by Dede Craig
Fuck, he was hard. He blinked out of his daze and quickly lowered the empty coffee mug with both hands.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You look like you’re in pain?” Her voice seemed to be muffled, as if she was speaking under water.
He was almost panting, willing himself to listen to her. Was she asking if he was okay? His cock seemed to throb harder, and he battled to come up with a reply.
“I’m okay. I was just coming over to—” Fuck you, I want to fuck you. He swallowed, admonishing his mind back to the moment. He was a grown man. He had to control himself, had to conceal the effect she had on him. He needed to feel her out, get to know her, for her to know him. But looking at her now, he knew she was not going to make it easy. He wanted her now.
She turned around and walked toward the remains of her cracked phone. With her back to him, she held one hand behind her thighs, smoothing the silk robe, then stooped to pick it up. Although she tried to cover herself, the robe was too short, and her motion gave him a flash of her black, sheer panties.
He gulped. It took every ounce of willpower not to go over, move her panties aside, and thrust his rock-hard cock into her pussy. Oh fuck, this was insane. This was not part of the plan. Perhaps Maggie was right. He had spent one too many nights horny and lonely. But this was crazy. He hadn’t expected to feel this. He glanced away, scanning the area around the trailer instead. Fortunately, no one had seen anything. He sure didn’t need an audience. He had to maintain his focus, which normally came naturally, if this was going to work.
She stood upright then turned toward him. Her slender hands cradled the broken phone while she looked at it, her face the picture of regret. She sighed deeply then looked up, catching his gaze.
The motion seemed to be slowed at a million frames per second. “Look, is there something you need? My shoot starts in the next—” Her eyes widened with realization.“Shit, wait, you must be Cole, right? I’m so sorry, where are my manners? I’m having the crappiest morning. Please come in. I’m Gia by the way.” She smiled and extended her hand out to him.
She stood inches away from him. Her crown reached his chest, and he had to lower his head to look at her.
He could get lost in those eyes. Eyes beckoning him, they could set countries to war. “Fuck me” eyes.
He cleared his throat and took her hand, the small mound almost disappearing in his. It was soft and delicate. The current exited her fingertips and shot straight through to his dick. He registered the velvety shock but kept his hand firm before gently extracting it.
She frowned then walked up the steps. When she reached the top, she stopped and turned toward him. “You coming?”
I sure hope so. He smiled and nodded. So she thought he was Cole? Should he play along or come clean? His cock screamed for him to play along, drowning out any rational thought. He slowly moved to follow her.
She threw him one last bemused smile, before turning, her ebony hair flipping behind her while she walked through the door.
Liam crossed the threshold of the trailer, and he studied the small confines. It was tiny by A-list trailer standards. With only a couch, white wooden table, and single bed. An assortment of pink scatter cushions was placed on the bed, only the white sheet beneath breaking the color assault. It really wasn’t much. Nothing like the larger, more heavy-duty trailers they used on location shoots. He was surprised she hadn’t requested a larger one. He made a mental note to upgrade her to something more fitting.
Gia was seated on the hot pink leather two-seater, one tanned leg tucked underneath the other. She fanned herself with the film script with one hand and then tossed her hair over her shoulder with the other.
Liam stood at the entrance, watching her. He silently cursed the silky robe, which unfortunately covered most of her body. He sighed, willing it to move just an inch to the side and he would have a view of—
“Okay, Cole, let’s go. It’s a pity you couldn’t make the table reads. This is your first role, right? We don’t have much time. I’ll take you through the basics. Tony’s great, so he’ll tell you exactly what to do. The scene is a quick one.” She leaned into him, studying his face. Her full, pink lips curved into a slow and unintentionally too sexy smile.
Liam couldn’t help staring at the seductive curve at the top of her lip then up toward her eyes. He found himself taking labored steps toward the couch, each step heavier until he was standing inches away from her, his coffee mug covering his still hard dick. Maybe this wasn’t such a bright idea, maybe—shit, he couldn’t think straight when she did that, oh God—
Her hand was running through her hair and her eyes half closed. It wasn’t a seductive move, more casual. She widened her eyes and then frowned as she watched him.
