“Of course I do. And I watch the movies and read the books. On a movie set there’s a lot of down time. It gets very boring. That’s why I’m happy to have a chance to see your hometown today. With nothing on tap for me, I’d have spent the day in here reading or watching movies. I’ll just be a few minutes.”
After she closed the door, he stood and adjusted the crotch of his jeans, deciding to grab a glass of cold water.
This was a bad idea. He was a walking hard-on around Des, and being near her was bad for him—mentally as well as physically.
When there was a knock at the door, he turned to the closed bedroom door. “Des?” he asked.
“It’s probably Colt,” she yelled from the bedroom. “You can open it.”
He did, but it wasn’t Colt. It was some older guy with a salt-and-pepper beard. He remembered seeing him on the set. The guy frowned and stepped into the trailer.
“And who might you be?”
“Logan McCormack. And you are?”
“Theo Winfield. I’m the director.”
“Ah. Des is getting dressed.”
Theo sized Logan up, looking suspicious and maybe a little jealous and protective, like a boyfriend would. Hell, for all Logan knew, maybe he was.
Des came out in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, her hair loose and flowing around her shoulders. She wore a pair of tennis shoes and very little makeup.
She looked pretty. And she was frowning. Logan could tell instantly that Des wasn’t happy about Theo being there. But then she covered it with a smile. “Oh, hi, Theo.”
“Desiree. I was unaware you were entertaining.”
“I’m not. Logan is the ranch owner. He came by the other day to watch a scene being filmed.”
“Oh, I see.” Theo’s tone instantly changed and he smiled at Logan. “It’s a great location, perfect for the film.”
“I’m glad it’s working out for you,” Logan said.
Theo turned to Des. “I have some free time while they’re setting up the next scene. I was hoping we could have a chat about some upcoming scenes.”
“I’m afraid not, Theo. Since I don’t have anything filming the rest of the day, Logan has graciously offered to take me into town with him.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Des? What about exposure?”
Des grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. With a shrug, she said, “Hope’s a small town, Theo. I’ll take my chances.”
“I still advise against it. The paparazzi have been stalking the gates of the property, hoping for pictures of you, especially after your breakup with James.”
She stepped out of the trailer. Logan and Theo followed.
“Then I’ll guess they’ll get some. But I’m not going to hide.”
“Des—”
“I’ve already made Logan late today, Theo. We need to run. I’ll catch up to you later, okay?”
“We need to talk, Des,” Theo said, making it sound urgent.
“Oh, I know. I’ll for sure come find you when I get back.”
She grabbed Logan’s arm and dragged him away.
“He’s kind of persistent,” Logan said as they headed to the parking area.
Des rolled her eyes. “You have no idea.”
“And overly protective. Like a father figure?”
She snorted. “Ha. No. More like a pervy, married lech who’d like to get me alone so he can try and get in my pants.”
Logan stopped and turned to face her. “Seriously?”
“Yes. He’s an awful bastard and I hate being alone with him. Colt usually tries to have my back, but it’s not always possible. So I have to do this little dance of avoidance around him.”
They reached the truck and Logan opened the door for her. She slid inside, and he came around and got in, then started it up. “So why do a movie where he’s the director?”
“One, because he’s a great director, despite his proclivities for hitting on his leading ladies. And two, because I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself. I know how to say no, and I make sure I’m never alone with him.”
“He sounds like an ass**le who needs to have the shit kicked out of him.”
Des smiled. “I’d like to see that day come. Unfortunately, no one does that to a big-time director. People like Theo get away with bad behavior because they carry a lot of weight in Hollywood.”
What a crock. “I’d be happy to knock him on his ass if you’d like me to.”
Her lips curved. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”
What kind of a shithead cheated on his wife and hit on young actresses? Granted, Logan didn’t know anything about these Hollywood types, and maybe that kind of thing happened all the time. Des didn’t seem too upset about it, and she’d handled Theo easily, but it pissed him off. If he’d known about it, he’d have been tempted to take Theo behind the trailer and teach him some goddamned manners.
He gripped the steering wheel hard and tried to concentrate on the road, but his thoughts kept coming back to the way Theo had looked at Des.
“Are all directors like him?”
“Like Theo? No. Some are very nice and work hard to get the best out of their actors. Others are narcissistic, arrogant dickheads, but they’re not trying to sleep with every actress they direct, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Yes, that’s what I’m asking. Have you come up against directors like Theo before?”
“There are always people like Theo in our industry, people like casting directors or producers who expect you’ll have sex with them in order to get a part.”
“And?” he asked, glancing her way.
“And I’ve never once had sex with someone to get a role in a movie. I made a vow a long time ago that if I couldn’t get a part based on talent alone, then I obviously wasn’t good enough to be in this business.”
“Good for you. Some people are f**king scumbags.”
She laughed. “Amen to that.”
As they drove through the gates, Logan noticed the throng of people with cameras hanging out at the entrance to the property.
“Your fans?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Paparazzi, hoping to get some advance shots of the moviemaking. It’s great that we’re filming on private property, so they don’t have access. I think that was another of the reasons they found this location so attractive.”