Author's Notes:
This is a noncon/reluctance story, so hopefully you understand what that means. That said, I will give a two-word trigger warning for those who might be sensitive to specific subject matter: Harvey Weinstein. If you read that name and were repulsed, you probably want to click the back button. If you read that name and shrugged your shoulders (or it turned you on), then you might enjoy this one.
While this is an NC/R story, there is also an element of loving wives in here, as you will see if you read on.
***
With her eyes closed, Allison ran through her lines in her head for the hundredth time that morning. She mumbled her half of the dialogue softly to herself as she visualized her tone, cadence, facial expressions, and body language for each word she would need to deliver. Finally, she felt ready.
Opening her eyes, she noticed her black heel was dangling and swaying atop the toes of her right foot, which she had crossed over her left leg. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her nerves, as she smoothed out her charcoal gray pencil skirt that cut off three inches above her knees.
Allison didn't usually dress up for a callback. However, in this case, and for this part, she thought it would help to look the part. Today, she needed all the help she could get. Everything depended on it.
She gave a couple sharp tugs on the front of her conservative, sleeveless white satin blouse to cool herself off as she sat in the lobby of the office of the casting director, Aiden Silver. Checking her phone, she observed it was two minutes past her appointment time, causing her heart rate to accelerate once again.
To take her mind off the imminent meeting with Mr. Silver, Allison pulled a compact mirror from her purse and checked her hair and makeup one last time. Her long, raven black hair still held the waves she had so meticulously curled into her usually straight hair that morning. And her rose colored lipstick was still perfect. With her last glance in the mirror, she looked at her forest green eyes, framed by smoky-styled eye shadow and her thick black eye lashes, and recalled Brian's remark before she left that her eyes looked "sensational."
"Miss Shephard?" the pretty brunette receptionist seated at the mahogany wood desk in the lobby said.
"Yes," Allison responded.
"Mister Silver is ready to see you now," the young woman told her in a monotone voice, getting up from her desk. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to him."
"Great, thank you," Allison replied, feeling both anxious and relieved to know she was finally meeting with Mr. Silver. "Oh, and it's Missus Shephard," she added proudly.
"Sorry," the woman muttered with a shoulder shrug, not seeming to mean what she said.
The receptionist walked a short distance to a door, knocked, then entered. Allison followed her in, just as the brunette announced in her flat voice, "Miss Shephard is here to see you, sir."
Allison side-eyed the girl as the man behind the desk, Aiden Silver, stood up to greet her.
"Allison," gushed the fifty-something-year-old man, flashing an impossibly white smile, which stood out against his excessively tanned skin. The short man--she estimated he stood around five-feet seven-inches--walked briskly around his desk and offered Allison his hand, which she took.
Allison gave him a friendly smile as she shook his leathery hand, making sure to look at him directly in his piercing light blue eyes. She recalled thinking he had kind eyes when she met him at the first callback a week ago--eyes that matched his vibrant demeanor.
Aiden's fitted white dress shirt and black slacks hinted that he was relatively fit. Though his short blonde hair was fading to white and balding, Allison imagined he was probably attractive in his youth, though a little short for her taste. Even at five-feet three-inches, she preferred a taller man, like her husband.
"Would you like some water? Grace, get Allison a bottled water," he said to the receptionist before Allison could answer his question.
"I'm alright," Allison offered. "But thank you."
"Alright, forget the water, Grace," he said, dismissing the receptionist who shut the door behind her as she left. "Welcome back, Allison. I'm so glad to see you again."
"I'm so glad to be back," Allison replied enthusiastically. "I really want to land this role. I know Don Mitchell and Magnum Productions have a reputation for turning unknown actresses into stars. This role could be a game-changer for me and my husband."
When Allison's agent called her two weeks ago to let her know the casting director for a Netflix original movie liked her audition tape, and was extending her a callback, her heart soared. Four years ago, at nineteen years old, she and her husband, Brian, picked up their lives and moved from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, hoping to make it in Hollywood. Yet, beyond a few minor parts, some extra work, and a handful of low-paying stage and musical roles, neither of them had caught their big break.
Allison and Brian had been so sure they would succeed in Hollywood. All their friends thought so. They were competitive ballroom dancers--that's how they met at thirteen years old--and starred in several local musicals and theater performances. They were both talented performers, and very attractive. It seemed inevitable they would make it work.
Yet, after four years, Allison and Brian had little to show for their efforts beyond a mountain of credit card debt. The same day her agent informed her about the callback, she spent the last of their money on rent. With no money, and maxed out credit cards, they had reached the point where they had to worry about how they would pay for essentials, like food, utilities, and gas. Indeed, Brian started working as an Uber driver on top of their normal jobs as servers at an Italian restaurant. They needed the money.
Allison was tentatively optimistic after the initial callback. The casting director, Aiden, called her in to audition for the part of Julie, a young secretary at a law firm who ends up having an affair with an older, married co-worker who is also her boss. The script, titled "The Addict", was written by an unknown writer, named Trent Kline, and was about a married man's fall as a result of his sex and alcohol addictions.
Allison did an initial read of the script with Aiden, which the movie's producer also sat in to watch. The producer, she discovered, was none-other-than the legendary Don Mitchell, whose reputation for launching careers was well-known. Allison thought she nailed all of her lines, and was ecstatic when she saw the hint of a smile on Don's face when she finished.
After her initial read, Aiden asked her to do a chemistry read with Justin Winters, a sexy, rugged daytime drama actor, who was reading for the part of Michael, the main character. This time, the director joined Aiden and Don to watch her performance. Once again, Allison thought she killed it; it was her best audition ever, she believed, and the chemistry with Justin was molten.
Her assessment of her performance at the first callback was correct. Aiden reached out to Allison's agent shortly after that initial callback, asking Allison to come back for a second callback.
From what Allison's agent told her, the film's producers planned to cast the role of Julie at the end of the second callback. Hence, Allison had delved into the script and her character, desperate to land the part. If she didn't land this role, she feared that she and Brian would be out on the streets.
"Are you ready for today's scene?" Aiden asked, gesturing for her to sit on the couch in his office.
"Absolutely," Allison answered confidently, sitting down and crossing her legs. "I've got it down."
"I love the confidence," he said with a broad smile. "Okay, you'll be reading with me again. After that, you'll read the same scene for Don. There's no chemistry read today."
"Okay," she said, nodding her head and preparing herself mentally for the audition.
"Are you ready to begin?" Aiden asked, pulling up a chair in front of where she was sitting and grabbing a copy of the script from his desk.
