Wild Duet Bookset

by Colet Abedi

  My heart pounds so loud, I think he might hear. “Am I?”

  “You are.” His voice is firm.

  “I’m not moving in,” I say as neutrally as possible. “And I don’t need to have clothes here. I’ll just bring what I need when I come over.”

  “It’s easier this way.” He makes it sound so easy and innocent. “You need clothes and personal items. That way, you’ll never have to worry you don’t have your things when I make you come over after work.”

  Then it dawns on me.

  “Did Kathleen get me underwear?” I’m mortified.

  “Lingerie.” His smile is dirty. “I checked it out.”

  I feel my face heat up.

  “To be honest, I was surprised by sweet, old Kathleen’s taste,” he admits ruefully. “She’s a grandmother, but I guess they like to fuck too.”

  “I’m dead.” How am I going to look her in the eye?

  “No, thankfully, you’re not,” he says as his green eyes flicker over my face. “You’re very much alive and as delicious as ever.”

  “You’re incorrigible,” I whisper, then put my hand on my forehead when I think about Kathleen shopping for my underwear. “I’m so mortified—”

  My mind takes a turn down a wicked path.

  The obvious path.

  “Unless she does this for all the women you see—”

  His hand comes up to cover my mouth before I can even finish the thought.

  “Now, now… You’re going to stay nice and sweet as pie.”

  I can tell he’s trying to keep his cool.

  “You’re going to be the real pleasant Wylder, the one I find irresistible and who doesn’t jump to irrational conclusions.”

  “As opposed to?” I counter in annoyance, moving my mouth away from his hand.

  “That Wylder,” he says, pointing at my face in feigned horror. “The angry, irrational woman. The crazy one.”

  The way he says it makes me laugh. I wish I didn’t, but he’s funny as shit. “You didn’t answer my almost question—”

  “No, Wylder.” Jamie’s voice is hard. “I don’t have Kathleen shop for my girlfriends. It’s never happened before. I don’t have an interchangeable secret closet or drawer… That’s just not who I am.”

  Seriously? I don’t hear much of what he says because I’m totally still stuck on the fact he called me his girlfriend.

  His girlfriend.

  That means he must be…

  Yes, you moron, he’s your boyfriend!

  “Thank you for telling me that,” I say with a nod, trying to keep my voice neutral. “I know it was probably hard for you—”

  “It wasn’t hard,” Jamie says, interrupting me and shaking his head matter-of-factly. “It was annoying.”

  I punch him in the arm cheerfully, but he looks pissed. He grabs hold of me suddenly and lifts my hands up over my head, then leans his body into mine.

  “Do you want to know something about me?” His eyes smolder.

  “What’s that?” I whisper.

  “I like to fuck.”

  I don’t know how to breathe or answer—if he even wants me to, since he still looks like a storm.

  “I’ve liked to fuck since I was fourteen years old and lost my virginity to Hillary Muller—an eighteen-year-old German model.” His eyes glitter dangerously. “She broke my seal, and it was game on after that. I don’t even know how many women I’ve been with. The point is I have a lot of experience. A lot. But Kathleen’s never shopped for any one of them. Only you.”

  The man whore puts it all out there and then places a chaste kiss on my mouth.

  “I have a proposition for you.” He goes on while I’m still trying to process the bit about the way he lost his virginity. “It’s about this weekend.”

  “What’s that?” I ask.

  “I’m shooting a commercial for a gourmet coffee company, and I want you to come with me on set.”

  My heart starts pounding. “On set?” I know my voice sounds breathless, and I hate myself for it.

  “Yes.” He smiles. “You know that thing us directors go to and work on?”

  “Rude.”

  “Ruder,” he says.

  We share a smile.

  “In all seriousness,” he explains. “It’s shooting up in Napa. Saturday and Sunday. My actress is on a popular television series, thus the shitty shoot days.”

  “I bet they’re paying you for it,” I say sarcastically and wonder what actress he’s referring to.

