Chapter Three
I signed the divorce papers on the first day of rehearsals for the film. I couldn’t think of anything but Laila; her thick, black hair, full lips, hips. My ears rang with the sound of her laughter. I squirmed with the thought of holding her. It was hard to think about anything else. It was with these desires swirling around in my head when I caught a whiff of her fiery, cinnamon scent as I entered the play pin on set.
I turned to find her standing behind me, looking like a sexy milkmaid with her overalls. She had a tattered looking shoulder bag hanging on one arm and our hulking screenplay in the other. “Here to catch a glimpse of your old best friend?”
She blinked, her mouth hanging slightly ajar, her skin turning red as if I had caught her doing something. She shook her head. “I’m actually here to pick up my son.”
I couldn’t stop myself from ducking my head in surprise. “What?”
She shrugged. “A lot has happened.”
“Mr. Franke? Ms. Rhodes? They are just finishing up their afternoon activities. It’ll be another twenty minutes.”
I hadn’t even noticed the receptionist in the small front office until then. “Sure,” I said without even looking at her. “Let me buy you a coffee.”
She stood there, frozen for long enough to make me question my decision. But then said, “Fine. I’m sure that’s allowed.”
I chuckled at her sarcasm.
***
“So, tell me more about yourself,” I said as soon as we were seated at my go-to spot down the street, cappuccinos in our hands.
A warm smile stretched across her face. “Is this an interview?”
I chuckled, the dark sound ringing through the air. “You can call it that.”
She furrowed her brow. “But I thought I already had the job.”
I let my fingers fall on hers. I couldn’t help myself. “You do.”
She seemed guarded, but I could see the red-hot desire right behind her eyes. “So then what’s the interrogation.”
“Well, if I’m going to work with you, I need to see everything inside of you.” I scanned her body, the curve at the nape of her neck, the bracelet on her delicate wrist, the mischievous look in her eye, driving me into a frenzy.
“That’s a little invasive.”
I took her hand. That was it, no turning back. “You wouldn’t want to have it any other way.” I knew I had her wrapped around my finger.
“And what makes you so sure of that?” She tried to make a show of nonchalance.
I rested my elbow on the table. “I’ve been doing this a long time.”
She chuckled. “I’m aware.”
I leaned back, folding my hands in my lap. “So, tell me who you are.”
She sat up straight, her lips pursed with this funny sense of importance. “I started acting when I was twelve.”
I glowered at her. Was this the best she could do after four years? “Tell me something I won’t find on your imdb.”
She smiled then, as if she had just found out a secret about me.“My favorite color is purple.”
I nodded slowly. “Dark, regal.”
She bit those sexy lips. “I hate pizza.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Now you get to ask me something.”
“Uhm.”
“Don’t stutter.”
She blinked. “What’s your favorite color?”
I shook my head. “No repeats.”
She let out a nervous giggle, “Okay?”
I slid my chair closer to her.
“What’s your favorite movie?”
I raised my eyebrows. “In recent time, or ever?”
“Only a director would say that.”
I shrugged. “It’s a way of life.” How could we have never had conversations like this when she worked with us?
“I like a guy who’s passionate.”
“Do you?”
She stroked her empty coffee with her fingertips, the seductive move making me wonder what her touch felt like. “Yes,”
“What else do you like?”
“Someone who can make decisions,”
I nodded. “Mhmm.” “Someone who knows what they want. Someone I can learn from.”
“Are you looking for a boyfriend or a mentor?” I was so close, all I had to do was reach out and take what I wanted. But I had to control myself, somehow.
She kept a curiously straight face. “I’m not looking for anything at all.”
Interesting. “So, you want to know my favorite movie.”
“It seems like you really want to tell me.”
I smiled. “Nosferatu.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Should I be scared?”
“Of what?”
“You.”
I paused, then let out a dark chuckle. “Don’t worry. I can protect you from everything, even myself.”
She leaned in closer to me. “Are you sure?”
I nodded, but something occurred to me as I started to glance around. Anyone could be watching. The last thing I wanted was bad press.
“We should go somewhere else.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Is there anywhere else?”
I winked at me and stood up, holding out my hand to her. “Come with me.”
I led her out of the coffee shop and back onto the streets of the studio. We walked down the sidewalk for a few moments, both of us putting on a show of looking like we were about to go off to do something very professional. Then, I turned us off of the sidewalk and down a poorly trodden path. I had used this lot several times for projects. This was my place to think. I had no problems with sharing it with her.
She stopped just as we hit the thick brush. “What’s down here?”
I shrugged, pulling her on. “You tell me.”
We stopped in a small clearing; the leaves shielding us from the afternoon sun.“Do you come here a lot?” she asked.
I nodded, thinking about all the movies I had spent standing in this very spot, contemplating, escaping. “Of course.”
She smiled. “Well, I can’t believe Clara picked me.”
“She’s my favorite casting director.”
She nodded. “I get that.”
“It’s like she’s an extension of myself. She knows exactly what I want.”As I said this, the most glorious look of fiery jealousy darkened her face.
I raised an eyebrow at this permission. “Oh, so you’re jealous?”
“I don’t get jealous.” I loved the way she set her jaw at this.
I chuckled taking a couple of deliberate steps towards her, putting her between myself and a massive tree trunk. “That’s what I needed to hear. And anyway, there’s nothing to worry about. She knew I wanted you didn’t she? She brought you right to me.” I gazed down at her, strangely enough, all of the memories of our time together when I was her employer slipping away. I couldn’t imagine her in my nursery with Ally as much as I could imagine her in my bed. My heart swelled at the thought of sharing a hundred more moments like this with her. It was the strangest thing: After years of searching and searching for that one person to fill me up, I was standing here, having just lost my wife, staring at the only woman I’ve wanted in the last ten years that I never had. Could she have been what I had been looking for all this time? “Was I everything you thought I’d be?”
I placed a hand on her hip, just trying out the movement.
I could feel her desire as I leaned into her, pressing her back against the tree trunk. Her breasts pressed against my chest, her eyes gazing up at me like I was the only man in the world.
“I think you look gorgeous.” I watched her melt.
I tightened my grip on her hip. My skin crawled with desire. I leaned my face down to hers. I couldn’t deny how badly I wanted this, how much I could not let this go. I knew what the proper thing was, but I didn’t want to be proper. My breath came out ragged as our lips finally touched. I felt her freeze, but then melt in my arms. I moved with her, our lips dancing together as I pressed my hips into hers. My heart beat faster and faster, pumping, boiling, hungry blood through my body. I clutched the back of her head, her hips.
I pulled away.
We were panting, lost in what had just happened.