Chapter 23

After I finished lunch, I loaded the dishwasher. Soon after, a dull ache in my tooth started. Before I realized it, it was throbbing with a newfound intensity. I winced, pressing a hand to my throbbing jaw. A trip to the bathroom offered no answers – a quick inspection in the mirror revealed no visible signs of trouble. Great. It was probably my wisdom tooth. 
With a sigh, I realized the only solution was painkillers. I didn’t have the money to get it pulled or anything like that, and it wasn’t like the company offered dental insurance. Glancing around the sterile apartment, I spotted no medicine cabinet, let alone any semblance of pain medication. Frustration mingled with the throbbing in my jaw. This was ridiculous. Adulting 101 – have basic supplies on hand. Caleb, it seemed, wasn't a big proponent of that particular life lesson, or he just didn’t have chronic pain. 
Seemed odd since the first time I met him he was covered in blood and bruised.
Left with no choice, I grabbed my purse and shuffled towards the elevator. 
The arrival of the elevator doors whooshed open, revealing a man in a crisp suit, a badge hanging from his belt. He was hunched over his phone, voice raised in a hurried conversation. "… no, no, she's all wrong! I mean, have you seen her? Undercover agent? More like undercover librarian!"
He slammed the phone shut with a sigh, finally noticing me standing there. "Excuse me," he said, his voice clipped. "Do you know where the director's office is?"
My throbbing tooth wasn't exactly conducive to conversation. "Downstairs…" I managed, wincing as the pain intensified. “by…”
The man frowned, impatience creeping into his voice. "Downstairs where? I'm on a tight schedule."
Annoyance flared, momentarily pushing the pain aside. "Hmm," I managed, crossing my arms and giving him a pointed look.
He seemed to take a second look, his eyes narrowing. "Wait a minute…" he said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "You know, that could actually work. The whole, 'don't look twice at me' thing. Intriguing…"
He rummaged in his pocket, pulling out a business card and thrusting it at me. "The name's Mark Davis," he said, his voice now enthusiastic. "Casting director. I’ve got a role for an undercover agent. I think you’ve got the looks for it. Plain enough. And that expression is convincing. Give me a call."
Before I could sputter out a response, the elevator doors pinged open, revealing the ground floor. With a mumbled thanks, I escaped the unexpected encounter, the throbbing in my tooth competing with the bewildered confusion in my head. I heard him head towards the concierge desk and barely made out him asking where Sebastian was. I supposed he’d come to see Sebastian personally.
I got some painkillers from the little store around the corner. I went back to the building’s lounge for some free water to take them before heading back up. The business card clutched in my hand. Undercover agent? Seriously? This day just kept getting weirder. But as I popped a couple of pain relievers and closed my eyes, I sank down onto the couch, willing for them to kick in. 
The pain relievers started to work slowly.The thought of calling Mark Davis felt far-fetched, but maybe… not the worst thing. If I could get out of my contract with Sebastian’s company, it wouldn’t be so bad. 
Just as I tucked the card away, I heard a someone speak. 
“You ran into Mark, hm?”
I looked up and saw Jason standing over me. 
“Yeah.”
Jason raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Rough day?”
I grimaced, pointing at my cheek. "Wisdom tooth decided to have a tantrum. And then…" I held up the card. “Apparently I have the look.”
Jason shrugged. “He's legit. I know him. Always looking for fresh faces, especially for… unconventional roles." A beat of silence followed, then he leaned forward, a conspiratorial glint in his eyes.
"You know," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper, "I heard you’re not much of a star in the porn industry. This could be a good opportunity for you, Yvonne. A chance to break out of the… shall we say, monotony? You can’t want to spend the rest of your viable years naked on set all the time, hm? Not much of a future in that."
My heart skipped a beat. The words echoed in my mind, resonating with a truth I couldn't deny.  I didn’t. I’d always been worried about what would happen when I was too old or too used up to keep acting in porn. It wasn’t like I’d managed to save up a lot of money.
With a deep breath, I reached for the business card, the worn paper suddenly feeling like a lifeline. My fingers trembled slightly as I dialed the number, the formal ring tone sending a jolt of nervous energy through me.
"Hello, this is Yvonne," I answered, my voice surprisingly steady. "I'm calling because I got your card in the elevator…”
He remembered me, and while we talked, it felt like I was transported to another world. He gave me the general description of the role and scheduled an audition. 
Hanging up the phone, a mixture of excitement and trepidation bubbled within me. Then, a new question surfaced. "Where's Caleb?" I asked Jason, a sudden wave of worry washing over me.
Jason's smile faltered. "He won't be back for a while," he said, his voice low. "There's a dangerous situation he needs to handle."
Danger? The word hung heavy in the air. I thought back to his sterile apartment. Maybe it made sense that he didn’t put much there. If he was off doing dangerous things, or just gone often, then it would probably be hard to live in one place for long or take any joy in it. 
How did that work if he was Jason’s bodyguard too? A knot of apprehension tightened in my stomach. Would he be coming back. 
“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine. He always is.”