Mr. Wrong

by Alessandra Hart

  “I’ve done my research, don’t worry.”

  “We’ll see. Come with me.”

  She led me back inside and upstairs, and she directed me into a room on the third floor. “Sit down,” she said, gesturing at a chair. She looked about as pleased to be stuck in a room with me as a snake would if it were stuck with a mongoose.

  “Walter Simmons is a very complicated character,” she began. “You’ve obviously picked up on that from reading the script—wait, have you even read it?”

  I snorted. “Of course I have.”

  “Good. Anyway, it’s the nuance of his character that we’re interested in exploring via your portrayal. So you need to capture that.”

  “Before you ask, I do know what the word nuance means in this context.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Good to know. So what do you know about him so far?”

  I explained everything I’d learned about the man I was playing in the research I’d done. When I was finished, Nora’s face remained blank, so I couldn’t tell if she was impressed or not.

  “I guess you do know a bit about him,” she finally said.

  “See? I meant it when I said I did my research. So you know what that means?”

  “What?”

  “That I mean what I say,” I replied. “So now you know I meant it when I said I was sorry about the other week.”

  “By that logic, you also meant it when you said women are inferior and serial killers are the most interesting thing in the world.”

  “Okay, I didn’t mean those things. But you get my point. I really am sorry.”

  She let out an exasperated sigh. “Jacob, I told you, I don’t want to talk about this.”

  “I know. But just hear me out, at least.”

  She was quiet for a moment, and then she nodded. “Fine. I’ll listen to you, but only so I can hear exactly what the hell even happened that night, because I’m still confused about some parts.”

  “Okay. I’ll start from the beginning.”

  “Good choice,” she said sarcastically.

  “I met James at my friend’s office. They work together. I was chatting to him, and he seemed pretty distraught over this demon woman he kept going on about. He told us all the awful things you supposedly did, including the fact that his dog was stolen.”

  Nora winced. I soldiered on despite how much I hated making her feel like crap. “So later that night, Chris—that’s my friend—and I were getting drunk at a bar. We thought it might be funny if I tracked you down and took you on the shittiest date ever just to make you feel bad after everything you did. Allegedly did, I mean. And I was also going to steal the dog back. It never occurred to me that that weedy little prick James was actually making all this shit up.”

  “So the date…it was just a sort of joke, really,” she said quietly.

  I shook my head. “No. I mean, yes, I suppose that’s what it was in the first place. But I saw a picture of you beforehand, and I honestly thought you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Believe me, I wanted it to be a real date. Not just a joke.”

  “No you didn’t,” she said with a sigh. “You don’t need to lie to make me feel better.”

  “I did think that. I really did. Not lying. When I saw you, I wished like crazy that you weren’t such an insane harpy so I could actually pursue you properly. And then on our fake date, when I tried to steal the dog and you started yelling at me, I realized you weren’t actually insane.”

  “Wait… you realized I wasn’t an ‘insane harpy’ when I was attacking you with a garden hoe and trying to convince a Labrador to tear you to shreds?”

  I chuckled. “Yes. You had every right to be angry at me in those moments. But I knew then and there that you were a kind, loving person. The way you saved Oscar and all. So I’m sorry, Nora. That’s all I really wanted to say. I never meant to hurt someone like you. I genuinely believed James when he told me all those awful things about you.”

  “Okay.”

  “I suppose at least I can learn from this even if you hate me forever—I won’t blindly trust someone who complains about their ex ever again,” I added.

  “And I’ve learned to never accept dates with hot movie stars,” she said with a wry smile. “I suppose I’m not exactly blameless, though.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She looked embarrassed. “Well, I accepted the date and stayed on it even when it got awful as part of my own little deal with a friend.”

  I wrinkled my forehead. “What?”

  “I was upset about James spreading rumors about me, and my best friend—Angie, you met her at the bar— told me she’d recommend me for this job if I did one thing: go out and get a date with the first guy who hit on me, and stay for the whole thing. She thought it would cheer me up. And you were the first guy.”

  I grinned. “Wow…so this whole time I’ve been feeling bad, but you were playing me just like I was playing you.”

  “In a way. I would’ve felt worse about it if you weren’t such a terrible date.”

  I grinned. “You know all that stuff I said was bullshit, right? I don’t actually pursue fifteen-year-olds or smoke in restaurants. I mean, for the record, I used to smoke, but I quit recently, and even if I didn’t, I’d never do it somewhere like that. And I certainly don’t believe women are inferior, either. I’m not as bad as I made myself out to be. Promise.”

  “Yeah, I figured,” she said. “No one could actually be that bad. Although at first I thought you were doing it as some sort of test to see how much shit I was willing to take.”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” I said. There was an awkward pause. “Anyway, thanks for listening,” I added.

  “It’s okay,” she said quietly. “Thanks for the apology.”

  “I hope we can work together properly now, without all the death threats?”

  “Let’s start with less death threats for now, and see how that goes,” she said with the faintest of smiles.

  “Fair enough. Anyway, do you need anything else from me today?”

  She shook her head. “No, you can go. You’re done for the day.”

  “All right. Need a ride home?” I said as I rose to my feet.

