He was Brad Pitt in Fight Club, Denzel in Training Day. He was bordering on crazy, definitely lethal, and hotter than he’d ever been. A dangerous man ready to protect the woman he loved.
“I literally can’t look away from you,” I whispered.
He held my gaze for a moment, looked down at my mouth, and then stepped back to wipe a hand over his face. He relaxed after a few breaths, and then a real smile flew onto his face. “You think I got that line?”
I could see that line going down in history; I felt it in my bones, and goosebumps spread over my skin just thinking about it. “You crushed it. Oh my God!” I shivered. “It’s going to be so good. You have to make sure they film it from the woman’s point of view, camera angled up at you.”
“You can be on set and tell them yourself.” Jay waved me off like it wasn’t a big deal.
I slumped onto the bed and stretched my arm out, shaking the script a little for him to take. “You know it doesn’t work that way. I’m your PA.”
“You’re more than that. You need to step in at some point. This is the best opportunity. The director will be there. He wants this movie to be the greatest.”
I shrugged, suddenly feeling like Jay was peeling back my skin to see the blood that gave me life. He was seeing my vulnerability. “PA’s don’t offer advice. But you need him to portray your anger and sexuality from her point of view. And when she takes control when you have sex that night, it needs to be from your point of view, the camera angled so that she’s the one finally dominating. It will be an amazing display of her controlling him, him submitting to her, but also him masterminding everyone else. So, in the end, she’s the one who controls through him.”
Jay stopped writing. “Our director is going to love you. I’m not writing that down. You can tell him.”
“Jay.” I rolled my eyes and got up. “I love you for trying.”
“I don’t just try,” he growled.
“Fine.” It wasn’t worth arguing with him. “I’m going to bed.”
“Don’t want to go to Ray’s?”
“Do you?” I asked because I would go with him if he wanted to. It wasn’t so that I could watch him either, I admitted to myself. My intentions had turned selfish.
“Mikka, you don’t have to come with me every time.”
“I know,” I rushed to say. Then I took a breath. “I know. You just went out the other night and I… I wondered where you were. It’s easier for me, not you, if I go when you go.”
“I didn’t go to Ray’s that night. You know that now.”
I nodded, starting to back away from the conversation and retreat to my bedroom. I didn’t want to hear that he went to dinner with Sandy. My words came out more accusatory than I intended. “Right, you went to see Sandy.”
“You jealous, little one?” He sat down on the bed and leaned back on his hands, his arms straight to hold up his muscular chest.
“Of course not. In the past couple years, I’ve seen you in just about every position and cleaned up plenty of your one night stands.”
“Doesn’t mean you enjoyed it. Did you wish you were one of them?”
“I never wanted to be a one night stand of yours, Jay.” I meant those words too. His friendship was so much more important, and every one of his conquests of the night ended up never talking to him again.
“I never wanted you to be one either,” he shot back. “Sandy would only ever have been a one night stand if I’d done anything with her. You’re a million times more important than that.”
I didn’t know if he meant that I was his friend and that’s why I was important or if I could potentially be something more. I shouldn’t even have been thinking about it.
“Good. Friends should be more important than the women you leave behind.”
He laughed but it was hollow. Something else was on his mind as his eyes tracked up and down my body. “Yes. I wonder if friends should be as jealous as I was of Brady tonight.”
“Jay,” I whispered to stop him but he didn’t let me.
“He better not be more than just a one night stand, Meek. That idea alone makes me want to shut that door behind you and lock you in here with me until the fest is over. Does Dougie know you’re going out with him?”
“I’m going to the fest with all of you, not just Brady.” I was skirting around answering his question. I’d already told him I was breaking up with Dougie, but I didn’t want to admit the failure again. I was free but I wasn’t sure about anything anymore. Being free meant floundering around for what I really wanted. It meant I wasn’t on a set plan ahead.
Jay was the last person I wanted to admit that to. He saw me as someone who overcame every battle and I told him I would overcome this one too. “Same difference, Meek. We both know what Brady wants. Mostly to irritate me, I’m sure.”