Page 22 of Everybody Needs a Hero

Without comment, Bryce climbed onto the bed and covered Ashley’s body with her own, reveling in the sensation of burning skin on skin. Nothing she could have imagined compared to the feeling of finally having Ashley under her. As her thigh parted Ashley’s legs, she felt the woman tremble. The wetness between her legs soaked through the fabric of her bikini bottoms and felt hot on Bryce’s skin. It was her turn to gasp. Never would she have thought she could turn Ashley on so much. All she wanted at that moment was to bring the woman as much pleasure as she could and lowered her lips to kiss her again.

Their mouths melded together, desire building between them as their tongues teased each other. Bryce could not get enough of her, taking the burning kiss deeper with an intensity that made Ashley moan as she bucked her hips against Bryce’s thigh. In answer, Bryce started to rock her body, pressing against Ashley’s center with each movement. Even through the bikini, Bryce felt how swollen and ready the woman was. “I want to know how wet you are,” Bryce breathed against Ashley’s neck. “I want to feel you.”

“Oh yes,” was Ashley’s only response. Forcing herself to relish every moment, Bryce slowly moved her hand down Ashley’s body, trailing her fingertips over the woman’s hard nipples. Taking her time, she teased them until Ashley arched higher to press against her hand.

“Do you like that?” Bryce asked, and Ashley moaned.

“You’re driving me wild,” she said, her voice thick with need, and encouraged, Bryce kept going until she felt the small patch of neat hair between her legs. Brushing her fingers over the curls, she made herself go slow, to take in every part of the pleasure she wanted for so long. Ashley whimpered. “You’re teasing me.” The sound of her voice pushed through any of Bryce’s restraints. Sliding lower, she slipped two fingers through the wetness of Ashley’s lips to find her throbbing clit. The slightest touch and Ashley’s body started to tremble.

Slowly, Bryce started to circle with her fingers. “Right here?” she asked, knowing the answer but wanting to hear the words.

“Yes,” Ashley said. “Right there. Don’t stop.”

Moving her hand faster, Bryce waited until Ashley’s breathing grew ragged before letting her thumb graze the tip of Ashley’s clit while she moved lower. Her fingers found Ashley ready, and as she slid two deep inside her, she cupped Ashley with her palm. Pressing harder, while she moved in and out of Ashley, the rest of her hand provided enough friction against her center to make the woman start to shake. She lifted her hips in rhythm with Bryce’s movements. “Are you going to come, Ashley?” Bryce asked, moving faster and faster, pressing deeper and deeper. “I want that. You have no idea how much I want that.”

In response, Ashley raised her hips to press Bryce harder against her while she grabbed a handful of Bryce’s long thick hair. “I’m so close, Bryce,” she said, her voice shaking. “Oh God. It’s happening. Yes.” Stopping mid-thrust, Ashley let out a scream of pleasure while Bryce felt her body grip her fingers a moment before starting to throb around them. Knowing she had made the sexy, beautiful, and wonderful woman come hard, Bryce could not have felt more fulfilled. It was everything she wanted.

18

Composing herself after Drew’s frantic exit from her trailer, Tess threw herself into the final scene of the day. With minimal blocking required, there wasn’t much to the acting in terms of action, but her heartfelt dialogue needed all her emotional range. She would have to make herself entirely vulnerable for it to work. The audience had to feel what the character experienced in the dramatic moment—angst, desire, and above all, disappointment. As luck would have it, Tess didn’t have to dig very deep to find those emotions. She suddenly found herself experiencing them in her own life. Confessing to Drew proved an utter failure, and although Tess hoped to somehow apologize before the scene for her emotional ambush, the woman was nowhere around.Maybe just as well, she thought before focusing on the director’s explanation of what he wanted.The last thing I need to do is embarrass myself and make her run away again.

When the final ‘cut’ for the day was called, Tess closed her eyes to gather herself. Laying out all her feelings for the world to see, even in make-believe, exhausted her.

“Amazing work,” she heard the director say as he approached. “As always, of course.”

Opening her eyes, Tess smiled at him. “Thank you. But it’s easy when I have such a rich character to play and a wonderful script to draw from,” she said, meaning every word. The movie was proving to be the best she ever worked on.

“Well, you’re certainly making it look that way,” he said, holding out some colored sheets of paper. “A slight change to the schedule, by the way. The weatherman is predicting thunderstorms tomorrow, so we are moving to another indoor scene.” Tess took the pages, giving them a quick glance. She immediately recalled the action and felt her stomach tighten. It was the first of many emergency room scenes where she would be required to act like she knew how to be an experienced ER nurse. Since the last time she was even in a hospital was twenty-eight years ago, when Ashley was born, she was nervous about everything looking realistic. Noticing her reaction, the director put a hand on her shoulder. “Relax, Tess. We will spend the first part of the morning walking through everything until you’re comfortable.”

