by Claire Raye
I shake my head at him, my face turning hot, but I don’t want this playful banter we have going on to end so I reply back with, “Not all of us can watch TV from folding chairs and be so cool with it.”
“Oh Sadie, I could teach you plenty,” he replies, the seduction back in his voice and I have no idea how he’s still attracted to me after all of this.
“Okay,” I mutter, red-faced as I set his bag down on the bed and pull the suitcase over to the closet. “Do you want me to hang up your things or put your clothes in the dresser?” I’m now trying to keep busy to avoid what’s going through my mind.
God, what would it be like to fuck Paul on this four-poster king size bed with these floor to ceiling glass windows overlooking the Hollywood Hills?
Shame on me.
“No, Sadie, you don’t have to hang my things up or unpack my suitcase.” He crutches over to where I’m standing and I quickly slip through into the adjoining bathroom.
“This is your bathroom. You should have everything you need in here, but if something’s missing just let me know and I’ll get it for you. Do you want to take a shower?” I ask, fumbling over my words because as soon as I ask it, I picture Paul naked.
“I’d like to, but I’m not sure how I’m going to accomplish that,” he answers back, his lips pursed as he looks down at his booted foot quizzically.
“Maybe a bath would be better? The hospital gave you a boot cover and some giant rubber bands.”
“You going to help me get in and out?” he asks, again that cheeky smile is back and my heart is fluttering.
“If you need me to then yes.”
“How about we cross that bridge a little later? I’m not sure I have the strength to…” Paul trails off, leaving the bathroom and opening the doors that lead out to a small turf-covered patio. “Shit, I thought the view from the pool was amazing, but this is just as good.”
“Yeah, the view from here is pretty great, but the views from the second floor are even better. You should see the wall of sliding glass doors off the workout room.”
Paul turns to me quickly, pivoting on the crutch and it’s clear he’s already getting used to them. His face is questioning and he narrows his eyes a little and then says, “Wait a second. You have a gym in your house?”
“Yeah. A gym, a theater room, a wine cellar.”
“So why’d you come to the gym with me? You could’ve just worked out here in the privacy of your own home.”
I tilt my head to the side, my hands on my hips and I can’t look him in the eye. “Don’t make me say it,” I whisper, my teeth tugging at my bottom lip and his eyes practically shine when he looks at me.
Slowly moving over to where I’m standing, he leans in, his warm breath hitting my neck, his lips practically touching my ear as he murmurs, “Things definitely would’ve went differently had we been here instead.”
Holy shit.
The gate bell chimes saving me from having to take this any further, but if we ever get past this point, this house is going to burn to the ground. Maybe asking him to stay here wasn’t the best idea.
“Do you want to eat outside? It’s a nice night and I can light the fireplace,” I say, gathering some plates and napkins. “You go on outside. I’ll bring everything out to you.”
“I need to get some sort of basket or something that I can hang over one of my crutches so I can carry shit,” Paul says, and we both laugh a little at his sudden incompetence.
“Just go. I’ll bring everything out.” I give him a little shove and he fakes stumbling, turning around to shoot me that perfect smile of his.
Following Paul out carrying our food, I set everything down and start the fireplace and it glows brightly in the dim light of the patio. The lights of the city twinkle below us, the night’s quiet and for a split second I forget the awfulness that happened today.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, then taking a bite of my burger.
“I’m okay. Feels like the meds are starting to wear off, but I could sure get used to this.” Paul motions around, taking in the view. “Maybe this broken ankle isn’t such a bad thing.”
“Do you want me to get you some pain medicine?” I ask, jumping up before he can even answer.
“Sit down, Sadie. I’m fine. Let’s have a nice dinner, enjoy the view and each other’s company.”
“Okay,” I say, conceding quickly and agreeing that being here together is quite nice. “So where in Canada are you originally from?” I ask, keeping the conversation away from anything that could lead to more.
“Vancouver area.”
