Filmed: An Alpha Bad Boy Romance (City Series Book 3)

by Hamel, B. B.

  I shrugged, looking up at the giant silver screen. “It was okay, I guess. About what I expected.”

  “Yeah, working in a movie theater is pretty much the same everywhere.”

  “Except most places don’t have a crazy manager like Miss H. What’s with her name, anyway?”

  Noah laughed. “I’m pretty sure it’s a stage name.”

  “Really? Huh. That makes sense.”

  “Speaking of names, why did your parents call you ‘Linda’?”

  I looked at him sideways, trying to size him up. “What kind of question is that?”

  He grinned, and could probably tell that I was suspicious. “I mean you no harm, promise. I just like to hear the story behind people’s name, sometimes.”

  I nodded, appeased for the time being. I was constantly on guard for when he would decide to be a dick again.

  “Well, my mom named me after Linda Blair.”

  He gaped at me, obviously recognizing the name.

  “You’re fucking kidding me?”

  I laughed and nodded. “Yep, crazy, right?”

  “Your mom named you after the girl from The Exorcist! She practically named you after Satan himself.”

  Noah howled with laugher, and I grinned at him. I had heard it all before, but it felt particularly funny coming from him, though I wasn’t sure why. For whatever reason, my mom was an enormous fan of The Exorcist, and got it into her head that she would name her first girl after the main character. Unfortunately for me, my father didn’t have much of an opinion one way or the other, and so I was stuck with the name of the possessed girl’s actress, Linda Blair.

  “What about your name?” I asked him, once his laughter died down.

  He shrugged, looking up at the screen. I studied him in profile, and my breath caught in my chest. It struck me again how handsome he was, and doubly so in the half-dark of the theater, looking up at the enormous screen with a strange, faraway expression.

  “My mom liked it.”

  “Where’s your mom now?” I asked.

  “Died of cancer when I was pretty young.”

  I turned white, immediately regretting asking him about his mother. I should have been more tactful, but I had simply assumed his parents were divorced. So many Hollywood kids came from divorced parents.

  “I’m sorry Noah, I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “It’s okay. Happened a while ago.” He was looking off into the middle distance, and I would have given anything in that moment to be inside his head.

  “Did your dad ever re-marry?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  He laughed at that, and came back into the moment. We locked eyes and I imagined, maybe for the hundredth time, what his lips tasted like.

  “After my mom died, maybe a few months later, my dad started his endless string of girlfriends.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, basically, if you’re halfway decent looking, connected, and rich, it’s pretty easy to find a certain kind of girl to date you. My dad has probably gone through a few hundred of them over the years.”

  Gross. Like father, like son. Noah didn’t exactly have a nice, wholesome family background. I guess that made sense. Most Hollywood kids were a little messed up somehow; my mom always said it took a special kind of ego to get involved with the film industry.

  I wasn’t sure what that meant for the people that studied movies, but I never said that to her.

  “It must have been hard,” I said.

  “Yeah, at first it was. It’s tough for a young kid to realize that not every girl Daddy brings home is going to be his new mommy.” He shrugged ruefully and I wanted to touch his face, but resisted. “Eventually I got used to it.”

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

  “It’s in the past.” He grinned at me.

  I was a little surprised at his honesty. I halfway expected him to make a joke, maybe say he was jealous of his dad, but there was something emotionally insecure in his response that made me shift my weight toward him.

  He smiled back at me. Things had been comfortable between us all night; he had kept the perverted jokes to a minimum, and I didn’t spend too much time imagining his hands running along my bare hips. For the first time since we sat together by the bell tower, I felt like he actually gave a shit about me as a person, and I wasn’t just another girl in his own infinite string.

  “Listen, Noah,” I began, hesitating. He cocked his head at me.

  “What’s up?”

  I felt unsure of myself. He clearly had a complicated relationship with his father, and I thought that maybe bringing up my mother could do more harm than good. Then again, it was important everything was out in the air. At least, it was important to me. I hated living with secrets, and if there was one thing I couldn’t stand, it was a liar.