To Liam, she might well have raked her hair over his bursting cock. He could feel the blood rush there again, and it throbbed incessantly, pleading for release. He wanted to rush over and take her right there on the hot pink couch. Instead, he remained rigid, his face frozen into the pretense of controlled calm.
Her lips curved into a delicious smile, and her eyes seemed to twinkle with amusement. “You’re much hotter than they said. I don’t see the Brad Pitt resemblance though. Okay, sit down.” She patted the spot next to her.
Though he was still half dazed and zoned out, he swallowed and inhaled, willing his body to behave. He edged forward and sat down, placing himself at the far end of the two-seater. As much as he wanted to be much closer, he knew it would only add to the pressure building up in every cell in his body. He stole a glance at her robe, crossed neatly across her body, and again, secretly hoped it would part.
She looked at him, one eyebrow raised, and a light dimple indented her rounded cheek. “Okay, let’s start from the top. You ready?”
He blinked. What the hell was she talking about? “Ready for?” His voice was husky and he cleared his throat.
“The scene, page fourteen. You studied your lines, right?” Her eyes widened in friendly warning.
He looked down at the script in her hands. “Oh yeah, sure.”
“Sure doesn’t sound like a yes to me. Well, lucky for you, it’s short. Here, take mine, from the top.” She handed him the script already folded open to the scene.
Liam looked down at the script. A light gray watermark was spread across the page with her initials. His idea, to prevent script leaks.
The scene was clearly a short one, half a page with minimal dialogue. He flinched when he got to the bottom and read the words. A kissing scene. Now this would be interesting. To hell with control and sticking to the plan, rationale was proving difficult when she was so close. He had not bargained for the intense effect she would have on him. She was just an excruciatingly hot woman. That was all he expected. Yet every cell in his body seemed to gravitate toward her. He wanted to feel her, lose himself in her, know her thoughts, her desires. Yes, the plan was to tread on the side of caution, but fuck it, he could not wait that long. Aidan would understand. She might hate him when she found out, but right now he wanted her mouth on his, even if it was an act. He needed to feel the touch of her lips, taste her, devour her. He wanted to do so much more, but right now he’d settle for a tongue-fucking.
“Okay, so the gist of the scene. I’m breaking up with you, but you don’t want me to go. We kiss, she regrets it and runs out. Okay? Let’s go.” Gia closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose, before parting her mouth and exhaling.
Her breasts rose and fell with each movement. She looked ravishing. He pictured her face beneath him, her eyes closed, while he fucked her and she moaned. Oh God, his cock was even harder. He glanced away and tried to think of anything else. But he couldn’t. All he could think about was drowning himself in the depths of her body, her mind, her everything.
“Michael, I can’t do this anymore. It’s over. I have to let you go.”
Who’s Michael? He glanced down at the script. Right, the character. Focus.
She was looking at him, her long
, dark lashes blinking, waiting for a response.
He scanned the page and found his line. “Do I just read what it says?” She probably thought he was an idiot. As much as he was a major part of the movie-making industry, he was more a suit, as they called him. But right now he could barely breathe, let alone think.
She laughed. A soft, seductive and musical laugh.
He frowned, bemused. Her voice was sweet and honey-coated.
“I’m sorry. I forget you’re new to this. For now, just read it, but when we’re shooting you have to feel it. You are Michael, got it?”
He nodded and looked down at the script again to find his line. “Okay.” He cleared his throat and quickly scanned the lines. He stilled his face and tried to emit some semblance of the emotion the line required. When he looked up again, into Gia’s eyes, he found his inspiration. “Let me go? I’ve waited so long to find you, and now that I have, I can’t let you go. Ask me to stop breathing, ask me to deny everything I am, everything I know. But let you go, I won’t. Don’t do this, Chloe.”
