I am completely and utterly exhausted. I think my makeup artist hates me. I mean, I would hate me if I was her. I don’t think I got more than an hour of sleep before my trainer was ringing the doorbell. It felt like I collapsed in Gabe’s arms, blinked, and then had to drag my weary ass back out of bed.

I smile as I remember his hands on my body last night, looking out past the camera crew to where he’s seated on the sidelines of all the action. His blue eyes lock onto mine and I feel a full body tingle that shoots from my hair straight down to my pussy. I bite my lip and wish away the hours left on set until I have him back in my bed… naked.

Everyone is doing last second touch-ups for the next scene. My character is supposed to have agreed to allow Erik’s character to introduce her to spanking. He’s going to pretend to smack my bare ass with a paddle while I’m bent over a desk. The only way I can get through this convincingly is to put Gabe in his place. That’s what we do right? Pretend. Luckily, with him only a few feet away, it won’t be too difficult to picture him.

“Okay, Vanessa I need you to really grip the sides of the desk when you’re bent over. Got it? I want white knuckles and then when Erik lines the paddle up on your ass, we’re gonna do a close-up on your face, so I need you to sell pain that becomes unexpected pleasure, got it?” Bobby barks his orders at me and I nod.

“No problem,” I answer.

As he gives Erik his notes for the scene, I set my gaze on Gabe. Just picture him. Imagine his strong, sexy hands smacking my ass as I’m laying across his lap. I might just need to rehearse some lines with him later, you know, for good measure, in case we need to reshoot this scene in the future.

Bobby settles in behind the director’s screen and calls out the countdown as my assistant takes my robe and I lie over the edge of the hard, oak desk, gripping the sides for dear life.

Erik is just behind me, but in my mind, it’s Gabe. It helps that I don’t have to actually look at Erik’s smug face.

“You’ve had your fun toying with me, and now you’re going to be punished, do you understand?” he says his line.

“Yes, Sir,” I answer breathily.

Erik raps my ass with more force than I expect and I breathe in sharply as stinging pain swells up inside me. I refuse to let my surprise show on my face, keeping my cool for the cameras. He snaps the paddle against my ass hard and this time I yelp. His hand swoops down and he hits me with his full force again and I stand up and jump out of the way before he has a chance to hit me again.

“What the fuck?” I cover my ass with both hands and move away from him, I’m a little afraid he’s lost his mind. I don’t know what he’s going to do.

“What?” He doesn’t look the least bit fazed by my outcry. “I’m trying to keep the scene real,” he answers breezily.

“Get the fuck away from her, creep!” Gabe lunges up onto the set and shoves Erik hard, knocking him over onto his ass. He grabs the paddle out of his hand and holds it above his head like he’s going to beat him with it as Erik holds up his hands cowering.

“No, don’t! Not my face!” he shrieks.

“Gabe, no! Don’t,” I scream and he looks over at me and, to my surprise, drops what was supposed to be a prop, to the floor.

“Fucker,” Gabe snarls.

“Okay, that’s it, buddy you’re fucking out of here,” Bobby starts yelling at Gabe and I jump in.

“Look at what Erik did? Are you saying this is okay?” I turn around and don’t even care that I’m flashing my bare ass at the entire crew. I can feel the red welts forming on my ass.

“I’m saying that this guy,” Bobby points at Gabe’s chest and looks up at him. Since he’s only around five feet tall it looks a lot like a chihuahua taking on a rottweiler, “is fired. That’s what I’m saying.”

“You know what? I’m done,” I hold up my hands, “you don’t have to fire him because I quit. Find some other actress to put up with this shit, I’m fucking done.” I grab Gabe’s hand and march across the set, yanking my robe from my chair and putting it on.

“If you quit you’re in breach of contract and you better bet I’ll be coming after you,” Bobby calls after me.

“Good, we’ll see which case goes to court first yours or mine,” I yell back.

“What are you gonna sue me for?” Bobby’s face is purple again as he practically foams at the mouth.

“Oh, I don’t know how about allowing and even encouraging my co-worker to sexually harass me and physically assault me? Just for starters. I’m sure my lawyer will have a full list for you soon.” I tie my robe around my waist tightly and stroll off to my trailer with Gabe’s arm around me tight.

As we leave the studio, he pulls me close, “Are you alright?”

“I am now,” I nuzzle into him.

I step inside my trailer and take less than two minutes to slip into some clothes, “You ready to get out of here?” I look over at him.

“I’ve been ready since the first day I came here,” he pulls me in tight. “Hey, I’m proud of you,” he brushes my hair from across my forehead and circles his arm around my waist. His lips are tender and sweet against mine. His kiss is soft and sensual. “Let’s go,” he pulls back and tugs my fingertips, leading me out of the trailer and across the studio lot past the drivers hired by the Hollywood bigwigs and over to the cabs waiting by the gates.

As we pass through the gates, paparazzi who just wait outside the fence all day hoping to pick up a soundbite or two, swarm us like flies.

“Vanessa! Where are you going?”

“Vanessa, who is your friend?”

They all talk over top of each other and all of them are recording everything. I stop in my tracks and look into the unblinking eyes of their cameras and then up at Gabe, smiling. “This is my Gabe, the man I love,” I step into him and he pulls me so close I can barely breathe. His lips hover over mine for a second before covering them in another sultry kiss. This one leaves me gasping and desperate to find a taxi so we can get home and do this again … naked.

Gabe leads me past the cackling crew of rag reporters and opens a cab door for me, letting me slide in before he joins me inside.

My soul feels lighter and I can’t wipe the stupid smile off my face. In this moment, everything feels like the Hollywood ending. If this were a movie, it would be time for the credits to roll.