On the Outside (Caught Inside #3)

by S. Briones Lim

  An outsider. Yup, no argument there.

  I bowed my head and sighed. “So what happens now? I mean I’m not expecting us to define this…err…” I shook my head and tried to pry the foot out of my mouth. “What about Kacy and Riley?”

  “What about them?”

  “It’s obvious you think highly of your sister. How can I expect you to pursue anything with me if she’s in the background hating on me?”

  An expression of conviction washed over his face. “We’ll fix it.”

  “You sure?” I asked doubtfully.

  “Of course.”

  Hope once again fluttered through my veins. “I’d really like that.”

  Tilting his head to the side, he eyed me expectantly. “Since we’re on the subject of haters, can you do me one favor?”

  “Um, yeah, I guess.”

  His eyes darkened. “Watch out for Charlie.”

  “Okay, that was random,” I sputtered.

  “I’m not trying to be weird or anything…just…watch out for him, okay? He’s not as sweet as the media makes him out to be, and I’m sure you know how that can be.” His mouth hardened, prompting my curiosity, but I decided not to press.

  “Though I don’t know what you’re talking about, if you’re really as great a judge of character as you say, then yes. I will avoid him.” Even saying the words caused a weird tumble in my stomach that I couldn’t place.

  He nodded in appreciation. “Good.”

  “I think I should point out that the day after tomorrow is our love scene.”

  Xavier fidgeted uncomfortably. “I know.”

  “And I’m sure you know that I’ll be working with him every single day for the next few months.” I crossed my arms. “Not to mention that for tomorrow’s scene, he and I will be especially close and Charlie will be wearing a flesh colored sock.”

  “Don’t be surprised if I’m not there.”

  Truthfully, I’d be glad if he really didn’t come.

  Chapter 23

  “Action!”

  Charlie brushed my cheek with the side of his thumb. His blazing blue eyes pierced mine, and though I knew we were acting there was something in his expression that made a small part of me think otherwise.

  “Samantha, you know I’ve always loved you. I don’t care what you’ve done in the past. All that’s important to me is what we do together in our future.” He dropped his left hand to my butt, cupping a cheek.

  Okay, that was definitely not in the script.

  “But Jasper…I can’t do this. I can’t watch you throw away your life on somebody you just met—” I felt my face being grabbed a bit harder than I anticipated and stammered on my lines. I’d heard Charlie liked to adlib, but this was ridiculous.

  “I love you, Samantha. I know you don’t get it…” Charlie turned away and choked back a sob.

  Wow, he really is a good actor.

  He turned back toward me and sniffled, never once letting go of my chin. “But I think you’re my soul mate.”

  He even has snot dripping out of his nose! I wish I could snot up on command.

  “Samantha?” he whispered.

  I gulped and gripped onto his well-defined biceps. “Yes, Jasper?”

  Without another word he pressed his lips on mine, resulting in an unplanned and unscripted sigh on my part.

  Gee, get a hold of yourself. You’re acting like you haven’t been—loved? Appreciated? Kissed?

  With my head still jumbled up by his kiss, I almost forgot the next part of the scene. A part of me didn’t want to, but the script called for a rather violent shove. Getting my mind straight, I pushed at his chest, causing him to stumble back.

  “No! I can’t do this.” I let out a small whimper and quickly turned away.

  A sullen looking Charlie walked back to me. “Why not?”

  Tears began to fill the bottom of my eyes. It was the best I could do, and nowhere near as awesome as Charlie’s snot-worthy performance. Hopefully, Wyatt wouldn’t mind.

  “B-because!” I stammered. I let out a slight sob, hoping it would match up to Charlie’s award winning performance.

  He gripped my shoulders and leaned forward so closely that the tip of his nose almost brushed up against mine. “That’s not an answer. Tell me, do you love me?”

  “I…”

  “Do you love me?” he yelled.

  One longing look later, his lips were once again on mine—and his hands were all over my body.

