“Will, can I talk to you?” she asked, pushing Blake off of her. Early on she’d been looking forward to doing the sex scene with Blake, but now that it was time, and with everything that had gone on, she was having a hard time going to what she called her movie place, where she could draw upon her imagination and find what she needed to do the scene. Today, the well was dry.
Will handed her a robe. “I can’t do it,” she said softly.
“That’s okay. That’s why we have body doubles. Don’t worry about it.”
“I have an idea, though.”
“What?”
“Double Merrick for Blake.”
“You can’t be serious! We can’t hire him, he’s not part of the Guild.”
“I am. I would be a lot more comfortable with him. He won’t have any lines, right? Doesn’t that technically make him an extra? You didn’t have any problems hiring all those other people.”
“Poppy, I’ll just bring in the body double.”
“You won’t get the shot as you laid it out.”
“We’ll work around it.”
“Will, let me talk to him. I think he’ll do it. He has a better body than Blake anyway, and he looks more like Blake than my double does me. Shoot it with a little backlighting and nobody will ever know.”
Will looked at Merrick propped against the wall, thumbing through his phone. He and Blake had similar builds, and if his hair was cut and dyed, and his tattoos were covered, he could easily pass for Blake in a long shot. He looked around the room. They had planned to shoot in low light anyway, to add some romance, so it wouldn’t be hard to add a touch of backlighting.
“Before I change the lights, find out if he’ll do it. If he won’t, we’ll bring in your double, agreed?”
Poppy smiled. “Agreed.”
***
“You have got to be shitting me,” Merrick said after Poppy explained her idea.
“No, I’m serious.”
“Poppy, I’m no actor!”
“What acting? Make love to me, like you did the first night in the motel on the beach. I know you can do that.”
Merrick began shaking his head as she spoke. “I’m not comfortable doing this at all.”
“It’ll be just me and you.”
“And Blake and Will.”
“I’ll have Blake removed, and you can ignore Will.” She smiled at him. “He’s a professional. I’ll distract you and you’ll never know he’s there.” She smiled at him again then kissed him softly on the lips. “I want my first on screen love scene to be with you.” She pulled his head down and whispered into his ear. “I’m actually going to fuck you. No pretending. I want you to make me come so Will can film it.”
“Blake and I don’t look anything alike.”
“You do. In an hour, people won’t be able to tell you apart in dim light. Trust me. Trust Will.” When he hesitated again, she pulled his ear to her lips again. “I want you. I want you and that’s not acting.”
He stared at her a moment. “I’m so going to regret this in the morning.”
She burst into giggles, remembering when she’d said those very words, then jerked both fists down and back in celebration. “Let’s get you into makeup.
***
He felt ridiculous. He’d just spent ninety minutes having his hair cut and dyed dark to match Blake’s, then had most of his body airbrushed to hid his ink. As the hair and makeup people worked on him, he and Poppy listened as Blake had a screaming tantrum, even going so far as throwing a script at Will when he found out he was going to be doubled, and had started to barge into the makeup trailer to have it out with Merrick and Poppy. He’d been restrained and Will had ordered him off set until he cooled down.
“Just relax, Merrick,” Will said as Merrick entered the cabin, dressed only a robe. “You saw what Blake and Poppy were doing? Start there and just, I don’t know, do what you and Poppy have been doing. We’ve got all the close-ups we need. There’ll be no sound, so feel free to talk or whatever. If you need to stop, that’s fine. In your own time.”
“I want you to film me having an orgasm,” Poppy said as Merrick slipped out of his robe. He was totally soft, but she would fix that.
“Poppy, you don’t have to actually—”
“I want to.”
Will scrubbed his face. “Are you sure you’ll—”
“Positive,” she interrupted. “I want this to be real.”
It took her several minutes to get him going, turning his head back to look at her every time he looked to the camera. She wanted to tease him about being so nervous in front of the camera, and how millions of women were going to lusting after him, even if they didn’t know it was him, but this wasn’t the time. She needed him focused on her and not what they were doing.
It took some time before he could ignore Will, but when she’d finally pulled him into bed with her, he’d forgotten about the camera and Will, and everything else except his need to please this beautiful creature.
She pulled his head into her neck opposite the camera and held him there as he made slow easy love to her. “That’s right, baby,” she murmured as she smiled. “Slow, like that.” It was hard to focus with him making slow sweet love to her, but they only needed one climax and she was determined not to fake it.
He rolled her over, forcing himself to think only of her. Will had faded back into the shadows, and though he knew he was there, he could blot him out. She settled on him then leaned forward, her breasts softly caressing his chest as they moved together. He pulled her down into a leisurely kiss, flattening her into him as he began to stroke harder.
