Chapter 17
Dante
“We’re here.” I eased Emily to a stop on a rocky path in a grassy plain, her hoofs clipped loudly on the stony ground. I quickly steadied the Percheron and we dismounted. I grabbed my pack careful not to disturb the thoughtful gift Autumn had picked for me. It was dark enough that I took her hand and had her follow close behind me.
“Where’s here?” Autumn asked with a hint of fear in her voice that I found utterly intoxicating.
This is a bad idea, Dante.
But then again, this whole day was a bad idea. Every step along the packed earth toward the surprise I had for her was a mistake and I knew it. I shouldn’t have brought her here, but I couldn’t resist. This place had a kind of magic to it that was dangerous. It had the potential to ruin all my carefully laid plans.
I had more willpower and restraint than anyone I’d ever met. If I could handle all the lows in my life, then I could handle the highs too. I’d be extra careful, just in case.
“Shit!” Her foot slipped off an unsecured rock and she fell forward, grabbing me tightly to keep from falling. Twisting, I grabbed her waist and helped her get her balance.
“Sorry.” She looked up at me, bathed in the soft white light of a nearly full moon. Her monochromatic eyes shined brighter than any of the hundred-million stars above us. My heart froze and ached. She’d never looked prettier. “Everything’s dark.”
“I got you.” Holding her I breathed in the rich scent of her shampoo mingled with a long ride’s worth of dirt, and the salt of her sweat. The sexy cocktail added fuel to the fire that’d been burning in me every time I looked at her or felt her touch. I gave her my hand to safely lead hear the last few yards.
The warmth of her hands captured most of my thoughts, but I could still smell the water. The steaming moisture and sulfur of boiled heavy minerals in the air was almost impossible to miss.
“Is that water?” Autumn squeezed my hand a little tighter. I could feel her excitement building. “Are we—Is that really a hot spring?”
“It is.” Looking at the gloss of the small pool and hearing the wonder in her tone made me smile. The spring was an irregular circle a little bigger than the Jacuzzi I had in my gym. The area had several similar pools, but this was the best one.
“That is so cool!” She walked to the stone edge that ringed the natural pool and dipped her hand in. She stopped herself just before touching the water, pulling her hand back she looked at me with her brow raised. “Is it safe?”
I nodded and watched her dip her fingers in.
“Oh my God, that feels amazing…” She leaned forward, closed her eyes and let the steam wash over her. My smile lingered at her naïve, innocence.
“Wait until you get in.” Setting my bag down by the spring I peeled off my shirt, rolled it into a ball and tossed it off to the side. The wind had some bite now that the sun had gone down. It felt nice against my skin. The steam and hot water would feel even better.
But Autumn pressed against me would feel the best. I clenched my teeth and swallowed the urges that were boiling in my gut at the sight of her bent over in front of me. I needed to get into the water soon, before I did something really foolish.
“What? No.” Autumn giggled, shaking her head. “I can’t go in. I don’t have my bathing suit.”
“Neither do I.” I popped the button on my jeans and unzipped my fly. Even in the dim light I could see her eyes turn into saucers as she watched me undress. Enjoying giving her a show, I tucked my thumb into the elastic band of my boxers. “You’re wearing underwear aren’t you? That’s basically a bathing suit.”
This is dangerous, she’s still the client. My better judgment caught up with me and I decided against taking mine off.
“I don’t know…” Indecision marred her beautiful features—should she have the big, decadent dessert or stick with her boring diet?
“How’re you feeling?” I asked, then clarified, “Physically. How’re your muscles?”
“Fine.” She cleared her throat, ungluing her eyes from my torso and the long bulge in my boxers. She glanced down, squeezing her legs and using the pain to clear whatever fun thoughts she had from her mind. “Sore. I mean some parts are sorer than others.”
“Then as your trainer I’m telling you a long hot water soak will help.” I stepped into the near scalding water. I sucked in air through closed teeth, the heat of the spring was written all over my face. The water was especially hot on the most sensitive areas of my body. My cock and balls burned for a second before accepting, then embracing the heat. I took a deep breath and said, “You don’t have to come all the way in, just sit on the edge and soak your legs.”
