by Xavier Neal
Looking down at what is supposed to be a chicken Cesar salad, I frown at the sight of three sad strips dying under the mountains of lettuce or spinach.
Do you see dressing on here? Was I supposed to get a side of it? What? It is not slightly damp with it! Dear lord, I'm gonna starve to death.
Pierce whispers in my ear, “I will stop you through a drive thru if you humor me and eat at least half of that.”
“A third,” I negotiate.
“Half.”
“Bastard,” I grumble and snatch my fork.
“From what I understand, it looks like they're giving Cam a more permanent role on the show.”
Hearing her name stills mine and my boyfriend's actions alike.
J.J. slows down his chews to a cautious level. “They say why?”
“Well in the books, Natalie and Rex ended up being married, with a baby that later gets kidnapped and there's this whole war over it, so the writers decided to continue towards that. Plus the ratings for episodes involving her character in romantic situations with yours Pierce, rank higher. According to the market research, they appreciate a strong female character on a male driven show,” Caroline explains casually.
“They mention if they plan to casually bring her into more episodes or if they're just going to start the new season with her full time?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
It's not bad enough I have to eat this entire monstrosity someone had the courage to call a salad, I have to hear about how my boyfriend will now, on a more regular bases, be making out with an ex-girlfriend for his career. First of all, that's extra cheese enchiladas or bacon cheeseburger news. Second, what the hell! My first day here and bad news is already popping up? That doesn't bode well for the rest of my stay. If this were a book it would be a total hint at something.
“You know what the lesson is here?” J.J. speaks, grabbing my attention. The entire table turns to face him, which is when he sighs, “Don't fuck your co-stars.”
I stifle the urge to snicker.
“You're my co-star asshole,” Pierce growls.
“Don't try to fuck me either. I'm not into dudes...”
This time a giggle successfully joins the table.
“Plus, I'm married and that's not the kind of threesome I'm hoping Gen will go for some day.”
My boyfriend grumps, “You're an idiot.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I'm screwing with you now. But you know what I meant,” J.J. brushes off between bites. “And I warned you. I warned you. I warned you not to date her.”
“An, I told you so, speech right now?”
“I told him too,” Caroline jumps on the bandwagon.
Pierce stabs at the fish on his plate. “Yeah. Lesson learned.”
“But you can keep it together on set right?” J.J. questions.
“You don't trust me?”
“I don't trust her. Do you not remember how that shit started in the first place? The 'extra rehearsal' in her trailer here? The 'I don't think we got that kiss right' there. Convincing Erick for reshoot after reshoot of your sex scenes. Cam's a manipulative woman with double agent spy tactics for getting what she wants.”
“Most comforting conversation ever,” I grumble.
Fuck! That was supposed to be to you!
“Shit,” J.J. grumbles and quickly wipes his mouth. “Minka-”
“It's fine,” I lie and stab the lettuce.
Or is it kale? Fuck kale.
“Minka,” Caroline tries.
More harshly I snap, “I'm fine.”
“I couldn't be fine after hearing that kind of speech,” Caroline tries to say sympathetically. “You have to forgive J.J. He lacks most of his brain when Gen's not around.”
“I'm fine.”
“Caroline's right. I-”
“I'm fine,” I snip once more.
“You're not,” Pierce states firmly. “We'll be back in a minute.”
Not moving I snip, “If I leave now Peter Cottontail might go after my dinner.”
J.J. and Caroline chuckle, but he nudges me out of the booth seat. “Come on, Minka. Let's get some air.”
Our movements are immediately spotted by Gunz who promptly rises to his feet. The two of us walk out the front of the restaurant and are slapped by the cool night air. My steaming face definitely needs it.
He slides his hands in his pockets. “Tell me what's bothering you.”
“Nothing.”
“Minka.”
“What!” My uncontrollable rambles burst. “You wanna know if I hate the idea of my current boyfriend getting paid to pretend to fuck his overrated and over inflated ex-girlfriend? Well I can honestly say it's not my favorite thing nor is bunny food, traffic that never moves, and temperatures that constantly require a jacket! What the hell is that about? I need a sweater every other time I walk outside!”
Pierce's lips press together.
“It hasn't even been one day and I already get the feeling like I don't belong here. That you're gonna realize I don't fit into your world and kick me out. I swear, I'm just a line in the children's song 'Which One Of These Is Not Like The Others?'.”
Unexpectedly his arms wind around me as his lips crush mine. The sudden movement sloppily clashes our teeth before our tongues find a rhythm both can appreciate.
At least that doesn't change from state to state.
His mouth pulls away from mine much sooner than I want. “You have nothing to worry about with Cam.”
