I hit send and watch her as she reads it. Her body language is spectacular. Her face flushes. Her lips form an ‘O’ as a long, slow breath leaves them. Her thighs press tightly together. She drops the phone onto her lap, and her head falls back against the leather seat, eyes closed as she tries to control her breathing. She steals a shy look at me, shaking her head as she smiles before she sends another short text.
Mal: I need a cigarette.
I laugh out loud, prompting Cole to look at us quizzically.
Fuck. I’m hard as a rock. I can’t wait to get my girl home.
~ ~ ~
It’s difficult for me to sit across the table from Hayden and Noreen without a huge shit-eating grin thinking of what Mal and I were doing just an hour ago. What we were doing in the shower. What we were doing in the pool under the waterfall. My life is playing out like the best romantic film ever made. Better. Because the drama—it’s all done. Over. In the past. We have only good times ahead. What we’re doing now is just the very beginning of the rest of our lives. And I want it all with her. Marriage. Kids. Side-by-side burial plots. Everything.
“Have you even heard a fucking word I’ve said, douchebag?” Hayden asks when the girls get up to use the restroom.
“Uh, yeah. You were talking about tomorrow’s scenes,” I say. I have no fucking idea.
He laughs, shaking his head. “You truly are pussy-whipped, my friend.”
I follow Mal with my eyes before responding to him. “If there’s a better kind of whipped, please tell me,” I say. “Maybe you should try it sometime.”
“Um . . . no,” he says, taking a swig of beer. “I’m perfectly happy doing casual. And so is Noreen. So don’t go putting any ideas into her head with your sickening tales of young love.”
“Hey, if Noreen is good with how things are, why rock the boat?” I say.
“Exactly,” he says. “And speaking of rocking the boat, has Courtney been causing you guys any trouble? She really does seem different. Do you think it’s an act or something? I mean, I didn’t want to say anything earlier when the girls were here, but she was trying to extract an invitation to dinner.”
“Thanks for not inviting her,” I say. “Part of me feels bad that she isn’t hanging out with us. Doesn’t leave her many options, you know. But no way in hell do I want to be put in the position of having dinner with my old girlfriend and my current one at the same time. It was bad enough being strong-armed into taking her climbing with us. It was terrible, man. Courtney had no experience whatsoever and I had to keep helping her. She might just be trying to be friends, but there’s enough crazy in my life, I can’t take the chance of her hurting Mal in any way.” I frown thinking of that afternoon. “I’m afraid it ruined rock climbing for Mallory and that was supposed to be our thing here.”
“Well, I hate to tell you this, buddy, but if Mallory is planning on being on set this Friday, anything having to do with rocks, Sedona, or even this film, might be ruined for her.”
I nod reluctantly. This Friday we’ll be shooting the obligatory sex scene of the film. Even action films need to have one. Keeps the female fans happy or some shit like that. But this scene, it’s going to wreck Mallory. Even if she’s there, watching how technical and non-sexual it really is, it will have a lasting impact on her and that upsets me.
I think of what she did for me today. How she took a bad experience and made it into a good one. Maybe I can do the same for her. And suddenly it becomes clear to me. I pull out my phone and send a text to Kendra and then John, the AD I’ve become good friends with over the past month of production. I set the wheels of my plan in motion.
“I swear I just saw a light bulb go off over your head, dude,” Hayden says.
“What’s that about a light bulb?” Noreen asks behind us.
“Nothing,” I say, shaking my head so only Hayden can see it. “It’s just so dark in here, I can barely read the dessert menu.”
“You want dessert?” Mal asks, rubbing her stomach. “I don’t know where you boys put it all. I’m stuffed.”
Our waiter comes over and puts a drink in front of me. I’ve already had my limit, so I’m not sure why he brought one when I didn’t order it. “From the ladies at the bar,” the waiter says.
