Love on Location

by September Roberts

  “Give me the keys,” Nate demanded.

  “No. I’m keeping them. In exchange, I won’t tell Alan about how lazy you are.” With the keys wedged deep in his front pocket, he kept his hand there to block Nate just in case he tried to get them. “I get a little freedom, you get to keep your job.” He straightened his back and walked away from Nate; satisfied for once he had said exactly what he wanted.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tuesday morning brought a new day and a new reason for Alex to get up: to see Brian. She was beginning to believe all the kind things he said about her and her job, so she no longer put much energy into worrying about screwing up. As long as no one found out about them, she could handle everything else. Living in the moment gave her a little freedom from the familiar confines of her anxiety. Arriving at the set a full thirty minutes early, she nodded to the cast and crew as she anxiously waited for him.

  The last van pulled into the overflow parking lot, followed by Brian’s little rental car. Alex got as close as she could, partially hidden behind the food service truck and tried to signal him, but he wasn’t looking for her.

  Nate was yelling at him and following close on his heels, but Brian was too fast.

  “I wasn’t done talking to you,” Nate shouted.

  “I was,” Brian grumbled.

  “Just tell me why you need the car. Where are you going?”

  “None of your business.” Brian stepped away from him.

  “But it is my business. That’s why I’m here. To make sure you don’t screw up again.” Nate and Brian walked side by side, their feet visible on the other side of the truck.

  Alex frowned. Were they talking about her? Her heart raced.

  Brian turned to face him. “I’m not doing anything wrong.”

  “That car is in my name. If you get caught with—”

  Brian slammed his hand into the truck. “I’m not doing anything, okay?”

  The next time Nate spoke, his words came out carefully measured, the way a parent would speak to their child, “I’m just trying to keep your reputation safe.”

  “I need it so I can have a private place to fuck, okay?” Brian replied.

  “Why didn’t you say so?” Nate ground out. “Who is it?”

  “Who do you think?”

  “Jennifer?”

  “Bingo.”

  At some point during their conversation, Brian became Blaze. Maybe it had been Blaze all along. The lie came out of his mouth so easily. Perhaps it wasn’t a lie. What if he had something going on with the actress, too? Could she blame him? It was okay to get caught with Jennifer, but not her. That much was clear. Alex turned and disappeared into the crowd before they came around the corner.

  Why did she ever think she could compete with women like Jennifer? Even for a week. It was a stupid idea. She spent the rest of the day hiding from Brian, trying to save them both from the trouble that would come if anyone found out about them.

  Filming ended early that day as another storm moved in. The crew didn’t want to take any chances like last time. One by one, the vans hauled everyone away, leaving Alex enough time to do her regular job. The air hung heavily as the barometric pressure dropped. Distant lightning marbled the sky as storm clouds gathered, blotting out the sun.

  Instead of heading to her office, Alex stayed outside. Alone for the first time that day, she could finally process what she had heard. Wind whipped around her, buffeting her with sand, leaving tiny pinpricks across her exposed skin. Once the toppled cairns were taken care of, she moved to a spot a few feet away and hunkered down, setting to work removing a plastic bag tangled in a big sage.

  “There you are,” Brian called out as his shoes slapped against the rock. “I’ve been looking for you all…day.” He faltered at the end when she looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she spat. “Everything is just fine.”

  “You’re upset,” he stated as he reached out to touch her cheek, but she pulled away.

  “It’s not going to work out, okay? Please leave me alone so I can get my job done.”

  The rain started to fall, pattering lightly around them.

  “I don’t understand.” He frowned.

  “You better go before the wash floods,” she warned.

  “I don’t want to go,” he protested.

  Why did he have to make it so hard? Was he trying to humiliate her? “I’m sorry, Brian. I have to go. Your reputation is at stake.” With that, she ran off, following the twists and turns of the trail, cutting through the neighborhood to go back to the Visitor Center.

