Chapter 2
Jeff
Iswore loudly. I’d overslept…but the previous night had been worth it. Still, I had principles I never broke and being on set on time was one of them.
“Hey,” the curvy blonde thing next to me said. “Already awake?!”
“Morning, honey,” I said and gave her a kiss on the forehead as her hands started caressing my body under the covers. I felt myself harden. Damn! “Yes, already awake and already late. I have to get to set.”
“Oh, come on. They can wait a little while longer. It’s not like your director doesn’t have things under control.” As she spoke, she let her hands get more demanding…
Maybe I could allow myself to be late just this once? What Carol was doing to me felt beyond good. It felt fantastic. And I knew this was just a one-night-stand. Carol was only in town till the next day and she was truly something in bed! I swore.
“I’m sorry, but there’s a reason I made it in this town. If I start bending my own rules…who knows what I’ll do next?”
“There’s plenty we could do next…”
I swore again.
“I’m sorry babe, but no.”
In the end I was only forty-five minutes late, but the director had been there early and the delay had given her ample time to re-stage the scene and turn it into something that would take a lot longer to shoot. I was the stunt coordinator and producer and there was no way in hell I’d let her get away with this one.
“But come on Jeff, it’s just so much better this way.”
“You know and I know that it will take all day to rehearse and shoot.”
“We’ve got some room, surely. We’re ahead of schedule.”
And that’s just the way I intended to keep it. No other producer had his films finished ahead of schedule every time. I did. Because I worked side by side with the directors and set realistic schedules. This time I’d taken a gamble by hiring a new hot shot — the red headed Laila Longhorn. Her name was a mouthful and so was she. But she’d had some amazing ideas in her past projects and she was great with the actors. Like so many artistic people she had no sense of budgeting though and she’d ruin me if I set her free to do whatever she wanted in every scene.
“And we’re going to stay that way. Your idea is artistic and ambitious, but you need to work with what we can do. Go back to the original plan. We don’t have time to spend all day rehearsing a new stunt. Add whatever artistic flair you want to the original scene. You know I love your ideas. I just can’t let the financiers down.”
Laila shrugged her shoulders and trotted off. I knew she wasn’t happy with me, but it was part of the job. Too many producers let their films slip. I wasn’t one of them. I had started out as a stuntman, then worked my way up to a stunt coordinator and saved up for years to invest in the first feature I produced. It had turned into a goldmine and I’d been incredibly tight with my money ever since. I’d also diversified my investments; investing in stocks and other businesses. I knew what it was like praying for your next job. I never wanted to be in that position ever again. And I wouldn’t, but I knew if I wanted to keep my reputation in Hollywood I had to stay strict. Film was my passion — my other investments might be worth more, but film was where I spent my time and I intended to keep it that way. Most people lost money in Hollywood — I’d made mine.
An hour later we were ready to roll.
I was doing a stunt myself in this scene which was unusual; normally I just coordinated these days.
“Camera rolling…and action,” Laila shouted.
I revved the motorbike and drove out into the field. My aim was to get to the galloping horse, with a stuntwoman on top and join her on the horse. In the movie the woman was panicking as she didn’t know how to ride, nor how to escape the villains chasing her.
I felt the power in the bike as it roared underneath me. It was a dizzying sensation. Adrenaline flowing. Muscles tensing.
I drove up to the horse and rode alongside them.
“Cut!” Laila shouted. “I actually got what I wanted. Next shot.”
The next part was trickier — I had to get on the horse. The bike wouldn’t be moving, nor the horse at first, but it was hard enough to jump onto the horse and then have it gallop off with me standing on its back behind Laura, the stuntwoman. You could do most things with CGI these days, but I was old fashioned. I wanted at least some real footage.
As we got ready I gave Laura an encouraging nod. She was one hell of a woman — fit, curvy and excellent with stunts and horses. As I looked at her I couldn’t help but think her clothes off. I’d always wanted to date her, but I knew myself — I wasn’t looking for long term. After the death of Shaun’s mom I wasn’t interested. I’d enjoyed the freedom of bachelor life before her and it’s what I went back to doing once I’d overcome some of the pain of her death. Getting mixed up with Laura would mean she wouldn’t want to work with me if things didn’t pan out. And they wouldn’t.
I sighed.
“What’s up boss? Getting tired on the bike already?” Laura asked with a teasing smile.
“Not at all. Just looking forward to some action. Balancing on a still bike isn’t much of a challenge,” I shot back.
