Page 8 of Acting For Daddy

Am I helping him act out a song he wrote for another woman? Would he look at me like that if there was another woman?

“Miss Hendricks?” I jump, forcing my gaze away from the man on the bed and to the director. “So, you are going to slowly crawl into bed and climb onto Alex’s lap. Make sure you maintain eye contact and move slowly to make the scene as sexy as possible. Don’t look at the cameras. You don’t need to seduce the viewers, just the man on the bed!”

Climb on his… Did this man just ask me to climb onto Alex Adam’s lap?

Breathe Mina. You can’t pass out in front of this many people.

I force in slow deep breaths, wading off the panic attack that threatens to set in before walking to the foot of the bed.

Be sexy. I need to be sexy like those models I see on TV. It always looks easy when they do it. Surely, I can do it too, right?

“You can do this,” I mutter under my breath before hoisting myself up except I misjudge and plonk my knee on the edge of the bed, causing me to topple backward. It all happens in slow motion, my hands flailing about as I fall back and every second that it happens, I am conscious of all the people and the cameras in the room.

Oh, please just kill me!

I don’t hit the ground, no. Someone grabs my arm before I can touch the ground or smack my head against the closest cameras. I don’t dare look up at the person who did me this disservice. I could have used a good head-smacking to send me right into the afterlife because now I have to deal with the embarrassment. A concussion… that’s what I need. Anything to forget this moment.

“Are you okay?” Alex’s deep voice sends my eyes welling slightly and I bite hard on my lip to stop tears from spilling. I did not just embarrass myself in front of a dozen people, but also the one man I have always wanted to impress.

No. I am not okay. Far from it.

“Cut!” yells the director. “I know this is just a rehearsal, but I need you to take this seriously.”

“Mina, look at me?” Alex whispers, ignoring the director’s call. I bring my gaze to those beautiful blue eyes watching me with concern and something akin to heat. “Are you okay?”

“A little embarrassed,” I confess.

“You are just nervous. Don’t worry, this is just the rehearsal. Do you think you can do it again, Angel?”

My eyes widen at the name and with the way surprise crosses his expression, I figure it was an accident on his part too. “I… I’ll be careful.”

He lets go of my hand once I straighten up and when the director yells for me to start, I carefully place my knee on the bed in a move that is anything but sexy. I make it on top of the bed without falling this time, but the director is none too pleased with me.

“Cut!”

I climb off the bed and try once more, my eyes locked on Alex when I do so.

“Cut!”

My hands and knees are shaky when I climb on the bed once more but this time, my ankle catches on the twisted sheets and I topple forward, landing on my stomach.

“Cut!”

Jesus, when did climbing on a bed become so hard? I’ve gotten into bed nearly every night of my life. Not once did I topple off the bed but now, I can’t get on without something going wrong.

“Cut!”

I climb out of bed and look around to see most of the staff huddled together whispering. I don’t need to hear what they are saying to know I am not meeting their standards but… I have no idea what I need to do.

Seduction? The closest I have ever gotten to seduction is when I witnessed Sheila seduce a man out of his watch and every penny in his wallet. While most might call it theft – and it was – it was so artfully done that the man probably figured it was all worth it.

I bet Sheila wouldn’t have any trouble seducing Alex and everyone in here with a simple smile. I bet she wouldn’t have to climb on and off a bed a million times.

The thought of anyone else seducing my Alex or him watching any other girl the way he is watching me now sends jealously rearing its ugly head again.

“Cut!”

I close my eyes and force back tears, nearly jumping out of my skin when I feel hands caress my shoulders. I look up to find his massive frame hiding my face from the view of the cameras.