She felt dizzied by the amount of camera crew that lazily watched her. The light shone heavy on her face and the lack of any fresh air made her feel sluggish. But Tawnya had to keep her guard up and her mind focused a little longer, as she caught soft footsteps circling her.
Distractedly, she thought of what she could say to him as his dazzling black eyes bore into her. Her stomach did frightened little flips at the thought of his beautifully sculpted body making contact with her in real life. Tawnya gulped, pushing such imaginings aside.
She threw her stance forward, eagerly watching her opponent opposite. It made her nervous to look at his face. Any minute now, she knew she had to meet his eye.
“I can’t let you go through,” Tawnya said with urgency, feeding him the same line over and over again. She was ignored.
He was irresistible in his silence, but her thoughts were cut off by the slap of his palm, and her shoulder stung with its impact. Ignoring the pain, she wrenched him back by the collar of his shirt, but only managed to stumble a couple of paces forward.
“I’m warning you. You go any further, and I will have no choice but to kill you,” she said with a tone of menace that made the stranger halt at her final words.
Her lips curled, and she pulled at the ends of her leather gloves tight over her wrists, ready, but she was startled by the man’s sudden burst of laughter.
“I’d like to see you try,” he said, his voice buttery and smooth like a seductive song.
Tawnya ran at him with a jab aimed at his throat, but was hurtled to the ground feeling her face sting. He slapped her again, then he pinned her arms with the grip of his strong hands.
“Get off me, you bast--”
He drew close to her neck and sniffed hard. “Hmmm,” he said, a self-satisfied smirk painted on his milky face, “at least you smell like a lady.”
Tawnya growled and struggled to sit up, but the weight of his body kept her down. Her eyes stung for a second, making her unable to clearly see from one side. She held her breath, apprehensively waiting for her attacker to strike, but the assault never came. Instead, irritation replaced his smirk, as he wrapped his hands tightly around her neck. Tawnya winced, her eyes widened in horror, as she struggled to breathe. His free hand gripped her arm in an effort to hold her down. The strangulation was nothing compared to the burning pain that ripped through her wound.
“Arrgh!” she said under her breath. The pain in her voice was heavy. Her face was unreadable.
“What’s wrong? You okay, sweetie?” he gently whispered in her ear. His face was apathetic. She nodded in response.
“Don’t come any...closer,” she stuttered. His lips were just an inch away from hers. Tawnya spat at his face. He didn’t flinch.
“Is that the best you’ve got, Miya,” he said with the same steady tone.
“Damn it, Fei, you’re really hurting me.”
“CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT! Cut!” the Chinese director yelled angrily through the distorted megaphone. Film director Rob de Chow was hardly the most patient man in the world. He clutched at his tartan cap and threw it at the luminous green backdrop where the two actors idly stood.
“Whaa you doing?” Rob snapped, waving his pudgy arm in the air, infuriated. “You ruin all shoot for me. Follow script next time.”
“It’s not the end of the world, Rob,” Fei said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at his uncle before half-smiling at Tawnya. Feeling hot, he removed his shirt. He usually didn’t smile, he never laughed, but this was an exception.
“You damn well know,” Rob said with a stutter, “if she no goo, you no goo too.”
Tawnya dipped her head low, hiding behind Fei to nurse the glowing wound under the white leather glove. The director was particularly discontented with her last minute costume change. The self-harmed scar completely ruined his image of Miya. He had originally wanted his character in a short white kimono that revealed chest, arms and legs. Now the long gloves made the rest of the outfit look awkward. Even Fei had become concerned.
“Tawn, seriously, what’s the matter? This really isn’t like you,” Fei said now, stroking Tawnya’s pink-dusted cheek as he furrowed his eyes with unease.
He noticed her dilapidated appearance and wondered why he had chosen her out of all the other wannabes for the job. If she was unable to play an egocentric heroine convincingly, he doubted she could keep up the façade they had agreed upon.
Expressionless, Tawnya tried to conceal her discomfort. Fei was still topless, and her heart juddered at his slight touch. “Just need a break,” Tawnya sighed, wiping her sweaty brow with one finger. “This guy,” she said pointing at Rob, “needs to learn that we’re not animals.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You can convince people we are,” Fei said, throwing a charming smile with a finger on her chin. He was faking it. “That’d definitely give people something to talk about, right?”
Tawnya hummed, feeling disappointed that she was duped by his good acting again. She held her breath as she watched his expression turn serious. Despite the months of practice she had with him, she still couldn’t figure out when he was being honest with her.
“Don’t let me down like that again,” he said in a quiet voice for only Tawnya to hear, ignoring the heavy eye make-up as he icily looked at her. “A lot is at stake and I can’t always watch your back, making sure that you’re doing your job. If you don’t have the energy now, what will you be like when cameras secretly follow you around? They are always watching, whether you’re having a bad day or not. Keep up the act. Got it?”
Tawnya’s face went blank, disappointed that he was talking down to her again, breaking the illusion that they were indeed lovers. She should have been used to Fei being so business-like with her, but she let herself feel convinced that they were in a relationship. He was so charming, affectionate and appealing when the cameras rolled, but their relationship was just a show. Her work and private life were intertwined, and she had to remember that, despite letting her guard down once in awhile.
“Sorry, I know what I have to do,” Tawnya said, keeping her voice low. She hated relying on him for advice.
“Good girl,” Fei said. His cheeks lifted into a half-hearted smile. “Now give me a kiss and let’s get this show on the road.”
“What, here? Right now?” Tawnya said, aware that Fei hadn’t moved away from her. Their bodies were still touching. Her nerves were raw with tension and fatigue.
“We slip up just once and this entire deal will fall apart.” Fei’s eyebrows creased. He was worried that Tawnya was beginning to have second thoughts, but she tipped her head to the side towards his. He fumbled a weak smile, but that wasn’t going to fool anyone.
“Be quick,” Tawnya said, her face serious. She released a shudder as Fei’s lips touched hers before he stepped back. She definitely didn’t feel anything for him this time.
“Hey, this no play time,” Rob yelled at them in English. “You no get break now.”
“No rest for the wicked,” Tawnya said, shaking her head at Rob, who ranted on in Cantonese. Fei gave her cheeks a squeeze before he walked away.
She swayed on the spot watching after him, feeling lost about what to do. She found it difficult to comprehend whether what she was doing in her life was right or wrong. Signing the contract on the dotted line was probably not the greatest decision she had made, but becoming Fei Long’s partner was the fastest route to fame and fortune. Acting made her feel in control. It gave her the chance to command over someone else’s actions and emotions, but her throbbing body constantly reminded her of how powerless she really was. Tawnya had no control over the character of Miya, or over her very own life.
“Okay, lover birds,” Rob said, tapping Fei’s back as they walked back to Tawnya. He was unable to reach Fei’s shoulder due to his stunted height, and he was slapping him much harder than he needed to.
“I give you twenty minutes. That is all your break. But you two go see spectator,” he said, po
inting at both the actors. “Lottof fans for you waiting outside. Then you go come back to work.” Tawnya jumped at the unexpected smack to the bottom. Rob waved a rolled up script over his face, which made his slim black moustache disappear for a second.
Tawnya answered with a smile, then sighed. Truly, she had sold herself to the devil.
*****
Chapter 7:
SIGNATURE
Street Fighter: Dream Never Ends Page 8