my illusions. I hadn’t realized I was still nursing them. I hadn’t realized I was still halfway expecting a knock on my door.

I sat down on my couch and stared at the floor, my mind empty. It was actually a great place to visit, I thought ruefully, but I couldn’t stay there. I’d managed to make it to the bank and back without picking up any suspicious looking characters or getting SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN HUNKS Kimberly Zant 124

more than a few looks that might or might not have been recognition. I decided to try my luck at job hunting the next day.

* * * *

He couldn’t see trying to market the show on video, though. Granted, it
had
been his idea to begin with but it was already more widely available than any video distributor could manage and beyond that too long, the way it was, to be cost effective. He wanted to cut it—trim as much of Nicole out of it as he possibly could. Glenda didn’t. He had a bad feeling she knew why he wanted to get his hands on it.

Dismissing it for the moment, he wandered over to the desk where the

receptionist was sorting mail—had been sorting since they’d arrived nearly twenty minutes earlier. “That’s a lot of mail.”

She blushed and smiled at him. “It’s fan mail.”

His lifted his brows. “No shit?”

Basil, Shaun, and Hunter, no doubt as bored and frustrated as he was, got up when they heard that and moved closer to have a look. The receptionist looked like she might keel over in a dead faint.

“About the show?” Hunter asked, leaning over to study the basket of envelopes

on the floor beside the woman.

“Ms. Singer has someone that handles it—responses, you know. I just sort it.”