by Claire Raye
“Good morning,” she says cheerfully as her makeup-free face glows in the dim light of the office. The sun is just beginning to rise and I wonder if she’s been here all night.
“I was hoping I’d catch you before I head home for the day,” she says, her tone casual as if we’re old friends. “You must be Ava, right? Noel asked me to hang around and get you situated. He’s home sleeping.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, muttering something about him being lazy.
Sadie looks far younger in person and it takes me a few seconds to realize she’s probably about the same age as me, can’t be more than thirty. She made her writing debut at nineteen with her first screenplay getting picked up instantly and scoring big at all the film festivals, which is where she met Noel. They went on to start dating despite him being fourteen years her senior and eventually they got married. There was a lot of speculation that she didn’t have what it takes to make it in the industry, but she proved everyone wrong, never riding the coattails of her equally famous husband.
She found success in a niche of the film world and has a band of loyal followers. While Noel’s movies are generally not her style, she signs on to work with him often. This will be one of those films. They’ll co-direct with her presiding over the writing team too.
“Yes, I’m Ava McDonald. I mean, Ava Bristol,” I reply, trying out my new name, but my voice is shaky and possibly giving away the fact that I’m nervous.
Sadie chuckles a little and gives me a kind smile. “You don’t need to be nervous. I’m literally the most normal person you’ll meet on this set. You’re an American?”
“Yep, grew up on Long Island in Woodbury.”
“I knew I heard the hint of a New York accent. You’re one of my people.”
“Oh really? Where’d you grow up?” The conversation is casual as if I’m chatting with a friend or someone who’s sat down next to me on the subway after I’ve had a few drinks.
“Queens. My parents still live there, but I lost my accent long ago when I moved out to London with Noel. Kinda miss the whole thing, honestly.”
She motions with her head as she walks toward the door, slipping past me as she continues talking.
“Let me show you around and then you can get started with the things Noel has left for you. Not that I think you need showing around. You’re an old pro. I took one look at your resume and references and told Noel he needed to hire you.”
“Thanks.”
“Not only are you epically qualified, but you’re stunning to boot,” she says, turning to face me as we stop outside of a trailer. My face immediately flushes bright red, my cheeks warm at the weight of her words. Most women wouldn’t comment on something like that, more likely to be threated by an attractive woman working with their husband, but not Sadie. She’s welcoming and kind and friendly.
“So this is Noel’s trailer. He left a list of things he’d like done before he comes in. He’ll be in around noon.” She pauses, looking around briefly and then she adds, “Don’t let him push you around. He can be a dick.” The smirk on her face tells me she doesn’t take his shit either and I find something about it endearing. It reminds me of Lewis and me.
Sadie leaves me with the key to the trailer and wishes me good luck telling me she’ll see me around.
I walk in and find the typical set trailer, everything top of the line, but still a trailer. There’s a list sitting on the table in the small kitchen. It’s handwritten with neatly formed block letters and for a second I marvel at the neatness of it. But then I begin to read the list and I know I don’t have much time to complete everything on it.
The first item says: Low fat cranberry orange muffins BAKERY ONLY at least four
So that’s where I begin with the hopes that finding a bakery that carries low fat cranberry orange muffins isn’t like finding a needle in a haystack.
With the list tucked into my purse, I Google bakeries within walking distance and begin my quest. The rest of the list seems minor in comparison, but it still takes me most of the morning, and luckily for me the first bakery I found happened to have low fat cranberry orange muffins. Something I note, but I also look up a recipe for them knowing it’s something I can make on my own.
When I finally return to the trailer it’s quarter to noon, my phone chiming out as I enter and I wonder if it’s already my new employer. But when I enter the trailer I find it empty.
I arrange the muffins on a platter, covering them with the domed lid, then I unload the groceries I was asked to get, putting them into the fridge and freezer so they’re ready upon arrival. I place two bottles of water on the table making sure they’re out of the sun since he requested they be room temperature.
His demands are not all that demanding, but I’m sure they’ll grow as he gets used to working with me.
My phone chimes again and I pull it from my purse and see a few text messages from Julia.
Julia: Good luck on your first day of work!
Julia: Not that you need it. ;)
Me: Thanks. Just getting things ready. I haven’t actually seen Noel yet though.
I met Noel for my in-person interview in NYC a few weeks back, but haven’t had much contact with him since then. His previous assistant was the one who contacted me to tell me I had gotten the job and then after that it was all lawyers and legal documents: signing contracts and NDAs. It’s par for the course.
Julia: Careful. I’ve heard he can be extremely hard to work for, but he’s super hot.
Me: Hahaha… not interested.
Julia: And he’s married too. She’s a sweetheart though. Did some work with Aiden a while back.
That’s how my name made it onto Noel’s desk. It was a Julia-Aiden-Sadie connection, and even though she won’t admit it to me, Julia fast tracked my resume to the top of that list.
Me: I just met her and yes, she seems really nice.
Julia: Since it obviously didn’t work out the last time you were in London, find yourself a boy!