“Keep it slow,” Will said softly. He was keeping them framed from the waist up, but he could tell through the lens how hard they were fucking. They were obviously into it, but this wasn’t a porn shoot. Slow and easy was the only thing he wanted.
“I’m going to come. I’m going to come!” Poppy said, pushing up and propping with her hands on his chest. She began to work her hips, ignoring Will, ignoring everything as her pleasure rose higher, then higher still. She squeezed her eyes shut and let her orgasm take her.
He held her as she froze in rapture, her face twisting in pleasure until she exhaled softly and smiled as her slow giggle escaped her. “I hope you got that,” she said looking into Merrick’s eyes.
“I got it. It was beautiful,” Will said softly from the side.
Her smile grew wider as she leaned down to kiss him. “Now you,” she whispered, sliding off of him to her back. He moved between her legs again and pushed in slow and deep.
“I’ll keep it slow,” he whispered, before kissing her lips again as she touched his face. He lowered himself over her and buried his face in her neck, thrusting into her slow and easy.
She dragged her nailed lightly along his back, her scratches sending a crackling pleasure through him. “You like that?” she whispered with a grin, feeling the hitch in his rhythm.
“Yes.”
She did it again, and she smiled as he arched his back into her nails. This was going to be so hot on the screen. “I want you to come. Can you come for me?”
He began to drive into her harder, pushing up onto his arms and looking into her face. She smiled at him, caressing his face as if he were the love of her life before pulling his lips to hers.
“I want to kiss you when I come,” she breathed, thinking back to the beach, and the back to back orgasms, and how wrung out she’d been the first night when he made her come over and over again. She remembered the full moon and the whisper of the wind in the grass, and how gently he’d made love to her the first night at the beach. She thought back to just last night, how he’d ravaged her, his desire for her so great he’d been unable wait before taking her. She could feel her desire spooling up with passion and pleasure remembered.
“Are you going to come?” she whispered, caressing his face.
“Yes.”
“I want to come with you. I want to kiss you when I come.”
&nb
sp; He began to take her harder still, kissing her, feeling his climax starting to overtake him. “I’m going to come.”
“Don’t hold back. Don’t hold back,” she begged softly, her hands busy, caressing his back while holding him tight.
He kept his pace steady, allowing his orgasm to build. Suddenly she reached up and grabbed his face, pulling him down into a blistering kiss. He took the kiss and gave it back to her, allowing her passion to fuel his own. He normally liked to hold a woman tight and bury his face into her neck when he came, but this time he threw his head back with a grunt as he came, allowing the camera to see his rapture before collapsing on her, her satisfied giggle making him smile.
“I think that’s a wrap,” Will said from the shadows. “By the time this is edited down into the two or three minutes you’ll see on the screen, it may melt the projector. Thank you, Merrick, for being such a good sport. You both have my word I will destroy anything we don’t use.”
She nodded at him. “Thank you,” she said softly then turned her attention back to Merrick and pulled him back into a long, slow, kiss.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“So! Guess what I had waiting for me when I got here?” Blake said loudly as Poppy and Merrick entered the La Palacio, his words slightly slurred. “Go on! Guess!”
“Blake, are you drunk?” Poppy asked.
“Not as drunk as I’m going to be! When I got here after you had me thrown off the set, I found out I had a summons to appear! That’s right! A fucking summons! Why you ask? They’re accusing me of filing a false police report!”
“Go to your room, Blake,” Poppy said. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”
“Me? Not me! I’ll tell you who’s an embarrassment! You! Whoring around with some redneck white trash biker! I guess that shows—”
“That’s enough!” Merrick said sharply, stepping in front of Poppy, his mouth and eyes hard. “You’re drunk! Go sleep it off before your mouth gets you in trouble.”
“What are you going to do, tough guy? You going to take a swing at me? Go ahead! I’ll kick your fucking ass!”
“Let’s go,” Merrick said, taking Poppy by the arm and pulling her along. He didn’t want to create an even bigger scene in the lobby than Blake already had. He led her to the stairs, not wanting to wait on the elevator.
“That’s what I thought! You’re nothing but a chicken shit!” Blake yelled.
Merrick stopped, but Poppy tugged on him. “Don’t. He’s not worth it.”
He paused a moment more then started up the stairs again. “Yeah.”
She unlocked her door and they stepped in. “I don’t know what’s gotten into Blake!”
“Other than a fifth you mean?”
She giggled. “Other than that, yeah.”
He shrugged. “I guess you hurt his feelings when you didn’t want to do the love scene with him, and then having the cops come down on him, I guess he’s having a bad day. Since he’s a big deal, he probably won’t get anything other than a slap on the wrist, but I think there’s little doubt now he’s playing some game. I’m more certain than ever he had something to do with the shooting and the gas line, though I’ll never be able to prove it.”
“Maybe not, but maybe he learned his lesson from this.”
