Touching the Billionaire - Holly Jaymes Page 0,29
to catching Jack Cole. By this time in the movie, things between Jack and Nicolette were heating up, and she was beginning to recognize that he wasn’t just a thrill thief, but that he was in some ways like a Robin Hood. But instead of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, he was stealing from people who had goods that were stolen from other people, seventy-five to one hundred years before.
As I watched her, I could see that she had raw talent. I wondered if that was something that came naturally to her or something that she learned from her parents who were both great actors in their own rights. In some ways she and I were alike. I was trying to forge a new path, one in which I’d have more respect and control in the industry. She was also forging a new path coming back in, not as the spunky kid she was, but as an adult, wanting to take on serious adult roles. We both were highly invested in the success of this movie. Not that the others involved in the project weren’t invested, but Madeline and I had a whole lot more to gain or lose depending on the success of it.
When the crew broke for lunch, I stepped out from the shadows, greeting the staff and crew, and then I motioned to Madeline that I wanted to talk to her. She looked a little surprised to see me and then concerned when I waved her over.
Wanting to make sure she wasn’t worried that I was going to fire her, I said, “I just wanted to talk to you about some upcoming scenes.”
“Are there changes?”
“No.” I guided her to an area away from the location they were filming so we could talk in private. “The intimate scene between Nicolette and Jack is coming up soon.”
She swallowed and had a look like maybe she felt nauseous, which affirmed my idea that we needed to talk about it in advance.
“It’s a long scene with a lot going on and I was thinking that maybe we should get together and talk it through a little bit.”
“Talk it through?”
All of a sudden, I was concerned that she thought I was implying that we should actually play it out. Like I was using it as a ploy to get her in the sack.
I held my hands up in surrender to let her know that my suggestion was completely innocent. “I was just thinking you had some concerns about the kissing scene, and so thought that perhaps if we sat down together and talked through the sex scene and came up with some ideas on how it would play out, you might feel more confident and comfortable.”
She nodded. “Actually, it might be nice. To be honest, I am a little bit nervous about it.”
“If you’d like, you can come up to my place. We can have some dinner and go through the script to block out how it will work.”
Corrine probably had her own ideas, but having done a few love scenes, I felt confident we’d come up with ideas that she’d be okay with. Hopefully, just talking through it and how it would work would be enough to settle Madeline’s nerves, so if Corrine did change something, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
“You cook?”
I hadn’t been expecting that question. “I’m no gourmet but I do all right in the kitchen.”
“That’s good, because I can’t cook at all.”
“Can I assume you live on crackers and cheese then?” I asked.
She laughed. “That and takeout.”
“Well, not only will we get the scene blocked out, but you’ll have a home-cooked meal.”
“A win-win,” she said with a smile.
Once again, the radiance of her smile made my brain hiccup. I had a moment to wonder if inviting her up to my place was a bad idea. Especially since we were going to be going over some very intimate and erotic details of the scene. But I couldn’t back out now so I’d have to be on my best behavior. “So, see you sometime tonight?”
She nodded. “I can be there around seven, seven-fifteen.”
“I’ll see you then.” I left the location and immediately began to wonder what I should cook for her. A wave of nerves slid up my spine, which was unsettling. It was just a business dinner. And yet, I had a growing need to make sure it went well to impress her. Perhaps instead of worrying about what we should eat, I needed