“Yeah, OK.” Autumn eagerly slipped off her shoes betraying what she really wanted to do, then glanced over to me. I was buried up to my waist and was nestling into the rocks opposite her. “How’s the water?”
I kept the smirk off my face everywhere but my eyes. “Feels a little like the devil’s tongue licking up your thighs.”
Autumn blushed, focusing on the water. I was captivated by her smooth legs as she rolled up her dress and lowered her feet into the water. The more of her legs she dipped the more jealous I was of the devil.
Despite the slow pace of her skills developing, physically she’d made a fantastic amount of progress. She’d only lost a few pounds in such a short amount of time, but she looked considerably more toned. There was a hardness to her now, both inside and out. I only wished I had more time with her.
“Oh this is exactly what I needed.” She loudly exhaled any pent-up stress in her and leaned back, letting her legs draw slow circles in the hot water. “That feels so much better.”
I stayed quiet, trying not to think about what was under the rest of that dress. My cock ached and this time it had nothing to do with the temperature of the water. I pulled the first aid kit from my pack.
“How’s your shoulder?” Autumn looked over; her voice was thick with concern. I could tell that she still felt guilty about the whole thing. I knew it was an accident. In a way, it actually felt nice to know she was worried about me enough to call out.
I thought about the Desert Five-Spot in my bag… It’d been a long, long time since anyone really gave a damn about what happened to me.
“I’ll be alright.” I opened the bottle of vodka, took a sip then poured some over my wound. Grunting against both the pain in my shoulder and the burn in my throat, I offered the bottle to Autumn.
“Isn’t alcohol against the diet rules?” She teased, the corner of her lips curling.
“That’s the thing about making all the rules.” I put my elbows on the stone lip behind me and reclined, letting the steam from the water cascade up my neck and face. “I get to break them whenever I want.”
Autumn bit her lip and grabbed the bottle from me. She took a sip and nearly coughed her lungs out. “Oh! This is horrible!” She turned the bottle over in her hands. “Are you sure this isn’t turpentine?”
“That wouldn’t surprise me. I’ve siphoned gas from cars that’s tasted better. Crash Teller wasn’t known for making the best decisions.” My raucous laughter drew a concerned look from Autumn. “What?”
“I—” She shook her head, but maintained a look of disbelief. “I just didn’t think you knew how to do that.”
“Laugh?” I gave her an incredulous look and a half smile. “I laugh. I can dance too. There just hasn’t been much to laugh at lately.” Maybe Frost was right. “This is the first good night I’ve had since... Since a while.” Since my night with you on the Spirited Massachusetts. But I couldn’t say that.
“Dance, huh? That I would love to see. You know what? Screw it.” Autumn cleaned a rock off with her hand then pulled her dress over her head and put it down. Her tanned skin soaked in the moonlight like a silk sponge. Not even the darkness could hide the many bruises she had from training. Yet she persevered. It was both impressive, and hot as hell.
I was reminded again just how far she’d come.
I’d left my mark on her. Now the urge to take care of her and ease her pain flared like a gas fire within me. She’s mine.
A gentleman would’ve averted his eyes and not traced the shape of her cotton panties and modest bra. He wouldn’t have been enraptured by her little hesitations and the water clinging to her skin as she pulled out for a moment before plunging back in. He wouldn’t have followed the rolling beads of steam and sweat that raced down her neck and slipped in between her breasts. His cock wouldn’t have ached at the sight of her pebble-hard nipples pushing through the thin fabric of her bra.
I was a lot of things, but I was no gentleman.
“Yesyesyes.” Autumn sank fully into the spring, agony and ecstasy made her whole body cringe and flex. Pain and satisfaction; interesting how those two concepts were intrinsically tied to one another. She giggled at herself, at where we were, at what we were doing, all of it. “This feels amazing. Way better than my bathtub at home.”
Once situated in a comfortable nook Autumn took another swig of the harsh liquor then handed it back to me. She shook her head hard, frowning, in an adorable attempt to get the vodka down.
“Where’s your camera? There’s a face we should’ve recorded for your adoring public.” I was impressed that she was able to drink it all. I knew stunt guys that couldn’t stomach that at all. The girl had grit.
“Yeah, they don’t need to see me getting drunk in my underwear.”