“Maybe,” Merrick agreed.
“I thought we’d stay here tonight, but after what happened downstairs, I don’t want to. Can we go back to your house?”
He grinned. “I might have to start charging you rent.”
She sauntered up and melted into him. “Can I work it out in trade?”
He chuckled then gave her a quick kiss as his arms slid around her. “I think we can work something out.”
She kissed him quickly on the lips then stepped back. “Let me get a change of clothes. Call is at seven in the morning.” She paused and made a disgusted sound. “At least we’re done with night shoots.”
She was pulling out a change of clothes when someone rapped on the door. “I’ve got it,” Merrick said as he moving to the door and looked through the peep. “What do you want, Blake?” he asked as he opened the door.
“I want to apologize to Poppy.”
Merrick wanted to punch him in the face, but stepped aside and allowed him to enter.
“Poppy, I’m sorry for the what I said downstairs. I’m just trying to protect you and your career. Can’t you see that?”
“That’s why you said you took a gun off that guy when you didn’t? How’s that protecting me from anything?”
“I saw the gun! He was going to kill you!”
“Then why did the cops let him go?”
“I don’t know, but I know what I saw!”
“Save it, Blake. I’m not buying your bullshit anymore.”
“You can’t talk to me like that!” he yelled taking a step toward her.
“Don’t,” Merrick said, taking Blake by the arm.
“Don’t you touch me, you redneck fucker!” he snarled, jerking his arm away. “I know what you’re doing and I’m not going to let you get away with it!” He turned his attention back to Poppy. “You can do better than him! He’s only interested in what you can do for him! You think he could care about you? You’re black! You’ll never be anything to him except a nigger he can stick his cock into!”
“You can either walk out of this room right now or you can be carried out,” Merrick said, his voice low and dangerous as Poppy gasped in shock.
“Get out of my room!” she ordered, pointing at the door.
“You know what? Fuck you, whore! You’ll open your legs for anybody! You want a taste of the wild side? I should have fucked you for real in the cabin then—”
Poppy took two quick steps forward, so angry she couldn’t think straight. “How dare you speak to me like that! Get out!”
Merrick grabbed Blake, intending to throw his ass out, but Blake turned and shoved him hard away. “Touch me again and I’ll fucking kill you!”
“You’re welcome to try,” Merrick growled, calling Blake forward with the first two fingers on each hand.
“Blake! No!” Poppy screamed as Blake charged Merrick.
Merrick was expecting the charge and was ready. He fired a hard right directly into Blake’s face, but Blake apparently wasn’t as drunk as he acted, or he held his liquor well, because he ducked part of the punch and slammed into Merrick, driving him back into the wall.
“Stop it! Blake! Stop!” Poppy cried, then moved to a corner to stay out of the way, not knowing what else to do. She suspected Merrick could take care of himself and he should make quick work of Blake.
Merrick drove off the wall, hooking an arm around the back of Blake’s neck then drove two hard rights into his stomach, getting his shoulder and back into the second punch. Blake backed off, doubled over at the waist and clutching his side. Merrick followed, driving a devastating left uppercut into Blake’s jaw. Blake staggered then went to the floor on his ass before holding up a hand in surrender.
“Get the fuck out!” Merrick snarled, standing over him with his fists still clenched. His left hand was hurting like a bitch, but he refused to try to shake the pain out in front of Blake.
“Yeah,” Blake gasped, wiping at his bloody lip and cheek. “Yeah, okay. Don’t hit me again,” he said as he slowly got to his feet.
Merrick took a step back, letting him rise, but watched for any sudden movements.
“Sorry. Sorry,” Blake said slowly as the turned for the door, then grabbed the large vase filled with fresh flowers sitting on the table and threw it at Merrick.
Merrick instinctively ducked and blocked with his arm, the heavy vase shattering on his arm, pieces of pottery flying and hitting him in the head as the water splashed in his face. He roared in pain, his forearm feeling like it had been smashed by the vase. Before he could recover, Blake drove into him again, powering him to the floor. Merrick bellowed in pain, landing on a piece of the vase hard enough to knock the wind out of him. He blocked with his arms a moment a
s he tried to collect himself, protecting his head from Blake’s punches, then grabbed Blake and pulled him down into a clench to stop the blows.
Poppy had relaxed when Blake surrendered, but her hands went back to her mouth as the two men tumbled over each other. Merrick had a nasty a cut on his arm and the side of his face, both bleeding profusely as he forced Blake over to his back.
Merrick held Blake, snarling in effort as he struggled to escape, waiting for his head to clear. He should have finished Blake when he had the chance, and now he was hurt and rocked back on his heels. He released Blake and threw himself back, scrambling to his feet and turning to face his opponent as Blake scrambled after him.
Merrick: Harlequins MC Page 22