“You still have family there?” I ask, wondering if he sees his family as little as I see mine.
“Yep. My mom and dad are still there along with my sister. They all live about ten minutes from my apartment there.”
“So you have a permanent home?”
“Yes, I don’t always sleep on mattresses on the floor,” he jokes back, teasing me about our previous conversation. “How about you? You said New York, but it’s a big state?”
“Yeah, I grew up on Long Island and my parents still live there. Sort of. They’re retired and go back and forth between there and Florida.”
“Any siblings?”
“Yeah, I have a sister. She’s a badass lawyer. She’s the one who took over my dad’s law practice and I ran away to L.A. at nineteen to make movies.”
“Sounds like my family. My sister loves to outshine me too.”
“We seem to have a lot in common,” I say, looking right at him and wondering what he’s thinking.
“We do. Just give it time because I think we’re going to find we enjoy a lot of the same things too.” Paul winks at me and there’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep tonight with him this house.
Chapter Sixteen
Paul
Even though the pain meds are starting wear off, I’m feeling relaxed, sitting out on the patio here at Sadie’s amazing house. The lights of L.A. twinkle below us, the night peaceful and quiet with the only noise coming from the fire burning in the pit and the cicadas.
“I’ll get your meds,” Sadie says quietly, as she scrunches up her wrapper and stands.
“I’m okay,” I say my head back on the chair as I look up at her.
She smiles as she puts a hand on my shoulder. “You need to keep taking them,” she reminds me. “For the first few days, it will help.”
“Okay, thank you.”
She disappears inside and I turn back to the amazing view from her patio. When she walks back out, she hands me two tablets before moving to the small bar fridge built into the outdoor kitchen. She grabs a bottle of water and a beer, before turning back to me.
“Any chance of a beer?” I ask as she holds out the bottle of water.
Sadie cocks a brow. “Is that a good idea with those?” she asks, tilting her head in the direction of the tablets in my hand.
I chuckle. “It’s only Tylenol and one won’t hurt.”
Sadie doesn’t move as she stares down at me, her brows narrowed.
“Come on,” I say, reaching for her hand. “Just one, I promise.” I give her fingers a squeeze, not missing the small gasp that falls from her lips.
“Fine,” she eventually says. “But just one.”
I take the beer she offers me, twisting off the cap and taking a big gulp as I swallow down the pills. “Thank you,” I add, turning to look at Sadie who’s once again sitting beside me.
“No problem,” she says, shrugging.
A chuckle falls from my mouth. “No, I mean thank you for this,” I tell her, waving my beer at the view in front of us. “For letting me stay here. For taking care of me.”
Sadie lets out a long slow exhale, staring out at the night. “It’s the least I could do, Paul.”
I move my beer to my other hand, reaching over to take hers again. “Sadie,” I whisper, tugging on her fingers until she turns to face me. “This is all gonna be okay, seriously.”
“Is it?”
she whispers.
I smile. “Yes. It’s just a broken ankle, that’s all. Bones heal. I’ll be totally fine, I promise.”
“I hope so,” she says, turning away from me again.
“I’m actually more worried about you.”
“Me?” she asks, turning back, a surprised look on her face.
“Yeah,” I nod. “And getting this movie finished.”
Now it’s Sadie smiling at me. “It’ll be fine, Paul,” she tells me. “A lot of the big stunts are done and we should be able to use the other guys for the scenes you had left.”
“You’ll let me know if there’s anything I can do to help, won’t you?”
Sadie takes a sip of beer. “The only thing I want you to do,” she says, her voice firm. “Is focus on getting better. No working out, no attempting to do anything around the house. It’s strictly bed and couch for you.”
I chuckle. “Yes, boss.”
Sadie nods. “Good. Now, do you want me to help you with taking a shower?” she asks.
I stare back at her, see the light blush that colors her cheeks as I swallow hard and try to hide what her suggestion is doing to my body. Just the thought of her seeing me naked, the hot soapy water, her hands…fuck me. I really need to not think about this right now.
