Every Pearl Has Its Oyster (8 page)

“Hey,” he greeted her legs. She giggled as he took in her outfit. “You look…” He shook his head. “… like I should take you into my dressing room right now.”

Gemma giggled. “So, how has your day been so far?”

Tyler shrugged, looking off to the side. “Alright.”

“Just alright?”

He nodded. “Just trying on some wardrobe for the first time.”

“Ooh. How are your co-stars?”

“Awesome. We have a good group going on.”

“I see.” Gemma narrowed her eyes slightly at his short answers. She couldn’t tell what they meant other than the fact that he wasn’t giving the full story. Too proud to openly grill him about it, Gemma tried to think of a stealthy way to question Tyler about Madison and her progress on set. She had bombed so badly during the screen tests and proven to be a totally undeserving actress, so Gemma was curious about how well received she could possibly be by the cast and crew.

The answer to her question came quickly though, as she heard the chatter around the room fall to a hush. She looked up to see that one by one, the crewmembers were all turning to face the exit, their mouths falling open as someone strolled through the doors and onto the set.

“Oh, look at you! You’re perfect!” Sidney bellowed over the stunned silence.

It was Madison, of course.

Her long hair had been wound into a messy bun at the top of her head with just a few loose pieces falling down to frame her face. She was wearing a distressed t-shirt cropped just below the Guinness Extra Stout logo and denim short shorts that looked even shorter on her lithe ballerina legs. Finishing the look was a small horseshoe tattoo at her right ankle and a pair of red Converse All Stars. She was like every man’s living, breathing American Dream and unsurprisingly, everyone had been rendered speechless – Tyler included. However within seconds, he gathered himself, looking over at Gemma to see if she’d noticed his momentary daze. She pretended not to, though she eyed him from the side as Madison made her way towards them, biting her pinky nail the entire way over.

“Hey, Gemma,” she said, her usual megawatt smile looking unsure as she stood before them. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Um… can I call you Gemma? Or is it Bee?”

“Gemma’s fine,” Gemma answered, squinting at Madison. Was she still trying to act all sweet and coquettish like she had with Tyler at the screen tests? Sure it had worked then but now he was aware of what a completely evil person she was. She had to know that Gemma would have told him the truth about her.

“So, um.” Madison stuck her hands in the pockets of her shorts but they were too shallow to fit more than the tips of her fingers. She looked awkward, but Gemma didn’t put it past her to use that as part of her shy act. She was the queen of manipulation after all. “So, how are you liking your costume, Tyler? Sidney said we look like we belong together based on wardrobe alone,” Madison laughed, though she stopped almost immediately when Tyler didn’t laugh back. In fact, he barely looked at her. The only acknowledgment he gave was a brisk nod. His coldness pleasantly surprised Gemma while it seemed to confuse Madison. “Um, anyway,” she mumbled, gazing at the floor before raising her eyes to look at Gemma. “I was wondering, Gemma, if we could talk for a moment. In private.”

They stepped out into the hallway, wary but entirely too curious to refuse the conversation.

“Listen,” Madison finally said, biting her lip as she stood across from Gemma in the echoing white hallway. “I, um… I know that you and I didn’t really leave off as friends in high school.”

“And why do you think that is?” Gemma asked, tilting her head. Madison blinked, seeming thrown off.

“Well. Okay, um, I was about to get there with the whole… horrible things I did to you back at Beauford.” Madison clenched her jaw a bit, loosening the bands in her hair. “So, yeah. I wanted to say that I’m sorry. For the rumors and the mind games and… everything. From the bottom of my heart, I really am so sorry. I was mean spirited and young and completely immature in high school. So please, please accept my apology for what I did to you that year – I was stupid then. Beyond.”

Gemma stared, blinking. That was too easy. She hadn’t expected Madison to just surrender. It was hardly any fun like that.

“I just want to make sure that we’re on good terms now,” Madison continued tepidly. “I know you’ve probably told Tyler all about our history by now and I just… don’t want there to be any issues on set because honestly, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. And I don’t want to lose it. I can’t lose it.”

Gemma wanted to sneer. No wonder Madison had so easily surrendered. She was under the impression that either Gemma or Tyler could have her booted from production. As far as she knew, she needed Gemma’s approval. It wasn’t true, but she didn’t know it.