  A groan escaped my lips but I wasn’t sure if it was a groan from ‘Samantha’ or from Harper. Either way it felt great to be held once again, especially by someone whose charisma permeated through his kisses.

  “And cut!” Wyatt’s voice boomed.

  Charlie either didn’t care or didn’t listen. His gentle touch continued as did the trajectory of his exploring tongue in my mouth.

  “I said cut!” Wyatt practically growled.

  To my dismay Charlie pulled away with a sly grin on his face. “Sorry about that. I didn’t hear.”

  I fought the urge to wipe my mouth. As sensual as he was, he certainly was a sloppy kisser. I rolled my eyes teasingly. “Yeah, I’m sure you didn’t.”

  He winked.

  “Ahem, excuse me.” Xavier, who surprisingly did show up for filming, walked up to us carrying a clipboard in his hand. He gave me a slight nod before barking out, “Charlie! You know better than to hold up shooting. We only have a limited amount of time—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it before.” The actor proceeded to place his arm around my shoulder. “I’m a method actor. Can’t help it if I drown myself in my role.” Pausing, he placed his index finger underneath my chin, lifting it a tiny bit. “Especially when I get to work with a muse this beautiful.”

  I couldn’t help it. Being called beautiful by such an Adonis did things inside of me that I was ashamed to admit. A girlish giggle escaped my lips only to be cut off by Xavier’s disapproving look. “Don’t egg him on.”

  I cleared my throat and smirked. “It was only a few seconds over, Xavier. Not that big of a deal, I’m sure.”

  “Of course it’s not…for someone who enjoyed getting manhandled by him.”

  “Hey!” My mouth dropped open. “I object!”

  “It’s not court, honey.” Charlie snickered and squeezed me tighter against his body. “Either way, when are we doing the next shot? Can’t wait to get manhandled myself.”

  Fuck those butterflies.

  Xavier pulled down his lips. “Mmhmm. Makeup!”

  Right on cue, Piper and Lilliana, Charlie’s makeup artist, rushed forward with brushes and palettes. Piper tugged at my arm, pulling me away from Charlie’s death grip.

  “What was that all about?” Her tiny voice came out even tinier as she braved a glance at the actor. The next scene called for Mr. Perfect to be shirtless, and as soon as he pulled off his wife beater, Piper’s cheeks visibly reddened. Composing herself quickly, she leaned over and whispered, “Xavier’s looking at you.”

  I tore my eyes off of Charlie and glanced over at Xavier’s blank face. Frowning, I leaned toward Piper and whispered back, “I have no idea what’s going on with those two. They seem to really hate each other. Do you know what’s up between them?”

  She shook her head, causing her newly dyed magenta hair to swing across her face. “No, but if you ask me it looks like you have two very fine men fighting for your attention.”

  I snorted. “Please…I mean, Xavier maybe—”

  “Oh yeah, how did the dinner go?” Piper interrupted with excitement.

  “It went good.” I felt my stomach flop a bit. Despite my hope for another date, Xavier had yet to bring it up again.

  Piper’s pixie-like features folded. “Is it safe to assume it didn’t go as planned?”

  “You have no idea.” I laughed at the perplexed look on her face. “It went even better than I thought.”

  She eyed me suspiciously. For only knowing me a few days, she really could read me
well. “But?”

  I sighed and slumped forward. “But it certainly opened up more questions. Not to mention more confusion. Not that I needed it in my life or anything.”

  “Damn girl, who needs the movies when your life is basically better than this stupid script?” Her mouth dropped open. “I mean…I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to call—”

  “Forget about it. I didn’t want to take this role to begin with,” I admitted, sneaking another glance at Xavier, who was now busy chewing Charlie out.

  Piper tugged a small comb through my hair, which Charlie had done a number on. Wincing as she pulled against my tangles, she asked, “But I bet you’re glad you did, aren’t you?”

  My cheeks warmed and I did my best to avoid Piper’s prying eyes. “Well, I have to admit, I am really glad I met Xavier.”

