by G S Binkley
“Yeah, sure. Why not?” Ryan answered. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
*************************
When Lacy arrived at her trailer, Gage was nowhere in sight. She found a note stating that her partner would be there shortly as she was in a meeting with Mark. Good. She quickly changed and backtracked through the studio, waiting for her prey to pass.
As the redhead approached her red sports car, she waved to several other co-workers. “Be right there.”
“Or not.” The cold, clear and firm words stopped the redhead in her tracks.
Turning around to meet the taller woman, the younger woman sarcastically said. “Well, well, well…. the divine Levine.”
“And, if it isn’t… Kathy Griffen. Or, should I say… Griff the rift.” A red eyebrow jumped up before Lacy continued. “Yes, rift. Like the one you tried to cause between me and Gage on my last movie and in New Orleans when you intercepted my calls to her.”
“Oh, that.” Griff laughed off the accusation. “That was nothing.” She stepped closer to the taller woman. “You haven’t seen nothin’ yet.”
Fuming, Lacy stifled the raging fire building inside. “I don’t know how you connived your way back onto this movie but rest assured…. if you so much as touch….” Sucking in a stilling breath, Lacy continued. “…No one, nothing will come between me and Gage.” Lacy poked the redhead’s chest. “Got it.”
Griff watched Lacy walk away then mumbled. “Got it. That’s the plan. Gonna get it.” Smiling, she slid into her convertible and cranked the engine.
***********************
When Lacy arrived back at her trailer, Gage was anxiously waiting. The night before Lacy had been distant and it seemed nothing had changed the next day. Gage felt like she was the plague the way her partner was ignoring her. I can’t really blame her. When Lacy asked if Gage knew Griff was hired to work on the movie, her partner’s guilty look confirmed her suspicions. There was a time in my life when lying was easy…but, I just can’t lie to her. So, Gage took her punishment in stride. She was desperately trying to figure out a way to make it up to her partner when Lacy arrived back at the trailer.
“I’m sorry.” Gage offered for the umpteenth time.
Sitting down next to Gage, Lacy decided it was time to make amends with her lover. “The only thing that really concerned me was that you knew about it and didn’t tell me or why.” Lacy informed her partner.
Gage pulled Lacy closer. “You weren’t feeling well and I didn’t want to put any more stress on you. I was going to tell you. Really. I couldn’t find the right time.”
Lacy eyed her partner carefully. Something’s up, I know that for sure. But, she has never lied to me. The dark haired woman kissed Gage.
“Am I forgiven?” Gage asked hopefully.
She kissed the blonde again. “For now.” The younger woman stood up. “Come on, let’s go home.” I will get to the bottom of this though.
Gage happily jumped up and led Lacy out of the trailer.
************************
Tony Kussler carefully eyed the cast and crew of Lacy Levine’s new movie. He choose a dark and secluded corner in the crowded bar as he waited for his cohort. Thinking of the movie star, Tony’s anger flared. I will get that bitch. Somehow… some way.
When Blade arrived for the schedule meeting, he plopped down across from the dark haired man. “You buying?”
Waving for the waitress, Tony ordered a beer for his flunky. “Let’s make this quick.” Nodding to the group he’d been carefully watching, he said. “Didn’t know they’d be here.”
Blade gulped down the ice-cold beer, swiping his mouth with his sleeve. “Ahhh… everything’s set. I can move anytime.”
Tony felt compelled to slap his partner in crime but reframed from that impulse. “Are you stupid or something? Your job is to keep an eye out for anything I can use. You don’t move on them unless I say. Got it.”
“Hell! After what she did to you, losing your job and all.” Blade sneered. “I woulda already…” The young man knew his boss blamed Lacy Levine for getting canned from a very lucrative co-host job on a network entertainment show.
“Shut up. You do what I am paying you to do.” A loud roar from the crowd greeted their director as Ryan entered the bar, which caught Tony’s attention. “You need to get closer. I want everything…anything. Now, get out of here. I’ll call you later.”
