Star Struck Read Free Page B

One with an ego as big as her reputation proclaimed. Too much of a diva to even recognize the names of prominent crew members like himself. What a shame.
    He’d been with her type before. His ex-girlfriend—ex-fiancée. Erica. She’d been the type who only cared about him when his status proved worthy. It was bullshit, and he’d changed the way he dated after her, careful to only involve himself with women who liked him when they didn’t know dick about what he did for a living.
    After more hemming and hawing and three sips of wine, she spoke. “Actually, Patrick, I think the idea’s terrible.” And once she’d found her voice, she couldn’t stop. “I mean, a set? For the 24-Hour Plays? Why? The lack of a set—the impressionism of the whole situation—that’s part of the beauty of it. Why would you change it? What do you hope to add with this element?”
    Patrick’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, well, we just…”
    “No offense to you, Seth.” She glanced toward him, not really looking at him and he winced at how arousing it was to hear her say his name. “I’m sure you’re amazing with a hammer and everything. But…it’s just…it’s wrong.”
    He shrugged, not daring to talk. He was too appalled and pissed and turned on to speak. Anything he said would just get him in trouble, and not the good kind of trouble.
    “I’m so sorry to hear you feel that way, Heather.”
    Seth sneered inwardly at the sincerity of Patrick’s amends. Patrick held power in this situation. Why did he feel he had to smooth over the ruffled feathers of some snotty actress? What she needed was a good spanking.
    And then thoughts of her creamy skin turning pink under his hand had him needing to adjust himself under the table.
    Settle down, boy. She’s not worth it.
    “Does Rosie know about this?” Heather jutted her lip out in challenge.
    If she’d jutted that lip out to him, Seth was pretty sure he’d have to bite it. Not worth it, remember?
    “Yes, and Rosie was completely behind it.” Patrick took a swallow of his martini— more of a gulp. “In fact, Heather, you’re the first person who’s opposed it.”
    “Maybe you aren’t asking the right people. I’m sure people like Seth here are all for it because, you know, set construction is his thing and all.”
    Set construction really wasn’t Seth’s thing. Not anymore. He’d moved beyond that years ago, but for some reason, he was strongly opposed to letting Heather know that. She’d probably calm down and relax if she realized his true occupation. She might even pick up the flirting again.
    The thought sickened him, mostly because that led to other thoughts of how far their flirting could go. And, to quote Heather, that was just wrong. He had standards. He didn’t need Heather Wainwright. He didn’t need to be a star fucker.
    No, it was better that she thought he was a carpenter—a nobody in her world. That way it would be easier to keep her out of his world. He had no interest in such blatant snobbery.
    Except Patrick was about to spill the beans. “Actually, Seth’s more about the big picture,” Patrick said. “You know he’s a—”
    Seth cut him off before he could say more. “Maybe Heather has personal issues that have influenced her opinion.”
    Heather’s head swung to face Seth, daggers shooting from her eyes. “I’m not sure what you mean by that but my opinion is influenced by the fact that I’ve done the plays for five years in New York and three years in L.A. and they’ve been fabulous as is. I don’t understand the idea of fixing something that isn’t broken. But you’re probably a fixer type.”
    She crossed her arms, increasing the abundance of her cleavage and he corrected his earlier thought—her breasts were above standard package. Way above.
    It didn’t matter. Beautiful tits did not make up for a holier-than-thou attitude.
    “Patrick, I’m sorry to interrupt.” Janice Shafer, Patrick’s sidekick from Montblanc, leaned in from