Mr. Ruin

by Maya Hughes

“I know, but I want to,” she said, nudging his head to get him to look her in the eyes. “I want to.”

  “Okay,” Gabe said as he hopped over to the desk and pulled a condom from the drawer. He put it in his mouth as he kicked off his jeans. She wriggled out of her jeans, her core clenching in anticipation as she watched him take off his boxers. His cock was hard and ready for her. Alex’s eyes bulged at his size and she wet her lips, anticipating how it would feel when he slid inside of her. Their eyes locked as he sheathed himself and stalked toward her. He looked at her with a hunger; no man had ever looked at her like that before.

  He knelt on the edge of the couch and pulled her legs toward him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and inched herself closer to his manhood. Her core was wet and clenching in anticipation. He rubbed his cock against her opening to ease his entry. His eyes rolled back in pleasure at the delicious stretch as he parted her lips and eased himself into her. Alex groaned and the flutters in her stomach increased as she wrapped her legs higher, encouraging him to go deeper.

  “Fuck,” he groaned. She gasped and shifted her hips, encouraging him to move.

  “Gabe, please, I’m begging you,” she said. “Please, start moving.”

  “Just a second, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Then I guess I’ll just have to take things into my own hands.” She lifted her head up and began to attack his mouth with her own. She sucked on his lower lip while she wrapped her arms around his neck so she could pump herself up and down on him.

  “Gabe, please,” she moaned. Finally relenting, he began to slowly thrust into her, which drew a moan from them both. Once she began, he finally gave in to the moment and began pumping into her relentlessly. Her entire body was on fire with lust as they both rode the frenzy of sexual tension that had been brewing between them.

  The butterflies in her stomach were full-blown birds by now and she could feel her core clenching and tightening, moving toward an explosive climax. He pumped into her with total abandon, pushing her further and further across the couch until both of their heads were banging against the far wall of the trailer.

  When he put a pillow behind her head, Alex let out a combination between a laugh and a gasp until he pumped into her again, hitting just the right spot. She cried out as her muscles tightened and she reached her climax, tightening her hold on him as she rode out his last few frantic thrusts before he collapsed on top of her. Careful not to crush her, he rolled over onto the couch next to her.

  They both lay there, panting for a few minutes before he hopped up to remove the condom and dispose of it. Alex attempted to sit up, the couch sticking to her back. Damned leather!

  “I think next time we should use a blanket,” she groaned, wincing, and peeled herself off the couch. She reached for her pants and pulled them on. He grabbed a blanket from the small closet next to the bathroom and opened it up for her.

  “Here you go,” he said as he laid it out on the couch under her. He sat and then pulled her onto his lap as they both lay back to relax for a bit.

  “Are you all finished for tonight?” she asked, yawning.

  “Nope, I still have another scene to film, but they probably won’t be ready for me for another couple of hours.”

  “Really? That long?”

  “That’s part of filmmaking. A lot of hurry up and wait,” he said, snuggling into her and burrowing his face into her hair. Alex hoped that her hair didn’t smell like burgers and fries.

  “I’ll stay a little bit longer then before I go home,” she said, yawning again.

  “I’m glad.” He shifted his weight so they were on their sides facing each other.

  “Thanks for inviting me to see what you do,” Alex said, giving Gabe a gentle kiss on his lips.

  “Thanks for coming to see what I do. Promise me you’ll think about LA,” he said, giving her a kiss on her forehead and tucking her under his chin.

  “I will,” she said sleepily.

  After only a few minutes they both drifted off to sleep until a loud knock on the door woke them. It was nearly midnight and they said their goodbyes before promising to see each other the next day. She was floating as she picked up her things and headed off the set.

  Maybe she should think about going to LA.

  Chapter 8

  “You just signed an NDA without reading it?” Jen practically shouted at her the moment she recounted that portion of her trip to the set. Jen pounced on her the minute she walked in and wanted to know everything.

  “What’s the big deal?” Alex said, shrugging before walking to her room.

  “I’m not even a lawyer yet and I know that’s a big deal. Did you at least read it?”

  “Not really,” she said, shrugging.

  “Have I taught you nothing?” Jen exclaimed.

  “I wanted to see what all of the hustle and bustle was about. It was so fun.”

  “You get to do all of the cool stuff!” Jen cried dramatically, throwing herself onto the couch.

  “Like work at the restaurant by myself for eight hours a day with Ben as my only company for most of the time? Yes, I’m living the life,” Alex said, walking into her bedroom. She opened her drawers and pulled out pajamas.

  “So, other than that totally boneheaded NDA thing, what else happened? I need to live vicariously through you,” Jen called out from the living room.

  Alex changed into her pajamas and joined Jen on the couch.

  “We hung out in his trailer and ate junk food. I met his co-star Lesley. She was super sweet is already demanding pancakes. Apparently, word travels fast,” Alex said.

  “Mmmm pancakes,” Jen said, doing her best Homer impersonation.

  “Nope! Not happening. I’m too tired.”

  “You’re no fun! The frozen ones are never as good as when you make them fresh.”

