Chapter 7: Choker

Startled by Casey's intense refusal, Grayson sat back. "Well, that sounded pretty definitive."

"Oh, it is," she assured him.

"I see." There was an arrested expression on Grayson's face.

Casey felt a strangely electric comfort at throwing him off his own game. A moment of truly having the upper hand. But that was just the first of a whole artisanal mixology of emotions.

She also felt equal parts offended he'd assume she'd be willing to put her life on parade like that, and also flabbergasted there might actually be an audience for it.

Then there was her undeniable attraction toward him. His physical effect on her was immediate, intense. She'd thought he was gone for good, but now he was back--seemingly, almost magically, conjured by her public announcement that she was self-partnered.

What the hell was she supposed to do now?

And then certainty hit her like a bolt of lightning: the Love Gods were at it again! Trying to distract her with his masculine wiles.

A middle-aged man with sunburned arms approached the table.

Beaming at Casey, he held up his phone and waggled it. "I'm a big fan! Can I get a selfie?"

"Sure thing!" Casey jumped to her feet. "What's your name?"

"Davis."

"Pleased to meetcha, Davis."

"I'll take the pic for you," Grayson said, pushing his chair back.

"Oh, man, thanks," said Davis. He handed his phone to Grayson.

Casey got in close next to Davis and put on her biggest camera-ready evil grin that folks always loved.

Grayson hesitated. "Davis, can I ask you a question?"

"Uh, sure," said the middle-aged man.

"You're a fan of Shock here, obviously. Tell me, did you hear her news?"

Casey's evil grin froze.

"About her marrying herself?" asked Davis.

"Exactly," said Grayson. "What do you think about that?"

"Well?" Davis glanced at Casey somewhat uncomfortably, said, "I was married once and lemme tell ya, what a nightmare. Never again. Oh no. So, you wanna marry yourself? I say, more power to ya. Ain't no one in the world gonna love you like you, and that's a fact."

"Thank you, Davis," Casey said, "It is a fact."

Grayson lifted the phone, then lowered it again. "I have another question for you, Davis. Would you be interested in watching a TV series that follows Casey around while she plans and holds her selfie wedding?"

Davis didn't even have to think about it. "Absolutely."

Casey blinked, surprised. "Knowing it's gonna be just like any other wedding? Buying a dress, I dunno, tasting cakes..."

"But you'll be alone," said Davis.

"Yeah?" She didn't see the big diff.

"When my wedding was coming up, my ex--whose name will not be uttered here--said she wanted me to be involved, but when I dared to have an opinion? Oh, well, it was the worst thing in the world!"

Casey took a step back from Davis's reddening face. "That sounds--"

"I had ideas! Good ones! But that... Hey, you know when you take a dump in an airplane, it turns into blue ice, and they eject it out the back?"

Casey and Grayson glanced at each other.

"Every day, I look up in the sky and pray one of those blue-iced poop clumps falls straight down and hits her square on the head, just clacks her right on the biscuit!"

Casey didn't know it but, in that moment, she was beginning to see exactly what Grayson saw: opportunity.

Breathing heavily, Davis checked his pulse on his watch.

"See, Shock?" said Grayson. "There's genuine fan interest in your wedding. The people want to see the whole process, all the nuts and bolts. And all the setbacks too."

Casey said, "We're, like, holding him hostage now. The man just wanted a quick selfie."

"You're absolutely right. Sorry, Davis."

With an upheld hand and a slight bow, Davis said, "Not a problem."

Grayson lifted the phone. Frowned at it. "Um, one more quick question, if you don't mind, Davis."

Casey exhaled. "You're killing me, Tremaine."

"You're obviously a big fan of horror films, but what would you say to seeing Casey Shock appear in other kinds of movies? Would you buy a ticket at the cinema to support her non-horror projects?"

Davis squinted. "You mean like superhero movies?"

"Sure, those too."

"Well, heck yeah! I don't just watch horror. And I like my cowboy stories too."

"Thank you, Davis. That is very good to know."

"Now let's take take your photo for ya and let you get back to it," Casey said in the most pleasant way possible. She moved in close to Davis and once again engaged her evil grin.

Davis asked, "Ms. Shock? Would ya mind choking me a little?"

Grayson looked startled, but this was a more common request for horror stars than one might imagine. Casey didn't even blink.

"Sure thing." Casey put her hands around Davis's fleshy, sweat-slick neck. She wasn't ready for all the sweat. She felt her gag reflex jolt a little.

Hesitating, not entirely sure what he was seeing, Grayson lined up the shot.

Davis quietly suggested, "You can squeeze tighter if you want."

Casey did not squeeze tighter. She kept the evil grin plastered on her face and inwardly begged for the camera-click sound effect.

Grayson took the picture, checked to make sure it was in focus, and handed the phone back to Davis.

Davis checked the photo and broke into a big smile. "Thank ya kindly!"

"You have yourself a good one," Casey said.

"Will do!" Davis went on about his day of sight-seeing, immediately spotting another (and much more famous) celebrity eating nearby. He raced over for a photo.

Casey and Grayson sat back down at their table.

She looked around for a napkin. "Ugh. I mean, y'know, nice guy, but all that neck sweat! And on the day I ordered a sandwich."

Grayson whipped out a handkerchief, and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said, surprised. She started scraping off old man neck sweat from her hands.

"There's real audience interest, Casey. Davis there is just the tip of the iceberg. A lot of people are talking about you right now. People who don't know your work yet, but I guarantee are seeking it out."

"Do you you seriously carry a handkerchief everywhere with you? Like a dude in Old Timey times?"

Amusement softened Grayson's strong features. "I never know when a genuine scream queen might run into me, get fake blood all over my favorite shirt, then start flirting with me."

Casey laughed out loud. "Flirting! You wish."

She found herself searching his face for a reaction, but he was already swinging back to the earlier point. "If you do this show with me, just imagine what will happen to your career."

"Okay, Tremaine. I'll bite. Play it out for me. What do you think will happen?"

Grayson leaned forward. "I wasn't just blue-skying it for Davis over there. The exposure you get from this series could easily push you to the next level. You'd be working with the best filmmakers on A-List blockbusters. The kind where the special effects actually work."

Casey asked, "The kind where I can get a second take?"

Grayson leaned even closer. She could feel his body heat. "The kind where it changes your life."

Casey sure liked the sound of that.

And, yep, the irony wasn't lost on her that she was considering allowing her self-wedding to be filmed by the very man she'd actually leave herself at the altar for--but she also found a certain logic to it all.

Getting what she wanted couldn't be easy. Life didn't work that way, not in her experience. If she was going to get her career up to the next level, and change her life for the better, she'd face challenges.

The Love Gods had just dropped a whopper right on her head.

But, eff it, she was a big girl. She was prepared to look temptation in his beautiful face and say, "Gimme your best shot, pal. I can take it."

Out loud, Casey said, "I don't want it to be one of those cheesy, over-the-top shows."

"Fair enough," said Grayson.

"You want to see the nuts and bolts? Then that's what you get, without any of that corny, forced drama. If things go smoothly, then they go smoothly. You can follow me around but, at the end of the day, it's my wedding. Right?"

Grayson nodded along with her points.

Casey concluded, "I'm saying I'm not gonna flip over any tables for you."

"Understood. And agreed." Grayson reached out and squeezed her hand. "This is going to be amazing."

His touch felt reassuring as it smashed her defenses.

Casey said, "So, when do we start?"