Free Role of a Lifetime by Denise McCray Page B

weekend to get him to change his mind. In my opinion, he’d make a great Sammy. If not, Dalton West will get the part.”
    To say she truly disliked Dalton West would be an understatement. The man thought the world revolved around him and made everyone he worked with miserable. For the moment, he was Broadway’s golden boy, in more ways than one. Sure, he was handsome and had a little talent, but they were offset by his over the top arrogance. “I don’t want him anywhere near me.”
    “ You my dear don’t have a choice in the matter. You are under contract, and if you make too much of a fuss, I can assure you the producers will have no problem suing your cute little ass.”
    Her heart sank as she mulled over her choices and realized there was only one thing she could do. She called one of the stagehands over, scribbled a short note on a piece of paper, and sent him running in Joseph’s direction. I know he’s worth all this.
     
     
    Joseph hopped on one leg while he put on his jeans. What a big fucking waste of time! He zipped up the pants and pulled his shirt over his head as he continued to fume. I nailed that audition. No one can tell me anything different. And what was that shit about Sammy’s role? It would be a cold day in hell before he accepted that skimpy part.
    He thought things would be different with this director. He’d heard so many good comments about him: how he went out of his way to give performers a chance to prove themselves. Hell, the woman who sat next to him was proof of that. O’Neal discovered Sharese Moore behind the counter of a local deli. Word is that he offered her an opportunity to audition for a small part in his play and the rest was history. He’d give anything for that same chance to prove himself, to show the world that he was more than just an actor in a soap opera.
    A s he reached the door to the theatre, his cell phone buzzed. He stepped into a corner and recognized his agent’s number on the display. Might as well get this over with. “Yeah,” he yelled into the receiver.
    “ I’m going to assume by your tone of voice that things did not go well,” Candace Knoll slowly said.
    “ Go ahead and say it,” he bit out. “Tell me I told you so.”
    “ They didn’t offer you the lead, I take it.”
    He swiped his hand down his face and tried to tamp down his soaring blood pressure. Staring in a soap where they played up his Lakota heritage was one thing. But trying out for a part in a Broadway play where the male lead in the script was described as all-American and clean cut was another matter. “The director offered me another part.”
    “ That’s great!”
    “ Told the man ‘hell no’.”
    “ You do realize that was not a smart thing to do, don’t you?”
    “ Smart or not, I’m not willing to settle for a smaller role.”
    “ I don’t understand you, Joseph. Everyone has to start someplace. This is Broadway, for God’s sake.”
    “ I can’t explain it, Candy.” And truly he couldn’t. His heart was set on the lead role, and nothing else would satisfy him.
    “ Then I suppose you need to move on. I got a fantastic script in the mail today for a movie role. Wanna swing by and pick it up?”
    “ If you don’t mind, I’ll come by for it in a couple days. I need to get my head straight.”
    “ No worries, hon. It’ll be here for you when you’re ready.”
    With that, she rung off, leaving him with the phone still plastered to his ear. His mouth tilted into a rueful smile as he pocketed the device and smoothed back his hair. Despite their occasional tiffs, he had much love for his agent. She took a chance on him when he’d been rebuffed by dozens of others. He knew she wanted the best for him and his career.
    Taking one last look over his shoulder at the stage area, he again started for the exit. Just as his hand curved around the doorknob, a young man yelled for him to stop.
    “Mr. Proudfoot,” he panted, out of breath. “I have a message for