  “I talked to my mom about your dad,” I said.

  “Oh yeah? What did she say?” he said, grinning. I took a deep breath, nervous.

  “Apparently, they had some kind of feud, back in the day.”

  Noah nodded his head and leaned his body toward me. I could smell his minty breath. He had never been that close before, and my mind suddenly drew a blank.

  “I know. What about it?” he asked.

  “Oh, I’m not sure,” I stuttered.

  He gave me a breathtaking half smile, and before I could say anything further, he leaned forward and kissed me.

  At first, I was shocked. Noah Carterson, gorgeous bad boy, was kissing me in an empty movie theater. But after half a second, I relaxed into him, and our mouths parted, his soft tongue grazing mine. He tasted perfect, like mint and flowers and spring, and I melted into his soft lips. He reached out and touched my face softly, and I felt a hunger well up inside of me. I imagined going down on him, right there, in the front row of the theater. I wanted his hard body more than anything in that moment, and any hesitation was forgotten. It felt right, like the steam from a kettle.

  I leaned further over the arm of the chair and pressed myself into him. I ran my fingers through his air and I felt him return my intensity. I felt like I was boiling over, every moment of fantasizing about his lips and body suddenly coming to a head. I wanted him more than anything as I felt his hands grab onto my waist and pull me closer to him. I was halfway out of my seat, practically in his lap, when we heard the door to the theater slam open.

  “Yo, Noah, closing time,” Chuck yelled out.

  Immediately I pulled away from him and slid back into my seat. Noah grinned at me, stifling a laugh. I could tell my cheeks were bright red from embarrassment. I had no idea if Chuck saw anything, but it was typical of the Wonder Twins to walk in at the worst possible moment. At least I wasn’t giving Noah head yet.

  “I’ll be there in a second,” Noah said. Chuck gave him a thumbs up then left. Noah looked back at me, still grinning.

  “He has great timing,” he said.

  “Yeah, exactly.” I wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Listen, what are you doing after this?”

  I shrugged, not sure how to answer. I was still shaken from the kiss and breathing deep, and I wasn’t exactly thinking straight. Did I want to go home with Noah? Was that even a possibility?

  “I’m not sure,” I said, feeling stupid.

  “Feel like grabbing some food at the diner?”

  I felt a little relieved. Maybe he was in it for the long play, but I felt a little bit better than he hadn’t just asked me back to his apartment for a continuation of our kiss. As much as I would have loved that, to see his chiseled body and to get a better look at his tattoo, I knew I needed to take it a little bit slower. At least one date before I ended up letting him ravage me. That was the right thing to do.

  I realized I was having a hard time convincing myself.

  “Yeah, I’d like that,” I said.

  “Cool. I’ll meet you back out there in a second.”

  I stood, giving him a weird look. “Come on, let’s just head ou
t together. Nothing suspicious in that.”

  He laughed and he got this gleeful look on his face, and then nodded toward his crotch. Outlined in the dim light, pressing against his tight jeans, was his rock hard cock.

  “Oh,” was all I could think to say. He was pretty big, as far as I could tell, and obviously not shy about it. Blushing deeply, I turned and headed back toward the theater door, walking fast.

  “It’s your fault,” he called out after me. I turned around and flipped him off, grinning madly at his joke, before heading back and pushing through the door. I stepped out into the lobby, mind reeling.

  The Wonder Twins were standing behind the concession stand closing out the drawer while Miss Havisham hovered over them, obviously making sure they didn’t screw up the count. I guessed that happened a lot. Chelsea was either still in the box office, or she had already left. Miss Havisham gave me a smile and waved me over.

  “How was your first night, dear?” she asked.

  “It was really good. Noah walked me through everything.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure he did,” I heard Chuck say quietly. I gave him a look, and if I had the power to explode heads with my mind like in that Cronenberg movie, I would have. He caught my look and immediately went back to counting his money. Miss Havisham pretended like she hadn’t noticed the exchange.

