The sky is still turning from orange to blue as the morning sun rises, and I drive onto the studio lot. I give a quick wave to the security team as I drive underneath the famed Starlight Studios gate. I’ve passed underneath the arch more times than I can count, but there’s something about it that still feels magical all these years later. It’s like a portal into the world of movie-making, where anything is possible and the opportunities are limitless.
A few minutes later, I’m parked, and ready to start our day. Stepping out of my Porsche Panamera, I head toward Warehouse B, where our stunt practice is set up for today. We’ll be running through one of the first stunts we’re shooting for the film, where our characters sprint alongside one another and break through a window to dodge an explosion.
Since we’re doing the stunts on our own, it’s important that we rehearse these and make sure we’re more than capable of doing them by the time cameras are rolling and we’re in costume. Practice is a critical part of any film production requiring stunts. It’s just that typically stunt doubles are the ones doing the work as opposed to the leading stars.
I know I’m ready for today. I’ve been training for the past few months and have been working on my cardio, strength, and agility all for this role. In fact, I’m undoubtedly in the best shape of my damn life right now. My personal trainer and nutritionist have ensured it. I know I can pull my weight when it comes to the stunts, it’s a matter of seeing if Sparky can.
That annoying redhead has plagued my thoughts. Seeing her at the gym and holding her close outside it only kicked the thoughts into higher gear. It got worse when I saw her in that damn dress at the premiere. I should still be pissed off with her, and on some level I definitely am. But it’s hard to remember how mad I am when all I can focus on is how soft she feels under my hands, or how good she smells. Like jasmine and peaches.
When I get into the warehouse, there are people buzzing around. Not a full cast and crew day, but busy. Arnold spots me and jogs over. He says something about the stunt, but I can’t focus because she enters the room.
I hear her before I see her. Her voice is light and melodic, greeting everyone nearby with a chipperness that I fear should be illegal this early in the morning. The irritation comes flooding back in. Her tone makes me want to roll my eyes into the back of my skull.Why the fuck is she so perky at this hour?I haven’t had enough time for my coffee to sink in before having to deal with her yet.
I turn to face her, and instantly a wave of lust rolls through me. Her body is wrapped so tightly in her workout gear that it leaves little to the imagination. The dark blue fabric clings to her and highlights how perky and grabbable her ass is. I flex my fingers to banish the thought as I drink her in. For a minute my treacherous brain wanders, and I think if she looks this good in workout gear, I can’t wait to see her in the spandex costume for her character. Thank you to whoever set that precedent. I try to bat the thought away as soon as Irealize I’m thinking it. I shouldn’t be thinking like that about her, about Clover Daly, the annoying, rude commercial actress who stumbled into this big role.
I walk over to her, enjoying the fact that while she’s tall, I still have a few inches of height on her. I look down at her and flash her a smile that I know has gotten me many things on many occasions.
“Morning, beautiful,” I say, hoping others can hear my open affection since we’re officially faking this, and also to see if I can throw her off. I want to see how ready she is to “play ball” with this fake relationship business. The brief interaction outside of the gym last time wasn’t enough for me to accurately tell. But today should do the trick.
“Roman,” she greets. There’s a smile on her face, but looking into her eyes, I can see she’s got a bit of fire brewing in them. It should make for an interesting day, because everyone knows if there’s one thing that I like, it’s playing with fire. Before she has time to say anything else, a stocky and serious-looking woman steps up to us.
“Roman, Clover, I’m Tanya, your stunt director. I’m responsible for planning and overseeing your stunts.” She juts out her hand and shakes mine with enough force to hurt. Noted, don’t fuck with Tanya.
“Let’s begin with a simple warmup and then we’ll talk our way through the steps of the stunt,” she clears her throat and gestures toward the set, where there are the makings of the inside of an office building. “Before we run it fully, we’re going to practice the various parts of the stunt and then put them together gradually until we’re at the full thing, okay?” she says, and she is all business. Her arms are crossed, and her muscles are bulging. I immediately trust Tanya knows what she’s talking about. “This way,” she gestures to a series of mats off to the side, behind where cameras would be set up to shoot thestunt.
Tanya hustles, and Clover and I follow, ready to be at her mercy. Clover takes a seat on the mat, and I sit directly beside her. She stiffens. Tanya goes to grab some stretchy bands and foam rollers, and I lean into Clover’s ear.
“Remember, you’re supposed to like me,” I breathe across the shell of her ear. I’m pleased when I see goosebumps rise across her exposed skin. She leans back into me and turns her face toward mine. Her hand on the mat glides over to mine, where she gently strokes her pointer finger across the back of my hand.
“Then remember to be likeable,” she whispers before shooting me a smile.
Brat. And yet, I kind of like it when she’s feisty.
Tanya makes a triumphant return with the props and instructs us through some movements. After what feels like way too long doing simple warm-up stretches and basic body-warming calisthenics, I’m hopeful that we can actually get started on some meaningful stunt work. Alas, it seems like Tanya has other plans.
“How comfortable are you two with one another?” She asks wearily, looking between us. I try to give a convincing smile, but Tanya doesn’t seem to buy it based on the eyebrow raise she just gave me. Looks like we have a ways to go before convincing anyone that we’re an item.
“We’re comfortable,” Clover blurts out.
I have to fight the urge to roll my eyes. If that was her best acting, we’re fucked.
“Right…” Tanya says, clearly not sold. “Why don’t we start out with some trust falls?”
“Is that really necessary?” This feels dumb, like we’re eight years old on the playground. This is something literal children do, not grown adults.
“Depends, do you want to keep your pretty face intact or not?” Tanya whips back with zero hesitation. Clover makes a choking noise to cover up what’s surely a laugh. “When you’reon my set, doing my stunts, you do what I tell you for your safety. So yeah, it’s necessary. Your safety is paramount to me and my team. I want you to be prepared for anything, so we start with this.” She pauses for a second and becomes contemplative. “But a part of our work together means you also need to know to pull the plug on a stunt if it starts off incorrectly, or if something isn’t feeling right. That’s why we work on trust. Trusting others and trusting ourselves. Got it?”
“Understood,” I mutter before facing Clover and gesturing for her to fall back into my open arms.
“No way, you first,” Clover argues with wide eyes.
“Are you serious?”
“Deadly, now turn around and fall into my arms, big boy,” she orders. I rake my eyes over her frame and take in the lithe muscle that’s highlighted by her outfit. Not only does she look fucking edible, but she looks strong. Like she should be able to catch me.Shouldbeing the operative word.
“Don’t drop me…” I warn before turning my back to her and taking a breath. I know she’s no fan of mine, but I’m hoping she doesn’t decide to drop me on my ass right here and now.
Chapter Twenty
