Off Camera

by Opal Adams

  She was still gnawing her bottom lip. "Have you spoken to anyone but me about all of this?"

  I'd half-expected I was going to bring her back into my dressing room and celebrate my growing of a backbone by fucking her senseless. I wasn't sure why she was so worried about it all.

  "I haven't spoken to anyone else."

  "I think you should speak to your agent."

  I frowned. "You don't think I've done the right thing?"

  "I just don't want her to end up winning in the end. If you speak to your agent, maybe he'll have some friendly journalists you can speak to and get your side of the story out first or something."

  "I'm not giving the tabloids the gossip on my marriage. I'll weather the storm and get back to normal."

  She took a step forward and took my hands in hers, gathering some courage. "Look, Aaron, I think you're probably right, but if you're not and this goes horribly wrong, do you really think this relationship is going to work out? Because I think that you'll resent me for the rest of my life."

  "Why would I resent you?"

  "Because you did this for me. Or, you did it partly because of me, anyway, and if it goes wrong then you'd convince yourself it was all because of me. I just want you to speak to your agent and see what they say. Just get some advice."

  My irritation at her response faded, because I knew she was right. I might not have done this for her, but I did it because of her, and if this all backfired on me I wouldn't be able to stop the resentment building up toward her. Acting was everything I'd wanted, and without it I knew I'd be absolutely miserable.

  I wrapped my arms around her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I'll call my agent," I promised.

  Her posture relaxed, and she ghosted her lips over mine. "Thank you." She paused. "So, you think this will really be over soon? You won't see any more of her? She won't come barging into the studio anymore?"

  I ran my hands through her hair, messing up the curls that Nel had probably spent hours on this morning. "It might take a bit for her to accept defeat, but now I don't care about her spinning lies to the media, I don't care about trying to take out a restraining order on her either. I will get rid of her, and she won't be something we even have to think about again."

  Her smile was radiant. "I just can't wait for everything to be back to normal."

  "Back to normal? I'm not sure anything in our relationship has been normal yet."

  She linked her arms around my neck. "There's definitely nothing normal about how attracted I am to you. It shouldn't be possible," she teased, before kissing me, hard, taking my bottom lip between her teeth and biting down.

  I was pushed backward until I was sitting in my chair, Ellie straddling my lap. Her kisses feathered against my lips, nose and cheek as she made my cock hard between her legs.

  "You're too much," I said, grabbing her hips and forcing her down into my lap. I ground against her pussy, and her teasing disappeared as a moan slipped out of her mouth. "That's what I thought," I was the one nipping her bottom lip now, pinching her nipple through her shirt and causing her desire to skyrocket.

  I'd wasted too much time outside with Mindy, and now I had to rush through this time with Ellie.

  I wasn't complaining, though.

  I knew I could get a lot done in a little time.

  I stood up, her legs wrapped around my hips, and backed her into a wall. I lavished her neck with kisses as I went, unable to wait until filming was over so that I could start leaving love bites on her porcelain skin. I wanted to be walking around the house and to see them on her; to be able to run my fingers over them and remind her she was mine.

  I pulled her pants and panties down just enough for me to get access to her pussy, and she used her feet to push my pants down to my knees.

  I glanced at the door. I'd forgotten to lock it, but I wasn't about to ruin the moment by pointing that out; I was going to fuck Ellie knowing that anyone could walk in at any moment.

  I couldn't dip my fingers inside her like I normally did in this position, or tease her clit with my fingers. Instead, I teased her with the tip of my cock. She was already soaked, and I slipped in, her wet heat clenching around me as her head fell back against the wall.

  "Fuck," she murmured, nails digging into my neck. "Harder. More."

  I would have said no and pulled out all together, gone back to playing with her nipples or just kissing her, but I took another look at the door and, for once, obliged her.

  I fucked her hard against the wall, a hand over her mouth that didn't do much to quiet the flow of curses and groans. I buried my face against her neck, breathing hard and biting my lip so I didn't leave a mark on her skin as I got closer and closer to the edge.

  She was hot and tight and my body was on fire as I pounded into her, one eye on the door and the thrill of the possible interruption sending my arousal to dizzying heights.

  It wasn't long before I came inside her, a loud groan of my own that would have been audible to anyone close to the dressing room. "Fuck," I muttered, pulling out and feeling my seed drip back down her leg. After the first night, we'd had a conversation about birth control, and the fact I could cum inside her was something I'd never get bored of.

  "I feel like that may have been a little bit loud," Ellie said, a cheeky grin covering her face as she opened the door to my private bathroom and dealt with the stickiness between her thighs. "I bet they can't wait for filming to be over."

  "Please, this is more excitement than some of those sound guys will ever hear in their lives."

  She rolled her eyes. "You like the fact people know. You didn't lock the door."

  It wasn't an accusation, though. Her eyes gleamed, and if we hadn't needed to get back onto the set I would have had her again.

  "I want everyone to know that you're mine."

  She walked over, and I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her against me.

  "I want everyone to hear how much you enjoy being mine," I continued.