  “Good, I’m glad. Noah can be such a help sometimes.”

  It was a bit odd hearing him described that way, but it was true: he had been a huge help. I had expected him to slack off and basically ignore me, but he had been the total opposite. He was attentive and dutiful the whole night, and went out of his way to make sure I was comfortable.

  I wondered what else he did that was attentive and dutiful.

  “Would you mind helping Chuck and Mikey finish up here, Linda?” Miss Havisham asked, pulling me back into the world.

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “Thanks dear.” She gave me a smile, then walked off. I looked at them, and they both grinned at me. Great. I guess Chuck saw what Noah and I were doing, and already shared with Mikey, probably through their weird best friend telepathy.

  “Not a word,” I said. Mike shrugged and Chuck mimed zipping his lips shut. I walked around the counter and began helping them close out the drawers.

  Soon, Noah emerged from the theater, and gave me a nod. I smiled back, and he walked over.

  “Usually, the new person cleans the bathrooms. But I’ll give you a pass tonight,” he said.

  “I don’t mind,” I said, not wanting Chuck and Mikey to make any comments.

  He shook his head. “You got it tomorrow night.”

  Before I could argue, he walked off toward the bathrooms. I gave Chuck a look, and he pretended like he wasn’t silently laughing at me.

  The Wonder Twins were about the most mature college kids I had ever met.

  As we finished up, I ran through my encounter with Noah in the dim theater again. I couldn’t believe he had opened up to me like that. He obviously had a difficult childhood without his mother. I could relate; my father was pretty distant, though he was still alive and well. Noah clearly didn’t get along with his father, though I couldn’t tell how much that stemmed from his father dating too much, or from typical family angst.

  Suddenly, it hit me like a truck. I felt like the floor opened up beneath me and I was in free-fall. I almost had to hold onto the counter to keep myself from collapsing.

  How could I have been so stupid?

  Obviously, because Noah’s kiss was a little distracting. That was fair enough: I was still reeling from it. But I should have noticed right away and pressed him on it. When I asked him about our parents, he said he already knew about the feud! Which meant, when I had asked him the week before if he knew anything about our parents, he had lied to me.

  I couldn’t believe it. Why would he have any reason to lie? We hadn’t known each other very well yet, and there was no point in hiding something from me. He clearly had known all along, and let it slip because he was too busy trying to get into my pants to keep his story straight.

  That must have been why he lied in the first place: in his mind, if I had known about the feud I may have been more unwilling to sleep with him.

  The world opened up in front of me, and I felt like I was drowning.

  “Chuck, do you guys need me anymore?” I asked, on the verge of panicking.

  He looked at me oddly. “No, you’re cool if you want to cut out.”

  I nodded my thanks then practically ran over to the box office. I grabbed my stuff and left, hurrying up the stairs, not bothering to look back. I didn’t care that I looked like a psycho running out of there suddenly; I couldn’t risk seeing Noah again. I didn’t know what I’d do. Probably scream at him, maybe smack him in his cocky face. I was so angry that he had lied to me, but more than that, I was upset that I had fallen for his bullshit. He didn’t care about my family or me. All he wanted was to get into my pants just like every other asshole on campus.

  He had probably used that line about his mother with a hundred other people before me. I was just his latest conquest.

  I felt tears spring up in my eyes, but I fought them back. I was not going to be the kind of girl who cries about some idiot guy. I was pissed; I wasn’t upset. I hurried out of the student center and made a beeline toward home.

  I needed to put as much distance between myself and Noah as possible.

  Chapter Nine

  I slammed the door of my apartment and sat down on the couch with a huff. I stared at the television, my mind buzzing with anger and confusion. Noah had always been a jerk, yes, and a pervert, but he hadn’t been a liar. His father may have been a genuinely bad person, but I was trying to give Noah the benefit of the doubt. Instead, he had broken my trust, and lied to me when I had asked him a direct question.

