Emil throws his shirt to the side and topples over on some seriously zany sheets. He’s the sunny, nutty guy in the band, and our set girl has been creative; she’s definitely captured that in him.
He pops up on his elbows and looks around for Zoe, who’s slipping into something sexy. “Where’s my girl? I miss you!”
She giggles from behind the screen. “Be right there, Cookie. Get ready, because I’mma blow your mind.”
“Yes! Bo, you pussy. You gonna watch us or what?” he yells toward the door, where Bo escorts Nadia out.
Bo rolls his eyes. “No way. It was rough enough to overhear you guys when we shared an apartment. Jesus Christ you’re loud. And odd.”
“Seconding that,” Nadia says.
“Bah, it’s just you guys being wusses.” Emil swings to me, jutting his hips a little, getting comfy on the bed. “You can’t even hear them having sex. It’d be the most boring clip you’ve ever filmed if they actually went along with it.”
“Dork,” Zoe laughs, stepping out from behind her screen. “It’s true, though. They, like, say nothing.”
“Steel yourselves.” Bo sends a fleeting stare heavenward as he grabs the door handle. “The shit those two say to each other you’ve never heard before.”
“What, jealous much because we sexy-dirty-talk?” Zoe sticks her tongue out to Bo, and Nadia snorts, her serious expression breaking.
“Dirty, yes. Sexy? Not so much.”
And then we’re alone with the fireworks couple of the moment.
“Dayumm,” Emil says under his breath, eyes roving over his wife. The cameras are in position, but Gianni gets the gist right away. There will be no counting in, no positioning or staging with these two. He makes the sign he often does with Belen, for our most talented behind-the-camera staff to go handheld and get the impulsive shots as they happen.
Zoe’s wearing a little pink something with a fake fur bunny tail. On the way over to the bed, she sashays, wiggling her butt, eyes glittering with humor and seduction as she takes in her husband. Emil emits some sort of animal roar, biting the air as he does. It’s ridiculous. And hot—if you’re crazy. A lot of our viewers are. I’m excited to see what comes next, here.
Zoe saunters forward, almost buckling on her high heels once. Emil makes a move to get up and catch her, but then he laughs under his breath and sinks down again, lazily opening his fly.
“Want a little taste of your favorite bunny?” she purrs out.
Gianni gestures to the sound guy; we don’t need background music for these two, is my guess, and he’ll want to capture the back-and-forths. I could see him pop some of it in toward the late editing stages, like he does with moans sometimes.
Emil stands suddenly and shakes his jeans off his ass until it’s in a heap around his ankles. He grins widely, and Zoe’s smile broadens too. “I’mma bite your boxers off, Cookie, until it’s just your bobber and me.”
Your bobber?
I exchange a quick glance with the producer. He bites his lip, holding back laughter.
“You like my bobber, baby? C’mon, I’ll wrench it down your throat so fast.”
She’s there, sinking down to her knees, hands moving along his frame, pinching a nipple, tugging on his happy-trail. Ouch?
Emil groans, head falling back as if she’s already in his pants. He likes it? Well, good then. Now, her fingers claw their way inside the lining and pulls downward. “Not so hard,” he groans.
“I’m not doing it that hard—not as hard as you,” she hums, freeing him, and hey, he’s got game down there. He knows it too, because now I see what she means with “bobber.” He’s the lead singer, the front man who loves to show off. Which is exactly what he’s doing with his cock, waving it in front of her and singing “Deep in You,” in a low tone.
“I’ll be deep in you soon,” he murmurs before he inserts as much of his member into her mouth as he can. “Take out your boobs. I want to see them.”
“Like this?” I think that’s what she’s mumbling while tipping them over the fur-clad cups of her bra. Seriously, who chose this outfit?
My cell buzzes. Since I’m on throwaways, I can’t ignore it. The only people with this number, I need to hear from.
It’s Rocco. “Got a hold of Sebastian Nero. He’ll be waiting for her at the airport.”
“Get her back on the first plane. That’s the only plan.”
“Yes, he’s on it.”
