Chapter 359: I'm Sure She'll Manage

The extras and crew members come closer, and Janetta tosses her hair and puts an arm over Gabrielle's shoulders. Gabrielle tries to pull away, but Janetta's long nails dig into her shoulder, and she's forced to stay put.

Janetta raises her voice and says, "Oh, I'm so happy to see you, Gabrielle. What a wonderful surprise! But you shouldn't have—how did you even get onto the set? Did security give you any trouble—you should have told them you're with me."

"I didn't want to spoil the surprise, of course," Gabrielle says, matching her tone to her sister's. "Besides, I know how busy you are—I wouldn't want to give you any problems."

"You shouldn't talk like that," Janetta says, her voice sickly sweet. "We're sisters. Nothing you do could ever be a problem for me. Anyway, have you ever been to a film set? Let me give you a tour."

Janetta tightens her grip on Gabrielle's shoulder and propels her away from the crowd. The crew members and extras start to wander away and return to work. Janetta keeps a huge smile plastered on her face until they're gone.

"Look at you," Janetta hisses. "You used to be an awkward little girl, but I see the Top Girls Club has taught you to poise. I wonder what else it's taught you."

"Shut up," Gabrielle snaps back.

"Bryan, come with us," Janetta calls. "I'm sure you and Gabrielle will want to catch up."

Bryan shrugs and ends his conversation and walks over to join them. An awkward silence fills the air, and Gabrielle clears her throat nervously.

"So, Bryan, it's been a while," Gabrielle says.

"Since when do you call me Bryan?" he asks, raising a dark eyebrow. "You think you're all grown up now, do you?"

"You have no idea just how grown," Janetta mutters under her breath.

Gabrielle feels a blush creep up her cheeks, and she looks down at her sandals. Janetta seems determined to embarrass her in front of Bryan. And it's clear that Bryan still sees her as a little girl. I wish he'd see me as a grown woman, she thinks. But I don't want him to know I work at the Top Girls Club. Tears spring into her eyes, and she swallows hard.

"Miss Janetta, we need you in your trailer," a woman calls.

Janetta lets go of Gabrielle's arm and says, "Well, I'd love to show you around, but I have to go get my makeup done. Byran, stay with Gabrielle and show the studio. Besides, I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on."

Janetta flounces away toward her trailer, leaving Gabrielle alone with Bryan. Gabrielle digs her nails into her palms and watches her sister go. As soon as the trailer door shuts, she relaxes. She turns toward Bryan and sees he's still staring at Janetta's trailer.

"So, are you with her now?" Gabrielle blurts out.

She regrets the words the second they leave her mouth. Her voice sounds childish and jealous. Good job, Gabrielle, she thinks. You wanted to show Bryan how much you've grown up, but you still sound like a jealous, whiny little kid.

She casts a sideways glance at Bryan, but he seems to be ignoring her question. She breathes a small sigh of relief and sneaks another look. Bryan's dark hair and stormy complexion couldn't be more different from Jackson's golden locks and blue eyes—but they both have a certain arrogance in their expressions.

"Come on," Bryan says. "Let me show you the set."

He leads her into the big sound stage building. The air is cool, and the room is dim. Suddenly bright spotlights flicker on, revealing a medieval stone palace and a village below. Gabrielle gasps, and Jackson laughs with amusement.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" he asks. 

She nods with amazement, and he leads her down the set's cobbled streets to a deep, dark moat. She bends over and trails her fingertips through the water, and he laughs and pretends to push her in.

"Don't you dare," she shrieks, swatting his hands away. "Don't you ever get sick of tormenting me? God, you're still the same old Bryan."

He laughs and says, "You're not the same Little Miss Cockeyed, though."

Her cheeks get warm, and she turns her face to hide her expression. He takes her arm and tugs her back out of the building onto the studio lot. She blinks in the sudden bright sun and stumbles against him. He wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her against his chest.

"What are you doing?" she gasps. "Someone might see us and get the wrong idea—let go of me."

He laughs and asks, "Do you know how publicity works?"

"Not really," she says.

"Well, trust me, any publicity is good publicity," he says. "If you can get people talking about the actors in a movie, you can build interest and get more people to see the movie itself."

"Well sure," Gabrielle says. "But won't your fans get angry if they think you're with some strange woman?"

"Oh, who cares," he says. "Since when did you get so serious, Gabrielle? Besides, the studio won't let anyone release photos they don't approve of. I'm not worried."

