by Riley Love
“Can you pick a favorite now?” Garrett said, waggling his eyebrows.
“No.” I pushed his chest. “You’re all my favorite.”
Now to figure out how I could keep them forever.
Chapter Ten
Nobody was happy to be back at work at five o’clock on a Monday morning. The long weekend seemed like a cruel respite from the long, cold days that awaited us.
The rescue scene would take us all day to film. Stunts always doubled the time a scene took, but there were six principal actors plus a ton of dialogue in this one. Even though my speaking part wasn’t scheduled until after lunch, I’d been brought in before the ass crack of dawn for rehearsals and blocking. In the scene, Garrett held me as hostage, a human shield between him and President Dickhead’s gun. Of course, I’d fight for my man, giving him a chance to “save” me when the opportunity was right.
When I walked into the makeup trailer, Kyle was already in Tiffany’s chair, and she was massaging some sort of unnecessary oil into his temples. She did it every day, and it stunk up the trailer. I’d asked my makeup artist about it once, and she only rolled her eyes.
Kyle’s eyes were closed as he softly chanted something that sounded like a meditation. He needed all the help he could get. He was about to get his ass kicked repeatedly on camera for hours.
When he opened his eyes, our gazes locked in the mirror. Something told me all that peace, love, and bullshit was gone.
“Hope you had a good weekend, Albany.” He usually didn’t talk to me at all. The tension when we were both in the trailer was so thick a chainsaw couldn’t cut it. “And that you’re ready to work today.”
“Of course I am.” Old Albany would’ve wondered if he’d talked to the producers or the director and if they were doubting my performance. I would’ve immediately accepted the blame, even if I’d done nothing wrong. I was so thankful New Albany followed me from the bedroom into work, where I needed her most. She had no time for this foolishness. “Are you?”
“Have you seen the front page of Tinseltown Insider?” he asked as he rose from his chair.
Really? That’s what he was concerned with?
“No. I’m not so vain I have to go on gossip sites to find stories of myself for spank material.” It was hard to keep from laughing. My poor makeup artist mashed her lips together not to slip. She hated him too. “But tell me why it’s bothering you.”
He handled me his tablet with a sigh. It took me a moment to realize what I was looking at. Someone had filmed me with the guys out in the snow. It was the shot of me straddling Ethan. My heart pounded, Old Albany’s doubts and fears snuck in, but New Albany quickly squashed that shit. I handed the tablet back to him.
“We were rehearsing.” It was the most innocent thing we’d done all weekend. The problem was, it looked exactly like what it had been—foreplay.
“What the fuck were you rehearsing? You’re barely in this scene. This movie isn’t even about you. You’re just a thing I have to fix.”
“You need to read your script again.” Before the snowstorm, I would’ve run out of the makeup trailer in tears and refused to film for the rest of the day. Earned my Diva Girl Scout badge. Not anymore. “Because clearly, you didn’t understand it the first time.”
I made a decision in that trailer, and it was going to change the course of my career. I could say I had my stunt guys to thank, but this storm had been brewing deep inside me for a long time. They’d brought my courage, along with a lot of other things, to the surface.
The aftermath of the snowstorm left a foot and a half of fluffy white snow on our set. The sky was totally clear, but Mother Nature wasn’t done with us yet. A cold wind pierced the resort. The first part of the scene was mostly the guys kicking Kyle’s ass, which I wouldn’t mind watching for twenty takes, if Kyle did his own stunts.
It gave me an opportunity to writhe against Garrett as I faked my struggle to get away from him. He held me tighter than he really needed to, and I could feel his erection even through my faux fur coat. I wondered if we could sneak a quick fuck at lunch.
At the end of each take, I got away from Garrett. And then we’d cut before I actually did anything. The director wanted to get the physical shots out of the way before we shot what she considered the easy stuff. It gave me all morning to think about what I was going to do.
“Where are you having lunch?” Garrett must have been thinking the same thing I was.
“In my trailer.”
“Do you want any company?” he asked.
“No. Maybe dinner though?” I wanted to see the guys, but I had to keep my head clear. He agreed with a frown, and the guys gave me backwards glances as he led them away from me.