  Chris walked tentatively into the room.

  “How was work?” she asked me.

  I gave her a look, and rolled over onto my side.

  “That bad, huh?” She came over and sat down at my feet. I stretch out, putting them in her lap. “What happened?”

  “He fucking lied to me, Chris.” I wanted to say more, but I knew I should keep it short and sweet or else get bogged down explaining exactly how and why Noah Carterson is the biggest shit-head in the world.

  She looked surprised. “That’s a big deal. What did he lie about?”

  I let out an exasperated sight. “You know how my mom and his dad are in some weird feud, or at least they used to be?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “Well, I had asked him about our parents, like a week ago, and he acted like he didn’t know anything. Then tonight, we were sitting in the theater after cleaning it, talking about our parents, and I mentioned it to him again. And you know what he does? He says he knew, then he kisses me!”

  I was boiling over with rage. How dare he lie right to my face, and then give me one of the hottest moments of my life? I wanted to run my tongue along his rock hard abs and kick him in the face. I was a mess of lust, anger, and betrayal, and none of them seemed to be winning out over the others.

  “Hold on. He kissed you?”

  “Yeah, he kissed me, but that’s not the point. He lied to me!”

  She laughed and I gave her a pissed look. “I know Linda, but holy shit. He kissed you.”

  I sat up and stared at her. “Are you even listening?”

  “I mean, I’m not into the whole dating bullshit, but I would definitely let that man do some things to me.”

  “Are you joking right now?”

  “Only a little bit.”

  I collapsed back down, grumbling.

  “Look, there might be a good reason,” she said. “Or maybe he didn’t understand your question. Or maybe you misunderstood what he said.”

  “Why are you defending him?”

  “Because he kissed you, and you’ve been basically pining after him like a teenager since you first saw him.”

  “Chri
s, forget about the kiss. He lied to me.”

  She nodded, suddenly looking serious. “He did lie to you. Did you ask him about it?”

  “No, I had to get out of there.”

  “Linda, confront him.”

  “I can’t do that. I’m afraid I’d hit him or something.”

  “So what? He’s a big boy.”

  I imagined smacking him over and over, and him just grinning at me. Obviously, in that scenario, he was shirtless and sweating very slightly.

  What was I going to do?

  “No, I can’t. He treated me like I was another one of his conquests. I’m not giving him the satisfaction.”

  “Look, you can’t know what’s going to happen unless you talk to him.”

  “I’m way too embarrassed for that right now.”

  “Why? It’s not like you did anything.”

  “Uh, well,” I said, looking awkward.

  “You didn’t scream at him, did you?”

  “No, nothing like that. We just, had a date, I guess.”

  “What do you mean, a date?”

  “He asked if I wanted to go with him to the diner after work.”

  “And you said yes, obviously.”

  “Yeah, but then I realized he had lied to me, and I got out of there as fast as I could.”

  She nodded, thoughtful. “So you disappeared on him right after making out with him and agreeing to go on a date.”

  “Yeah, that about sums it up.”

  She laughed, shaking her head. “Nice mess you got yourself into.”

  I groaned and covered my head with a pillow.

  “Hiding won’t help fix anything,” she said, patting my ankles.

  “Unless I hide forever.”

  “Well, you can’t do that.” She stood up and stretched.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Back to studying.”

  I rolled over onto my back and groaned. “What am I going to do?”

  “Talk to him.” Chris smiled down at me.

  “I have to work with him tomorrow night,” I said.

  “Talk to him then. You know where I’ll be if you need me.” She walked back into her bedroom and shut the door. I rolled onto my side and clicked on the TV.

  Chris was always pretty cold and logical, and I knew she was right. But the last thing I wanted at that moment was to talk to him. I felt used and manipulated, like he had known all of these special secrets about me and was using them to get into my pants. Maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but I already had my reservations about him. Lying to my face, then kissing me, was pretty much the tipping point.