Her shoulders slumped, and she frowned before cupping his face in her hands. She leaned closer, her lips a heartbeat away from his. “Oh, Michael, I have to. Don’t you understand? I don’t deserve you. If you knew the things I’ve done, loathsome things—”
Fuck she was so close, so close. He glanced down at the script then up, meeting her stare. Her scorching hands were burning through his shirt into his skin. He wanted to grab them and shove them over his throbbing cock. He saw the expectancy in her eyes, forgot the next line, then quickly turned back to the script. “I don’t care. We belong together. I know about Riley and it doesn’t matter. You are my heart, my all. I can’t live this life without you. You are my reason.” His voice was hoarse, and he swallowed in an effort to clear it.
Her full lips curved at the corners, and her eyes gleamed with misplaced pride. “That was great. You’re a natural. Your lovelorn, pained look suits the role. Use it when we shoot the scene. Okay, then you pull me close to you.”
He was rigid, every part of him rigid with her body heat so close. The fragrance of sweetened mint escaped the curve of her lips. Should he tell her or just go with it. His cock said go with it, and he obeyed, wanting to taste those soft lips on his. God she was stunning, breathtaking.
He leaned in and placed both his hands on the smooth skin of her arms, just beneath the silky material of her robe. With his eyes closed, he pulled her closer to him then moved his mouth down to hers. Suddenly he jerked, feeling his body pushed backward, and his eyes flew open.
Gia was standing in front of him, her hands on her hips and her eyes wide, blinking in fast succession. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“What? I’m sorry, I—”
“You damn right you’re sorry. I only do the kissing scenes on camera and nowhere else, got that?”
He remained on the couch. As much he heard what she was saying, it was hard to concentrate. Her robe had slipped slightly open at her chest. Her ample cleavage was exposed beneath a matching lacy black bra. With her hands on her rounded hips, the robe pulled and tightened around her small waist.
She was mouth-watering. He swallowed then licked his lips, willing himself to focus on what she was saying. She looked so hot, even her anger was a scorching torch to his erection.
“Got it.” His voice was a husky moan. His dick ached for her.
“Look, you’re new. Let me break it down. I’m particular about the intimacy scenes. Contractually, I don’t do frontal nudity or sex scenes. So before you get any ideas, I’ll do all the angled shots and my double will step in for the nudes. The kiss on-camera will be limited to what Tony wants for the shot, nothing more and nothing less. Just so its crystal clear, I will only kiss you on camera, got that?”
He nodded, though he wondered, if things went to plan, would she still be as particular? He knew all this. It was stipulated in various bullet points in her contract. It still surprised him though. Many actresses spoke of no-nudity clauses, but invariably it was a PR ruse. Gia was a surprise. A sexy one indeed.
She sighed, her shoulders slumped slightly before she moved her hands up, pulling her robe closer around her. She looked so sweet, so innocent.
Dammit. Looking at her now, he could feel the pangs of guilt. He had to come clean. He stood up and lifted his palms up toward her. “Gia, look, I’m sorry. I’m not Cole—”
“What did you say?” Her eyebrows shot up, and she frowned while she waited, head tilted down.
“I’m Liam Wright. I’m the—”
“As in the Liam Wright?” She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her arms.
“Yes, I’m sorry, I just got carried away, I—”
“Wait, let me get this straight. You just pretended to be Cole when you’re actually the studio head, ergo my boss? Why would you do that?”
“Well, you didn’t exactly give me a chance to talk. You assumed, and I just went with it.”
“I didn’t give you a chance to talk. Are you insane? There was plenty of time for you to tell me you weren’t Cole.” She turned her back to him then moved one hand to her waist and the other over her eyes. Her hair formed an onyx curtain over the side of her face.
