by Naomi Niles
He responded a few minutes later. “You are welcome! But, if you don’t mind me asking, what was the surprise?”
“LOL – really? Do you send that many gifts out to different women that you’ve forgotten which ones you sent them to?”
“No, really. I don’t remember sending anything to you. What was it?”
“Wait. You didn’t send me a bouquet of flowers?”
“I wish that I did, but no. I didn’t. Did you read the card?”
I thought back to the blank card, and at that moment, I realized that Ezra wouldn’t have been a secret admirer. Suddenly, the warm feelings I had from thinking about the flowers shifted to a brisk chill. “Yeah, I read the card. It just said from my secret admirer. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“No, that wasn’t me, babe.”
I froze in my seat and looked at Carrie as she bobbed her head to the music that played through the speakers inside of the car. From there, my mind went straight to Brian and sent a sickening feeling to the pit of my stomach. No, that can’t be him. He doesn’t know where I live. Does he? No, that can’t be him. I went back and forth in my mind about who could’ve sent the flowers, but as I went on, all things pointed back to Brian. He found out how to get my number, so maybe he found out how to get my address as well. Ezra sent another message. “Babe? Are you OK? Everything all right?”
“Um, yeah. I think so. I just have to figure out who sent these flowers.”
“Well, maybe it would help if you weren’t messing around with so many guys.”
“Yeah, that would help… since you want to be funny. I’m out with Carrie right now though, and you know how she gets when she feels people are intruding on our time together.”
“Yeah, Jeff is the same way – LOL – well, enjoy yourself. I’ll talk to you later.”
“OK.”
I sat quietly in the passenger seat as Carrie sang out loud to a Rihanna song. “Shine bright like a diamond,” she said, popping her hands on the steering wheel. “I wonder why they are playing this old ass song? I don’t care though, because this was my jam. Shine bright like a diamond, shine bright like a diamond.” Just then, I received another text from an unsaved number.
“Hey, I was going to get mad because you didn’t thank me for the flowers, but then I realized you might not have known who sent them. Even so, you still wouldn’t have known how to contact me.”
“Brain, I warned you to stop. This is getting crazy now. First, my number, now my address? This is going too far. I’ve asked you to stop contacting me, but you don’t seem to get it, so I will take matters into my own hands.”
“All right, babe. Whatever you have to do. I’ll talk to you later.”
I was seething when I put my phone into my purse, and it took me a little while to notice that Carrie was glaring directly at me with her eyebrows wrinkled between her eyes. “Um, are you all right? I’ve been calling your name for the past few minutes.”
“I’m fine,” I said with a terse response. “Well, I am fine now. Or, I will be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I am.” I looked outside, attempting to erase the anger mixed with fear that swirled around in my head. “Oh, we are here? OK, let’s get inside. I am craving one of those bacon and swiss grilled cheese sandwiches.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ezra
As soon as I opened the door, Hannah rushed inside with a sea of nervousness swirling around in her eyes. “It was him, Ezra,” she said as I closed the door behind her. “It was him. That fucking creepy ass stalker! He sent me the flowers! That means he knows where I live! I am freaking out right now! I threw those goddamned flowers in the trash, and I haven’t been home since!”
“Whoa, whoa. OK, calm down,” I said as I put my arms around her. “Just calm down, OK? I’ll handle it. Don’t worry about that guy. As a matter of fact,” I extended my hand, “let me have your phone. I’ll call him right now. Is the number still in your call log?”
She exhaled and pulled her phone from her purse. “Yes. He called me earlier today right before the flowers showed up. My God, I’ve never been so paranoid in my life. I was looking around corners and scanning the parking lot of my building as soon as I got outside.”
“He can’t get up to your room though, can he? I mean, security is pretty tight.”
“There are ways,” she said as she handed me her phone. “There are ways around it. They usually let delivery guys up without a problem because they don’t want to ruin any surprises… and if he is anything like I think he is, he can find a way to sneak in. Security is not as tight as you think.” I took the phone from her hand, and she pointed to the number he called from. “That one right there.”