  She pressed her lips to mine in a chaste kiss. "I don't think anyone out there has any doubt that I'm yours."

  10.

  ELLIE

  "Are you sure you want to do this?" Aaron asked as we stood in the lobby of a high-end apartment building. "There's no pressure."

  I had no idea what the best way to handle all this was, but that's why I'd asked Aaron to speak to his agent. He was the professional, he would know, and he'd recommended that we get out there and talk to a journalist before Mindy could.

  We wanted to be ahead of the game.

  "I'm positive."

  I wasn't positive, and the thought of seeing my face on the front page of a tabloid made me feel a little ill inside, but it was inevitable anyway. When the movie aired I'd be in the spotlight; at least this was for a good cause.

  When it was out there, Aaron and I wouldn't have to worry anymore. We wouldn't be reluctant to go and eat in a restaurant because the papers might say something about us; we wouldn't be walking down streets a good distance apart in case some journalist was following us with a camera.

  We'd put it out there, and if we were lucky, it would be old news soon enough.

  We were both worried that there'd be some commenters who were unimpressed with the age gap between us, but Aaron's agent had assured us that it wouldn't be much of a problem. Famous men married younger women all the time; there was always a little bit of commentary, but it was nothing new, and nothing highly controversial.

  It was the lies Mindy came up with that Aaron had to worry about, and that was what most of this interview today was going to be focused on. His failed marriage.

  The elevator doors opened, and a man I didn't recognize came out. Aaron obviously did, though; he stepped forward and shook his hand, the smile on his face obviously forced. "Hi, Mark," he said. "Thanks for doing this on such short notice."

  Aaron was even less enthusiastic than me about talking to a journalist: it was his marriage, and he'd always wanted it to be something that
stayed personal. I felt bad that I'd not only forced it into the public eye, but that I was the one pushing him to take his agent's advice because I was scared our relationship would go south if he didn't.

  I was being selfish, but I convinced myself I was doing what was best for his career, too.

  "Not a problem at all," Mark said. "And this must be Ellie. It's a pleasure to meet you."

  We shook hands, too, and I tried to swallow my nerves.

  I had no idea how an interview like this went, really. I'd avoided journalists and interviews the entire time I'd been filming, and while I knew this wasn't going to be a grilling, I still wasn't looking forward to it.

  We were doing the interview at his apartment: Aaron hadn't wanted to go into the office, and he hadn't liked the idea of Mark seeing the inside of his house, either. This was a solution Mark hadn't seemed reluctant to agree to. He probably did this sort of thing all the time.

  In the apartment, I declined Mark’s offer for a drink and sat with my hands in my lap, wondering how long this was going to take. It was only yesterday it had even become a possibility, and we hadn't really ironed out any kinks in what we wanted to tell Mark.

  Aaron did almost all the talking, though.

  He explained how everything had all begun in a far more romantic way than "we just really wanted to fuck," and how we'd tried to stay apart to maintain professionalism, but hadn't been able to. He said he'd spoken to Dennis and been told he didn't mind having it on-set as long as filming wasn't affected. He said how happy we were, and we just wanted to be the ones to come out and say it instead of living with the speculation of the press hanging over our shoulders.

  Then he went on to talk about his marriage, about his divorce, and about what a bitter bitch Mindy was being, in a slightly more subtle way than that. He explained the blackmailing, and said he just didn't want there to be any more lies about him in the press.

  It was like I wasn't even there, really. I sat with my fingers laced through Aaron's and listened to what he was saying while my eyes roamed over the disappointingly bare apartment. There was no artwork, no fancy wallpaper. It was all quite sterile.

  I wondered if it was even his home, or just a place he called his apartment for clients like Aaron who didn't want to meet in an office.

  He must be on some serious money if he could afford this place as a second home.

  And then it was over, we were all shaking hands again and seeing ourselves out as we rode back down in the elevator.

  "How do you think it went?" I asked Aaron, whose back wasn't as stiff, and who didn't look like he was ready to punch the next person who spoke to him anymore.

  "I think it went really well," he said as we walked out of the apartment building, our hands still laced together. "Thank you for making me do that. It was the right thing to do."

  My eyebrows pulled together. "You're sure?"

  We were on the sidewalk, in broad daylight, when he cupped my face and kissed me. "Now I can do that whenever I want, and I don't have to give a shit what anyone thinks. I shouldn't have given a shit in the first place. I love you, Ellie."

  My cheeks flamed red, and I barely squelched the urge to jump up and wrap my legs around him. "I love you too," I said instead, maintaining some composure as I brought his face back down and kissed him again.

  "Now let’s go home and fuck on the balcony, where I don't care if anyone sees us anymore."

  Epilogue

  ELLIE

  My gown was completely extravagant.

  It was a jade garment that fell to the floor and my back was completely revealed even though the front came right up to my neck.

  And the best part: it was free.

  I decided it was the best thing about my moment of fame. Plenty of people had approached me asking if they could give me free things as long as I'd wear them and use them in front of the camera. And I wasn't even remotely ashamed to have sold out to all of them.