  “No, I’ll probably be here till quite late. Because I was brought onto the project so late, there’s a lot of work I need to do on the scripts, and only a limited time period to do it all.”

  “Right. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ll all be here going over the scripts and rehearsing lines.”

  “All right,” she replied. She looked like she was about to say something else, but then she simply waved. “Bye, Jacob.”

  “Bye.”

  I headed toward the door, but then I stopped and turned back around. “Wait a minute. It’s nearly dinnertime. You can’t work without food. I’m ordering takeout for you.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “No, but I want to,” I replied, striding back over and taking a seat again. “What’s your favorite Chinese dish?”

  She sighed and leaned back. “I guess I could go for some fried rice and honey chicken,” she said in a grudging tone.

  “Done.”

  Half an hour later, the room was filled with the delicious aroma of fried rice, honey chicken, satay sticks, sweet and sour pork, and chop suey.

  “I just realized something,” Nora announced after swallowing a mouthful of rice.

  “What’s that?”

  “You tricked me into another date after all,” she said, gesturing around at all the cardboard cartons filled with food. “I can’t resist Chinese takeout.”

  “I didn’t know that, so it wasn’t a trick,” I said with a grin. “Just dinner.”

  “Well, it was a damn good dinner. Much better than overpriced lobster and skull bowl conversation,” she said, patting her stomach with satisfaction.

  I laughed. “I was pretty bad that night, wasn’t I?”

  “Yeah. You’re very good at being very bad at dating. It’
s a testament to your acting skills.”

  “I’ll add it to my résumé.”

  She laughed too, a tinkling sound that made my insides turn to mush. As I stared at her, I noticed some red sweet and sour sauce on her upper lip. There was a box of tissues on a small shelf on the other side of the room, so I got up and grabbed one before returning to the table and leaning down over Nora.

  “Don’t move for a sec,” I said, carefully dabbing at her mouth with the tissue. “You’ve got a little something…right here.”

  I heard her take a sharp breath as my fingers brushed her upper lip, and I was close enough to see that her pupils were dilated. I couldn’t resist. I pressed my lips down to hers, softly and slowly, and then I was kissing her. There was no turning back. She tasted fucking amazing, just the way I’d imagined, sweet and hot and delicious. Her lips parted as she let out a moan, and I kissed her deeper, claiming her mouth with my own.

  “Mm…no, wait. Stop. This is wrong,” she said, suddenly pushing me away.

  I wiped my mouth, my lips tingling where hers had just been. “Sorry,” I said quietly.

  “It’s just…we work together now,” she said. “I don’t want to get a bad reputation in the industry.”

  My heart soared a little at that, despite the fact she was rejecting me. At least she wasn’t saying, ‘I still think you’re a giant piece of shit’ anymore.

  “I understand. And I guess there’s also the awkward start we got off to,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Or as you called it, a declaration of war.”

  She didn’t smile or laugh at my silly crack; instead she simply stared at me, eyes wide, like she wasn’t quite sure if this was all happening or if it was a dream.

  “I better go,” she finally said, her voice soft as she rose to her feet and started gathering her papers. “I can do the rest of this work from home.”

  “All right. Guess I better head off as well. Got a party to go to later.”

  She smiled. “Have fun at it. See you later.”

  Then she turned and walked out, and I was left feeling empty and confused. Shit, I still barely knew this woman, and I wanted her more than anyone else I’d ever met.

  When it came to Nora, I was already a goner.

  9

  Nora

  It had been two weeks since the kiss on the third floor. I’d been avoiding Jacob like the plague out of sheer embarrassment. It wasn’t easy, as filming had finally begun on Fourth Down and I had to be around to watch every one of his football-related scenes to ensure accuracy, but I was making it work.

  Somehow.

  I still couldn’t believe he kissed me like that. Couldn’t believe he even wanted to. And lord, I wanted it too—but I knew I couldn’t. He might have given me a heartfelt apology, but I was too jaded by my experience with James to trust anything men said upfront anymore. Jacob’s apology had certainly seemed genuine, but the fact that he’d followed it up with an attempted make-out session didn’t exactly bode well. It made me wonder if he’d only pretended to say he was sorry so he could get closer to me as part of some game he was still playing on James’ behalf.

  I also wondered if I’d ever trust a man again.

  Any man.

  I sighed as I watched Jacob out on the set’s football field, filming the scene where Walter Simmons returned to the game after an injury that had been considered career-ending at the time. He was playing the part well, although I had a feeling there was still something missing from his portrayal; some element of Simmons’ personality that wasn’t quite there yet. Bonnie could obviously feel it too, because she yelled ‘Cut!’ and went over to talk to Jacob and his co-stars on the field.

  The worst part of working with Jacob was having to see him like this every day, because every time I spotted that scruffy dark hair or had those grey eyes flashing in my direction, I melted. In those seconds, all I thought about was the kiss again, and how damn good it felt. What a rush it was. I’d never experienced such pressing need, such urgency, not with anyone else.

  Ever.

