Lights, Camera, Omega (Hollywood Omegas #1)

“Magnus,” I gush—the two of us descending into a fit of giggles.

The two of us are thoroughly enjoying being girls together, when a man steps out in front of me—nearly causing me to crash into him. Luckily, I’m able to stop myself just before I tumble headlong into him, but as soon as I look up and see his face—I know that my luck has run out.

Vinny.

“Daph!” He snips, reaching out to grab my wrist.

“Don’t touch me Vinny,” I snap back coldly, withdrawing my arm so that he grasps only air.

Vinny gives me an injured look, but he withdraws his grabby hand, opting instead to cross his arms anxiously across his chest.

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you since you took off from the music video set, we gotta talk!” he exclaims, his suit bunching at the elbows—a nervous sweat spattered across his brow.

“Vinny, the text messages I sent you should have been crystal clear,” I begin, slowly and firmly, even though my heart is hammering in my ears and I’m so nervous that I feel like I’m gonna puke.

Vinny’s expression hardens, his dark bushy brows pinching together and his mouth turning down.

“Daph, babe, don’t make me pull out the contract you signed when you hired me; you can’t just terminate me without any reason, without any warning. I don’t want to but I’ll take you to court about it. I have a reputation to maintain—and bills to pay,” he threatens, all pretense of helpful kindness gone.

I stand, dumbfounded—unsure how to respond.

“You have things to think about, too. To be realistic about,” Vinny presses on.

“You got written off of One of the Pack and you’re still waiting on the payday for the music video,” he sneers.

“The money’s going to start to dry up pretty fuckin’ quickly if you don’t get yourself more jobs on the books—and for more jobs on the books? You need an agent and an in-tact reputation sweetheart.” Vinny’s smile is cruel as he delivers what he surely believes to be his death blow.

“You’re being awfully heavy handed on all of these threats, Vincenzo,” I sigh, doing my best to feign cool and disinterested, even though I’m skirting the edge of panic. I’d talked with the boys about the possibility of Vinny trying to pull some bullshit like this, but I guess none of us really thought he’d have the balls.

“They’re not threats, only facts,” he shrugs casually.

Vinny’s been so busy running his mouth that he hasn’t noticed that Ursula has taken off like a shot, likely to bring reinforcements. If I can manage a bit more grandstanding, the cavalry might actually arrive in time to back me up.

“Vinny, it seems to me that you have trouble discerning facts from your wishful thinking,” I volley back at him.

Vinny raises his brows.

“Is that so, Mizz Dale?” he taunts.

“For starters, you seem to have thought that it was a fact that I was interested in the Lost Daze pack when they were never even under consideration, as far as I was concerned.”

Vinny’s smile falters but doesn’t fall.

“Second, you seem to think that I am somehow incapable of hiring any other agent in this goddamn town. That simply isn’t the case, in fact—you’ve already been replaced,” I add coldly.

This gets a reaction out of old Vincenzo.

“Yeah, and how long do you think that’s going to last once your reputation is in the shitter?” Vinny shoots back.

“Most perplexing of all,” I continue—steamrolling Vinny without dignifying his outburst with a response.

“You seem to think that you, a lying, cheating, scamming son of a bitch—are going to ruin my fucking reputation when it’s you who should be shaking in those Gucci loafers—Vincenzo,” I growl, surprised by the heat of my own anger behind the words.

“What makes you think you can talk to me like that you little bitch?” Vinny hisses.

“Ah-ah-ah Vinny!” I cluck my tongue.

“You wouldn’t want me to ruin your reputation, would you?” I bat my lashes innocently at him.