She’s baiting me and she knows it. She’s been wondering what I’ve been up to since we filmed over here all those months back. I never told her about Lewis seeing as I always thought it was just a pointless hook up. She knew something was up, but when we returned to the States and I didn’t bother to try to look Lewis up, I let it all go. Or at least I tried to.
My fingers hover over the keyboard wondering exactly how I tell her that I not only met a boy, but I married him. So instead of overthinking it, I just come right out with it.
Me: I did meet a boy and I married him.
The bubbles float on the screen and stop and float again and stop and then my phone rings. I see Julia’s name pop up and I laugh out loud. I should’ve expected she’d call me.
“Yes Julia?” I say as a greeting and she yells into the phone so loudly I have to pull it from my ear.
“What the hell, Ava!? You got married? To who and when and what the hell?”
“His name is Lewis Bristol and we met when I was here with you in London. Things went…”
“I knew you met someone when we were there, you sneaky little minx.”
“Listen, I’ll call you later. I’ve gotta get back to work and isn’t it crazy early there?”
“It is, but I wanted to wish you good luck and then you drop the bomb that you’re married.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll call you later.”
Just as I hang up the call with Julia, the door to the trailer opens and in walks Noel Robinson. He’s tall and lean, but muscular with a small amount of stubble and bit of silver at his temples. He’s better looking than I remember and for second I’m taken aback as my name booms from his mouth.
“Ava, so good to see you again. I take it you got my note and everything is complete? I wouldn’t want your first day to start out bad already.” He chuckles a little but there’s an underlying note of disgust and I swallow hard.
“Yes, everything is complete,” I respond back handing him a room temperature bottle
of water and taking his coat as he holds it out to me.
“Would you like your coat in the bedroom or…”
He cuts me off before I can finish, clipping back with a short, “Figure it out. It’s not my job to tell you how to hang up a coat.”
I give a curt nod of my head and walk back toward the bedroom, but he stops me with a loud clearing of his throat.
I turn around trying not to let my fear of his harsh personality show through, but I know my eyes are wide and my chest is flushing a deep shade of pink. I’m suddenly sweating profusely and questioning if I remembered to put on deodorant this morning.
“Put it on the chair. I’m going to need it later and I don’t want to have to deal with searching for it because you put it some place you found convenient.” He lets out a slow exhale of air and I do the same thing, wondering if I’ve just made a huge mistake.
“No problem,” I say, even though it clearly is a problem, one I’ve created.
Way to kick things off to a great start.
“Filming doesn’t start for a few more days, but I want you on the set at six every morning. Sometimes I’ll be here and sometimes I won’t. Don’t test me on which days by not showing up because you think I won’t be here.”
“I wouldn’t…”
Again he cuts me off and I’m starting to grow more annoyed than anxious.
“Lunch needs to be brought to wherever I am and it needs to be picked up from this place.” He hands me a card with a note on the back listing out his lunch order. Obviously eating from craft services is too easy.
“I will text you when I want to eat and I expect it to be brought to me within the hour. No excuses because the last girl who worked for me just couldn’t seem to stop making excuses for her latency and stupidity.”
I open my mouth to speak but Noel throws a hand up, as if to tell me to shut up as he continues his demands.
“You work for me and no one else, so if there is anyone else on set who asks for your assistance the answer is no. Unless it’s my wife and then you locate her assistant who is also as incompetent as my last assistant.”
“Mr. Robinson,” I cut in, stopping him in his tracks as shoots daggers at me with his eyes. “I’ve been doing this a while. I promise you, all you have to do is ask and it will get done. Once I’ve got things down you won’t even have to ask.”
He smirks and gives off one slow blink before turning away from me without acknowledging my words.
The rest of my day goes by quickly and with minimal issues, and I honestly think I’ve impressed Mr. Demanding since he actually said good bye to me as I left for the day.
It’s late when I walk into Lewis’ apartment and he’s not there. Daisy runs up to me, her tail wagging at such a high rate of speed I swear she could use it as whip.
“Where’s Dad, Daisy?” I ask her, my voice a high pitch call and she barks, brushing up against me and running in a circle. I reach down and scratch her behind the ear and when I stop, she noses my hand for more.
“Just like your dad,” I tell her. “Demanding attention.”
My guess would be Lewis is closing up the bar, but I’m not sure because we know very little about each other’s work schedules. All we really know is that we’re good in bed together and for a split second I begin to wonder if that’s all we have.
I begin to rummage through a box that I still haven’t unpacked, finding exactly what I’m looking for, I pull it from the box and stick it on the refrigerator. I locate the markers in the same box and begin to add my schedule to the calendar I’ve now labeled as “Where are Ava and Lewis?” something I’m sure he’ll get a kick out of.
He walks in just as I’m finishing up, his arms circling me from behind as his lips press gently on the back of my neck.
“How was your day, sweet girl? I missed you.” I turn in his arms and push up on my toes, our lips now brushing together. Just the proximity to his body has mine reeling and his smell does things to me that I can’t even begin to explain. The intensity in our connection has to mean there’s more here than just good sex. We’re together because in addition to the want, we need the balance we provide each other.
