Page 9 of In Her Arms

Silence.

“Come on, Cameron, it’s just me! You having any fun outside of work? A secret wife? Sexy cougar girlfriend? Seriously, I need some new goss. All I can think about is lines, lines, lines.”

“Goldie, I really don’t feel like having this conversation.”

“You never feel like talking! Honestly, I thought we were making progress. I want to get to know you. You might want more PA work after you’re finished here.”

“In six weeks, you’ll never see me again.”

“No way. In six weeks, we’ll be at the wrap party arranging to go out for drinks once I’m back from that press tour. I guarantee it. You’ll have a little voice in the back of your head going”—Goldie’s voice deepened in an imitation of Cameron—“‘Wow, Goldie was right. Having some fun and opening up to people instead of being stoic and obedient really changed my life for the better. She’s so smart and sexy; I can’t wait to go to the movies and drink cocktails on a rooftop with her.’”

“You really have no idea what I’m like outside of work. Does that bother you?”

“Honestly, Cameron, it does! You have no discernable personality?—”

“Excuse you. I haveplentyof personality.”

“Look at that, some life! Fucking finally. I was beginning to think I would never see it.”

“Why are you like this, Goldie? Is this your sense of humor?”

“That’s a question people have been asking—I mean thatexact phrasing—since the dawn of time. You see, it started when my mother?—”

Snap.Goldie felt one of her costume heels break under her and stumbled, falling to the ground in an inelegant mess of perfectly tailored suit and wild blonde hair, making a soft but indignant grunt. She went red.

She still had her tea in her hand, and, miraculously, it hadn’t spilled. On the ground, pantihose ripped at the knees, heel broken, hair like a nest on her head, she felt unbearably embarrassed. Still, keeping her mask up, she looked up at Cameron and took a sip.

Cameron, to her credit, had frozen. This was the first time she had actuallynotdone something when Goldie needed help, and she was sure it wasn’t coming from a place of defiance or contempt, just shock. Sure enough, once the moment hadpassed, Cameron stooped. She went to place her hand in Cameron’s, but instead, Cameron’s hand slid down and gripped at her forearm.

Goldie had not needed to be picked up off of the ground—at least not in a literal sense—in several years. She had forgotten this was normal and didn’t remember until she was able to overcome the strong wave of…somethingthat washed through her at Cameron’s touch. She grabbed Cameron’s forearm and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. “Damn these fucking heels. I’ve felt wobbly all day. I’ve gotta tell costuming about this; otherwise, they’ll think I broke them on purpose.” She picked up the broken heel off of the ground and, taking the other shoe off, braced herself for the walk back to her trailer barefoot. Heels in one hand, nearly empty cup of tea in the other, she didn’t imagine she looked presentable. Cameron didn’t seem to care. Goldie would have assumed she was nearly unflappable if she hadn’t spent the past few weeks learning exactly how to push all her buttons.

She was desperate to peel back her layers and find out what was underneath.

The pavement was sharp against Goldie’s bare feet, as pavement tended to be, and the general state of the set meant there were little bits of debris everywhere. She tried not to let it show on her face that this walk felt like the world’s worst acupuncture appointment. She failed miserably. It was becoming more tiring and miserable by the second.

“Hang on, wait a second,” she said as she bent to put one heel back on, preparing to hop.Suddenly, Cameron was right next to her, bending to pick her up.

“Hang on a second. What are you?—”

Swoop.

She was in Cameron’s arms, her own arms looped over her shoulders and her chin pressed into her neck.

That was good. That wasverygood because her face was the same color as beetroot. She felt hot all over, a heat that flowed through her so intense she thought that in the cool night air she would let off steam.

It seemed like this was satisfying for Cameron. She had no way of knowing, of course, because she couldn’t see Cameron’s face, but Cameron was quiet to the point of stoicism on the walk back to the trailer. Goldie assumed that once they had arrived at the trailer she would be put down, but no. Instead, Cameron carried her bridal-style through the doorway, pushing the handle of the door down with her elbow. Goldie was too stunned to speak, making nothing but a squeaking noise as Cameron carried her underneath the small doorway and threw her unceremoniously onto the bed, the now-empty cup flying out of her hand.

She was on fire. There was no other way of describing it. Still, she had no idea whether Cameron was doing it on purpose or not. Her shoes were...somewhere; she had let them go mid-air. When Cameron stooped down at the end of her bed, she presumed she would’ve picked them up.

If things went the way she was hoping they would go, this might be her last chance to get a word in edgeway.

“You seem particularly fond of throwing me around. You got some things you need to get out of your system, Cameron?” She put on her best sickly-sweet voice, poking fun in between shallow breaths. Cameron looked up from the foot of the bed.

She looked ravenous. Cheeks stained high with a pink flush, her hair messily pushed back out of her face, eyes locked onto Goldie’s like they were the only thing in the room. Cameron tossed the empty cup over her shoulder.

“You could probably do with some stress relief yourself, Goldie.”

Goldie shivered. Cameron’s voice was measured, audibly restrained, dripping with implication. She genuinely didn’t have a witty comeback to that.“What?” asked Cameron, smiling. “Can’t get it as good as you give?”

---