by Morgan
As a smart director, Nathan understood that editing was by far the most powerful tool at his disposal. It also had the benefit of coming last in the film-making process. Every movie had three versions: the written version, the shot version, and the cut version. Nathan enjoyed all three stages, but he knew that it was the last step that could make or break a film like his.
Lauren thought of herself as a mother duck gathering all the scenes together like so many ducklings, keeping them safe and together in the right order.
Nathan wanted to help her find a resolution. She really wanted to bring out the most in the scene, so he thought back to all the other takes and angles that might have captured Michelle in a vulnerable moment.
He was suddenly excited. “Hey! Bring up that take where she couldn’t get her hair to cooperate.”
“The windy take?” Lauren had actually lifted Michelle’s first few lines from that particular run-through.
“Yeah.” Nathan walked around to the front of the editing machine. “If you go to where she’s talking about the moon shield…”
“The wind blows her hair in her mouth,” Lauren finished. “It’s what busted the take because she stuck her tongue out to get at it, and you started cackling off camera like a buffoon.”
“That’s the one,” Nathan confirmed.
They began watching the raw footage, and before the camera operator stopped rolling, Michelle was caught looking off into the distance with an ache in her eyes that melted Lauren’s heart.
“That’s it!” she exclaimed and pushed herself backward on her office chair. She zoomed over to Nathan on casters and was halted by his high-five. She then turned around, and he pushed her back to her computer in a well-practiced maneuver.
“I’m going to cut it in at half-speed,” Lauren declared as Nathan went back to his tinkering with the Steenbeck.
“And if you get your thingy caught in that, I’m not going to help you get it out.”
Those were fun days for Nathan, and they blurred together so seamlessly that when he looked back up, three months had gone by.
David was a bona fide star by the time Nathan turned his final cut into the studio for test screenings. The scurrilous photographers, who always seemed to show up fifteen minutes after he or Michelle went anywhere, were fixated on him now more than ever.
West of the Moon gained a massive and cheerful following, and the show was picked up for a second season after only half a dozen episodes had aired.
David’s portrayal of Jonas Ravine, a son of San Francisco, was as funny as it was infuriating. The character was a pompous ass whose only concession was that if the world didn’t revolve around him, it sure as hell did shake when he walked by. Still, Jonas was very intelligent and cared deeply for his family, comprised of an aging mother, three sisters, and a dog named Nugget.
His performance was widely praised in the same magazines that had once called him “a moderately talented, but extremely handsome extra.”
Michelle was finished with all of her cameos and voice projects by mid-July, and by then, her tattooed alter ego made its silver screen debut. Bad-Ass Beth was easily the cherry role in the film, and her performance was hailed as “a perfectly pitched portrayal of gruff brilliance.”
The cameras all turned her way again by the end of the summer, and David was especially happy about the fickle nature of the interest surrounding them.
Shaunna was happy about it as well because the movie only served to showcase Michelle’s range. When everyone went to see their campy sci-fi movie in a few months, they would be sucker-punched with a savagely vulnerable performance from Michelle and a legitimate hero persona from David that all the girls would love. She easily envisioned the pair taking Hollywood (and the rest of the world) by storm.
The house in Malibu was still and peaceful most days, with David on-set for West of the Moon and Michelle juggling her various small film projects. Shaunna usually arrived in the early afternoon before either of them returned from their obligations. Depending on her mood, she would set up shop in various locations around the Mediterranean-style mansion and work until someone came home, usually around dinnertime.
Kyle’s general lack of know-how had left the beautiful mansion in a state of casual disrepair, so Michelle made Sly a deal to tend to a few of the more pressing matters. She acknowledged, of course, that his arrangements with Thomas be honored first.
Sly had done his security job well, but his continued presence in Malibu was encouraged. Occasionally, Sly was at the house when Shaunna arrived, and the two would chat over iced coffees. As a car lover, Shaunna had already quizzed him about his pale yellow Alfa Romeo, and he’d told her with fond remembrance that he’d purchased it in Madrid.
He often dropped hints about where he was from and what he had done during his life, but the tidbits were difficult to piece together.
Shaunna did, however, hear about the people in Paris, the cuisine in Cairo, and the transportation in Turkey. Sly offered enchanting observations that spoke volumes about his vast cultural knowledge and his respect for the past, but he never hinted as to where his cradle sat.
He was sometimes at the house for three days straight and sometimes gone for weeks at a time. Thomas would call, and off he’d go. Sometimes when Sly came back, he had a tan, and sometimes he had a new pair of shoes. But he always returned cheerful and would remain bouncy for a day or two.
Michelle called him Tigger on one such occasion, and the resulting cranberry hue on his cheeks immediately gave his pleasure away. She called him Tigger from then on, even though the two maintained a professional relationship in all other respects.
But they were both thinking about each other.
Chapter Thirty-Four
IT WASN’T UNCOMMON for unscripted occurrences to make their way into a picture. Unexpected vehicle debris during a stunt sequence or an actor bumping into a set piece were examples of things directors included. Sometimes it added to the realism. Sometimes it was funny, and sometimes it masked a flaw. For Nathan, it was all those things, plus sometimes it was like capturing a streaking comet on film.