Blade whined. “I was gonna have another beer.”
Squinting eyes shot daggers at the scruffy man with long blonde hair. Tony threw a twenty at him. “Now, go on. I’ll call you later.” Tony watched Blade leave. He knew Blade would jump into his black shiny sports car and head straight to a liquor store before he would crash in his one room apartment.
Ryan joined the small group gathered around the table. “Hey, guys.” He sat down between Shanti and Shonnel Westin. Griff sat across from him next to Michael and with Ben Thomason on her left. Boyd Dietrich was trying to make time with the pretty young waitress serving them.
“What will you have Ryan?” Michael asked.
Shonnel laughed. “You’ll have to get it yourself. Boyd has our waitress cornered.”
Shanti propped her hand under her chin. “Somebody should save her.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t look too happy.” Ben agreed. The gallant actor rose and set out on his mission.
“He’s nice.” Shanti’s green eyes followed the handsome young actor.
When Ryan finally answered Michael, he found his assistant director’s attention riveted on Griff as she spoke to the other strawberry blonde across from her.
“If you like that model.” Griff purred then gave Shanti a wink.
The slightly older girl returned Griff’s comment with a shy smile.
Ryan cleared his throat. “Maker’s Mark and coke if you don’t mind.”
Sucked in by the magnetic pull Griff generated at Shanti, Michael summoned all the strength he had to respond to his boss. “I’ll get it.”
As the evening progressed, Ben saved the waitress from the inebriated older actor and eventually one by one each member of the group drifted out leaving Michael and Griff alone at the table. Both, somewhat the worse for wear, revealed the thoughts they were harboring all night long.
“You know, Michael, my friend…. Shanti means peace.” Griff slapped him on the arm. Smiling, Griff concluded. “That’s exactly what I’m going to get…. a piece.”
Devastated by his friend’s announcement, Michael countered quickly in order to hide his true feelings. “Not before I do.” And, the bet was on.
***********************
Stella had one of those mysterious Saturday morning meetings. And, since Lacy asked Gage to take the kids out for some ice cream, she had the house to herself as she met with her lawyer.
“If David agrees, what other problems might I encounter?” Lacy was anxious to get her wishes cemented on paper.
Jack Timble perused the paper before him. Finally, he took off his glasses. “Is this what you want?”
“Yes.” Lacy said adamantly.
“Then as along as he agrees to it…. I see no problem.” Shuffling the papers together, he concluded. “However, Lacy, anyone…someone else in the family or even David himself even if he signs it…. can take this back to court and try and have it changed.”
“No.” She forced out quickly. “This has to be an iron clad contract. I want nothing… and I mean nothing to break my wishes on this matter.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to Art about it.”
“My agent?”
The fifty-six year old man stood up. “Lacy, I know of none better than Art to ensure that every potential loophole is covered.”
Remembering how Art Graham skillfully dodged any loopholes in her contract negotiations with Ron Griffen, Lacy agreed. “He is rather good at that.”
***********************
As Gage negotiated her vehicle at the turn near the entrance of Mark’s home,
she spotted Derek handing Sammy his cone. “Derek, no. Wait till we get home.” Her attention then turned to see Lacy walk out the front door with her lawyer right behind. Gage smiled. She is beautiful. So, lost in her thoughts, Gage didn’t see that even as Derek tried to comply with her wishes, Sammy’s quick hands snatched onto the cone.
“Hey! Sammy, don’t do it.” Dani warned her youngest brother as he cocked the cone in the air, ready to throw it. “You’re gonna be in big….” Too late. “….trouble.”
The cone filled with melting ice cream splashed on the leather seat, dripping onto the carpet. Gage pulled the car to a stop, put it in park and turned off the engine.
“Uhhh ohh…” Derek groaned. Scared, the young six year old waited for the explosion he was sure would come. The last time this kind of accident happened, Derek was with his father.
