Free Shards of Glass by Arianne Richmonde

he’d manage financially in the future and wanted to help in any way I could.
    Just then my phone buzzed.
    It was Daniel.
    My heart pounding, I picked up.
    “Janie,” he said. My adrenaline went from naught to a hundred.
    “Hi, Daniel.”
    “We need to talk.” Was this for real ?? That’s what he said in my dream— we need to talk. Just showed how well I knew him.
    “I have an agent meeting later. I mean I think I do,” I told him.
    “You’re being seduced, aren’t you? By them .”
    I laughed awkwardly. I wanted to tell him about my dream, how he was the one who’d seduced me. A thousand times, no less. “Seduced?”
    “Don’t lose your integrity, Janie Juilliard.”
    “I’ll be okay, I have a great mentor, someone who can show me the ropes.”
    “Star Davis?” He laughed. “She comes from a different planet than you. She was born into this world. She’s tough; it can’t hurt her the way it can you. You are an actor , not a movie star or wide-eyed starlet. You deserve Broadway, the West End, the National, The Royal Shakespeare Company. You are worth twenty Star Davises. And I won’t be there to protect you.”
    The idea that Daniel Glass wanted to protect me made my heart swell. “Why not? What about the movie?”
    “I’ve pulled out. Samuel Myers and I do not see eye to eye. Pearl Chevalier seems to be on board with my artistic choices, but Sam Myers is a fat fucking philistine and I don’t trust him an inch. His gig is all about money and nothing else. What started out as an art movie is quickly turning into a high budget sex romance. He’s even talking about BDSM themes, for Christ’s sake. He wants to compete directly with the Fifty Shades of Grey movie, which won’t work as it’s in a league of its own anyway. And he’s adamant that you be his progeny, his star. That stunt you played at the meeting—at my expense—worked.”
    It wasn’t a stunt, it was real. “I . . . I . . .” I stammered, “I don’t know what to say. This is a big chance for me, Daniel. And I’m so sorry if I embarrassed you.”
    “It’s fine. Water under the bridge. Meet me for a coffee, or lunch. See if I can’t persuade you otherwise.”
    “I’ll find out what Star’s plans are and I’ll call you right back,” I said. “Thanks for calling.”
    My head was spinning with all this information. I felt elated, excited, yet at the same time deflated. I’d finally come around to the idea of Daniel directing me again. Seeing him every day. Being mentored by him. But now I’d be on my own—well, I had Star to guide me, but it was true what Daniel said; she was used to this, it didn’t faze her. I was just a tiny fish in a giant unpredictable ocean, with ruthless predators keen to gobble me up and spit the remnants of me right back out. Select my tasty bits and discard the rest.
    I eyed my wardrobe choices. I picked out a pair of jeans and a little white tank. Some Converse sneakers. I put on my simple outfit and looked in the mirror. My nipples showed slightly through the shirt. No bra. Didn’t need one. That, I decided, would be my “brand.” The accidental sex symbol who dresses like a boy. Minimal makeup, minimal effort. Doesn’t give a damn.
    I contemplated the new direction I was taking in my career. For the first time in my life I considered what it was to be famous and more importantly, the money that would come with it. Able to pay my bills, help out my brother. I tasted it like the metallic taste of blood—dangerous, bad for me. But I wanted it anyway. I needed it.
    And I was going to go after it.
    Hollywood, here I come.

7
    S TAR LENT ME HER custom-made, sky-blue Porsche, which had a very fancy, integral GPS system. I had no idea where I was going so I drove blindly, following Snoop Doggy Dog’s instructions (yeah, really), until I ended up on Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills, where Daniel was staying at a friend’s house. The friend was away indefinitely and had lent