  “Anyway, then I went to the set with them and watched them film a couple of scenes. It was interesting to see how it all worked and to realize just how slow it all moves. They did the same scene so many times from so many different angles, and the whole thing was probably less than three minutes of screen time. Gabe said that it might end up getting cut out of the final thing.”

  “That sounds crazy. I can’t imagine doing that much work when no one will even see it,” Jen said, closing her eyes.

  “I know. And there was one other interesting thing that happened,” she said.

  “Hmmm,” Jen said as she started to drift off.

  “Gabe invited me to come with him to LA when he goes back next week.”

  “What?” Jen shouted, jumping up so quickly that she knocked Alex off the couch and onto the floor.

  “Jeez, Jen,” she said, rubbing her butt as she got up off the floor. “Overreact much?”

  “You think this is overreacting?” Jen said, hitting her with one of the couch pillows with each word. “So, are you going to go?” she asked, kneeling on the couch.

  “I don’t know yet,” Alex said, biting her bottom lip. “I’m nervous. That’s a big step. Heading to LA with him? That’s not going for a weekend trip somewhere. That’s a couple of months in LA before school starts. It feels like that time my mom left to follow Guy in the Band around the country for the summer and left me home alone with a hundred dollars.”

  “Alex, don’t even go there with that crap. You’re nothing like that woman. I don’t know how many times I need to say that. You’re young, you don’t have a child—you can be reckless and have a little fun, even with a guy. Do it now, so you won’t regret not going later.”

  “But what if it doesn’t work out?”

  “So, what? It doesn’t work out, you had some fun for once. I say go,” Jen pronounced, sitting back on the couch, picking up her ever-present sketch pad and pencil.

  “What do you mean go? How can I just pick up and go? What about Ben and the restaurant? What about you? And the apartment?”

  She started to pace back and forth across the apartment.

  “Don’t u
se me as an excuse. I told you from the beginning that my dad will pay for my rent if I’m studying for the LSAT. You’re the one who insisted on paying for half. And yes, you can pick up and go. Ben’s closing the restaurant once their production leaves town. So that crosses me, Ben, and the apartment off the worrywart list. What else?”

  “We just met. I don’t know him very well. I don’t know him at all!”

  “But you slept with him,” Jen said with a smirk.

  “How the hell did you know that?” Alex sputtered.

  “I didn’t, but now I do,” Jen teased. “How was it?”

  “I can’t believe I fell for that!” Alex slapped her forehead, closing her eyes.

  “Back to not knowing him well,” Jen said, raising her eyebrows up and down. “It’s not that big of a deal. You go, you hang out and have fun. Go! If you find out he bites his toenails or snores in his sleep, you get to have a cool vacation and then you come back early.”

  “I can’t believe you’re seriously pushing for this.”

  “I told you I’m living vicariously through you. I’m going to be stuck studying for the LSAT for the next few months, then heading to law school next fall. That’s three more years of nose-in-books type work. And once all that is finished, what do I get to do? Work eighty-hour weeks for a few years until I burn out or make partner. I need you to do this for me.” Jen sighed.

  “Jen, if that’s how you feel about going to law school, then why are you doing it?”

  “Daddy issues are a real bitch. He always wanted a boy to follow in his footsteps, so here I am doing everything in my power to make daddy proud,” she said with a sad smile. “So, I need you to do this because I know you’re not a risk-taker and I know you’ll get your computer science degree, go work for some company, and never see the light of day again. You’ll regret it if you don’t go.”

  She stared at Jen and mentally went through all the reasons why this was a crazy thing to even entertain. She didn’t know Gabe that well. He might be a psycho. What if there was an earthquake? But she kept coming back to how much fun she had with him. How he made her laugh and how he made her feel. Those butterflies that were always fluttering whenever he was in the same room. Her phone vibrated on the counter. Picking it up, the butterflies were back in full force.

  G: Finally finished for the day. Completely wiped. Glad you came to set today and got to meet everyone. I know it’s way too early to say this, but I miss you.

  Her heart skipped. She missed him too. This was crazy. She was crazy. Was this what it was like for her mom? Was this why she always picked guys over Alex? That sobered her up. She liked him, but could she let herself fall for him like this? Jen’s words came back to her—this didn’t make her like her mom. She was having an adventure and there was nothing wrong with that.

  How had Gabe managed to work his way into her heart in such a short amount of time? How would she feel when he left? Was he really going to want to be with her for anything more than a couple of weeks? A month tops? A tinge of panic struck her and made her question if she was getting in too deep too fast.

  Then she pushed back at that little voice. She was young and single, without a little girl to take care of at home. Taking a chance with him was nothing like what happened with her mom, she reasoned. She had never let herself fall for a guy before. Why shouldn’t she go to LA and spend a bit more time with him? Her mind made up, she smiled down at her phone, fingers flying across the screen as she typed out her response.

  A: I missed you too. And if the offer is still open, I would love to go to LA with you.

  Chapter 9

  Alex had visited him almost every day on set for the rest of the shooting and he’d managed to pry another pancake breakfast out of her. When he wasn’t rehearsing or filming and she was working, Gabe became a fixture at the restaurant, which was usually packed with crew members who got tired of hotel or on-set food.