  “We’ll fly up on Friday, stay at the Auberge.” Jamie’s voice is cajoling. “I’ll book you in for spa treatment after spa treatment—spoil you like I wanted to do for your birthday—while I work hard and then we’ll get to have dinner together. And after, my favorite dessert.”

  “What’s that?” All the man thinks about is food.

  “You.”

  It sounds like heaven.

  “I don’t need spa treatment after spa treatment,” I say, embarrassed by his extravagance. “I’d actually rather come on set with you and see you in action.”

  “You’ll be wet the whole day,” he tells me with a wink. “You won’t be able to control yourself.”

  I shake my head in disbelief. The confidence on this guy…

  “You’re crazy,” I say, even though I’m pretty sure he might be right.

  “But then I’ll get to fuck you in my trailer,” he says as an afterthought, “and that will definitely break the long day up.”

  “That’s not happening,” I lie. I know full well it’s happening, but I want to be a little hard to get.

  “It’s happening,” Jamie says with a knowing smile. “So this means you’re coming with me?”

  “I don’t know…”

  There’s really no reason why I shouldn’t, but still, a trip away seems like a big deal. Or is it just me acting crazy about us?

  “If I have to kidnap you, I will,” he warns. “I want you with me.”

  “I’ll come,” I say.

  He leans forward and places a kiss on my mouth. “We’ll have fun.” His grin is mischievous.

  “I have no doubt,” I say, then remember to ask him. “Who’s the actress?”

  “Just some chick.” He shrugs nonchalantly. “She’s on one of those crime shows. Honestly, I don’t even know or care. I didn’t cast her. All of this happened today. I’m doing it as a favor for my buddy, JD. He’s a director and was the one they hired for the job, but he had an emergency situation with his family and called me.”

  “Was the client mad?” I ask with wide eyes. His “buddy,” JD—if he’s the same one I think Jamie’s referring to, and I’m pretty sure he is—is a legend in the business. He’s seventy-five years old and responsible for some of the most famous movies of all time.

  “Annoyed maybe,” Jamie admits with a shrug. “But I’ll do them proud. I’ll do JD proud. You’d like him. We’ll have dinner one night when he’s back, and I’ll introduce you. He’s a mentor to me.”

  I try to act cool, but a dinner with JD Marks would be a serious pinch-me-I’m-dreaming moment. His movies are epic westerns—and I’ve loved every single one of the films he’s done.

  “Should I be jealous?” Jamie questions suddenly, his eyes narrow.

  “What?” I ask. “Why?”

  “You look like you’re about to come all over my couch.” His gaze darkens.

  “Ummm, JD Marks?” I point out the obvious. “Are you serious? I’m not even going to defend myself.”

  Jamie eyes me intently. “You’re going to pay, Wylder.” His grin is slow with a wicked promise of what’s to come. And fuck, it’s hot.

  I’ll gladly pay as many times as he’d like.

  Chapter Seven

  Jamie failed to mention one big thing.

  Like a giant, elephant-in-the-room kind of thing.

  His actress isn’t just some young ingénue. She’s Tatiana Marcus.

  The Tatiana Marcus.

  She was named Maxim’s hottest
female star of the year, three goddamn years in a row. She is hot, like H.O.T. hot.

  Are you kidding me?

  I’m sitting with Jamie in the director’s tent on set in a vineyard in Napa Valley. We arrived in California’s wine country on Friday night via private jet after work and spent an awesome evening at the hotel. We ate out on the terrace overlooking the picturesque valley and had a romantic evening in our suite with a roaring fire and lots of lovemaking.

  It’s all been kind of perfect.

  “So what do you think?” Jamie asks, pointing toward the full wall of monitors set up to show him the different angles each of his four assistant camera operators have going.

  Tatiana is perched on a stool in front of a round table. It’s set with the coffee and a beautiful assortment of food she’s to have in the commercial. The basic idea is that she’s so beautiful, the different waiters and men fall over her one by one—all while she keeps her cool and drinks her gourmet brew. The women seated at tables around her take note of this and immediately order a cup of joe, inferring the coffee is what’s drawing men to her and not her beauty.

  It’s not brain surgery, but I guess it kind of works.

