35 - Dogfight

“Wait, what?” I stammered. Was Sean really asking that?

“Me or Luca? If you had to choose,” Sean repeated, as if it was the simplest question in the world and not an awful attempt to force me to show interest.

“What if I wanted a young student or an older sugar daddy instead?” I teased, not wanting to answer the obvious bait. “I may not be interested in an actor or a mob boss.”

“Former mob boss,” Luca corrected at the same time that Sean said, “You were definitely interested when you kissed me back.”

I’d also definitely been interested when I made out with Luca during the previous scene, but that was beside the point. I refused to participate in this and cater to their ridiculous need for approval. So, I said, “What if I want to become an old spinster and die alone? I could have twenty-five cats instead of a man if I wanted.”

“That’s not a part of the hypothetical,” Sean said.

It was clear they were not going to give up until I humored them, which was annoying. Pressuring me into choosing was not going to endear me to either of them, and it sure as heck wasn’t going to rush me into a decision either. I was still technically married, and entertaining thoughts of a relationship with anyone was unwise. Not to mention the fact that it could make me look bad during the divorce proceedings. That was the main reason I was still single.

It wasn’t because I wasn’t interested in anyone or because I wasn’t ready to move on. I was doing better. It’s easier to move on from a dead relationship than one that was full of life. But I didn’t want to move on until I’d completely severed everything that tied me to Owen, and that meant that I couldn’t agree to this.

Yet if I didn’t play along, they would keep pushing the issue. So, I said, “Alright. Help me choose, then. State each other’s shortcomings, the pros and cons.” I looked from him to Luca.

Luca smirked. “This’ll be easy.”

“Yes,” Sean said coolly, “it will.”

“Sean, you’re a tool. I’ve watched you chase everything with boobs the past week. If Fay chose you, you wouldn’t value her,” Luca started.

“Luca, your character is questionable at best, and your past makes you a risky choice for her. If she chose you, what could you give her? Your enemies would target her and put her in danger.” Sean crossed his arms over his chest.

“Well, at least I would cherish her the way she deserves. You just want to hit it and quit it, disregarding anyone else’s feelings. This is a game for you, a challenge to see if you can bag the ultimate prize. But that’s not how it works.” Luca glared at Sean. “Fay is not some prize to be won. She’s the most beautiful, talented, intelligent woman, and if you can’t see past her looks to the woman underneath, you don’t deserve her.”

“I’m not going to dignify that with a response,” Sean stated, a hard edge to his voice.

“Why? Because you can’t deny it?” Luca arched a brow.

“This is ridiculous! Fay is … she’s …”

“She’s what, Sean? Got no words to describe her? How about strong and admirable? Or you could name things you’ve noticed about her … besides her chest. Like how her nose crinkles when she laughs or how her whole face lights up when she smiles. What about the way her brow furrows when she’s thinking hard about something or how she puts her hands on her hips when she’s about to tell someone off?”

Dang. Luca has paid a lot of attention to me. I’m flattered and also a little touched. Should I have been paying that much attention to him?

“That’s unfair,” Sean said. “I was put on the spot.”

“Hey, you agreed to this. You should have been prepared to improvise, just like you do in acting.” Luca shrugged.

It was somewhat disappointing to see Sean’s true colors, but Luca’s words were the most surprising. He must really care for me to have studied me that closely. But maybe I already knew that.

“So, knowing that Sean only thinks of you as a number on his body count list, who would you choose, Fay?” Luca asked.

I pretended to think about it for a good few seconds. Then I said, “Hmm. I guess it’s a good thing I don’t have to choose.”

“How about a friendly game of Russian roulette, then?” Luca suggested. “Winner gets to date Fay, and loser … dies.” They each pulled out some guns from the set and replaced the blanks with real bullets.

“Oh gosh,” I breathed. “This is a terrible idea. Please, don’t do this.”

“Why not? The stakes are much higher this way,” Sean argued.

Both men spun the barrel, so no one could tell when the bullet was in the correct chamber. I bit my lip, trying—begging—once more to get them to stop. “This is insane! You don’t have to do this!”

“You won’t pick either of us, so you leave us no choice,” Sean said. “But if it makes you feel better, we can aim for the shoulder instead of anything vital.”

“I don’t want you to aim for anything! And you could miss.” I couldn’t believe they were doing this.

“I won’t miss. Will you?” Sean looked at Luca.

“No. I won’t.”

They raised their guns and took aim, staring each other down like two dogs about to fight over a meal. I didn’t want to be the meat in the middle.

“Wait!” I yelled, throwing up my hands.

“I’m done waiting,” Sean growled. “I’m a man of little patience when it comes to what I want, and I’ve never wanted anyone more than I’ve wanted you. So, we’re doing this, and you won’t stop us. We will fight for you if you can’t choose one of us.”

“Agreed,” Luca said. “I’m tired of this one”—he gestured to Sean—“making eyes at you across the set when you’re not looking. Of the way he watches you and doesn’t regard you as a person deserving of respect. If he’s going to treat you like an object, then he’s not the man for you.”

“That doesn’t mean you guys need to shoot each other! This is barbaric, and I won’t stand for it.” I glared at them with as much venom as I could muster in my panicked state.

“Then don’t watch. Or you could choose one of us,” Sean said.

“I’m not going to choose one of you just to get you not to shoot yourselves. Not only would it not be real, but what if you went right back to shooting each other when I said I didn’t mean it?”

“Then it’s to the death,” Sean said dramatically. “Or serious injury.”

They both raised their guns, and I stopped breathing as my senses zeroed in on the scene before me. By this point, people were watching with expressions of concern, fear, and confusion. Some had even taken out their phones to film it, and I knew this would be all over the tabloids by this evening.

“Ready?” Luca asked, his voice carrying an odd tone I couldn’t place.

Sean nodded. They both pulled the trigger, and the sound echoed in the confines of the room. My heart stuttered as I watched the bullet strike Luca and the other graze Sean’s arm. Luca fell.

Oh God. Oh God. This wasn’t happening.

I raced toward him where he’d landed on the hard floor. His chest was still moving, but I searched him for injury. His eyes were closed and his lips parted as I leaned in to listen to his chest.

I didn’t see any blood yet. Where was the blood? Why wasn’t he getting up? Was he even conscious?

Panic gripped me, and I felt all over his chest for the wound. For once, it didn’t even affect me to be near his chiseled muscles. I only cared about whether he lived.

Where was the injury? Why wasn’t he moving? I checked lower, feeling his stomach for the wound.

Suddenly, Luca grabbed my wrist. His eyes opened in amusement as he said, “I wouldn’t grope me any lower if I were you. I might get excited.”

I looked from him to Sean, my brow furrowing. Sean looked like he was holding back laughter. Luca was smirking like this was all some big joke, but I couldn’t understand the punchline. “You’re okay?”

“We switched the real bullets for blanks, so when it looked like we were putting real bullets in the guns, it would be more dramatic,” Sean stated.

Relief filled me first, but then it was rage. I shoved Luca and stood, storming off. “I don’t believe this,” I muttered under my breath. They’d fooled me. I’d thought Luca was dying, and he was pranking me all along.

“Babe, wait!” he called from behind me. “It’s not what you think!”