34 - Questionable Choices

The Alex-stripper led me outside, but I tugged on the arm he held. “Aren’t you going to dance for me?” I asked, pouting. “What’s the purpose of a strip club if the strippers don’t dance?”

Alex-stripper rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, Fay.”

I yanked my arm back, but I stumbled, dropping my purse. My photo of me and my mom fell out, and Alex—who I was beginning to realize was not actually a stripper—paused.

“What’s this?” he asked, leaning down and picking the picture up.

“It’s a picture, silly,” I teased.

“Something about this looks familiar,” he murmured. “Do you mind if I take it and do some research?”

“Sure,” I said. “But I want it back after.”

“Of course.” He grabbed my arm again, and this time, I didn’t resist. “I’m taking you home.”

He asked me for my address and typed it into his GPS. Then he drove us down the highway. “Your voicemail said you got news that your father isn’t your biological father,” Alex started.

“Yeah, and Max isn’t my real brother either.” I gazed at the passing landscape outside my window.

“That had to be a shock,” he said. “You’ve been through a lot over the past couple of months. Over the last week, even.”

I nodded. “It is a lot.”

“How are you holding up?”

I laughed. “Well, I’m drunk.”

“That you are. Are you going to be okay?” Alex glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, his grip on the steering wheel tight.

“Yesh,” I slurred. “I’ll be fine.” He didn’t look convinced. “What?”

“You don’t have to pretend it’ll be easy to cope with everything. You don’t have to pretend with me,” he said.

I remained silent, nausea creeping up on me. I guess that was why I was drinking at one in the afternoon: because it wasn’t easy to cope with all of it. Gosh, maybe I’d made a mistake.

“Pull over!” I yelled, and Alex slowed to a stop on the shoulder. I opened the door and vomited on the ground. Wiping my mouth, I remembered the last time I’d had this much to drink: when I’d met Luca. Now look where Luca and I were.

Speaking of Luca, I should text him. I absolutely should not do so while drunk, but I was going to anyway.

“You good?” Alex asked as I pulled out my phone.

“Better,” I said, opening my messages with the—former—mob boss. Then I sent a quick text: “Hey, Luca. I never told you this, but I think you’re hilarious.”

His response was instant. “Uh, Fay? You’ve never complimented me like this before. Are you okay, or have you been replaced with a clone?”

“I may be a little drunk.” I giggled at my phone, and Alex peered at me from behind thick lashes. His sandy-blond hair gleamed in the sunlight. “Pretty,” I said, staring at him.

“As are you,” he answered seriously.

“I don’t feel so good,” I groaned, leaning back in my seat. My head spun, and my stomach was doing flips. Not in a good way, either.

“We’re here,” Alex parked in my driveway. “Let’s go inside and get you some water. Maybe some crackers, too.”

“Okay,” I let him help me out, and I clung to him as I wobbled up my front steps.

Alex rummaged through my cupboards for a glass and filled it in the sink. Then he went into my pantry. “I don’t see any crackers,” he called. “Would you like a sandwich? That’s the extent of my cooking abilities, I’m afraid. That’s one thing Dad never taught me.”

“A sandwich sounds great.”

He set to work preparing a turkey and Provolone sandwich. “What kind of condiments do you like?”

“I don’t think my stomach can handle anything more than mayo right now,” I said.

“Mayo it is, then.” He grabbed a jar out of the fridge and set it on the counter. “Do you want a lot or a little?”

“Just a little.”

He finished the sandwich and handed it to me. I didn’t have much of an appetite, but I nibbled on it anyway. I’d gotten used to small meals like this in the months since leaving the home I’d shared with Owen. We used to get takeout all the time because neither of us had time to cook, but I’d taken to having groceries delivered and actually making food at home now.

Alex stayed with me for a while, but then he had to get to class. So, I spent some time sobering up. I should probably head to set today to see how the film was coming along, which meant I needed to be able to function. Just because life sucked didn’t mean it stopped going on.

After several hours and the beginning of a massive hangover, I put some sunglasses on and took a cab to the set. Today, we were filming the scene where Sean’s character, Luiz the henchman, was discovered to be an undercover police officer all along, trying to bring down the mafia from the inside.

“What’s this?” Luca said, puffing a cigar. “Are you betraying me, Luiz? Is your name even Luiz?” He flicked the lit cigar onto the sidewalk of the set.

“It is not. And is it betraying you if we were never friends to begin with?” Sean arched a brow.

Both men had their hands on their weapons, but neither of them were shooting.

“I can’t let you get away with this,” Luca said.

“No, I can’t let you get away with it,” Sean answered. “You’ve destroyed this city, and it’s time you paid for your crimes.”

“Crime? That’s a relative term.” Luca scoffed.

“No. The law is clear, and you’ve broken it hundreds of times since I’ve worked under you. You’ll be going away for a long time, Anthony.” Sean stepped forward.

“Come any closer and I’ll shoot,” Luca warned.

