"See?" I teased. "You're perfectly capable of being a rational adult. Only a few more weeks and this will all be over."
"Speaking of over." Jack looked me over in the same way he usually did before he ripped my shirt off. I loved that look. "After filming, we should go down to Mexico, get away for a while. I have a killer condo where we can sunbathe naked and drink margaritas until we can't see straight. What do you say?"
I laughed and pushed him off. "We'll talk about it after you finish this scene, okay?"
He kissed me, quick and hot, and jogged back into the warehouse with a wave. I took an extra minute to watch him disappear, fully enjoying the view. I didn't know why he’d taken an interest in me, and I didn't fully understand what was going on between us, but I didn't want it to ever end.
I mean, naked sunbathing and margaritas in Mexico sounded amazing, but with Jack? Incredible.
Thank you, Karma, for finally getting your shit together.
Chapter 13
JACK
"That's a wrap!" Denver pulled off his headphones and started clapping. "Congratulations everyone, we did it!"
Everyone mobbed the center of the sound stage, clapping and cheering and whooping. I was in the center of it all, jumping around like a fool while Dave from the props department sprayed us with champagne. Someone blared ‘It's Raining Men’ from the speakers and things got...well, a little wild. For about ten minutes.
Denver indulged us. It had been a long two-and-a-half months of filming, with a lot of bumps in the road and some shenanigans, but we did it.
"Speech!" Lena screamed out as the whooping died down and the waterworks started. "Speech!"
Denver waved us off, so I pushed through and dragged him to the middle of the circle. I clapped my hands and led a chant: "Speech! Speech! Speech!"
"All right, all right. Shut the hell up." Denver laughed and motioned for us all to settle. "It's been a long ten weeks. Long ten weeks. Should’ve been more like eight weeks, but here we are."
"Slackers!" Someone yelled from the back. There was muffled laughter, because most of the cast was too busy hugging and crying.
I would miss these guys. Probably not Josh. But everyone else? Sure. I just wasn’t the crying type. I was going to look forward to sleeping in for the next month.
"You guys really brought this movie to life and surpassed my wildest dreams. I want to thank all of the crew for busting their asses, all of the cast for avoiding most prima donna meltdowns, and for everyone who sacrificed time away from their families to make this production a reality. You guys were so excellent to work with and...I'm going to miss you assholes."
"Tell us how you really feel, Denver!" I hollered.
"I feel like I aged ten years making this film, but it'll have been worth it."
Everyone laughed. There was more crying. Alison wasn't here and I hated it. I wanted to celebrate this moment with her.
"Some of the crew have graciously put together tonight's wrap party, so no one blow this off, okay? I heard someone is going to set up a dunk tank for Gerald, so you can take out all that aggression on everyone's favorite producer. Maybe we'll even get Jack in there."
"Get ready to get wet, baby!" Josh called from the sides.
Fuck that guy. I would be so glad to never see him again. Promo tour could kiss my ass.
"Now get outta here!" Denver yelled. "Go! I've got post-production editing to start so I can relive your faces every day. Out!"
We mingled for a bit, knowing the hard goodbyes were coming later. The thing about a cast was that you became like family, and leaving it could be difficult. I stood in my trailer for a good five minutes, just looking around. Some nights, I slept here, depending on the shooting schedules. I'd spied Denver napping under the hospitality table once. This was where I first slept with Alison. And then again and again and again. This was where I learned my lines.
This was where I filmed the movie that was going to change my life. Leaving it was going to be bittersweet.
"Hey Big Sexy." Lena leaned against my doorframe. "Ready to get outta here?"
"Yeah. You know me, always looking for the next thing." I slung my jacket over my shoulder and grinned, but she could see through it. "We need to hang out more. Not seeing you every day is going to suck."
"First, I'm taking a month-long vacation and none of you assholes are going to find me. But after that? Sure," she teased. "Hey, I've got a surprise for you. Come with me?"
I mean, I loved a good surprise…
“Sure, why not?”
