by H. P. Munro
“You will have no trouble getting me anything Dominick,” Freya swallowed back the tears that were threatening to fall. “You’re fired.”
“You can’t fire me Freya, we have a contract.”
Biting her lip to stop it trembling Freya pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it.
“That’s why God invented lawyers,” she yelled into the mouthpiece then punched the end call button and hurled the phone across the room. Picking up a cushion she clutched it to her chest and sank back onto the sofa.
***
“You not working?” Anna asked, as she sat down on the lounger next to Freya and held her hands over her brow to shield her eyes from the sun.
“They don’t need me ’til later.”
“So are you going to mope around here all morning?” Anna asked, picking at imaginary lint on her linen trousers. “It’s not good for you sitting out in the sun you know, you’ll get skin like leather.”
“Please Anna, not today,” Freya pleaded.
Anna held her hands up in supplication, “I just came out to check that you were okay and see if you wanted to have breakfast with me in the main house.”
Opening one eye Freya looked at her grandmother suspiciously, “Really, that’s all you wanted?”
“That and to see whether you’re finally out of the cupboard.”
“Closet Anna. The term is closet and, no, I’m not officially out. Why are you asking?”
“Your mom called from Poland asking if you were okay. Dominick called her ranting about you being on a date with Jordan Ellis.”
“I wasn’t on a date with Jordan Ellis,” Freya said petulantly.
Anna stood, huffing at the effort it took, “I know I give you a hard time about being gay.” She ignored the snort from Freya at her remark, “You wanna know the reason why? I want to see you get passionate about something…anything. You are so like your grandfather. He used to keep everything inside, never letting emotions show unless he was acting them and I am telling you Freya it’s not healthy. It seems the only thing that gets a rise out of you is me baiting you about being a lesbian. I honestly don’t give a damn who you rub genitals with. It bothers me more that you’re wallowing on TV instead of in film or stage where you should be, but I’m happy as long as you’re happy.” She made a derisory sound, “Here’s what I’m struggling to understand. Anytime I do bait you, you tell me you’re not ashamed of who you are, but anytime you talk about the public knowing, all I seem to see in you is shame.” She let her words sink in before cupping Freya’s cheek, “Breakfast in ten, if you feel like company.”
Freya’s shoulders sagged as she watched her grandmother walk slowly back towards her home.
***
Dumping her jacket and purse on the chair Freya stood surveying the inside of her exceptionally tidy trailer.
“Home from home,” she mused as she checked her watch and saw that she had an hour before she needed to be in rehearsals. Letting out a loud exhale, she dug her phone and iPad out of her bag, she scowled at the number of missed calls from Dominick.
After their fight, she had unplugged her landline, switched off her cell and sat in the dark in her living room contemplating what to do. The best approach to it all seemed like avoidance of everyone and she had managed this up to a point. Moving her ‘pity party for one’ out to the pool that morning had compounded the issue when Anna had made her feel even worse.
She lay down on the sofa and opened up Dan’s latest ‘amuse Freya’ ploy and started to read. She had to admit that his latest find had managed to take her mind of her fight with Dominick and had kept her occupied into the small hours, which was why she was now feeling slightly frazzled.
She had been reading for about ten minutes and had just reached a really good part when there was a soft knock at the door. Lifting her head slightly from the pillows that she’d surrounded herself with she yelled, “Come in.”
The door opened and the top of Jordan’s head appeared as she climbed the steep steps up into Freya’s trailer.
“Hi,” she smiled shyly hovering in the doorway.
Freya felt a hotness rise in her cheeks as she sprang up and clutched her iPad close to her chest, “Hi.”
“Do you want me to leave it open?” Jordan pointed to the door. “In case people think we’re in here…” she leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper, “doing it.”
Freya couldn’t help but laugh as Jordan waggled her eyebrows suggestively, “No it’s okay, you can close it.”
