The Accidental Movie Star Read Online Free PDF Page A

he’s already partying like a Brit on Ibiza.”
    The subject of the photo, Caz, sat silent at the other end of the makeup table with compressed lips and a light frown.
    Petra raised her eyebrows at him. When he failed to respond, Petra continued to read. “Blah, blah, then something about an unknown blonde companion.” She held the cover to the light to get a better look at the picture.
    Ashley winced. She stood near enough to recognize the back of her own head. While totally annoyed on Caz’s behalf, she felt grateful the article didn’t identify her. Having spent summers with her divorced dad, she grew up around movie people and knew lots of them didn’t want a private life. Dad attracted attention-seeing flakes. Actors were the worst. When Ashley was little, one of Dad’s girlfriends took her to the mall. After Ashley threw a tantrum over leaving the toy store, the actress walked out and left her.
    A minor earthquake hit and Ashley hid in the back of the store. Knowing they were at the mall, Dad drove over to check on them, but he found the actress talking to the press rather than looking for his kid. Dad hadn’t dated an actress since. Good policy. Say no to egotistical actors.
    Caz turned his chair away from Petra and looked out at the set. Powder didn’t let his antisocial mood put her off. She moved in front of him and clipped his hair back with a curler clippie. Next, she dabbed at his jaw line with a spongy makeup wedge. Others gave the star and his frown a wide berth, but Powder wasn’t intimidated. She waved a makeup stick at him. “This’ll look great,” Powder said. “Trust me.”
    Caz made a disbelieving sound and tilted his head out of her reach.
    Ashley, feeling sorry about the embarrassing photo, slipped around to the back of his chair and whispered in his ear, “Do you want me to say something? Explain what really happened?”
    Caz turned his head toward her and spoke in a normal tone. “So you can get your name in the press?”
    “No,” Ashley said, annoyed. “So you don’t come off as a man-whore who needs to be in rehab.”
    His bright impossibly blue-green eyes widened, and he straightened. Powder followed him, continuing to jab the sponge at his face, and Caz snapped, “Can you give us a minute?”
    Powder backed off, and Ashley gave her an apologetic look.
    Olive snapped to attention and popped over to Caz’s other side. “I can get you whatever you need.”
    Caz waved Olive away with a flick of his hand. Olive stomped back to Petra, but she kept her eyes on Ashley and Caz.
    Quietly, Ashley said, “If I wanted to be in the paper, I wouldn’t be the ‘unidentified blonde.’”
    “No one but you knew I was in that car. I was supposed to be in the Hummer.”
    “Like I wanted to be stuck in your paparazzi traffic,” Ashley said. “You fancy foreign film guys.”
    Caz grabbed her elbows and pulled her forward, close enough she could smell his cologne and feel his breath when he complained in her ear. “Fancy…”
    Powder came back. “Sorry, but we’re going to be behind schedule if I don’t get your eyeliner finished.”
    Ashley smirked and pulled back. “Wouldn’t want to interrupt your eye makeup .” She drawled out the last two words with her most put-upon Texas twang. Nothing mocked fancy better than a Texas drawl.
    Caz released her arms, but his gaze didn’t leave hers, even when Powder stepped in with the promised eyeliner. Looking over Ashley, Caz sneered. “Late night with your boyfriend? He seemed a little old to keep you out past nine.”
    “That was my dad in the garage, you perv.” Ashley stepped toward the counter. The confrontation with Caz reminded her of her purchase. Going to the end, she scooped out her purple messenger bag. “Um, Caz, what’s your trailer number? I need to drop off a package.”
    Powder stepped back and unclipped his hair. The strands fell forward into his eyes. “You’re good to go.”
    Caz threaded his hair back with one