All Chapters of The Actor's Contract: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Date = 22 April Bad things can happen in minutes.Place = San Francisco (Black Dragon Club) I really hate this place.POV - Enrique“So what will your perfect girl be like?” Lee asks out of the blue. Logan stares at him with dull eyes, his mellow mind probably struggling to get into motion.“She … sss … gotta have a sexy ass. Like, drop-your-phone, walk-into-traffic ass. And tits, but not too big, and not too small,” Logan states slowly, rubbing a bruise on his left arm. Like Aria’s Ds, I think to myself.“She sends nudes. But classy ones. Like, in a museum. Or during a thunderstorm,” he finishes off. Not bad for a pickled brain. I should get Aria to do that. Sounds sexy.Jackson snorts. “Ass is good. But I want crazy eyes. Like, if she looks at a girl coming on to me, it’s not jealousy — it’s premeditated violence. That’s hot.”“Premeditated?” I raise a brow. “My guy, that’s a felony.” And something only crazy people would want.“That’s so his type,” Axel mutters from the other end

Date = 22 April Hours of dread. And sex.Place = San Francisco (UCSF Medical Center) Another place I’m starting to hate. Except for the on-call room.POV – EnriqueDoc Barney swivels toward me. “Your turn, son.” His hand is already outstretched for another syringe.“Hell no!” My voice cracks somewhere between a shout and a squeak. “You’re not stabbing my dick with a damn needle!” A man has limits.I clutch the thin hospital gown like it’s armor, but it’s useless — everyone’s eyes snap to the very obvious tent situation happening in my lap.“You have an erection?” Barney asks, his tone somewhere between clinical curiosity and mild amusement. Fuck. Why did I open my mouth?The doctor laughs and pats me on the thigh. “I was just going to stitch your brow … but now I have to check down there too.” The nurse giggles. The fact that she’s rather hot is not helping the situation.“I’m just …” Horny. My face ignites, heat rushing up my neck like a lit fuse.Not sure if it’s nerves, shock, anx

Date = 28 April Four days without incident.Place = San Francisco (UCSF Medical Center) But we’re not nearly done with this place. Leyla is gonna be here for a while.POV - Enrique“Hurry, doofus,” Mel scolds, wagging her finger like it might actually do the job for her, “the pink ones must go in the middle.”I stare at the colossal bundle of balloons in my hands, feeling like an idiot. “They’re all fucking pink.” Latex tangs in my nose.“No, no, no,” Mel whisks her finger under my nose, “These are rose, those are salmon, that’s flamingo,” she gestures wildly, “and Logan got fuchsia and watermelon.”I peer over her head at my brother. He gestures, circling his finger against his temple, sharing my opinion that she’s fucking nuts.Mel thrusts more balloons at me. “These are pink! The middle!”Logan leans close, whispering into my ear, gray eyes glittering with mischief. “Seems like crazy runs in the family. Should we be scared?”“Different DNA, remember,” I nudge back. “I skipped the

Date = 30 April Time to shoot a trailer for a movie — with two of my least favorite persons on earth.Place = San Francisco (San Francisco International Airport) (SFPD Bayview Station) A little forced sightseeing.POV - EnriqueI already miss my brother, and his plane hasn’t even cleared the runway yet. My chest feels hollow, like someone scooped out the insides and left me with air and ache.But I get it. He needs distance. He needs time. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.“Ooh, Independence Day meets ET,” Dean drawls, yanking me out of my pity spiral. His voice is smug as hell, like he just discovered a rare Pokémon. I glance at him, but he’s glued to the glowing tablet in his hands, pupils reflecting little squares of blue light.“What are you talking about?”He tilts the screen toward me with all the dramatic flair of a man who knows he’s about to blow my mind.“Since the news broke about a possible UFO sighting over New York last night, more and more videos have been released,

Date = 2 May Axel turns 20 tomorrow!Place = San Francisco (Inferno)POV - Aria“Mm, these are so frickin’ good,” Mel mumbles around a mouthful, her words muffled as if the donut itself refuses to let go of her. A dusting of sugar clings to her lips and the corner of her cheek, like glitter after a party. Judging by the growing mountain of crumpled napkins at her side, I’m convinced she’s already inhaled enough donuts to supply an entire police precinct for a week.The air is warm with the scent of fried dough and caramelized glaze, the sweetness wrapping itself around us in lazy, decadent waves — they’re so good it’s almost criminal.Alejandro’s new Australian chef, Dingo, has been making them fresh for The Doghouse — the quirky little new bistro tucked inside Paws and Claws — an upgrade of the old coffee shop.Mel closes her eyes on the next bite, letting out these faint, unashamed moans, the kind that make my guts turn with a mix of envy and secondhand embarrassment. She chews slow