Molly thought for a moment. “I honestly don’t know. He’s far from perfect in the bedroom, and he’s not the nicest person in the world. Maybe I felt sorry for him for having Asperger’s.”
“Yeah? I’m sorry for butting into your personal life, Molly. But feeling sorry for someone isn’t a reason to date them.”
Molly said nothing, so Seth thought he upset her.
“Well,” Mort said as he got up from the table. “I’d love to stay and finish this conversation, but I have an early class tomorrow morning, so good night, you guys.” He quickly dashed for the exit.
Molly groaned. “You’re right, Seth, you’re absolutely right. I don’t know why. I don’t know what possessed me. But before I knew it, Thomas and I were dating.”
“How long have you been dating?”
Molly looked almost ashamed. “One year this month.”
“Wow, a whole year? Man.”
Molly got quiet and flipped through the script. She became intrigued by one page. “How are you going to do this sketch scene?”
“What do you mean?”
“Mort is the furthest thing from an artist, so how are you planning to do the sketches?”
“I’ll draw them in charcoal myself. I was going to mention it to you, actually. Will you be willing to pose for me?”
“The character in the film is naked, so would I have to be naked too? And how long would I have to pose?”
“If you’re comfortable you can be naked, but if you wish, you can wear a bra and panties. And not for long. I’ll only be photographing you, so I can sketch them in private.”
Molly considered his questions. “Sure, okay. Did you want to do them tonight? We can do a photo shoot at my house.”
“Sounds good to me. Oh, we’ll have to stop off at my place and get my camera.”
Before Seth knew it, he was at Molly’s house. They stood on the porch for a moment.
Molly said, “Before we go in, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“What’s that?”
“I live with my grandparents, and they’re German. I mean they’re your stereotypical Schindler’s List, hardcore Nazi Germans. They don’t like change, and they don’t particularly like meeting new people—and God help you if you’re British.”
Seth swallowed hard. “Thanks for the warning.”
He nervously followed her inside. Nervous not only because of Molly’s grandparents, but because tonight, for the first time in four, almost five years, he was going to be up close and personal to either a naked or half-naked woman.
Molly and Seth slowly descended the basement stairs.
“Oma, Opa, I’m home!” Molly and Seth turned the corner to the entrance of the TV room.
Molly’s grandparents turned away from the TV and locked eyes with Seth.
“This is Seth Zimmer, he’s my director for that film I told you about.”
Molly’s grandparents continued to stare at Seth. They didn’t say a word.
Seth swallowed hard again. “Hello!”
Molly’s oma and opa remained silent.
“If you need us, we’ll be in my room doing a photo shoot.” Molly pointed and walked to her left, past the full basement bar and turned. She and Seth went to her bedroom.
Seth looked down at the magazine holder on Molly’s floor and noticed Lily Collins, Phil Collins’s daughter on the cover of the September issue of Seventeen magazine.
“Hey, Lily Collins! I didn’t know she was on the cover of Seventeen.” Molly quickly turned and looked. She was surprised Seth knew who Lily was.
“That’s right Seth—how do you know who Lily Collins is?”
“Let’s just say I’m obsessed with her father’s music, both solo and with Genesis.”
“Wow, that’s incredible.”
“Hey, I have the 14 Genesis albums and his eight studio albums, plus his only live album to prove it.”
Molly looked at Seth with amusement. “I have to say you’re unique, one of a kind for sure.”
Seth smiled and blushed. “Thank you.”
Molly walked over to her dresser and opened the top drawer. “What do you want me to wear?” She reached in and pulled out a few items.
“A solid black bra and semi-transparent panties? Or a black semi-transparent bra and half-thong?” He would’ve preferred her lovely nakedness, but he didn’t think that was an option, so he chose the next best thing.
“Black semi-transparent bra and half-thong.” Molly grabbed her red crushed velvet robe from her closet. “I’ll be back in a moment, so make yourself comfortable.” Molly exited and gently closed the door.
Seth sat on Molly’s bed and looked around. Wow, he thought. Molly must really like Marilyn Monroe. Molly’s walls were adorned pictures and art and quotes of Marilyn Monroe.
He heard some movement from the bathroom. He unzipped his camera case, removed the camera and then placed the batteries inside.
Molly entered the room as Seth snapped the battery cap back on the camera.
“Wow, that robe suits you perfectly. You look beautiful.”
Molly smiled and blushed. “Thank you.”
“I noticed you have a thing for Marilyn Monroe.”
Molly giggled. “Yes, Marilyn is to me what Phil Collins is to you.”
The two stared at each other for a moment.
Seth finally broke the silence. He got up off the bed. “Well, shall we begin?”
“Sure, where do you want me?”
Seth looked around. “Uh, on the bed is fine.”
Seth closed his eyes and thought, What an idiot I am. He opened his eyes again and Molly was walking over to him.
She got close to his right ear and whispered in a soft, extremely sexy voice, “As you wish, Mr. Director.”
Chills raced throughout Seth’s body, and he couldn’t help but shake.