“Their loss.” The words flowed out of me so naturally that I couldn’t stop them in time. Her lips pressed together, trying desperately to hide a smile, and despite the moon washing out her color I could still tell that her cheeks turned a deeper shade. It was cute and sexy. My instincts told me to slide forward, drag my thumb up her warm neck and across her jaw, pull her into me and steal the taste off her lips.
I took a deep breath and cupped water, dragging my soaked hands over my face and hair. I used the stinging heat to calm my raging cock. “How’re your muscles?”
“Better.” Beneath the water, she worked her hands down her thighs. The tenderness in her legs drew painful winces across her legs. “You were right the water helps. But they’re still really sore.”
“You’re legs aren’t ground beef.” I shot her a disapproving look. “You can’t just squeeze randomly. You need myofacscial release.”
“Myo-what now?”
“Come here. I’ll show you.” I cocked my head to indicate the rock ledge next to me. She swam walked like you normally do in a shallow pool. She kept her chest below the water, probably fearing that I’d see her perky nipples poking through her bra. When she was close enough I placed the heel of her foot on my thigh
“There’s a matrix in the human body that holds everything in place, it’s called fascia.” I drew little designs on the top of her foot. “This network surrounds all your muscles, bones, organs, ligaments, everything, and keeps them all together.” I paused to think of an analogy that could give her a better idea. “Kinda like a massive spider web inside of you.”
“Jesus, fuck!” Autumn shivered. “That’s horrifying. I hate spiders.”
“Alright.” I chuckled, drawing a big circle over her calf. “Think of this as an orange. All that white stuff under the peel that keeps the juicy pods together and separate is fascia.”
“Oranges, check. Much better than spiders. Go on.”
“Both a sedentary lifestyle and trauma—and that’s all training is by the way. Trauma. The tearing of muscles to later be filled in and strengthened by the proteins and carbohydrates in the food you eat. Anyways, over time kinks or knots in the fascia happen, creating lack of flexibility and—” I squeezed Autumn’s calf.
“Ow ow ow. I get it!” She whined, hunching forward to grab my hand. “I’m broken. Stop!”
I released her, but pinned her leg when she tried to retreat. She flashed me a worried look. I pinched my brows together earnestly. “Trust me.”
Autumn sighed, then nodded so slightly that had I not been staring directly at her I’d have missed it.
“I won’t lie to you. This is going to hurt, but I promise you’ll feel better afterwards.” I slowly worked my large, calloused hands deep into her muscles, massaging and working out all the knots in her calves.
“I still can’t believe I’m here, you know. It blows my mind.” She snorted and chuckled, letting her head dip to watch my hands work. “They originally told me I didn’t get the part.”
I stayed quiet, and just listened to the sound of her soft beautiful voice.
“Then they called me and said the director changed her mind. “Isn’t that insane? My whole life changed on the whim of another person.”
“I—” Stopping myself, I decided against telling her how I made that happen. It wasn’t important. Autumn should’ve been cast in the first place, not some airheaded model-turned actress who gave good head. “Yeah. I know what that’s like.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Autumn asked to keep her mind off the pain.
“Depends on the question.”
“This role I’m doing was a recast right? What happened to the original actor?” Autumn’s mouth pulled to one side apprehensively.
“Ashley?” I sighed, pausing the massage. I had hoped to avoid this question. “Short answer; she died. Ashley wasn’t ready for a stunt and they had her do it anyway.” There was no reason to belabor her with all the messy details. She was scared enough.
“Am I going to be ready?” Autumn frowned. Worry crept into her voice.
“You remember what I told you in the parking lot outside the stadium?”
“That I could trust you with my life?”
I stared into her beautiful, dark eyes and slowly nodded.
“And remember,” I said. “No one can make you do anything you’re not comfortable with on set. You’ve got more power than you think. They’ll rewrite whole scenes on the fly if they have to.”
“Argh. This is all so stressful!” Autumn washed her face with a handful of hot water, slicking her hair back in the process. “Is it always so scary? The things you do. Is it always like that day when you…” Autumn trailed off.
The day I saved her on set was still hard for her.
