given it a fresh spin. There was plenty of action, a lot of adventure and, later in the script, plenty of romance and intrigue.
He had liked it from the first time he’d read it. Now, hearing the voices of the actors who would bring it to life, he sensed something he had felt only a few times before in his career. He sensed that this movie would be a phenomenal hit. Not only that, it would likely stand the test of time. He very much began to believe that this movie would become, in time, a classic.
Katrina could hardly believe that she was sitting next to Rendall Smith. Not only that, but they were reading lines. Together. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see the action as the actors around her read through the introductory scenes that were full of adventure and a few battles.
Rendall—he’d asked her to call him Ren—had a powerful voice. It had always affected her when she’d seen his movies or heard him speak in interviews. Classically trained, she had no doubt, he knew how to use his voice to full advantage. She dared not close her eyes while she was supposed to be working, but she wanted to. She wanted to let the sound of his voice wash over her. She wanted to drink in the rich tones that felt like a caress. So much better in person than they were in recording.
Like a living purr. A low-thrumming growl when he was displeased. A full-throated yowl when he was fighting and a seductive rumble when he was calm. Damn. Just the man’s voice touched places deep down inside her that she had been barely aware of until now.
She’d gotten tongue-tied on meeting him. So much so that she’d forgotten her newly shortened name. It was Kat now. Kat Valiant was her new stage name. Shortened by her agent, Mel, to be more commercial. She’d gotten a shiny new union card with that name on it, gained through some arcane means on a less-said-the-better basis, and a fully executed contract. Katrina had shown up at the designated place in Virginia at the designated time and found the director, Sonia, already there.
Before the reading, Sonia had introduced her to Francesca, the makeup artist, who was simply stunning. Katrina felt short and plain next to the tall, auburn-haired beauty. Francesca wore her makeup expertly, which Katrina supposed was only to be expected. Still, she had to have some amazing bone structure beneath the paint to pull off such a sophisticated look. Katrina had wondered why Francesca wasn’t an actress or model. She definitely had the looks for it.
Sonia had also introduced Deidre, the sound engineer, who was another stunner, tall and graceful. She had smiled almost shyly at Katrina and put her at ease.
“You have a nice voice,” Deidre had told her in a quiet, gentle tone. “I’ll make sure you sound your best,” she had promised with an encouraging smile, which had set Katrina at ease. The people were nice and so far, they’d been incredibly welcoming.
There was a behemoth of a man named Clive Rojas, who was playing the role of Little John, who had been friendly and kind. Dennis Portnoy was another of the actors, who was playing the part of Friar Tuck. He was older, but no less handsome or fit. He’d have to wear padding to play the part of the portly friar. The others were no less striking. Every single member of the cast present at the reading was one of the beautiful people. She guessed she shouldn’t be too surprised. They were all actors, after all.
Still, Katrina couldn’t help but feel a bit plain next to all the tall and incredibly good-looking people in this room. She wondered why in the world she’d been cast as Maid Marian with women who looked like these readily available. Average height at five-foot-five, Katrina felt tiny around all the six-footers. Each had remarkable looks—lustrous dark hair or shiny blonde or red. Nobody had mousey brown, except Katrina. And nobody had plain brown eyes, except Katrina, either.
Were they all wearing contacts? She thought that was a bit extreme, though she supposed almost all of them had augmented their hair color in some way. The men were just handsome and fit, and the women wore their clothes and makeup to perfection. It was a skill Katrina had tried to gain, and she thought she did well enough, but compared to these beauties, she felt