I look over my shoulder and see three women huddled together, smiling and taking photos of our table. I’m glad it’s dark in here; they won’t get a very good shot. I raise the drink to them in thanks and then I put it in front of Mallory. Mallory smiles and takes a slow drink of it. Then she looks over at the girls, one of whom very blatantly raises her middle finger at her.
Hayden and I laugh while Mallory downs the rest of the drink. “Why don’t good looking babes ever send me drinks?” Hayden asks. He looks at Noreen in question, motioning to me. “It’s always this asshole. He’s not even as hot as I am, right?”
Noreen stares him down and then points at her chest. “If you want this good looking babe to go home with your egotistical ass tonight, you’d best stop calling other women good looking babes.”
I see commotion in my periphery and look over to where the three women were at the bar. About halfway between them and us, Cole is holding back two of the unruly and obviously drunk girls. “The drink was for you!” one of them yells at me. “Not that ugly bitch!”
The restaurant falls silent as Cole and the manager politely escort them to the front door. Before they are out of earshot, I hear Cole say, “Next time, best stick to asking for an autograph or a picture, Miss.”
“I love Cole,” Mallory says. “He needs a raise. I didn’t even see them get up from the bar. He must have been watching them the whole time.”
“That’s why he’s the best,” I say.
“It must be hard for him, you know,” Mal says, watching the door as he comes back in and resumes his perch at the end of the bar. “He probably doesn’t have any time for a girlfriend. He has to follow you around all the time and be at your beck and call.”
“I’m sure it is hard, but the pay is good,” I say. “And they rarely do it for more than a year or so, taking long breaks between clients. Sometimes—like Cole did before I hired him exclusively—they work for multiple people on an as-needed basis. That allows bodyguards more time for a personal life because they can control when they work.”
“Still,” Mal says. “Maybe we should work on getting him a girl.”
I roll my eyes at my uber-romantic girlfriend.
“It’s just a shame all of our friends are taken,” she says. “He’s so handsome and fit. And he’s very nice.”
I raise my eyebrows at her. “Am I losing my godlike status here?”
She laughs and squeezes my leg under the table. “I just want everyone to be as happy as we are, that’s all.”
I lean into her so only she can hear. “Not possible.”
My phone vibrates with a text. I think it might be Kendra or John, so I check it. It’s my lawyer.
Ron: Settled the McIntyre case this afternoon for 2M. Think we should have kept fighting this one, but I guess you have your reasons. I’ll send final paperwork for you to sign when you’re back.
I let out a deep, tension-relieving breath. That’s the last of it. The very last shit from my past that has followed me around all these years. After the whole Megan debacle during Mal’s spring break, I told Ron I wanted to clean house, get all my pending cases dealt with no matter what the cost. He was afraid I’d be seen as an easy target, a money train for anyone who files suit against me. I just wanted the shit done. I want to start my life with Mallory on a clean slate. This news couldn’t have come at a better time.
“What is it?” Mallory asks.
I’ll tell her later. I always do. I have no secrets from her anymore. She knows all about the fights I used to get into when I was using. The nights I spent in jail for breaking Lennie McIntyre’s arms. The fact that I don’t even remember it, but am willing to pay the guy an amount akin to him winning the state lottery.
I sh
ake my head, telling her I don’t want to get into it here. She understands the message behind my eyes. She always has. “Nothing to worry about, babe. Nothing at all.”
When we leave the restaurant, we’re followed out by some teenage girls who were dining with their parents. They are giggling behind us, each trying to get the other to ask me for an autograph. I also notice the drunk girls from the bar sitting on a bench out front. The ones who called my lovely girlfriend an ugly bitch. I decide to teach them a bit of an etiquette lesson. One that says: don’t try to hit on a man when he’s obviously on a date with his girl.
I whisper my plan to Cole and he makes sure to plant himself between me and said drunk girls. I turn around and ask the shy ones, “Would you like to get some pictures? I could have my girlfriend take them, she’s really nice like that.”
The sisters squeal at each other. “Oh, my gosh, yes,” the younger one says. She turns to Mallory. “You would do that for us?”