Molly stood at the edge of her bed and untied her robe, letting it sensuously slide down her smooth body. She got on all fours on her bed. “I’m your lump of clay. Come and pose me.”
Seth stared at her for a moment, not knowing how to take her comment. Did she want him to try something? What if he did and she didn’t mean that?
“Seth, you okay?”
Seth snapped out of his thoughts. “Yes, just thinking of a couple of good poses.” He cautiously approached her. “Let’s get you up on your knees and place both hands behind your head.”
Molly got to her knees. “Pose me. You’re the artist, you know what you want.”
Seth swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
“Seth, it’s perfectly all right, hon. I’m giving you permission to touch me, so don’t sweat it if your hands or arms ‘accidentally’ rub up against something.”
That made Seth feel a little better, and he reached out and posed Molly.
“Wow, Seth.”
“What?”
“You have the most sensual and gentlest touch of any man I have ever been with.”
Seth thanked her as he slowly backed up to snap the shot. He quickly thought of another pose. “Perfect. Now get on your back, arch your back and let your head hang down with your arms to the side.”
“Ooh, kinky!”
Seth walked up to Molly again and posed her. “Hold that pose.” He backed up and snapped the shot. “Perfect; we’re done!”
Molly got off the bed, went to the dresser, pulled out a pair of jogging pants and a sweater and gracefully slipped into them. “What now?”
“When I get home, I’ll begin sketching the photos. And then, before we know it, we’ll be in production.”
CHAPTER 17
Production officially began on November 19, 2013. Everything seemed to be going well; everyone showed up on time and enjoyed working together. What more could Seth ask for?
&nb
sp; On November 28, Molly showed up early, and Seth could tell something was wrong by the tears in her eyes.
“Seth, can we talk?”
“Sure, absolutely. Come on in.”
“Can we talk in your room in private?”
“Of course.” Seth led Molly to his room.
She threw her purse on the floor and sat on his bed with her back against the wall. “I’m sorry for arriving abruptly, but I had to talk to someone.”
Seth sat on the edge of his bed. “Don’t worry about it. I’m always here for you.”
She leapt across the bed and hugged him tightly. “Thank you!” She buried her head in his shoulder.
“Just remember I’m not only your director, I’m your friend.”
Molly squeezed even tighter.
“We are friends, aren’t we?” he asked.
She released some pressure and looked at him. “Of course we are.” She leaned against the wall again.
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh, it’s Thomas.”
“Thomas! What did that creep do to you?”
Molly wiped her eyes. “He called me a little slut-whore and accused me of cheating on him. He then called me a lying bitch as he shook the hell out of me when I denied it.”
“What? Where did he ever get a stupid idea like that?”
“I don’t know, but you’re now on his shit-list.”
Seth’s mouth dropped. “What! Why me?”
Molly took a moment. “Because he thinks you’re the one I’m fooling around with.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Because we’ve been hanging around each other a lot lately.”
“Of course we have, we’re making a film together.”
“Once Thomas has something in his head, there’s no changing it.” Molly leaned over and wrapped her arms around him again.
“What do we do now then?”
Molly raised her head from his shoulder. “The only thing we can do is ride it out.”
Seth rubbed Molly’s back. “Is there anything I can do in the meantime?”
Molly sighed again. “You’re already doing it, Seth—you’re comforting me.”
Seth tightened his grip on her. He fell even harder in love with her, and he didn’t know what to do.
Later that evening, after filming ended, Mort, Brianna and Molly stayed to chat. The scene they’d just finished filming was the sketch scene, so Molly was still wearing her semi-transparent bra and black lace half-thong. She put on her red crushed velvet robe in case one of Seth’s parents or brother walked into the living room. The rest of the evening Molly sat on Seth’s lap with her arm around his shoulders, and Seth had his arms lovingly around her.
Finally around eleven-thirty Mort looked at the clock. “My word, is it really that late?” Mort turned to Brianna. “Do you need a ride home?”
“That would be nice.” Mort and Brianna got up from the couch and walked to the front door, Seth behind them.
“I’ll see you guys on Tuesday evening for filming,” Seth said as he gently closed the door.
In Mort’s car, he turned to Brianna and thought for a moment.
“What is it, Mort?”
“Do you have the feeling that something is going on between Seth and Molly?”
“Thank you. I’m not the only one who thinks that. Though I doubt it.”
“Why?”
“Because Molly’s in a serious relationship with Thomas.”
“Psycho killer, Brianna? You think Molly is serious about psycho killer?”
“Sure why not? They’ve been dating for a year now.”
Mort chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“Come on, don’t be so damn naïve. Do I really have to explain women to a woman?”
“No, but speaking English would sure help.”
“Molly is dating Thomas, the psycho killer. It may not be the perfect relationship because of his flaws, but for the time being, she’s happy with him. Until the next Mr. Right comes along.”
“The next Mr. Right?”
