“No, sir. You didn’t.”
To emphasize my point, I continued, “If I was marrying anyone else in the cast, I’d want you to check with them, but since I’m not, I don’t.”
Half-listening, Trevor continued to scribble markings in his notepad for several more seconds.
“Sorry sir,” he said as he paused and turned to look at me. “It sounded like you said you were going to marry Maddie Olsen. I apologize. I was making a note here."
“Yes,” I said. “You heard correctly.”
Trevor swiveled his head in my direction. Without blinking, he said, “You… are going to marry Maddie Olsen? The lead actress on the picture?”
“Trevor,” I said as I glared at him. “What the hell is the goddamn problem with you today? Yes, I am marrying Maddie Olsen. She also happens to be the lead actress on the picture. Because of that, I want to have her input on all facets of the party. And by the way, this news is to be kept in the strictest confidence. Do I make myself clear?”
I had no clue what was going on with him. Normally, Trevor was pretty reliable as managers go but for some reason, he was acting flaky as fuck.
“Y-Yes, Mr. Sinclair. I understand.”
I leaned away from him. “Why do I get the feeling you’re out of your league with party planning Trevor? Should I get Maddie in here so she can tell you exactly what she wants?”
Almost before I finished speaking, Trevor jumped in to fill the void.
“What? No sir, not at all,” he replied, as he patted the notebook with the palm of his hand. “I’ve got everything I need right here.”
Unconvinced, I frowned at him.
“Look I don’t know what the issue is here but I don’t have time to babysit you on this. Get Miss Olsen from the set and bring her here now."
“What?” he stammered. As he muttered, the man’s face lost all its color. “Sir, really, I can handle it for you.”
“You sick Billings?” I asked. “You look like hell all of a sudden.”
He shook his head back and forth in self-defense. “No, not at all sir. I’m fine. It’s just an unusual request so there’s a number of things to consider.”
I waved him off. “Let’s quit jerking around. I’ll get Maddie in here. This is a ridiculous goddamn exercise. A couple of goddamn guys planning an engagement party. Am I right?”
Reaching for a phone in the middle of the conference table, I dialed the extension for the set. I happened to glance up at Trevor in the process. I wrinkled my brow as I looked at him. He still looked as if he was about to pass out at any second.
“Hey, Trevor. Relax. Maddie will be here in less than ten minutes and give you some ideas. Jesus Christ, don’t get so worked up.”
Before long there was a knock at the door of the conference room. As it swung open, Maddie walked through it and I stood to greet her.
“Hey baby,” I said, as I walked over to her. Kissing her on the cheek, I gestured towards the conference table. “Maddie, you know Trevor Billings, right?"
“Yes,” she replied, as she tugged a strand of hair behind her ears. “Nice to see you again.”
He nodded as a meek smile spread to his lips.
“Sit down, Maddie,” I said as I gestured towards the table. “I hate to pull you away from the set like this, but having a couple of guys like Trevor and me trying to plan our engagement party is about as useful as a pecker on the Pope. Am I right, Trevor?”
“Uh, Grey!” Maddie said as she shook her head. “That’s terrible."
I chuckled as I pulled out her chair for her. Before she sat, Maddie turned towards me and whispered, “Did you tell him about…?”
I nodded. “I did. Someone has to plan the goddamn party, Maddie. Why not him? Don’t worry, he understands it’s to be kept a secret.”
“Okay,” she said with a whisper as she sat.
Once she had, I snapped my sleeve at the wrist and checked the time.
“All right,” I began, as I leaned down towards Maddie and kissed her on the cheek. “I need to be going.”
“Oh!” she groaned. “You’re not going to stay? Well, that’s no fun.”
“You’re in good hands here,” I said, as I nodded across the table. “Right Trevor?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Sinclair.”
As he replied, I happened to glance down at Maddie. I noticed a smile come to her lips the likes of which I’d never seen before.
MADDIE
A couple of weeks after filming ended, the evening of the wrap party arrived. We’d decided to hold it at the same hotel Grey stayed at when he first came to LA. Grey spared no expense, booking every room they had so the entire cast and crew could stay there. He hired Chef Claude to cater the entire event as well, ensuring the very best food imaginable.