Page 8 of Play Room Actor

“Well?” I whispered, crossing one leg over the other. “Got a favorite yet?”

“Definitely not him,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

Ludwig nodding in agreement.

I reclined back in my chair with a smirk. It wasn’t long before Sebastian, the stage manager, joined me. His thick glasses always made him look slightly groggy.

“Is that our new Hamlet?” he whispered.

“Apparently not,” I replied. “Eva made a face.”

“And? Did you make it home okay Saturday morning?”

“Yeah,” I answered casually. “You?”

Sebastian grinned. “It was a great bachelor party.”

“Okay!” Theo stood up, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses. “That’s enough. Let’s see Vanja Vogel and Dominic Pereira next.”

As the actors left the stage, Theo conferred with his team. While he was too far away for me to hear, I caught Eva saying, “I see him more as Horatio than Hamlet.”

“Agreed,” Ludwig replied. “Same here.”

Two new actors took the stage. The woman had her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, with bangs nearly grazing her eyebrows. She was slender, dressed in blue jeans and a white blouse.

The man playing Hamlet had dark blond hair slicked back with gel, though a few escaped strands framed his face. His three-day stubble suited him, as did his angular features and impressive build. Wearing black baggy pants and a fitted black shirt with the top buttons undone, he reminded me of someone.

Wait …

Is that …?

My jaw dropped as I recognized the gruff bouncer from last Friday night.

What the fuck? He’s an actor?

Why am I not surprised?

I’d been surrounded by actors for years. It shouldn’t have shocked me that he was one too. The control he’d displayed that night had been otherworldly. He was good. Really good. His poker face hadn’t cracked—not even when my thigh brushed against him through his pants.

Dominic Pereira.

Well, Mick Jagger.

You’ve got it.

“Isn’t that … the bouncer from Friday?” Sebastian asked.

I had to fight the urge to leap up and yell, Ha! Instead, I nodded.

Dominic didn’t notice me. He was focused, settling into place onstage and waiting for Theo’s direction. Theo wrapped up his discussion, then gave the actors the cue to begin.

I knew the scene well since this wasn’t my first time working on a lighting design for Hamlet. However, Theo had already warned me in a previous conversation that this production was destined to be something truly extraordinary.

I sat there, almost mesmerized, watching Dominic. He had been so reserved and cold with me before that I could hardly believe the stage presence he was now showing.

Damn! The guy’s good!

Even I could see that he was perfectly in sync with this Vanja.