Moments Lost and Found

by Olivia Jake

  After about a half hour, Alex came in with a big smile in her typical uniform of a tank top and jeans, but as usual, looked effortlessly gorgeous. Sam stood up and gave her a big hug as Alex said sincerely, “I am so sorry I’m late, Sam! We were all set to wrap and then the director stopped by, literally at the eleventh hour! Naturally, no one from the studio had shared any of the concepts with him before the shoot, so there we were tap dancing hoping he’d like what we just spent the last 12 hours shooting… He had a couple things he wanted shot. Anyway, sorry.”

  James couldn’t help but interject “Yeah, those directors can be such perfectionists.”

  Alex looked sheepishly at James, then Sam, then back at James, “Ummm, let me guess, you’re a director?”

  He flashed a grin and shrugged, “Guilty as charged.”

  Alex flushed bright red and brought her hands to her face, “Oh, that probably came out all wrong…” now everyone was smiling, even Alex as she so obviously was doing a little dance here, “What I meant was, the studio really should have brought the director in from the beginning to make sure he was on the same page… and, um, the director offered some invaluable suggestions that really made the whole shoot better.” Alex giggled, “You buying any of that?” she asked James.

  He shook his head, “Not for a second. My suggestion, as one of those pesky directors, stick to, what is it you do?” James asked.

  “I’m a photographer.”

  “Right, stick to that. I wouldn’t suggest acting.” They all laughed.

  “I think that sounds like good advice, from an expert.” Alex emphasized, trying to get on James’ good side. Though with Alex, it was hard not to love her. There was a warmth about her that made her instantly welcoming. Even if she did start the conversation off like this one did.

  Sam cleared her throat, “Alex Marché, this is James Willen. James, Alex.” They shook hands.

  Then Alex asked, “Soooo, how much stock do you put into first impressions?”

  James laughed. If Sam didn’t know any better, even with the awkward beginning there seemed to be some kind of spark between the two of them. “Lucky for you, Alex, today is ‘Free Pass Tuesday’. Now, you should know, I am not very liberal with who I give these passes out to,” and before he could finish Alex jumped in.

  “Next round’s on me. Will that earn me one of your coveted free passes?” Alex was so cute and James seemed to be enjoying the banter.

  “Well, it couldn’t hurt.” They all laughed again. Then James added, “But I’m guessing this was a girls night out, I should leave you two ladies alone.” He started to shift like he was getting out of his chair when both Sam and Alex said,

  “No!” Sam and Alex both blanched and then Sam tried to do her best to smooth it over, “How will Alex win you into her good graces if you leave?”

  “Well, I suppose one drink with you both couldn’t hurt.” Sam could tell that James didn’t want to leave, that he was enjoying their company, “Then I’ll leave you alone to gossip or talk about shopping or whatever it is that women talk about.” Both Sam and Alex rolled their eyes at that.

  Sam said, “You keep talking like that, and it’s our good graces that you’re going to have to work to get back into!” They all laughed again.

  “And I’m fresh out of free passes, James.” Alex said as she smirked at him.

  “Fair enough. Ok, what do you say, clean slate?” James asked as he held out his hand again for Alex. Alex tried to look tough, like she was mulling it over, but broke into a huge grin quickly and shook his hand and said, “Deal.”

  “You know, James, Alex here did the shoot for The Greater Good.” Sam remembered that James commented at the premiere how much he liked the keyart, so she wanted to make sure he knew Alex had a hand in it.

  “And obviously, the pesky director was not invited to the shoot.” James said with a smirk.

  Alex laughed, “I’m not going to live that down any time soon, am I?”

  “I may just have to insist that you’re the photographer on my next project just so that I can harass you at the shoot.” James said flirtatiously.

  “Torture by director?” Alex flirted back.

  “Oh, you have no idea.” James replied. At this, Sam was starting to feel like a third wheel, so she excused herself to the restroom where she texted Laurent.

  SD: How do you feel about double dating?

  Typical Laurent, he replied immediately. She sometimes wondered if he had that thing glued to his palm, though of course she knew better.

  LR: I prefer to have you all to myself. Why?