“A lot of what we do is a cakewalk honestly.” I quickly interjected, not forcing her to finish the thought this time. I thought about that night on the boat and how I didn’t care about hurting her by forcing her to say it all out loud. I didn’t know what it said about me that I wanted to punch that version of myself in the face for being such an asshole.
Autumn wasn’t used to the danger or seduced by it like me and Frost were. A brush with death could cripple even the hardiest of people with fear and the fact that Autumn was willing to put herself back into another dangerous role was no small thing. The ability to overcome that extreme anxiety made her braver than anyone I’d ever met.
“Most of the time it’s small stuff to keep the liability down for the production company. Any time a character has to fall down regardless of how minor it is they bring us in to make sure no one gets hurt. Occasionally they even hire us to hang out on set for the day in the off chance they decide to do a stunt last minute. Sometimes though, we get brought in for the real heavy stuff; things no one has ever dared to try on camera before. Those are my favorite days.
“Danger pioneers.” Autumn chuckled, pleased with herself at coining the phrase.
“Something like that.” I cracked small smirk, gently working my way up the back of her knee. “Stunt training is... a lot of different things. Body awareness is more of an art than a science. Being strong and fit is necessary, but you can't just lift weights and call it a day. Same thing with practicing high falls, car wrecks or taking up a martial art; those things are all facets of who we are, but they don't make us stuntmen.”
“Is it the nine meals a day?”
“You’re funny.” I massaged a little harder, getting her to squirm and protest for a minute before easing up. “Most of it is mental. It’s important to fully know that you're not only the most qualified person to do the job, but also that you're completely expendable in a way.”
“Do you really think you’re expendable?” Autumn’s eyebrows creased and rose upwards in a hard look of concern and maybe even a little pity.
“Look up,” I said with an easy smile. I told her I’d always be honest with her, but that question wasn’t something I could answer; especially not while staring into her soft pretty eyes.
Autumn hesitated, not wanting me to have such an easy out, but looked up anyways. The look on her face as she took in the stars warmed me more than the hot springs ever could.
“It’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life.” She marveled at the countless pinpricks of starlight and the wide full moon. With no light pollution of any kind the night sky put all the planetariums to shame.
“I have.” I looked only at her and didn’t bother with the rest of the universe.
She glanced back at me with ever softening eyes.
“The last few weeks have been an exhausting emotional roller coaster ride. It doesn’t help that you’re kind of a dick—” Autumn cracked a wry grin at my raised eyebrows. “But! I know I’m haven’t been the best student either! It’s just…with Mom’s cancer and all the stress from production pushing in on me from every side it’s been really hard to concentrate.”
“It’s a heavy burden.” I knew all too well what it was like to carry the weight the world on my shoulders. Mitch, his training, the old gang and losing sight of the man I wanted to be crept across my brain like a bone-chilling, winter fog.
“It is but that isn’t the point I’m stumbling awkwardly toward.” She placed her hand over mine, snapping my eyes back to hers and whisking away the cold, dark cloud rising inside me. There was only Autumn—the season of my heart. “For a little while I was able to forget all the pressure and expectation and just lose myself. Tonight has been truly incredible. I needed this. Thank you.”
Autumn was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen and now that I knew her better I felt a much deeper connection. Here’s a woman that could know me. She could see past the things I’d done, the lives I’d ruined, to the man I could be. She could be a second chance, a reason to finally stop running. I could see myself in her dark eyes, and for once I didn’t mind what I saw.
The steam and the darkness obscured how close we’d drifted toward each other. The stars, the terrible liquor, the smooth, suppleness of her body in my hands, and of course the hot water all around us; we were a kettle on a stove and the heat was building whether we wanted it or not. The mistakes were inevitable… It was only a matter of time until one of us boiled.
And this time it was me. I couldn’t help myself, Autumn cut right through me.
With pruned, scalding fingers I wrapped the back of her neck. Any resistance she might’ve had melted at my touch. My knee grazed the inside of her thigh for a fleeting moment as I kneeled forward on unyielding stone entangling myself in her. I pulled her in for a kiss.
Our lips and tongue stole the magic that crackled in the air all around us.
Was this our first actual kiss?
I think it was. Sharing something so intimate on a deeper level made the kiss all the sweeter.