  But it couldn’t happen. It was totally wrong. Not only did I not entirely trust Jacob, we were working together, and I didn’t want to get fired for misconduct which could theoretically happen if we were seen hooking up. I also didn’t want a reputation amongst all the movie studios for being the kind of ‘professional’ who slept with actors on sets. Word traveled quickly in the film industry, so I intended on keeping my nose clean and my head clear.

  That didn’t stop me from secretly wanting Jacob, though, in the dead of the night when I tried to sleep, all too aware of the fact that my bed was empty and I was alone save for Oscar snoring on the floor beside me. It didn’t stop me from remembering how I’d kissed him back for a moment despite all the alarm bells ringing in my head and screaming, ‘This is wrong, stop it!’.

  When filming was cut short by a sudden storm looming over our heads, I raced to the parking lot, eager for the warmth and cover of my car. Storms weren’t exactly common here—at least not compared to most other places in the country—so I never carried an umbrella around with me. My hair was already beginning to frizz from the first droplets of rain.

  When I reached my car, I discovered with great frustration that the battery on my car remote had died. I usually carried a spare key around in case this happened, but I couldn’t find it anywhere as I dug around in my handbag. The rain was bucketing down now. Of course. I cursed the weather as I continued searching every little nook and cranny of my purse.

  “Hey, Nora! You okay?”

  I looked up, shielding my eyes from the rain as a familiar voice called out to me. It was Jacob. He was idling in his black car nearby, head hanging out the window. “You okay?” he repeated.

  I held up my key fob. “Battery died, and I can’t find my spare key.”

  “Get in. Can’t have you out in this rain,” he said.

  “It’s okay. I’ll get an Uber.”

  He snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. Just get in. I know where you live; I’ll drop you off. We can even pick up a new battery for your thing on the way.”

  I hesitated for a moment longer, but a crack of thunder made me reconsider. “Okay,” I finally said. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  He reached over into the glove compartment as I climbed in the passenger side. I was all too aware of his closeness to me. Again. My heart raced and my skin tingled, and I closed my eyes for a second and tried to control my breathing, hoping he wouldn’t notice how much his mere proximity affected me.

  “Here,” he said, passing me a small hand towel. “I always keep this in the car in case something like this happens.”

  “Thank you,” I said, dabbing at my face. “And don’t worry about stopping at the store—I just remembered I have a spare battery at home. For the key thing.”

  “Cool. So are you enjoying working on the movie so far?” he asked as he pulled out of the lot.

  I nodded. “I have a feeling it’s going to be great when it’s done.”

  “Yeah. Hope so. Although I haven’t been acting my best. I’m trying, but Walter’s a much harder character to play than I originally thought,” he said. “I mean, I knew it would be hard, but not this hard. Know what I mean?”

  “Yes. But I think you’ll be fine. Just need a few days to really get into the role.”

  “Maybe. I just wish he was still alive. It would’ve really helped me if I could actually meet the guy and see how he spoke and interacted with people in real life. I’ve seen interviews, obviously, but people are always a bit more formal and uptight in those.”

  “True. It was really sad when he died last year.”

  “It was. I’m not a massive football fan, to be honest, but he seemed like a great dude. I want to honor him by playing him as well as I can.”

  I smiled. “That’s really nice,” I said softly.

  We were silent for a few minutes as we wound our way through traffic. Then Jacob turned to me at a set of lights. �
�Hey, I just wanted to say sorry again. About what I did upstairs the other week. I shouldn’t have tried to maul you like that. I’ve been kinda embarrassed about it, so that’s why I haven’t really been saying much to you lately.”

  I gave him a weak smile. “I suppose I deserved it after trying to get Oscar to maul you.”

  He chuckled, and then his face turned serious again. “Really, Nora, I don’t know what I was thinking. I mean, of course you wouldn’t want to kiss me. I’m a fucking dick.”

  “You’re not that bad. You rescued me from the rain, after all,” I replied with a wry smile.

  “True. I’ve just noticed you’ve been a bit standoffish at work. I really wish I hadn’t made things so fucking awkward. You’re so good at what you do, and I can tell you love your job. I hate that I might’ve made you not want to come to work every day.”

  I sighed. “It’s not exactly you, Jacob. It’s…”

  He turned away as the light went green, but I could tell he was still listening. Having him facing elsewhere actually helped me open up more, because there wasn’t the awkwardness of having his perfect eyes trained right on me as I tried to articulate my thoughts.

  “I guess I’m just having a hard time with men in general at the moment,” I admitted. “I wasn’t quite sure why you kissed me or what your intentions were.”

  He nodded. “I get it. After James, you can’t trust guys for a while. Makes sense. And I guess you weren’t sure if I was still trying to fuck with you on his behalf, seeing as that’s what I was originally doing when we met?”

  “Yeah. That’s exactly it, actually.”

  He smiled, eyes crinkling slightly around the corners. I loved that about his smile. It made it look real, unlike the disingenuous smiles that a lot of people in our industry put on when they wanted to appear friendly.

  “Well, like I said, I get you. I was a total ass when we first met, and there’s no reason you should trust me implicitly just because I apologized. I just hope that you can trust me eventually, seeing as we’re working together. And even though you aren’t interested in me in that way, I’d still love to hang out and chat every once in a while. I think you’re really great, Nora.”