by Holly Jaymes
“Are you saying this was stolen back during the war? And what? Now you’re stealing it back?”
He gave me a pointed look. “If it was stolen back then, what would you do about it? Will you arrest the Langfords for having stolen property? Will you arrest the people who owned it before them? The brokers that sold it?” His brow was arched and this was where my character was supposed to begin realizing there was more to Jack Cole than the billionaire thrill-thief he was thought to be. “I wonder what you’d do if the original, rightful owners walked in and took it back? Would you arrest them too?” he finished.
“If it was stolen eighty years ago, what are the odds they’re still alive to steal it back?”
His expression showed disappointment. “So, they forfeit their right to it? They do have heirs.”
“There is a procedure for something like this.” I tried to look a little scattered by his revelations. I was a woman who was always on the side of what was right, but now was being challenged about what right was.
He laughed derisively. “Yeah, right. First, they’d have to have the paperwork that was burned or bombed during the war. Second, they’d have to have as much money and influence as museums and rich collectors to fight in court.”
“Are you saying that you steal back property for their owners?”
He straightened from the back of the couch. “I didn’t say that.” He stepped close to me, and I didn’t have to act to have the quick hitch of breath at his nearness. “I’m saying, you are helping perpetuate a wrong by going after the wrong guy.”
I tilted my head up to look at him, nerves fluttering in my belly like I had a swarm of butterflies in it as I prepared for my first on-screen kiss. A kiss from Theo Wolfe.
His gaze dipped down to my lips and then up to my eyes. My lips parted slightly.
“Cut.”
Huh?
Theo immediately stepped back. It took me a moment, but then I shook my head of the haze that filled it when Theo Wolfe was so close to me.
“It’s good, but I want to go back to the line Nicolette says about stealing art to return it. That initial reaction to Jack’s getting in your space was good, Madeline. A mixture of suspicion and yet excitement. As he talks, build up your own bravado. Remember, this is a clash of two strong people each dedicated to their causes, even as they want to get into bed together.”
Theo returned to where he leaned against the couch, and I was standing next to him. Corrine called “action”.
I repeated my line. “Are you saying that you steal back property for their owners?”
He straightened from the back of the couch. “I didn’t say that.” He stepped up close to me, and again, it was no difficult task to be affected by his nearness. “I’m saying, you are helping perpetuate a wrong by going after the wrong guy.”
I tilted my head up to look at him, and while the nerves were still there, I worked to meet his gaze. His eyes drifted down to my lips.
“Maybe you should stay on the right side of the law, Cole.”
His gaze shot back to mine. “Maybe you should try to get on the right side of history.”
I stepped a little closer too, and adjusted my expression to challenge him more. Hopefully, the camera was catching the incremental increase in tension. “Maybe you should try using all that money you have for good if you feel people have been wronged.”
He moved closer too, and now our faces were inches apart. “Maybe you should use your investigative talents to make things right for all those who were wronged.”
I didn’t know if the camera was catching the sparks, but I was certainly feeling them. He was so close. I could feel the heat of his body. The scent of him, a mixture of soap and something earthy. His blue eyes held a promise of something wicked.
This was the point in the scene where I was supposed to show how his nearness was affecting me. No acting was required for that.
“Maybe…” I put in the pause for effect. “Maybe you should stop being so arrogant.” I looked down, showing that Nicolette realized that she was losing this battle of wills.
Per his direction, Theo stayed calm and in control. His character recognized his effect on Nicolette. “Maybe you should stop being so damn beautiful.”
My gaze shot up to his. “What?”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “You heard me.”
I swallowed. “You’re just saying that to distract me.”
“Is it working?” His lips inched closer.
“No.” I looked at him defiantly.
“Liar.” He moved closer still until his lips were a mere whisper away. “You’re distracting me, Nicolette.”
“I am?” my voice squeaked.
“You are. If you don’t want me to kiss you, you should leave.”
My gaze dropped to his lips. They looked full and soft. Oh my God, I was about to kiss Theo Wolfe. Every inch of my skin sizzled in anticipation. If he wasn’t jamming my senses, I might have been annoyed by his impact on me, but in the moment, there was a titillation about it.
I stared at him, arching a brow. My last act of defiance.
He smirked and then closed the distance.
“Cut.”
What the hell?
But then Theo’s lips pressed against mine. They parted slightly as his hands slid to my lower back and pulled me close. He tasted like mint with an undercurrent of sin. I nearly moaned.
“Cut!” Corrine called out again.
Theo released me and stepped back. His expression was quizzical, like he hadn’t expected something from the kiss. He gave his head a small shake and the expression was gone.
He turned to Corrine. “We had momentum. Why disrupt it?”
“I was hoping to maintain it for the next take. You’ll need to make sure you don’t lose that sexual tension the next time.”
He looked over at me. “Oh, I don’t think sexual tension will be a problem, do you, Madeline?”
