Chapter 6

The waiting hall was packed with candidates. Girls sat with their knees pressed together, whispering their lines like it was some personal mantra. Their mascara were already smudging under the heat of too many spotlights and the desperation in the air was so thick, I could taste it.

I on the other hand just sat back, legs crossed, one heel bouncing lazily as I skimmed my script.

There was no need being nervous when I had my ultimate trump card.

Dominic.

The boy next to me leaned in. “First audition?”

I turned slowly, sizing him up. Blond hair, sharp jawline, broad shoulders hidden under a fitted shirt.

Not bad.

Not Dominic-level, but he’d do just fine for scratching an itch. His eyes lingered a little too long on my chest before darting back up to my face. Cute.

“Do I look like a rookie to you?” I asked, my lips curling up.

He smirked. “Maybe just a little. You’re very calm giving off the aura that you've done this a lot but the slight, nervous tapping of your feet still gives you away."

I looked down and my legs were indeed tapping anxiously.

Perspective.

"How do you know it's nervous tapping? What if I'm just anxious to get this over with so I can go home and do...other things." I asked, tilting my head and letting my eyes drop deliberately to the bulge in his jeans before sliding back up. His Adam’s apple visibly bobbed.

God, men were too easy.

He grinned, recovering fast. “You’re hiding it pretty well with the whole mysterious vibe but I can still tell."

“Mysterious?” I laughed softly. “That’s your opening line when meeting a lady for the first time. Not very creative, you know.”

“Alright, give me one then. What would you say to you?”

Oh, sweetheart. Wrong game to play with me.

I uncrossed my legs slowly, watching his eyes drag down, and leaned in until my lips nearly brushed his ear.

“I wouldn’t waste time flirting.” My voice dropped dangerously low. “I’d tell you exactly what I wanted.”

He gulped. “Yeah? And what’s that?”

I pulled back to meet his eyes and smiled sweetly. “That you come over to my place tonight and fuck me.”

His mouth immediately dropped open, eyes widening in shock. For a second, the poor boy looked like his brain had just short-circuited.

I snatched his phone right out of his hand before he could recover, punched in my number, and saved it as Good Girl’s Fuck. Then slid it back into his palm.

“There, now you don’t even have to try.”

He blinked, lost for a moment before finally laughing nervously. “Damn. You’re…bold.”

I leaned back in my chair, flipping my script open again. “I just like to keep life interesting. You’ll thank me later.”

His gaze dipped to my thighs again, heat flickering in his eyes. He wanted to say something cocky, but all he managed was, “So, uh…what time?”

“Seven. Don’t be late.”

He gave a low whistle. “I think I’m in trouble.”

“No, honey. You’re just about to have the best fucking night of your life. So be prepared."

He better be since my thoughts for him were anything but pure. Broad shoulders meant good leverage, strong arms meant stamina, and those lips? Yeah, I could ride his face for hours if he lasted long.

A sudden hush fell over the room as the doors opened and in walked Sienna Fontaine like she owned the place.

Perfect hair, perfect dress, perfect everything. The sweet little miss Hollywood. She was also supposed to be Dominic’s night fuck at the gala if not for my timely interruption.

What a slut. I was one too but that was different.

Her audition was just a formality and everyone knew it.

I leaned back, unimpressed, while every other girl in the room straightened like soldiers. The blond boy beside me whispered, “Holy shit, that’s her.”

I rolled my eyes. “Relax. She puts her bra on one strap at a time like the rest of us.”

Sienna walked to the stage without a single hint of doubt.

Her voice rang out passionately as she performed.

For a slut she sure was a good actress, I'll give her that.

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted again as the front door opened.

It was him.

Dominic.

His presence made the room shrink around him. Tall, lethal and dressed in a black suit. His hair was messy as if someone had just ran their finger through through, giving him that sleepy, handsome look like he wasn't even trying.

Was there a time he didn't look good? How was I supposed to break his heart if he kept looking like this?

Focus Aria.

He sat down with a bored expression, eyes half-lidded, like he was already over it before it even started.

Sienna finished her scene and curtsied lightly, sending Dominic a dazzling smile which he didn't bother returning.

“Aria Steele,” a judge called.

I quickly stood, my heels clicking against the floor as I walked to the stage. The script felt heavy in my hand and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Dominic’s head snap up, eyes locking onto me in shock.

Surprised to see me again so soon, baby.

Heat flooded my skin at his stare but I kept my face perfectly calm.

Don’t smirk, I told myself. You have to remain innocent. Innocent girls don't smirk, they smile. Like a blooming flower.

I climbed the stage, centered myself, and lifted my chin.

The movie we're to act is a historical drama that follows King Alaric, a ruthless emperor who ascended the throne through bloodshed, and the women entangled in his empire. One which is a seductive concubine, a loyal queen, and a dangerous courtesan who plots his downfall.

I'm applying for the courtesan, perfect, right?

Anyway, the script I'm to act is when the courtesan has just been summoned to the emperor’s private chambers for the first time.

There's a casting assistant next to me that'll read the lines of the emperor.

Assistant: "They whisper that you're dangerous. That you smile while plotting…that you laugh while men burn at your feet. Tell me...what is it you truly want from me?"

Me: (I smile slowly.) "Whispers are born from fear, Your Majesty. If men burn, it is because they step too close to the flame. What I want…" ( I step closer, my voice dropping) "…is to be the only fire you cannot put out."

Assistant: "And if I decide to crush that fire beneath my heel?"

Me: (tilts my chin up, eyes gleaming) "Then you will never feel warmth again. A man who rules empires can command armies…but he cannot command desire. That, Your Majesty, is stronger than your crown."

Assistant: "You tempt death with that tongue."

Me: (smirks, unflinching) "Then let me die on it."

My last words hang in the air, my chest rising and falling, as all eyes stared at me, silent.

I felt Dominic's gaze the hardest. Throughout my performance, his eyes have been glued on me as if trying to burn into me.

I quickly broke out of the daze he'd drawn me to, stepped back and bowed slightly.

Finally, one of the casting directors cleared his throat. “Thank you, Miss Steele.”

I nodded, calmly and walked off the stage.

Behind me, I could hear the scraping of chair as Dominic stood, his expression unreadable, and strode out the room.

A second later, Caleb was in front of me. “Miss Steele, Mr. King would like to see you.”

The moment he said those words, every head in the room snapped toward me like I’d just grown a second head.

Even Sienna nearly cracked her fake perfect smile, her eyes slicing through me like knives. The air was heavy with jealousy and disbelief, and I swear I could hear the silent chorus: Her? Really? What could he possibly want from her?

I plastered on my best innocent smile, the kind that said 'oh gosh, me? little ol’ me?', while inside I was already gloating. Step one of the plan, catch his attention. Step two, keep it.

“Follow me, Miss,” Caleb said, professional to the bone.

I nodded, held my scripts to my chest and let him lead the way.