Lena drove us out to my favorite taco place and sitting at a table was her little sister, who’d always looked up to me like an uncle. Brianna was my first fan and came to every movie premiere I ever had.
"Uncle Jack!" She jumped up to give me a hug.
We spent the afternoon laughing about the old days and eating too many tacos. Lena had apparently starved herself most days to stay thin for the filming and was looking forward to gaining of the weight back. After a long lunch, we hit the beach to walk it all off and catch some fresh air before going to get our drink on tonight.
Brianna ran through the waves, chasing birds and hunting crabs, while we walked through the white sand. I didn't grow up here, but man was I ever glad I ended up here.
"I guess Alison will be glad to hear babysitting duty is over." Lena flashed a devilish look at me. "Since filming is over and all that."
"Don't give me that look." I squinted against the sun, which was an easy excuse to not look at Lena. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. I think I need some advice."
"What?" She feigned surprise. "Big Jack needs advice from little ol' me?"
"You know, I like you because of your mouth, but sometimes I want to pop it."
"Won't be the first and you won't be the last. Talk to me."
I sighed, not sure where to even begin. Brianna brought me a seashell and danced off again. "I know I seem like a cold asshole, but I've always wanted to find someone... special. I don't have any family, you know? I don't have people like Brianna in my life all the time who remind me that I'm not always a dick."
"But you are always a dick."
"That's what everyone thinks." I dropped the seashell in the sand. "But I'm not. And I don't want to be that guy. Not anymore."
Lena nudged me with her shoulder and handed me the seashell I'd dropped. "I never thought I'd ever see you grow up. I thought you liked being the asshole who fucked everything with tits and half a brain cell."
"Yeah, well now I require two whole brain cells."
"I'm sure Alison is very proud."
"I... like her a lot, Lena. I can't get her out of my brain. Every bit of downtime I had was spent thinking of her, trying to find ways to make her smile. It wasn't like it's hard. Being together feels almost too easy. But I want to do anything, everything, for her."
"But…"
"But." I frowned and pocketed the seashell. "I know she had to spin that goddamn story a few weeks ago about my time in the pen. I know she knows about it. I worry that's what is holding her back from me. I worry that she won’t be able to take me seriously, knowing I have a record."
"It certainly hasn't stopped her from climbing into your bed."
I shook my head. "We only see each other at work. Yeah, we bang a lot and it's great. I told her there is no one else when I'm with her and I'm pretty sure she showed the same respect. And it's great. But... what if she doesn't take me seriously because of this? What if I'm just the work fuck buddy?"
"Maybe she got all turned on by that babysitting thing after all."
"Fuck you."
"Wait!" Lena widened her steps to catch up with me. "Listen, I don't think you have to worry about a thing. That girl is pathetically into you. Trust me, Sarah gave me an earful every day about their private conversations and I now know way too much about your dick. But here's the thing: why you went to prison doesn't ultimately matter anymore. You aren't that same jackass from however long ago
. You've matured. You want to be better. Alison doesn't strike me as the type of girl to get hung up on stupid shit."
"Maybe. Probably."
"Definitely. Hey! Don't go that again!" Lena yelled back at Brianna, who was trying to drop a crab down her shirt. "Fucker. Listen Big Sexy. Listen hard. The entire set knows you two have it bad for each other. Trust her. Open up and tell her what happened. Expose yourself just the littlest bit and let her see you are a real human with real feelings."
My face must have twisted into a hot mess, because she laughed. "I don't... open up."
"I know. I know." Lena gave me a hug and pointed to Brianna. "See that amazing girl who annoys the shit out of me all the damn time? She thinks you hung the moon, Jack. She thinks you are the greatest thing ever. Brianna is one of those rare pure souls who can see people for who they really are and she sees greatness in you. For once in your life, drop the goddamn act and open yourself up to Alison."
"And if she doesn't like what she sees?"
"Then fuck her," Lena said. "But she will. Give her this, and she will trust you. And then you two can happily be on the way to Mexico to be buck-ass naked and fuck while drinking all those margaritas."
