by Nikki Steele
“Archer!”
He leaned in, and kissed my hip as his hands worked. It was all that my body needed. I began to buck and tremble upon him as my body fell to pieces and my mind shot into the stratosphere. I couldn’t think straight, couldn’t contain the cries of total pleasure that were pouring out of me in a steady stream. All I could do was feel. It was bliss, and soon I was trembling in his arms.
He gave me no time to recover. I opened my eyes with a groan of pleasure to see him stand and position himself before me. He lifted me slightly, hands cupping my butt, and then slid his rigid length inside.
Freaking hell. The first thrust nearly undid me all over again, though the trembles had barely subsided. We stayed still for a moment, both enjoying the feeling of union, as he kissed me. “So big,” I whispered, “it feels so good.”
He kissed my forehead, the tip of my nose, my cheeks. Finally I moved against him, rocking my hips, and his hands moved to my waist. He began to move me back and forth, and then lifted me, still tied at the top, to wrap my legs around his hips. My back pressed into the tree as he moved against me, soon finding a delicious rhythm that had me moaning loudly and begging for more.
Even though most of my consciousness was focused on the pleasure flooding my body, the little bit that wasn’t marveled at the fact that I was doing this with him. We were doing this together. He wanted me. I almost couldn’t believe it, that it was his member that was thrusting in and out, and it was his groans that I heard echoing through the soundstage.
He began to quicken, his huge hard member thrusting in and out of me in delicious slippery pleasure. It was so tight I would have feared I couldn’t take him, but I was so turned on I had known without a doubt that I could.
Soon I knew the end was near once more. I felt the familiar tightening of my muscles as the pleasure built me to an all-time high. His thrusts became frantic. He drove himself into me again and again, faster and faster, until suddenly we both tensed at exactly the same time. He threw back his head. My legs clamped around his waist, and then we were both crying out as on the outside, our bodies stilled, but on the inside, our bodies went wild.
When even our heartbeats had calmed, he gently—so gently—unwound the vine from around my wrists. It was only then, when my feet touched the fake jungle floor, that I became aware once more of the silent movie studio, with its cameras poised just beyond the jungle’s foliage.
I giggled. “Next time, we’re going to have to film that.”
He looked at me, eyebrows rising. “I don’t make those kinds of movies.”
Epilogue
We rested together, as comfortable as we could be in the middle of a jungle set.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “I didn’t… hurt you or anything?” This gentle, caring man was a far cry from the animal I’d been with minutes earlier.
“I’m fine; more than fine,” I laughed. I wasn’t accustomed to the post-coital dance. What was a girl supposed to do in a situation like this? What girl had ever been in a situation like this?
A muffled ringing got our attention; Archer rifled through his clothing to reach his phone. “I’m sorry. I have to take this,” he said with a grimace. I was graced with the sight of his perfect naked backside as he walked away, phone to his ear, and didn’t mind at all. Mmm.
I began to get dressed, picking up strewn underwear and clothes before finally reaching for my tattered blouse. It was beside Archer’s jacket.
I paused. A small tape was lying on the ground—it must have slipped from his pocket when we got undressed. I bent to pick it up, one eye in the direction I’d seen Archer walk.
The original recording. My fingers trembled around it.
I couldn’t. I’d made my decision—I didn’t care what they did to me. But did I care what they did to my mother?
If only I hadn’t taken those photos.
* * *
It seemed funny, reflecting on the experience all these years after, but that sheet was what had first sparked doubt in my mind. Not the mattress, or the hotplate in the corner, or the rat droppings in the stairwell, but the sheet he’d hung behind me.
But I was there, and he’d been going to make me a star. He’d taken a few shots of my face, tilted in different directions, looking out the window, on and on. Then he had me sit on the floor, and took photos of me there, too.
“Okay, now without the clothes.” He’d sounded so casual, so matter-of-fact.
“Excuse me?” I asked, no longer caring about sounding cool. “Without my clothes? Which clothes?”
He peered at me from above his camera. “All of them, sweetheart.” My jaw fell open, and his brow furrowed. “Honey, this is how it’s done. I thought you were a professional.”
“I… I am a professional,” I stuttered. “I’ve just never worked with a photographer who asked me to strip down.”
“That’s probably why you aren’t in a movie yet,” he remarked, laughing. “Trust me, this is how it goes. Everybody does this.”
And I’d believed him. I really had.
When I got home I’d showered in water so scalding it had turned my skin deep red and left the bathroom full of billowing steam. When I’d visited the studio the next day to demand he destroy the photos—especially the ones with the props—it had been empty. Needless to say, I never became a star.
Fast forward to a month ago, standing in a room full of blue cigar smoke. The Janus executive had gotten right to the point. “Josephine, I have a job for you which falls somewhat… outside your general duties.”
