The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 134

A used Ford pulled over to the curb. Matthew gestured toward a small building in plain sight. "That's the gym," he said. "It takes up all three floors."

Ilana, in the passenger seat, glanced over but kept her attention focused downward, fiddling with her digital camera—a rather bulky piece of equipment for the time.

Matthew waited patiently for Ilana.

After about five minutes, Ilana resolved a minor issue with the camera lens and told Matthew, "Act natural. Pretend I'm not here."

"Just make me look good," Matthew replied.

Ilana waved a hand. "I'm experienced. Making you look like Brad Pitt is a piece of cake."

Matthew hopped out of the car, gym bag in hand, dressed in fitted athletic wear, and headed for the entrance.

At the same time, Ilana slipped out of the passenger seat and strode briskly toward the gym. Finding her angle, she aimed the camera at Matthew and snapped several shots.

Through her lens, Matthew's legs appeared long and powerful, his physique muscular, his entire presence exuding a raw, masculine energy.

"He's..." Ilana muttered, snapping another photo, "...got a great build."Hollywood always had a soft spot for muscular actors, especially in commercial blockbusters.

Once Matthew was inside, Ilana reviewed the photos to check the initial results. If they weren't good enough, she'd have to do a reshoot.

Fortunately, the photos were good, so she headed into the gym.

A staff member greeted her and led her to the upstairs boxing gym. Stepping through a set of glass doors, she found Matthew already changed and warming up, and she immediately raised her camera for a quick shot.

No one moved to stop her, so Ilana figured Matthew must have given the staff a heads-up.

Once he finished warming up, Matthew moved to a heavy bag and started running through some basic striking drills. Ilana closed in, her camera aimed, the shutter clicking intermittently.

Partway through the shoot, Nibora came over and stepped into the frame, pretending to coach Matthew, though his eyes kept darting over to Ilana.

This was a staged photoshoot, not a real workout. Matthew went through a few more exercises and stopped once Ilana had enough pictures.

Matthew caught the towel Nibora tossed him and wiped away his sweat. As Ilana lowered her camera from across the room, he hurried over. "How'd it go?" he asked.

Without looking up from the camera's display, Ilana said, "Great. If acting doesn't work out, you should seriously consider modeling."

"Screw modeling, that's a pretty-boy game!" Nibora strode over to stand beside Matthew, a wide grin on his face. "He should go pro!"

He clapped Matthew on the arm. "Matthew! With me as your coach, you could be a huge star in the ring!"

Ilana glanced at Nibora, who immediately extended his hand. "Nibora," he introduced himself. "Matthew's boxing coach."

"Hello." Ilana gave his hand a brief shake. "Ilana. Reporter for Yahoo Entertainment."

Forgetting all about Matthew, Nibora turned his smile on Ilana. "You ever think about working out? I've got some great training programs for ladies. Want me to show you?"

Ilana shot him a brief look and flatly refused. "No, I have work to do."

She turned to Matthew. "I'm heading back to the office to process these photos. Call me if you need anything."

Matthew gave a slight nod.

Ilana gathered her things and walked out of the gym.

"So, are we still training?" Nibora asked, his eyes following Ilana as she left.

"Of course," Matthew said, pulling on his boxing gloves. "Time's too precious to waste."

...

He trained until five that evening. Just as he left the gym and got into his car to head home, his phone buzzed with a call from an unfamiliar number.

Without starting the engine, Matthew answered. "Hello, Matthew Horner speaking."

"Hello, Matthew." A familiar voice came over the line. "It's been a while."

Matthew felt like he knew the voice but couldn't quite place it until the man on the other end introduced himself. "It's Lister."

Matthew immediately recalled his former boss and smiled. "Hey, Lister. It really has been a while."

"When are you free?" Lister asked, sounding a bit hesitant. "We should grab coffee sometime."

"I've been busy lately," Matthew replied, politely declining. "I don't think I'll have any free time soon."

"Right, you're an actor and all that," Lister said with a chuckle.

Compared to the other staff at Red Penguin Services, Lister had made a much better impression on him and had even helped him out in some ways back then.

If it had been one of the other two jerks who called, he would have hung up immediately.

"Matthew," Lister said, and his next words were rather audacious, "if you ever need any... special services, you know who to call."

Matthew was momentarily speechless.

Lister added, "You know what I'm talking about."

Matthew, of course, knew exactly what Lister was referring to. He made some noncommittal small talk for another minute before ending the call.

"So, Red Penguin Services is hitting me up now?" Matthew couldn't help but shake his head. "They sure know how to drum up business."

He'd worked for Red Penguin long enough to know exactly what kind of "special services" Lister was offering.

Matthew started the car and began the drive home, dismissing Lister's offer. He had a girlfriend now, and he had no intention of jeopardizing his relationship with Britney.

After getting home, showering, and relaxing for a bit, he grabbed a quick dinner. He was just settling in to watch the performance tape he'd acquired from David Astor when his phone rang again.

He glanced at the caller ID, didn't even bother to answer, and just rejected the call. It was the infamous Jonny Lee Miller.

It had been a while since Miller's last call, and Matthew had assumed the man had finally realized that the mythical recording didn't exist.

They hadn't crossed paths since their last encounter. After the first few attempts, Matthew had stopped taking his calls, leaving Miller with no way to contact him. Matthew couldn't care less what the other actor thought, so he simply opened his phone and added the number to his block list.

Perhaps he wouldn't even see Miller again for years.

Then a thought occurred to him: Black Hawk Down hadn't premiered yet. Considering both their roles in the film, they were certain to be invited.

He scratched his head and pushed the thought aside. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

While Matthew focused on his own preparations, the film's crew was also deep in the throes of intense pre-production. Stephen Sommers had temporarily shelved the monster movie he'd been planning with Universal Pictures, pouring all his energy into The Scorpion King alongside Sean Daniels.

"The deal is officially signed."

In his office, Sean Daniels told Stephen Sommers, who was busy at his computer, "It's time to notify the cast and get their training underway."

"The female lead hasn't been confirmed yet," Stephen reminded him.

"I know." Sean's only real hang-up was with casting; otherwise, everything was fine. "I saw the actress you recommended. Overall, she's good. The only problem is she's a little on the older side."