Page 4 of One Kind Hand

“I’m good. Thanks.” He gave Melanie another smile which he hoped emanated a friendly, but not flirtatious vibe.

Melanie flicked her gaze to Cody and he put his hands up. She walked away to join the other attendant at the back of the plane.

“Did you . . . did you hire her to have sex with me?” Austin angled to face Cody.

“What? No!” Cody gave him an indignant look.

“Cody . . .”

“All right, man. So sue me. You’re tensed up like a too-tight bolt. I wanted to loosen you up a bit.”

“So book me a goddamn massage, dude.” He arrowed a thumb to the back and lowered his voice. “Don’t find me a hooker.”

“She’s not a hooker.” Cody brushed lint off his dress pants. “She’s a flight attendant. Who practices yoga, I might add, and is super flexible.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“And just like that I’m back to questioning why it is that I keep you around.”

Cody tapped the script again. “This is why.” He got to his feet and picked up his tablet. “I’ll schedule that massage then.” He took a step toward the back of the plane.

“Where are you going?” Austin asked. He had a few questions about the new movie that he wanted answered before they landed.

“Do you honestly think I’m going to let Melanie’s skills go to waste?” He dug in his pocket and shook a few tiny breath mints into his palm then popped them into his mouth. “Be back in a few.”

Austin shook his head and did his best to block out the low murmurs of conversation and laughing that came from the back of the plane. He also made a mental note not to use the bathroom. Instead he focused back on the script and read the next few scenes. The basic premise of the movie involved a series of grisly murders occurring in a small, New England town. A bounty hunter-type of character—the character he would play—had been hired to find the serial killer and gain justice for the victims’ families. It was a typical role for him. To date, he’d played everything from a special federal agent to an international spy to a Marine. Always the good guy, but with a badass attitude and a unique skill set that made him acutely qualified to be successful in his mission.

He’d definitely learned a great deal in preparation for some of these roles. He’d taken every kind of martial arts and boxing training he could find, shadowed police officers and other defenders of the law, and had even learned the proper way to disarm a bomb. These activities allowed him to play his roles with a certain authenticity his fans enjoyed. All the working out he did kept his physique in check and he’d graced the covers of many entertainment magazines.

He liked the fame. Acting gave him the opportunity to escape the real world, and knowing he could take his fans with him on the ride was fun. He lived a good life. He did.

It was just lonely sometimes. Which sounded super ridiculous considering the fact that he nearly always had a team of people around him, helping to manage his acting career. Cody was glued to his hip most of the time.

Except when Cody was having sex in the plane’s bathroom.

When he was between movies, Austin went to his estate in New York where his sisters lived and they rarely left him alone when he was in town.

But none of that was the same as having one special person.

Austin had believed he’d found that woman a few times, but something always got in the way of them making a real go of it. He had to fly off to another location for a shoot. She had her own busy career to tend to. He liked her more than she liked him. She liked him more than he liked her. They had physical chemistry, but no true connection. The list of problems was long and he was beginning to think he’d never hook up with someone who was specifically made for him.

And here he was on a downward spiral again today. Jesus. He raked his hand through his hair and picked up the script.

“Focus on the fictional you,” he told himself. The real him was depressing.

Twenty minutes later, Cody returned, his shirt a little wrinkled and his smile radiating a Mission Accomplished vibe.

“She live up to your expectations?” Austin asked.

Cody put a hand to his chest. “Absolutely. You passed up a good one.”

“I’ll survive.” Austin flipped back in the script and handed it to Cody. “What’s with this whole boating section? You know I don’t do water stuff.”

Cody squinted at the page. “Yeah, I know. We’ve booked a good double to do those parts.”

Austin reached over and paged forward about twenty pages. “That’s a big water scene, Cody. Usually it’s little stuff. That double is going to be on camera for quite a bit.”

“Look, I asked the writers to change it to a car chase, but they won’t budge. They like the New England coastal thing and already have a car chase in the movie.”

“But Vermont isn’t on the coast.”