Jordan closed the door. Keeping her hand pressed against the handle she hesitated slightly before turning and walking into the body of the trailer. She had rehearsed this conversation in her head several times but now the words seemed jumbled in her mind.
“You didn’t call back,” she blurted.
The look of surprise on Freya’s face mirrored her own, as that had never been her opening gambit in any of her practice runs.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I got into a big fight with my agent and I fired him and then my brain melted,” Freya rested her chin on her iPad still hugging the screen to her body.
Jordan sat down on the sofa beside Freya and placed a hand on her knee, “It’s okay. I tried to call you but your phone was switched off. I just wanted to know you were okay.”
Freya felt the blush that had started when Jordan had entered the trailer get worse at the contact, “Sorry, I was so pissed off with Dominick, my agent. I’m good though. How about you?”
Jordan shrugged, “Yeah I’m good too.” She shifted in her seat so that she was facing Freya, “My sister called to ask if she should be thinking about buying a hat and my grandma called saying that she was happy that I had finally found someone. So my grandmother is fine with my apparent gayness. I didn’t even know she could access the internet, but apparently she’s on twitter…with twelve followers.” She noted that Freya’s normal easy smile was missing and she looked tired. Deciding to change the subject away from the gossip currently circling them she noticed that Freya was hanging onto her iPad as if her life depended on it, “Sorry were you in the middle of something?”
Freya looked down at the device then back at Jordan. Aware that she looked like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, she decided to come clean, “Dan has got me into something.” She stopped not sure how to approach the explanation. She played a couple of options through her brain, her head bobbing back and forth as she did eeny meeny to choose which to take. Deciding to go full throttle she took a deep breath, “Have you ever heard of fanfic?”
Jordan’s eyes narrowed. “Fanfic,” she thought for a moment then started to shake her head. “Nope, should I?”
“Well, it’s where fans of a show, or a relationship on a show, create their own stories using the characters.”
“Ooookay,” Jordan pursed her lips not quite comprehending where Freya was going with this, suddenly her eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up. “Oh, do we have fanfic? Is that what you’re reading?”
Freya coughed slightly, “Yeah, yeah we do and yes it is what I was reading.”
Jordan clapped her hands, “How cool! Excellent, let me see.” She held out her hands for the tablet waiting for Freya to hand it over. She scowled slightly when there was hesitation in passing it over, “What? Let me see!”
Reluctantly Freya passed the iPad over and sat back closing her eyes as Jordan cleared her throat and started to read aloud.
“Staring deep into brown eyes, Emily stroked Georgia in a steady rhythm,” pausing Jordan looked up at Freya who had opened one eye and was smiling sheepishly. She looked back down at the screen and continued to read aloud, “She increased the pace when she felt the blonde's breath quicken and body tense. Georgia bit her bottom lip to stop from crying out...Freya!” Jordan’s jaw was wide open. “This is…” Jordan pointed at the screen. Her mouth was moving but no words were coming out.
“I know, they go where the show doesn’t,” Freya opened her eyes and shrugg
ed. “Most are set in the show but this one is an AU, that’s Alternate Universe. So it’s the 1600’s and I’m a duchess and you’re my servant. Here,” she took the tablet and tapped the screen until she found the paragraph she was looking for, “Aha, read this.” She passed it back to Jordan who was still looking at Freya, her face unreadable.
“How come I’m the servant?” Jordan grumbled then shook her head slightly, trying to rid the image created in her head of Freya touching her. She could feel a dull throb start to beat a tattoo between her thighs as the image refused to go. Licking her lips she took the iPad back from Freya and looked at the paragraph that she was pointing to. This time she opted not to read aloud for fear of the arousal that she was feeling becoming apparent in her voice.
“You look flushed, are you ill?” Georgia asked, concerned as the flush on Emily’s skin increased, creating a pink dapple on the white skin of her bosom.
Emily pressed the back of her hand to her forehead, “I’m fine, just a little dizzy. Perhaps I should sit.”