“I have two dozen men surrounding this place, some in the windows above us, and more in that van over there,” Sean said, pointing to each place. “If you shoot me, you’ll be dead before I hit the ground. It’s over, Anthony. Drop the gun.”

“I don’t believe you. You’re bluffing.”

Sean smirked. “Care to find out?”

Without warning, Luca pulled the trigger. At the same moment, Sean pulled his. Shots fired from all around as Luca was hit with multiple blank bullets, which burst the fake blood packets hidden on his person. He fell to the ground, both he and Sean covered in fake blood.

The scene ended, and I couldn’t help applauding. “That was great, both of you!” I yelled. “Bravo!”

Luca stood and grinned at me. Sean appeared pleased with himself as he sauntered over to me. “Well, hello, Fay,” he said.

“Hi, Sean. You’ve outdone yourself again. The viewers are going to love this.”

“You know what they’d love even more?” he purred.

“Do I want to ask?” I chuckled.

“They’d love to see you as the female lead.” He winked at me. “Our lead had to cancel her contract due to a family emergency, and you’re perfect for the role. I already know we’ve got the chemistry for it.” He glanced at Luca, whose character was the female lead’s other love interest. “Although, seeing you with him might be disagreeable.”

“And there was no one else to play the role?” I mused.

“Due to time and budget constraints, I’d say you’re the best option. You would have been my first choice, anyway, if you weren’t already overseeing the film.” Sean shrugged.

I considered it for a moment. In the past, I’d wanted a more hands-on role in this industry, not to produce films but to play in them. The thought was tempting. In fact, it was too tempting to refuse. “I’ll do it.”

Sean beamed. “Splendid! We’ll get changed, and you need to get in costume, too. We can shoot the scene where you choose between Luiz and Anthony first.”

That sounded almost too eerie, like he’d planned it out that way. If it wasn’t acting, it would be exactly like the situation in real life. But now that I’d agreed to it, I couldn’t back out. It would make me look like a coward, and I was no coward. Nor would I let Sean think he’d rattled me, even if he had.

Sean and Luca disappeared to the men’s dressing room, and I entered the women’s. The costume for this scene was a sexy red dress not unlike the one Luca had bought me, which had been ruined when I was attacked by those men. I’d only worn the thing once.

Hair and makeup got me all ready for the scene, and they did a phenomenal job. I looked like a bombshell. So, when I wandered onto the set, I wasn’t surprised when both Sean and Luca stopped and stared.

“What? Did I render both of you speechless? That’s a first,” I joked. Luca’s mouth opened and closed, while Sean’s just stayed open. I smirked. “Well, let’s get on with it, shall we?”

We got into our places, and the scene began. Sean and Luca’s longing expressions toward me were not an act at all as the filming started.

“Vivienne, I know you’ve been playing with both of us,” Sean said. “You’re hot one minute and cold the next. You’ve pitted us against each other, and it’s time you stop with the games. This isn’t the wild, and we aren’t animals. Either pick who you want, or let us be done with it.”

“Luiz, it’s not that simple,” I said, my lower lip trembling as I put on the waterworks.

“It is that simple, Vivienne,” Luca said, folding his arms over his muscular chest. I let my eyes linger on them. For the scene, obviously. “I won’t have you causing division between me and my right-hand man. Choose one of us, or get out.”

“Oh, alright. It’s …” A knock at the door sounded, and I jolted as if surprised.

“We’re busy!” Luca yelled.

The footsteps retreated as Luca and Sean glared pointedly at me. “Who is it, Vivienne?” Luca growled.

“It’s you. It’s always been you, Tony,” I said softly.

Sean’s look of heartbreak was almost too real as he clenched his jaw and glanced away. Luca nodded, as if he expected Vivienne’s answer. “Luiz, get out.”

“Yes, boss,” Sean said, slinking away and closing the door behind him.

Luca beckoned me closer. “Come here, Vivienne. Prove that it’s me. Show me I’m the one you love.”

I sashayed up to him, my eyes sultry, and when his eyes widened, I knew that this was more than an act. “I’m yours, Tony. Always and forever.”

Luca pulled me to him forcefully, possessively laying his claim on me. His hands slipped down to my hips as I leaned in for a kiss, and his lips met my own with the force of a thousand hurricanes. This was too real, but it was too good to stop.

His fingers tangled in my hair as he sucked my face like it was his source of oxygen, and I drove my tongue into his mouth like a ship plunging into the sea. The kiss deepened, and we sank to the floor, out of the camera’s view.

“Cut!” Sean called.

Luca and I were both breathless as we broke apart, eyes wide as we stared at each other in shock. There was no pretending that all of that was only for the scene. Not to each other and not to everyone in the room who had witnessed it.

I was left feeling more conflicted than ever as we stood. Sean stalked toward us. “How was that for a scene, huh?” he said, but he didn’t sound impressed. He sounded … angry.

Sean continued. “I imagine something in real life would have gone differently, though. If you had the option, who would you choose, Fay, me or Luca?”