  With her back pressed against the building, she watched Brian duck into his car and drive away. It took several minutes before she was composed enough to go inside.

  The rain still fell hard when she hurried across the parking lot and down the little road toward her house. When she pulled her keys out of her pocket she noticed an insulated bag tucked against her front door. Groceries poked out the top. She picked it up, unlocked her door, and stepped inside. Koko wiggled between her legs, sniffed the bag, and then smiled at her.

  “It’s from him, isn’t it?” Alex asked. Two poppy seed muffins were propped right on top. Waiting for them. “He was probably going to make me dinner again.”

  ****

  Brian gripped the steering wheel and pulled off the side of the road toward the trail they had visited the previous night. He didn’t want to leave the park. Nothing waited for him in town except an empty, cold bed. What happened? Nate yelled at him and then watched him like a hawk. His lie about being with Jennifer had been easy since she was always a little too friendly. Staying away from Alex had been harder, but he didn’t want to draw Nate’s attention to her. When he finally had a chance to talk to her alone, it had ended in disaster.

  The rain fell hard, pelting the top of the car. Replaying their conversation didn’t help. It was one of those days. The kind where everything goes wrong. Maybe she just needed time to cool down. Waiting wouldn’t be easy, but he would do whatever he had to. He reclined the seat and stretched out. The constant drum of rain lulled him to sleep, but he didn’t rest easy as another nightmare began. That time Alex told him she was done with him and that his reputation was too important.

  When he bolted upright, he hit his head on the roof. “She must’ve overheard my conversation with Nate.” Oh no. That meant he would have to explain everything to her, which would forever change her opinion of him.

  ****

  Sleep didn’t come easily that night. Alex tossed and turned as her head filled with nightmares. She jerked awake at midnight, her heart racing. The storm raged against the windows, more wind than rain. Resigned to her sleepless fate, she got out of bed.

  Wrapped in a robe, she padded through the kitchen and made a cup of tea and then scrambled eggs for her and Koko. Just as she sat down to eat, she saw someone walk past her front window. Probably Maggie, trying to soothe Henry.

  Nope.

  When she pulled the door open, she gasped. Brian paced back and forth, his hoodie soaked with rain and his teeth chattering. Why was he there?

  “Can I come in?”

  “No.”

  “Please?” he begged. “I have to talk to you.” Water dripped off of him.

  Why did he have to look so pathetic? “Um,” she said, trying to think of a good reason not to let him in, but nothing came to mind. “I guess, but only for a minute.”

  When he stepped inside, he shivered as he pulled his hoodie off. Out of habit, he hung it from the doorknob. Just like she always did with her hat.

  “What are you doing here? I told you. It’s not going to work,” she said, turning her back on him.

  “I’ve been out there for a while, trying to figure out what to say to you.” A sigh escaped his lips. “You heard my argument with Nate, didn’t you?”

  What was worse? Overhearing their conversation or admitting she’d overheard their conversation?

  “Let me explain.” He came up
behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “I racked my brain trying to figure out what happened. And that’s when it hit me. You must’ve heard what Nate said. Please don’t judge me.”

  “Judge you?” she turned to face him, her eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t care what Nate said. I care what you said.”

  “What?”

  “The reason you needed the car. A private place to…” It hurt too much to repeat him.

  “No. I had to lie to him so he wouldn’t think I was using the car for something else.”

  “For what?”

  “I swear I haven’t used in almost a year.” He paused and his eyes dipped into his skull looking for the answer. “Actually… Nine months.”

  Without a clue as to what he was talking about, she frowned. “Used what?”

  “Cocaine.”

  “Oh.” Her mind reeled, and he wouldn’t look at her.

  “My agent hired Nate to keep tabs on me. He doesn’t even let me use my phone when I’m working. To make sure I don’t get into trouble. And by that, I mean relapse.” He glanced at her briefly. “I’ll understand if you don’t want me, but I had to explain. You have to believe me. I’m done with that part of my life.”