Sammy, on the other hand, was smiling while Dani slammed her hand across her face, peeking through her fingers at Gage. She was thankful her mom was now standing at the passenger door after seeing her lawyer friend off.
Gage slowly twisted around to see the sloppy mess. In one moment of reflection, Gage pondered a similar incident from her past.
Lacy, seeing the mess herself, spoke sharply. “What happened here?” She glanced at Derek then to her smiling two year old. Lacy knew how much Gage loved her old jeep, taking meticulous care of it. “Derek?”
Finally, Gage spoke. “Lacy, it’s okay. It was an accident.” The blonde smiled at Derek. “That’s all.”
Except for Sammy who didn’t care, the rest of the group was surprised the dam hadn’t burst from the owner of the vehicle. Gage got out of the car and helped the kids out before she turned them over to her partner. “Derek, why don’t you help me clean this mess up?”
Seeing that she wasn’t mad at him, he was only too eager to help. “I’ll get the cleaning stuff.”
************************
The next morning Lacy was wide-awake. Placing gentle kisses on her partner’s lips, Lacy tried to coax Gage to wake up. Her hand ran up under the top the blonde was wearing landing squarely on Gage’s breast. “Come on, get up.”
“Mmmmmm….” The sleepy blonde enjoyed her partner’s ministrations.
“Gage, sweetheart. Come on, I’m in the mood…..”
Green eyes sprung open. “In the mood? Okay.” Gage pulled her lover closer.
“For some exercise.” Lacy stated.
Wrapping her arms around Lacy, Gage agreed. “Me, too.”
“Good.” Lacy pulled away. “Let’s go.”
“Huh?” The confused blonde grunted. “You know, I’d do it anywhere you wanted, but….” She patted the bed. “..this is much more comfortable.” Gage waggled her eyebrows.
“Gage?” Lacy waited for her partner to move.
“Oh, okay?” Gage reluctantly kick started her body.
Seeing how much her lover was willing to do as she was requested, Lacy changed her mind and jumped on her partner. “I love you, you know that.”
Smiling, Gage kissed her lover lightly. “Me, too.”
Lacy’s long finger traced the outline of her lover’s jaw down her neck and continued downward. “Sweetheart?” She hesitated. “You really enjoy being with the kids, don’t you?”
“I love being with them…but, I loooove being with you.” The blonde pulled her lover down on top of her. “Want me to show you?”
They exchanged longing kisses before Lacy laid her head on Gage’s shoulder. “How do you do it?”
Gage frowned at the question before her.
Lacy didn’t need to look to know what expression just crossed her lover’s face. “When Sammy dropped the ice cream in the car, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have handled as well as you did.”
A deep laugh escaped the blonde. “Oh, that’s easy really. The secret is when something like that happens I pretend it’s someone I hardly know that did it. That way I don’t show if I am upset about it. You see, when I do this, it gives me time later to re-evaluate what happened. I realize that it’s only leather not the end of the world. And, truthfully, it’s a big reward to me. I guess I’m a bit selfish about it to know I didn’t get mad or angry and that makes me feel good.”
“Easier said than done.” Lacy countered.
“Yeah, I know.” Tapping her lover’s nose with her finger, Gage confessed. “That happened to me once… it was an ice cream soda and I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I did. Okay?”
Lacy nodded and brushed her lips against her lover’s neck. “I’m sorry. What I said about you taking care of the kids. You’re wonderful with them.”
Gage allowed a single tear to fall from her eye. “Thank you.”
Lacy glanced up at her lover and wiped the tear away with a kiss causing Gage to smile. “Now, about that exercise you wanted.”
It was a long and tiring session but very satisfying for both.
Chapter Ten
The next couple of weeks of filming went rather smoothly. Griff stayed out of Lacy’s way, as she was busy wooing the young starlet. Michael did his part to intervene, plying Shanti with attention and compliments but Ryan could tell his heart wasn’t in it.
As the young assistant director finished up coordinating the afternoon schedule for some exterior scenes he was going to shoot, Ryan stopped to talk with him. “Michael, can we talk?”