Autumn’s fingers flirted with my ribs before committing and wrapping around my back. Our limbs became magnetized to each other as if they instinctively picked up right where we left off those many weeks ago. Her thigh slid across mine as we stood up into one another.
Standing in the waist high hot spring let the cool evening air send shivers through our bodies. The heat that arced between us pulled us closer. There was a stutter in my breathing when I felt her stomach touch mine for the first time and I caught her natural scent between the steam and the sulfur.
She dug her fingers into my back and I dragged my nails through her scalp. My hard cock strained against the tented fabric and pushed into her hip, yearning for her naked touch. Autumn moaned into my searching, hungry mouth. The more I had her the more I wanted her.
Our tongues teased and toyed. I bit her lip, gently tugging. My hand found her full, sexy ass and squeezed hard, pulling her into me. Why did I fight this for so long? I wanted her so badly that it hurt.
“Yes.” Autumn whispered in my ear.
Remember what happened last time. The sharp warning rang out in my mind like a gunshot followed by the unforgettable sound a woman’s head snapping off the concrete.
“We shouldn’t,” I said, breathing heavily as I broke away from Autumn’s heavenly lips. Gazing out into a night that seemed suddenly darker and inhospitable I rubbed water over my face. “Let’s head back.”
I breathed out feeling shamelessly selfish for the first time since she arrived. For both our sakes I couldn’t do what I wanted. I was her trainer and her stunt coordinator; I had to think about what was best for her.
The long ride back was silent save the footfalls of the horse and the occasional howl of something off in the distance. It gave me a lot of time to think about the man I was, the man I wanted to be, and the man that Autumn needed. The way we were doing things now I couldn’t reconcile all three.
In an industry that thought of her as disposable, all Autumn had was a sick mother and hope. It felt wrong to take advantage of her, and I didn’t mean that just physically. I thought about my own mother and what she’d want me to do.
After I dropped Autumn off at the house I made a call to Lionhouse CEO Jonathan’s private cell phone.
“How did you get this number?” He asked, groggy from still waking up.
“Autumn will not be ready for your deadline.” I ignored his question. For as much of a bastard as he was Mitch taught me a lot of useful skills. One of which was to always know the people you go into business with, and get yourself some insurance if things go bad. Old habits died hard. “You’re going to have to push back her scenes.”
“What!” Jonathan was fully awake now. “That wasn’t our deal.”
“I decided that your deal wasn’t in the best interest of my client. Autumn needs about another month. You’ll get your girl when she’s ready, not a second before that.” I didn’t care how much longer it delayed Lionhouse I refused to let them take Autumn like they took Ashley, the last actress I trained.
Especially because this time I might not be on set to keep Autumn safe.
“Listen to me you little shit!” Jonathan growled into the phone. “She’s our goddamn property and we’ll take her when we damn well feel like it.”
“If any Lionhouse employees step foot on my property before Autumn is ready they’re going to be leaving in body bags.”
“We’ll expose you!” He roared. “We’ll have cops crawling all over you like bees on—”
I interrupted him by reading him his street address, and the alarm code for his back door. Then I described the contents in the drawer of his bedside end table.
Old habits.
“You—you can’t do this. Jane is going to be furious!” Jonathan was frustrated and terrified. “And you owe me a favor!”
“Every day I don’t visit you after how you blackmailed me is favor.” I growled back. “Think about that while you’re lying in bed late at night, safely nestled in that gaudy gold comforter with the blue flower pattern.” I hung up before he could respond.
I just guaranteed that they’d burn me the first chance they got, but we both knew they couldn’t yet. It wasn’t like they could go public with my past while I was still training Autumn. At best, it’d make them look like idiots, at worst the police might want to hear any secrets I might have about Lionhouse.
I was done with all this soon anyways, but I needed a back up plan if everything went sideways in between. There was one number I had memorized after the incident with the security guard. It was the nuclear option for when things got too out of control.
I just hoped I could get through all of this without having to use it.
If things worked out then when Autumn was ready, I’d give the keys to Frost and disappear. It didn’t make up for all the horrible things I’d done, but I could at least help Autumn.
Knowing she’d be safe made me feel good in a way nothing else had in a long time.