“Jesus, you two are acting like I’m the chaperone at prom who won’t let you make out under the bleachers,” Melanie laughed as she breezed into the kitchen.
I tensed up, but Aaron didn’t move his hand.
I liked that.
“It’s not that, we’re just feeling…frustrated,” I replied. “It’s a weird situation.”
“Tell me about it,” Melanie said as she pulled a couple pieces of bread out of a bag and slapped them in the toaster. “Trust me, I hate being the world’s biggest cock block, but you guys know what I’m going to say…we need to wrap this show up before you get to tear into each other like rabid coyotes.”
“Well when you put it that way, it makes it sound so romantic,” Aaron chuckled. “And we know, you don’t have to do your broken record routine, we’re behaving ourselves.”
“Good, because you need to make out with two or three of the girls in the hot tub tonight,” Melanie snickered and buttered her toast as it popped up.
“Two or three? Seriously?” I exclaimed. “I thought we said one at a time.”
“Your dad emailed us, they want things dirty and they want hot. So they’re getting as dirty as we can make it on prime time television.”
“My dad emailed you?” I asked, feeling a little forlorn. He hadn’t returned a single text or email since we’d been up here.
“Yeah, well technically, he emailed the show so he probably meant it for you too.”
“Right,” I replied, not totally buying that explanation. It still stung every time my dad ignored me, even though he’d been doing it my entire life.
“Your dog sitter emailed too, Tiger is doing better but still misses you apparently. She wanted you to set up a Skype session with him later today if that’s possible.”
I glanced at Aaron to see his brows raised and a bemused smirk on his gorgeous lips.
“What?” I asked, slightly annoyed at being outed as a total city girl after all. “He gets lonely.”
“I don’t blame him,” Aaron replied with a wink. “I’d be missing you too if I were him.”
“Luckily you have me right here,” I replied, feeling smug at how open he was being with his affection.
A couple crew members had come in to join us snacking or making coffee, but Aaron hadn’t removed his hand from my lap. His declaration was loud and clear, and I really loved it.
“Here isn’t where I want you, though,” he said, a meaningful look flickering across his face. “I think you know exactly where I want you.”
“Oh god, get a room, you two,” one of the assistant camera operators said with a playful grin. “We all know what’s going on here, you don’t have to hump each other out in the open to prove it.”
“That’s what I keep telling them,” Melanie said with a dramatic sigh.
“So what, now you’re giving us permission to get a room?” Aaron chuckled, stood and lifted me into his arms. “Thanks, Melanie, you’re a real peach.”
“I meant after we’re done!” she shrieked in protest, rushing around to us and pulling me out of his arms.
We were laughing so hard at that point that I staggered and almost fell to the floor. Aaron caught me and help me to my feet, where we all continued to giggle and snicker at the entire scene.
It wasn’t that funny, if I really thought about it, but it felt good to release some of the tension that had been simmering just under the surface. I think that’s why we all laughed so freely.
* * *
I wasn’t going to be there during the hot tub scene, but Aaron asked me to stay. He told me he felt less like he was cheating if I was on site, like it made him feel better about faking it with the girls.
Melanie spent some time with the four remaining girls, getting them energized and ready for the pivotal scene where apparently two of them would get into a nasty cat fight for Aaron’s affections while he kissed the other two.
It made me feel physically sick to think of him with his luscious lips on anyone else, but I had to shake it off and buckle down. This was business, after all, and we were way too far into this to quit now.
Just a couple more days left, that’s what I kept telling myself, just a couple more days of fakery, and we could finally consummate the burning desires that were threatening to turn us both to ash if we didn’t act soon.
“Okay, boss, let’s get this started,” Melanie said to me as she sat down in a chair next to mine. She began to start calling out directions to the cameramen and generally took over the scene.
I was still technically the boss, but we both knew my head wasn’t in it at this point.
I didn’t even know what the hell I was going to do after this show made it to air. I had a feeling it would be a hit, and Dad and Charles would be pleased with the work, but ultimately, it wasn’t really mine. Melanie deserved more credit, from coming up with the name and idea to taking over all the work while we were here.
It seemed like she was making a better television producer than I ever could be.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t begrudge her. She was talented and worked hard at what she did, and she hadn’t even been given the extra breaks and money that I’d grown up with.
She was good at this, and I wasn’t. That became clearer the longer we were on site—if I was truly dedicated to the craft, there’s no way I would have let myself become derailed so easily.
Not that Aaron was small potatoes, the crazy overwhelming lust I felt for him would have derailed the most dedicated professional. I was sure of that.
It’s just that my feelings for him made me reconsider what I was doing with my life, what my goals were.
Did I want to go back to LA and go through the motions of following in my father’s footsteps? Or could I see myself living in this little backwater town with nothing to do?
I hadn’t even slept with him, so why was I letting my imagination get ahead of me?
I exhaled and blew a strand of hair off my forehead and watched Melanie take charge. It was like looking through somebody else’s eyes when Aaron kissed the girls, flirted with them, and followed Melanie’s directions to a T.
I watched and felt red fire flare up in my chest.
