I SMILE AS I LEAN against the wall, knowing I’m the cause of his distraction. He can’t stop looking at me, and I can’t stop looking at him. I don’t remember the last time my body felt like this. Like electricity is coursing through me. That kiss awakened my desire. An emotion I haven’t felt in a long time.
Since Antonio is outside, I walk to the front to check things out. Yasmin doesn’t look anything like a bookstore clerk in a small town. She’s too glamorous. Too, I don’t know, diva.
I stand next to Melissa. “Do you know what this movie is about?” I ask.
“Yeah. He’s an actor that comes to town to visit his sister. Yasmin is a clerk that is widowed. They fall in love yada yada. It’s supposed to be a second chance, love at first sight kind of thing. Apparently, it’s supposed to be a deeper role than he usually plays.”
“Deeper how?”
“More emotional. His stuff is usually light, chick flick stuff. This one is supposed to show more sensitivity.”
“I see. So that girl is supposed to be a down to earth store clerk?”
Melissa laughs. “Not exactly nailing it¸ is she?”
“No. And what’s up with him? He can’t get his lines right.”
“Right? He seems distracted by something.”
“Well, hopefully he gets it under control, whatever it is.” Melissa smiles at me like she knows something, so I just change the subject. “Are you gonna be an extra?” I ask.
“Of course! You?”
“No. I prefer the sidelines.”
She wraps her arm around my shoulder. “I know you do, but just once, you should step into the spotlight and see how it feels.”
“No thank you.” I’m painfully aware of how it feels. We look up as Antonio walks back inside. He nods at me before speaking with Dan. We move to the side to get out of the way.
“Ready,” he says.
“Action!” Dan yells.
I watch the scene between him and Yasmin, this time going much more smoothly. He is charming, handsome, and smoldering with sex appeal. To her credit, Yasmin comes across as sweet and beguiling. It’s a good scene.
“Cut!”
Antonio walks to the snack table and picks up a doughnut. I try to head to the back again, but he calls out my name.
“Yes?” I turn back.
“What did you think?”
“I think it went well. Better than the first time.”
“It’s your fault,” he whispers.
“Mine?”
“Yep. If only you knew what you were doing to me.”
I look up into his eyes, sensing his sincerity. “I don’t want to be in your way.”
“You’re not. You’re making me feel alive.”
I glance at my feet, not sure how to respond. “I should go.”
“Don’t run away, Giovanna.”
My eyes tear up, but I quickly blink them back. He has no idea how far I’ve run.
“You should just leave me alone,” I say, softly. I exhale slowly, reminding myself why he’s bad for me. “I’m more trouble than I’m worth.”
“I don’t see how that could be possible.”
“I’ll see you around,” I mutter and walk away. I need distance between us. I couldn’t even come up with a sarcastic response. When I look up, Yasmin is watching me. She doesn’t look happy, and I think I would be wise to avoid her. The best place for me right now is my office.
HOURS GO BY as the filming continues up front. I’ve managed to organize and sort my entire office, stopping only for brief glimpses of the action in my store. Antonio is on fire now, nailing each scene. He really is a good actor.
Melissa and Sammy appear in my doorway, and I look up.
“Hey,” Sammy says. “We’re all heading over to The Pub. They’re shooting a scene, and then they offered lunch to everyone.”
“Enjoy,” I reply turning back to my desk.
“Come with us,” Melissa says.
“I’m good.”
“Oh, come on,” she pleads.
“Who’s going to watch the store?”
“No one is coming in here. We’ll all be at The Pub.”
I sigh. “Fine. I’ll come.” I don’t want to admit, even to myself, that I want to see Antonio again.
“Yay!”
I grab my coat and follow my employees.
“Did you get a look at his buns?” Sammy asks. “He’s amazing.”
“All of him is amazing,” Melissa agrees. “What do you think, Gio?”
“I think he’s attractive and seems to be a good actor.”
