The Jaguar Star (Tales of the Were: Jaguar Island Book 4) Page 5

  The backdrop included one of the stunning, authentic tapestries Liatha had mentioned over breakfast. There was even a guy who worked for the insurance company on the set, whose sole job was to look after the tapestries that were on loan for this project. They were works of art that carried very high price tags, and everyone had been warned not to touch them without gloves—or, better yet, not to touch them at all.

  Katrina had her script turned to the proper page and was ready to work when Sonia arrived, walking briskly across the open space at the center of the old church. The pews had long since been removed so the building could be used for other activities. Sonia got right to it, positioning Katrina and Ren where she wanted them to start the scene and working through the camera angles and movements she wanted them to make. Katrina took rigorous notes when she wasn’t actively being instructed. She noticed that Ren didn’t write much of anything down, but he never seemed to miss a beat.

  They ran through the scene several times, first just the motions, then with lines, until Katrina started to relax and was able to absorb more and not have to write down as much. She still took notes, of course. She was nowhere near as comfortable—or as able to remember everything—as Ren appeared. Perhaps he’d just done this sort of thing so many times that nothing fazed him anymore. Or maybe, that was just his talent showing through.

  Katrina felt doubt trickling back in to plague her, and her shoulders tensed up. She scribbled in her script, trying to make sure she didn’t miss anything. Sonia started talking to Liatha, who was there to discuss placement of certain items on the set. That turned into a consultation with Deidre about placement of microphones and baffles to counter the slick stone walls and their jarring acoustics, leaving Ren and Katrina alone for a few minutes.

  Katrina hunched over her script, writing. She jumped when warm hands came down on her shoulders from behind.

  Ren. It had to be. One thought flew across her mind. Holy cow! Ren is touching me!

  “Relax, Kat. You’re as jumpy as your namesake.” His deep voice rumbled near her ear.

  She stilled, consciously relaxing her shoulders and letting her hands fall to her sides. “I just don’t want to get anything wrong,” she admitted.

  “Hey, nobody’s perfect, but you haven’t even been here long enough to do anything wrong yet. It’s just a rehearsal. This is the place to make mistakes, if you’re going to make them, so lighten up. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Let the work flow, okay?” His big hands squeezed her shoulders rhythmically for a few seconds, then he let go and stepped away.

  Katrina was left in shock. Why was he being so nice to her now, when she’d thought he’d been pretty much ignoring her up to this point? She didn’t know what to think, but his words had been kind, and his touch had been… Jarring was a good word. Stirring was another.

  Damn. She had it bad. It hadn’t been an intimate touch. Not really. Just a friendly reminder to loosen up and relax her hunched shoulders. A kindness.

  Somehow, though, it had felt like much more. She worked hard to return some sense of normalcy to her body, though she was still feeling a bit frozen in place. Like prey caught in the hypnotic stare of a predator, she thought, though they hadn’t been face to face at all. Just that mesmerizing voice, floating to her from somewhere behind her, close to her ear. His words for her alone.

  Now, that was intimate. A man known the world over for the richness of his voice, among his other sterling attributes, had used that gift of a voice…for her. She felt special, though he’d probably thought nothing of it—but to her, it was striking.

  She got through the rest of that session, keeping his words in mind, and the work did seem to flow more easily. She took her notes, but her stress level lessened, and every once in a while, he’d catch her eye and smile in a friendly way. Perhaps they could become friends out of this, after all. And maybe, he wasn’t the cold fish she had feared.

  After they broke for a quick lunch in the picnic pavilion, Katrina was scheduled for more blocking indoors while Ren went to work with the fight choreographer. They had parted ways while still in the old church, and Ren had gone to sit with another group of actors to eat his lunch, leaving Katrina to fend for herself. Luckily, Franny called her over to an open spot at her table with some of the other women, and the hour passed merrily with lots of girl talk.