I was jealous. God, how I was jealous of every kiss, every embrace, every whispered word in their ears.
I didn’t realize how tense I was until Melanie yelled “Cut!” in order to set up the cat fight, and I felt my hands unclench. Once again I had deep half-moon impressions dug into my palms from my nails cutting in. Clenching my fists seemed to be my signature move when Aaron was involved.
Aaron looked for me and caught my eyes, smiled reassuringly, and I smiled back.
This was going to be okay, we were going to make it through this. The final ceremony was a couple days away, and then, we were free to make our lives together.
As long as that’s what he wanted, and as long as I could find a life with him.
I sure was mentally pinning a lot of my future on him, a man I barely knew.
“He looks miserable,” Melanie whispered to me as the girls fought behind him. “It’s all on you if this thing tanks.”
I snapped my head around and saw her grinning. She wasn’t being serious, but I would feel guilty if it didn’t make it. “I want it to take off,” I told her in a hushed tone. “You’re doing such good work here, I want you to get credit for it.”
“Thanks,” Melanie said with a small smile. She seemed bashful at my compliment.
“I mean it, you’ve picked up the slack like nobody’s business. I’m going to make sure Charles knows who really made this work if it hits big ratings.”
“It’s nothing you wouldn’t have done,” she replied modestly. “You’re the talented one, I just learned by watching you.”
“I’m not talented, I just have the name and the money to fake it,” I laughed. “Sometimes I wonder what the hell I’m doing in this business.”
“You’re kicking ass,” Melanie replied with her brow furrowed. “Don’
t let one stupid crush derail you, Regan. You’re good at what you do, you’re just having like, a quarter-life crisis or something.”
“Maybe that’s what it is,” I laughed. I doubted it, but I placated her by agreeing with her. I didn’t know what the hell kind of crisis I was having, but it was definitely rocking me to the core and leaving me spinning my wheels on the very path I’d always thought I wanted to go down.
I turned back to the scene and let myself get caught up in the business end of things. I suppressed my jealousy long enough to get involved with Melanie’s direction, and I even surprised myself and Aaron by telling him how to kiss one of the girls, our current favourite to win, and how long to keep it up.
Perhaps I could be in love and maintain my career. Thousands of women manage it every day, and all it would mean would be taking Aaron out of his natural habitat and putting him smack-dab in the centre of a city he vocally hated.
But hey, stranger things had happened in the name of love.
If it was meant to be, we could make it. One way or another.
16
AARON
It felt so wrong every time my lips touched one of the contestants. I think that by then they’d caught on that my heart wasn’t in it, so they were all gunning for the grand prize, the diamond engagement ring I was going to use when I proposed to the winner on the last episode.
We were down to three girls. I had one more axe ceremony, and then the big final dates with the two remaining contestants. We’d finished up with the most recent axe ceremony, and I had the rest of the night off.
Sneaking a kiss here and there with Reagan wasn’t enough. I had to see her, I had to have her, and every part of me needed to spend more time with her.
I stalked the hallways of the massive Kaslo Lodge looking for her. I swore I could smell her perfume and I followed it right back to the production area and crew quarters.
“Have you seen Reagan?” I asked one of the junior executives, a jumpy, shorter guy with a shaved head and colourful clothing. I couldn’t remember his name for the life of me though, I couldn’t remember any of them…they all blurred together after a while.
“Oh, yeah, I think she’s in the sound room,” he said, looking up at me, right in the eye. He seemed anxious, as if he’d bolt should I cough or tell him, “boo.” “H-hey, by the way, you’re not going to quit the show, are you? I mean, I’ve heard rumors, but I just want to know what to expect.”
“We’ve only got another day or two,” I replied evenly. “Why would I quit now?”
Why would I quit? I’d gotten a text from my mother earlier that day asking why the IRS would be needing to speak to me. If anyone could convey anxious nerves via text message, it was my mother.
I’d reassured her that it was nothing for her to concern herself with, but the anxiety that had gripped my stomach and made me clench my fists was nothing to forget about.
I knew my tax extension deadline was looming close, yet another reminder that I had to be a good bachelor and play the game until the show made it to air.
As much as it bothered me or upset Reagan, I had to see this through.
“I don’t know, just something I heard,” the nervous guy replied. He grinned and added, “I’m glad you’re not leaving, anyway. I need this job.”
“Don’t we all?” I chuckled and carried on in my search for Reagan. I was hungry to taste her sweet pussy again, I longed to feel her body writhe on the end of my cock, and I ached to hear her cry my name as I pounded into her, unleashing all this pent-up lust on her gorgeous body.
I found the bedroom that was serving as the sound room and knocked lightly. I heard somebody curse from inside, and I smiled. Melanie and her temper. She’d been much nicer back in LA.
“Yes?” she asked as she opened the door just a crack.
“Is Reagan with you?”
She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Yes, you’ve managed to hunt her down, congratulations. Can you wait a few minutes before you see her and turn my friend into a giggling pool of hormones though?”
“Can I come in? I won’t talk,” I smiled, trying my best to charm my way past the gatekeeper.