  “What about Jennifer?” she asked.

  “There’s no one else. Besides, you know how I feel about her.”

  “I thought he was trying to protect you from me,” she whispered.

  “What?”

  “He said he was trying to protect your reputation. He said he didn’t want to catch you…” she stammered.

  “With drugs. I can’t blame him for being suspicious.”

  “That’s why he wanted to know where you were going in the car.”

  “It’s in his name. I just didn’t want him to know about us because you’re so uncomfortable about…” He motioned between their bodies. “Not that I’m trying to blame you for the argument.”

  “I had no idea,” she said.

  He scoffed. “You’re the only one.”

  “I’m sorry I assumed the worst. Are you hungry? You brought groceries,” she said, pointing to the bag on the counter she still hadn’t unloaded. “I also made some scrambled eggs.” When she poked them with her finger she grimaced and emptied her plate into Koko’s dish. “Really cold, gross scrambled eggs.”

  “No,” he said. “Are you angry with me? I know I should’ve told you. It was just so nice to be with someone who didn’t know…who didn’t judge me.”

  “I’m not judging you.” She shrugged. “People make mistakes.” After locking the front door, she took his hand. “You’re freezing.”

  “I told you, I was out there for a while. I didn’t want to wake you, but I couldn’t leave without explaining myself first.”

  “Come on,” she said, leading him into her bathroom. “You need to warm up.” A nice warm shower was just what he needed, but first she had to undress him. And he let her, lifting his arms and stepping out of his clothes before she turned the water on and pushed him in.

  After undressing herself, she stepped in behind him and put her arms around him, which startled him. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Just surprised,” he said as he turned to face her and pulled her into his arms. The warm water flowed between their bodies. “I feel better already.”

  So did she. With the misunderstanding behind them, she rested her head against his chest and listened to the soothingly rhythmic beating of his heart. Exhaustion was beginning to set in and she couldn’t keep her eyes open. “I’m tired.”

  “Me, too,” he said. “Thanks for talking to me and warming me up.” He dried them both off and then carried her to bed before going back to the bathroom to collect his clothes. “I’ll lock the door behind me.”

  “Don’t go,” she pleaded.

  By the smile on his face, she figured that was just what he wanted to hear. Without pausing, he dropped his clothes on the floor and slid into bed next to her. They snuggled and fell asleep.

  Hours later, her bladder woke her. The first rays of muted sun crept over the horizon as she used the bathroom. Before tiptoeing back to bed, she brushed her teeth. Brian murmured and reached for her, pulling her firmly against his body. Within a few minutes, the sheet tented over his dick. Alex couldn’t subdue a giggle, rousing him from his lingering sleep.

  “Morning,” he said, pointing his face away from hers to yawn.

  “Hi.”

  “What’s so funny?” he asked, stretching.

  “This,” she said, pointing on top of the sheet and clicking her tongue. “Too bad we can’t put it to good use.”

  “Did you throw away the ones I bought?”

  “We used them all,” she said.

  “No, the ones I brought last night.”

  “Are you telling me there are condoms in the grocery bag in the kitchen?”

  He nodded and smiled.

  “I’ll be right back.” She jumped out of bed and then paused at the threshold into the hall. Koko looked up at her, expectantly. Even with the door locked, someone could see through her window, and in order to get to the kitchen, she would have to take a chance. So, she listened hard, took a deep breath, went for it, and skidded to a stop at the counter. As she sorted through the contents of the bag, water ran in the bathroom. The pile of groceries grew as she uncovering bags of veggies, a loaf of French bread, a plush raven, and a thirty-six-pack of condoms. Better than a three-pack. So much better.

  She filled Koko’s bowl with breakfast, topped it off with a pumpkin treat courtesy of Brian, and then repeated her sneaky moves back to her bedroom, slamming into the wall at the end of the hall and dropping the box.

  Brian laughed from her bed, where he had just gotten settled again.