“I don’t work for Janus anymore.” My voice had been full of spite. “You’re about to repossess my house, remember?”
“Now, now. No need to be so dramatic.”
“Dramatic? Dramatic!” I wanted to scream, but brought my voice back under control. “I signed that contract in good faith. My mother needed a house and you said you’d help. Then six months ago, you fire me and my repayments suddenly triple?”
“The GFC, my dear. You know how it goes.”
“Yes, I do. The rich get richer, and people like my mother and I are left by the wayside. Whatever it is you want, I don’t care.”
I was walking toward the door when he stopped me. “Even if it means wiping the debt on your house?”
I turned back, slowly.
“It’s a simple job. You might even like it. Someone has copies of a tape they shouldn’t. Steal them, and your debt is wiped.” He pushed two folders across his desk, in my direction. “In the top folder, you’ll find the financial records relating to your loan. Do this successfully, and that debt will be wiped out. Completely.”
My eyes darted to the sheaf of papers in the folder. I was tempted. Sorely tempted. But then my jaw tightened. “Whatever’s on that tape, the company must want it bad. And if the company wants it bad, that means you shouldn’t have it.” It was with effort that I held myself back from spitting at him. “No deal. My mother and I will survive without your charity.”
“How is your mother, Josephine?” he asked suddenly.
“Fine, thank you.”
He stubbed out a cigar, then began to trim another. “Funny, I’ve heard a much grimmer tale.” A match flared. He took several puffs. “In fact, I’d say with her heart, leaving that house might even kill her.”
“She’ll move in with me. We’ll make it work.”
His eyebrows rose. “Two women in that one bedroom shitbox you’re renting? You’re late on the rent there too, aren’t you?”
“We’ll. Make. It. Work.”
He sighed, shaking his head. “I told them you wouldn’t go for it.” Then he’d pushed across the second file on his desk. “That’s why I have this second folder.”
“Whatever it is, I’m not interested.”
“Open it,” he cajoled. “I mean, I could, but it would ruin the surprise.”
I stepped forward hesitantly. When I opened the folder, my eyes filled with tears.
It was me. Photos of me, naked as t
he day I was born. How he’d gotten his hands on them; I had no idea, but I wouldn’t put anything past the company at this point.
“I didn’t realize you were so… photogenic,” he sneered. “And those poses with the props! Very inspiring. Wouldn’t it be a shame if your family saw something like this? I mean, your mom, with her bad heart. It would almost kill her.”
He licked his lips as he stubbed out his cigar. “Don’t worry, of course. I’ll keep them safe. Because I care about you, and want to help you… you do want to help me in return, don’t you Josephine?”
I couldn’t imagine the effect it would have on Mom if she saw these. The shame in her eyes—he was wrong. It wouldn’t kill Mom. It would kill me.
My shoulders slumped. He knew he had me. “The dialogue you’re looking for took place on September 23rd.” The blue smoke wafting across the room now made me feel sick. “You’ll find a copy in the editing room. Don’t take it. He’s bound to notice it missing. Just do what needs to be done, then put it back.”
I had nodded, feeling nauseous.
“The master copy he keeps on his person at all times, from what I’m told. You’ll have to get your hands on that in some other way.” He’d winked, then. “From what I can tell in this folder, I’m sure you’ll have no problems thinking of something.” I’d rushed from the room then to be sick. His laughter, and the memory of that folder, had followed me all the way.
* * *
Back on the jungle set, I was clutching the tape so hard my fingers had gone white. It held so much more than what appeared on the surface. This wasn’t just about me. It was about my mother, too. I was her sweet little doll. I couldn’t let her see those photos.
Before, when I’d thought I could be strong, I’d been blinded by lust. Now that the haze had cleared I knew it wasn’t that simple. I should take the tape. After all, if I left it, what would really happen? Janus had lawyers. I’m sure they had contingency plans.
And Archer was a billionaire! Money wasn’t important to him like it was to me. Leaving the tape would send me bankrupt. Stealing it wouldn’t hurt his bank account at all. Archer was wealthy beyond my wildest dreams. I was just the assistant he’d had a one night stand with.
A one night stand. It didn’t mean anything, really. It wasn’t a commitment. We didn’t love each other. For all I knew, he did this with all his secretaries. Maybe he had even filmed us! One of those cameras did seem like it was pointing straight at me. It would be easy enough to have turned it on without noticing.
I focused on that feeling. This probably meant nothing to him, so why should it mean anything to me? He was probably on the phone right now, crowing about it to all his friends. “I got another one!” he’d be saying. “And you’d never believe what she let me do to her.”