When David’s and Kyle’s emotions finally bubbled over and they began fighting in earnest during the final hours of filming Sling Shot, Lauren and Nathan wound up with several usable shots. They were particularly intrigued by David’s look of pure desperation. It was not what either filmmaker expected to see, but they were nevertheless drawn in for different reasons. Nathan admired the juxtaposition of savagery and fragility, which were conveyed at the same time. Lauren enjoyed that it made her think David’s character was going to win. It would only serve to surprise the audience and add even more significance to his unjustified death.
Fortunately, Kyle took a punch like a water balloon and collapsed at David’s hands almost immediately. It really did look like the good-hearted pilot was going to best the treasonous captain, but Lauren cut the film to make it look like David’s character had relented, offering mercy. And that, in fine movie fashion, would become his downfall.
In truth, Nathan’s approaching shadow had to be covered up in the last few seconds of the usable stuff while David was merely getting started. Nathan told only the studio of the decision to leave in footage of the on-set brawl, and they artfully leaked that information to the Hollywood press. When asked for comment, the studio played coy. The executives were ecstatic about any publicity that offset the on-set domestic drama that had plagued the project since the location shoot began.
Nathan couldn’t help but admire the tactic, but also felt guilty. He wouldn’t have told the suits if he’d known they would use the story as a teaser. He disliked any baggage a movie had to schlep and was known in the industry for getting frosty with interviewers who strayed from the art. In the past, if asked to comment on the social status of his actors, his answers would have been curt and sarcastic, followed by a request that the reporter speculate about the personal lives of his or her own co-workers.
Now, because he was
the one who’d let the cat out of the bag, he felt obligated to acknowledge the rumors. Actually, he did more than acknowledge them; he confirmed them. He told a Los Angeles radio show that he had pushed his actors to be physical, and as a result, a few of the blows were real. He stressed that it was not uncommon for actors who insisted on doing their own stunts to get a bruise or two. He thought he had made it sound like a run-of-the-mill set scrape, but everyone saw right through him, and it became the talk of the town.
The real-life rivalry over Michelle would soon be played out on the big screen. Blog posts with headlines like In the Fight of His Wife, or David vs. Goliath were everywhere by that evening, and Kyle Petersen threw an absolute fit.
When Nathan’s phone rang, it was Heather calling to inform him that her boss was stomping around so much he might make it rain.
“I’m sorry if it bothers him,” Nathan said unconvincingly. “But he does know that his character wins the fight, right? You know, by actually killing the other guy? I don’t think I could make him any more butch if I put him on a horse.”
“Okay, I’ll tell him,” Heather said. She and Nathan had logged some real hours on the phone since her employ with his leading man. She was his shield against the temperamental actor, and he was therefore patient with her requests on Kyle’s behalf.
“Did you hear about Michelle?” Heather asked, rather than hanging up.
“What do you mean?” Nathan hadn’t.
“She got the court to amend the restraining order so Kyle can attend the premiere.”
“He’s going to be at the premiere?” Nathan paused. “Damn.”
“I knew you’d say that, but I think it’s sweet of her.”
“It is,” he agreed. “Are you going?”
“No!” she said, surprised at the mention of the idea. “He doesn’t like me to attend the same events he’s attending, but I suspect I’ll be grounded for not talking you out of your decision anyway.”
“That’s not fair!”
“It’s fine, and it’s work.” She said the next part like she was repeating a mantra. “I’m lucky to be where I am.”
“Well, tell him no hard feelings and I’ll see him at the premiere.”
“I will. Bye, Nathan.”
Heather slid her phone into her back pocket and then went to find Kyle.
He was in his office, sitting at his desk. All things considered, he took the news rather well. In fact, he had calmed down substantially. When he nodded at her, she gladly took the cue and left the room quickly.
Kyle was far more interested in what he had found on his computer. He’d suspected that Nathan would not change his mind, and the thought of an onscreen fight with David had returned his thoughts to the footage that he so recently hadn’t wanted to view at all. In his old bedroom, he had once delivered a colossal punch to David’s head, and he was looking for that footage. His resulting hand injury and subsequent re-injury were also caught on camera, but he would find a way to edit that part out.
He didn’t know if he wanted to leak their private fight or just cheer himself up with it, but he found what he was looking for and watched it with fascination. Silently, he slugged his opponent, who staggered but righted himself and then tricked Kyle into striking the wall. It was not nearly as flattering as he’d hoped, but even in black and white, Kyle thought David looked ridiculous in that robe. He began scrolling back to see if he could find David in a more compromising position, or perhaps catch a glimpse of his wife topless.
Kyle was focused on the feed from Michelle’s bedroom, but it just showed her milling around alone. She arranged the perfume bottles on her dresser but just wouldn’t take off the bra she was wearing. Kyle willed her to take it off, never once connecting that since he was watching everything backward, she was more likely to put clothes on.
Movement in one of the other screens caught his eye, and what he saw made him cry out in shock.
“Holy shit!”
Shaunna and David were in the ground floor oasis, naked and kissing.
