Behind the Scenes

by Christina C Jones

  “I feel like I won’t know until I’m there. But what I’m thinking is that I want to go straight into the next thing. And I want you to come with me.”

  My eyebrows went up. “What?”

  “I’m thinking about another story. Maybe a movie this time. I’ve already got a little of it lined out. Based on true events again.”

  “Another part of your life story?”

  “A love story,” he said, giving me this slick smirk before looking back to the road again. “Kinda like ours. My heroine was going to hit the hero with her car and put him in a coma. They’re strangers, but she feels so bad that she comes to visit every day, reading to him, singing to him, shit like that. By the time he wakes up from this coma, he’s fallen in love with her. And we see her living her life and all of that but dreaming about them being together at night. He’s in this coma but he’s hearing her voice, and he’s got all this brain activity going on in his head, you know? They’re in love, they’re having babies, all this shit you know?”

  “Are you serious?”

  Pierre busted out laughing, shaking his head. “Hell nah,” he chuckled. “Not about the coma and all of that, but it is a love story. And you have to admit… the way we met, it’s definitely worth writing about.”

  I shook my head, dropping my gaze to my lap as I smiled. “You may have a point there.”

  “Ain’t no may have a point about it. I do,” he chuckled. “But yeah, it’s been marinating in my mind. Not exactly ours, like ODS isn’t exactly my story either. Just inspired. I think a lot of times men are expected to only tell certain types of stories and I don’t know… I think I might have it in me to make a lil something for the ladies to swoon over.”

  I shook my head again, laughing at the silly intonation he took on to say that, but really… “I agree,” I told him. “I really think you could.”

  “With a certain somebody on my team, of course,” he said, reaching over to nudge my hand. “What do you think? I understand if you don’t want this TV and movie stuff monopolizing your time. I know it’s not really in your incredibly broad job description. But I remember you mentioning been interested in it. And I remember you being excited about this project. I don’t know if you see it too, but you’ve flourished on this one. I think we make a great team. So…what do you say shorty, come on,” he teased. “After we have this one, you wanna make another baby with me?”

  I nearly choked on my tongue.

  Obviously, I knew he was talking about the show, but that phrasing, was really throwing me.

  This whole conversation was.

  Knowing that he was already thinking about his next thing, ready to dive right into it and excited about the prospect of it… I couldn’t tell him that I was already carrying another of his progeny.

  Not right now.

  “It sounds amazing,” I told him, truthfully. “But this is already so much, that I think it would be smart to get this completely wrapped up, and then talk about the next thing. But I’m excited about the potential, and I can pretty much assure you…we’ll be part of each other’s lives for longer than finishing the show is going to take.”

  “Bet,” he said, squeezing my hand again before we merged into heavier traffic which really did require more of his focus.

  I should have been happier about this.

  Not only had we bridged the gap to define what we were, but he wanted me to be an extended part of his team.

  Professionally, romantically, everything was falling into what should have been a perfect place.

  If only if it weren’t for a very literal bump in the road.

  When I did tell him, how was he going to react?

  How would he feel?

  Just because I felt so certain, was so sure this was right… didn’t mean any of this would hit the same for him.

  “I didn’t scare you, did I?” Pierre asked, without looking at me. His gaze was focused through the windshield. “I mean, referring to us as a love story? I’m not saying we’re there yet, but…”

  I thought about it for a moment and then shook my head.

  “No,” I answered, reaching across the console to rest a hand on his leg. “It was actually exactly what I needed to hear.”

  27

  Pierre

  It really was crazy how fast things could change.

  And I meant that in the worst possible way.

  Before I closed my eyes for sleep, I’d been on cloud nine, basking in the fact that me and Logan were officially a thing, and she was basically onboard with remaining a part of my team professionally.

  I woke up to all hell having broken loose.

  Remarkably, Logan wasn’t awake yet, which gave me time to contact Chloe and Des Byers to get them on the case. When she did wake up, shit was not going to be pretty, and I needed to be able to offer some good news.

  We’d been outed.

  After her kissing me on set the day before, that shouldn’t have been too big of a deal, at least to me. We had a crew for the show that felt something like family, and I would have thought they’d think it was cute that we got together.

  And maybe they did.

  The internet disagreed.

  Not only were there pictures of that kiss all over the place, there had been stuff dug up about Logan and Anthony, and Logan and Les. True enough, everything had happened fast between us, and it was all condensed into a somewhat short period. But according to what social media was running with, they’d have the world believing Logan was fucking all of us at the same time.

  It wasn’t just her either. There was some stuff about me and Sienna and the picture of me and those girls in Logan’s lobby had come back to bite me in the ass, being painted as something it wasn’t. And I didn’t know if I’ve been hacked or what, but the DMs between me and that production assistant were suddenly public fodder, too. The stuff they were trying to run against me was weak. There wasn’t even a case to be made for simple flirting between me and ol’ girl in the inbox.

