Chapter 11
Chloe
The glass slipped out of my hand and smashed onto the floor as I looked at Hudson. The crashing sound of glass snapped me back to reality and I knelt down quickly to clean up the mess.
“Jesus Christ, what the hell is wrong with you?” Hudson’s friend said, looking directly at me.
“Um, I am sorry. I just, umm…”
Hudson moved towards me and helped me pick the large pieces of glass up from the floor. “Chloe?” he said as if he was trying to make sure it was me. “Is this really the job you were telling me about?”
I nervously gathered the pieces, disregarding the fact that one wrong grab could have glass slicing open my flesh.
“Yes?” I wasn’t answering properly, mostly worried about the mess I made. I knew that Simon would probably get rid of me because of my mistake, but I didn’t expect to see Hudson standing right in front of me. “I’m sorry for making a mess. I’ll go and get you another glass.”
He grabbed my hand and kept it steady, then slowly smiled, silently telling me that everything would be alright. Just beyond him, I saw that guy that he was at Pierre’s with. It was the annoying person that came to our table and nearly ruined Hudson’s chances with me. He narrowed his eyes, and suddenly, a smile stretched across his face.
“Hey, that’s the chick from Pierre’s, right?” he said as if he had just solved a decade’s long mystery. “Yeah, you sure are! I remember!”
“Chloe,” Hudson said as he rolled his eyes, “her name is Chloe.”
I forced a smile and gathered the other shards of glass together as Hudson grabbed the small trash can, so I could dump them inside. “Yeah, Chloe,” his friend said, “I didn’t catch your name, but I surely do remember a pretty face. What are you doing here?”
I crawled to my feet. “I am the director’s assistant for this film.”
“No shit?” Hudson said, smiling. “I don’t know why I didn’t think to ask you which film you were working on. It never crossed my mind that we could possibly be working on the same one.”
“Me either,” I said before a few moments of silence floated between us. Hudson looked amazing. His short-sleeved shirt squeezed his biceps and accentuated the shape of his chest. I tried not to stare, but I found myself having to force my eyes to the floor. “I guess I should get out of here and get you another cup,” I said, looking at the trash. “I don’t want Simon to throw a fit and fire me on my first day.”
“Goddamn it,” Keith said as he looked at his phone. “Shooting is on hold for another forty-five minutes. Apparently, there is something going on with the crew.” He huffed, then shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Sit tight here, Hudson. I’ll figure this out and get right back to you. They won’t start shooting until this is resolved and I need to see what’s going on.” He smiled at me. “Chloe, again, it is good to see you.”
Keith walked out of the trailer and left the two of us alone, still in shock that we were both working on the same movie. “Wow,” Hudson said, chuckling. “Here we are again. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to see you much, but now you’re working on the same set. Obviously, some mystical force wants to make sure we stay in touch.”
“Yeah. I saw your name on the call sheet, but assumed it had to be someone else… Pretty stupid when I think about it now.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I was just as surprised as you were.” He stepped closer to me. “But now we can see a lot more of each other.” He put his hand on the small of my back and kissed me gently, but I pushed him away.
“Hudson, are you crazy!? Not here! What if somebody came in and found us making out? I could lose my job.”
“Hey, hey, calm down, alright?” He walked to the door and shifted the latch to a locked position. “Nobody will know what is going on inside here unless I let them in. You have to remember…” He stepped closer to me until I could feel his breath on the edge of my nose. “…I am the star of this movie.” He kissed me softly. “…and I have a lot more pull than I would normally have.” His hand slid to my backside.
“Hudson, stop!” I said in a hushed voice, but he didn’t listen, and before long, I couldn’t resist him. I dropped the folder I was holding onto the ground and wrapped my arms around the back of his neck. “Five minutes at the most,” I said, staring directly into his eyes. “Five minutes, and that is it, otherwise I know Simon will come looking for me. He’s had me running around like a headless chicken since I’ve been here.”
“Five minutes?” He kissed me again. “I’ll make the most of it then.”
He grabbed me and pulled me closer to him and pressed his lips against mine. I melted in his arms, my mind dizzy with the insanity of what was transpiring between us. He backed me into the small wet bar against the wall, and the movement caused a few of the glasses to shift. My eyes widened as I reached for one of them to keep it from falling on the ground. I laughed. His lips moved to my neck as I settled the glass back onto the table.
“Five minutes,” I whispered, and he didn’t waste any time. He grabbed at my waist and started to unbutton my jeans with a look in his eyes as if he was going to devour me. But before anything else could happen, the phone in my pocket began to vibrate, and my eyes shot open.
“It’s Simon! Oh my God, I need to get out of here! He is probably looking for me! How much time has gone by!?”
“Not that long… Just a few…”
“Screw it! I need to go! I need to go, now!” I buttoned my pants back up and headed for the door, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “Hudson, I…”
He pushed his lips against mine again, and for that moment, every fear I had disappeared in an instant. After the kiss, he winked at me, then opened the door and peeked outside to see if there was anyone around. “Ok, now you can go. The coast is clear.”
I didn’t know how much I’d be able to get away with as long as Simon was always on my back, but the fact that Hudson was literally a stone’s throw away made things a little easier for me. I could only hope that we wouldn’t get in trouble for our relationship. The best thing, at least for now, was to keep it quiet.