No

“No.”

The small, one-syllable reply made her heart sink. “No?” she repeated, now feeling a sudden indignation that the prospect of hiring her was so nonchalantly dismissed.

“No.”

She took a small sip of white wine, strategically buying herself another two seconds to center herself and keep her composure. “Can you… explain?”

The white smile unnerved her, while she usually considered him polite, the way it came across now it felt infuriating. Sean seemed to notice her irritation as he took another sip of his drink and when he put the glass down the smile was gone and he leaned in with a serious look on his face.

“Look, Jessica,” Even his voice sounded different now, intense and earnest, “You know I respect you and I like you. We have worked together a lot and we had some good times, but I can’t help you with this role.” He took a moment to let his words sink in, watching the corners of her mouth tighten. “Trust me when I tell you, Ruby Moon is not the right project for you. The movie isn’t really like anything you have done in the past and from what’s currently out there, the role of Nancy Santos requires things that you aren’t willing to give. I totally respect that, but it also means that you are out of the race…”

Jessica swallowed. “What kind of scenes are we talking about?”

“It’s an erotic thriller,” Sean replied, shrugging. “There is going to be some bondage scenes.”

“I… I can do bondage scenes,” Jessica protested, although she felt her hopes quickly waning.

The smile that spread on Sean’s lips was entirely different from the one he had greeted her with. Less Hollywood-hotshot, but instead an almost sad, sympathetic smile at her attempt to change his mind. “I know you can, Jessica. But this time, the plan is to push the limits more than you would be willing to do, by your own admission. Like, a lot more. It’s not simply a scene where you’d get your wrists tied and some flimsy gag shoved into your mouth and maybe get a pretend-spanking from Casey Affleck. Ruby Moon is going to be an erotic thriller and Nancy is going to invest some underground cult. We plan on making some headlines and get some PR with some… explicit scenes.”

“Nudity…” Jessica spelled the implication out, her voice sounding flat to her own ears. She felt deflated, the nervous energy gone and replaced by a void of disappointment.

“Among other things…” Sean shrugged. “Like I said, we want to create some buzz with this, get the internet talking and our movie in everyone’s mind. I mean, how much experience with BDSM do you actually have?!”

Jessica almost instinctively recoiled. “That is kind of a very inappropriate question to ask…”

“It is if I were looking for cast someone for a children’s show,” Sean gave back, “But with this one… let’s just say I wouldn’t take my nieces and nephews to watch this movie. So, I want my talent to know what they are getting into and not get shaken up when there’s some props on set that they have never seen.”

Her lips tightened. She knew he had a point; this was less of a case of him being inappropriate and more of him doing his due diligence before making the hiring decisions. Her silence was enough of a reply for him.

“You won’t do it, which is perfectly reasonable, and I won’t make you. It just isn’t the role for you, you are… more of a traditional good girl,” Sean simply stated. “And besides, I have Ana de Armas audition for this role.”

Jessica’s eyes widened, then narrowed. She knew exactly what Sean meant by dropping the name of the young, Cuban actress. Ana was notorious for going the extra mile to win on the casting couch and if she was involved in the process, Jessica’s outsider chances completely disappeared. Ana was younger, more critically acclaimed and more in-demand than her and she would fuck Sean just to make sure she secured the role of Nancy.

“Fuck…” she muttered, eyes dropping down to the table. She felt ridiculous having even hoped to score this part. “That’s so sleazy.”

Sean didn’t deny it, just shrugged again. “Don’t hate the player, hate the game,”

Jessica pulled a face of disgust. She had made it abundantly clear numerous times over the years what she thought about putting out for roles and while she appreciated Sean for respecting her boundary, she knew that he eagerly partook with more open actresses.

She took another sip of wine, then swallowed. Her head was spinning, she felt woozy as the realization hit home that her gamble had failed. She wouldn’t star in Ruby Moon. The role of Nancy would not boost her career, turn her luck around. Her eyes dropped, staring blankly at the tablecloth as the reality of her situation sank in.

Sean watched the stunning woman’s facial features drop, her shoulders slump as she took his rejection. “Sorry, Jessica!” he said, meaning it. Quickly finishing his Martini, he sat the glass down and stood. “For what it’s worth: it was nice seeing you again!”

Jessica barely acknowledged him, her throat feeling tight as he strode past her, leaving her to sit and stew in her misery alone.