dammit, even if it meant blocking Dru’s calls.
Her phone vibrated in her hand again several times as Dru fired off a series of texts.
Call me back you fucking hag.
I didn’t get the part.
They already gave it to Lacy.
“Oh God,” Amanda groaned out loud. Lacy. Frenemy Number One. The two had known each other since they were kids, and if there was anything they both loved more than the attention that came from acting it was getting under each other’s skin.
Amanda hit the phone icon next to Dru’s name and braced herself for one hell of an outburst. Dru answered, screaming. Some of it was unintelligible, but Amanda managed to get the central themes of her rant. She waited patiently until Dru was out of steam.
“Did either of you know the other was up for the part?” she finally asked. Lacy was white, blonde, tall, and slim—she and Dru would normally not be up for the same parts by Hollywood standards.
“I mean, I told her I was going in for it, and she told her agent she wanted to read for it.”
Amanda closed her eyes and managed not to sigh. Of course she did. Lacy was still upset that Dru had booked Andromeda over her.
“I’m very sorry she did that to you. What can I do?”
“Not a damn thing, but maybe next time do your homework. You know I don’t like going up against her for parts. I usually get them and then when she does, she’s extra petty about it. It’s not good for our friendship.”
“Hmm, you’re right. I’ll pay closer attention next time,” Amanda said, like she actually had access to Lacy like that. Her mother, Justine, was her manager and her PA. She did everything for her daughter. She would never tip Amanda off to her comings and goings. Dru knew that, but the truth wasn’t relevant to this conversation.
“When are you coming back?” Dru huffed.
“Like I said, Sunday night. Why aren’t you out tonight?”
“I am. I’m in a car.”
“Oh.”
“I was out with Lacy. I just left her ass at Cargo.”
“Oh okay. Well, go home and get some rest.”
“No, fuck that. I’m going to meet Kellie at Lux.”
“Or go meet Kellie at Lux.” Kellie was another fair-weather friend, but as a top-tier social media influencer they at least didn’t find themselves competing for work. Guys, on the other hand, were another issue. Hopefully, there were enough men at Lux to keep them both distracted.
“Be safe,” Amanda said.
“Yeah, whatever.” Dru ended that call.
Amanda chewed the inside of her lip and sighed as she looked at the dark screen. She looked across the room and caught sight of the top of the champagne bottle peeking over the back of the couch. She tossed her phone on the bed and went straight for the bottle. After a deep swig, she considered the remains of the dessert. The ice cream was completely melted, but the sweet smell still lingered in the air. She reached for the spoon and took another bite, then washed that down with another sip of the champagne.
At least her night had gone according to her original plan. Alone with ice cream and pie in her pajamas.
* * *
Sam sat behind the wheel of Zach’s truck, pushing back on his rising disappointment as he waited for the gates to Pleasant Lane to open. The slow parting of the heavy wood and steel was usually a comfort to him. After a long drive from Los Angeles or fresh off a flight to Ontario Airport, through the town he never really felt good calling home, arriving at this family cul-de-sac hit a reset button for him. He knew what waited on the other side. He knew he’d have the space and the freedom to refill his well before he went back out to deal with the BS parts of his chosen path.
But he’d had no plans to pull back through those gates tonight. He should have been back at the ranch, slowly, sweetly putting in his best work between a certain pair of luscious thighs. He should have fallen asleep with a certain Cha-Cha in his arms. He could have easily seen himself waking her for an early morning kiss so he could sneak out before the other guests started milling around. He should not be alone in Zach’s truck waiting for his cock to deflate, thinking about who he was going to risk waking up, his brothers or his grandmother.
He didn’t think Amanda owed him a thing. The complete opposite.