Aaron tossed his fork onto his plate, noting his disapproval. I held my eyes closed for a few seconds and internally bashed myself for opening up my big lipstick-covered mouth. Maybe arm-candy, dumb bimbo would have been a safer approach after all?

Jonathan leaned over and spoke directly to Ryan. “Where did you say you found this amazing woman again?”

“On the East Coast.” Ryan chuckled. “Why? You planning to steal her from me?”

“Perhaps, if you’re not careful! I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to have honest conversation with someone!” Jonathan smiled and patted my hand. “That’s a quality that this business is seriously lacking.”

His warm eyes glinted at me. “Relax, my dear. I had the same exact feelings about the script. I’ve already discussed some re-writes.” Jonathan continued, chuckling to himself. “Now onto the business at hand. Let’s discuss making a film.”

I slid back into my chair while my nerves twisted into knots. The urge to get on a plane and run for home was overwhelming.

Once the limo driver returned us to the private garage entrance to our hotel, Ryan and I practically ran from the elevator to our room. He pressed me into the door and kissed me passionately, shutting the rest of the crazy world out behind us.

Just as Ryan had forewarned, he almost tore my dress off, struggling impatiently with the zipper. We aggressively removed each other’s clothing, undressing right there in the entryway of our suite like some sex-starved, horny teenagers. Our bodies joined together, testing out the sturdiness of the living room furniture, the coffee table, and even the polished mahogany dining table before twining into one on the freshly made canopy bed.

The next morning we barely had time to swallow our room service breakfast before having to be on the move again. I thought we were going to be able to spend some time together alone, but that was an unfulfilled wish.

Riding in the back seat of another chauffeured sedan, we passed the famous Hollywood sign on the hillside as we drove to the studio where Ryan was to attend a magazine photo shoot.

David, Ryan’s manager, was forever twisting his expensive watch on his wrist. “Did you read those scripts that Aaron sent you?”

“Yeah, I did,” Ryan answered, scanning his cell phone messages again.

“Sacred Mountain, Ryan. That’s your next big hit.”

“I’m not interested in sci-fi right now, David. I told you that I want to pursue The Isletin Solution. You and Aaron are supposed to be working on that.”David’s lips pursed. “I don’t know why you have that script stuck in your head. People are not going to line up at the theaters to see Ryan Christensen playing some med student from the 1940’s who does medical trials on dogs.”

“It was the 1920’s – 1921 to be exact,” I interjected.

David shot me a dirty look. “What did you say?” he asked, annoyed by my interruption.

“It happened in 1921. You said the 1940s,” my subconscious big mouth replied.

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter,” he said tersely, quickly turning his attention back to Ryan. “You’ll be better off doing Sacred Mountain. You need another project lined up, and this one is a big budget – big action with a big studio to back it – not to mention a big paycheck for you!”

Ryan looked over at me, trying to gauge my opinion before he gave his response. I scratched my chin repeatedly.

“A sci-fi film, David? Really?” Ryan’s nose wrinkled.

“Yes, Ryan. Really! You need to line up a project after the third Seaside and this one is it. I’m telling you - this one is all yours! Aaron and I already spoke to Stevens at Universal. All you have to do is say yes and we can seal this deal. But the time is now, Ryan. He wants you to lock in, so let’s lock it in!” David’s enthusiasm was apparent.

“I don’t know. I’ve read the script and the story is weak. I’d rather do films that are more meaningful and memorable – character driven. Are people going to run to the theaters to see me frolic around with little gray aliens? I don’t think so. I’ll quit acting before I do shitty films. Besides, Taryn read Isletin and she feels it would be a better role for me.”

I gasped from the surprise. Why did Ryan have to mention my name? He said it so nonchalantly and then simply returned to being distracted with his phone. David instantly glared at me and I could feel his disdain. I wanted to defend myself but I kept my mouth shut instead this time. This was between Ryan and his manager.

“Isletin is a sleeper,” David groaned. “It’s career suicide.” He made sure to look directly at me when he said that. “You need big action now. You have to keep this energy rolling!”

“I’m already signed on for three films next year. Besides, I want to try and have a life somehow in between it all.” Ryan picked up my hand and wove our fingers together. David’s disapproving eyes stealthily followed Ryan’s gesture.

“Ryan, let me give you some advice. You haven’t been in the business long enough to pass up opportunities like this. And forget about slowing down. You slow down now and your career is over in this town. Sacred Mountain is a money project and the producer is even willing to wait until you’re done shooting the third Seaside. You need to jump on this project and forget about the script that has no backing.”

Ryan took a deep breath; his indecision was starting to show. I squeezed his hand in mine to get his attention. When he glanced over at me I rubbed my forehead and then scratched my chin. He would not make his mark as a serious dramatic actor with a storyline like Sacred Mountain. It was beyond cheesy.

“Let me think about it,” Ryan replied. “I want to talk it over with Taryn.”

Marla, his Publicist, was already at the studio waiting when we arrived. Ryan was scheduled to give a brief interview after the photo shoot; Marl a was there to mind his tongue and make sure his image was captured correctly.

I was under the impression that this shoot was just a magazine spread and an interview of Ryan, however that assumption was quickly bashed when I saw Suzanne in the makeup chair. For the next seven hours I watched Ryan and Suzanne make numerous wardrobe changes as they posed together over and over again.

Suzanne, of course, played up her most fortunate position. She was relishing in the fact that it was she in these photos with Ryan and not me. In between shots, a team of makeup artists tended to her and made her smoky eyes even more alluring.