Only You by Jerry Cole (the top 100 crime novels of all time TXT) 📕

that they insisted was the absolute best process for getting the best results. Some directors worked so closely with their actors it boarded on obsession, while others ignored them entirely.

In this case, Bradley was glad that the director chose to act like he and the other actors didn’t exist. It was a silly commercial anyway, aimed at selling more beer during summer or something ridiculous like that. The set was a large warehouse made to look like the beach and all Bradley and the other actors had needed to do was play beach volleyball, laugh, joke around and of course, pretend to drink beer. But even that was fake as the bottles they were given were empty!

No, Bradley didn’t give too much thought to the director, or his ‘role.’ It was a single day of work and came with a single – albeit rather generous – paycheck. For Bradley it was just a way of getting some practice in front of the camera until a real role came along. That, he was sure, was just around the corner.

“Tell me we’re getting an actual drink after this.” Isabelle was sitting on the ground by Bradley’s feet, making a sandcastle. That had been her role all day, to build, destroy and then rebuild sandcastles, while smiling and laughing, of course.

Bradley’s role was ‘to look hot,’ as the director had instructed. That meant a pair of small and tight boardshorts, no shirt and a lot of smiling and muscle flexing. Seriously, Bradley had been half-naked the entire day and done nothing more than stand about and show off his abs. It was easy work, but very unrewarding.

“Depends on what you mean by an actual drink.” Bradley lifted his foot back, as if about to kick the sandcastle over. Isabelle glared at him, and he smirked and lowered his foot. “Joking.”

“Good boy.” She wiped her hands on her thighs and pushed herself to her feet. Even though Bradley was gay, he couldn’t help but admire Isabelle’s tight, athletic body. Seriously, in the bikini she was wearing, he had to wonder why the director had her sitting down, only half in camera. “As lame as it sounds, I spent all day trying to get it – what the fuck!”

From nowhere, a beach volleyball landed between them and right on the sandcastle. It crushed the flimsy structure instantly and sent sand flying in every direction.

“Heads up!” Keith shouted and laughed as he came running toward the two. “Or maybe I should have shouted feet?”

Keith was another up-and-coming actor in the Melbourne scene. He was the same age as Bradley, tall, in great shape, tanned all year round, covered in tattoos and a little too ruggedly handsome for his own good. He was also straight, thank God.

“You are such a prick,” Isabelle snapped. Despite her malice, when Keith reached them, she wrapped her arm around his waist and proceeded to kiss him on the cheek, lips and neck. “Lucky you’re so cute.”

“When you’re done there, I’ll happily jump in,” Bradley joked, indicating to Isabelle smooching up Keith’s neck.

“There’s a line you know,” Keith said seriously... only to then break into a smile. “I think the director was next though – did you see him trying to get me into a speedo.” Keith had on an exceedingly small, tight pair of boardshorts. Truly, a Speedo wouldn’t have made much difference.

“Shame you said no,” Isabelle said. “Nothing sells beer like a big di —”

“You coming for a drink?” Bradley cut her off. “I think we’re headed out after this?”

“Obviously,” Keith sighed. “I’m going to change out of this crap and I’ll meet you outside?”

“I’ll come.” Bradley indicated to what he was wearing. “I feel like the bar we’re probably going to go to won’t like me coming in looking like this.”

“Different scene to your normal one,” Keith joked. He then nodded his head in the direction of the bathrooms. “Come on, I think a few lads are in there already. We’ll get a crew going.”

“I’ll ask the girls,” Isabelle added as she started toward the female change rooms. “Nothing like a good bitch session after a day on set.”

“See you on the other side, darling,” Bradley purred as he wandered away with Keith.

“Eyes off,” Keith joked in regard to Isabelle.

“Na, I don’t think so,” Bradley joked back.

Keith knew Bradley was joking, of course. And vice versa. In the last two months the two men had worked on four commercials together, gone on at least a dozen of the same auditions, been extras in three television episodes, and had even done one modelling shoot together. By now they were old pros.

The same went for Isabelle too, and that wasn’t to mention the classes that she and Bradley took together also. That was the thing about the Melbourne acting scene that Bradley was starting to learn, it was very small. He’d been serious about his acting now for about six months and had already met everyone there was to meet. At least it felt that way.

Bradley was still a long way off from ‘making it.’ Right now, he was making decent money doing these small roles. Between that and his classes, he was making great strides too. He knew that he was just one good audition from breaking in and being set up with an actual role, making him an actual actor. Now, it was just a matter of grinding and waiting for that role.

Bradley wasn’t the only one in this position either. Most of the extras on set that day were in the exact same spot and when they all rocked up at the bar thirty minutes later for a drink – or several – the conversation soon turned to the future, and what they were going to do with themselves.

   “Sydney,” Keith stated emphatically. He had a pint griped in his right