A Hire Love. Candice Dow

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СКАЧАТЬ have shooed him away. He extended his hand and I scrutinized his outfit. A plastic replica Prada belt sat inches below his chest and strangled the waist of his straight-legged slacks. Dense collections of lint were scattered all over his shirt. He should have vacuumed it.

      We shook hands and he raised mine and planted a kiss on it. “Please to meet you, Ms. Barnes.”

      I nodded, but didn’t tell him that I was pleased as well. When we sat, I flipped through my copy of the script and ignored his icebreakers. I found the section on Attire and Style and turned the paper around so that he could see. “Did you read this section?”

      “Yeah, I noticed you specified a stylish guy, but it says only dress shirts in the blue family or white.” He curled up his nose. “That’s not so stylish. I figured I’d break out with a little pastel. You know, embellish a little.”

      Did he just pop his collar? He needed to bring it down a notch, one collar at a time. I stared through him.

      “See, I’m a metrosexual. I felt like that’s what the script was asking for.”

      Maybe we were from different metro areas, because around my way, there was nothing metro or sexual about him. I squinted. “Can you read?”

      “Yeah.”

      Through clinched teeth, I said, “That’s not what I asked for.”

      “Nah, I’ve heard directors like to see you put a spin on things.”

      I laughed. A spin is one thing, but he’d spun out of control. Would the fashion police please escort this clown away from my table? I extended my hand. “Thanks for coming out.”

      As he continued to defend his fashion violation, I nodded. “I understand, but I’m really looking for something specific. I’m sorry. Thanks for coming out.”

      He departed with a smile after kissing my hand. I raised my glass to the waiter. I had fifteen minutes to gulp down two glasses. Even when you write explicitly what you’re looking for, dating is a challenge. I rolled my eyes in my head. I’m paying for them to follow instructions and they still want to do it their way.

      I looked up and saw Number Two approaching with a crisp electric blue dress shirt and nice fitting black slacks. When he extended his hand, I glimpsed at his nice cuff links and exhaled. He raised my wrist and planted his soft lips on my hand. “Good afternoon, Ms. Barnes.”

      “Good afternoon…” I shuffled through my papers to find his name.

      He asked, “Would you like a Sante Fe Salad?”

      The intensity in his eyes charmed me. When the beautiful Hispanic waitress got the same intense stare, my eyes tried to recruit his back in my direction. He was so entranced that he didn’t notice the disgust on my face. Finally, he turned and smiled at my frown. He reached across the table. His fingertips grazed my forearm. “You look beautiful today.”

      Aside from his wandering eyes, I thought he was attractive. He was obviously ambitious. He had several noted gestures in the script down in less than twenty-four hours. Another waitress passed and his head tilted while his eyes stripped her naked. Does this man have any self-control? Just as he was about to be dismissed, the waitress returned with our salads. He might as well have winked at her.

      I said, “You’ve fallen out of character three times in ten minutes.”

      He acted surprised. “When?”

      If he wasn’t conscious of it, he must be a pervert. I extended my hand. “Thanks for coming out, but I don’t think you’re the guy for the job.”

      His chest collapsed. His eyebrows reached up to form a temple in the middle of his forehead. “C’mon. Give me a chance.”

      “I did. Thanks for coming out.”

      His head drooped as he stood. Next. Puddles formed in my eyes as Number Three approached. Don’t even ask what he had on. My watery eyes were too glossy to notice. My nose burned. Did the script say bathe in cologne or wear cologne? My mug questioned the scent as he neared. Is it Brut? Is it Musk? It stunk and he stunk. I rubbed my eyes. Somebody, help me.

      As he extended his hand, my lips flipped up to protect my nose. I nodded, but did not speak as he greeted me. He asked, “Are you okay?”

      Here we go again. I’d pretty much reached my threshold. My eyes twirled rapidly in my head. “What kind of cologne are you wearing?”

      “It’s your favorite.”

      “Oh, no, it’s not.”

      He smiled. “It’s Acqua di Gio.”

      “Not Giorgio Armani’s version.”

      Even if he bathed in it, he shouldn’t smell like that. As we debated about his cologne, he jumped and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. It vibrated in his hand. He flipped it open.

      After checking his phone, he smiled as if to say, “So where were we?”

      I asked, “Are you expecting a call?”

      “No.”

      “So, why did you feel the need to look at your phone during your audition?”

      He gasped. “Ah, c’mon. I mean this is so informal. You know?”

      What happened to always respecting me and the job? I cleared my throat. “Thank you for your time.”

      I didn’t extend my hand, nor did he. My forehead fell into my helpless hands. Convinced that I should cancel the next two appointments, I called Mya.

      “How’s it going?”

      When I didn’t respond, she said, “You didn’t like my picks.”

      “They were all nice looking, but they were all losers.”

      After explaining to her how they’d all misinterpreted the script, she laughed hysterically. “Now, can you see why my job is so stressful?”

      “Girl, I feel for you now. It’s one thing to read a manuscript that you just don’t like and send a rejection to a faceless person. But it’s entirely different when you tell someone exactly what you’re looking for and they sit in front you and do something totally different. Then you have to smile when you tell them that they misinterpreted you.”

      “You got it down in just three auditions. That’s what I go through everyday.”

      “I guess that’s why you’re so blunt.”

      “After all this time, you finally understand me.”

      I laughed. “You’re silly. I’m about to leave. Cancel the next two guys.”

      “No! You have to go through with it now. It won’t be so bad. You only have two left.”

      “I don’t feel like it.”

      “The best is yet to come. Be patient.”

      “Mya, СКАЧАТЬ