“Anyway, I’ll let you get back to Tyler. I just wanted to say that I’d honestly love to hang out again, if you’re interested.” Madison smiled, looking at her shuffling feet for a moment. “I mean, before we were enemies, we were friends,” she said, giving a small laugh before her blue eyes grew serious again. “And I’ve changed from the person that I was in high school, so. I, um… I just want you to know that.”

Gemma nodded slowly, a stiff smile spreading her lips. “Cool. Thanks, Madison,” she said crisply before whipping out her phone to check her imaginary messages, giving Madison her cue to return to set. Pretty good speech, Gemma thought sardonically. Good use of emotions and nostalgia. It was Manipulation 101. But Gemma wasn’t buying it. She had no doubt that Madison would drop the friendly act the moment filming had wrapped and she’d booked several other roles. She couldn’t deny it – it was bound to happen with someone who put such a spell on producers. And by then, she’d no longer need anyone’s approval and would feel free to throw herself at Tyler if she so wished, which she probably did.

Gemma was simply grateful that Tyler felt enough anger towards Madison that he refused to even exchange friendly chatter with her. It was comforting to know that she wouldn’t be rewarded with his friendship let alone affections. With that thought in mind, Gemma pushed through the doors to return to Tyler, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw the scene taking place on set.

It was Tyler. Sitting on a kitchen stool with Madison on his lap, his arms around her teeny tiny waist. They were both holding scripts but the tenderness still looked more real than Gemma appreciated.

Only then did she realize that one way or another, Madison would get rewarded. She was playing Tyler’s love interest after all, and the movie was looking like it’d be getting an R rating, and love interests combined with R ratings always meant lusty lovemaking, even if it was choreographed, lusty lovemaking. Gemma was sure Madison would enjoy it either way. As she watched Sidney move Tyler’s hands to Madison’s bare thigh, she realized that there was probably no physical way that Tyler wouldn’t enjoy himself either. After all, the slight smile on his face was probably not in the script, and neither was the way she actually bounced on his lap while laughing at someone’s joke. He could ignore Madison all he wanted when the cameras weren’t rolling, but it didn’t mean that they wouldn’t still be kissing and straddling each other once Sidney yelled “action.” Or that she wouldn’t improvise and throw in her own little flourishes of affection, which she seemed to already be doing by twiddling with the hem of his t-shirt while Sidney spoke to them. Well, she got comfortable fast, Gemma thought bitterly. A knot twisted in her stomach as her mind flooded with all the stories about co-stars who’d fallen for one another while playing lovers on set.

“And it only gets worse when the dialogue starts,” a low voice said.

Gemma blinked, turning to see Liam Brody’s tall frame standing behind her. She could detect his grin from behind the water bottle that he was drinking from. He was probably laughing at the look of horror on her face. As he started to walk away, Gemma called after him.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean they did the read through of this scene this morning,” he answered over his shoulder.

“And?”

Liam stopped for her. He turned around. “And it went well enough for them to keep practicing for fun. In his dressing room too, if you’re curious.” He smirked, seeming to be enjoy Gemma’s disapproval. She could feel herself frowning hard. Tyler’s cold shoulder towards Madison must have been just an act for her then. He’d obviously had no problem with her before, going as far as to spend extra time with her in his dressing room. What the hell, Gemma frowned.

Snapping her out of her thoughts was Liam, who laughed. “Don’t worry. The door was open.”

She looked up at him with a bit of annoyance. “Thanks for the info.”

“You asked.”

It was true. She sighed, glancing back up at the set. Sidney was talking to Madison now, and Tyler was looking over at Gemma with a quizzical expression as she spoke with his co-star. She held his gaze for a moment before turning it back to Liam.

“Hence the thank you,” she responded with a smirk of her own. Liam arched his eyebrows as if charmed by her sass – or perhaps it was less her sass than the way she crossed her arms and shifted her weight, causing the slit of her dress to fall open, once again exposing her leg from the top of her thigh down. Noticing her bare skin, Liam suddenly decided it time to make introductions.

“I’m Liam, by the way.”

Before Gemma could respond, she heard the sound of bounding footsteps. In no time, Tyler was beside her with a hand on her back. The crew pretended not to notice the stand. “What’s up?” he asked Liam, who smiled at Tyler with amusement.

“Introducing myself to your girlfriend,” he responded. It was an innocuous answer but he made it seem otherwise by letting his eyes drift back down to Gemma’s legs.