“Come on, Melanie,” Reagan laughed from behind her, “I’ll behave and help you figure out this last bit. I promise.”
Melanie knew she was beat, so she opened the door and glared at me. “You, sit there,” she said, pointing at a chair in the corner. “And keep quiet, we have some show decisions to make here.”
I obeyed, but not without leaning over and giving Reagan a quick kiss before sitting down.
The light in the room was dim, the monitors and equipment were the main source of illumination, and it gave Reagan an almost otherworldly look. She seemed ethereal, like a beautiful goddess come to life.
I watched her work and had to admire her in her professional mode.
My princess knew what she was doing, and I could see why she was the boss. As aggressive as Melanie could be, Reagan seemed to possess an instinct for the footage, a natural ability to determine what should be cut, what should be kept, and how it should all be spliced together.
When a scene of me making out with Tawny popped up, I felt my cheeks go red and shame course through my body. Reagan didn’t seem to react, she just treated it like any other piece of film, and I loved her for that.
I owed her for it, too. I hated that she was made to endure this for the sake of her career and her father’s approval.
When Melanie and Reagan seemed to be finished, Reagan jumped up, sat on my lap, and wrapped her arms around me.
“Thank god, I think that’s it for the night,” she whispered after she kissed me.
Her eyes were shining with excitement, and Melanie looked annoyed as usual.
“Well, we could go over the…oh, forget it, go hang out with your lumberjack,” Melanie resigned. She flashed us a little smile to let us know she wasn’t that upset about us taking off.
“Thanks, boss,” I said, standing and carrying Reagan in my arms before setting her on her feet. She laughed and looked up at me as if out of breath.
“How do you do that?” she asked.
“What?” I replied.
“Make me feel like most beautiful woman in the world?”
“You are,” I said as I brushed her thick, curly, golden hair off her face. “At least in my world, and that’s all that matters to me.”
“Seriously, get out of here before I gag,” Melanie glowered, she was laughing as we left.
“She needs to get some action of her own,” Reagan said to me. “She’s had such a dry spell lately, I think it’s turning her into a cranky old maid. Do you have any brothers?”
“Ha, none that she would like,” I said, sliding my arm around Regan’s shoulder as we walked. “Now go get your jacket, I’m taking you out tonight.”
“We’re not allowed off site unless we have a crew, though.”
“Rules? I don’t need your stinking rules, princess,” I grinned. “I need a beer and a burger and to listen to some music. This place is like a tomb once production shuts down for the day.”
“You’ve got that right,” she agreed. “So how should I dress? Fancy? Casual? Please say casual, because that’s pretty much all I’ve got.”
“Wear exactly what you have on, but get a jacket, that’s it. It’s chilly at night.”
“All righty,” she said, her voice filled with excitement and her eyes bright with joy. She stood on her tip-toes, planted a kiss on my lips, and dashed off to her room to get ready.
I didn’t follow. If I had, I would have bent her over and climbed between her legs again, and I didn’t want to go there again. Not until we could take our time and be uninterrupted.
And not until I was done with the other girls, my head was too messed up loving on Reagan than kissing the contestants. The moment I claimed Reagan as my own, I never wanted to touch another woman, let alone kiss them or pretend to be interested.
* * *
I took Reagan to
pretty much the only place in town we could get a beer and a burger, the old Sunset Pub. I’d been going there since before I was legal to drink, and I knew exactly what we’d get for dinner and entertainment.
It was a Thursday night, so beer was cheap and even cold, the meals were home-cooked and delicious, and my neighbour Jake was on stage with his band playing a bunch of old school country and rockabilly.
After we devoured our dinner, I sat back in the booth with Reagan tucked under my arm and watched the regulars. I felt like a new man with Reagan by my side, like the proverbial cat that ate the canary.
People stopped by to chat or talk about the show now and then. I guess the studio had been advertising it, and I was already starting to get a little taste of fame.
I would normally have hated it, but having my girl next to me made me feel like showing off. I wanted to jump on the table and tell them all that she belongs to me. It was ridiculous and intoxicating and a fucking rush of excitement all wrapped up into one perfect little package.
“That was seriously the best burger I’ve ever had,” Reagan told me, dabbing a napkin on her mouth. “I swear I’m still drooling.”
“I think it’s the fact that we’d been surviving on the crap they feed us at the Kaslo,” I laughed. “Anything would taste good after weeks of dry sandwiches and vegan salads. By the way, I’m so glad you’re not a vegetarian. I don’t think I could be with a girl who didn’t eat meat.”
“You’d dump me if I stopped eating meat?” she laughed, looking at me half-incredulously.
“Well, I might not dump you if you didn’t talk about it, but it would drive a real wedge between us. How would I be able to woo you by cooking dinner when the only things I know how to cook come from animals?” I tried my best to look stern, but the surprise on her face made me crack up.
“I thought you were serious,” she smirked. “But don’t worry, I do love animal flesh, much to the shock and horror of my LA friends.”
“Is there anything else I should know about you that might shock and horrify your LA friends?” I asked with a grin.
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