Page 10 of Staging Love
Under her robe, Camilla was wearing a black silk nightgown that fell just above her knees and staring down at the bed, she wished she’d brought something with more coverage.
"Well," she said, scooting under the covers, "one day down, four more to go."
Jade looked up at her. "It went okay, right?"
"It did. Though I have to admit, I'm exhausted.” Camilla rolled her shoulders, feeling some of the tension from the day begin to ebb away. “Lying is more tiresome than I thought it would be."
"Tell me about it," Jade agreed, stretching her arms above her head. The movement caused her t-shirt to ride up slightly, revealing a glimpse of her tonedmidriff. Camilla found her eyes drawn to the exposed skin, and she quickly looked away.
"I made sure to stick to just one glass of wine," she continued, joining Camilla in the bed. "I didn't want to risk letting anything slip."
"Smart move. I did the same." There was a moment of silence, and even though the bed was big, Camilla was acutely aware of Jade's presence beside her.
"We'd better rest up," she said. "We've got a big day of skiing tomorrow."
"Oh, skiing! I'm actually looking forward to that. It's been a while."
"You can ski?" Camilla asked.
"I'm okay. There was a ski slope near where I grew up in Ohio. Nothing like this, of course, but enough to get out there and have some fun in winter." She turned on her side, facing Camilla with a mischievous glint in her eye. "I might even race you down the mountain."
The idea made Camilla laugh. "Oh, you're on," she said, sure Jade would never be able to beat her. “At least we won’t have to talk to my family as much while we’re out on the slopes. That will give us a break, at least for a while.”
“Yeah.” Jade smiled. "By the way, I don’t own proper pajamas, so I hope this is okay. I can borrow something if you'd prefer me to cover up more…"
"No, no, it's fine. Whatever you're comfortable in."
"Thanks. I usually sleep naked, so this is already a stretch for me. I’ll try not to snuggle up to you in my sleep," Jade joked.
Camilla felt her cheeks warm at her casual admission, and pictured Jade sleeping naked. She quickly pushed the thought away, unsure why it had such a funny effect on her.
As Jade reached up to turn off the bedside lamp, her t-shirt rode up again, and before Camilla could stop herself, she blurted out, "Do you work out?"
Jade paused, her hand on the lamp switch. "Yeah, I do. Pretty much every day, actually. As an aspiring actress, I always have to make sure I'm in good shape." She shrugged. "Though I suppose skiing tomorrow will give me a good workout too."
Camilla nodded, grateful the lights were out now. She could still see Jade though, as they hadn’t closed the curtains. The moonlight reflecting off the snowy landscape outside filtered through the windows and bathed the room in a soft glow. “You have great abbs.”
“Thank you. I work hard for them.” Jade slid under the covers. “Do you work out?”
“Twice a week, at home with a personal trainer. I only do it to stay mildly in shape; my days in the office are long enough and I prefer to socialize in my spare time.” Camilla paused. "By the way, I'm sorry if today was tough. I know this isn't exactly a normal job."
"Don't worry about it,” Jade said. “Honestly, this is the most lucrative gig I've had in years. And let's face it," she added with a playful wink, "sleeping in a bed with a beautiful woman isn't exactly a hardship."
Camilla chuckled nervously as she felt a flutter in her stomach. She knew the actress was just playing her part, maintaining their cover even in private, but something about the compliment felt genuine.
"Well, I'm glad it's not too terrible for you.” Camilla stared at the ceiling, her mind unexpectedly drifting to thoughts of Jade's life outside of this unusual arrangement. When she'd first hired Jade, she hadn't been particularly curious about her personal life. It was meant to be a simple transaction, after all. But now, as they lay side by side in thedimly lit room, Camilla realized she wanted to know more about the woman beside her.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what's on your mind?"
Camilla hesitated for a beat, wondering if she was overstepping. "I was just wondering... do you have a girlfriend? I mean, I assume you don't, since you took this job. I imagine if you did have a girlfriend, she might not be too thrilled about this arrangement."
Jade let out a soft chuckle. "No, no girlfriend. I've been single for about two years now."
"Really? I would have thought... I mean, you're..." She trailed off, unsure how to finish that sentence without sounding too complimentary.
"Gorgeous? Charming? A catch?" Jade teased, filling in the blanks.
