Page 26 of Between Takes
Chapter Nine
It was a bizarrely quiet day on set. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I hadn’t really understood what a closed set meant until my entrance had been accompanied by the clanging of metal: sex scenes were rolling, and that meant cast, crew, and access were limited. I’m not sure if they really locked the door, but a runner had been stationed at the soundstage entrance to vet every single person who tried to open it. He looked like he was enjoying himself.
“Mona, do you have a minute?” Alys, the production coordinator, asked, her voice hushed, pulling my gaze from the steely-faced runner mimicking a bouncer.
She stood a little away from my flight case, rocking slightly on her feet as she studied me with an expectant expression. Her kind blue eyes begged me to say yes to anything she asked. The stress lining her face spoke louder as she chewed her lip.
My eyes jumped to the intimate scene unfolding behind a screen on the soundstage. There were maybe five members of crew, plus me, in the entire building. My remit of work had drastically decreased today, and I’d already cleared Shaun’s inbox.
I nodded. “They’re going to be at that for a while.”
She didn’t so much as glance in the direction I indicated. Honestly, a couple of hours ago, it had been hard to ignore what intimate meant. The thought of watching Shaun pretend to fuck someone was not on my to-do list for the day. I still squirmed at the jealousy I felt tugging at me.
How real were these scenes? Were they actually naked? I’d seen the wardrobe mistress go in with robes, so it was likely.
Now and then a moan would rent the air and my entire body would freeze, straining to figure out if it was real or fake.
Why the hell did I care? He was my boss. This wasn’t a porno, so it was definitely faked, and again, he was my boss. Feelings of jealousy towards him were not welcome here. Neither were the other ones that made me squirm in my seat. So we’d shared a bit of a moment in the bay? It was just one-sided and I needed to smother it or get laid. One of those options would work.
A groan came again. My entire face flamed and my body tensed.
I need a distraction badly.
Before me, Alys relaxed. “Our production secretary quit yesterday and we haven’t had time to find someone else. I need help. Badly.” Her gaze flicked to the screen. “Do you think Shaun would mind if you gave us a hand this afternoon? If you want to, that is?”
There was a glint of hope in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. How could I say no to that?
“Sure, I’ve got nothing else to do but twiddle my thumbs at this point.” I jumped down from my case, landing on my toes to stop the wedged heel of my boots making any noise and earning me the ire of Gary, the director.
For the first time since she’d approached, Alys smiled. “You’re a lifesaver. You have no idea.”
I shrugged. Truth was, she was doing me a massive favour. If I stayed here, there was no telling what I’d do when I saw Shaun step out in a robe and not much else.
I eyed the radio as Alys walked away. She needed me now, but I should really tell Shaun where I was going. I reached for it and stopped. The radios would be silent in there.
Closing my eyes, I braced myself for what I was going to have to do. Forget maybe running into Shaun in a robe. I was going to have to go in there. My stomach flipped at the thought.
On reluctant feet, I walked towards the break in the screens blocking the set. My heart hammered in my mouth.
What if I go in and they are in the middle of a scene? Maybe I can just leave a note.
I paused outside the screen, arguing with myself, daring myself to stop being a chicken and get it over with. It was his job. My job.
Before I could make a decision, a hand latched onto my wrist and pulled me through the gap. Shaun stood before me in a white robe, looking totally at ease in the thin material. My eyes skimmed over his body before I could get them under control. They stopped at his knees, and the material gapped slightly across his chest, giving me tantalising glimpses of the mouth-watering, ripped muscle I’d seen at the boxing ring.
His smirk taunted me when I focused on his face.
“Why are you lingering outside the screens?” His voice sounded crystal clear and not the least bit hoarse like I knew mine would be. “If you wanted to watch, you just had to ask,” he whispered, a teasing glint in his eyes.
My face flushed, and that was enough to knock some sense into me. His being almost naked in front of me made me nervous. So what? Shove it in a box and move on.
I straightened my spine and narrowed my eyes at him. “I was coming to tell you to call me on the radio if you need anything. Production need help, and seeing as you don’t need me…”
I glimpsed an unmade bed in the corner of the room and my thoughts stalled. An art department assistant was remaking it while the skeleton crew reset for another shot.
Were they going to do it again? Oh god, I couldn’t take listening to anymore of those sounds.
My eyes latched onto his. “I’ll be in the production office for the afternoon. Call if you need me.” Information given, I rushed out, backing out of the space.