“Attractive?” Sam repeats. “He’s way more than that. He’s delicious.”
I laugh. “Okay, he’s delicious,” I admit.
“That’s better!” He laughs. “Yasmin ain’t so bad either. If I were a straight man…”
“If you were a straight man,” Melissa says, nudging his arm, “You wouldn’t stand a chance with her.”
Sammy frowns. “True that, girlfriend.”
I roll my eyes as we walk. These two crack me up. They would die if they knew Antonio had his hands on me. I smile at my secret. He really is delicious.
Sammy opens the door to the bar, and we file in. Antonio and Yasmin are already there, setting up a date scene. This is not where I would take a girl on a first date. Not in this town. Oh well, not my movie.
We sit quietly and watch the scene unfold. It’s their first kiss, and Yasmin plays it well. Her character’s recently widowed and still scarred from her husband’s sudden death. Antonio is gentle with her, kissing her softly. She smiles and looks at him with big, blue eyes.
“Cut!”
Antonio immediately stands and stretches, dropping out of character. Watching him kiss her, fills me with incredible envy, even though I know it’s part of his job. I think it would be hard to be in a relationship with someone who has love scenes with other women on a regular basis. I remind myself, that a relationship isn’t what he’s looking for. He’s been very clear that the only thing he wants from me is sex. No matter how beautiful, charming, and demanding he is, it’s not going to happen. He would just move on to the next pretty girl, and I would be left with nothing but a memory.
We order some sodas as Mayor Jonas walks in and chats with the director. The actors and crew get their lunches.
“I’ll get us some food,” Melissa says, motioning to the buffet table. “What do you want, Gio?”
“I don’t care. Just bring me a little something. I’m not that hungry.”
“Got it.”
Sammy and Melissa stand up, and I sit and look around. It’s interesting to see how this movie has shaken up our quiet little town. It’s buzzing with activity. On any given day, you can walk in here and find one, maybe two, other people, but today, it’s packed.
“Mind if I sit with you?”
I look up to see Antonio holding his lunch plate. “Melissa and Sammy are sitting here.”
“I know. I’ll be good.”
“Are you even capable of being good?”
“For you, I am.”
“Okay then. Is your girlfriend joining us?”
“If you’re referring to Yasmin, no she’s not, and she’s not my girlfriend.”
“Bet she wants to be.”
“A lot of women do.”
“Yep. You can have your pick.”
“I pick you.”
“Except me.” A smirk spreads across my face. “Besides, I don’t think your plans for me include girlfriend status.”
“You never know.”
“Yeah, I do.”
He opens his mouth to speak when Sammy walks up.
“Hello,” Sammy says as he approaches the table.
Antonio looks up and smiles. “Hope you don’t mind if I crash your table.”
“Not at all,” Sammy replies, glancing at me. I just shrug. Melissa sets a plate in front of me and sits down.
“I thought I would sit with some locals, you know, get a vibe on what life is really like here.”
“Shouldn’t Yasmin be the one doing that?” I ask. “Her character’s from here. Yours isn’t.”
“Yasmin can do whatever she wants. This is what I want to do.”
“Fair enough.” I pick at my mac and cheese. I’m not hungry at all with him sitting so close to me.
“So, Antonio,” Melissa starts. “Tell us about yourself.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Anything. What do you like to do when you have free time?”
“Sleep, since I don’t get much of that.”
“That makes sense. Do you travel a lot?”
“To say the least. I’m overextended at the moment, but one thing about Hollywood, when you’re hot, you better ride the wave. The next day someone else could come and take your place.”
“Wise words,” I reply.
“I hope to have a long career,” he continues. “This movie is part of that. I’m showing more of a dramatic side. I hope it will open up more role options in the future. If I nail it.”
“So far, so good,” Sammy says.
“Thanks, man.” Antonio takes a bite of his sandwich. “What do people do for fun in this town?”
“We have a country bar where a lot of us go dancing on Saturday nights,” Melissa offers. “We also have a bingo club.”