Having lunch alone was a mistake. All the old doubts crept in. This was the make-or-break scene of the movie. I couldn’t fuck it up. My career depended on it.
“Okay, this set up is on Albany’s action.” Alicia, the director, gathered everyone before we got back to work. “Kyle gets her away from Garrett, and we’re focused on her reaction to being rescued.”
My heart pounded so hard I barely heard her call action. I struggled against Garrett again, and on his cue, he set me free. Kyle came toward me, in a half run, half crawl because fake bullets were flying everywhere. Garrett fell in the snow, and in the next scene, the makeup crew would dump a bunch of fake blood on him. He only let me go because he’d been wounded.
The bad guys weren’t supposed to win.
“Marianne!” Kyle called me by my character’s name. He pulled me into an embrace, his eyes widening when I fought him. “I missed you so much.”
That line was so lame. “Get away from me,” I said.
“What the fuck?” Kyle was ad-libbing too.
“I said, get away from me.” The words came between gritted teeth. I caught him off guard with my shove, and he landed on his ass in the snow. “I’m staying here. With them.”
“Cut.” Alicia dragged out the word, like she couldn’t actually believe I’d gone off the rails. “Albany, come over here please.”
“I can have you taken off this movie,” he growled, but I didn’t look back. Kyle followed me, even though he hadn’t been summoned. “I’m the only reason you got this job.”
I whipped around. “You might have gotten me this role, but I’m going to make it shine.”
Alicia separated us. “I know there’s some bad blood between the two of you, but you’ve got to keep it off set. Now, Albany, do you want to tell me why you did your own thing?”
I got in one last glare at Kyle. Dangerous emotions ran through my body, and I only had one chance to get this right. “Kyle said something that rang pretty true to me in the trailer this morning. That this movie isn’t about me. I’m a thing he’s got to fix.”
Alicia’s lips parted, and she nodded.
“Everyone who watches this movie will expect me to go with him when he comes to save me. Boring. But what if I don’t go? What will they do then? What if the most powerful man in the world comes to save me, and I don’t need saving? Isn’t that a much better story?”
Kyle laughed way too loud. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
I ignored him, focusing on Alicia. I’d put my future in her hands. She could fire me right now if she wanted to. More likely, she’d shoot me down, humiliating me in front of the entire cast and crew. But at least now they all knew that Albany Raynes wasn’t a mindless actress who regurgitated whatever lines someone threw at her. She was an artist who had an opinion.
I gave Alicia a half smile. Come on, do it in the name of a little girl power. She had to know how it felt. There weren’t many female directors working at this level.
“I’ll make you a deal,” she finally said. Kyle let out an exasperated sigh. “We’ll shoot it your way, as long as you do a few takes as it’s written in the script. I’ll watch it tonight with the producers and the writers. I’ll give them your proposal, and if they agree, we’ll go with it.”
“
Can I come to the meeting?” My body had those all-over tinglies again. “So I can explain where I think the change should start?”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Kyle’s laughter turned to a growl when he realized he’d lost. “This isn’t your movie.”
It might not have been, but it was now.
“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” Alicia’s eyes were wide with either fear or excitement. “Come see me at wrap, and we’ll pitch your proposal.”
They went with my idea. Even more than that, I was given a producer credit because I’d given so much input to the film.
Tonight was the premiere, and this was the first time I’d returned to Vermont since we filmed the movie. Since I’d entered an agreement with my stuntmen. The showing was at the two-screen theater in the middle of town. The little main street was choked with limos, photographers, and fans.
“Nervous?” Ethan asked. His hand was on my thigh. I put my hand on top of his and squeezed it.
“Yeah.” No one knew the twist in the plot besides the cast and crew. “It’s always nerve-wracking to watch myself on the big screen.”
Garrett leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Just picture us all naked.”
Everyone in the back of the limo laughed.
“When aren’t I picturing you naked?” I said.
“It looks like it just snowed. After the premiere, we can reenact those fight scenes,” Drew said. Harvey nodded.
I took a deep breath. “Let’s get through the premiere first.”
