by Julia Bright
“Take your places,” Macy, the assistant director, called out.
“Sorry, we have to get back at it. Will you be here when we finish?” Mia asked.
“I have an appointment with Andrew at four, but I should be here for a while.”
“Oh, I guess we’ll have to have dinner another time.”
Rose nodded and Cam kissed her quickly before taking his place on set. This scene wasn’t intense so he had no problems getting it right. They filmed it in two takes then chose another angle to film. Working with Mia was easy. She knew her lines and never had to be corrected. It was eye opening for him, working with such a professional actress. He worked hard to match her skill and he hoped it showed. The last thing he wanted was to become branded as difficult.
They shot the scene about eight times from different angles before Macy called for the room to be cleared. Cam swallowed hard and searched out Rose. He kind of wanted her there, but he also was afraid of how it would impact them if she saw him in bed with Mia. On screen it would be different. In person, with him and Mia rolling around, he may be too self-conscious to get this right.
He moved in close and kissed her cheek. “Hey, I—”
She placed her hand on his lips. “Don’t worry. I understand. I need to head out anyway. I’m meeting Andrew in just a bit.”
More worry spun through him. “You know this means nothing.”
“Cam, I’m fine.” Rose gave him a quick peck on the cheek then took off. For a brief second, he thought she looked angry, but it could have just been the lighting. He needed to concentrate to get into this scene and it was difficult enough with thoughts of Rose in his head, having her in the room made it almost impossible.
Costuming came over and took his shirt. He was allowed to keep his underwear, but they really wanted those gone too. The shot was supposed to be clean-ish, hopefully focusing on the clean aspect. They needed to get a PG-13 rating not an R.
Everyone other than the director, assistant director, and two cameramen left the set. Mia came out, turned away from everyone and dropped her robe. She had on underwear but no bra. Once she was under the sheets, he moved to the bed and lifted the top sheet, sliding in. The bed was set up so they had a sheet separating them, but still, being this close to anyone was intimidating. He hoped his breath didn’t smell. Horror washed over him as he worried that maybe his body stank. What if she thought he smelled bad? He’d popped a mint into his mouth before he’d gotten in the bed, and he’d swiped an extra dose of deodorant under his arms earlier, but they would be closer than most people ever got.
They adjusted, moving how Macy wanted them to lie before adjusting again when Joshua asked them to move. Action was called, and he pretended to kiss Mia as he rose up on his elbows, sliding his body against hers. He had to keep his chest pressed against her breasts so nothing showed. His movements were jerky and he didn’t really know where to look.
“Cam, relax,” Joshua said.
He blew out a breath and closed his eyes, thinking about Rose. She would be easy to work with on something like this. Her body fit so perfectly with his, and Mia’s felt off. Getting past that uncomfortable feeling was what being an actor was about. He opened his eyes and stared down at Mia, sliding down her body just a little and ducking his head to trail kisses over her collarbone.
“That’s good, Cam. Now give me more.”
Mia had her arm around him, her fingers running down his back. He moved in close and bit her earlobe and she arched up against him.
“That’s golden,” Joshua said.
Mia moved her arm again and had her hand in his hair. Thoughts of the previous night came to him, twisting through his mind. The way Rose moved against him. How he’d slammed into her so fast his head spun. He’d forgotten the condom again. Heat washed over him as guilt filled him. She hadn’t realized he’d not worn one and he hadn’t said anything because it had felt so good. He froze, realizing he was getting hard. His gaze locked with Mia’s and his face heated. Joshua and Macy were talking about something, kind of ignoring them as filming continued.
“I’m so sorry. I was thinking about Rose,” Cam whispered.
Mia laughed and glanced away before looking back at him. “I was thinking about Ben. You just can’t tell when I get excited.”
His face heated and he knew it was red. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. It’s okay. You’re not the first guy to pop wood while filming.”
His dick started to deflate and he felt better. Then Macy was sitting on the bed, adjusting the covers and their positions. It was awkward as hell being in bed with Mia, and having other people in the room with them made it even more awkward. This wasn’t one of the corny movies he shot with naked babes asking for fucks in the bathrooms. This was Mia Forsythe and she was a mega star who was happily married.
“You two are doing great,” Joshua said. “I’d like to get another thirty seconds of good film of this and then we’ll call it a wrap for the day.”
“Thanks, Josh,” Mia said.
“Cam, I need you to kiss her,” Macy said.
They’d kissed before, more than once, but never when they’d been this close and certainly not nearly naked. He closed his eyes and Mia placed her hand on his chest.
“Just think of Rose,” Mia whispered.
“Mmm, she’s the best.”
“Good, now kiss me like you would kiss Rose.”
He tried, he really did, but Mia was nothing like Rose. She didn’t taste like Rose, she didn’t smell like Rose, and she didn’t feel like Rose. He drew back and placed his forehead on hers, trying like crazy to get into the kiss. It was so difficult, but he had signed on to do this movie, and in this movie, his character made love to his wife before leaving to go guard some guy in Europe. He had to focus. He tried again, this time really thinking of Rose and how she felt in his arms. Mia’s hands were in his hair, holding him in place. He froze for a second then relaxed, knowing that if they got it right, they would be able to get up, get dressed, and not end up in bed again for this film.
Mia loosened her hold, and he lifted a bit, trying to look as though he were in awe of her. It must have been enough because Joshua was clapping and Macy looked like she’d won a medal.
“Cut. That’s a wrap for the day. You two were convincing. Thank you both. You got it perfect. I’m in awe of your mastery, Cam. Honestly, when Mia said she wanted you for the part, I balked and we hired that other guy. The Fates were with us. You’re the best man for the part. I’m floored. You jumped in without any preparation like we’d been doing with Clay Jackson and you nailed it. Thank you, Cam.”
He slipped out of the bed, careful to keep the covers over Mia. Once up, he reached for the robe that appeared mysteriously by his side. He noticed that more people were in the room. Two ladies were helping Mia into a robe, making sure her body stayed covered. She stood and the women started leading her away but she stopped and came to stand in front of him.
“Thank you. You kept that classy. You can’t believe the number of inappropriate jokes I’ve heard when I’ve been in similar situations. I really appreciate how you behaved.”
“You’re welcome, and thank you.” He leaned in to hug her and whispered, “I’m really—”
“Don’t say you’re sorry. You didn’t do anything. Really, what happened happened. You’re okay.”
Cam stepped back and nodded. He felt his cheeks heating again. He was embarrassed by the whole thing but Mia didn’t seem to be too affected by him getting hard.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good evening.” Mia waved before she walked off the set.
“You too,” Cam called after her. He headed back to his changing room and stepped into the shower, washing away the makeup they’d had him wear. It wasn’t too bad, but he didn’t like walking around with a coat of the stuff on his face. They were done with filming early and he had time to stop by the store to pick up something for dinner. Rose had been great, cooking for them more often
than not. Having her in his life fulltime would be amazing.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rose had felt off after leaving the studio. It was weird watching Cam with Mia. She knew nothing was going on between them, mainly because Mia’s husband was beyond hot and he was incredibly nice and absolutely perfect, but still, it felt strange seeing them together. Cam wasn’t hers to worry about though, and she needed to get that through her thick skull. They weren’t in a relationship, and she had no say about whom he dated. Their little fling would be over soon and he would go back to his life and she would return to hers.
She was early for her meeting with Andrew and had to wait in the lobby with Melissa. Again, she felt out of place, as if she didn’t belong. Melissa was nice, but there were just too many things standing in Rose’s way of being open and honest. What if she said the wrong thing? No one could know that she and Cam weren’t expecting a baby.
The door to Andrew’s office opened, and he stepped out, smiling big. “Rose, come in.”
She followed him, shutting the door behind her. This charade was starting to get to her. She would be happy when it all ended.
