“I’m new too,” I joked, but Gretchen cocked an eyebrow at me.
“Your kind of new doesn’t count, Mr.Boy Band—”
She was interrupted by a fresh commotion from the corridor, the chatter of new voices and laughter.
And then suddenly, like something out of a Hope Channel movie, Bee Hobbes stepped into the golden glow of the marble hall, looking like a Christmas princess come to life.
Chapter Five
Nolan
The light gleamed off the dark red silk of her dress, and her hair was piled artfully on top of her head, where it then tumbled down to spill over her shoulders. Glimpses of pearl and gold hairpins gleamed from the dark tresses. Fake rubies and diamonds glittered from around her neck, but they were no match for her sparkling eyes as she walked across the century-old floor.
Yes, it was official.
Bianca von Honey was just as stunning in yards and yards of silk as she was wearing nothing at all.
And the way her curves looked in that corset...
I should have used that gingerbread lotion at least three more times before leaving my room.
She saw me and Gretchen and waved, coming over with the hair and makeup artists in tow. Along with Luca, who was wearing sunglasses inside for some reason.
“Bee, you’re beautiful,” Gretchen said warmly, and Bee gave her a dimpled grin and did a twirl for us, which was so fucking adorable, I couldn’t stand it.
“You look incredible,” I told Bee, and she rewarded me with a smile.
“I know,” she said, a little smugly. “Andmy boobs look fantastic.”
“Andthere won’t be any shadows on them,” said the gaffer, coming out of nowhere.
“Angel!” Bee exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were here!” She pulled the gaffer into a tight hug, and jealousy tore through me, quick as wildfire.
Iwanted a hug like that. With the corset and the fantastic boobs and that happy look on her face.
“Daddy called me in after the tusk happened,” Angel said. “I wouldn’t normally help out, but the semester was over anyway, and besides, I wanted to see you get all fancy. Spread your wings.”
“Like you haven’t seen her spread her wings before,” the hair stylist said.
Bee, Angel, and Luca all laughed really hard at that, while Gretchen, Maya the makeup artist, and I chuckled the chuckles of people who had no idea what the joke was about.
“Angel is Teddy the producer’s son,” Bee explained to me. “He’s a brilliant animator, but he spent two years studying film before he switched majors.”
“Which means I can swing some lights around whenever Dad needs me to,” Angel added. “And I’ve lit Bee a few times.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“For, um, student stuff,” Bee interjected quickly.
“Right,” said Angel. “I definitely remember some rulers being involved.”
“Well, I’m glad you could help us out,” Gretchen said. And then she touched Bee’s shoulder. “And I’m exceptionally grateful you agreed to join us with such short notice. Now, does anyone mind if I steal Nolan and Bee really quick? No? I didn’t think so.”
She led the two of us into a corner of the hall that wasn’t packed with either equipment or Christmas decorations, and then turned to face us. “I want to be transparent about the fact that we don’t have the budget for an intimacy coordinator on this shoot. There are only two kisses in the script, but I want to make sure that we have them choreographed in a way that feels right.”
When I looked over at Bee’s face, I found she was already looking at me. She quickly dropped her eyes, but it was too late. My heart had already sped up.
“So today’s kiss is the final kiss of the movie,” Gretchen said, “and I really want everything these characters are—their bodies, minds, souls—present in the kiss. The Hope Channel isn’t big on the bodies part, per se, so I want to make sure that we’re still conveying a huge amount of want even with a more restrained physicality.”
Want.