Handing the paper to his boss, Michael asked. “You want some changes to it?”
Shoving them back at the younger man, Ryan said. “No, I trust you have it under control. Listen…..” Scanning the empty set, he continued. “…you and Griff… I know you got this thing going with Shanti.”
Michael started to protest but halted himself.
“It’s not been a problem really… at least not on the set.” Ryan clasped the dark haired man’s shoulder. “I know about the bet….”
“It’s not really a bet, Ryan… more like….”
“You like her, don’t you?”
“Yeah, she’s cute and funny and… nice.”
“Nice? Griff is nice?” The director pondered this novel idea.
Stunned, by this revelation, Michael countered. “We’re just friends.”
“Okay, if you say so.” Ryan nudged the young man forward, leading him off the set. “I don’t want you to get hurt. She’s only out for herself.”
Michael stopped abruptly. “Please don’t say that…. I… nothing.”
Seeing that his young friend had it bad, Ryan gave him a reprieve. “I’m there for you if you ever need to talk.”
Michael shook his head in acceptance of the genuine offer.
*********************
“Mark, are you all set?”
Nervously, Mark played with the small box in his coat pocket. “Yes. I think.”
“Next week is the fourth of July. You and Julie and the kids are coming to our home, right?” Gage asked.
“That’s the plan.”
“Then we’re good to go.” The blonde turned to leave.
“Gage, wait up a minute.” Mark turned serious. “Can we talk…it’s kinda important.”
“Sure.” Gage sat down in the chair across from Mark.
“After the fourth, I need to head to New York for a couple of weeks.”
“No problem.”
“We have that location shoot in St. Louis then and I want everything to….”
“Relax, Mark. I’ll take care of it.” Gage assured her friend.
Reluctant, he continued. “That’s what I wanted to talk with you about.”
She saw her friend morphed into full out professional mode. A sight she had seen before as he ruled over the boardroom meetings.
“You’ve missed several productions meetings…. “
Uh oh.. Gage finished for her friend. “I’m not up to speed about things and I’ve been remiss in my duties around here….and, I don’t take things as seriously as….everyone else.”
“In a nutshell.” Mark agreed. “I envy the way you go
about things…. seemingly without a care in the world. It is a business…. and people depend on us to do our job.”
Realizing she had let her producing partner down, Gage vowed. “I’ll do a lot better. No more monkey business for me. After all, we have Stella to watch the kids.”
“Gage, I think the world of you. You put Lacy and the kids first at all costs. That’s something I’d like to be able to do.” He slumped down on the edge of the desk. “Guess I’m from the old-school…. habit. Maybe it’s all I’ve ever had… work.” Before he could explain further, the telephone rang. “Hello.” Concern loomed on his face. “I’ll be right there.”
“You need me?”
“No, that was Julie. Her son’s in a bit of trouble.” Mark hurried out of his office. He flew by too fast to even recognize Griff.
Determined to not let her friend down, Gage marched out the door and ran smack dab into Griff.
“Well, all you had to do was ask.” Griff held onto the blonde.
Untangling their arms, Gage stepped back. “Griff, that’s enough.”
“What a tease? Feel me up and then you shy away.” Griff moved in closer. “I can certainly help you get over your shyness.” Slipping her hand on Gage’s hip, Griff quickly moved in, only a breath away.
Two hands shot up, forcefully pushing the overeager redhead away. “No. No way. Not ever. Do you understand?” Gage said sternly.
“Oh, don’t be coy.”
The angry blonde stepped forward. “I’m not interested, Griff. Even if Lacy and I weren’t together, it would never happen between us. Trust me.” The resolute words dripped like poison from the blonde’s mouth.
Repulsed and hurt by being rebuffed, Griff’s defenses went up. “As if I was really interested.” She grunted. “Honey, you don’t know what you’re missing.” Spinning around, Griff left Gage standing in the hallway.
Thinking of her lover, Gage softly said. “I’m not missing a thing.”