  Leaning against her closed bedroom door, she smiled. “Someone is really hopeful.” The giant box of condoms spilled its contents when she ripped it open.

  “One can never be too prepared in the desert,” he said, returning the smile. “I borrowed some toothpaste. I hope that’s okay.”

  “I have a spare brush,” she offered.

  “I guess it would do a slightly better job than my finger. Maybe I’ll take you up on that later.”

  Holding a condom between her teeth, she crawled onto the bed next to him and pulled the sheet down. She placed the thin package on his stomach and turned her attention to his hard-on.

  He tucked his hands under his head, making his biceps flex. When she sucked him into her mouth, his eyes closed and he inhaled sharply.

  “Are you okay?” she teased.

  “Mm,” he groaned.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” she replied before circling the head of his cock with her tongue. She licked his length and then pursed her lips and pulled him into her mouth, gently scraping him with her teeth.

  “Fuck,” he said with a clenched jaw.

  Back and forth, up and down, she swirled her tongue until pleasure coiled and built inside his body. Cupping his balls and sucking him hard and fast, she milked an orgasm out of him which made his muscles twitch for a full minute.

  She slithered up his body and snuggled against his warm neck.

  “That was…” Instead of finishing his sentence, he kissed her.

  “Okay?” she offered with a small smile.

  “Fuck okay. Fucking amazing.”

  Her cell phone rang from the side table, so she stretched across Brian and reached for it. A familiar number displayed on the screen.

  “Good morning, Steve,” she answered with a smile on her lips.

  “Hi, Alex. We’re going to delay filming for a bit. I know that will put us behind a little, but…”

  Brian sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, making her focus crumble. She moaned and then covered the sound with a cough. “Sorry about that,” she said, pressing her lips together to keep future sounds from escaping.

  “…they don’t want to risk…” Steve’s words faded again.

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “The storm
is supposed to move out by late morning, so we’ll be there around ten,” he finished.

  “That sounds goo-od.” The words fragmented when he rolled his tongue across her sensitive skin. “See you later.” She didn’t wait for Steve to respond before hanging up.

  “Damn it. That was Steve,” she scolded but didn’t bother moving.

  “I know who it was, I could hear everything he said,” he answered, moving his mouth to her other breast.

  “I’m so ma-ad at you,” she said, but even she could hear how half-hearted her words were.

  “Mm,” he hummed against her skin, scraping her nipple with his teeth.

  She twisted and reached for his dick, which, to her delight, came to life again. Now she had to choose between having sex and whatever wonderful thing he was doing with his tongue. Before she had a chance to decide, he gripped her body and positioned her on top of his sheathed cock. She pouted.

  Rubbing his thumb across her bottom lip, he asked, “Why so sad?”

  “I was enjoying myself,” she said, looking down at her ruddy breasts.

  “I think I know a way to cheer you up,” he said, lifting his hips, simultaneously pushing inside her and shifting Alex toward the head of the bed. Surprised by the sudden movement, she gasped and braced herself against the pillow. Without missing a beat, he opened his mouth just as her breast swung in front of his face and he proceeded to suck and fuck her until she careened into oblivion. Only after her slow descent back to earth did she realize she’d been holding her breath the whole time. The room began to spin.

  He stopped moving and cradled the sides of her face. “Are you okay?”

  Resting her forehead against his, she said, “Forgot to breathe.”

  “You scared me. I’ve never heard you have a silent orgasm. I thought I broke you,” he said and then kissed her.

  “Only a little.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  An hour later, they still hadn’t moved out of bed. Alex glanced at the clock and knew she should be getting ready for work but had a better idea. If the crew wouldn’t be there for another two hours, there was no need for her to hurry. Telling everyone else about the delay hadn’t crossed her mind yet, so she called the gift shop. “Hey, Lynn. The crew won’t get here until ten today and I have a bunch of stuff to take care of at home, so I won’t be in until then, okay?”