As soon as I dialed the number, an operator message spoke through the speaker. I hung up and dialed again just to get the same response. “It’s dead,” I said, looking at the phone. “Are there any more numbers?” She scrolled through the call log and landed on another one. As soon as I dialed it, another operator message spoke through the speaker. I looked at Hannah as she flopped down on my couch and buried her head in her hands.
“Why now?” she said. “Why now? We are about to start shooting this movie, and I’ve got a fucking stalker that is about to drive me crazy. I am going to be so fucking paranoid, and now, I don’t even know if I will be able to focus. Why are people like this?! Why can’t he just fucking let me live!” I placed her phone on the table as she started crying out loud. I was incensed at the fact that whoever this guy was, he made her uncomfortable. I felt helpless. There was nothing I could do to stop him until he called or did something crazy when I was around.
I sat next to her and held her close. “Baby, just don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t worry about it?” she snapped. “He knows where I live, Ezra. He has my number. He has probably already broken into my home and started sniffing my fucking panties by now!” She covered her face just in time for me to tuck my laughter inside my mouth. I didn’t know if she was trying to be funny or not, so I played it on the safe side. Once I calmed down, I continued comforting her.
“Baby, listen. How about you stay here with me for the time being. I mean, at least until we find out what this guy is about. Maybe even get the police involved if we have to. I don’t think we will, because honestly, if I step in and happen to catch up with him, I will beat the living shit out of him and make it so he can’t even use a phone without somebody else dialing the number for him.”
She wiped her eyes, “No, no,” she said. “I don’t want you going to jail over some mess like that. For all I know, he will press charges on you and then fuck up the filming process and maybe even your career. I don’t know, Ezra. I just have to figure this one out.”
“No. WE will figure this one out. We are in this together and if you are feeling some kind of way about this, then so am I. If you’re uncomfortable, then I am, too. That’s how I see it.”
We sat in silence as she sniffled and tried to calm herself down. I was pissed that she was dealing with that, but at the same time, I was upset that Tanya was trying to pull the same type of bullshit on me with my sons. “Well,” I said, solemnly, “you’re not the only one with an issue right now. I guess I may as well be up front with you, too.” She wiped her eyes and looked towards me. “My ex is threatening to keep my sons away from me while I am filming. She is trying to say that she doesn’t want them around this kind of movie, but she knows I wouldn’t expose them to anything sexual at their ages. She is just being petty right now.”
I stood up and paced the room, glancing at the pictures of my boys on the fireplace mantle. They were my heart, and if she did take them away, I didn’t know what I would do with myself. “But, I know she will make good on the threat if she has to. She is just upset with how things are starting to look up for me, you know? I’ve been doing low-end movies for a while now, and as soon as I land a major one, here she comes using my kids as leverage to do some fucked up shit to m
e. She is a bitch, Hannah. There is no other way to describe her.”
She stood up and headed towards me as I stood in front of the fireplace. I felt her hand wrap around my waist as her other hand slid onto my stomach. “That is messed up, Ezra. I know how much you love your boys and I hate that she is putting you through that. When did she say this to you?”
“Earlier today. She showed up a little while after I came home from the gym. I thought she had my boys with her, but when she came in without them, I knew it was about to be a bunch of bullshit.”
“Damn. So, I guess we both have some things in front of us to distract us from our dreams. That’s all this is. We are both here, ready to ascend to another place in our lives and we both have roadblocks right in front of us. I have a crazy stalker, and you have a crazy ex.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “So, what are we going to do now?”
I pressed my lips against her forehead. “We roll with the punches. I’m going to do what I can to take care of your stalker, though. I don’t want that to get out of hand, and from what I can tell, he is a persistent little punk. If push comes to shove, then we get the police involved, but I hope it doesn’t have to come to that and it won’t if I can get to him first.”