“Yes, someone who can sweep her off her feet and love her in a way Thomas can’t, someone who isn’t genetically flawed as Thomas. That someone could be our director, Seth Zimmer.”
Seth looked out the front door window for a moment and then shut the blinds as he turned to walk back to Molly. “They’ve been sitting out there for a while. I wonder what’s up.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. Mort is a big mouth, and once he gets talking, it takes forever to shut him up.” Molly got to her feet and threw her arms around Seth again.
He lovingly embraced Molly. “What’s this for?”
“I just want to thank you again for helping me through this afternoon. Not a lot of guys would do that for a female friend without expecting something in return.”
“Hey, no worries. Once you have Seth Zimmer as a friend, you have someone you can always count on for the rest of your life.”
Molly relaxed her grip on Seth and sensuously placed her index finger to his lips. “Shhh, I’m not quite finished.” She slowly ran her fingers from Seth’s back, up his arms and landed on his masculine shoulders. She moved Seth in closer and angled her head until their lips met.
After the kiss, Seth was quiet. His mind raced. The one thing he didn’t want to do was ruin this perfect moment. “Wow. That was well worth waiting for.”
He leaned in and kissed her, and to his surprise, she kissed him back. Seth slowly untied Molly’s robe, letting the fabric slowly drop out of his hand. He then touched her shoulders.
He sensuously removed her robe, which gracefully slid down her smooth shoulders and landed on the floor.
Suddenly she placed her finger on Seth’s mouth again. “Hold on. It’s late, time for bed.”
“Sure, right.”
Molly bent down and picked her robe up, slipped it on and gathered her things.
“Stupid idiot,” Seth whispered to himself.
Molly placed her bag and purse on the love seat and then walked to the front door and locked it.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you leaving?”
“I said it was time for bed. I didn’t say I was leaving.” Molly walked back into the living room and shut the light off. She then turned and headed for the stairs. Can this really be happening? Seth thought, or was this some kind of sick and cruel dream? Guess I’ll find out, he thought as he made his way to the stairs.
When Seth got to his room, Molly was lying on his bed. She patted it a few times. “You look stressed. Why don’t you come over here and let me relax you?”
Seth sat on the edge of his bed.
She got to her knees and rubbed his shoulders.
“Man oh man, are you tense.” She continued rubbing his shoulders for a few more moments and then slowly removed his shirt. Being a larger man, Seth always hated being topless in front of people, especially beautiful women. But something about being with Molly made him feel comfortable. He knew she wasn’t going to judge him.
“Here,” Molly said as she backed up. “You’ll feel better if you lie down.”
He swung his legs over the bed and took a deep breath as Molly continued massaging him. After a moment she moved her hands sensuously down his body. Her hands landed on his legs, and she proceeded to move down to his feet and slowly back up his legs again. Her hands swiftly moved across his legs to his belt buckle.
Molly’s hands unlatched his buckle and belt. “How are you feeling? Are you relaxing?”
Seth took deep breaths. He didn’t look at her. “Oh yeah. The more you work me, the more relaxed I become.”
Finally, Molly undid his jeans. She stopped abruptly and sat up high on her knees.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
She ex
haled deeply. “This isn’t right.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not fair.”
Seth looked at Molly. “What are you talking about?”
Molly smiled sexily at Seth. “Here you are almost naked, while I’m still completely dressed.”
Molly’s robe dropped from her shoulders, and she reached back and unhooked her bra. It slid off, and then she passionately went down on Seth.
*
Over the next 23 days, until the Christmas break in the film schedule, Seth and Molly made mad, passionate, unbridled love several times a week and up to twice a day. They even made time for love making when they weren’t scheduled to film.
Seth couldn’t understand why he was allowing himself to make love to Molly, especially when she was already in a relationship. Seth had but one rule in life: never take another man’s woman, yet he allowed himself to break his number one rule. Seth wasn’t cut out to be the “other man.” Sure, the sex was wonderful—amazing, actually. But Seth wasn’t a player. He was more the respectable, loving, dedicated and serious relationship kind of guy. Having a friend with benefits was strange behaviour, even for Seth.
But he figured it had been five years since he’d made love to a woman, and he had to think of his own needs. He knew he wasn’t just using Molly as a sex object. He legitimately loved and cared for her, and as Molly’s relationship with Thomas was getting increasingly rockier by the day, he was going to try to win Molly for himself.
But early in the morning on December 21, 2013, while Seth was sleeping, he received several text messages from Molly that could prove to be the end of their friendship.
When Seth woke that morning, he was still receiving texts from Molly. He reached for his cell phone and read he had 20 new messages. He unlocked his phone and was just about to read the messages when his phone rang. It was Molly. Seth became worried. He had an awful feeling something wasn’t right.
He answered his phone. “Hello?” There was a moment of awkward, uncomfortable silence.
“Seth, are you ignoring me? Why haven’t you answered any of my messages?”
“I just got up. I’m sorry. What is it? Something the matter?” Seth braced himself for impact.
“Yes, we have a big problem.”
Growing Pains Page 16
