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“Oh yeah,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair as the calming waves of the sea make this sun-scorched walk all worth it. The palm trees are doing us a favor by providing shade, and that’s a godsend since I don’t really want to go back to a hotel room when there’s so much beauty around me. I clear my throat.
“Well, this is the entire history of me — at least of all my career. Are you ready for it?”
Isa giggles. “Well, someone’s a bit of a showman.”
“Yeah, ‘cause that’s kind of how it started,” I tell her, laughing at my younger self as memories of my antics come flooding in. “Growing up, I was always around the film studio with my father running it, and I always thought the flashiest role was that of the actor.”
“So, you wanted to be an actor initially?”
“You catch on quickly. Yes, that was the first dream,” I confirm, smiling at her as she brushes off the invisible dust on her shoulder for piecing my story together in a heartbeat. “But as I paid more attention, and I grew into my teenage years, I realized that the actor always goes on-set last. And that’s because there’s so much preparation to be made before the cameras even start rolling.”
Isa hums. “The staging, the set design, the lights, the cameras, the props, the makeup, the wardrobe, the sound…” she lists on and on, probably remembering how it’s her job to coordinate the paperwork for each of those sections every time a movie starts production.
“You know about that all too well,” I point out, and she can only nod in agreement. “But beyond that, there’s always one person who’s the center of everything. All of those aspects are driven by that one force — and it’s the director, and you know that too,” I say, memories of my sixteen-year-old self admiring the director on-set back in the day. “And that’s when I learned that putting on a show, or in this case a movie, is all under the leadership of a director, and it’s always so fascinating seeing the end-result. All that creative vision culminates in a two-hour media that people come and enjoy in the cinemas. It’s just…” Suddenly, I’m at a loss for words as I feel my heart swell for a passion that guided my life decisions. It’s not often I get to reminisce about these times, after all.
“You make it sound so beautiful, the job that we do,” Isa comments, kind of daydreaming about it as well. “Because you’re right. It’s… It leaves me speechless every time I see a movie from the film studio playing in the theater.”
“Right?” I affirm, kind of getting hyped by it as if I was sixteen again. “And that’s why I went to film school. I wanted to become a director myself. That’s also where I met Jordan, and we both know he’s one of our best directors right now. I’ve learned how to execute my vision, what certain shots mean, what a director should be doing on the set. I’ve learned how to respect other departments for what they do because every single person on a set is integral. A director may be seen as a leader, but a movie is an entire ship that will sink if only one person is manning it.” This impassioned speech flows out of me before I can even think about it. It’s like my train of thought is just pouring out as we continue walking down the sandy path.
It’s silent between us for a minute, and that’s when I realize that this whole situation — being here with Isa — is so surreal. If someone asked me two weeks ago if I was gonna be in Boracay Island in the Philippines, engaged to my assistant and telling her how I discovered my dreams in life, then I’d probably tell them that they’re crazy. But now, here I am and I’m really thankful for the experience.
“So, then, why didn’t you direct your own film?” Isa asks, and I know it’s a question that’s about to come my way even before I started to tell my story.
“Oh, well, it’s simple. A little tragic, but simple, and I think you know what it is already,” I answer, admittedly vaguely, but the look on Isa’s face says it all.
“Your father,” she says, and I nod in confirmation.
I let out a deep sigh as memories of my father flash in my head. “He was my hero. And when he died, I knew I couldn’t let his legacy fall into someone else’s hands. I had to step in and be CEO, and I didn’t have enough time to be a director anymore.” I feel the frown starting to creep on my face, but I shake it off. No way I’m allowing myself to be sad on a beautiful day like this. “And besides, I have no regrets about it. I did the things I wanted to do, just not all of them. Some people don’t even get to have that.”
Isa hums again, and I’m sincerely hoping that my last sentence didn’t hit a wrong note with her. Thankfully, she smiles at me genuinely, and I feel relief washing over me. It doesn’t last very long, as I notice that she has that same coy look on her face before she tried to make me eat a chick.
“You act like you can’t direct a movie ever again. There’s still a lot of time for you to do it, you know?” I can’t help but let out an amused scoff.
“Yeah, well, that’s only if I get to keep the film studio, remember?” I remind her as we stop walking. My peripheral vision spots a nice spot to swim as the sun starts dips behind some clouds, cooling the air off a very tiny amount.
Isa chuckles, noticing my line of sight and slowly starting to walk toward the water.
“Don’t forget why I agreed to marry you,Mr. Camden.”She says those words in a way that lights a fire inside me, and it doesn’t help how she’s smirking as she’s taking off pieces of her clothing, revealing her smoking hot body only covered up with a sexy but classic black bikini. The color sets off the glow of her skin.
“Aren’t you going to join me for a swim?” Isa asks, voice teasing and amused. She then turns around and dips her toes in the water, and I’m just going to say that I’m completely a goner by now. It’s the most surprising realization, but also feels so right as the thought settles in my bones.
“I thought you’d never ask.” I walk toward the water as well, slowly unbuttoning my shirt. I can see Isa’s greedy eyes skim over my body. “It’s hot today,” I say, letting out a coy smirk.
“It sure is,” Isa replies as I enter the water and move toward her. As we’re next to each other, her finger runs a hand down my chest to my abdomen and she gazes deep into my eyes.
Chapter 19
Isa
Idon’tknowifit’s the scorching sun, the smell of salt in the air, or how Leo just bared his entire self to me when he talked about his dreams, but I just can’t help but feel so…turned on. The way he got so comfortable telling me all about his childhood, how his dreams formed and how it drove his life to get to where he is now. While I appreciate his good looks and his unworldly body, I’m still just a simple girl at heart. I am drawn to being welcomed into his safe space. It makes my heart tingle, and it’s making all of my senses buzz in a haze. In the back of my head, Ishouldbe aware of what this means for me: that I’m actually catching feelings for my boss. Not to mention, this would also complicate things, since we’re already engaged for different reasons. What will this mean? I don’t know, but I feel like it’s for future Isa to figure out.
Right now, I’m absolutely thirsting over a man drenched in the cool sea. He pops above the surface of the water for air, hair soaking wet from the ocean as it drips down his defined chest. A little lower, the water cascades down his rock-hard abs, and droplets form on the hem of his board shorts. I’m not even trying to cover up that I’m staring at Leo in all his glory, and he knows that. His perfect white teeth show as he grins at my hypnotized state. The most annoying thing is he knows what he’s doing, and he’s going to keep doing it until someone becomes selfish and gives in.
“The water feels good,” Leo says to me in the huskiest tone I’ve ever heard from him. At this point, I think we’ve both thrown away our inhibitions. There’s only one thing stuck in our heads, and I can see it on his face. He scoops up a bit more water to splash on his face, and the way his lips get drenched makes it even more alluring. I can already imagine the taste of saltwater against his mouth, and suddenly, mine’s feeling bone dry.
I’m currently half-submerged in the water, kind of frozen in one spot, as I can’t keep my attention off of this absolute sex god of a boss I have right in front of me. The waves are soft and gentle against us, and the afternoon sun is slowly but surely moving down on the horizon, changing the bright yellow tint of its rays into orange and pink. The darker and subtler shades accentuate Leo's sculpted body even more, with his starting-to-tan skin glistening against the setting sunlight.
There are tingles all over my body as he starts to walk toward me. I feel like I could burst at any second, overheating from everything. My body’s already heated from the blazing sun, but Leo approaching me with his seductive green eyes and to-die-for body is sending me over the edge. I’m positive that once our skin touches, I’m completely letting go.