“Well, I don’t want you doing anything that will put yourself in jail, so, I think the best option is just to contact the police first. Now, if something happens and you are with me, that is a different story, but I don’t want you to go looking for him or anything. That’s not how I want it to go down.”
“Baby, if–”
“If you get arrested, then who knows how that will affect the movie. Just trust me on this one Ezra, OK? Just trust me.” I exhaled as she stood next to me. It was hard not to do anything to protect her, but she was right. I could mess around and whoop this guy’s ass just to end up in jail and have to watch another person play my role because I was behind bars. “And,” she added, “I know a good lawyer that can help you out if your ex decides she wants to keep your boys from you. I think she would even be willing to work pro bono. She has something against women who use children against their fathers. Her mother did the same thing to her when she was younger, and her father died without her having the chance to get to know him. She has held that bitterness all her life, and it has made her a vicious family lawyer.”
“Really?” I said with a smirk. “Well, shit, introduce me to her right now. I’ve got a feeling that I am going to need her pretty soon.”
“I have her card at my place. I’ll make sure I get you that information.”
“Thank you.”
I held the sides of her face as I planted a kiss on her lips. While our lips were connected, my hands slid beyond her waist. “Wait,” she said, holding my hand in place. “Wait. How about we hold off on that for right now?”
“Hold off? Why?”
“Because I have a feeling that we will fuck from now until tomorrow,” she said, smiling. “And I still need to make sure I have all my lines memorized. I mean, I know I do, but I am just being anal about everything right now. I don’t want to mess up.”
I pulled her closer to me, “What if we… just work on the sex scenes,” I said, kissing on her neck.
She laughed, “No, Ezra. No. Honestly, we have any and every sex scene down pat right now. I know we do. I just want to fine-tune everything, that’s all.”
I sighed. “All right, babe.”
“Are you mad?”
“No, I’m not mad. I understand, and in fact, I think it is a good idea. We’ve got a lot on our plates right now, and we need to be ready to go when we begin shooting. But how about this. You stay here a little longer, and I promise to be on my best behavior. I just want to be around in case that guy happens to call you back, you know? I want to get to the bottom of that as quickly as I can so you can walk around your own parking lot with peace.”
“All right,” she said, planting one more kiss on my lips as her hand danced across my chest. “Just a little while longer.”
“You keep kissing me like that, and you’re going to have to pry me off of you.”
She laughed. “All right, terminator. I’ll keep my distance.” She stepped away from me and went back to her spot on the couch. “So, are you cooking tonight or are we ordering in?”
“Well, Jeff nearly killed my ass at the gym today, so I am beat. I don’t feel like cooking or going anywhere, so I guess we are ordering in. Chinese? Pizza? I know a good Indian restaurant that delivers.”
“Indian food?” she asked with her eyebrows scrunched together. “I’ve never had that before. I guess I can try it, though. I mean, it’s your dollar, so if it sucks, then you’ll just have to order something else.”
I laughed. “Oh, is that how this works? I’m paying, and you eat for free?”
“Well, you usually eat for free,” she said with a wink, “so, I figured that now, it is my turn.”
It took me a few moments to realize what she was saying. I smiled at the thought. “You see, I tried to be cool, but since you want to talk like that.” I climbed on top of her as she laughed and tried to fend me off.
“Ezra, stop!” she said, laughing. “I told you not tonight!”
I nibbled on her neck and tickled her sides as she squirmed and tried to fight me off. I could do things like this with her for the rest of my life.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hannah
“Lights… camera… action!” the director shouted from his chair as I stood behind the scenes, watching Ezra’s first lines. The first shot of the movie had him positioned outside in the backyard, shooting hoops with one of his good friends. His shirt was off, and they sprinkled water on him before the scene began to make it look like he and his friend were sweating while they were in an intense game of basketball. Each time he slammed the ball into the cement, I daydreamed of the way he slammed me on the mattress while we were having sex. Each time his body banged against his opponent, I thought of his body pressed against mine as our legs were entwined together like strands of DNA.