  Then, it was back to work. Maid Marian had a lot of the indoor shots, and Katrina spent the afternoon working on various scenes where she was featured in different locations around the large building.

  In one of the scenes, she was supposed to be looking out Marian’s bower window. They were going to shoot that in one of the smaller rooms behind the former altar space, where the windows opened out onto the garden at the side of the building. Katrina stood there, gazing out the window, as directed, finding herself fascinated by the action at the back of the property that she could just see from her vantage point.

  The larger part of the cast was running through one of the big fight scenes in the clear space at the back of the building. Greg was giving the counts while the rest of the cast ran through somewhat acrobatic movements, including Ren. Katrina found herself entranced by the way they dove and rolled, popped up and leapt, as if gravity didn’t have much of a hold on any of them.

  Her eye was drawn to Ren. Even in the crowd of others, he moved with a sinuous grace and command that demanded attention. She knew he was just playing a part, but there had to be something of his real personality in it, didn’t there? How could a man have such a commanding, dominant presence on screen and not be just a little bit of the Alpha male in real life?

  Now that she was seeing him in action, she thought there was more than a little bit of truth to her musings. Only time would tell, of course. She’d be working with him for a couple of weeks, at least, so maybe she’d get to know him better over the course of time.

  Sonia called her name, and Katrina dragged her attention away from the window. Only Ren could cause her to lose track of what was going on around her to such an extent. She shook her head, vowing to do better. She was here to work, not to moon over her co-star. Even if he had been rated drool-worthy by one of the big fashion magazines just last year.

  That evening, the cast and crew gathered as a group in the hotel restaurant for an official production get-together to celebrate the beginning of filming, which would commence the next day. Katrina didn’t know if every production followed the same pattern, but she thought it was a nice gesture to get everyone together in a festive atmosphere. She was seated at the cast table, next to Ren, which gave her a moment’s pause. Then, she realized everyone was seated according to their role in the production. Principles first, then supporting roles, etc.

  She enjoyed the camaraderie and was surprised to see that the food was both plentiful and not exactly low-calorie. She couldn’t understand how all these actors could eat the way they did, but she just munched on her dinner salad and tried not to think too hard about it.

  “Are these sorts of gatherings common at the start of a production?” Katrina asked, just to make small talk. The actors around her gave each other some kind of measuring look before Dennis replied, seemingly having been chosen as the spokesman for the group in her immediate vicinity.

  “Not exactly common, I wouldn’t say, but then, our director marches to the beat of her own drum.” Dennis raised his wineglass in Sonia’s direction before taking a healthy swallow.

  “I had expected to spend a quiet night in my hotel room, going over the script and making notes in my planner,” Katrina said, just to keep the conversation going. “Of course, I would’ve had to have dinner at some point, and spending time here, getting acquainted with everyone, is definitely preferable to a meal by myself.”

  The others smiled and nodded agreement with her words. Surprisingly, it was Ren who jumped into the conversation next. Up to now, he’d been reticent, and she’d assumed that was just how he was with new people.

  “If not for this, I would’ve
enjoyed a quiet night. I’d hoped to take a stroll around the grounds and get outside for a bit,” he went on.

  Hearing that, she felt it only right to warn him about what she’d seen.

  “You might want to be careful outside at night around here,” she said, taking just a sip of the wine he’d politely poured for her. “I happened to look out the window late last night. My room faces the woods at the back of the property,” she explained to the others, who were listening intently. “I saw a pair of glowing eyes. They looked sort of feline, I thought, but if I wasn’t seeing things—and maybe I was because it was the middle of the night and I was half asleep—it was something way bigger than a house cat. Do they have mountain lions in this part of the country?”

  She’d thought they’d probably laugh at her claim, but instead, her tablemates got unusually silent, and they all looked at Ren, as if he had to come up with an answer. He shrugged and topped up her wine glass on the table, then spoke casually.

  “Anything is possible, of course, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. There’s no call for you to be outside late at night, right?”