I think of Gabriela’s original plan, which was a week with her boyfriend by Lake Como. Then do the rounds with family in Venice while sneaking in sightings of Ariadna for me.
Gabriela is smart. She knows I’m chasing her. Hell, the girl knows me better than I know myself, at times, so even though she was dying to show Lake Como to her boyfriend, she won’t be going now. Which reminds me…
I hang up and call Ma. “Hey, it’s me.” I stare out the window while Emil’s groans become more and more enthused under the cameras.
“Oh Cookie, you’re my favorite exhibitionist. Wiggle your bobber again.”
“Like this? You like it like this? Lift your butt in the air, baby. I’ll pop it right into your honeypot, so good. I’ll make you scream bloody murder for me.”
Jesus Christ. Do they ever stop talking? I let myself out on the balcony so I can hear my mother and not the extremely extroverted sex behind me. “Can you get me the name and contact info for Gabriela’s boyfriend?”
“Hi, Isa baby. Is something wrong?” Interesting how she asks what’s wrong while Dad’s ripping shit apart around him at the speed of light.
“Nothing out of the ordinary, except I’m planning to get Gabriela back before she’s kidnapped and fucking murdered in Italy.” I rub my face, regretting my outburst. My mother breathes quietly, adjusting to my mood.
“Don’t say such a terrible thing out loud. It’s bad luck. You know this.”
“Yes, yes. Do you have his contact info?”
“Of course, we do. I’ll send it to you. Don’t do anything foolish, all right?”
“Tell that to your husband,” I say and hang up before she can answer.
She texts me the info. I call him. His voicemail says straight out that he won’t be checking his phone until he’s back from Italy in two weeks. Because, see, he’s in Venice with his girlfriend Gabriela.
Wonderful. He’ll never be Nascimbeni material. If the Santa Colombini dug in far enough to reach his voicemail, the two of them would be snatched up so fast their heads would spin for days.
I call Sebastian Nero and leave him a detailed message. In short: get Gabriela on the next plane with one of his men escorting her so she can’t change her mind halfway home. I mention a plan B to him too; worst case, they’ll need to keep her locked up somewhere until I get there and can bring her home myself.
I don’t have time for plan B. Obviously, I’ll carry it out anyway. I roll my shoulders, hearing them crack. A quick glance through the window reveals full action beneath the cameras. Emil’s working his wife so fast they’re both trembling from the impact. Tatiana’s watching too. She’s covering her mouth, eyes wide in surprise. Turning her head, she meets my stare and drops her hand, to mouth, What the hell?
Talk about comedic relief on that bed. It’s nice to see people enjoying themselves.
Tatiana walks toward me, and I open the door for her. She lifts a hand to my cheek. I close my eyes turning into it, kissing the pillow below her fingers.
“You don’t look happy. Did you get bad news?”
I shake my head. “Just trying to figure out how to get Gabriela home.”
“Her trip is supposed to be short anyway, though, right?”
“Not short enough. There are reasons for her not to be safe in Venice.”
“The Santa Colombini.”
“Yes. We have family there. Enemies. And after everything that’s happened in California, they’ll be digging in from all angles to find our weak spots.” I follow the driveway with my eyes, to the bend until the road disappears behind the trees. “I’ve got weak spots in that city.”
“What do you mean?” Tatiana is rubbing my back in slow, soothing strokes. I miss it when it stops.
“I can’t now.”
She doesn’t disagree, but she’s not happy with my postponement. I can’t talk about her. Ariadna isn’t a sober, middle-of-the-day type of conversation. Then again, I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to talk about her. She’s mine only.
It’s after dark, and we’re going strong. On the first day of filming, Gianni’s impressed, muttering about fucking talents, passion, and what-the-hell. Emil and Zoe’s round was done in one take. That’s because they’re naturals, but also because my crew are total pros; the way Gianni read them at first sight, brightening all lights, hooking cameras off stands and letting his instincts play with the impulses of his subjects? His master’s in film and television isn’t what taught him to do that. In this business, it’s always about individuals, and they have to be captured differently.
Elias is on red sheets, giving it hard to a Somalian beauty as we speak. He doesn’t know her, but his style was so singular, there was no doubt in any of our minds when we selected her.