  SD: Ran into James Willen waiting for Alex. They’re hitting it off.

  LR: Good for them. I still prefer you alone.

  SD: You’re no fun.

  LR: I’ll enjoy proving you wrong on that.

  SD: Me too.

  LR: Drive safely. Text me when you’re home.

  SD: Yes, sir.

  When Sam walked back to the table, she could see Alex and James laughing.

  “So, it seems all has been forgiven?” Sam asked feeling a little like she was intruding on their date

  “Oh, no, not at all. Punishment will be taken.” James said and winked at Alex. Now Sam really felt awkward. “But I should leave you two lovely ladies to your date.” James said and got up. He leaned over and gave Alex a kiss on her cheek, “Alex, really nice being insulted by you.”

  Alex laughed, “It’s a talent I’ve honed over the years.”

  Then James leaned over and kissed Sam on her cheek, “Sam, great to see you again. Please say hello to Laurent. The four of us should all go out some time soon.”

  Sam stifled her laugh and nodded, “That sounds like a great idea. Great to see you too, James.” Sam could see Alex watch him leave. Once he was safely out the door, Sam turned to Alex, “So I wasn’t wrong?”

  Alex asked, “Wrong about what?”

  “When I went to the bathroom I texted Laurent and told him you two were hitting it off and the four of us should double date!”

  Alex couldn’t hide her giddiness, “Well, after I put my foot in it! Yeah, we did kind of hit if off, didn’t we? Oooh, a double date, that sounds like fun!” Sam inwardly rolled her eyes. Laurent would probably kill her for this. But James was the one who suggested it.

  Alex’s face scrunched up, “I guess this doesn’t violate my rule.”

  Sam looked at her with furrowed brows, wondering if, after all these years, there was some weird religion or something she didn’t know about Alex that would prevent her from dating. “Rule? What rule?”

  “Never date an actor.” Alex was deadly serious.

  “Ummm, ok. But James is a director.” Sam pointed out.

  “Yeah, but their whole job is working with actors all day…”

  “Hate to break it to you, Alex, but so is yours!” Sam laughed. And then Alex did too.

  “Yeah, but it’s not the same! I’m not immersed in all that crazy bullshit like they are in production, they don’t live in the real world, rules don’t apply to them.”

  “Alex, you live in LA and you work in the industry. If you don’t date anyone in the entertainment then you might as well take a vow of chastity!” Sam teased.

  “Wow, of all people, I never thought Sam Davis would be singing the praises of dating in LA!” Alex teased back.

  “Ok, you got me. I kind of drank the kool-aid, huh?”

  “Sounds like it! But it’s nice to see there’s hope for women like us.”

  “Look, I don’t know James, so he may turn out to be everything we both hate about this town, but what I do know is that if I hadn’t taken a chance on being with Laurent, I wouldn’t have what I have right now.” Sam said, her tone changing from teasing to sincerity.

  “You do seem happy, Sam.” Alex admitted.

  Sam smiled, looked down reflectively and then said, “I am. As hard as it is for me to admit that a man has made my life fuller, that’s exactly what he’s done.”

  “You
know, it’s funny, I’m so used to having my guard up around every guy I meet, it’s reflexive. There are so many jerks in this town.”

  “I know, I think it’s partly this industry where everything is so damn superficial and actors and directors they all live in this weird little society where things like loyalty and morality don’t exist. I know why your guard is up. So many people in entertainment, it’s all about status and moving up and moving on. I don’t want to push you Alex. You know that’s not me.”

  Alex smiled, “I know, but it was nice to just flirt a little.”

  “Shit, are we becoming girls?” Sam asked

  They both laughed, “Oh my god, I hope not!” Alex said with mock horror. “Ok, enough of this, a double date! You guys set it up and I’ll be there. Plus, I get to meet Laurent! This is so exciting!!!”

  Sam rolled her eyes, “Definitely girly!” Alex shrugged and nodded her head in agreement. Then Sam said, “We’re going to New York next week, but when we get back we’ll set it up.”

