Mr. Bad Influence

Chapter 3 - Part 1

Kerri had just settled into the red velvet seat on set when her assistant, Dana, bent below one of the six lightings, hopped over a thick black wire, dodged and mumbled an apology to the cameraman, and hurried over to her.

Kerri arched her brow as Dana's red hair that was tied up in a messy bun bobbed around in her haste to get over. "What is it?"

Dana handed the phone to her, her brandy-colored eyes swimming with apprehension. "I think you should look at this before the interview."

Kerri skimmed through the article, and the muscles along her jaws twitched. "Thanks." She handed the phone back to Dana, and Dana hurried off the set after straightening her light gray T-shirt.

Glaring down at her bright red heels, Kerri inhaled deeply through her nose.

"Is everything all right?" Marissa Bates's apple-red lips curled as she sat on one of the two empty red seats on the other side of the white squarish coffee table. The tight curls in Marissa's brownish copper shoulder-length hair brought out the vivacious spark in her otherwise dull blue eyes.

Kerri nodded with a polite smile of her own.

"I'm so glad you're here," Marissa said as she gave her black jacket that she had worn over her royal-blue shirt a tug and dusted off a white speck on her shoulder before looking over at a man who had just walked onto the set.

The man in a light gray suit and short blond hair stood in front of the cream-colored wall with the show's lapis blue title on it.

"Glenn," Marissa waved him over, "Kerri, this is my co-host, Glenn."

Glenn gave Kerri a firm handshake and stretched the over-taunt skin on his face into a small smile before taking the last remaining seat.

"All right, all set." The guy from the production crew looked over at them, then at the cameraman. "Ready, in ten, nine ..." The man counted down to four and signaled the last three numbers with his hand.

Kerri closed her eyes. Back straight, shoulders squared and relaxed. Her mother's voice in her head helped her run through a mental checklist of her posture. Kerri didn't have to make any adjustments; she rarely ever did. But her mother's voice always surfaced whenever cameras were around.

"We have a treat for our viewers today. The first interview since her hiatus. We have America's sweetheart, Kerri Adams, with us." Marissa turned to her. "Welcome to our show, Kerri. I'm very excited to have you here."

"Thank you." She smiled and nodded at Marissa. "I'm excited to be here."

"I love your new movie," Marissa said. "What a sweet story."

"Was the script written just for you?" Glenn asked.

Kerri chuckled. "No. The casting director called me after he saw the script." She answered all the questions Marissa and Glenn had about the movie. With over ten movies under her belt, Kerri was more than prepared for the usual questions regarding her movie.

Glenn leaned forward. "Did you get along with your co-star?"

She nodded. "We got along very well. Taylor took very good care of me." Here goes.

"What a shame he couldn't be here," Marissa said. "I love seeing the two of you together; you guys have such great chemistry."

"Thanks, but we're not dating or seeing each other. We're good friends. That's all."

Marissa laughed. "So you've seen the magazine covers."

How could she not? And even if she had missed the magazine covers, the paparazzi swarming Taylor and her had no problem pushing cameras in front of their faces.