Danger, Danger
Theo
I had a split second to decide whether I should listen to Corrine’s instruction to “cut” but there was really no decision to be made. That kiss was going to happen. And then when she called “cut” again, I had no choice but to break away. I couldn’t pretend that maybe I hadn’t heard her the second time.
Then I made the comment about not having trouble creating sexual tension again. Now, I was wondering if maybe I was being a douche again. I glanced over at Madeline, wondering if she was about to give me the third degree for kissing her when I was supposed to stop.
She didn’t look angry or like she was about to give me an earful. In fact, she looked a little perturbed that the kiss was broken up. Or maybe I was just projecting my own wishes. There was no doubt that just like yesterday, she had me all revved up with her flirty eyes and sexy smile. The good news was all the concerns I’d had before about whether or not we would have chemistry to pull off this film had gone. It was quite clear we did and hopefully, the camera was picking up on it. The problem was that I needed to keep me and Jack separate when it came to her. Sure, going with the flow and indulging the attraction I was feeling would work on screen, but it could cause all sorts of problems in my private life. It was one reason I had given up dating women I worked with. In fact, I tried to avoid other celebrities altogether. Most celebrities I met were acting even when they weren’t working. We were never our true selves to the public. Because of that, I could never be sure if the women I worked with were the real thing. I had a reminder of that the night I brought wine to Madeline and at the end she asked if I was still auditioning her. It told me that she hadn’t been her true self because she was trying to impress me professionally.
The challenge was going to be in bringing out the chemistry between us while restraining the urge to take it off-set. Of course, just because I was feeling the sexual heat between us, didn’t mean she was. It seemed like she was affected by me. She gasped slightly when I kissed her. But maybe it was all a part of her being Nicolette. It was
a damn shame, because as wrong as it was, I liked the feel of her against me. I liked the taste of her lips.
“Theo, I liked that show of surprised or unsettled feeling you showed at the end of that kiss,” Corrine said.
I wasn’t going to tell her that I was surprised and unsettled by the kiss. I had kissed a lot of women on screen. Some of them were nice and others were just a part of the job. In the past, some of the nice ones led to off-screen kissing and ultimately a night in bed. At the time, it was a perk of the job, but that was it. Both of us were in for the sex and that was it.
But there was something about this kiss with Madeline that shook me a little bit. I couldn’t say why or how she affected me that way.
“Now, of course, when we do it on the next take, you’ll do it a little longer to satisfy the audience and then of course, Madeline, you’re going to break it off. When you do, I want you to have that same feeling, that you’re unsettled by the kiss. Going into it, each of you is using it as a power-play over the other, and as you come out of it, you both recognize that perhaps you miscalculated.
Madeline nodded, but didn’t say anything. I was worried that perhaps she really was unsettled. “Are you alright?” I asked.
She looked at me. “Yes. Why?”
“Just checking.” I wondered if I needed to apologize for not stopping when Corrine called “cut” the first time. “Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t stop right away. It just seemed we were so into the scene that we should finish it.” In my ears, that sounded like a dumbass excuse for stealing a kiss. I was pretty sure everyone in the room watching knew that I kissed Madeline as me, not Jack.
“I understand,” Madeline said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, of course. I was actually a little annoyed that she called ‘cut’ too.”
“Okay,” Corrine interjected. “Let’s go ahead and take it up at the part where Nicolette tells Jack to stay within the law.”
We moved back into our places.
Madeline jumped right in again. “Maybe you should stay on the right side of the law, Cole.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, annoyed that she’d judge me. “Maybe you should try to get on the right side of history.”
She stepped closer to me, adjusting her expression to challenge me. “Maybe you should try using all that money you have for good if you feel people have been wronged.”
I moved closer too, and now our faces were inches apart. “Maybe you should use your investigative talents to make things right for all those who were wronged.” I focused on being Jack, a man who liked women but was focused on his mission. He’d use the mutual attraction to his advantage. But it was hard, because Madeline was sexy, and smelled divine, and her strength and feistiness were intoxicating.
“Maybe…” She paused and I wondered if it was acting or if she was feeling the snap, crackle, pop between us too. “Maybe you should stop being so arrogant.” She looked down, her character exhibiting a brief moment of weakness.
My character duly noted it and planned to exploit it. “Maybe you should stop being so damn beautiful.”
Her gaze shot up to mine. “What?”
“You heard me.”
She swallowed. “You’re just saying that to distract me.”
“Is it working?” My lips inched closer.
“No.” She looked at me defiantly, and it made my blood sizzle.
“Liar.” I moved closer until my lips were a mere whisper away. “You’re distracting me, Nicolette.”
“I am?” her voice squeaked.
“You are. If you don’t want me to kiss you, you should leave.”
Her gaze dropped to my lips. I hoped she liked what she saw. I took my time, moving slowly, building the anticipation, less for the audience and more for us.
She arched a brow. I wasn’t sure if this was another dare.
I smirked and then closed the distance. I settled my lips over hers, gliding over their soft silkiness, taking in the taste of her. She made me think of honey and vanilla. My hands went to her waist and slid behind, pulling her to me. My dick was joining in the fun, which interestingly enough, didn’t usually happen to me on set. And now it was happening twice.