  They agreed and then moved on to talking about their jobs, their animals and the rest of the things that make up their lives. On the drive home, Sam couldn’t help but wonder what a double date would be like. It would be interesting if nothing else. Laurent would definitely not be pleased, but Sam was curious to see just how he handled an evening like this. She’d seen him at industry events, and obviously with his family, but they’d never been out as a couple in a purely social setting.

  CHAPTER 22

  Sam, Laurent and Steve all flew to New York together Thursday. This, in and of itself was odd. But when they ran into Mark and his team in the airport, it got even weirder. In fact, most of first class was taken up by the two teams. Sam was glad that she and Mark had discussed their TimeCap meetings a few weeks prior, and all their respective cards had already been placed on the table. Still, the level of awkward was through the roof. It would have probably been fine, the two agencies together like that, given their history, if Laurent weren’t there. But he was. And he wasn’t keen on sharing his time with Sam with anyone else, especially not Mark. Laurent was cordial enough, but he made it very clear that Sam was with him. In fact, other than when they had to give their tickets to the flight attendant at the gate, he didn’t let go of her hand. Sam’s feelings were a combination of amused, flattered and annoyed. And even though they were friendly competitors, they were still just that, so after the initial pleasantries, Mark and his team kept to themselves.

  Thankfully, they were all staying at different hotels, so once they landed, that was the last of the competing-agency-kumbaya. The moment they got into their limo, Laurent became Sam’s Laurent. The change was immediate and while Sam wished he could be a little more accommodating when they were with other people, she felt special that he let his guard down only with her.

  From the second the limo pulled away from the curb, Laurent made his intentions clear. He raised the partition and looked at Sam. Before he even uttered a word, she smiled, knowing that flirty Frenchman was back.

  “What are you smiling about, Cheri?”

  “I know that look.”

  “Oh really?” he grabbed her hand and kissed her palm, “and what look is that?” he asked playfully.

  “It’s a look that you reserve for me.” She said coquettishly.

  “Yes, that is true, Cheri. So, you know my looks. Do you know what I am thinking, too?” he asked with a mischievous smile.

  “That we have at least 45 minutes until we get to the city and it would be a shame to waste this back seat?”

  Laurent laughed, “Samantha, I had no idea you were a mind reader in addition to everything else.” Sam climbed on top of Laurent’s lap, straddling him. He moved his hands to her ass as she leaned down to kiss him. God it felt good to be with him. After all the tension in the airport and the flight, it was so good when it was just the two of them. All the horn honking of New York traffic outside just melted away. They both felt the electricity as their kiss turned passionate, biting and tugging at each other’s lips, deepening the kiss as Sam started moving on top of him. He held her hips still, knowing how that frustrated her, making her kiss him even harder. She reached down to undo his belt and as she did that, he slipped his hands up, under her shirt, lifting her shirt off and un clasping her bra. He immediately took one of her nipples into his mouth and she moaned, throwing back her head. She started moving her hips again and his hands clamped down on them. He stopped sucking on her breast and looked up at her,

  “Samantha, I want you to switch places with me.” Sam barely nodded, she was already so worked up, they switched places so that now she was sitting in the seat, and he was kneeling in front of her, undoing her jeans.

  “Samantha, reach back with both your arms and hold onto the head rest.” She did. “Good. Now I want you to hold onto that until we’re finished. Can you do that for me?” she nodded. “Good, girl.” He said and threw her a sexy smirk. He made quick work of getting her jeans and panties off, and pulled her body taught so that she was almost a plank, her butt on the edge of the seat.

  “Ok, one more thing. Don’t close your mouth. I want to see your lips open until we’re finished. Yes, just like that.” He paused and sat back looking at her and then asked, “Do you know why I want you to keep your lips open?” Sam shook her head, which felt odd to do without closing her mouth. “Because, I see your beautiful lips down here open and wet for me, and I know that I can enter you here,” he said as he took a finger and traced her lips, which were indeed wet and she assumed open, which he confirmed as he stuck two fingers in, making her gasp and arch up. He played with her for a little just like that, alternating looking at his fingers going in and out of her, and looking up at her face.