  Jamie met with Tatiana this morning at the hotel and went over the scenes while I slept in and ordered room service. I had a lazy morning in bed, and it was kind of awesome. Kerri and I texted a bunch. She wanted to see how things were going with Jamie, and I wanted to see if she’s met up with the mysterious Trouble. She was vague with her answer, so I’ll have to wait until I get home to grill her.

  Jamie had a production assistant pick me up only a short while ago so we could have lunch together on set before I go back to the hotel. He’s booked me two back-to-back massages and one facial. The man sure knows how to make good on his promise and spoil me rotten.

  “Wylder?” Jamie asks again and looks over at me with a curious gaze.

  I try to give him a bright smile, but Tatiana’s gorgeous face is imprinted in my mind. One thing is for certain, the camera definitely loves Tatiana Marcus.

  “It’s unreal,” I finally say. “The set looks beautiful.”

  I’ve only been on one other set, and it was literally for about twenty-five seconds when I went to drop off a script to a female director. She wasn’t very warm and fuzzy and wanted me off the set as soon as I arrived, so I didn’t really get a chance to look around. Working at the studio does afford the opportunity to at least drive by a set on a cart and peek in when we have time, but this is a whole different thing—especially because I’m sitting in the director’s tent.

  And Jamie Donovan’s at that.

  Usually only producers or the director of photography are allowed to sit inside the tent with the director. This way they can concentrate, and there are no outside distractions.

  “Who knew coffee could be so cool?” I say.

  “It’s not just a drink in the morning to wake you up,” Jamie says, lifting his brows in an exaggerated manner. “It’s a way of life. It’s sexy, and it draws you in. It’s more important than you know.”

  I try not to roll my eyes and widen them instead. “You don’t think you’re reaching?”

  “Definitely.” Jamie agrees with a laugh. “That’s the PR campaign.”

  “I’ll never look at a cup of coffee from Matiniti the same again.” I chuckle. “I’ll have to order a cup back at the hotel and see if the magic really works.”

  “You’ll do no such thing,” Jamie warns. “Not when I’m not around to stand guard.”

  My stomach drops. I love when he says things like this.

  His first assistant director—Tom, walks into the tent.

  “We need you on set, boss,” he tells Jamie. “The talent has some questions.”

  Jamie seems annoyed, and I’m not going to lie; it warms my heart and makes me happy.

  Very happy.

  “Be right back,” he whispers before planting a quick, chaste kiss on my lips. “The babysitting is about to begin.”

  I beam even more. He looks so handsome right now, dressed casually and simply in jeans and a T-shirt and baseball cap. Tatiana would have to be dead to think he wasn’t hot.

  “I’ll be here,” I promise.

  Jamie takes his earpiece out and places it with his walkie on his director’s chair before exiting the tent.

  Thankfully, I’m left all alone now because everyone is running around getting ready for the shoot. There are so many moving parts to production, it’s amazing how it all seems to come together in synchronicity. My gaze is glued on the monitor though, where Tatiana is sitting.

  I watch as Jamie walks out to her a second later, and I stare at them with hawk eyes. I hate that they actually look beautiful together. Like, they would be the best-looking couple ever and have some seriously good-looking kids.

  I hate myself for going there, but it’s kind of hard not to.

  I mean look at them.

  Tatiana has jet-black hair and green eyes, almost identical coloring to Jamie. Her body is to die for. It’s not right. Or fair. Listen, I’m a confident woman. I have never had any insecurity issues in my life. Even with my fucked-up childhood, I’ve never thought I wasn’t good enough for a guy, but Tatiana is next level.

  I watch her give Jamie a flirty smile and lean into him as she talks. She even manages to rub his arm a few times.

  I’m annoyed.

  I can feel the Wolverine daggers start to press against my skin. I hear her laugh through Jamie’s earpiece, the sound obviously coming from his IFB. Since I’m alone and can watch when Jamie will make his way back toward the tent, I pick it up and listen in.

  “So how do you want me?” Tatiana’s voice is sultry and flirty. I watch her practically bat her lashes at him.