He was a natural, and I was surprised that it took him this long to land a major deal. The director stood up from his chair and examined the scene closer as the two actors volleyed their lines to each other. Suddenly, Ezra took the ball and floated it into the air until he slammed it through the hoop. I didn’t know he was that athletic. The way he handled the ball. The way he took control of the scene and barked out his lines flawlessly sent a rush to my clit and caused the inside of my panties to soak with moisture. “Hannah,” the makeup artist said as she tapped me from behind.
I placed my hand over my mouth to keep my scream silenced. I would have hated to have been on the director’s bad side on the first day of shooting. I spun around and greeted her with a smile as she spoke. “I am ready for you in your trailer.”
“OK.”
I followed her to the side of the house where my trailer was positioned. The inside of it was like a small apartment, complete with running water, a sofa, and a small bed, along with a TV. It was fully air conditioned, and as we stepped inside, the cool air swirled around like an arctic wind. “My goodness, it is freezing in here! What did I put the air conditioner on?”
The makeup artist walked to the thermostat. “Honey, it is on 64. Do you want me to leave it alone?”
“No. Turn it off, please. Give it a chance to go back to a normal temperature. I think I forgot to turn it off before I left the room earlier.”
She flipped the thermostat off, then guided me to the vanity mirror. The circular light bulbs outlined the mirror like small spaceships as she sat me on one of the chairs just to the side. She grabbed her bag and pulled out her equipment, then started applying the makeup to my face. I closed my eyes as she used the makeup brush to knock any loose dirt off my face before she began. “I am so nervous,” I said as I sat still with my eyes closed.
“Nervous? Why is that?”
“This is my first major movie, and from what I heard, the director can be an asshole if you a
re not performing the way he expects.”
She laughed as she slid the brush into her bag and pulled out the foundation. “Well, yeah, he can be. I’ve witnessed him chew out a few actors and actresses myself. He is ruthless sometimes, but it is only because he is a perfectionist. He doesn’t put up with foolishness on the set or anything like that. He likes professionals, so I am kind of surprised that he chose to work with new talent for this movie.”
“He doesn’t work with new talent often?” I asked, slowly opening my eyes. She was a beautiful blonde woman. Thin with hazel eyes and a long, but cute nose. Her eyebrows were arched perfectly above her eyes, and her curly hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a few strands hanging loose on her forehead. Her lips were coated with a thin layer of gloss as she dabbed the foundation with one of her pads, then applied it to my cheeks.
“I’ve been with Leonard for a few movies now, and he always has established talent or somebody who has at least two feature films under their belt. I was surprised when he chose you and Ezra, but hey, all that means is that he saw something in the both of you from the beginning. I heard he shut the casting down early when he saw you. He didn’t look at anybody else after that. That says a lot,” she dabbed more foundation onto the pad and gently rubbed it onto my cheek. Her words sent a nervous shock through my body as my heart thumped like rabbit’s feet, racing across the grass in a wide field.
“But I wouldn’t worry, though. Do you know your lines front to back?”
“Yes. I’ve had my lines memorized for about two weeks now.”
“Well, shoot, that is the hard part. Now, all you have to do is perform. I don’t know what you did during your audition, but if you can replicate that, then everything will go just fine. It seems that you are a natural, and from what I hear, the chemistry between you and Ezra is something to behold.” She put her finger on the bottom of my chin and lifted my face closer to the light. “Hold still right there for me. But yeah, you and Ezra. That chemistry is strong and just play towards that. Make sure that everyone believes that he is your man and you are his woman, but more importantly, be yourself. That is the reason you are in this position right now. Don’t go up there trying to be Hayden Panettiere, Scarlett Johansson, or any of those other young actresses. They did what they had to do to make it to where they are; now you have to do you. As long as you get that, you’ll be fine. Golden.”