stayed right where she was.
“All I’m saying is, even though the movie wasn’t exactly what I would have wanted, you were amazing in it. You gave one of our ancestors a voice and the Academy actually acknowledged that. People know Josiah Williams now in a way they didn’t before thanks to you. Be proud of that. Also you and your grandmother are both Oscar winners. Your whole family should be over the moon.”
“They are. They are. And you’re right. Thank you for that blunt, but much appreciated perspective.”
“You’re welcome. Now for your next project can you please do something that requires more male nudity?”
“Listen. If you have the porn script ready just say so.”
Amanda looked over at him again and that blinding smile let her know she was in deep, deep trouble.
She was gonna have to sleep with him again. She’d be a fool not to.
* * *
Sam was still a bit in shock. He’d been thinking about two things all week: his career and finding Cha-Cha again. He’d never thought he’d find himself sitting with her during the opening ceremony of Helene and Ignacio’s wedding Olympics. And he didn’t expect his attraction to her to grow exponentially during one conversation. He prided himself in having a team, hell, a family that kept it real with him. But beyond the many opinions the Internet had to offer, his cousin Corie was the only one to question the themes in the film. He loved Corie, but she dragged everyone and everything, so Sam spent most of his time taking her opinions with a grain of salt.
Sam understood. They all wanted to encourage him in his craft, still no one had given their complex perspective as succinctly as Amanda McQueen. He was gonna call her Cha-Cha though until she said otherwise.
“So you’re here for all the wedding party things but you’re not in the wedding party. How did that work out? How did you and Helene meet?” Sam asked.
“Ugh, our meet cute was actually kind of a bummer.”
“What happened?”
“It was in a Starbucks out in Malibu. I walked in as another customer said some pretty racist things to Helene and she was just in shock. She didn’t respond. I told the lady off and then sat outside with Helene until she felt okay to drive home. You know, sometimes your adrenaline’s so high you almost feel dizzy?”
“Oh yeah. I’ve been there. Rodeo circuit was full of good ole boys who wanted my dad and my brother gone. You get your racist studio exec here and there, but I heard the worst of it standing right by the chutes.”
“I don’t know what a chute is, but yeah, you get it. She asked for my number so she could thank me properly when she was more clearheaded and we’ve been friends ever since. She invites me to things all the time, but my schedule is weird and I don’t always get to make it out. This whole seeing-each-other-twice-within-seven-days thing is an anomaly.”
“Ah, okay.”
“I’m here a day early because again Helene is amazing and just wanted to give me a little time away from Los Angeles. I appreciate the break.”
“Oh, well, if it’s a little R and R you need, you’ve come to the right place, little lady. I do have the hookup around these parts and could get you access to all the ranch’s fine amenities.”
“Okay, slow down there, Tex. I’m just here to chill.”
“Nah, you didn’t come all the way out here just to chill. I’m serious. Perks of knowing a Pleasant. In the biblical sense.” Sam waggled his eyebrows and was rewarded with another of one of Cha-Cha’s sexy smiles. “For real. You’re not in the wedding. I’m not in the wedding. They will not notice if we disappear for a while.”
Her smile dropped and she looked over at him like he had lost his damn mind. “Are you kidding?”
“What? Helene has seven hundred people in this wedding and the staff of the whole ranch is at their service. You won’t be missed.”
She sucked her teeth. “No, I mean we’re in the middle of an open field, so unless you want to army crawl to that barn way over there using the dogs as cover—”
Sam laughed quietly at that particular visual.
“I’m not just walking off with you during this rehearsal.”
Sam knew his reasons for being so private. Celebrity came with a cost. He did what he had to in order to keep his business under wraps, but it seemed a little strange