His Assistant - Alexa Land Page 0,27

though.” He grinned and added, “Also, I fully believe anyone who’s passionate enough to hurl a granola bar at my head has it in him to let the emotion come through while performing. I’m looking forward to the day you prove me right about that.”

I leaned in until my head rested on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around me as I said, “You’re a great guy, Harper. You know that? You’re actually making me feel optimistic, and I didn’t think I was capable of that anymore.”

“It’s nice to do something useful for a change.”

There was a knock at the door, and I started to pull away. But he held onto me and called, “Come in.”

It turned out to be someone from the wardrobe department with Harper’s freshly pressed suit and shirt. She hung it on a hook, and after she took off I glanced at the time and said, “Where did you land in the order of interviews?”

“I’m fourth on the roster. My interview with Tommy happens right before your brother performs with his band.”

I asked, “Do shows like this make you nervous?”

“Not this one, because it’s prerecorded. Anything live scares me to death, though. I’m always sure I’ll fuck it up somehow.”

“That explains why you’ve never done any stage work.”

He shuddered and said, “I’d rather get hit by a bus.”

“That’s so dramatic.”

He grinned at me. “I’m an actor. Being dramatic is literally in my job description.”

I grinned too, then slipped out of his arms and said, “You should start getting ready. We don’t want to keep Tommy Allen waiting.”

He pulled me back into an embrace and said, “Okay, but this first.” He kissed me tenderly, and I melted into it. Then he said, “I want to take you on a date, Phoenix. A proper one. I also really want to fuck you in places every bit as inappropriate as that prop closet would have been, but I want this to be about more than just sex.”

“I…”

“Say yes.”

“Yes.”

He smiled at me and said, “That’s what I want to hear.”

“That’s miles away from sex with no strings attached. You said that just a few hours ago, remember?”

“That was when I thought all I was to you was a hate fuck. Now that I know you have a crush on me, it changes everything.” I really wondered what he felt for me in turn, but I didn’t ask. I was worried I wouldn’t like his answer.

When the show began taping, I stood off-stage with a group of agents, publicists, and various assistants to watch the musical number. An enthusiastic audience filled every seat, and they absolutely lost their shit when Harper stepped onto the stage. The number included several huge stars making cameo appearances, and they all were greeted with wild applause, but Harper’s reception was right up there.

Once that scene wrapped, they filmed a segment where a huge cake was wheeled onto the stage, and all the celebrities gathered around Tommy Allen. It would actually air at the end of the episode, but they were recording it while all the stars were still on set.

Tommy was a cherubic little old man with a white beard and a sharp sense of humor. He made a funny speech and thanked everyone for being a part of his fortieth anniversary celebration, and the audience ate it up. I kept my eye on Harper during that entire segment, and he never once broke character, even when the cameras weren’t on him. And yes, that was what he was doing, playing a character. Right now, he was Harper Royce, Movie Star, which meant he was poised and smiling and totally on for the audience and the cameras. Frankly, it seemed exhausting.

Then it was time to film the interviews, which all included a lot of praise for Tommy and his illustrious career. When it was Harper’s turn to be interviewed, he told a great story about the first time he and Tommy met. He was funny, charismatic, and self-deprecating, and he made Tommy laugh so hard that the man had to reach for a tissue and wipe his eyes.

The two of them exchanged a warm embrace when the interview was over. Then there was a break in taping while Dallas’s crew went to work sound checking his band’s instruments and equipment, which were set up on a second stage.

Once Harper left the set, he was inundated by people who couldn’t wait to get a piece of him. Some of them slipped him a business card