“What are your hard limits?” Kate asked.
“I’m down for anything.” Skye winked. She was entirely too chipper for this. “Sex sells. So, let’s sell this baby.”
“And you?” Kate asked.
I shook my head. “I’m not sure. I guess we’ll see as we go?”
“We can do that. If we do something that makes you uncomfortable, say stop. We’ll adjust. That goes for both of you,” Kate said.
I knew this, as I’d worked with an intimacy coordinator before.
“Let’s start with some kissing,” Dante said.
I turned to Skye. Her eyes were hungry as they raked over me. Her fingers curled as she prepared to pounce. I shoved the pit in my stomach even further down and forced myself into professional mode. I’d kissed plenty of women on screen. Shooting this was nothing new.
Ruining the take was though.
Even though none of what we filmed today would see the light of day, I needed to make sure Skye and I had zero chemistry.
I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to Skye’s. She tried to encourage me by putting her hands on my chest and moving closer, but I gave her nothing. There was nothing to give. My lips moved, my hands ran along her thighs and up her body, but it all felt wrong. Evie was at the forefront of my thoughts.
It was almost painful, knowing that I wasn’t trying to be bad at kissing Skye. I just was.
“Okay...” Dante sounded confused, but after a few minutes of being stiff and cold, he moved us deeper into the room, leading us to the bed.
“Let’s remove the robes.”
We spent the whole day going through every movement, every touch, and every line. I gave them nothing. I couldn’t with Evie on my brain! I was fumbling. Dante had to keep saying stop and readjusting us. We were only doing things when directed, and none of it felt natural. My dick didn’t get hard once, which Skye took offense to. According to an assistant, she’d gone to her trailer and cried. Guilt riddled my stomach. This wasn’t just my career I was affecting. This could be a big break for her. But I wasn’t going to allow her to get it. It was a selfish move, but I couldn’t risk Evie getting away again. Her getting this part gave us more time together, and every moment I had was another chance at convincing her to stay here… with me.
I tried to do better that afternoon. Give Skye a little more to work with, but it was still lame. I knew I could do better, and yet, I just—didn’t. By the time Dante called it, everyone looked pretty defeated.
“Where is the guy fromStep-Devil?” he asked me after I’d gotten back into my regular clothes. “You know how many times you said stop? Or claimed something was a hard limit? If this were real, you’d be a monk.”
“Sorry. I just struggled to get into the scene,” I muttered then fled the lot before I could be questioned.
The next day, I arrived first again, the excitement over what I knew was coming too much to contain. I’d slammed a blue Red Bull on the way in and was bouncing on my feet as I waited. Slowly, everyone rolled in, dragging in their moods from the day before. I could see it in the way they gave me tight, exhausted smiles that they expected a repeat of yesterday. I ignored them, keeping eyes locked on the door as I waited for my Final Girl. I went to change, and when I returned, Evie had arrived. She was talking with Kate.
Seeing Evie in just a robe, this one white, knowing she was bare underneath and what we’d be doing all day, my cock sprang to life.
“There we go!” Dante cheered.
I turned, my attention pulled from Evie. Dante was grinning ear to ear. He gave me a thumbs-up, and I realized you could see my erection through the robe. Everyone on the closed set zeroed in on me, and I quickly covered myself with my hands, embarrassed at the sudden attention. My face flushed with heat, and I forced myself not to glance in Evie’s direction.
“If that’s any indication of how today’s going to go, it’s gonna be good.” His mood from before shifted to one of excitement. “Thank fuck. Let’s roll.”
Chapter 9
Evie
The Method Act
“How are you feeling, Evie?” Dante crossed the closed set.
My stomach was tight with nerves. I pushed them down.
Keep playing along.
“I’m ready.”