  “True, but what about you? You should be careful if you do take that walk later,” she advised him, not sure why it was suddenly so important to her to warn him to be safe.

  “Oh, I usually find that most animals are more afraid of me than I need to be of them,” he said offhandedly, then surprised her by meeting her gaze. She felt pinned under the intensity of those famously green eyes. “But it’s nice of you to be concerned about my welfare,” he told her in a low rumble that reminded her almost of a purr. That was the magic of his famous voice, again. It was amazing how powerful it was in person. If he asked, in exactly that tone, she’d give him anything. “I can’t remember the last time one of my co-stars actually said something that nice to me.” He bowed his head a little to one side in a display of old-world charm that had made women swoon the world over at his movies. “Thanks, Kat.”

  “So, what did you think of your first day on set, Kat?” Clive, the giant of a man who was playing Little John asked her, drawing her attention away from Ren and firmly changing the subject. He was seated next to her at the large round table, and he seemed to know everyone else from previous projects.

  “I really enjoyed myself,” she told him honestly. She didn’t want to gush, so she left it at the simple truth and hoped she didn’t sound too naïve. “I could see a little of the fight scene you all were working on when we blocked my window scene. That looked like quite a workout to me.”

  “Oh, we all enjoy a physical challenge once in a while,” Clive said, his eyes shifting almost evasively as he looked at the others at the table. “Most of us have worked with Greg before. He knows what we can do, and he likes to set the bar a little higher each time we do a new project.”

  “It looked like most of you were doing all your own choreography,” she observed between small bites of salad. “Are there stunt men for the dangerous parts?” It had occurred to her that nobody had yet been introduced to her as someone’s stunt double.

  Clive’s eyes again shifted around the table. “I don’t think there’s anything Greg’s put in this film that’s truly dangerous,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “It might look dangerous in the final cut, but the actual shoot isn’t, so I don’t think any of us have doubles. Of course, if there’s something really tricky, Greg can always do the scene dressed as whoever, and they’ll shoot him from an angle where the audience will never know it was him and not Ren, for example.”

  Katrina tilted her head, considering. “I can see where Greg could probably be mistaken for Ren or some of the others from a distance, given the right costuming, but there’s no way he could fill in for you, Clive. You’re a head taller than everyone else.” She meant her observation to be amusing, but he seemed to withdraw, so she changed the subject. “I’m just glad I don’t have to do anything too athletic. I tend to be a bit of a klutz, sometimes.”

  “I don’t believe that for a moment,” Dennis said, gallant as usual.

  “You should,” Katrina went on, hoping to ease the tension further. “I managed to fall off the stage in one of my high school productions and had to perform wearing an air cast on my ankle and hobbling around because I’d torn ligaments in my ankle. Luckily, my part was mostly singing, and they re-staged it before opening night so that I didn’t have to dance or move around too much.”

  “You did musical theater?” Dennis asked, seemingly interested.

  “A bit, but only when I was in school. Strictly kid stuff,” she replied dismissively. She didn’t want these professionals to think she thought more of her own experiences than she should.

  “What shows have you done, dear?” the older woman, Kara, asked kindly.

  “Oh, just some of the standard Broadway stuff and a little Gilbert and Sullivan,” Katrina said quickly, wanting to change the subject.

  Surely, her amateur attempts at musical theater weren’t interesting to professional screen actors with years of experience? She didn’t think so, but it could all be some kind of cruel joke being played on the new girl. Whatever the motivation, she really didn’t want to talk about herself and her so-called experience.

  “Your speaking voice has a lovely tonality,” Kara went on, much to Katrina’s dismay. “I suspect you have quite a nice singing voice, and you have to have at least some skill to do Gilbert and Sullivan. Those scores aren’t exactly easy. I know. I was in a troupe that did the whole Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire when I was younger.”

