She hammed it up, but she was supposed to, and everybody chuckled at her display.
Damon was wonderful in his role, bringing a sort of masculine vulnerability and inexperience that encapsulated Christian’s character. He was animated, the way he spoke vivid, and I knew it was true when he told me he felt free when he acted. Free of the shackles of his own identity.
And then, when he burst into song, I was certain the people sitting in the Gods would have goose pimples, just like Jacob wanted. There was absolutely nothing quite like Damon when he sang. My entire body tingled with energy as I sat on the floor directly in his line of sight. I couldn’t see Alicia because her back was facing me, but I was certain she didn’t have to use too many of her acting skills right then to portray Satine falling for the man standing before her.
He was just incredible. It was all I could do not to sigh, especially after the intense moment we’d shared outside Iggy’s office. When he glanced at me, singing the line about not remembering if her eyes are green or blue, his bore into mine and my entire body tensed. I felt like I was having heart palpitations, and for the rest of the song I knew he was singing to me. I could just feel it.
“Very good. You were a little stiff at first, but about midway through the number, I really started to believe you. Excellent work,” said Jacob.
I swallowed, struck by his words. It had been about halfway through the song that Damon had looked at me, but I tried not to obsess too much on what that could mean.
“Now,” said Jacob, ushering Blake and a few of the other lead actors forward, “we’ll rehearse The Pitch again. This scene comes directly after ‘Your Song,’ but we haven’t practiced it with our new Duke yet.”
I stood to assist Iggy with the choreography, catching Blake’s eye as I crossed the studio. He wore a familiar look of interest, and a small shiver trickled over me. That was the same look he used to give me when he wanted sex, and even though I had no interest in rekindling anything with him, it still made me remember. Blake had been fantastic in bed, one of the best I’d ever had.
A small smirk graced his mouth then, like he knew what I was thinking about. I plastered on a placid expression and tried not to look at him after that, focusing on directing the dancers and pointedly ignoring him from there on out.
Never. I’d never be a fool for him again.
I knew it with a keen certainty, but I couldn’t be sure if it was because I had a newfound strength in myself, or if I was becoming a fool again, only this time for a different man. Once more I thought of Damon’s words, a shiver encapsulating my body.
You captivate me.
Do I captivate you?
Yes, Damon, you captivate me. And it’s terrifying.
Twelve.
*Rose*
I didn’t see much of Damon over the next few days and was busy preparing for Julian’s birthday. On Saturday morning I woke up with a whopper of a headache and knew for certain it was down to the stressful, tension-filled week I’d had. Blake’s involvement in the production turned my work days into a minefield of avoidance, and at the same time I had my burgeoning feelings for Damon to contend with.
I was both thankful for and irritated by Alicia, who always seemed to be by his side. It made sense, of course. They were playing the leads and had a lot of scenes together, but even at lunch she managed to hog his attention, and I never really got the chance to speak with him.
Sitting in bed, I rubbed at my temples and picked up my phone. I shot off a message to Iggy, asking if he could do me a massive favour. Before I knew it, he was knocking on the door to the apartment, his arms full of shopping bags, ready to take over the party preparations.
“Go take some painkillers and get a nap,” he told me. “I’ll make sure this place is fit to host royalty by the time I’m done.”
I said it before but I’d say it again — I really loved my boss. Sure, he had his moments, but didn’t we all. Iggy had always been more like an eccentric father figure to me than an employer.
Julian was spending the day