In truth the cause of her lightheadedness was Georgia herself. It seemed the closer the proximity the more Emily’s heart would beat faster. She felt as though her blood was boiling in her body and at any moment she would combust.
Despite being waved away Georgia took Emily’s arm and guided her to a stone seat in the orange grove. She looked around frustrated at the lack of water in the grove then, deciding it would be better than nothing, she reached up and pulled an orange from a nearby tree. She peeled it quickly and held out a slice to Emily, “Here, eat this it will help.”
“I’m fine Georgia, don’t fuss.”
Unperturbed Georgia knelt down in front of her, so close that Emily could feel her breath on her face, “Please do not fight me on this, you will take the orange.” She held the slice up in front of Emily’s mouth.
Feeling her heart beat even faster, Emily leaned forward, her green eyes never wavered from the concerned brown eyes watching her carefully as she took the slice of orange between her lips. She wondered what it would be like to feel Georgia’s skin on her lips instead of the skin encasing the segment of fruit. She bit down and a rush of juice filled her mouth and moistened her lips. She held her breath as Georgia pulled the remainder of the fruit away and carefully used her pinky to swipe across her bottom lip, before placing the other half of the slice into her own mouth.
Okay, Jordan thought, so not helping with the horny thoughts.
She passed the iPad back and cleared her throat, “It’s good, really good.” Wiping her hands nervously on her jeans, she started to ramble, “Wow, who knew that we had such creative fans. Look at the time I should go get ready for rehearsal.” Aware of her coursing emotions she sprang up from the sofa and walked quickly to the door. “See you in a bit,” she threw over her shoulder as she yanked the door open and left the trailer allowing the door to bang closed behind her.
Freya watched Jordan fluster her way out of the trailer and was about to follow to make sure that she was okay when her phone rang. Looking down expecting to see Dominick’s name she smiled when she saw who was calling, “Hey Dan.”
“Hey sweetie. You still reading about yours and Jordan’s nubs?”
She snorted with laughter, “I’ve just shown Jordan one of them and I think I may have scared, or scarred, her for life.”
“Well if she’s anything like you, she’ll be walking around in a permanent state of horn after reading about the blessed release as she swept her finger across the brunette’s engorged bundle of nerves,” Dan recited in a melodramatic voice.
“Was there a purpose to this call?” Freya smiled.
“Just checking you’re okay after last night and see if you’re ready to get hot and heavy with your blonde lady lover.”
Freya’s smile faltered as she remembered what scene they were rehearsing, “Um yeah, all is well, gotta go.” She hung up the call and flopped back on the sofa, “Crap.”
Jordan stood outside Freya’s trailer and let a long breath leave her body. She started to walk slowly back to her trailer, her mind racing a thousand times faster than the pace she was walking. So now I’m really turned on and have the next two hours rehearsing our first kiss scene. She practically growled at the thought. “Excellent,” she laughed shaking her head. “Just excellent.”
***
Standing outside the door to the rehearsal room Jordan twisted her script in her hands. It’s just a job, same as any other job, just a job, she chanted in her head, her hand hesitating on the door handle for the fifth time.
“Hey Jordan, you going in?”
As if burned Jordan pulled her hand back, turned and smiled at the suited studio executive who, as it was the show’s first same-sex kiss, was going to be joining them at the rehearsal.
“Hey Lesley, yeah was just about to.”
Jordan followed Lesley in and smiled a greeting towards the usual suspects dotted around the room. She spotted Steve the Director of Photography sitting with his back to the door and grinned as she flung her arms around his neck.
“Make sure you make me look pretty Steve,” she whispered in his ear.
Steve laughed at what had become their running greeting over the past three seasons, “Don’t I always.”
As she looked up, she noticed Freya standing beside the Craft Services table.
“Yeah you do, that’s why you’re my favorite,” Jordan sang straightening up.