“Sounds fun.”
“We’re simple people here,” I say. “No fancy nightclubs or restaurants, but that’s how we like it. We’re a short drive to those things if we want it.”
“Nothing wrong with being simple.”
“How would you know?” I retort. Everyone stops eating and looks at me like I grew five heads. “I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just that, I’m sure our life is nothing like yours.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t covet what you have, Giovanna,” he says, softly. “I think it could be nice to slow down sometimes.”
I offer a slight smile and take a sip of soda. “Anyway, I wouldn’t take a girl here for a date.”
“No? Where would you go?”
“Mamma Rosa’s,” Melissa says.
“Or Flaxley’s Steakhouse,” Sammy offers.
“Or a picnic at Lookout Point when the weather is warmer,” I add.
“So none of you would come here?”
“No,” I reply while Melissa and Sammy shake their heads. “This is a hangout. You come here after you’re already an item and just want a beer and hot wings.”
“I see.” Antonio takes a swig of beer. “I’ll tell Dan. Maybe we can make some adjustments.”
“You don’t have to,” I say. “People seeing the movie won’t know.”
“You’ll know and that matters. Excuse me.” He stands and walks to the table where Dan, Yasmin, and several other people are sitting. As he speaks, he points to our table and Yasmin shoots a death glare in my direction. Nice.
“It’s cool of him to listen to our suggestions,” Melissa says. “He seems to really care about our town.”
“It’s possible,” I say. “Or he cares about his movie.”
“Either way, it’s nice.”
“Yeah.”
“He’s so gorgeous close up,” Sammy whispers. “Seriously how do women see him and not rip their clothes off? I’m about to and pray it works.”
I just laugh and shake my head.
“Did I miss a good joke?” Antonio asks from behind Sammy. My employee’s face turns ten shades of red, which only makes me and Melissa laugh even more.
“Don’t you dare,” Sammy hisses.
“Nothing,” I say, still laughing. “Just an inside joke.”
“Ah, wish I was on the inside.” He shoots me the most seductive look imaginable, and I nearly fall out of my chair. “We’re going to move locations for this scene to Mamma Rosa’s. Thanks again for the suggestion.”
“Great,” I say. “Glad it worked out.”
“Yeah, well thanks again for letting me sit with you. I gotta change clothes and get back to the set soon.”
“Bye,” I say as the others also wave goodbye.
Antonio holds my gaze as he departs the restaurant. Dan and Yasmin leave shortly after.
“Gio, I think he’s totally into you,” Melissa says. “He can’t stop looking at you.”
“You’re imagining things.”
“No, I’m not. I noticed all morning. He’s got the hots for you.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Feeling warm all of a sudden, I move my hair off my back and drape it over my shoulder. “He’s just being nice. It’s my store, and he’s being polite and keeping me informed.”
“Um, okay.”
“I noticed too,” Sammy adds.
“There’s nothing to notice. He talked to you this morning too, Melissa.”
“About you.”
“What?”
Melissa covers her mouth. “Shit.”
I cross my arms. “Spill it, Mel.”
“He just asked me what I knew about you. If you were nice, what you do for fun. I didn’t answer him. I told him you were nice but private and kept to yourself. That’s all I said.”
I sigh. I knew he would do that if he had an opportunity and Melissa would get excited and spill. Good thing she doesn’t know much about me anyway.
“Are you mad?”
“No, I’m not. I just don’t like prying.”
“I know. I was careful.”
“Okay.” I stand and put my coat on. “I’m going back to the store. You guys can hang out for awhile if you want.”
“Thanks,” Melissa says.
“Bye,” Sammy adds.
I walk outside to see a barrage of media in front of Antonio and Yasmin’s trailers. They both stand together, arms around each other’s waists, answering press questions. That’s just fucking great. I hate the paparazzi to the depths of my soul. I quickly duck inside my store. This situation just keeps getting better and better.