“I think you’re interesting,” Finn spoke up. “You’re talented as hell, and you don’t seem fazed by me at all. Not to mention, the fact that you’re beautiful.”
Chloe couldn’t help but feel flattered.
“You don’t think I’m fazed by you?”
“No. The other two girls, Jenny and Ni, seem very nice, but they look at me like I’m some kind of freak show. You treat me like I’m just another regular person.”
Chloe snorted. “You’re hardly a regular person.”
“But I am!” Finn insisted. “So what? I’ve made some movies? Had my name splashed across the tabloids? I’m still a normal person. I still go though all the same things as everyone else, all the same feelings.”
Chloe couldn’t argue. “Okay, Regular Person. If you’re so normal, then I’m buying lunch today.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not? Because you have gobs of money?”
“No, because you’re a lady and it’s only right that I pay.”
Chloe burst out laughing. “Are you serious?”
Finn looked offended. “Yes, I’m serious! Call it old school, but the guy should pay.” He saw Chloe’s face and he spoke quickly. “And no, this is not a date! I just think that if a man invites a woman to lunch, he should pay.”
Chloe opened her mouth to argue again, but instead she snapped it shut.
“Okay.”
“Okay? That seemed too easy.”
Normally Chloe would have come back with a sassy line, but instead she found herself being completely honest. “That’s actually really refreshing. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem picking up the bill or treating, but there aren’t many men out there who think like that.”
Finn smiled at her. “That’s because I’m older and wiser.”
“True,” Chloe smirked. “Geezer,” she added.
Finn pretended to look hurt.
“How old are you, anyway?” Chloe asked curiously. “Do you mind me asking?”
“Not at all. I’m forty.”
“You look younger.”
“Thanks, I like to hear that. I’ve really been trying to take care of myself over the past couple of years. I aged pretty badly, though,” he said darkly, and Chloe assumed he was talking of his substance-abuse days.
It still seemed surreal that she was hanging out with him.
The waiter came and they quickly ordered their meals.
“And you?” Finn asked. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.”
Finn winced. “You’re just a baby!”
“Haha,” she said dryly.
Surprisingly, the conversation flowed well and Chloe was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to talk to Finn. They talked about their love of New York City, and Finn talked about how relieved he was to get out of LA.
“A bunch of fake idiots who are perpetually starving themselves,” he scoffed and Chloe couldn’t help but laugh.
It turned out that Finn grew up in New Jersey, not too far from where Chloe had lived in Pennsylvania and they talked about places in Philly and the Jersey shore.
Finn had visited Avalon Beach while Chloe’s family visited Ocean City.
“But there’s no alcohol in Ocean City,” Finn argued.
“You could bring your own. And besides, what does that matter to you now?” Chloe clamped her hand over her mouth immediately, feeling mortified. “I am so sorry! I can’t believe I said that! So inappropriate!”
Finn recovered quickly and laughed. “No, it was refreshing,” he said. “This is exactly why I like you. You’re being completely normal around me.”
“Well if you mean having no filter, than yes.”
Finn glanced at his watch. “As much as I’m enjoying your company, we need to get back.”
Chloe had completely lost track of time. Finn paid the bill and they made their way back to the theatre. Just as they were approaching the door, someone came running at them.
Freaked out, Chloe ducked into Finn, thinking they were being robbed. She heard loud clicking sounds.
“Come on, guys!” Finn pleaded.
“Who’s the girl?” someone shouted.
Confused, Chloe looked up and saw people taking pictures of them. Stunned, she stared back at the camera.
“She’s one of my cast mates, and I think you just scared the shit out of her.”
“I-I thought we were being robbed,” she said feebly.
The photographer laughed. “Welcome to the spotlight, honey. You hang around with Finn, you’re going to see yourself in the glossies!”
Finn rolled his eyes and ushered Chloe inside.
“Sorry about that. I thought I was doing good today.”
“It’s okay.” It then hit her that Ben would see those photos. She wobbled on her legs as panic took hold.
“Are you okay?” Finn grabbed her under her arm.
“Where will those pictures be?”
“Not sure. People, US Weekly, the internet.”
Chloe didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. She knew once the show opened that she would be getting press. She nodded. “Thank you for lunch.” She moved stiffly to her seat and tried not to think about what would happen when Ben saw those pictures.
***
Once rehearsal ended, Chloe stepped out of the theatre and looked at her phone. There were six missed calls from Ben.
“Shit,” she muttered under her breath.
She quickly called him back.
“What the hell were you doing today?”
Chloe knew he had seen the photos.
How the hell were they online that fast?
She kept her voice calm, not wanting to make a big deal out of things. “Do you mean the photos?” she asked.
“Yes, the fucking photos!”
“Well, calm down, it’s not what you think. We were walking into the theatre and these photographers ran up to us. I got scared, thinking we were being robbed, and I turned towards him. Then I realized what was happening.”
“It doesn’t look like that! And why were you walking back to the theatre together?”
“What else could it be?” Chloe asked angrily, her voice rising. “And we were walking back together because I bumped into him over lunch break and I sat and had a salad with him!”
“Oh, great! So now you’re eating lunch with Finn Harrison? That’s really fucking great, Chloe!”
Chloe felt something snap inside of her.
“Oh, really Ben?” she asked savagely. “And who were
you
with during lunch today?”
The other line became quiet and Chloe’s heart sank.
“What kind of question is that?” he asked quietly.