He rose slowly then treaded cautiously toward her. He wasn’t sure what lay beyond the curtain, and the uncertainty twisted his stomach into knots. He gently raised his hand to her hair, pushing it away from her face. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged away from his hand before turning and facing him. Her eyes burned into his, the green a shade darker. “Just get out. With all due respect, you are my boss, but get the fuck out of my trailer.”
“What? It was a joke gone too far. You can’t seriously be mad? It’s not like I actually kissed you. God forbid we breach your contract.”
“It’s not about almost kissing me. It’s the whole thing. It’s enough I have to deal with the media shit every day. All it takes is for one grip to syndicate a photo of me and my boss. I really don’t need any scandals right now. You had your fun with the actress of the day. Please leave.”
She gave him one final death glare before turning and heading into the tiny bathroom.
The door slammed shut.
The sound rang through his ears while he stared at the small white door. Okay, that went well. There was obviously no point staying. She was mad as hell. If her flaming eyes weren’t enough of a sign, her cheeks were blood red from anger. He’d seen the look before, and he knew reasoning with it was a losing battle. “Why are women so freaking emotional?” he muttered aloud and turned toward the exit door. He had never been one for emotional women, preferring to leave the minute they got too sensitive. Nothing he had read showed this side of her. Was Gia Carelli any different?
He sighed then closed the door behind him.
He had never wanted a woman more in his life.
Chapter 2
“The spare phone is in the bottom drawer in the study. Okay, thanks, babe, see you later.”
Gia handed Sam’s phone back to her.
“Thanks, Lana’s bringing me the spare. What on earth did we do before cell phones?” She shook her head and sighed.
“Gosh, I don’t know. I can’t imagine a life without instant gratification and communication. We’d probably all go mad.” Sam, her British makeup artist, dabbed the concealer beneath her eyes with her plump index finger.
Gia sat and watched her M.A.C. transformation from pretty to just-woke-up-fabulous. She always hated the wheelbarrow of makeup she had to wear for shoots, but with everything shot in high definition, there was no room for redness, dull skin, or shiny spots. She closed her eyes while Sam spritzed a setting lotion on her face to give her a dewy look. Gia shook her head at the final result. It took one hour to make her look natural, then another to give her bed hair.
The hairstylist was applying the final touches to it, adjusting any stray tendrils so it didn’t block any of the camera shots in the scene—the kissing scene. The thought sent s
hivers of irritation down her spine.
Liam Wright. She rolled his name at the edge of her mind and snorted. He was such an idiot. He had made her feel like a complete fool. Pretending to be Cole. He was the studio boss, the head honcho, but that gave him no right. He was a f—
“Blot.” Sam pushed a facial tissue to her mouth.
Gia placed her lips on the soft white sheet, pressed down then released, and sighed.
“Perfect, get the robe off so I can spray you.”
“Thanks, Sam. I think you’re going to have to bring the powder. With this heat, my face will melt under the lights.” She stood up and loosened her salmon silk robe, which fell to her feet, then stretched her arms out.
Sam circled around her and sprayed a translucent liquid onto her legs, followed by her arms then chest.
Gia adjusted the bra of the black lacy set she had to wear for the scene. Ten years ago she would have cringed to be seen in something this skimpy, but time had lowered her inhibitions.
“Sweetie, you ready? We’re all set to roll film.”
Gia turned around toward Maggie’s voice behind her.
Maggie nodded her red mane and blew a soft wolf whistle. “You look amazing. I see the yoga is working for you. You look leaner. Push your boobs up a bit.”
Gia reached down for her robe before slipping it over her shoulders without tying it. “Maggie, if I push it up any further, they’re gonna be called cheeks. I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
* * * *
Gia walked onto the set, and she could see the real Cole waiting for her at the entrance door of the faux motel room. He was difficult to miss. He did indeed look like a younger Brad Pitt. She bristled at the thought. She should have known. Her eyes glanced toward the set.
The set design team had worked hard on every detail. Even the red neon Motel sign flickered in half-working authenticity. The pseudo one-star motel looked like a train of shoebox-sized rooms.