“Of course,” Mal says, smiling. “Why don’t you get on either side of Thad and I’ll get you all in one picture and then we’ll get you each with him separately.”
“That’s so nice,” the older one says, handing Mallory her phone.
Mallory spends the next few minutes posing us in pictures that will surely make these girls the talk of their school. She’s laying it on thick for the drunk girls and I love that we’re on the same wavelength.
After our impromptu photo shoot is done and I sign one girl’s shirt and the other girl’s hat, they thank me profusely and politely walk away.
I can see the drunk girls bouncing around on the bench, getting out their phones. They think they’re next. I pull Mallory over in front of them. “Got your phones ready?” I ask them.
They nod with excitement and hold up their devices.
I dip Mallory back and plant a long, hard, wet kiss on her. I try to make it romantic but we both have a hard time not breaking into hysterics, so it doesn’t go quite as planned at first. But then as we taste each other, our kiss turns real, and everything around us becomes of no importance as we slip into our own little world. Like the cave. Like the igloo. Like every time the two of us are together.
When we finally pull our lips apart, I turn my head to the girls, still holding Mal’s languid body. “I hope you got that, because it’s the only picture you’ll be getting tonight.”
Then I take my thoroughly-kissed girlfriend and walk away.
Chapter Twenty-six
Mallory
As if this day weren’t bad enough already, Chad’s manager had to call him on the way to the set and tear into him for the kiss that went viral this week. Chad looks at me apologetically as I listen to his side of the conversation.
“I told you I wasn’t going to hide Mallory anymore, Paul.”
“Because I wanted her here.”
“No. You listen. That’s your shit, not mine. This is the way it’s going to be.”
“Nobody else fucking cares.”
“Listen, I’m on set,” he lies. “There’s nothing we can do about it anyway. It’s out there. It’s done. Now let me go do my job so you can continue earning your inflated fucking paycheck.” I can hear Paul say something else when Chad pulls the phone away from his ear and hangs up on him.
“Sorry,” he says.
“It’s fine.” I’m not letting Paul ruin what was not only a fun night out with friends, but quite possibly the only intimate moment that will ever be recorded between Chad and me. Unlike the dozens of intimate moments he gets to record with beautiful actresses.
I frown, once again thinking about what will happen on set today.
“Hey,” Chad says, putting his hand under my chin and forcing me to look over at him. “Don’t let Paul get to you, Mal. Everyone else has accepted this. He’s a selfish prick; a whiny little kid throwing a tantrum because he didn’t get his way.”
I shake my head. “I know. It’s not that.” I look down at my lap.
He nods in understanding. “You’re worried about today.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m trying not to be a stick in the mud, but it’s hard knowing your boyfriend will be making love to another woman.”
“I’ll hardly be making love to her, Mal.”
“I saw Defcon One, Chad. You did it then. With Courtney—who you actually have made love to.” I can’t even help the tear that escapes my eye and rolls down the side of my face.
“Stop the car, Cole. We need a minute, please,” Chad says.
Cole pulls over to the side of the road and gets out of the car, giving us our privacy.
Chad removes our seatbelts and positions us so we’re facing each other. “You are the only woman I’ve ever made love to, Mallory Kate. I promise you that with all my heart.” He takes my hands and rubs his thumbs across my knuckles as he tries to put me at ease. “Let me tell you exactly what will happen today. And it’s not what you might think. First of all, acting is hard. We get nervous before every take. All we’re thinking about is how we can deliver our lines to make everyone believe we are who we’re pretending to be. And most of us are terrified over doing sex scenes. Don’t think men aren’t afraid of having their naked bodies displayed for all to see. I mean, what if I have a zit on my ass today?”
I laugh half-heartedly. “You don’t,” I say. “I checked thoroughly in the shower earlier.”
My joke makes him smile. “Let’s just say I did have a zit on my ass. I’d be in makeup for an hour just so they could cover it up. Actually, I’ll be in makeup anyway just so they can put goo on my ass to make it look perfect. And then they’ll have me put on a cock sock.”
