Demon King Series Books II & III

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Crap, this is too hot!" Vincent McDaniels hissed at his personal assistant, Holly Baker. She was standing in front of him, a thin brunette wearing an oversized white shirt with a blue and white polka dot skirt. Vincent threw the Styrofoam cup at her feet, causing her to jump back and gasp as the hot liquid splashed and scalded her bare ankles.

"Well it's your own fault. Imagine how it felt in my mouth," Vincent stared at Holly who appeared shocked. "Well? What are you waiting for? Clean this up!" Holly looked up at Vincent and quickly nodded. As she left, Vincent grimaced. He usually enjoyed berating his personal assistant. Seeing her squirm was one of his daily rituals. She had the personality of a doormat, which was the only reason Vincent had hired her.

He walked over to the craft services table and grabbed a pig-in-a-blanket. The morning was not going well for him. He looked around at the set and glared. Vincent had won awards for his writing in the past, but his books had never been considered for film. This should have been a happy time for him, but it wasn't.

Vincent thought of his number one worry: Eva Lewis. She had purposely come to the press conference to humiliate him. He was appalled that she had the gall to bring up Christopher and Beatrice, two of his deceased children.

"Hi Mr. McDaniels," a young but sultry voice floated over to him. Vincent turned to see Lauren Bolgers smiling at him. He smiled back, inwardly laughing. He had purposely recommended the flighty actress known for her scandalous personal life to play Eva Lewis in the film. He was delightedly surprised when the casting director agreed she would be able to pull off the role.

"What are you doing here Lauren?" Vincent asked.

"We're still waiting on Luke. He's running late and the director is pissed."

"Luke's not here yet?" Vincent was surprised because Luke Dennings was usually on time. He had a small part in the film as he played Jacob Torres. Still, Luke being late meant the film would yet again be delayed, at least for the day. "Have they called him?"

Lauren grabbed a banana from the craft table, "Yes, they called him and one of the assistants is going to the motel he's staying at right now."

Vincent nodded as Lauren left after being called by make-up.

"Mr. McDaniels?" Holly had come back with a towel in her hands, "I cleaned up the coffee. Did you need anything else, sir?"

"What do you think I need?"

She looked at him blankly, causing Vincent to sigh, "Coffee Holly. I need a new cup of coffee. This time, don't make it too hot!"

Holly flinched at his tone and practically bowed murmuring, "Yes sir. Not too hot. I got it sir."

Vincent wanted to find the director. He wanted to know if anyone had heard from Luke Dennings. When he found the director, Vincent noticed he was standing by the one and only, Eva Lewis. She was smiling and taking notes as she gazed upon the cameras in awe.

"This is really exciting. I can see why everyone wants to be a part of show business," Eva told the director who laughed and spouted something about it involving a lot of hard work.

"Ms. Lewis, what brings you here today?" Vincent asked, interrupting their conversation. The director seemed surprised, "Oh Vincent, I didn't know you were going to be on set today. You know Eva Lewis? She's here to do a story on our movie."

Eva smiled at Vincent, "Oh Vincent and I go way back."

"She wants to play nice and innocent? Two can play that game," Vincent thought. He followed up on Eva's comment, saying, "Yes. She's the mother of my grandchild."