Spotlight On Desire. Anita Bunkley

they had finished eating, they spread their scripts and yellow legal pads out between them, as if afraid to allow an unscripted moment to slip in and challenge their all-about-work agenda.

      Tipping his head slightly toward Jewel, Taye launched into his assessment of the status of P & P and then listened to what she had to say, making it clear that he was extremely interested in her opinion.

      “I think Darin has the bigger problem and that he’s trying to make it look as if Caprice is at fault,” Taye remarked after Jewel’s recap of the latest plotline. “He’s ruthless, power-hungry, scheming. And he has Caprice fooled into thinking she won’t be affected by his problems. What might work is to change Caprice’s direction.” Taye paused, sipping from his wineglass. He was about to go on when Jewel interrupted.

      “Where do you think Caprice ought to be?” she queried, wanting to hear what Taye had in mind.

      “Into her messiest confrontation yet. Where Caprice will have to carry the weight…you know, become the heavy and let Darin get more sympathy. I viewed the footage of the scene in the limo…where Darin pushes Caprice to come home. She’s gotta be desperate enough to make Darin fear their relationship might implode. I want her to inflict more emotional damage. Their romance is too predictable, satisfying but not electrifying. She’s gotta absolutely refuse to go along with Darin, sending him into total confusion.”

      Jewel sat forward, making a small jerk of surprise with her shoulders. Something in Taye’s remark had alarmed her. “I don’t know about that, Taye. That’s not the way Brad wanted the scene to play.”

      “Brad’s no longer the director.”

      His words were clear and firm. So terse they sent a flash of annoyance through Jewel, who promptly replied, “But you told Fred and me that you planned to stick close to Brad’s interpretation, even use some of his footage as flashbacks.”

      “Yes, I did.” Taye hunched over the table, a somber mood emerging. “But I’ve changed my mind. I want to reshoot the limo scene and maybe the beach scene, too.”

      “Go back on location in Texas?” Jewel groaned. Hitting the road again was not high on her agenda. Too much turmoil, drama and friction. All she wanted to do was to stay home and get back to her normal routine.

      “Not far. I can shoot closer to home, on Catalina Island. No need to go back to Galveston. But it’s gotta be reshot because it’s not on the mark.”

      “In what way?” Jewel prodded, beginning to wonder if Taye Elliott was a man whose word meant very little. “What’s on your mind, Taye?”

      “Flipping Caprice’s reaction to Darin completely.”

      “You want to change Caprice’s motivation?” Jewel gave him a disbelieving chuckle. “Why?”

      “So she can push back harder. State what she wants in a way that shows how desperate she is. After all, she’s got a lot to lose, too. I just don’t like that undertone of weakness that I’m getting. Regret weakens any character.”

      Jewel didn’t respond right away, but simply sat quietly and listened as Taye forged ahead with his vision in an overconfident rush to prove what he could do. When he’d finished talking, she spoke up.

      “Sorry, Taye. I totally disagree. Making Caprice so overtly aggressive will be disastrous. She’s aware of the damage she’s done. She’s gotta be contrite and vulnerable…this keeps the tension high.”

      “No…it doesn’t,” Taye rejected with a snap. “It keeps Caprice in check when she needs to cut loose and challenge her self-imposed inhibitions.”

      “But she’s not the real risk-taker. Darin is. There’s a predictable sense of stability and cautiousness that fans expect of Caprice. Altering that would destroy a major character trait that I’ve worked hard to develop. Caprice Desmond is a unique person. Complicated, yet easily accepted…if you understand her extensive backstory.” Which, obviously, you don’t, Jewel was tempted to add. Sitting back, she crossed her arms at her waist and waited for Taye’s reply.

      The whir of the pool sweeper making its way across the water filled an awkward pause. When Taye broke into a wide grin of defeat, she flinched. “Touché,” he conceded, jabbing the air with his index finger, giving Jewel her props. “You know your character better than I ever could, so we’ll keep her reaction as you played it, but I still plan to reshoot the beach scene on Catalina so our visuals will be consistent now that we’re staying in California.”

      “Sounds fine,” Jewel stated, pleased that they’d been able to compromise so easily, and certain Lori Callyer, P & P’s head writer, would certainly back Jewel up. “I appreciate your taking my input into consideration. Brad, Lori and I could usually work through these kinds of glitches and compromise.” She sighed in relief. “You know what, Taye? This get-together was a good idea. We’re on such a cramped shooting schedule and we’ve got so much work to do, this will help us move more quickly Monday.”

      “I hear you,” Taye agreed.

      “Thanks for agreeing not to change Caprice…or me.” Her voice slipped low, her words fading into a hush.

      Taye slowly lifted his palm toward Jewel and rocked her with a steady gaze. “Don’t worry, Jewel. Changing anything about you is the furthest thing from my mind. I like you just the way you are.”

      Jewel felt her entire body go on alert as his remark resonated through her veins. His intent was so obvious. She gave him a slow blink of her eyes, knowing if she tried to talk, she might blunder into territory that ought to be avoided. After composing herself, she spoke her mind. “Taye, we can either dance around this issue all night or clear the air right now.”

      “I’m listening,” Taye replied, cool and unruffled.

      His wide-eyed, little-boy innocent expression rattled Jewel’s nerves. She inhaled a stream of air and then swallowed with a gulp. “Taye, I will follow your direction and give you my best performance. Every day. Every take. We’ll work closely together, perhaps become friends. But that’s all. I want you to understand that I’m all about business. The success of P & P is all I care about, okay? There can’t be any reason for either of us to feel uneasy working together. Got that?”

      When he didn’t reply, Jewel rose from her chair, went to stand behind it and leaned against its back. Studying Taye as she steadied herself, she waited for his reply, hating that his crooked half smile was turning her insides into jelly. “Agreed?” she pressed again.

      His nod implied an affirmative answer, but the expression on his face sent Jewel a completely different signal.

      Taye wished desperately that she was not Jewel Blaine, the actress he’d have to face on the set every day, because at that moment all he wanted to do was corner her behind that bar and push her up against that cool black granite, press his tongue between those full red lips, nibble her earlobe and ease himself deep into what he imagined was a sizzling-hot center that needed cooling down. But that wasn’t going to happen, so he’d better get a grip and pull himself together. With a jerk of his chin, Taye forced the blood zinging through his veins to calm down, told his heart to stop thumping so raggedly in his chest, unstuck his tongue from the roof of his mouth and ran it over his lower lip.