  I clench my teeth.

  “This is great,” Jamie tells her with an encouraging nod. “It’s going to be a walk in the park for you. Casual. You know you’re hot. You know the men are watching you, and you like it. You are in full control of the situation.”

  My blood boils.

  Does he think she’s hot?

  Seriously? He’d have to be dead not to. I think she’s hot. If I went the other way, she’d definitely be at the top of my wish list.

  “You’re so cute,” she says with a coquettish laugh.

  Puke.

  Right on her.

  My mood sours indefinitely.

  “Thanks.” Jamie laughs back, and I think my head is going to explode in anger but then he says, “I hope my girlfriend, who happens to be watching on the monitor, thinks so as well.”

  Tatiana’s eyes widen in surprise. She looks at one of the cameras directly at me as though she knows exactly which camera I’m watching. I’m like a deer in headlights. It’s like she’s watching me watch her. It’s almost too much, like a scene straight out of a movie.

  “Lucky girl,” Tatiana murmurs.

  “I’m lucky too.”

  I can’t believe he just said that! My heart does a Mary Lou Retton-style summersault, and I scream in joy on the inside and do a small happy dance.

  “Now let’s get this party started.”

  She nods her head, and Jamie leaves her out there. I throw his earpiece back down and try to act cool. I cross my legs and lean back in the chair and pretend I’m studying my nails. Five seconds later, the flap opens and Jamie walks in. His energy fills the small space.

  I glance at him and hope my look doesn’t betray me.

  “Everything good?” I ask.

  He cocks a brow and looks at the monitors, then at the earpiece on his chair, then at me. I know what he’s thinking. He knows I watched their entire interaction. I give him an innocent smile.

  “Couldn’t be better,” he says slowly. “You good?”

  “Great,” I say with a big-ass smile.

  “I asked a PA to bring you something to eat and something to snack on. I know you have to be hungry.” He’s so considerate it’s almost criminal.

  “I just ate.” I shake my
head. “And don’t worry about me. Just do this.”

  “This is a walk in the park,” he says candidly. “You’ll see me on The Origin. That might bring out different sides to my very colorful personality.”

  “Colorful?” I ask in surprise. I’ve never heard any rumors about Jamie being difficult to work with, so I wonder what he means by this.

  “I have my moments.” His eyes dance with mirth. “Everyone does.”

  “Well, you definitely don’t have that kind of reputation,” I say.

  “My people are loyal.” He shrugs. “I hire the same crew on every film I do, so I think when and if I lose it, they thankfully keep it to themselves. Doesn’t happen often, but when it’s not the way I like it, I kind of go crazy.”

  “You?” I fight a smile. “Crazy? I don’t believe it.”

  He leans over and steals a kiss. “Crazy for you,” he whispers.

  My heart leaps out of my chest. I realize I’m crazy for him, like certifiably crazy for him. How can I not be? He’s too good to be true.

  He looks shy all of a sudden, like he can’t believe he just said what he did to me. He quickly puts his earpiece back in.

  A minute later, the flap opens, and his director of photography walks in holding a coffee and takes a seat in front of the monitors.

  “Dan, meet Wyld,” Jamie says. “You’re going to see her around a lot.”

  Dan’s got a long black beard and hair to match. He looks totally relaxed and maybe even stoned, but who knows?

  “Hey,” he says with a friendly smile. “Nice to meet you, Wylder.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I manage to say while I reel from Jamie telling him I’m going to be seen around a lot.

  “Let’s roll in three,” Jamie tells him.

  Dan settles in and begins barking orders, and before you know it, they’re ready.

  “And speed,” Jamie says with authority and then the process begins.

  I sit with Jamie for the next few hours and watch him work. It’s really a sight to see. He’s calm and in control, and he knows exactly what he wants. He gives orders to his camera operators, and they follow them without missing a beat: push in, push out, let it breathe. I memorize everything and realize how lucky I am to see a director of his caliber work up close and personal. Jamie is one of the most prolific movie directors in Hollywood, and the confidence he exudes in his craft is sexy as hell.