  “What about Charlie?”

  “What about him?” I snuck a peek at my costar, and as if he heard us, he glanced back at me and flashed a bright smile.

  “He’s hot.”

  “Yeah, and?”

  “And obviously interested in you,” she replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

  “He’s acting, Piper,” I replied in a flat tone.

  Tugging at the comb one more time, she rose onto her toes so she could reach my ear. “I don’t think he is.”

  “Places everyone,” Wyatt called out, pulling down a pair of glasses. His eyes were especially bloodshot today, and I couldn’t help but wonder if his especially bad mood had to do with being hungover.

  Piper patted my arm as she began to clean up her tools. “Looks like you got your pick of the crop.”

  “What if I don’t want to pick?”

  “Now, everyone!” Wyatt screamed.

  We all rolled our eyes and stepped up to our marks. Charlie happily bounded toward me. “Ready for my favorite scene of the script, leading lady?”

  I gulped, sneaking a glance over at Xavier. “Sure.”

  “Action!”

  Without hesitation, Charlie lunged toward me and once again I found myself entrapped by his kisses.

  Chapter 24

  “Hey.”

  I turned my head and smiled when I spotted Xavier walking my way. “Hey, Mr. Producer.”

  Xavier sat down next to me, stretching out his legs on the pavement in front of the airplane hangar we’d been filming in for the day. It was odd, but for a surfing movie I found myself indoors a lot. Not that I was complaining; after the first day in the ocean I was happy to bid adieu to my surfboard for a while.

  Xavier careened his neck and peered at my lips. “Wow.”

  Automatically my hand found my mouth. “What?”

  “I’m surprised your lips haven’t swollen up to the size of your head considering how much Charlie and you were going at it.”

  I narrowed my eyes a bit, staring out two small slits. “If this is about your weird request to stay away from him, we both know that it’s physically impossible given my current state of employment.”

  “I would rather think of it as a friendly warning.”

  “Whatever you want to call it, it’s still pretty weird to me.”

  He rubbed at his eyebrow and let out a stale laugh. “Remember how I said I’m a pretty good judge of character?”

  I shifted uncomfortably. “Of course.”

  “Well, let’s just say one time I put my guard down and I grew to really regret it.”

  My curiosity was at its highest. I wanted to pry more, but my gut told me not to. Changing the subject, I asked, “Are you sure you’re a good judge of character when it comes to me?”

  Finally his stern expression brightened. “Yeah, of course.”

  “Care to tell that to your sister…and maybe to Riley while you’re at it?” My tone was quick and short. As much as I hated to play that card, I needed as many votes in my favor as possible.

  He dropped his head back and let out a sigh. “I’ll do my best, but you have to know my sister is pretty stubborn. It took nearly losing the love of her life to figure out that she, well, loved him back.”

  For some reason I wasn’t surprised. Biting my bottom lip, I shrugged. “Okay, if Kacy’s a lost cause, what about Riley? She still won’t talk to me—”

  “Do you blame her?” he interrupted, surprising me.

  “I…uh…no.” Nodding my head in confirmation, I repeated the word. “No.”

  “Okay, then.”

  “But it doesn’t mean I don’t miss her.” I looked down at my feet and sighed. “I’m just beginning to think we’ll never talk again, you know. It’s sad. She was my first friend in New York and…”

  My voice trailed off. I couldn’t even find it in myself to continue speaking. After months of trying to keep my head afloat, I finally succumbed to the reality that I probably lost my best friend forever.

  With a look of pity on his face, Xavier reached out and squeezed my hand. “Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight? Last night was fun; let’s keep up with the momentum.”

  “You mean, to your place?” I blinked in surprise. Xavier had stopped by my house many times before, but I had never seen his home.

  “No, to Pizza Palace. Yes, to my place.” He laughed.

  “Uh…”

  “You can say no, you know.” Despite the humor in his tone, his eyes darkened a tad.

  “Why would I say no?”

  “So it’s a date?”

