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"Fine." Blake's tone was at odds with the word, but he knew better than to piss of the director. "I'll find something else for the boy to do."

"Good idea," Ricardo replied. He looked down at the script in his hands, pulled a pencil out from behind his ear, and started making notes. Blake waited a moment, then turned around, realizing that he had been dismissed.

Ricardo waited until he was sure that Blake was gone, then set down the script and sighed. He looked around, but no one was nearby. Taking the flask out of his vest pocket, Ricardo took a swallow of the vodka, feeling it burn a trail down his throat. He put it away, sighing again. Sometimes, drinking made his day a little more bearable. After dealing with divas, he could understand why so many people in Hollywood turned to drugs. If he were a little more wealthy, he might consider the same thing. Ricardo shook his head, trying to forget that thought. That was a dangerous road to travel.

"Ricky?"

"Laura!" Ricardo whirled around, startled, and wondering if she had seen the flask.

"Starting a bit early, aren't you?"

She had seen it. Damn, he thought.

"Just had a little tete-a-tete with Blake... seemed like a good idea. What are you doing here, anyways?" he asked, trying to change the subject. "Don't you keep talking about how we shouldn't be seen together?"

"Sophia sent me," she replied. "It looks like you get to deal with two divas today. Want me to refill that flask for you?"

Ricardo sighed and tried not to roll his eyes. "And what does Ms. Cornish require this time?"

"She wants to know why there aren't flowers in her dressing room anymore. I tried to explain that they had been gifts from various admirers, but that she hadn't sent any responses, so they probably got tired of it. You can imagine how well that went over."

"Fine. Tell her I'll be there to discuss it with her after we're done with the laundromat scene."

"Ricky! That's going to take all day!" Laura looked a little scared at the prospect of giving that news to Sophia.

"I doubt she'll realize that. And if she does, well, tough." Ricardo tried to glare, but failed. "I'll talk to her then."

"Yes, sir," Laura said, knowing when to back down.

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