  The bone-crushing hug Ben gave him on his last day showed him that perhaps the business that ran through there was more than he had expected. “Happy to help,” he said, wheezing as air finally rushed back to his lungs.

  Aaron, his agent, flew in a couple of days before they were set to fly back to LA. Gabe had introduced them and that could have gone better. He spent the entire time trying to size her up and when she finally left and Gabe told him that she would be coming with them to LA, he’d freaked.

  “You can’t bring her to LA with you!”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “You’re going to be busy and there’s a lot you need to know about for the upcoming press tour.”

  “Aaron, she’s coming with me. I already bought her ticket. It’s no big deal. We have a little while before the press tour starts and she’s cool with hanging around for that stuff.”

  “Gabe, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “I didn’t ask for your opinion, Aaron. I’m letting you know.”

  “Fine,” Aaron said, exasperated, before storming out of the room. He hadn’t seen him since then. Aaron’s assistant let Gabe know that he had flown out early and would meet with him once he was back in LA.

  After he persuaded her to let him pay for her ticket, things had been smooth sailing. She’d put up quite a fight about it, until he convinced her that he had some frequent flyer miles he was able to use to get her there. Really, he’d put it on his credit card, but it got her on the plane, so he was happy to stretch the truth there. And once his check came through for the movie, it wouldn’t be an issue anyway.

  The trip to LA was fun and uneventful. There was a car waiting for them at the airport and it took them straight to the hotel. He felt like a fraud trying to show Alex around town; he’d only been there a few times himself and he was usually working, so there wasn’t much time for sightseeing.

  The first week they were in town was a flurry of activity. Gabe had to record a lot of ADR voiceover work for spots in the film where his lines couldn’t be heard clearly. There were fittings for suits that he would wear for the premiers and other events in the coming months. It was all new to them both, so they worked hard at enjoying it, and she was happy to be along for the ride. She’d loosened up a lot from her first hesitant orders of room service or letting him pick up the tab when they went out to dinner. He was just happy she was there; paying for a few things to make their time even better was nothing.

  They went to the zoo, did touristy stuff, and spent a nice portion of their time in bed when possible. Their first time together was nothing compared to the whole evenings they had been able to spend exploring one another’s bodies. The only downside of hotel life was that there wasn’t a kitchen, so none of her ridiculously delicious pancakes could be had. Next time, he would make sure they put him up in an apartment instead of a hotel, if there was a next time. The reshoots were making it difficult to see a future in the movie world for him.

  When his phone vibrated on the nightstand before sunup one morning, he fumbled around, trying to find it. They’d had a late night out at a club the night before. It was the first time he’d gone to an LA club and he wanted to give her the VIP treatment. Someone from the studio had made the arrangements and they walked right in and sat in a private area. It had all been so foreign to him, and from the look on her face, it was foreign to her too, but he was glad they could share in the absurdity together.

  Finally, he located it and hit the home button, squinting as the light from the screen nearly blinded him. He turned down the brightness, so it wasn’t scotching his retina. It was a text from Aaron.

  Aaron: At my office at 8 a.m. sharp

  Aaron was making Gabe come to his office. This was generally not a good thing and he had a lot to do today. A lot of that revolved around a certain studious young lady, who had kept up with her online classwork while they had been wandering all over LA. He hated to wake her, so he debated letting her sleep.

  Alex had been a bit nervous about their time in LA, but doing things together for the first time h
elped them both with their nerves. He wanted to make sure that she had a great time before her college classes started again in January. He was going to make the most of their time together and perhaps get her to consider moving out here after she graduated. Where had that come from? They hadn’t known each other that long. He liked himself when he was with her. He felt like himself—the happy, pre-college Gabe. While he knew that she was definitely enamored with the new his exterior, when they were hanging out together and being silly, he had the feeling that she would have gotten along with pre-college Gabe just fine.

  The town car pulled up to the front of the building and he didn’t even wait for the driver to open the door. The quicker he got to the office, the quicker he could get back. The drive to Aaron’s office was traffic-free, which meant they made it in record time. Hoping it was a good omen, he hopped out of the car and headed into the building. Nonetheless, a pit of uneasiness was growing in his stomach as the elevator climbed and shuddered as it stopped at the tenth floor. Usually Aaron would come to him; meeting at the office seemed to mean something a bit bigger.

  He stopped by the department receptionist. “I have an eight o’clock with Aaron.”

  “Yes, of course, he’s finishing up on a phone call and will be right out. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, water, champagne, sports drink?”

  “No, I’m good,” he said as he plopped down on one of the chair in the waiting area. He picked up a magazine and started to flip through it. After looking at his watch for the tenth time in as many minutes, he stood up and started to pace. Aaron finally called out to the receptionist, telling her she could send him in.

  He walked into the office and sat in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. He sat back when Aaron sat opposite him, instead of behind his giant wooden desk. He wasn’t sure what this newest development meant.

  “I’ve got some excellent news for you, Gabe,” Aaron said as he plopped down a huge folder on the small table between them.

  The huge folder and Aaron’s tone got his attention. He sat up a bit straighter. Aaron was doom and gloom and downplayed anything favorable, so this had to be huge.