Everything about tonight was risky. A cheer rose from the crowd when I emerged from the limo. But it quieted when four men followed me. The fans wanted to see me back with Kyle, and I had never doubted my decision to rewrite the movie more.
Ethan slipped his arm around me as we approached the red carpet. We hadn’t quite worked out how we’d present our polyamorous relationship to the world. “You look absolutely beautiful tonight.”
I nodded. I felt beautiful. My long, dark hair had been curled, and I had my red lips matched my dress, which hugged every curve. Since I’d been with my stunt guys, I didn’t worry so much about eating salads and skipping meals anymore. They liked me to be satisfied.
But even more than beautiful, I felt powerful. Not only because I had these four gorgeous men in tuxedos flanking me but because I’d had a say in this movie. My vision had come to life.
It was so much better than running away and hoping someone else would handle it.
Tonight, we’d learn what everyone else thought. We took our seats in the theater. They were close together, not the spacious recliners of a newer luxury theater. Garrett was on one side of me, Ethan the other. I clutched both their hands as we watched the climax of the movie unfold.
The moment when I told the most powerful man in the world I didn’t need him.
I couldn’t breathe. This was the critical moment of the movie, where the reviewers would tell people to come see the movie because they wouldn’t believe the twist—or they’d warn them to stay away.
“Get away from me,” I said on the screen, pushing Kyle into the snow. “I know you put me in danger to save your own ass. I’m not going with you. I’m staying in France. You’ll have to explain to the American people why I’m never coming home.”
My eyes closed as I mouthed the line. They’d cut it exactly as I suggested.
The crowd erupted in cheers. Ethan and Garrett kissed my cheeks, and Drew and Harvey reached over and squeezed my hands.
After the movie, the press was invited to interview the cast in the lobby. I had a chair on one side. Kyle’s was on the other. I hated these things. It felt like a high school popularity contest, and Kyle always was voted most likely to do everything.
“You guys are coming with me, right?” They didn’t have chairs as supporting actors, but if anyone came over to talk to me, they might have questions for the guys too.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Drew put his hand on my back as we walked over. I wondered if anyone had noticed I had four dates tonight and they were all taking turns playing the part of the leading man.
I sat in the director’s chair as the press filed in. The reporters assessed the room, and the first one came over to me, followed by the rest of them. No one wanted to talk to Kyle. I straightened my posture as flashes went off.
“Albany, how did you feel about the twist?” the reporter asked. “No one saw that coming!”
I didn’t have to plaster a smile on my face. Tonight, it was totally genuine. “It was the only way the script could play out and be true to the characters,” I said.
More than that, true to me.
Ethan leaned in and kissed my cheek. The throng of reporters went wild. A few shouted questions about if we were an item. I ignored them, turning to him and squeezing his hand. I did the same for Harvey, Drew, and Ethan. I wouldn’t be here without them. Not because I needed a man to become a star but because they showed me I could do it on my own.
Thank You
Thank you!
I had so much fun being naughty with Albany and I hope you did too. Snowed in with the Stuntmen is based on a true story. Names have been changed to protect the innocent, of course.
I have so many more sexy and exciting stories coming for you, and I don’t want you to miss any of them!
If you loved Snowed in with the Stuntmen, tell a friend! And if you have a moment, please leave a review. Reviews help readers find books they love.
Until next time! xoxo
About the Author
Riley Love writes books about the men your mama always warned you about. Sometimes dark, often twisted, and always sexy, her heroes will leave you begging for more. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a stiff drink, and let your fantasies fly.
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Web: http://www.rileylovewrites.com
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Coming Soon
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When Caitriona Patrick shows up at the sex club I own to auction off her virginity, she's my darkest fantasy wrapped up in a beautiful, innocent package.
I’m ready to offer her more than the six months I’ve bought and paid for, except something holding me back … and his name is Chase Danforth.
Chase is the only other person who’s made me feel this way. And now I want them both—equally.
I never thought I’d find a woman who would accept this complicated arrangement, but every day the sexy student surprises me with her wanton desires and voracious appetite.
Caitriona never bargained on taking two men to her bed, but I’m determined to prove that double the pleasure is double her fun.
And that happily ever after might mean loving us both.