  “You were?” Katrina heard her own wide-eyed wonder and almost winced. She tried for a more mature tone. “That must have been quite an experience.” She hoped Kara would take that conversational gambit and move the focus away from Katrina’s past, but it wasn’t meant to be. Kara asked, instead, which parts Katrina had played and went on to compare notes about their common experiences with particular roles.

  After a while, Katrina realized the men had gone on to other topics while she and Kara talked about Gilbert and Sullivan. The conversation found its natural end when the servers came around to clear the dinner plates and take orders for dessert and drinks. Rather than the usual coffee or tea Katrina had expected, the serving staff laid out champagne flutes and took orders for cocktails.

  Sonia stood and received everyone’s attention as she gave an encouraging little speech about how great the film was going to be and how hard they were all going to work in the next weeks to make it so. She was funny and mockingly stern in spots, but she got her point across. She also said a few things about the schedule that made Katrina hastily scribble some notes on a cocktail napkin. Sonia closed her remarks with a humorous warning to not drink too much because they all had early calls the next day and then completely ruined the prohibition with a champagne toast to the film.

  That started what seemed to be a party. Music came over the sound system, and within moments, the small dance floor in the fully-equipped restaurant, which was also used for banquets and wedding parties, was full of people dancing enthusiastically. Dessert was served, and Katrina allowed herself one small scoop of sherbet to go with the champagne. She’d already had wine with dinner. She wasn’t sure how much she’d had. Ren had been playing the gallant, even when he seemingly wasn’t paying attention to her, and had kept her glass topped up from the bottles on the table.

  Katrina thought she’d be all right, considering she’d been eating, which should counteract the effect of the alcohol a bit, but when she stood up, she was alarmed to find her balance was non-existent. An arm came around her from behind and steadied her. She looked up…into Ren’s concerned gaze.

  “You all right, kitten?” he asked, his tone low, for her ears alone.

  “Sorry. I must have had more to drink than I thought,” she said, flustered both by the wooziness and his nearness.

  Had he just called her kitten? She looked up at him, surprised to find his face much closer to hers than she’d expected. She blinked, trying
to focus, and finally saw the bemused expression on his handsome-as-sin features.

  “All right. I think it’s time for you to go to your room and have a lie down. What do you think?” His tone held a hint of concern, which made her refrain from objecting when he started guiding her toward the door of the restaurant, one arm still around her waist.

  “I guess that’s a good idea,” she replied, waving at Sonia when the other woman caught her eye and smiled. “I can make it on my own, though.” She tried to straighten up, but he didn’t let go, and she gave in, preferring not to cause a fuss.

  “Relax. Let me just see you safely to your room, and then, I’ll go back to the party, so everyone sees that I was just being nice and making sure you were safe,” he told her. “I promise I won’t let anyone get the wrong idea. I could use a chance to build up some good guy points with this new cast, in any case, so you’d really be doing me a favor,” he told her, his voice a low murmur as they exited the restaurant and headed for the lobby.

  Her room was on the other side of the big open space, down one of the branching corridors at the back of the building. Luckily, they’d put her on the first floor. She didn’t think she could face stairs—or, worse, the lurching of an elevator—right now.

  “If you insist,” she muttered. “But can you help me snag some water bottles as we pass through the lobby? I know I’ll have to flush the alcohol from my system a bit, unless I want to look like something the cat dragged in tomorrow morning.”

  He laughed at that, for no apparent reason, but helped her gather a few bottles of cold water from the little fridge they kept in the lobby for guests. If she’d been on her own, she could only have gotten one or, at most, two, but having Ren along doubled her capacity, so maybe he was good for something, after all.

  She laughed at her own thoughts. Only a crazy lady would think the only good thing about having an internationally certified hunk like Ren guide her to her hotel room was that she could get a couple of extra bottles of water out of the deal. She wanted to shake her head but didn’t dare, lest it make her dizzier. There was definitely something wrong with her on a fundamental level. Very, very wrong.