“Not according to your best friend.”
“J.J.'s paranoid. Similar to Emerson in ways. But you have to believe me when I say there's nothing between Cam and I.”
“Can you call her by her whole name? That would be a good start for me.”
He cocks a grin and nods. “Camille. Everything between me and Camille is strictly professional. All business. That'll never change. The only woman I'm going to kiss without getting paid to is the one I just did.”
My smile starts to spread.
“Now, let's go back in, have you eat a third of your lettuce mountain and hear what other changes are going to left field us.”
Allowing him to fold our fingers together, I add, “I want the best bacon cheeseburger in this town.”
He opens the door. “Deal.”
The two of us pass by Gunz who is lingering at the front of the restaurant where he could keep a good eye on us while giving us space to have an argument at the same time.
Maybe I overreacted. Maybe it won't be as hard as I'm imagining to get accustomed to him constantly pretending to love her on camera. Is it strange that I think I'll probably adjust to their pretend love affair faster than the constant salads and crisp weather? Yeah...I thought so. I don't like jackets! They're more constricting than t-shirts. Don't bring up my writing hoodie. That's not the same thing.
Pierce
Minka has officially been in my house for four days and not one of them has managed to start the way it did when we were in Texas. No, in fact, every one of them starts with an ass early wake-up call from my assistant, followed by a meeting with my trainer, and a slew of other check list items Caroline follows me around to insure get completed. The most time I've spent with my girlfriend are the few minutes it takes to help her off the couch where she's fallen asleep waiting for me to get home, to the bed where she passes right back out. Mentally and physically I'm miserable.
Littering the skin between her ear and shoulder with soft kisses, I smile the moment a light mewl leaves her lips. Capturing the sound and her tongue alike, I use one hand to grip her thigh as I push past the tight under used muscles of her pussy.
She gasps harshly, “Pierce!”
I nip at her neck again. “Good morning, baby.”
Minka's hips lift up to meet my shallow dipping as if begging for more. Rather than obliging, I roll us over, so she's on top of me. Burying myself to the hilt, I groan at the sight of her throwing her head back in pleasure. The sound of my phone vibrating against the nightstand be
side us fades quickly when I swat it across the room.
Screw it. I'll buy a new one if I have too.
Her nails cut into my shoulders, the smidgen of pain excitedly twitching my cock inside. Forcefully, I grasp her hips to assist in their undulating movements. She moans louder. Heavier. Every breath she takes sways her perfect tits until I'm off the bed seizing her nipples between my teeth. At the first bite she explodes. Her pussy grips harshly and attempts to rob an orgasm out of my more than willing dick. Instead of surrendering, I continue sucking, thrusting, and teasing the both of us until she's right on the edge again. Minka's forehead falls to my shoulder as she pants between each pound. Unable to stop myself a second time when her pussy persuades my orgasm to join hers, I erupt inside her, the magnitude of both ripping a roar from me. I wrap my arms around Minka as quivers and quakes ripple through her.
She blows her hair out of her face at the same time she moves her face to look at mine. “You're getting rusty.”
Her taunt is met with a pop on the ass. “Let's practice again.”
“Nope,” Caroline's voice says from the door way.
The C in her name does stand for cock block.
Quickly Minka gathers the blanket to cover her chest. “Oh my gosh!”
“Sorry,” Caroline says entering the room nonchalantly. “On one hand this is really awkward because you're totally my like favorite celebrity of all time, but on the other hand Pierce has a habit of ignoring my calls when he's tired of the overbearing schedule, which is one reason I have a key and the other reason I have no problem walking in at the end of sex.”
Minka shifts on top of me. “Not the first time this has happened?”
“Nor will it be the last,” I grumble and flop backwards.
“Pierce has a habit of turning into that teenager who wants to cut class when he's out of absences,” she calls from my closet on the other side of the bathroom.
My girlfriend looks down at me and whispers, “So privacy....?”
“Non-existent. I live in a fucking fish bowl.”
She gently places a hand on my cheek. “Guess it's time for you to get work, Nemo.”
The reference gets her another slap on the ass, however this time, Caroline yells. “Stop beating on my favorite writer!”
“Yeah, Pierce,” Minka teases. “Stop beating on me.”
“You like it.”
Playfully she whispers, “So much...”
A growl escapes as my cock starts to stir for another round.
“Come on and get in the shower. You and J.J. have lunch with a fan who won a contest today and a suit fitting afterward.”
I lean over to the edge of the bed where I shed my boxers and grab them. Caroline turns her back while I wiggle them on. “That it? Sounds like a light day.”
“Your sense of humor is back.”