My eyes widen. “A what?”
“A cock sock. It’s a flesh-colored bag that holds all my junk. And Courtney will wear a similarly colored G-string. But it’s not what you think. It’s not as if we’ll be spending hours naked and smashing our bodies together. Most of our shots will be done with our pants on. There will only be a few takes when we have to strip down and, um . . . grind into each other.”
I cringe when he says that. I close my eyes and wonder why I even decided to come on set today. I should have stayed at home, drinking heavily. “I shouldn’t be here,” I tell him. “Maybe it would be easier if—”
“If you were at home imagining the worst?” he asks. “Fuck that, Mallory. I need to have you here. You need to see for yourself there is nothing sexual about a sex scene.”
“But what if you . . .” I nod to his lap and sigh. Of course he’ll get an erection. Not only will he be kissing and touching a beautiful woman, but one he’s been with before. Will he remember what it’s like to be with her? Before she turned to drugs? His body may respond to hers even if he doesn’t want it to.
“It’s not going to happen, baby,” he says, tightening his grip on me. “It didn’t even happen when Courtney and I were dating. You’ll see how it is. There will be people around, telling us what to do and how to do it. Where to put a hand or mouth. We’ll have to do the same thing over and over until we are so bored with it we could scream. And when it comes to actually stripping down, they will have two cameras filming everything so we don’t have to do a lot of takes.”
I nod. I know he’s trying to make me feel better. But I still can’t get it out of my head that he’ll be touching her. And for a minute, I hate myself for wishing Courtney were still using. If she were still doing drugs, she wouldn’t be this perky, nice, uber-friendly woman. The kind of woman Chad is drawn to.
I know it’s his job. And I know this won’t be the last time he has to make love to someone on set. But it doesn’t make what’s about to happen any easier. “Still,” I say. “You’ll be touching her boobs. And she has pretty nice ones.”
He laughs. “Not really,” he says. “I’ll be touching silicone.” He draws me onto his lap and takes my face into his hands. “I don’t have any feelings for Courtney. I won’t have any feelings for her. I love you, Mallory.”
He kisses me so softly and tenderly
, how could I be anything but putty in his hands? When he pulls away, I beg him, “Please don’t kiss her like you just kissed me.”
“Kissing her will never be like kissing you,” he says. He traces my lips with his finger. “This mouth; these lips. I dream about them. They belong to me. And I promise you, mine belong to you. For as long as you want them.”
“I’ll never stop wanting them,” I tell him.
He smiles proudly. “I’m glad to hear you say that.” He motions for Cole to get back in the car. “Now, come on, we have a big day ahead. Both of us.”
I’m not sure what he means by that. Usually, big days are reserved for big things. Good things. There’s nothing about today that is good. I’d just as soon go to sleep and wake up in tomorrow.
~ ~ ~
“Thad, move your hand up higher,” David says. “You need to cover her nipple. Yeah, that’s good. Now tilt your shoulders to your right so we can get a clean shot. Okay, good. Courtney, lean your head back against the rock a little more; expose your throat. Nice. Okay. Let’s go people. Let’s get it this time. Stand by.”
“Cameras rolling,” Jonah, the lead camera operator says.
The clapboard makes an appearance and then David calls, “Action.”
And then I watch my boyfriend, my love, my life, kiss and grope another woman for the third take today. And this isn’t even the worst part. They’re not naked yet. They still have their pants on. They’ve been shooting close-up shots of their heads and chests for the last two hours. Unfortunately for me, they left these scenes to do last thing, and all I’ve been doing today is obsessing over how it would go.
The cast and crew have been giving me strange looks all day. I guess they feel sorry for me, having to stand around and watch this. Chad tells me it’s quite common to have significant others watch love scenes. I don’t know how they handle it. Because I just want to vomit.
The Stone Brothers: A Complete Romance Series (3-Book Box Set) Page 55