Shame washed over me. And anger, too. I could feel that red rash starting to creep up my chest and neck. Who did he think he was? Some rich, arrogant guy who could sleep with anyone he wanted? Splash a little cash, wine-and-dine me in plastic cups, and suddenly I was his? I didn’t think so!
I should just take the tape. Look after myself. My hands moved to thrust it into one of my pockets. I should take the tape.
But that would mean betraying Archer’s trust.
My hands stilled. And suddenly I found that I couldn’t do it. Not now. Not after what we’d just done. I couldn’t take the tape, for all that I wanted to, and needed to, and must. Because Archer was more important to me than all of that. More important to me than my own health, or wealth, or the opinion of my mother.
I slid the tape back into Archer’s jacket pocket. Then I turned away, to finish dressing. Archer wasn’t back yet, but I wasn’t going to wait for him. I might be able to avoid it for a time, but sooner rather than later Janus would come knocking. And I’d have to answer.
I needed to get away, while I still could. And if I truly cared for him, I wouldn’t let this happen again. A shadow move across the wall at the opposite end of the soundstage. “Is anybody there?” I called out.
I heard nothing. Must be Archer—though I’d thought he walked in the other direction. I didn’t want to see him now. I didn’t think I could ever see him again, for what I’d almost done.
The shadow must have just been nerves.
I wrapped my tattered blouse around myself and left the studio. That red blinking light on the camera must just be my nerves, too.
. . . . .
The story continues in Book 2: Hollywood Heat which is available on Amazon.
Further Reading
Books by Nikki Steele
I write about strong female characters that are independent and opinionated. I hope you enjoy my books! (Sign up for my newsletter at www.nightvisionbooks.com/nikki-steele).
The Director’s Assistant series
What happens when the villain falls in love with the hero?
Josie has just started a new job with gorgeous billionaire Hollywood producer, Archer Williams. There’s an immediate spark of connection – and that’s a problem.
Because Josie has a secret. She’s being blackmailed into betraying him, and by the time the real job is over, he’ll never want to see her again.
Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Heat
Hollywood Hype
Hollywood Hero
The Puppy & the Prince series
The only good man in Kate’s life is her precocious puppy Baxter. That is until Baxter brings her together with a handsome stranger.
His name is Xander, and he has a mysterious, regal air. Kate’s hooked, but there’s just one little problem. Xander is from Europe, and he’ll be returning there soon.
Oh, yes. And he’s a prince—did he forget to mention that?
The Puppy & the Prince
The Puppy & the Damsel
The Puppy & the Queen
The Puppy & the Crown
The Baker & the Billionaire Complete Series
Libby lives in the shadow of her sister, a skier and Olympic contender. Her sister is younger, athletic and attractive, whereas Libby struggles with food issues, is curvy, and uncoordinated.
On a journey to the slopes, she meets a handsome mysterious stranger, and they share a single wild, hot night together. The freedom of a one night stand lets her do things she would normally be too timid to do—because she thinks she’ll never see him again.
But all is not as it seems on the slopes. Because the stranger is there to stay…
Frozen Dreams
Frozen Lust
Frozen Fire
Frozen Heart
The Servicing the Billionaire Complete Series
Anna is sexy, curvaceous and desperate for money. Jacob is the handsome billionaire that could make all her dreams come true.
There's just one problem—Anna's love isn't for sale. She needs the money, and he has it, but it's also the one thing that's keeping them apart.
As passion makes the lines between work and play start to blur, Anna must ask herself – can she hold back, or will she allow her body's desires to take over?
Services Rendered
Services Purchased
Services Received
Services Bought
Services Earned
The Books & Billionaires Complete Series
They meet in a library during a snowstorm, and by the end of the night have found passion in each other’s arms. But Booker has a secret- one that threatens to turn Clara’s life upside down.
It would be better for her if she never saw him again, but Booker won’t take no for an answer. And he’s rich, sexy and willing to do whatever it takes to get his way…
By the Book
By the Letter
By the Sea
By the Way
The Billionaire and the Best Friend Complete Series
When Tiffany's best friend sends her on a blind date with a handsome Billionaire, she thinks all her dreams have come true. He’s her very own Christian Grey, complete with kinky dark side to boot.
But there’s a difference between fiction and real life; sometimes what you fantasize about isn't what you want in reality. When his kinks become too much, will she be brave enough to walk away?
And then there’s the best friend. There’s something stirring there—but if she acts on it, it could just ruin everything. This is a BDSM romance, and is a little darker than some of my other series (but don’t worry, the series still has a happy ending).
Blind Date
Blind Spot
Blind Trust
Want to read my books the minute they’re released? Sign up for my newsletter at www.nightvisionbooks.com/nikki-steele
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