Gianni can transform bland to interesting in seconds. It’s not that Elias lacks passion. He just doesn’t show the crazy of our first couple, Emil and Zoe, or the secretive seduction Bo and Nadia robbed us of by walking off the set.
It’s midnight. There’s definite chemistry between Waris and Elias, but they’re not keeping my attention. Tatiana just returned from her self-appointed hostess duties upstairs. McRoy and Kimmy were supposed to be in charge of that side, but Kimmy’s better at typing up invoices.
I watch as Tatiana approaches. It’s odd when you’re not used to wanting someone in your life. A sweet-smelling, sweet-swelling woman from work used to be enough for me to relax after a long day, but since Tatiana appeared, shit’s been different; I’m glad she’s here with me.
There’s something about the way she walks. She’s changed clothes too, her waist doing its inward curve over a long, narrow skirt that accentuates her hips and ass. Does she know how she looks, with that slight cleavage protruding under fabric that’s so soft I could rip it apart with my teeth?
I narrow my eyes at her. In the background, Waris puffs out her own ecstasy at Elias’ ministrations. With Tatiana approaching, I bite my lip, stare rolling down slender arms, to dainty hands I’ve held and kissed and want to kiss more.
She folds them in front of her when she reaches me. Her move makes me shake my head slowly. “You’re a lot to take in, do you know?”
“Hmm,” she hums for me. “How are you, boss?”
“I’m okay. How about you?” I shoot my arm out and hook her in quickly. “Nothing disturbs my ice queen. People die around her, and she doesn’t react. The only thing that melts her ice is a little bit of love.”
Her amusement expels against my ear as she licks it playfully. “Is that what you call it, my king? ‘A little bit of love?’”
She kisses my temple and runs her lips down my throat, as Elias groans out his release through the cracked door. I shut my eyes, enjoying the sensation.
“Wrap!” Gianni calls out, and everyone claps. “Good job, guys. Very hot.”
“Damn,” Elias laughs, accepting a towel. “I’m a fucking porn star.” He rubs himself dry. Then he relieves the producer of Waris’ robe and wraps her in it. “You are too, babe.”
She smiles sweetly. “Thank you, rocker-boy. Great sex.”
“Yeah? Where’re you sleeping tonight?” he leans in, all seductive business. My ice queen turns to me, narrowing her eyes playfully.
I open my palms. “I don’t control these people.”
She snickers. “Are we done for the day?”
My stomach rumbles. I could’ve gone to the kitchen when food was served, but I was being pulled between Nascimbeni updates and filming. Tatiana hears me. I harden my abs and lift a somewhat innocent gaze to her.
“Come on. I’ll feed you. What do you want?”
I drag her close and bite into her lip. “Can I have a few eggs, over-easy, with some sort of bread?”
“White? Rye?”
“Whatever you think I should have. I’ve got a phone call to make, then I’ll be upstairs.”
She walks backward, one step at a time, her head angled adorably to the side. “Okay, handsome, but only because it’s you.”
“I’m not available right now, but leave a message after the beep and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Aishe, this is Isaias from Lucid Entertainment. You’ve probably decided not to partake in the music video, but since we haven’t talked since our meeting, I wanted to give you a courtesy call.
“We’re rounding up first day of filming, and it’s been a blast. Emil and Zoe are done. Elias’ round just wrapped. Interesting cats, both Emil and Elias, I must say. My director is very happy with the takes. Tomorrow, the rest of the gang is going in front of the camera: Bo and Nadia. Then Troy and whoever steps up.
“I’ve got my own girl here, who’s dying to sleep with a rock star on film and be the one to go viral with Troy. He seems fine with our choice—I believe she’s chatting him up as we speak—so he knows what he’s getting himself into with Belen.
“It’s just that I can already tell. They don’t have the chemistry of Bo and Nadia, or of Emil and Zoe. Elias rocked it with someone he just met, but I have a feeling that won’t happen with Troy.
“So long story short, before your beep cuts me off: it’d be fantastic if you came up here. Thanks, Aishe. Hope to see you.”