“Um, yeah, just give me a sec though?” I ask, knowing I absolutely have to get myself under control before I can even think about her helping me. I push up off my chair and Sadie moves to help me up. Handing me my crutches, I wedge them under my arms and make my way toward the door.
Behind me I hear Sadie gather up our things as I make my way back to my room. Inside, I push the door so it’s almost closed as I sit down on the bed. My body is exhausted and jacked up all at the same time.
“Jesus, Paul,” I mutter to myself, my hand moving to my crotch as I adjust myself. “How the fuck is this going to work?” I ask, not even caring that I’m actually having a conversation with my own dick. “You need to calm the fuck down. You can’t be like this in front of her.”
I kick off my one remaining shoe as I lower the crutches to the floor. Moving so I’m resting against the headboard, my legs now on the bed, I tuck my hands behind my head, determined not to give my dick the satisfaction of any form of movement or touching.
Closing my eyes, I force my thoughts to go anywhere but to Sadie, instead reliving the scene today and the moment I landed and heard that god awful crack of my bone breaking. It didn’t even break all the way through, just a fracture according to the x-rays. Still hurt like hell though.
As I relive the moment, I can feel my body calming down, my dick finally getting the message and giving up it’s obvious attempts at getting Sadie’s attention. I keep my eyes closed though as I now listen to Sadie move about the house, waiting for her to come in here and help me.
When I next open my eyes, it’s morning. I’m still lying on the bed, fully clothed with a blanket now draped over me. Turning toward the nightstand, I see a glass of water, the bottle of Tylenol and a note.
Looks like the day caught up with you. Hope you slept well. Remember to take two tablets every 6 hours. Take it easy and don’t do anything more than move from here to the couch.
I MEAN IT!
See you tonight,
S.
I smile, shuffling up at the bed a little as I reach for my phone, opening up the message app.
Me: sorry I feel asleep on you. Guess I was exhausted. Thanks for the meds. Hope you have a good day. Don’t worry about me – I’ll be fine!
I hit send, just as my phone starts to ring. Gus’ name flashing on the screen.
“Hey,” I say as I answer it.
“Hey, answer your door,” he says.
I clear my throat, stalling as I decide how to answer. No one actually knows about my friendship with Sadie, about our daily workout sessions or our regular nightly text messages. Not because I’m trying to hide it or I’m embarrassed about it, far from it.
More because I know she needs to be protected from all the gossip about it. Not just because she’s my boss, but also because of her ex-husband and all the bullshit that surrounds him.
The last thing I want to do is add to Sadie’s worries.
“Yeah, um I’m not home,” I eventually say.
“What?” he asks. “They keep you in overnight? I thought it was a relatively minor break?”
“It was and no they didn’t,” I say, answering him. “But I’m um, I’m staying with a friend for a bit.”
“Who?” he asks.
“Ahh, you don’t know her,” I lie.
Gus laughs. “Her, huh?” he says, and I can tell he’s already wondering who the hell I’m staying with. Fuck, if he only knew. “She playing sexy nurse for you and giving you sponge baths and shit?” he asks, still chuckling.
“Ha ha, smart ass,” I say, even as my mind immediately goes back to last night and Sadie’s offer to help me shower. “Anyway, shouldn’t you be at work?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Yeah, I’m going, just wanted to check in and see how you were.”
I exhale. “I’m okay,” I tell him. “Pissed off I can’t finish this job, but I’ll be fine. Make sure everything runs okay on set today,” I add. “Take care of my scenes and…”
“It’s all cool, Paul,” Gus says, cutting me off. “Just focus on getting better and maybe if you wanna tell me where you’re staying, I’ll drop by for a beer sometime.”
“Yep, okay, thanks, Gus,” I say, avoiding his suggestion. “Talk soon.”