  I wasn’t on that because she worked for me and I didn’t need that type of trouble, besides the fact that Logan was the only woman getting that type of energy from me.

  The stuff about her… looked bad though.

  This was the first day of our break from set, and later this afternoon, we were due on the Drakes’ private plane. Because of that, I was letting her sleep, with an assurance from Des that she would get in touch with Logan’s parents to make sure they at least knew she was okay.

  In the meantime, all I could do was wait.

  It didn’t take long.

  Logan rose from her slumber with a jolt, as if she knew something was wrong.

  I was on her immediately, pushing a hot cup of tea into her hands as soon as she’d sat up. She gave me a suspicious look, then glanced to the bedside table for her phone, which I’d removed to let her maintain her peace as long as possible.

  Maybe not the best idea, but… goddamnit.

  “Pierre…where’s my phone?” she asked, eyebrow raised. I didn’t even bother arguing, just reached into my pocket for the phone and handed it over.

  “I already called Chloe and Des,” I told her, which made her other eyebrow go up as she unlocked the phone. Her expression was very neutral as she tapped and scrolled through various screens and I watched her, waiting for some rage to overtake her expression.

  Rage that never came.

  She shook her head, tossing the phone down beside her to give her attention to the tea I’d brought. “This is perfect,” she commented after she’d taken a sip. “Thank you.”

  “Aiight, you’re scaring me, shorty,” I told her, taking a seat at her feet on the bed. “Are you not seeing the same thing I woke up to this morning?”

  Logan took another sip, and then a deep breath, and then put her teacup down on the bedside table. “Yes, I see it,” she confirmed. “But the thing is… I already knew this was coming. It was just a matter of when.” She shrugged. “Des and I have been expecting this since
Sienna came for you; that she would attack people around you, when she realized her effect on you was limited. We did think it would most likely be Elodie, so actually… I am a little surprised that she decided to come for me instead. But I guess once we – once I – outed us on the set… maybe knowing you and I are together struck a nerve for her?”

  “So you’re saying somebody on set tipped this off?”

  Logan nodded. “That’s absolutely what I’m saying,” she agreed. “How else do you think those pictures were obtained? If I had to bet, the girl I ran out of your face yesterday would be the number one suspect on my list. And not just because I don’t like the way she was hanging around you. I’ve just got a feeling.”

  All I could do was push out another sigh as my brain processed even more new information. I was in no place to deny what she was saying, so there was no point in me arguing against it or giving any pushback.

  I was just still… surprised.

  “I really expected you to freak out about this,” I told her as she reached for her tea again.

  She shook her head. “What would I freak out for?” she asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong; I understand why you’d think so, but really what would be the point? The internet thinks I’m a slut. Maybe I slept with all of you in the span of a year, maybe I didn’t. But literally… what does it matter?”

  “I thought you were concerned about your professional reputation?” I asked. “That was one of the biggest reasons for us not publicly being together.”

  “I was. But the more I think about it, the less I’m sure it even matters. Especially when you and I are going to be working together for another contract after this one anyway, right?”

  “That’s true. By the time we’re done with another project, none of this will be on anybody’s mind.”

  She nodded. “Or, who knows, things might be just completely changing for me overall,” she said, which felt… cryptic. “In any case,” she continued, “What it really boils down to is, after yesterday, I’m less inclined to be concerned with something like this. The power of it is in its ability to embarrass or tear me down, and you know what… I don’t actually feel either of those things. So I’d much rather focus on something that matters. Like the fact that we have a flight this afternoon and I’m not packed, which is a disgusting break from character for me. So, let’s push this away, get you packed, and then you can come with me and I’ll get packed, and we can make our way to the airstrip together.” She tipped her head to the side as if she’d just thought about something else. “Actually… this may have done us a favor. This trip should be a lot more fun without me having to pretend I don’t want to ride your face.”

  She shot me a grin and then climbed out of bed to head for the bathroom, leaving me feeling a bit dumbfounded.

  Logan had been all over the place lately, and at first I’d thought it was just me. Thought my own stress and struggles were causing me to see things different – that my anxiety was clouding my vision.

  But…nah.

  Something was different with her.

  As soon as we landed in LA, it seemed like my phone was ringing like crazy.

  People who I didn’t even realize had my new number were hitting me up, wanting to see my face. Because of Logan’s planning, we had some leisure and down time built into our schedule, so when I ended up in a group text of old friends trying to arrange a meetup for dinner, I didn’t have an excuse like I can’t, too busy readily available.

  “You should go,” Logan insisted, when I brought the idea to her. “These are your friends, and they want to see you. Unless… are you concerned about drinking or something?”

  Not exactly.

  Most of us had grown up quite a bit and changed – evolving from that toxic place where we’d been. In varying degrees, we’d had our healing processes, or however they wanted to frame it. Which was a good thing.

  But still.

  I just wasn’t sure about being in the same place with them, and what it might do to my mental space – what old mentalities or triggers it might bring up. The sneak preview event was happening tomorrow and I didn’t want to put any additional stresses on my mind before that.

