“Fuck no.” He didn’t have final say in casting, but he was allowed reasonable input, and he did not want the woman who’d put her career over their relationship and broken his heart working on his movie.
“Who’d they pick?” Dash asked. He knew Xander had been waiting on this news.
Xander held up a finger, buying himself time with his brother before replying.
“Excuse me,” Raye said. “But are you telling me you’re going to let the past dictate whether or not you accept the hottest actress in the country … screw that … in the world playing this role?” His agent asked a rational question.
Xander didn’t have an equally rational answer. Ending things with Sasha had shattered his world as much as the IED that exploded too close to him in Afghanistan had blown up his military career.
“I need you to think,” Raye said in the face of Xander’s silence. “Sasha is a huge get and her signing will boost your desirability. Don’t forget we’re negotiating an option on your new series to a streaming service. You want the biggest names possible bringing in the largest numbers possible on your current project. And her face sells. Tickets, subscriptions, all of it.”
Xander muttered under his breath. He didn’t like it but Raye was right. Before he could acknowledge that fact, she spoke again. “Don’t let your bruised ego stand in the way.”
This movie was due to shoot in Manhattan, and as a consultant, Xander planned to be on set often. “Fuck.” He ran a hand over his cropped hair and groaned. And despite his past with Sasha, he could be professional. “Fine,” he muttered.
Raye let out a relieved, loud breath. “Catch up at lunch soon?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, take it easy. Remember, this is a good thing,” she said before disconnecting without a goodbye. Typical Raye.
Xander set his phone on the counter, closed his eyes, and mentally counted to ten and back, the method he used to calm down when stressed. When he opened his eyes, Dash was staring at him with concern.
“You okay?”
Xander shrugged. “Pissed.”
“I got that. Just as I figured from your reaction they want to hire Sasha for the role?”
He ran a hand over the back of his neck and nodded. “Raye reminded me it will only benefit me and the deals we’re negotiating to have Sasha on board.” His gut churned at the thought of seeing her again. “But I’m not planning on dealing with her on set.” He could be cordial and professional but that was it. He wasn’t required to be friends with the actors. He’d just be there to make sure they stayed true to the characters he’d created.
Dash eyed him warily. “Well, I agree with your instinct to steer clear. She was career driven when you met her, and nothing we’ve seen in the last couple of years shows she’s changed.”
Xander nodded. It wasn’t like he could miss learning about Sasha’s life. Not the way she was constantly splashed across tabloids, social media, and the news. He’d wondered if she’d grown up, changed, and found other priorities, but Dash was right.
Every photo showed her hanging out with her male co-stars, every article and caption insinuating she had a tendency to relationship hop, and eventually Xander stopped paying attention.
Dash placed a hand on Xander’s shoulder before dropping it. “I just wouldn’t want her to hurt you again.”
“She’d have to get close to me for that to happen.” But he appreciated Dash’s concern. “I need that run.” He slid his phone into the armband he kept on his counter and velcroed it to his bicep. His Bose earbuds came next.
“You’ll feel better after you pound out that frustration on the pavement.” Dash slapped him on the back. “Hey, if you want to make Sasha jealous, I could introduce you to someone you can bring with you on set.”
“A groupie?” Xander frowned, the idea holding no appeal. His brother’s rock-star lifestyle was not for him, and someday it was going to catch up to his brother. “Thanks but no thanks,” he said, though Dash had raised an eyebrow as if he’d really expected Xander to say yes.
Dash shrugged. “Your choice. Okay, I’m out of here, too. Yell if you need me.”
“Will do,” Xander said and walked out with his brother, Bella trotting alongside them.
* * *
Sasha Keaton folded her favorite sleep shirt and placed it in her suitcase, followed by item after item on her bed. Beside her, Cassidy Forrester, her best friend and personal assistant, sat on the chair by Sasha’s vanity area, her iPad open as they discussed travel arrangements for their trip to New York.
Sasha zipped her piece of luggage closed, ignoring the twisting in her stomach every time she thought about the man whose movie she’d accepted a part in.
“So, we leave tomorrow at nine twenty a.m. and land around six New York time,” Cassidy said, reading off the itinerary. “We’re staying at the Gansevoort, with you in a one-bedroom suite with an outdoor terrace, and I have an adjoining king room next door.”
“Excellent. You’ll have your own space to sleep, and we can hang out in the suite.”
Sasha met Cassidy when she’d answered an ad for a room in a two-bedroom apartment after she’d wrapped a movie in France. She’d returned to LA coming off a breakup she didn’t want to think about now but would have to deal with soon. In Cassidy, Sasha had found both a roommate and a best friend at a low point in her life.
Then, as Sasha’s career exploded, Cassidy had been by her side, using her skills to run Sasha’s personal life and business schedule, something she’d done for her brother, Axel, a drummer, who also lived in LA. But despite Cassidy and Sasha’s professional relationship, their friendship came first, and Sasha felt like she’d known Cassidy forever.
Cassidy left the iPad on the table and joined Sasha, curling a leg beneath her on the bed. “When are we going to talk about it?”
“About what?” Sasha played dumb, but her friend wouldn’t accept her silence about Xander for much longer.
“When I met you, you were pretty broken up about the guy. Now you’re starring in a movie based on a book he wrote and he’ll be a consultant on set? You haven’t said one word about him since taking the part. I thought I’d wait until you were ready, but we’re leaving in the morning so … time’s up.” Cassidy treated Sasha to a pointed stare.
Sasha settled on the mattress near her friend, pushing aside the suitcase and resigning herself to the conversation she’d been avoiding. When she’d moved in with Cassidy, she’d been an emotional mess, and she’d had only herself to blame. She bit down on her cheek at the painful memory. At the time, she’d cried and gorged on ice cream, and Cassidy, even as a new friend, had been there, supporting her.
Sasha had explained everything about her relationship and breakup, and Cassidy had understood. She hadn’t judged her then and she wouldn’t now. Since Sasha intended to see Xander before she walked onto the set, she’d need a plan and some good, solid advice.
She drew a deep breath and slid her hand over the ruffles on her comforter. “You know that when I met Xander, I wasn’t in the right headspace for a relationship. I had goals I wanted to achieve. And I definitely didn’t see anyone like him coming into my life.”