“A very simple one, Ben. Who. Did. You. Have. Lunch. With?” she asked slowly, as if speaking to a child.
“I had a working lunch.”
“Where? Who were you with?” Chloe was on a roll now and she wasn’t backing down.
“What do you mean? I was with colleagues at the mayor’s house.”
“Wow! That’s a pretty big deal,” she said nastily, “Why didn’t you tell me you were having lunch at the mayor’s?”
“I guess I forgot.”
“Sure. Now, why don’t you answer my original question.”
“What the hell, Chloe? I was with colleagues. What do you think?”
“You were with
a
colleague,” she spat, “As in one! And why not just come out and tell me it was Lis!”
“Jesus Christ!” Ben yelled, “Big deal! I had a work lunch with Lis! And what, are you following me?”
“No, you asshole! I came down to your office today to surprise you for lunch and Ally told me where you were. I asked her not to tell you I was there because I was going to try to surprise you on a different day.” Tears of hurt sprang to Chloe’s eyes and they mixed with her guilt over kissing Finn.
Ben was quiet on the other side. “I’m sorry, Chlo,” he said softly. “I didn’t realize.”
“Obviously,” she said bitterly. “So, instead I took a cab back uptown and when I got out at a deli, I saw Finn. I would have stopped and eaten lunch with any of the cast members, it just so happened to be him.”
“Look, Chloe, I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine. I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me about your lunch.”
The phone was quiet again and Chloe didn’t like the feeling.
“Are you still working late tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Who else is staying late?”
“Jesus, Chloe! I don’t know! Whoever decides to stay late!”
Chloe sniffed but remained quiet. She suddenly felt deflated and she didn’t have the energy to argue anymore.
“I won’t wait up,” she said quietly.
“That’s probably best.”
Chloe hung up and looked around. She was glad that the paparazzi shots had been dealt with, yet she felt uneasy over Ben’s strange behavior.
“What are you still doing out here?”
Chloe turned around to see Finn and she couldn’t help but grin at him.
He smiled widely back. “Now there’s a nice smile!”
Chloe felt flattered.
And reckless.
“What are you doing now?” she asked.
Finn’s eyes widened in surprise. “Nothing really. I was going to go home, order take out and run lines.”
“Want some company?” Chloe asked, not quite believing herself as she said it.
“Absolutely.”
Chloe smiled and moved in step with Finn.
“This is quite an unexpected surprise.”
“Well, I feel like being unexpected.”
Finn stopped in front of a black town car and Chloe looked confused.
“My car,” he explained, “Hop in.”
Grinning, Chloe climbed into the car with Finn right behind her. He pulled the door shut and the reality of what Chloe had suggested sank in.
She and Finn were alone together, in a small space, and suddenly the energy between them shifted. The light and witty banter seemed to have gone out the window and now Chloe was aware of Finn’s every muscles, the blueness of his eyes, and his strong jaw line which had just a hint of five o’clock shadow.
Finn shifted in his seat, his hand accidentally grazing against Chloe’s thigh and she jumped.
“Sorry,” Finn said huskily and Chloe laughed nervously.
How had the mood suddenly changed between them?
“So, we don’t have to do take out,” Finn said awkwardly, “My fridge is stocked if we want to make something.”
Chloe could smell the mint on his breath and she squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to get in control of her senses. “Sure,” she said softly, “We could cook.”
“Are you okay, Chloe?”
Chloe opened her eyes to look at Finn. He was studying her with a smoldering look of both concern and desire.
Wordlessly, Chloe shook her head.
“I’m not either,” Finn whispered, taking her hand in his. Chloe knew she should pull her hand away, but she didn’t. It felt too good in Finn’s warm hand.
“Can you trust me?” Finn asked.
Chloe bit her lip and nodded.
Her heart was pounding against her chest and she could feel herself moistening between her thighs. She noticed that Finn’s pupils had dilated.
The remainder of the ride was silent, and Chloe wondered what Finn meant when he asked if she could trust him. They spent the rest of the car ride with her hand clasped in Finn’s. Every so often, Finn would rub the back of her hand with his thumb, and each time he did, she was filled with hot desire.
She knew she couldn’t say no to Finn.
She had sealed her fate the second she had climbed into his private car.
***
The ride to Finn’s condo was much too fast and before Chloe knew it the sleek car was pulling alongside a high-rise building. Finn jumped out and held his hand out for Chloe. Chloe took his hand, feeling the heat pass between them as she climbed out of the car. On unsteady legs she followed Finn inside the building. Finn nodded to the security guard at the security desk and he whisked Chloe into an elevator. Again, Chloe found herself in an enclosed space with Finn that felt much too small for the energy between them.
Finn kept his eyes trained on Chloe and by the time the elevator stopped, her heart was hammering out of control and she could feel a steady pulse between her legs. Chloe barely remembered following Finn out of the elevator and next thing she knew, she was standing in the middle of a spacious apartment that looked over much of Central Park.
Chloe momentarily forgot about Finn as she stared around the apartment in wonder and moved towards the sweeping windows. It reminded her of Alec and Jae-Jae’s condo. While Finn’s condo was smaller, his view was much better.
Chloe looked out at the park which was in full bloom.
“Beautiful,” Finn breathed behind her. Chloe jumped; she hadn’t felt Finn move behind her.
“Yes,” she said quietly, turning towards Finn.
“I meant you, not the park,” he said in a throaty voice. His eyes were fiery with his desire and Chloe had to look away before she could speak.