"Oh, you heard about that, eh?" I winked at her. "And about my dick?"
"I don't want to talk about this anymore. You're gross."
"Like, did it make you reconsider...?"
"Fuck yourself, Jack Steele. Tonight, I'm dunking your ass so hard in that tank."
I scooped her up in a tight hug. "Thank you, Lena. You're one of the few I can count on."
She pecked me on the cheek. "Ain't no thang, chicken wang. Now go win your woman."
Chapter 14
ALISON
“I can’t believe this is your first ever wrap party,” Sarah gushed as we wound through the crammed parking lot towards the brightly-lit warehouse. “You’ll see just how amazing they are and come with me forever.”
“Casting is sort of like the ghost of Hollywood.” I shrugged. “We set the balls in motion but we never stick around to see them in motion. There’s always more balls.”
“Unless you’re sleeping with Jack Steele, in which case your hands are always full of balls,” Sarah teased. I side-eyed her, but she only laughed. “You left it open. Much like your legs. Hey-oh!”
I started to bite back, but had to laugh it off. “You’re not wrong.”
The place was packed inside. One of the open lots in the back of the studio was completely repurposed into a giant mess of people and lights and drinks and music. It almost reminded me of my birthday party but on a much bigger scale, and I found myself grinning like an idiot at absolutely nothing while reminiscing over the magical night Jack set in motion for me. It was really the start of everything, and I’d thanked him many times over for putting it all together. If you know what I’m saying.
Off in a corner, Josh and Jack were sharing a beer and laughing over something on Josh's phone. I nearly spilled the unknown contents of the red plastic cup shoved in my hand when we walked in because those two hated each other for almost three months, yet here they were. Jack caught my eye and smiled before going back to Josh.
While we weren't exactly quiet in his trailer, we didn't want to make a big deal about anything going on between us or let rumors circulate. Hell, we weren't even officially an item.
"We going to go say hi?" Sarah asked, pointing in his general direction with her cup while scrolling through her phone. "At least make sure there isn't any blood?"
"Nah." I scanned the rest of the crowd. "I'll let them handle that like big boys. Where's this dunk tank? I want to watch Gerald drown."
Sarah cackled. "Savage. But he deserves that shit."
"Agreed."
My phone buzzed as we wound through the crowd. It was a text from Jack with several suggestive fruits and a message that read, "Hook up later when everyone's wasted?"
I wrote back, "Great idea. They'll never see us."
"Found it!" Sarah yelled in my ear.
A huge line stretched out before us leading up to, as promised, a dunk tank. Gerald sat in the hot seat wearing an oversized pair of sunglasses and a smug smile.
"Actors can't throw for shit!" He sloshed around a beer. "Bring it on!"
"Oh, fuck this guy." I shoved my cup into Sarah's hand and jumped in front of Lena. "Excuse me, pretty lady, but I need to have words with this guy."
Lena laughed. "Oh, girl, I am so glad I can be here to witness this. By all means, knock his ass out."
Everyone behind me started chanting, "Knock his ass out! Knock his ass out!"
Gerald offered up his shit-eating grin and stuck his tongue out. "Come on, Babysitter. Think you can take me down?"
Oh, he was so dead. I took a ball from Lena, focused on the bullseye attached, and hurled a solid ball towards it.
Missed.
"Ha!" Gerald slurred. I guess he'd been hitting the bottle hard since we wrapped. "I knew you couldn't throw for shit. Can barely cast movies, too!" Everyone behind me said a collective ‘ooh!’ and Gerald cackled. "Come on, Babysitter! Let's see if you can get at least one hit in your career?"
Lena gasped and laughed all at once. "Oh, he's vicious."
"Don't actually hit him." Sarah leaned over to me. "Since, you know, that's like a felony or something. Dammit, I really need to get hired on to one of those damn lawyer shows."
"It's fun," Lena chimed in.