  He pulled his fingers out and stuck them in her mouth, which she immediately sucked, tasting herself, “And, with your lips open up here, it tells me that your mouth is ready for me whenever I want it. Do you understand, Cheri?” She nodded and he pulled his fingers out of her mouth. “Good. Now, you can lick your lips when you wish, and swallow of course, you just can’t keep your mouth closed.” Knowing she couldn’t close her lips, naturally, that was what she immediately, instinctively wanted to do.

  “Spread your legs, Samantha.” He said, as he sat across from her, just admiring the view. She was completely naked, her arms grabbing the headrest behind her, her mouth open, her legs spread. She looked down to see the bulge in his pants wondering why he didn’t just fuck her right then, but she was enjoying their playing, she always did. He saw what her eyes had rested on and asked, “Do you want this, Cheri?” as he stroked himself through is pants. Sam nodded. “You can tell me, Cheri.”

  “Yes, Laurent, I want your cock.”

  “I know.” He chuckled. He genuinely enjoyed teasing her. He knew the longer she waited, the more she wanted it. So, he liked to make her wait. But, they were on a schedule, so he unzipped his pants and pulled his cock out. Sam licked her lips, which made him chuckle again. “Did you just lick your lips for this, Cheri?” he asked as he was stroking himself, tip to root. Sam nodded. “Well, then ok.” Sam thought he was going to stick it in her mouth but instead he thrust himself into her, causing her to gasp and grab onto the headrest harder. He sunk himself all the way in, putting his knees on the seat around her legs for leverage, holding onto her around her waist as he lifted her to him and started to thrust deep inside her.

  “Oh, God, Laurent, you feel so good.” She wrapped her legs around his back for leverage, and wanted to grab onto him but she knew she couldn’t let go.

  “Mmmm, you do too, Cheri, so good.” He said and then kissed her as he slowed down their pace, knowing that was driving her crazy. He was now just taking his time, slowly, in and out, in and out.

  “Please, Laurent, please harder.” He bit her neck making her moan from the bite.

  “Patience, Cheri, pat—“ suddenly the limo slammed on its brakes forcing him to thrust deep inside her which made them both laugh out loud.


  “See, Laurent, even the traffic is telling you to fuck me harder.” She smiled at him, nipping at his lips.

  He was grinning looking down at her, looking like the happiest man on earth when he said, “Oh, Samantha, what am I going to do with you?” reluctantly, or happily, Sam would never know, he picked up the pace as the limo started moving again. Sam opened her eyes for a moment and looked up at the man she loved who was staring so intently down on her, “Welcome to New York, Samantha.” He said as he fucked her so hard she screamed.

  When they got to the hotel, freshly fucked, they knew they didn’t have much time to play. It was already Thursday evening and they had discussed that Sam and Steve needed a couple hours together Friday afternoon to meet prior to their big meeting. Sam still had no idea what to expect from the meeting since every detail was kept secret other than the time and the fact that they were simply meeting the new CEO.

  “Samantha, the rest of the evening is up to you.” Laurent declared once they were in their suite. Like everything else with Laurent, it was first class all the way. Sam had no complaints. If there was one thing she indulged in, it was nice hotels. She rarely splurged on herself, but the one area she did was on hotels and resorts. She was a sucker for a lavish room and all the amenities.

  Laurent plopped himself down on the couch, seemingly very satisfied not determining the rest of the evening, which was very unlike him. Sam sidled up next to him, curling her body up against his as she lay her head on his chest. “Would you hate me if I said I’d be happy ordering over-priced room service, with an over-priced bottle of wine, and relaxing with you and a pay per view movie?”

  He smiled down at her and said, “Let me make sure I understand the terms and conditions before I agree to them: I have to endure spending the next, at least 12 hours or so, with you, holed up in this beautiful suite with nothing but food, wine and a movie?” he couldn’t contain his grin.

  Sam nodded, “I’m afraid that’s what I’m proposing. I understand if you want to go out to the bars until at least 4 am. But I’ll be right here.” She said as she slowly slid her hand over her body, “Just waiting for you to get back from your clubbing ways.” She smirked.