  Or maybe it was all just paranoia anyway.

  “Are Nick and Noah going?” Logan asked, her voice a welcome intrusion into my thoughts.

  Nick and Noah were local to LA but, “Nah,” I answered. “Remember Noah had to come back out here from Vegas a few weeks ago, so this is her and Nick’s first time being together in a bit. They ain’t trying to be looking at anybody but each other.”

  Logan grinned. “Understandable. I asked because I thought maybe if you had… I don’t know, I guess some backup? Somebody to help keep you centered?”

  “Is that your way of offering to come?” I asked, which must have been way off base from the way her eyes bugged open. She recovered quickly from her surprise though, schooling her expression into something more neutral.

  “No, it was not, because I don’t know those people. Those are your friends.”

  “You know me,” I countered. “You’re my friend. It’s not like anybody is gonna bite you or something like that.”

  “Tell yourself these things sir,” Logan teased.

  When she’d booked this trip, she’d gotten us adjoining rooms. Right now, we were in her bed, but later – at least according to my plans – we’d break in both of them.

  “Are you coming or not?” I asked, which she answered with a slick smile.

  “I need you to clarify that question.”

  I slid my hand down her body, cupping her ass to pull her against me. “How about both?”

  I hated it to admit it, but I missed LA.

  Vegas was cool and all but LA just had a certain energy about it, and I wasn’t talking about the Hollywood shit either. I wasn’t sure how to quite verbalize it, but there was this vibe I’d lacked without really realizing it.

  So when I walked into the lively beachside restaurant with Logan on my arm – since we were outed anyway and didn’t have to front anymore – it felt like a good decision. That feeling carried through the warm greetings from faces I hadn’t seen in what felt like forever. Everybody was cool, they liked Logan, they wanted to hear about the show, they had good things to update me on as far as what had been going on with them. And they just seem genuinely happy and supportive that shit had turned around for me.

  None of the negativity I’d been worried about.

  Until Sienna walked in.

  There was one of the group that ultimately showed up that I was a little more apprehensive about than the others – Jen.

  And it was for exactly this reason.

  I knew she’d been tight with Sienna, but she was one of the main ones pushing for this dinner to happen, so I thought I was tripping. And then, her ass had hugged me the tightest when Logan and I came in.

  She was an actress though, so I should’ve known better.

  Sienna walked up to the table smug as fuck, practically begging to be acknowledged.

  I hadn’t talked to anybody else about that bullshit story she’d planted, or the pictures she’d given the media – she was still their friend. They were all going to be cool once I left anyway, so it seemed pointless to address it – to address her.

  Logan must have picked up on my position and decided to follow my lead.

  She tried, at least.

  Sienna made a big point of speaking to us, and we both responded as pleasantly as possible, before we went right back to the conversation we’d already been having with my homeboy Alan.

  We were intent on not letting Sienna ruin the night by making it awkward.

  As if that wasn’t why she showed up in the first place.

  “What kind of party is this?” Sienna shouted over the cacophony of noise in the restaurant, so we could all hear her. “Y’all so boring. Aye, waiter, bring us some fucking shots! The hometown hero is back, we’ve gotta to celebrate.”

  I could feel Logan tensin
g beside me, so I grabbed her hand under the table, lacing my fingers through hers as some of the others in the group shut Sienna’s shenanigans down. I leaned in, to whisper in her ear, “I’m not bothered by this shit. Don’t let her rile you.”

  But of course, Logan wasn’t really the type of woman to be told what to do.

  Not that she was letting Sienna upset her, because… nah, I didn’t get that impression at all.

  Logan was completely cool.

  At the same time, she wasn’t willing to let even an ounce of Sienna’s bullshit ride. Every time she aimed her mouth towards our side of the table, Logan was on her ass.

  “I heard the show lost a little flavor recently, what’s up with that?”

  “That’s actually old news, and the flavor was trash. So we took it out.”

  “You don’t really have any experienced names attached to the show, do you? I’m only asking because I’m afraid it might not have that certain professional touch that execs look for.”

  “Our network has already seen it and loved it. But I’m sure you do know plenty about professional touch, Sienna. Weren’t there some pictures of you and that married record label exec you were supposed to be doing that social justice venture with that came out today?

  “You know audiences these days are just so fickle. And with so much going on in the world, nobody wants too much of the serious stuff anymore.”

  “I get why you’d think that, since everything you do is a joke. But we think a little more highly of our audience than what you’re talking about. I think we’ll be just fine.”

  “Damn Pierre,” Sienna finally exclaimed, after realizing Logan was going to have appropriate smoke for everything that came out of her mouth. “Put your bitch on a leash, we’re trying to have a good time.”

  “I’ve got your bitch,” Logan called to her across the table. “Come on over here, I’ll show it to you.”

  “Aye, that’s enough,” I spoke up, putting a hand on Logan’s shoulder.