Per the script, I whipped us around until she was pressed to the back of the couch, and I took the kiss deeper. She pushed me away, her eyes wide with surprise and then slowly, just like they would if she were Nicolette, they narrowed in suspicion.
“That might work on your other women, but it won’t on me,” she said. Then she did a big eye roll, turned to Corrine and called “cut”.
“What's the problem?” Corrine asked her from her perch next to the cameraman.
“It just seems like such a cliché line,” Madeline said. I agreed. I never liked that line either.
Wanting to support her. I put my hands on my hips and I nodded. “I agree.” Madeline looked at me again with surprise in her eyes.
I shrugged. “Nicolette is a kick-ass woman who wouldn’t use lines seen in every book or movie where a man is using a kiss to try to get his way with a woman.”
“So what do you think Nicolette would say?” Corrine asked.
“I can see one of two things she’d do in a situation like this,” Madeline started. “One is telling him that she’s disappointed in him and thinking that he was smarter than having to try and use his charm and looks on a woman.”
I had to give her credit for that. It was the type of thing that would wound a man’s ego.
“Or maybe she’d take control of the situation. She could be the one to push him to the couch, kiss him, and then walk away without saying anything. Or after she kisses him again, she might tell him something like he needs to work on his manipulation skills.”
“What do you think, Theo? Which option do you think is best?” Corrine asked.
I liked the option where she was kissing me more, but I wasn’t going to say that. “I think both would work.”
“I like the second one because I like the idea of Nicolette being in control of her own sexuality and using it to dominate Jack without it being cold,” Corrine said.
I was happy to hear this because chances were, it would involve several takes before we got it right, except of course, I shouldn’t have been happy about it.
As it turned out, we filmed each option several times. Corinne was happy with both, and she said she’d review them to see which was the better option in the film.
Work ended for the day, I retired to my dressing room to work on some business issues. By the time I finished my work and arrived home, it was nearly nine. I fixed an omelet with vegetables and went over tomorrow’s lines, and then headed to bed.
I had mixed feelings about my dreams that night. On the one hand, they were filled with a very voluptuous Madeline Fox. We were alone on the set in the library, doing the kissing scene, except instead of just kissing, I pushed her back against the couch, lifted the skirt of that sexy dress up and took her right there in a wild, crazed fit of passion.
As enjoyable as that was, there were two things about it that weren’t so great; the first was that I woke with a raging woody, and the second was that it really was wrong of me to think of her in these terms. I didn’t want to encourage my libido, so I got into the shower intending on having a cool spray to douse the hot remnant of my dream. But the idea of torturing my dick in such a matter was extremely unappealing. Plus I was home by myself, so no one would know if I took care of business.
So with the water on hot, steaming up the shower stall, I rested one hand against the tile, and with the other, I gripped my dick, stroking long and slow, as I conjured up the image of taking Maddie on the back of the couch in the library. With all the pent-up sexual tension still coursing through my dick from the dream, it didn’t take long for me to come all over my tiled walls in a rush of excitement and satisfaction. I wasn’t a stranger to jerking off since starting my sexual diet, but it had been a while since I felt more than just a little pop of release, like the re
lief when scratching an itch. This had been bigger, more powerful, making me grunt as the last few drops of cum left my body. I couldn’t help but wonder what the real thing might be like with Madeline, but shook my head of that thought as I couldn’t go there. That was something that absolutely could not happen.
I got out of the shower, drying off, getting dressed, grabbing some coffee, and making it downstairs where my driver waited to take me to set. As we drove through the streets of Manhattan, I couldn’t get the thoughts of Madeline in that sexy dress with me taking her on the couch out of my head. In fact, I began to imagine other scenarios, such as bending her over the couch and taking her from behind or dropping to my knees and tasting her sweet pussy. I growled in frustration, not just because it couldn’t ever happen, but also from the fact that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Thank goodness we were doing an action scene today. There wouldn’t be any sexual tension, no kissing, no close quarters. Just talking and running.
This particular scene took place in the middle of the film when we were back in New York before the library encounter. Today we were shooting in an outdoor location. As usual when I arrived, she was already there, her hair in a ponytail looking natural. I knew she probably had to sit in a makeup chair for a long time to get that perfect messy look. I had an image of pulling the tie out of her hair and running my fingers through it. Goddammit. I was doing it again.
I took my attention away from her hair and down her body. She was wearing a blouse that was cut loose, probably to make it easier for her to move. She also had on a pair of jeans and some slick-looking boots. One of the assistants called her, and she turned around, giving me a stellar view of her fine ass. I groaned again as I imagined grabbing her round backside.
I stood for a minute, wondering why the hell she was having this effect on me. I’d met a lot of beautiful women, particularly as an actor. I was surrounded by beautiful women all the time. And while many of them turned me on, none had gotten into my head on a continuous loop that I couldn’t seem to get out of like Madeline did.