“He’s cheating on Michelle with her,” Kyle said to his astounded reflection in the screen. He rewound the pool room footage back to the beginning and watched as Shaunna knelt in front of David and worked her mouth on him. The camera was behind her, showing her round rear end, and David’s stupid, satisfied face. When they went into the water, the falls distorted the action. It looked like David was returning the favor, but they could have been playing cribbage for all Kyle could really make out. When they eventually left the pool, they were pressed together like dictionary pages and kissed for a while before she disappeared from sight, only to return with the bathrobes that didn’t belong to either of them.
“Heather! Get in here!”
Kyle was already reaching for a flash drive.
Chapter Thirty-Five
HAVING WRAPPED HIS TV SHOW, David was finally free of his scraggly beard, and Shaunna was thrilled that his neck was clean-shaven again so she could kiss it.
He was too.
They found themselves alone in the house one early afternoon. Sly had gone home early because Michelle had appointments in Burbank. His side work on the Malibu estate had been completed for a month, but the cleanup was miraculously taking a long time. Neither Michelle nor Sly would make the first move, but David and Shaunna could surf on the sexual tension between them.
This day, however, belonged to them. The mansion had a colossal basement level that was cooler than any of the other rooms. Kyle had used the space as his den, but Sly and David had converted it into a fashionable private art gallery, where Michelle could properly display the paintings and sculptures Kyle had never had the sense to desire in the continuing divorce proceedings.
David and Shaunna walked into the room holding hands and, for a few moments, their breath. The pieces were quite exquisite. Michele had a fine, if bohemian, eye for art. Some paintings came from the French Realism period, while others came from the German Expressionism movement. Another half dozen came from America, and most of those were compelling examples of Luminism.
A round red upholstered bench sat in a sea of shiny black marble flooring. Since the day Sly and David brought it downstairs, it had always made Shaunna think of Mars floating in its big black expanse of space. She had also wanted David to make love to her on the tempting padded platform from the first moment she saw it.
David slipped away and dimmed the lights so just the art pieces were illuminated. Everything looked just as Shaunna had pictured it in her imagined gallery rendezvous.
David began unbuttoning his shirt as the determination in his eyes warned Shaunna that he intended to lose control. It was a thrill for her to see that look. Shaunna kicked off her shoes as she readied herself for his hunger. She was wearing a skirt, but he didn’t bother taking it off and wasn’t going to give her a chance to, either. She only just managed to slide something black and lacy down her legs before he embraced her, bare-chested.
When he kissed her, his mouth was hot and occupied her lips and tongue with a slow introduction. He then reached down and pulled Shaunna’s blouse over her head, his long fingers moving to the back of her bra before the clothing even hit the floor.
“It’s a front loader,” Shaunna whispered as David slid his hand over the smooth fabric above her spine.
He knelt down in front of her with a grateful smile. “So it is.”
He efficiently worked the clasp with a light touch, and the cups fell open, offering Shaunna a rush of cool air against her skin. David sighed contentedly as he beheld her liberated breasts.
He often stopped to stare at her before or after their lovemaking. It had made the shy woman uncomfortable at first, but after a while, she’d learned to accept the compliment for what it was. To David’s enjoyment, she had even been known to pose for him from time to time as his eyes flickered over her like candlelight. David sighed again and took each soft nipple into his mouth until it was pert and wet.
He then stood up and began unfastenin
g his belt until Shaunna took over. She liked doing this for him. When she unfastened his pants, an immediate display of smooth, stretched cotton told her that what waited beneath need only be exposed.
After she freed him, she gave him a soft squeeze that drew an appreciative moan from her normally mute lover. Shaunna felt immense satisfaction over David’s immediate pleasure. In her book, sighs didn’t count.
Shaunna released him, walked to the bench, and sat down, taking her breasts in her hands and pushing them slightly apart. David had never seen her do this, but he understood her meaning. He stepped between her open legs and nestled his solid form in her soft cleavage. She felt his warmth and even his pulse as she wound her arms around his body.
With her arms crossed, she pressed him into her, and he groaned yet again, fueling her excitement. When she began sliding her breasts up and down, she utilized her position and took him into her mouth in a great gulp that surprised him into a half-moan, half-yelp.
Shaunna was fascinated by the way that he always seemed hard in her hand, but soft in her mouth. She liked creating suction and moving her tongue around in a flurry. She prepared him long enough to hear his breathing hasten, and then she repositioned his slick organ between her breasts.
She kept moving like a determined motor, and whenever David’s erection neared her parted lips, Shaunna eagerly kissed or licked him. Occasionally, she stopped altogether to slide him in and out of her warm and welcoming mouth.
David had stamina, but he wasn’t going to be able to take much more of the ultra-stimulating gesture. Her intensity made him want to move on to something that served her fantasy more fully.
With a tremendous exertion of will, David pulled away from her and told her to lie back. He stepped out of his shoes and pants before parting her thighs with strong hands that had recently become rough with all the horse riding he’d done on-set. She admired his shoulder muscles and arms, which had grown bigger and more defined since they’d gone swimming together in Texas.