I wasn’t sure that would help. I knew exactly what Blake looked like naked. The two of them were watching me, so I laughed to play along. I hoped Lucy hadn’t got the wrong impression when she’d walked in on Blake trying to kiss me. Maybe I should explain the situation to her. We were going to be working closely together for the next month at least and it would be hard to keep secrets.
‘I’ve got an updated call sheet for you here,’ Danny said, handing each of us a yellow folder. ‘The firstMoonmenscene is being filmed next Monday, so the guys will need to be in full make-up for that. It’s a 6 a.m. start, with lights down and cameras rolling at 9 a.m.’
‘Got it,’ I said. ‘We need to get a wriggle on today, then.’
Danny nodded.
‘Skin tests were done yesterday, and Blake is in first thing for his face cast, then Travis this afternoon,’ Lucy said.
‘Shall I grab us some coffees so we can fuel up before Blake gets here?’ I asked.
‘Ooh yes. My third of the day. White, no sugar, please,’ Lucy said.
‘Black and two for me,’ Danny added, spinning himself wildly the other way.
I was looking forward to filming starting, once we’d got Blake and Tyler’s faces in the bag, but I was nervous about seeing Blake again and hoped we might get a few minutes alone, so I could try and smooth things over. I’d been tempted to message him last night but couldn’t find the right words and didn’t want to play it wrong on my first day. I wanted to move on in a professional way, make friends and enjoy the magic of working in the movies. Once I was through today, I could focus on the part of the job I loved – creating something from nothing – and Lucy and I could properly get to know each other and hopefully become friends.
I queued for coffee and smiled at a few people. They weren’t a very friendly bunch so far; in fact, the people in front of me seemed to deliberately turn their backs.Or did they?Maybe another coffee was a bad idea – I was getting paranoid. I opted for a camomile tea instead and took the tray of hot drinks back to the room, where Lucy and Danny were speaking in hushed tones. They stopped when they saw me.
‘Right, well, I’ve got to get on,’ Danny said, grabbing the cup marked with a B. ‘Nice to meet you, Abi.’
‘You too,’ I said, handing Lucy her coffee.
There was a knock on the door and Blake poked his head in. ‘Morning! Am I too early?’ His shaggy beard had gone, and his hair had been cut short. He was a clean-shaven jock version of the handsome tramp who’d tried to kiss me yesterday.
‘Morning,’ I replied. ‘No, not at all. The sooner the better.’ I held the back of the chair Danny had just vacated and gestured for Blake to sit down. My heart was in my mouth at being so close to him again, but I’d have to push through it. He was gorgeous, there was no question about that. And he had the kind of energy and charisma that made you want to get close to him. We’d had an amazing physical connection that first night, but that was as far as it went. I didn’t want to blur the boundaries. Relationships just weren’t for me anymore, and there were now several reasons why a relationship with Blake Thomas was a definite no. Not least because he didn’t seem to understand the meaning of the word.
‘Morning, Blake,’ Lucy called.
‘Morning! I brought my own coffee today,’ he said, holding up a reusable Starbucks cup. ‘I’m a stickler for a double shot soya cap. Not keen on that muck-in-a-cup they’re serving out there.’
Lucy was all over the mixtures and potions we needed to get Blake’s face cast done and she wheeled over the trolley, with two bowls of silicone, ready to get going.
‘Top off today, right?’ Blake asked, taking a swig of his coffee.
‘Yes please. We don’t want to ruin your white T-shirt,’ Lucy said. Blake pulled it over his head in one fluid move, without putting his coffee down, moving it from one hand to the other, then throwing it onto the sofa. His body was tanned, and his abs were taut; a brown leather belt held his battered jeans up over biker boots. He looked like an underwear model. I covered him up with a gown. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate with him sitting there half naked. And neither would Lucy.
‘This shouldn’t take too long,’ I said. ‘We’ll both be painting on the silicone for speed. Starting with your neck and chin, then onto your face, leaving your nose until last. Then I’ll put these small tubes in your nostrils so you can breathe, while we paint your nose and allow the mask to set.’
‘I’m all yours, ladies,’ Blake said, leaning back in his chair and getting comfortable. ‘Do with me what you will.’ He winked at me as Lucy turned her back and I couldn’t decide if I in any way still fancied him, or if I was starting to get the ick. I’d never been one for a snidey wink. His Hollywood status was giving off big, swinging dick-ick energy.
‘You’ll need to sit still for half an hour, so finish your coffee,’ Lucy said, handing me the second bowl of silicone, while stirring hers. Blake necked the last of his soya cap and handed me the empty cup.
‘Ready?’ I asked. He nodded. ‘OK, let’s go.’ I self-consciously stirred my silicone while Lucy applied a thin layer of Vaseline to his face. At least his eyes would be shut while we worked. She gave me the nod and I went straight in with the paintbrush. Slowly sliding the bristles up and down his neck felt almost too sensual now I knew who he was, and I knew he knew who I was. The silicone was bright green this time, and we worked quickly to smooth layer on top of layer and cover his face.
‘Are you OK?’ Lucy asked, with a smile, as we reached halfway.
‘More than OK,’ Blake replied, reaching his hand down and stroking my leg, hidden by his gown, while Lucy painted the crevices of his right ear. I flinched and took a step back, shuffling to stand in front of him, as his hand tried to subtly follow, groping at the air.Lord, grant me the confidence of a man trying to goose a woman against her will, with his eyes covered in silicone.
‘Time for the nasal tubes,’ I said, trying to decide how hard to shove them up his nose. I maintained my sense of professionalism, gently inserting one into his left nostril and pressing down on the right. ‘Take a deep breath and give me a thumbs up if it feels OK.’ I’d already painted a thick layer of silicone over his mouth, so he couldn’t speak.
Blake held up a steady thumb and I added the second tube. We had successfully transformed him from an A-grade hunk, into a faceless blob. Lucy finished off his nose and I set the timer. It would be twenty-four hours for the mask to set completely, but we’d wrestle it off his face once it was semi-hard.
‘Right, Blake, that’s the silicone on. You’re doing really well,’ Lucy said, brightly, like a primary school teacher. ‘Twenty minutes and you’ll be cooked. Can we get another thumbs up to know you’re breathing and nothing feels odd or itchy?’
Blake sat back in his chair and gave us a double thumbs up, completely comfortable in his own skin. There were very few situations where I’d let complete strangers paint over my eyes and mouth and leave me with the world’s smallest snorkel to breathe through.
‘Excellent.’ I looked over at Lucy. ‘I’ll take these into the kitchen and clean them out,’ I said, piling the bowls on top of one another, as she peeled off her rubber gloves. I walked down the corridor and could see Danny coming towards me, deep in conversation with one of the runners. As I got closer, they both went quiet.