  I walked down the red carpet, hand in hand with Aaron, and we stopped to sign autographs and take selfies together.

  I'd thought maybe we should tone it down a bit at the premiere. Sure, it was completely public now, and everyone knew that we were together, but this was still a professional event.

  Only, as soon as we'd linked hands on the red carpet and grinned, the screams for us had only gotten louder.

  As it turned out, the people were a fan.

  Especially when it came out what a bitch Mindy was. I was glad I was seen as a good, friendly alternative instead of another money-grubbing bitch trying to get at his riches.

  It probably helped that everyone in the public still thought this was the beginning of my shining acting career, rather than the end of it. Of course there'd been some speculation that our relationship had started before filming, and that was why I'd gotten the part, but it had died out pretty quickly.

  Probably because the movie had gotten good reviews, including my performance.

  I'd been surprised when Aaron showed me the first round of reviews. I'd been planning on abstaining from reading them; I'd already decided I was going to quit, I didn't need it rubbed in my face that I wasn't made for the job. I was pleasantly surprised when he wrestled me to the bed and forced me to listen to, Ellie Lyndon's stunning debut reveals exactly why leading man Aaron Palmer fell head over heels during filming. She wows with beauty, boldness and just enough emotion to keep her sympathetic.

  I'd flushed and snatched the magazine from him, reading it for myself.

  "I don't believe it," I'd said.

  He grinned. "I do."

  And part of me had been just a little bit tempted to give it another shot. As soon as the reviews were published Dana was calling me up, telling me that if I wanted to change my mind about my career path, now was the time to do it. She could have offers rolling in for me if I just said the word.

  I'd told her no, though. A bit of an ego boost from reading that people liked me wasn't worth the misery I'd been through actually filming the stupid thing. It wasn't worth it.

  "Are you sure it wasn't just because I was making things hard for you?" Aaron checked. "All this stress about our relationship making things difficult?"

  "It wasn't. Even when we figured everything out, the rest of the filming was still horrible. It's just not for me."

  And I was right, it wasn't.

  I was a little sad about all the clothes, though.

  Aaron's fingers danced on my back as we finally escaped the crowds to go inside the theater. "I'll buy you all the clothes in the world," he promised, as a shiver ran up my spine. "And I'll find some that are even more revealing than this."

  I leaned into his touch as we walked, completely pressed against his side. "I'm not going to say no to that."

  There was a flash of a camera, but I'd stopped flinching when it happened. I just laughed and we carried on, walking past and acting like nothing had happened.

  Really, it hadn't. I was just likely to see a picture of me in my beautiful dress with my beautiful boyfriend tomorrow. I couldn't really complain about that.

  We sat in the front row, and I was surprised when I enjoyed the movie.

  I hadn't watched any of the footage except small clips, and I'd had no idea what to really expect. Aaron had held my hand the entire time, and more than once his fingers had found the slit in my dress to drag themselves along my upper thigh, dangerously close to my panties.

  He had no shame, and I hoped he never got any.

  I was a mess of desire by the end of the movie, and when the lights came back up, one look from Aaron told me he knew exactly what he'd done to me. We were going to have to have a quick Q&A session with the press, but then I was going to make him find us somewhere secluded where he could deal with the throbbing clit between my legs.

  His fingers danced over my back and his hot breath fanned over my earlobe as he said, "I can't wait to take you home."

  "I don't think I can wait until we get home." There was still an after-party we h
ad to attend for a polite amount of time. Maybe I could just about make it to there before I caved and pushed him into a deserted room.

  His nails dragged across my back now, and I bit my lip as we approached the cameras and I had to make myself look composed. "If we got caught that would be a lot more press than I was hoping for after tonight."

  I flashed him a grin before we took our seats behind the table, ready for interview questions. They had so many of us up there that Aaron and I were pushed so close together we could still touch. It also meant there were people close on either side that could see everything we were doing, too, though, and so we kept our hands in our laps as I rubbed my knees together and tried to concentrate on anything but the thought of having him inside me.

  I blanked out all of Dennis' answers, even though it might have been useful to play off some of them. I had a surprising number of questions for myself, and I knew I'd given short and disappointing answers. All of Aaron's were quick, but witty, and the press ate them up.

  I wouldn't miss this part of it at all. I'd be perfectly happy to be standing off to the side watching Aaron with a dopey smile on my face.

  And then he could whisk me away somewhere private like he did the second someone said that was enough questions, and we could leave the table.

  Aaron laced his fingers through mine and no one even looked twice as we disappeared down a corridor. It was the way he walked, I decided. He just looked so confident in everything he did that no one would think he was doing anything out of the ordinary.

  "Do you have any idea where we're going?" I asked, heart pounding and a wild grin on my face.

  "Not exactly. I've had premieres in this theater before, though, and there's always someone who sneaks away and has a quick fuck in some shady back room. I know there must be one around here somewhere."

  I pressed my hand to my mouth to hide my giggle as we turned a corner. We hadn’t gone very far, but I also hadn't seen any side doors for us to peek our heads in. I was half expecting us to just come to a back entrance in a moment.