Chapter 302: Wardrobe

Mina flipped through the pages of Emma's journal and was surprised with how good the short stories were. The girl may have been quiet, but she had a vivid imagination. The amount of detail she put into her writing was on the border of annoying, but it set the scene perfectly.

"I have to agree with Jay," Mina said. "I would watch some of these. Especially if they were half hour episodes I could watch online without a commitment."

"Wow, Mina, that is a good idea," Jay shouted, waking Olivia in the process. Jay invited the woman into the conversation and handed her Emma's journal.

"Do you design sets too?" Olivia asked through a yawn.

"I work as a barista." Olivia rubbed her eyes and leaned against Mina, yawning again before she spoke.

"Waste of talent. You're good with adjectives." Olivia stretched her body and yawned again. "I'll make breakfast," she offered.

----

James listened to Jay rant about a story. He was trying hard not to be a jerk, but he was completely uninterested. He only sat still when he noticed that Emma, and the other women were listening attentively.

"You're reading it wrong," Mina said. She took the book from Jay and started from the beginning. She was right, Jay had been reading too aggressively, while Mina was reading calmly and setting the mood with each word. By the time she finished, James felt like his chest was tight. He looked at the food Olivia had prepared and believed it had been tampered with.

"I think I've been poisoned," James said and all four women rushed to him in concern.

"Where does it hurt?" Emma asked and James pointed to his chest.

"Does it feel like burning?" Jay questioned, receiving a nod from the man. James was expecting more concern, but instead they laughed. They all laughed, even Emma. "You're not poisoned. Your feelings are hurt," Jay mocked.

It took what felt like forever for the women to calm down and even longer for James to stop feeling embarrassed. In anger, he questioned Mina about the story she read, asking her if she were intentionally trying to shame him, and the laugh he got in response only furthered his anger.

"Is it a good story?" Olivia asked.

"Absolutely not. It's too sad." Olivia chuckled knowingly.

"Your girlfriend is a good writer." James immediately looked at Emma. "I knew it!" Jay shouted. "You told me you two weren't dating," she said to her sister. Emma's face went red and she fled the apartment. James followed her out. "How long?" Jay asked Mina.

"Maybe a week. I was not sure at first, but I am now. What about you and Director Porter?" Mina questioned, not expecting a reply.

"We kiss, but he doesn't seem very interested in a relationship." Mina was surprised that Jay spoke about it so freely.

"What will you do?" Olivia asked. Mina was once again shocked by how candid the women were with personal matters.

"Respect myself and move on. There is no use in waiting. He is nearly thirty, if he isn't ready now, he will never be."

----

Jay walked onto the set with her father and introduced him to Karen, who was near to being dropped from her agency. He once overed Karen and nodded a little.

"It'll be hard, but you are marketable. Going forward, you will do everything I say. I want to change your image." Karen did not argue with her new manager, she knew the man was her last lifeline if she wanted to succeed. She was also worried because the man was Mina's Manager, and she must have let her worry show. "If you are worried about where my loyalty lies don't. It is with Mina right now, but that does not mean I will not genuinely help you. For now, you are my sole focus. Make an impression."

----

Karen's scenes were filled with constant wardrobe changes. With her connections to Olivia, Jay was able to secure her father's artist a rack of sponsored clothing. A second batch of the shipment had arrived, and Jay wanted to put the garments away before they went 'missing'. She pushed open the door to the main changing room and dropped everything in her hands before turning away quickly.

"Crap, I am so sorry," Jay said to the people involved. She did not even bother to pick up the things she dropped before leaving. Her chest was rising and falling heavily, and she was thoroughly embarrassed.

Jay made her way to the secondary wardrobe room where she busied herself with one thing or another. She had already cataloged most of the clothing that could be kept, and tagged what needed to be returned, but she felt the urge to check her list again. It was around the same time that Mina entered the room, looking for a quiet place to work.

"You look flushed," Mina said.

"Tired," Jay lied. Mina checked the time and looked at Jay.

"You've got about an hour until shooting resumes, go sit in Dom's car and take a nap." Olivia nodded. She and Dom were friendly enough for it to not be uncomfortable.

----

Dom was surprised when Jay entered his car, and even more surprised when a flood of words did not pour out of her mouth. He looked at her for a long time, wondering if he should wait for her to speak or if he should say something first. He decided on waiting.

"Just give me a minute." Dom did not speak.

----

Matthew was looking for Jay when one of his old flames followed him into the dressing room. He knew exactly what she wanted, and he did not bother to stop her. He and the woman had been together many times, and he saw no reason not to indulge. Especially because Jay had been teasing him for what felt like too long. If Stacy wanted him, he would not deny her the pleasure.

Matthew watched the woman slowly rub her tongue down his abdomen. She slowly trailed kisses around his navel before she unbuttoned his jeans. He was eager to find out what would happen next. The girl was good at playing his strings and she knew it.

Matthew just stared at the woman, playing with her hair as she made her way toward her goal, but a few minutes after her target was met, the door flung open and a startled Jay apologized and left.

"Why didn't you lock the f*cking door?" Matthew shouted. He did not know if he was mad at himself or the woman he was with.

"I- I didn't know anyone would walk in," She replied.

"Bullsh*t Stacy. You wanted someone to see us." Stacy turned red with anger.

"You could have reminded me to lock it, and I didn't hear you ask me to stop," Stacy shouted back. She was angry, and it was not because they had gotten caught, she and director Porter had been caught in the past. She was angry because the man had never cursed at her before.

Stacy left the changing room in a huff. She did not understand why Director Porter had called her in if he did not want to fool around. She was not an idiot, and she knew why the man favored her over the other women in the field.