Freya turned and smiled over towards her, tucking her hair behind her ear. She figured that if Jordan was feeling awkward about what she had shown her then it might be easier if she made light of it somehow.
“Hey Jordan, they’ve got fruit. Do you want an orange?” Freya shouted holding up the fruit so Jordan could see.
Immediately Jordan felt a flush start to creep into her cheeks as she recalled the paragraph that she had read earlier with Freya. Unable to formulate a suitable response she dumbly shook her head. She was still trying to work out if Freya was deliberately teasing her when she shouted again.
“Oranges aren’t the only fruit, that we have I mean. There are apples, if you want an apple?”
Looking over she could see the wide grin on Freya’s face, dimples appearing deep in her cheeks. Jordan flashed a quick scowl over towards her, now certain that her co-star knew exactly what she was doing.
Jordan walked over to join Sarah-Jayne, the writer, and Toby, the director for the episode who was a fellow cast member taking the helm. Having Toby in charge in some respects made the process easier because he knew the show and in others harder, because he knew the show.
Finally with everyone assembled, Sarah-Jayne started flipping open the script to the scene. She brushed her long chestnut hair from her face as she scanned down the page.
“This scene follows on from the ensemble one you’re rehearsing tomorrow,” she looked up at the two actors. “We’ve known Georgia has started to have feelings for Emily and you’re oblivious to this Freya. Although we’ve shown through all the hangdog looks over the past couple of episodes that the feeling is mutual.” They all laughed at the writer’s comment, “So we’ve had the night scene playing baseball on the base and Jordan you’ve stormed off after Emily has given you a hug to keep you warm. The confusion has become too much for you so you lash out.”
Toby smiled, “You both know what you’re doing. I really want this scene to pop. All the tension, all the unrequited feelings, the desire, the passion, are all bubbling under the surface and I want an explosion.”
Jordan gulped slightly. Shouldn’t take too much to conjure up the feelings for this scene, she thought. “Okay,” she said, marveling at her ability to mask the emotional maelstrom currently fizzing around her head.
They read over their lines a couple of times, working out the timing of their responses and trying to get the flow and rhythm right. Happy that they had that nailed they started to talk about the physical direction.
“I’d like to physically show the push and pull of Geo
rgia’s attraction,” Jordan mused. “Like she’s trying to get away but keeps getting pulled back in.”
Toby nodded leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees. “Reminiscent of the funeral fight?” he asked, referring to a scene Jordan had shot in a previous season, narrowing his eyes as he pictured the scene in his mind.
“Sort of yes,” Jordan nodded, rising and moving over to the space that they used for rehearsal.
“Okay Freya, are you happy with what you need to do?” Toby asked.
Freya nodded and, giving her thighs a quick nervous rub, stood up and walked over to stand opposite Jordan, placing her script on the floor beside her.
“So do you want to do the kiss this time or leave it?” Freya asked, feeling her heart race at the mention of kissing Jordan even if it was only a work kiss. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously.
Jordan saw the nervous look on Freya’s face and decided that they both could do with the get out, “Later I think, let’s just concentrate on the dialogue.”
Freya nodded giving Jordan a small smile trying to mask her disappointment, “Okay.”
They smiled at each other and then Jordan turned and took a step to put some distance between them. Freya watched as Jordan rolled her shoulders and let her head fall back before rocking it back and forth, her long blonde tresses dancing down between her shoulder blades at the action.
“Okay,” Toby shouted. “Action.”
Jordan started to walk away purposefully.
“Georgia,” Freya shouted after her, starting to follow in Jordan’s wake. “What the hell happened back there?” Freya picked up her pace and had almost caught up with Jordan when the taller woman spun around so quickly that it caused Freya to pull up short.
“Stay away from me,” Jordan hissed emphasizing each word, her lips so tense that she was almost snarling. She turned away again but stopped when she felt Freya’s hand on her forearm. She turned again and this time tears were starting to form in her eyes. “Please,” she pleaded her voice starting to crack.