Gabrielle ducks her head. She knows she should pull away from him, but his T-shirt is soft against her cheek, and he smells amazing—like musky cologne and pines. She snuggles her cheek against him and feels his chest shake with laughter. She freezes and jumps away from him, her face going hot with embarrassment. 

"Your cheeks are so red, you look like an apple," he says, lunging toward her. "Why don't you let me have a bite?"

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"Oh, grow up, Bryan," she says.

"Come on, I just want a taste," he says. "I want to see if you're still as sweet as you were when you were a child."

He grabs her shoulders and bends down. For a moment, his soft lips brush her cheek, and then he closes his mouth and nibbles at the skin. As he pulls away, he stares into her eyes as if he's going to kiss her. Then he laughs and steps back.

"Hmm, not quite how I remembered," he says with a wink.

Hot tears flooded her eyes. She tries to blink them away, but they splash down onto her cheeks. I'm not at all like the girl he remembers, she thinks. That girl was pure and innocent—not some filthy prostitute at the Top Girls Club. It's true I've only slept with Jackson, but that won't make a difference to anyone. For the rest of my life, I'll be dirty. No man will want me when he finds out what I've done.

"Hey, Gabby, what's wrong?" Bryan asks. "Did I hurt you? Here, you can bite me back—make it even."

He bends down and puts his chiseled cheek near her mouth. She turns her head away and wipes her eyes, cursing herself for being so emotional. I probably look ridiculous, she thinks. Coming here was clearly a mistake—I'm just embarrassing myself.

"It's okay, Bryan," she says. "I'm fine."

"Okay," he says with a shrug. "Let me show you the rest of the studio."

He reaches down and takes her hand in his. His fingers are rough and calloused, and his touch sends shivers up her spine—she pulls her hand away as if she's been electrocuted.

"What's going on with you today?" he asks. "You're acting so shy. We held hands all the time when we were kids."

"Well, we're not children anymore," she says. "Someone might see us, and then what would your agent say?"

"I don't have an agent," Bryan says. "And I can tell you're not a child anymore."

His eyes twinkle, and he takes a long look at her slender legs, perky ass, and small breasts. He licks his lips, and she glances down, suddenly worried she'd dressed indecently. She's wearing skinny light wash jeans and a simple white shirt, but the clothes cling to her body and highlight her gentle curves. Bryan raises an eyebrow and winks and then takes her arm in his.

"It usually gets pretty crowded around the trailers, so stay close to me," he says. "We wouldn't want you losing your way. Someone might mistake you for an actress and sign you for a movie deal."

Gabrielle rolls her eyes and lets him lead her toward the trailers.

Janetta looks out her trailer window, and her lips curl into a sneer. Gabrielle and Bryan are walking arm in arm as if they're a cute old married couple. How dare she, Janetta thinks. Bryan is supposed to be mine. I guess Top Girls Club really has turned her into a shameless little whore.

"What are you looking at?" Wendy Angela asks.

Janetta turns to glare at her agent and snaps, "Nothing important."

"Well, then sit back down and let the stylist finish your makeup," Wendy says.

Janetta sighs and settles into the makeup chair. She closes her eyes and lets the stylist swipe on layers of stage makeup and dramatic eyeshadow. The makeup feels heavy and hot on her skin, and when she opens her eyes, she barely recognizes herself.

"You know, you and your little sister really look alike," Wendy says.

"Really?" Janetta asks.

"I think so," Wendy says.

"That's just because she copies me," Janetta snaps. "You know ever since she was a child, she always wanted to do whatever I did. She did her hair like me and even stole my clothes to wear. It was cute when she was a kid, but now it's just pathetic."

"I see," Wendy says, but she doesn't sound convinced. "Anyway, we're going to film the big sword fight scene today. There's no budget for a stunt double, so you're going to have to do everything yourself. You'll have to let me know if you start getting too hot so we can have someone fix your makeup. We don't want you to look sweaty."

Janetta glances over her shoulder and sees Gabrielle walking out of Bryan's trailer. That little skank, she thinks. I'll make her pay for this.

"Wendy, I've just had a wonderful idea," she says. "What if we asked Gabrielle to be my stunt double? I'm on my period, and I'm not sure I can handle the action scenes, and you've already said she looks like me."

"Um, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Wendy stammers.

"Why not?" Janetta asks. "Gabrielle can earn some money, and maybe she'll even find a new career. Like her bigger sister, I feel responsible for helping her."

"But does she have any experience?" Wendy asks. "It's not easy to be a stunt double."

"Oh, I'm sure she'll manage," Janetta says. "After all, she has quite a bit of experience in the entertainment industry. I'm sure her work has made her very flexible."

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