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twilight jog along the beach would help soothe away her
buyer s remorse. At the thought of running, Holly felt a flash
of inspiration.  Or I could &  she trailed off, setting down
her fork.
Alexa raised one eyebrow as Jesse Metcalfe and Justin
Long walked by their table, their famous faces half-hidden
behind shades.  Go out to the Chateau Marmont and pick
up eligible celeb boys? she offered Holly teasingly.
 Alexa, I have a boyfriend! Holly rolled her eyes, indignant,
and made a mental note to call Tyler back later that
evening.  Besides, I want to hold out and go to the Chateau
Marmont with you. No, I was thinking I should get in touch
with Kenya Matthews. Remember her? She s just finishing
her freshman year at UCLA, so we could meet up tonight.
136
 Kenya Matthews? Alexa repeated, leaning back in her
chair in surprise.  You mean superathlete, super-student
girl? Are you sure you want to rely on her for a fun night
out?
Holly shrugged, poking at a carrot on her plate. Knowing
dedicated, dependable Kenya, she might actually suggest
that the two of them go for a run  but at least Holly would
have company.  Hey, she said, flicking a piece of lettuce at
Alexa with a grin.  I m not the one who s supposed to have
the wild time tonight. That would be you, my dear.
 It would, wouldn t it? Alexa grinned. Considering Jonah s
kisses last night, she got the spine-tingling feeling that
they d pick up right where they d left off.
Alexa glanced at her watch; suddenly, the afternoon
couldn t go fast enough. She couldn t wait to be with Jonah
again, to listen to his stories of behind-the-scenes drama,
to study the depths of his long-lashed blue eyes, and, most
important, to enjoy some serious kissing in the backseat of
his limo.
137
137
CHAPTER SEVEn
Romantic Comedy
As the white limo slid through the famous, stately gates of
Paramount Pictures, Alexa leaned forward to peer out the
window, her coral-and-silver earrings tinkling. The car was
gliding by low-hanging palm trees and a building marked
studio 4, and Alexa wondered if this was how old-time stars
like Marlene Dietrich and Rudolph Valentino felt, coming to
work every day. Though Marlene wouldn t have been
wearing a brand-new, swirly D&G skirt, flat copper-colored
sandals that laced up her ankles, and a light-pink, crochet
LaROK cami, as Alexa was now. Alexa grinned at the
thought; thank God she lived in the twenty-first century.
It was six thirty on a Wednesday, but the studio was
bustling. Power-suited agents strode by, barking
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into minuscule cell phones, harried-looking assistants were
carrying trays of coffee, and Alexa observed a gaggle of
girls dressed in black-and-white nuns habits, all clearly on
their way to shoot a scene. Outside a squat soundstage, a
ruggedly hot actor from a TV medical drama stood chain-
smoking, his arm around a blond guy who had to be his
real-life boyfriend. It was amazing but also kind of weird 
to get a glimpse at what went on behind the screen. Alexa
didn t really like to have magic ruined for her.
Not far from the water tower bearing the Paramount logo,
the chauffeur stopped the limo in front of a sleek modern
building. When Alexa noticed that Jonah was not there
waiting for them, she asked the chauffeur if she could pop
inside and get him herself. The driver nodded, and Alexa
eagerly hopped out of the limo with butterflies in her belly.
She felt very Hollywood-official as she passed through the
brightly lit lobby, but was disappointed when no one
stopped her, framed their hands around her face and
gasped that she was the one they d been looking for. Alexa
knew Holly would mock her for being so self-absorbed, but
didn t everyone come to Tinseltown with the same silly
daydream?
The read-through for The Princess and the Slacker 
Alexa tried not to snort when the security guard told her the
ridiculous title  was in a conference room
139
down the hall. When Alexa arrived, she hovered outside the
door, hiding; she wanted to spy on the action a little before
she caught Jonah s attention.
Breathtaking in a black Theory dress shirt, his thick dark
hair kind of sticking up in an adorable way, Jonah sat at the
center of the long table, surrounded by several B-list actors
Alexa recognized from random films and TV shows. Across
from Jonah sat a bearded guy in a baseball cap who Alexa
guessed was the director, and immediately next to Jonah
was  shit  Charity Durst, clad in a white wifebeater (no
bra) and size zero Chip & Pepper jeans. In front of each
actor there was one thick white script and a cup from The
Coffee Bean. Jonah was reading aloud from his script, his
voice strong and sensual.
 Brianne, he was saying.  You have to forgive me. I know
you caught me in your bed with your cousin. Fine. But that
was last week. I was stupid then.
Alexa clapped her hand to her mouth so nobody could hear
her giggle. She sincerely hoped that Margaux s fiancé,
Paul, was not the genius behind this screenplay.
The director cleared his throat.  Let s try to get more
passion in there, Jonah, he suggested.  Remember, this is
Roger s big redemption scene.
Jonah nodded, then tilted his head all the way back and
slowly rubbed at his temples with his fingertips,
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keeping his eyes shut. The rest of the room watched him
with silent reverence, and Alexa held her breath, curious.
After a minute, Jonah straightened up, shook his head a
few times, and looked back at the script.
 Brianne, he said, and this time his tone was full of pent-up
hurt and emotion.  You have to forgive me& . As Jonah
repeated the previous lines, his voice shaking, Alexa could
have sworn she saw tears glimmering in those blue-blue
eyes. Her heart seized up with worry before she realized:
He s acting. She felt at once foolish, and then awed by
Jonah s talent.
The director nodded emphatically.  Better, he said, making
a notation on his legal pad.
 Prove it to me, Charity Durst suddenly spoke in her whiny
voice, glancing from the script to Jonah and back again.
 Not with words this time, Roger. But with  
 With what? Jonah asked, his voice still tearful.
 With kisses, Charity breathed. She glanced up from the
script, shaking out her dirty-blonde hair while Alexa balled
her fists together in annoyance.  Should we try it now?
Charity asked the director with a sly smile.
 Might as well. The director shrugged.  Let s get a sense of
your chemistry.
Alexa watched in horror as Charity leaned close to Jonah,
turned his face to hers, and planted an
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aggressive, sloppy kiss on his mouth. Jonah didn t
respond, exactly, but he didn t fight her off, either, which
Alexa would have greatly preferred.
 Terrif, the director said approvingly.  It ll look really natural
on camera.
 Well, with enough practice &  Charity purred and Jonah
lowered his head, blushing.
Ugh. That did it. Alexa moved into the doorway and waved
at Jonah, who immediately raised his eyebrows and
beamed. No matter what Desperate Durst tried, Alexa [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]