Page 69 of Even Ground

At that I roar with laughter. “I think she really just loved the idea of shopping with Antonio while we worked.”

“That’d be right.” She rolls her eyes. “Our credit card bill since we started this movie is sucking up the money you’ve paid me to be here.”

I swallow hard. At the mention of his name, her whole face lights up. I want that. I’ve spent so long avoiding commitment, but I want someone who I’ll make shine like that. Not because of anything else but her loving me.

And all I can think about is kissing Pania.

Now is not the time to think about that.

We’ve practiced this scene fully-clothed all week with the help of the intimacy choreographer we hired. She’s a genius. Gabby and I are ready to do this and are completely comfortable with each other and the scene.

I’ve done these scenes before, and I don’t know if it’s because it’s our movie, but I’m particularly proud of this. Josh’s character is on deployment, and I’m his best friend who crosses a line with his wife. There’s been so much lead up to this, and this is the only time our characters have sex, so getting it right is really important to all of us.

Once we’re on set, I slip off my robe and climb into the bed. I’m in my boxers, and Gabby’s wearing a pair of leggings, but there’s also additional padding to make us both comfortable. There’s enough skin revealed to make it sexy, and even though we both hope there are no slip ups, any clothing revealed will be removed in post-production.

Gabby’s the one with the most on show. She’s topless, and there’s a point where I touch her breasts. But it’s not as explicit as some scenes I’ve shot, and Gabby’s not shy, which is a huge advantage. Although, if she had been, we would have made the changes to make her comfortable. This was her suggestion.

She straddles my hips and looks down at me. I keep eye contact because the last thing we both need is for our performance to cross into real life.

“Ready?” she asks.

“As I’ll ever be.”

We start when the director tells us to. Gabby leans over to kiss me, and once that’s done, she pushes back up and starts moving against me.

I close my eyes.

We follow the directions, but instead of blanking like I usually do, all I can picture is Pania.

I’m not sure if it’s because Gabby’s grinding against me, but that can’t be helping. I’m not even sure what Pania looks like naked. I do not want my mind to wander, but …

Gabby leans over to kiss me. Again, it’s all scripted, but my eyes are closed ,and all I smell is the vanilla scent that Pania seems to always smell of.

What would she be like in bed? Pania astride me, my cock deep inside her, her ample breasts swinging as she …

My eyes fly open.

Gabby’s gaze is fixed on mine, and she never falters.

“James,” she whispers. “We can’t do this again.”

I swallow hard. “We should never have done this in the first place.”

Those moments give me enough time to recover my thoughts, and she laughs as I flip her onto her back. I drop down the bed a little so my hips are rutting against her instead of my groin.

Her eyes search mine. There are so many layers between us, surely she can’t feel my erection. Please don’t let her know.

Shit.

I’m going to have to apologise just in case.

“Cut,” the director yells.

I’ve never been so glad to hear one word in all my life. One of the assistants brings me my robe and I take it, wrapping it around my body as I climb out of bed. Gabby takes her robe and follows suit, smiling as she stands beside me.

“Great work, you two.” The director, Daniel Harmer, smiles as he approaches us. “That was just fantastic. All in one take, too.”

Gabby laughs. “I think we just wanted to get it over with.”

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