Off Limit: Claimed by My Ex-Fiancé's Stepdad novel · Chapter 8 of 32

Chapter 8: Half Hour

"Where are they?" I said.

"Jude's agent says they're at a restaurant on Ninth Avenue," Ward said. "Waiting for my call."

"It's 7:02."

"I know what time it is."

Out the office window, the line for the first preview ran down 46th Street and around the corner. Twelve hundred people with tickets for Jude Lytton and Lenore Varick.

The general manager burst in without knocking.

"The press agent says two critics came early. Ward. Ward, just call him back. Promise him anything. We'll sort it out tomorrow."

Ward didn't take his eyes off me.

"Your call," he said.

"It's your show."

"It's your house tonight. The stage manager runs the house once the curtain's up. Your father taught me that. In my own theater."

I looked at the text one more time.

Fire her by curtain or we don't go on.

"Then they don't go on," I said.

The general manager made a sound.

I put my headset on.

"Joanie. Find me both understudies. Now."

"Already looking, boss," Joanie said. "Oh my God. Are we doing this?"

"We're doing this."

Jude's understudy was in the green room eating a banana. He put it down and went pale and then very calm.

"Okay," he said. "Okay. I know it."

"I know you know it. I watched you know it on Monday."

Lenore's understudy was harder to find.

She was in the wig room, on the floor between two wig stands, with her knees pulled up to her chin.

Twenty-three, from Baltimore. Three years ago she was singing in a church choir. Tonight she was supposed to be in the back row of the ensemble.

She was shaking so hard her teeth clicked.

I knelt down on the linoleum in front of her.

"Hey," I said.

"I can't. Cleo, I can't. There are twelve hundred people out there and they paid for her."

← Chapter 7 · All chapters · Chapter 9 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend