She stares at me, surprise clear on her face. “You took this movie to see me? You could have just called.”
“You wouldn’t have answered.” I step toward her, heart hammering fast. “This way, you have to see me, whether you want to or not.”
She hesitates again and for a second, I think she’s going to step closer to me. I can see that old look in her face, that desire and need and pure lust. I may be a big, filthy bastard, but I know this woman. I know what she wants. I know how she thinks.
“Yeah, well, I don’t. You should’ve just called.” She storms past me, walking quickly back toward the group.
I let her go. I won’t let her see the momentary hurt on my face. I’m not a pussy, so I get over it fast. I couldn’t have expected more from her. I broke her heart, disappeared, and didn’t call. For all she knew, I was dead. And now I just show back up in her life, forcing her to be near me.
No, I knew she’d be angry, but still. I was hoping there’d be something… and there will be. Sooner or later, she’ll feel it again. Or she already feels it, and she’ll let herself embrace it.
I came here for this. All told, that wasn’t so bad. I’m not going to give up on her, not by a long shot.
Hell, maybe this’ll be more fun.
I always did like a fucking challenge.
4
Tara
I knew this was going to suck. I just didn’t know exactly how much until one week passes and I already want to quit.
It’s not that Jackson is being obnoxious. In fact, after that first conversation at the table reading, he actually backed off a little bit. He still gives me these looks that make my entire spine shiver, but he’s not coming up to me and trying to talk to me.
Which maybe is even a little worse, because now he’s spending most of his time with his coworkers and the crew. Everyone loves Jackson on set. He’s charming, funny, attractive, and a hard worker. There’s no bullshit with Jackson, which is actually surprising. Most Hollywood guys come with huge egos, but not Jackson. He works his ass off to get every single shot right the way Lionel wants it.
And he’s actually pretty good. I knew he could act a little bit based on his last movie, but I hadn’t seen him in person yet. Jackson is actually a talented actor working with limited material. I mean, he’s an action star, so there’s always going to be a little bit of leeway there, but he doesn’t need it. Jackson is a talented man, which I’ve known for a very long time.
I still remember him back then. Everyone loved him. I knew he was going to go places, and I foolishly hoped he’d bring me with him. That only made it so much worse when he disappeared. Not only did he leave me, but I felt like he was throwing away so much of his potential by signing up for the military.
Of course, I was wrong, but I was a stupid kid back then. I thought he was going to go get blown up overseas or something, but instead he had a long and successful career as a SEAL. And now he’s an action movie star, and I’m just a script girl, hopelessly angry with him for something he did over ten years ago.
“Scene nine, take three. Action!” The clapper slaps down and the set is dead silent. I glance down at the script in front of me, trying to keep focused on what’s happening in front of me.
“They’re coming back, you know,” Jackson grunts.
“Let them. We’ll be ready.” Holly pumps her shotgun, making that exaggerated loading sound. Her shirt is slightly torn and she’s sweating, making her look absolutely stunning. If I weren’t straight, I’d have a total lady boner for her.
“We can’t win every fight.” Jackson pushes her shotgun down, glancing at the window. “They’ll come tonight. We have a few hours though. And in the meantime, we’re going to run.”
Holly stares hard at him. “Run? Are you joking?”
“Run,” he says, stepping closer to her. The tension ramps up, and the way he’s staring at her… he really does want to fuck her. I mean, I know he’s acting, but he really wants to do it. I bet he would take her right here, and I wouldn’t blame him one bit. She’s begging for it and…
Oh my god, I’m being a jealous psycho. I take a breath and glance away, steadying myself. They’re acting right now. It’s Jackson’s job to make it look like he wants Holly right now. I mean, maybe he doesn’t have to be so good at it, and maybe he doesn’t need to stare at her breasts like that, but still. The scene is clearly working.
“I won’t run. Not after what they did to my sister.”
“We’ll avenge her,” he whispers, and I glance down at my script. I frown at the words, We’ll get revenge for her.