Tess nodded. “I appreciate that,” she said, but the short rehearsal on set was not the only thing she needed.I need to talk to Drew, she thought.To have her coach me. Going through the motions won’t be enough to come across as authentic.“Have you seen Drew? I noticed she didn’t sit in on the last scene.”

Glancing around, the director frowned. “You know, you’re right. She wasn’t at the camera viewer with me,” he said. “That’s odd. I wonder what’s up.”

Tess had a pretty good guess.She doesn’t want to be anywhere near me right now,she thought, feeling more disappointed than ever.I really scared her off.“Well, maybe I’ll check with the second AD and see if she knows where Drew is hiding. I really would like some of her input.”

“I’m assuming you’re talking about tomorrow’s scene,” Drew said from somewhere behind Tess. “And I agree. You can’t do it without some detailed explanations behind why you are doing each action.”

Turning, Tess saw the woman standing at the edge of the set. Her arms folded with no hint of friendliness in her eyes. Whatever bond they developed while racing across Los Angeles appeared completely erased. Tess had only herself to blame. By cornering Drew and putting her on the spot, she forced the writer to put up even more walls.

After a beat, Tess resolved to start working on pulling them back down enough they could at least be friends again. “Are you offering to help me learn the part?” Tess asked, holding her breath, waiting to hear if Drew would at least do that. Her coaching would be for the betterment of the entire film.

Before Drew answered, the director clapped his hands, rubbing them together. “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “How about you talk it out over a nice dinner? Name the place. Italian? Mexican? Thai? Whatever you want, and I’ll get a PA to set up a reservation, compliments of the studio, of course.”

Not quite surehow the circumstances came about, Drew found herself behind the wheel of her Pathfinder driving Tess Landish somewhere once again.And it feels totally normal. Like we do it all the time, she thought, pulling away from the parking lot of the rundown apartment building where they filmed all day.Although I don’t know what I was expecting. It’s not like she would attack me out of sheer lust.The thought almost made her laugh it was so ludicrous. If anything, Tess’s posture made Drew think the woman was uncomfortable with the situation. She was about as far against the passenger door as possible without making it look too weird.Because she doesn’t want to freak me out again and is giving me all the space she can.

Back on the set, when the movie director insisted they discuss the next day’s complex scenes over dinner, Drew met Tess’s eyes. All the awkward surprise she felt at the sudden turn of events was on Tess’s face too.But there was more, she remembered. Tess’s look had a pleading quality to it as if begging Drew not to say no. With her mouth suddenly dry, Drew didn’t speak for a moment, leaving Tess to drop her eyes and blush at the idea she was about to be rejected. “Maybe that’s not such a great idea—” Tess started saying after a beat, but Drew took a step forward before the actress could finish her sentence.

“I think dinner is a good idea,” she blurted, louder than she intended, startling herself. Tess and the director both looked at her with surprise at her outburst. “I mean, it’s only that I’m starving. And would rather not have my dinner be an overripe banana with a Coke Zero from the craft service table.” When a smile of relief crossed Tess’s face, Drew found herself smiling too. There was no reason they couldn’t find a way to work together as friends.We will put Tess’s crazy confession behind us like it never happened, she thought.I’m sure she regrets saying it anyway and has come to her senses.A pang of disappointment at the idea Tess would have changed her mind about what she said earlier gave Drew pause. For some reason, she suddenly wasn’t sure that was what she wanted.Too late now. I ran away.

“Let me grab my purse, and we can go,” Tess said, moving in the direction of the apartment’s door before she pulled up short. “I’m sorry, that was incredibly rude of me assuming you would drive. Let’s decide where we can meet, and I’ll—”

Shaking her head, Drew interrupted again. “No,” she said. “That makes no sense. Of course, I’ll drive you. But that means you pick the place.” Tess smiled, her eyes twinkling, and her beauty radiated like a wave over Drew. What she said clearly made Tess happy. A desire to find ways to see that look over and over again caught Drew by surprise. So much so, she puzzled over it as she drove them through West Hollywood.If I do like Tess as something more than a friend, why did I run away?she wondered, stealing a glance at Tess.And where do I go from here?

“I hope you like sushi,” Tess said, bringing Drew back to the moment. “Because I picked a perfect little place not far from here, and I promise the food is delicious.”

Drew bobbed her head. “I like sushi a lot.”

Visibly relaxing, Tess pointed at the next cross street. “Good,” she said. “They know me and are discrete.”

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