  “A third date,” I clarified.

  “Deal.” He pushed himself up and brushed off his backside. “I’ll see you at six…err, wait…do you need a ride?”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “That would be a bit presumptuous of me to expect you to pick me up to go back to your house, right? Nah, I rented a car when you disappeared for a week. I’m fine.”

  “Great. Then see you tonight.”

  Chapter 25

  To say I was excited was an understatement. I was also nervous, anxious, and a bit aroused realizing that this was our third date, and we all know what happens on the third date. Once I jumped out of my car I practically had to slow myself down to prevent myself from ramming into his front door. I didn’t have anything to worry about though. Judging by the way he opened the door before I could even knock, I’d say he was just as excited.

  “Hey!” I yelped out in surprise, nearly knocking my hand against his face.

  He smiled sheepishly, jumping out of the way just in the nick of time. “Sorry, I saw you coming and…”

  “No worries.” A whiff of garlic hit my nose. Like an old cartoon, I rose to my tip-toes, completely hypnotized by the scent. I could imagine myself floating toward the kitchen, nostrils flaring. “Wow! What is that scent? It smells delicious.”

  “I’m not just some stuffy producer. I know how to whip up a good meal, too.”

  “I see that.” I nodded approvingly.

  “Come on, let’s eat.” He motioned for me to step indoors and quickly shut the door behind me.

  Oh, don’t worry. I’m not running tonight.

  As I settled down in the dining room, I watched as Xavier set the table, placing a heaping bowl of pasta in front of me. Though it smelled pleasant I couldn’t help but wonder why he chose garlic as the main dressing.

  No one who wants to mess around would serve garlic or onion on a date, I thought wryly.

  I quickly pushed away the thoughts and grinned in appreciation. “This all looks so awesome. Bon appetit.”

  ***

  Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was good company. Whatever it was, after dinner Xavier and I were fully relaxed and even cuddling on the couch! Needless to say all my garlic-infused worries were for nothing.

  “I have to say, when I first saw you at the airport I had no idea anything like this would happen,” he said with amusement.

  “What do you mean?” I rubbed my index finger against his thumb and sighed with content.

  “A fiery eyed princess who looked at me as if…”

  “Be careful how yo
u finish that,” I warned him.

  He bowed his head. “Either way, the actresses I usually come into contact with were never as quiet as you were. Usually they’d be barking orders left and right.”

  A shrill laugh bubbled inside my throat. “Well, when you’ve basically been slayed and fileted—”

  “Ew.”

  “—in the public eye, you tend to try to salvage some part of yourself and keep it private. Besides, I was only quiet because you didn’t talk at all!”

  “Hey, I was just struck by your immense beauty,” he teased.

  Snorting, I shook my head. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to be so aloof. In fact, as ironic as it sounds, I was trying my best to put myself back out there. I didn’t want them to win and shut me down. It was advice an old friend told me, actually.”

  Something in Xavier’s expression led me to believe that he knew I was talking about Riley. He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject. “Needless to say, I’m really happy that this actress is actually giving me the time of day.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “And I’m happy this producer finally speaks!”

  Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.

  The couch cushions vibrated, leading me to lose my train of thought. Xavier frowned and attempted to fish for his phone, which had fallen in between two cushions. It was rather hard for him to do so considering one of his arms was still wrapped around my waist and that I was practically sitting on his lap. As he reached from under me I could feel his hand brush my ass…once…twice…three times. I couldn’t help but grin.

  Type A producer has a wild side, doesn’t he?

  Holding his phone at an angle so I couldn’t see the screen, he skimmed what I guessed was a text before quickly throwing the device onto a nearby ottoman. I wanted to ask if Kacy was the culprit, but I knew I shouldn’t press my luck and ruin the night.

  “So, do you want to watch TV?” he asked weakly, knowing that the mood had already shifted.

  I nodded, but didn’t say a word. In fact, I didn’t say another word for the rest of the night.

  There goes my chance for messing around.