“I heard you were at the studio today. How did you like it?”
“It was good. I’m happy for Cam.”
“Good. So, I have a commercial for you, but I’m not sure if you want to jump into doing commercials yet. We also have a pilot. A lot of pilots don’t get picked up, but this one looks good.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you had stuff specifically for me. I’m a little weirded out by that.”
Andrew laughed. “You’re good-looking and you seem smart. You don’t have any arrests on your record and no drug charges. No one can really find fault with you.”
Her stomach twisted because there would be plenty of fault found if it came out she wasn’t pregnant. “I guess that’s good.”
“You have no idea. There are a lot of women who get disqualified because of their pasts. It’s hard to get people on board to like an actress who has a background in prostitution.”
Her heart pounded because she’d been hired to go to Zach’s party as a prostitute. What if Cam hadn’t been there to save her? She swallowed and nodded. “I guess that would be a hard sell to some people.”
“Don’t get me started on porn. It’s almost impossible to jump from porn to non-porn movies.”
She shook her head. “I had no idea.”
Andrew slapped his hands together and shot her a wide grin. “Okay, so here’s what I suggest. I have a meeting set up for you on Monday with the group who is doing the pilot. Come to the meeting and talk with them. Find out if you are interested and if they are interested in you.”
Rose nodded. Cam would be gone by then so her days would be different. Maybe getting on board with the pilot would keep her from going stir-crazy.
“Okay, I’ll be at that meeting. The commercial, you don’t suggest I take it?”
“No. I think it would be limiting. It’s not that great of a commercial and you could do better. I know it may seem like missing an opportunity is not the best advice, but really, saying no to this commercial isn’t a bad thing.”
Her hands twisted in her lap until she remembered Nicole’s media training and sat up straight, her hands relaxed. “I appreciate your honesty with me.”
Andrew smiled and nodded. “Great, then I’ll see you on Monday at ten.”
“Thank you.” Rose left the office and headed home.
Cam was there and barely gave her a chance to get in the door before he tugged her close and started pulling at her clothes, getting her undressed.
“Need you,” Cam breathed out as he pulled her shirt overhead. His lips were everywhere, his tongue shoving in, his hands exploring. He pushed her pants low and tugged at her panties. “These have to go.”
She was fully undressed, shocked by Cam’s fervor as he dropped his pants then pushed her against the door and lifted her legs. He had her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms draped over his shoulders. Their gazes locked as he held her still while he pumped in. His moves were possessive, his touch branding. They weren’t just fucking, or having sex, this was a soul-deep claiming as Cam slid slowly into her then pulled back, never once looking away.
“I want you.”
“You ha-have me.” Rose heated as he increased the pace. She couldn’t keep looking at him, so she wrapped her arms tighter around him and pulled him closer. Cam increased his pace and then slowed. He reached between them and pressed on her clit, causing her to moan. His fingers worked magic as he held her against the wall and rocked slowly into her.
She was about to fracture into orgasmic bliss when Cam whispered, “Don’t leave.”
Rose lost it, coming hard, her body straining as she held onto him. He pumped harder into her, shoving deep as he grunted. Then he stiffened against her, his teeth sinking into her shoulder. When he pulled out, he set her feet on the floor and held her so she didn’t fall. They stared at each other for a long moment and then she felt the trickle of cum running down her leg. He hadn’t used a condom. She wanted to scream at him, tell him that he had to use one, but she couldn’t, not with the way he was looking at her. She’d never had a guy look at her like that. The connection scared the crap out of her. How could she even come close to doing this right? She was falling for Cam, and to him she was just a speed bump, a way to save his reputation and get a part in a movie.
How could she have made such a huge mistake as to fall for this guy? He held all the cards, and she was along for the ride with nothing to offer. How had she gotten so messed up in this? Her heart would never recover. When Cam and Andrew had hatched their harebrained plan for her to pretend to be his girlfriend, she should have run the other way, but she’d accepted their idea and stayed. Now she was doomed, destined for disappointment when Cam left her, and he would leave. She’d be stuck alone, her heart broken by the one man she couldn’t ever have for real.