“Well, are you done?” Tyler asked Liam sternly, stepping in front of Gemma so he could no longer enjoy the view of her legs. Liam looked up at Tyler, purposely doing a bad job of suppressing his laughter.

“Sure, kiddo,” was all he said before giving Tyler’s shoulder a little pat and walking off. Gemma winced at the condescension, turning slowly to peer at Tyler for his reaction. She knew he’d be angry, but she didn’t expect to see his entire body rigid as if it had turned to stone, the only movement coming from the bulging vein on his neck, which pulsed as he continued to glare at Liam. Once she got over being startled, Gemma put both hands on his shoulders, gripping firmly.

“Tyler, let it go,” she said, confusion knit between her eyebrows. He seemed so easily angered lately. “Why are you so – ”

Her sentence was interrupted by his arm pulling her into his body, using the handful of her dress that he’d grabbed without her even realizing. Before she knew it, his lips were planted firmly on hers, his thumb on her chin to part her mouth for his tongue. He kissed her with an urgency that she met with initial surprise, though it soon turned to pleasure, and when he pulled away, a giddy dizziness – especially as she watched him grin over his shoulder at her before jogging back onto the set. Gemma couldn’t help her smile as she then turned to look at Madison, who was already watching her with an icy stare.

Take that, she thought with satisfaction.

Walking into her own party had never felt stranger. But then again, Gemma should have expected what she saw considering Perrin had let Oro plan every last detail.

“Uh, I thought you said this was like, a corporate dinner party?” Kate scratched her head, staring woefully down at her knee-length shift dress. “I would’ve worn something different if I’d known it’d be like this.”

“I’m sorry,” Gemma laughed nervously, in utter disbelief. “I… had no idea that this was going to happen.”

It was the first sponsor party for her Makeup tour. Of course, unbeknownst to the sponsors being honored, the tour they were paying for was completely delayed in development. With Oro Records still sparring with Gemma over her image, the planning of the shows had come to a complete and utter standstill. It was a wonder that the sponsors didn’t suspect anything despite Gemma’s arrival in a couture ensemble that completely clashed with the party’s salacious décor. The dungeon-like space looked half-rave party, half-strip club. There were no dinner tables or servers in bowties, but there were cages, elevated dance floors and cocktail servers wearing spike studded leather bustiers. Hanging from the many gothic chandeliers were leather and lace thongs. Writhing in one of the cages was a dancer wearing only five-inch heels and body paint.

Gemma’s eyes fluttered with shock as she stared out at the scene from her VIP balcony, joined in stunned silence by Leah, Kate and of course, security.

“Should we text a warning to the others before they get here? Maybe let them know not to wear any clothes?” Leah asked, though she was too busy using her phone to zoom in on the bartenders in leather briefs. Gemma only laughed in response, too confused to say anything. But arriving just in time to explain things was Perrin.

“Well, you don’t look in love with it, Bee,” she said wryly, coming from behind to place a hand on her shoulder. Gemma only snorted. “It’s part of something that Cliff has planned for you. Do you want to follow me so he can clarify things?”

Gemma looked up at her. “Do I have a choice?”

As she followed Perrin up a flight of stares and through a winding hallway, Gemma texted Tyler in case he arrived from set while she was still in the meeting. Hey – so Oro turned my sponsor dinner into an S&M dungeon party and now they’re taking me into some secret meeting to execute me or something… jk… but please ask Thor where to find me so you can save me once you get here. Thanks :-)

“Well, look at you, Bee.”

Cliff’s voice greeted Gemma before she could see him in the dark room that Perrin finally led her into. What the hell? She froze in the doorway, actually scared for a second. She peered over her shoulder to make sure Andro was still there. For once, it was a relief to have him just a few feet away.

“So, what is this?” Gemma asked, staring suspiciously at Cliff, whose face was suddenly lit with the light from his laptop screen. It sat before him on a small table, two executives from Oro on either side of him. To answer her question, he clicked the little remote in his hand to project an image onto the wall. Gemma squinted. It was a picture of her as Queen Bee, but photoshopped so that she wore a sleeveless leather trenchcoat over lingerie and thigh-high platform boots. In her hand was a microphone with what looked like a braided leather tail. Gemma couldn’t stop herself from promptly bursting into laughter. “Is that… a whip attached to my microphone?” she asked incredulously.