Believe it or not her sarcasm is one of my favorite things.
“There's a scheduled discussion with Erick and the rest of the cast. Don't forget tonight you're supposed to have drinks with Eddie at that new bar Cloud something.”
Heading for the shower past her, I sigh, “Minka can come with me to that.”
“She can,” Caroline agrees leaning against the door frame. She turns herself back around the opposite way so I can undress. “If you're both willing to have your photos plastered all over US Weekly, Celebrity Living, and the WFW blog.”
Who's Fucking Who. That's a real blog! The amount of celebrity stalker websites and pages is almost unrealistic.
“No thank you!” Minka shouts from my bed at the same time I slip into the shower.
You have any idea how hard it is to step into this thing and not immediately get a hard on from the memory of fucking her on our first night in town?
As the water runs down my shoulders, I hear Caroline state, “That does remind me. I got Minka set up for a massage, mani and pedi, and day with Helena next Thursday. I've rearranged yours for the same day. She didn't seem to mind.”
Believe it that I have to get a haircut, shaved, and other grooming add ons, that if I described would be an automatic removal of my man card.
“Helena will also be here on Friday at 5. Do you hear me Pierce? 5 o'clock!” When I don't answer she shouts my direction, “That means you have to be finished boning and properly showered at least 35 minutes before!”
Chuckling, I start to give my body a good scrub, doing my best not to stroke my stiffening cock more than necessary. “Don't worry. We won't be late for the ball Fairy Godmother.”
There's a scoff, slew of curses, and finally the slamming of my bathroom door leaving me in the momentary schedule free peace I was hoping for.
Sometimes I fear that my normality is going to overwhelm Minka. The change in location is easier to adapt to than the change in lifestyle. Down time is far and few between. Space from my on the road parents, Caroline and Gunz, is as fictional as the books she writes. And any information of my not so private life is treated like a hit of cocaine an addict can't resist. How the hell can I ask her to live like this when I hate living this way? It's so fucking selfish to want her to suffer in this glass house with me, but what can I say? Just having her around takes the edge off. Coming home to her knocked out is better than coming home to her on the other side of a computer screen. With Minka around, this house is not just a hotel room I'm floating in. This place is actually lived in. The dishes are used. The floors get dirty. The bathtub finally has an occupant. God, she fills so much more than just this structure. She fills the crack this soulless industry chiseled into me eons ago. I'm just praying I can shield her from anything too damaging that may come along.
Minka
My eyes continue to scan the manuscript, cringing and groaning through the stupid mistakes I've made.
Come on now. How many times can one person use the word brown on one page?
As I get ready to make another change, my phone starts to vibrate across the coffee table in front me, causing me to jump and nearly drop my computer.
Did I mention I'm not supposed to be working? Tonight's Pierce's big event and I was given strict instructions to relax before it. While all the pampering yesterday was nice and the sex this morning was amazing, it's not enough to ease the very obvious anxiety trying to suffocate me. This is a big fucking deal! I'm going to be photographed for millions of people to see! I'm going to be officially announced as Pierce's girlfriend like this is my goddamn coronation. All this pressure looming just makes me want to eat, which I can't do and fit into the skin tight dress the stylist and Caroline helped me pick out, so here I am working. The only thing I know can safely distract me from the terror bells ringing in my head.
In a rush voice, I answer, “Hello!”
There's a long pause before Emerson's voice questions, “What are you doing that you're not supposed to be?”
I scoff, “Nothing.”
Shhhhh....
“Minka.”
“Working,” I cave, knowing there's no real reason to keep up the charade with her.
She can make me crack in like thirty seconds when she tries.
“I told Pierce I wouldn't but I had to do something to keep my mind off the event tonight. Netflix wasn't working.”
Cautiously, she asks, “So....he's not there?”
Curious at the way she didn't even make the attempt to fuss at me for working when I should be relaxing, I proceed with suspicion. “No. He had a table reading with the new addition to the cast and location discussions for the coming seasons. According to the text he sent me they're going to be filming for a little bit in London.”
It'd be kinda cool to go London. Pierce offered for me to come along. He also wants me to come stay with him on set wherever it happens to be. One step at a time. Let me survive tonight before we go making those kinds of plans. I do like that the man I love loves me so much. I also like that he wants to take me everywhere he can, so we aren't separated by a computer screen more than necessary.
“Well befo
re you go visiting our friends on the other side of the pond you're going to want to check something out.”
“It's not a pond.”
“It's an expression.”
My face scrunches in question.
“I texted you a link. Now, check it out. Read the entire thing and talk to Pierce before you fly off the handle and ruin your manicure like I did.”