“My day was long. How did things go with V?” I ask, knowing this is far more important than my demanding boss. Lewis’ relationship with V is faltering because of me and it’s slowly starting to eat away at me.
Chapter Nine
Lewis
I exhale, not wanting to tell her how my conversation with V went. I hate the idea of Ava thinking V doesn’t like her or is totally against us being together, even if that’s exactly the way V feels.
She doesn’t need to be burdened with this shit and the last thing I need is her feeling like any of this is her fault or that us getting married was a mistake. Especially not when this is the one thing I know, with absolute certainty, that is one hundred percent right in my life.
I shrug. “Not great,” I admit, glancing over her shoulder at what she stuck up on the fridge. Grinning, I lean over and grab one of the pens, making a change to the schedule for Saturday.
“What do you mean, not great?” she asks, still looking up at me.
I turn back to her. “She’s just being pissy and stupid,” I say. “Don’t worry about it, babe.”
“Lewis,” she says, her hands on my chest. “I do worry about it. She’s your best friend. I don’t want to come between that.”
“Ava, baby,” I say, leaning down to kiss her again. “You’re my wife, you will always come before everything,” I say, grinning a little as I add, “Including me.”
She exhales, a tiny smile tugging at her lips as she takes in my words. Eventually though, her smile fades as she says, “She hates me, doesn’t she?”
“She doesn’t hate you,” I say. “She’s just…caught off-guard, that’s all,” I add. “I don’t think she expected me to…”
“Marry me?” she asks, pulling back a little.
I smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Yeah,” I admit. “Or even just be this serious about you.”
“Why?” she asks. “Surely you’ve had other girlfriends?”
I nod, swallowing hard as I wonder how detailed this conversation is about to get. I always knew at some point our past relationships would come up, even if they mean nothing now we are together.
“I have, yeah.”
“So?” she asks, her eyes wide as though she’s silently begging me to continue. It breaks my heart seeing her this worried, this uncertain about us.
“So, I’ve never had a relationship like this,” I tell her, knowing that’s the truth.
“What do you mean?”
I brush a thumb across her cheekbone as I lean down and kiss her again, deeper this time. I feel her body sag into mine, her fingers tightening against the t-shirt at my chest as she holds me against her. Regardless of what anyone else thinks of us, I know we both feel it. We both know how real this thing is, even if neither of us can explain it.
“This serious,” I whisper, when I eventually pull back, my forehead resting against hers. “This intense, this powerful,” I add. “This meaningful,” I continue, emphasizing the word.
“Neither have I,” she whispers, her tongue poking out to lick her bottom lip.
I groan, as I back her up against the fridge and kiss her again, my hips pressed against hers as my arms tighten around her soft, warm body.
“God, I wanna fuck you so bad,” I murmur.
“Lewis,” she groans, the word lost in our kisses.
I feel my hands move to the zipper at the back of her dress, my fingers slowly inching it down. When it’s down to her waist, I slide my fingers up her spine, brushing over her warm skin.
“I made some adjustments to your calendar,” I murmur, turning her around now. I watch as she looks at what I’ve done, the whole of Saturday now blocked out with the words; Lewis is buried inside of Ava.
Her head falls back onto my shoulder as I peel open the back of her dress. Just as I’m abo
ut to push it down, Daisy barks, her whining and pacing signifying one thing.
She needs to go outside. Now.
“Fuck,” I moan, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder.
Ava chuckles. “Go, take her out. I’ll be waiting when you get back.”
“Naked,” I add as I pull back, adjusting my jeans before grabbing Daisy’s lead and whistling to her.
I make it quick, running Daisy down to the park and letting her do her thing before we head back home. By the time I get back, Ava is showered and dressed in panties and one of my t-shirts as she sits on the couch, talking on her phone.
She’s laughing and chatting animatedly with someone, so I press a kiss to the top of her head before heading into the bathroom to take a shower.
Afterwards, as I pull on a pair of sweats, the buzzer sounds. Glancing at the time, I see it’s after nine. Surely it’s not V? My heart pounds a little at the thought, that she might be here to apologize or that she might be here to have another go at me.
But when I hit the button, I realize Ava has ordered a pizza and it’s the delivery guy here to drop it off. After I let him up and grab my wallet, I answer the door, taking the pizza into the lounge room, where Ava is now simultaneously trying to paint her toe nails and talk on the phone.
Chuckling, I drop the pizza and a couple of beers on the coffee table, before moving so I’m sitting on the couch between her legs where I take the bottle of nail polish from her hands.
Lifting her foot onto my thigh, I start painting her toes, smiling when she presses a kiss to my bare shoulder and continues to talk on the phone.
I’m only half-listening but I eventually work out she’s talking to Julia, as in the Julia Harris. It’s easy to forget Ava works for such famous, high profile people and I can’t help but pay closer attention as they continue to talk, clearly good friends.
As I move to Ava’s other foot, she laughs, her hand smoothing down my spine as she says, “Yeah, you’ll have to come over and meet him.”