While they were chatting and Gerald was cackling, I focused. I leaned back, threw the ball, and smacked it dead center. Gerald went careening into the tank below. Everyone cheered and high-fived me and Lena handed me a shot of something green and delicious.
I walked up to the tank and winked at Gerald. "I'll see you Monday."
The party was... amazing, really. I should have made it out to one of these parties months or even years earlier. Sarah was always inviting me, but I didn't ever really have connections to most of the people on set. They hadn't seen me in months. And when actors thanked me for casting them for roles, it was kinda awkward.
That was my job. My job was literally to pick the best person, be it acting ability or star power. I didn't deal with their meltdowns or their drama. This movie was a special case and so it merited a visit. But now, I had a feeling I'd go with Sarah every single time.
It didn't take long for the cast and crew to get weepy and start sharing stories and pictures from the filming. One of the production assistants made a video compilation of the last ten weeks and set it to Coldplay, leaving everyone a little teary-eyed.
From across the room, I felt Jack staring at me, a smile on his lips. We were locked in that moment, connected across all these bodies, an intense energy passing between us. I wished there was no one else in the room so we could be alone. So we could talk, decide what was going to happen to us now that everything was over, and celebrate the end of filming with some celebratory fucking.
A chorus of whooping broke me out of our trance. The production assistant had a whole montage of me following Jack around, mostly looking annoyed.
"Babysitter!" someone yelled.
"Did they fuck yet?" someone else yelled.
"Never fuck the babysitter!" came someone else.
The whole room dissolved into yelling and laughing until it ended in more crying. I always thought it was a bit ridiculous, but it was clear they all cared for each other. The last ten weeks had been intense. I was grateful to see the end because I was no longer juggling entirely too many responsibilities, but for them, this was a big deal.
Denver and I were already discussing an upcoming film for the following year, so things ended on a high note in this corner.
The night wore on into drunken revelry. Singing and crying and laughing. I kept my alcohol content moderate because I was waiting for Jack, but that didn't stop some of the others from losing themselves. It wasn't long before I got a text from Jack, letting me know he'd scored a bottle of champagne and the key to the roof. I slipped out with ease.
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It was windy up top, but Jack stood in the middle of it, stoic as ever. Slightly tipsy and maybe feeling a little frisky, I ran over to him and hugged him from behind. He smelled like aftershave and whiskey and cigar smoke.
"Missed me?"
"You have no idea." Jack covered my small hands with his large ones. "They took longer to douse than I thought."
"You actors are a riotous bunch."
"Guilty." He spun me around before him and kissed me tenderly. I tried to deepen the kiss, but he pulled away and instead offered me a glass of champagne. "I want us to toast to something first."
My stomach started doing flips and I wasn't even really sure why. "What are we toasting to?"
"Honesty."
"Honesty?" Here, my heart bottomed to my stomach. Was this the part where he told me I was nothing more than a filming fling? I didn't matter to him outside of the free pussy I'd been giving up for weeks?
"I really like you, Alison. A lot. I want us to become something... special. I want us to be on red carpet events and have people write trashy, bullshit articles about how we're having threesomes or sacrificing goats or getting divorced when we aren't even married. I want you. All the time."
I laughed, but quietly. At this point, I could barely breathe. Something about him rendered my body incapable of functioning properly, like he stole up all my oxygen.
"But for us to be this wonderful thing I crave so deeply, I need to be completely honest with you... and hope you'll still accept me."
"O-okay."
Jack took a heavy pull of his champagne and kissed me softly. "I'm crazy about you in the best possible way. I want you to remember that."
Now, I was terrified but also painfully curious.
"I don't know if you know this, but I grew up with Lena. Childhood friends who met again in Hollywood after years apart. Her family took me in, treated me like I belonged. She helped get me a few gigs. She has a little sister, Brianna, who called me Uncle Jack from day one. She is this pure ball of innocence. She makes you feel impossibly strong and brave."
Notorious (Hollywood Bad Boys) Page 8