After we hang up, I check my messages, but Sadie hasn’t replied to my earlier text.
Knowing it’s been twenty-four hours since I showered, with a shit load of stunt scenes and a trip to the hospital in between, I drag myself off the bed as I hobble into the bathroom. Eyeing the shower and the bath, I eventually decide on the bath, figuring it’ll be easier getting in and out of than trying to stand on one leg under the shower.
I turn on the water before sitting on the ledge to strip off my clothes. When I pull off the boot and my jeans, I get a good look at my ankle, which looks like shit. The whole thing is swollen so bad, it looks like my grandmother’s cankles and there’s a nice purple bruise right over the break that just looks nasty.
I try wriggling my toes, which barely move, even as a jolt of pain reminds me I’m supposed to be keeping the whole thing immobile.
Pulling off the rest of my clothes, I shut off the water and with an arm on either side of the tub; I gently lower myself into the water, ignoring the protest my ribs let out, reminding me that one of them is broken too.
I gently lower my broken leg into the tub, my chest heaving as I finally sit back in the warm water and the pain washes over me. I knew it was gonna hurt, but I didn’t realize it was going to be this much hard work.
I stay in the tub until the water cools, washing and just trying to work myself up to getting out. When I finally do, I’m once again reminded of my broken rib as I put my full body weight onto my arms and lever myself out.
Back in the bedroom, I towel off before pulling on a pair of sweats and a worn t-shirt. Re-strapping the boot on, I slip my phone into my pocket and make my way into the kitchen. On the bench sits a travel coffee mug and a soft cooler bag with handle with another note propped up against them.
I know you’ll get hungry – hopefully these will help you get stuff to the couch…where you’ll spend the ENTIRE day.
I mean it Paul!
I chuckle to myself as I move to make some coffee. When I’ve got a fresh cup and some food, I hobble into the living room, collapsing on the couch, just as my phone chimes out with a message.
Sadie: No problem. It’s not surprising. You must have been exhausted. Have you taken your meds? What are doing right now? You better be taking it easy!
I laugh out loud at her bossiness, before typing out a response.
Me: Just took a bath and am now having breakfast. How’s filming going?
Sadie: PAUL!!!
Me: What?
Sadie: you’re supposed to be relaxing. And don’t shower alone, I’ll help you. What if you’d fallen?
Me: sorry boss I promise to behave. Don’t worry though, I’m ok, relaxing on the couch like I was told to.
I snap a quick selfie, smiling at the camera as I lie back against the corner couch, coffee mug in hand, before sending it to her.
Me: see, relaxing and being a good boy
Sadie: good! Keep it that way.
Paul: text me when you’re leaving tonight, I’ll order us dinner.
Sadie: will do…don’t miss me too much
I pause before replying, a smile on my face as I read Sadie’s last message, the flirtiness that’s back between us. It had disappeared for a while there with my accident and a part of me was worried we wouldn’t get it back.
Paul: I already do
I send back, before switching on the TV. As I’m scrolling through the guide, looking for something to watch, my phone rings. Glancing at the screen, I see my sister’s name flashing.
“Hey, Lyss,”
“Paul, oh my god. Are you okay?” she asks, not bothering with a greeting. “I saw the articles. Something happened on set? What was it? Are you hurt? Where are you?”
I chuckle. “Jesus, if you stop talking for five seconds, sis, I could tell you.”
“Sorry,” she says, finally stopping and taking a breath. “But seriously, are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” I tell her. “Just a broken ankle after I landed badly during a scene. It’s nothing.”
“Shit,” she murmurs. “So what, you’re out of the movie now?” she asks. “Are you coming home?”
I stop, wondering why it never actually occurred to me to fly back home to Vancouver. It’s obvious I won’t be working on the movie for at least the next six weeks, maybe longer if the rehab takes a while. There’s a good chance filming will be finished by the time I’m back on my feet, which sort of makes it weird that I’m bothering to hang around.