Cam stepped back and took her hand, leading them to the shower. Once the water was on and they were under the spray, he kissed her so gently she thought her heart would break. He was being too nice, and she didn’t know how to deal with it.
After he finished washing and rinsing her hair, she moved to the other end of the shower and he washed off quickly. She watched him, unsure how much more of his gentle care she could stand. He was treating her too good, and she felt her attachment growing.
“Cam, what did you mean by don’t leave?”
He shut off the water and reached for a towel. “I don’t know what to do.”
“That doesn’t answer anything.”
“No, it doesn’t. I’m sorry. I’m not very good at this stuff, but I want this, whatever this is, to grow.”
She hesitated as she took the towel, holding it close to her chest. “What do you think this is?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what we could have or if you even want to have anything, but I really want to spend time with you.” Cam sighed and shook his head. “I know I’m leaving town for a few weeks. Filming is about to get intense. It’s weird, my first real project, well, the others have been real, but this is the first one that could get me more diverse roles instead of typecast me. I’m scared.”
She wanted to be someone’s choice because they loved her, not because they were afraid of what their future would bring. Cam pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. What could she say to his declaration? He wasn’t with her because he loved her, she was just someone to get him through this stage. She wouldn’t say anything, because she’d gone into this relationship for selfish reasons too. She had a part in a pilot and that was more than she would have ever gotten on her own.
“What do you want to eat?” Rose asked as she pulled on her shirt.
“Would you mind if I called in an order? We could just hang out here and spend some time together.”
She nodded, happy to spend time with Cam. “Sure. That would be great.”
“I’ll get you chicken w
ith vegetables and mashed potatoes. And a slice of cake?”
“Yep, that sounds great.” It was weird. Though they weren’t a real couple, he knew exactly what she would order. It was like he was trying to memorize her, or maybe he was just good at remembering what type of food she liked.
“Awesome. I’ll place the order and you can pick a movie, as long as it’s not one I’m in.”
She laughed and nodded as some of the tension she’d been holding onto dissipated. It would be awkward to watch a movie that Cam had been in because most of them had more sex than she would feel comfortable watching with him at this point. If they were a real couple, she’d do that…maybe, but right now, she imagined it would be awkward.
They settled on an action thriller with a lot of fight scenes and little sex. She fell asleep during the last thirty minutes and woke to Cam picking her up and carrying her to their bed. Her heart squeezed as she smiled up at him, wishing this would last. He was her perfect fantasy man, and maybe, if she believed enough, the fantasy would turn into a reality.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cam felt more confident than ever. Rose was his and promised she wouldn’t leave. They were a couple now, or at least she’d not argued when he’d asked her not to leave. She was turning into the most important person in his life, and he’d never thought a woman would have ever been that to him.
Zach had decided to stay in rehab another seven days. His brother hadn’t wanted to talk to him, but he was getting out at noon and had requested Cam come pick him up.
He’d missed Zach terribly, but Rose had taken away some of the sting, allowing him to have happiness though he hadn’t talked to Zach in days. It was weird that Zach had been the one person who meant more to him than anyone else and now he’d gone two weeks without talking to him. Maybe he was just trying to find a substitute with Rose, but he didn’t think so. He really cared for the woman.
Rose had gone into work at the diner though he’d asked her to take a leave of absence. She’d laughed and told him she needed to work. It was weird being an actor. Most days he didn’t work. Finding this movie and filming so quickly was nearly unheard of. But there had been extenuating circumstances. Had the wreck not happened, he wouldn’t have found anything that resembled work this fast. Learning his lines, learning the character, all of it had happened at warp speed. Even Andrew hadn’t believed how fast the movie had come about. He said it was the weirdest thing he’d ever seen.
