Authors: Marianna Roberg
Jaina was nervous. This felt very weird.
She gave herself a shake, to relax and get into character. She was already at the bar, already held a glass of "beer"--apple juice and club soda--and just had to sit there until Colin came up to her. Her lines
were easy, and she'd already run through the scene in rehearsal, several times.
Why was she so
nervous
?
Jaina sipped the apple juice. Part of her wished it was real. Then she wouldn't be so freaked.
She sat still as everything was set up and the actors, the
real
actors, took their places.
"Speed!" someone called.
"Rolling!" from another.
"Action!"
Jaina lifted her glass and took a healthy swallow, then glanced down the length of the bar.
She heard the door behind her open, somehow felt Colin approach. She glanced up briefly as he reached the bar and asked for a beer. She gave him a slight, friendly smile, and let it deepen a little as her gaze lingered. Then she turned back to her drink.
A moment passed, then Colin moved over. "You're one of the dancers, aren't you?"
"I am, yeah." She looked over. "You saw the performance?"
"Yeah. I liked it. You're very good."
"Thank you." Jaina didn't feel at all nervous now. The instant she'd looked into his sapphire eyes, it had all bled away. She was thrilled that neither of them had flubbed any lines yet.
"So, uh, where did you, uh, learn to dance like that?"
Jaina let a tiny smile curve her lips. He was so good at playing the adorable dork. "Auckland."
She offered her hand. "Laurie Stover."
Colin shook her hand. "Alex Noble."
"And what do you do, Alex?"
"I'm a doctor."
"Oh, a doctor!" Jaina let a hint of her playful side peak out. "What a coincidence! I'm in need of a doctor."
He looked a little worried. "Are you ill?"
She shook her head. "No, I've got... a mole I need checked out."
Her eyes moved over him. No one knew the heat in them was real. One brow lifted. "That is, if it's not too much of an... imposition?"
Colin swallowed. "Uh, no. Not at all. Should we, uh, find somewhere..."
"Private? By all means, Dr. Noble. Where do you suggest?"
She stayed there, smiling suggestively, until the director called, "Cut!"
When the man came over, he was effulgent. "That was brilliant! Perfect! And in one take! Do you often help him with his lines?"
"Uh, yeah. Kinda." Jaina broke eye contact with Colin and looked at the director.
"Now, we need to get reaction shots, and maybe some close-ups..."
Jaina sighed
.
♥♥♥
Colin dropped Jaina off at home, since he was having his sister over for dinner. Jaina didn't feel she could deal with anyone new at that moment, so she spent the evening with her family, who were having a pseudo-birthday party for the twins, since Jaina hadn't been along on the trip.
After dinner, they had cake and ice cream, and Jaina gave the twins their presents: a toy lightsaber for Christian and a doll for Clarissa.
Jaina was playing with the twins when the phone rang. She stopped and listened to Jason as her brother answered it, hoping it was Colin. When he didn't call for her, she knew it wasn't, but still, she got up and went to inquire, since Jason didn't sound too happy.
"Yeah," Jason was saying when she reached the kitchen, where Jason had gone. "She didn't- She wasn't- Dad, you can't!"
Jaina wondered what it was their father was doing.
Jason glowered at his sister, but she knew he wasn't really angry with her, it was their dad. "I have my hands full with Jaina! And my kids."
He sighed. "Yeah... Sure... I guess I can. When?
Jason started digging through one of the drawers, what they called the "junk drawer", for a paper and pencil. She plucked both out of the mess and handed them to him. He took them without a word and started scribbling.
"Yeah, no problem. Tell her to pack warm clothes."
Jaina's curiosity got the better of her. "What's going on?"
Her brother covered the mouthpiece and said, "Dad caught Em."
"Doing what? Messing with the intercom system?"
"Naw, she was..." He stopped and turned back to the phone. "Yeah, Dad, I'm still here. Yeah, I got it. The third, 5 PM, flight 743, on Air New Zealand. That's it? Okay. Yeah, tell Mom hi for me. Bye."
A moment later, he hung up. Turning back to Jaina, he said, "She was..."
"Spit it out already," she said with exasperation. "On the couch with her boyfriend's face in her cleavage?"
Jason dropped the phone with a clatter. "She was with a boy! She's a baby! She's too young!"
The pieces instantly fell into place. "So Dad's shipping her out here?"
"Yeppers," Jason said, then stopped, grimacing, as he realized he'd used one of their sister's favorite sayings.
"Man." Jaina shook her head. "It sucks to be you."
Plaintively, he whined, "Why must you insist on doing these things to me?"
His sister shrugged. "Me? You're the big brother. We're the sisters. It's our job."
She randomly picked something out of the fruit bowl and started to leave the kitchen. "At least now I have an excuse to move in with Colin..."
"Oh, no, you don't!" Jason exclaimed.
"Dude, you need the space," she said calmly. "Besides, where else are you gonna put the nursery?
"
♥♥♥
Jaina honestly wondered why they were shooting
these
scenes when they didn't take place until much later. The continuity on the show--or lack of it--was driving her crazy. Like they were filming three episodes at one time.
They were in Warkworth now,
and would be until the next week. The producers had even gone so far as to get them motel rooms. Except Rebecca. She didn't get one. And by a sheer stroke of luck, Jaina's was right next to Colin's. With an adjoining door.
Not that they were in the motel right at that moment. No. They were on one of the sets, just outside the room that was going to be Laurie's. And Jaina had to walk into the room with Colin, rip her shirt off, and grab him. All things she'd do normally, but to do them in front of everyone else?
Colin came up to her with a cup of hot cocoa. "I got the director to send most of the crew away. It's only the absolutely essential crew here. And then it'll be over."
"There's still the dancing." Jaina held her cup, but didn't sip from it. "And you've still got to film several scenes like this with Rebecca.""
Colin glanced around, and pulled her further down the hallway, away from any crew that might overhear. "Okay, you can't tell anyone, but I'm the one that pushed to film these scenes now. When I found out the dancer had broken her leg, I pushed Rachel like you wouldn't believe. Technically, this episode isn't supposed to film for another two weeks, but I thought, early into this as we are... delaying the rest of the scenes with Rebecca would be a good idea, and you and I could... do this."
Jaina could have kissed him, but refrained. "You are too sweet. I don't deserve you."
He sighed heavily. "I don't deserve me, either."
Jaina snorted and poked him. "Dork."
He made a grab for her hand. Laughing, she dodged and said, "Nuh-uh-uh!
Ne me touchez pas
!"
Colin's expression said that was distinctly unfair. He didn't get to say anything though, because the director popped out the door then and beckoned for them.
"Well, here goes nothing," Jaina sighed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
In "Laurie's" motel room, the camera was being set up facing the door. Jaina and Colin stood just outside the closed panel.
"You all right?" he whispered.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't relish having to take my shirt off..."
"You'll do fine," he reassured her. "You've been doing great."
"Thanks."
"You survived your brother, you can survive this."
Jaina laughed. "I'm just glad I'm not wearing one of my lace bras today."
He gave her a lopsided grin.
All too quickly, the director called, "Action!"
Jaina pushed the door open and walked in. Colin followed her across the room. So did the camera.
"This, uh, mole," Colin stuttered.
Jaina took a deep breath, turned her back to the camera, and pulled her shirt off.
He gulped.
"Here," she said.
Colin stepped forward, looking at her breasts.
As he moved closer, Jaina grabbed him, pulling his head down as she pressed her body to his. He acted properly startled, even though she could feel his body automatically--and eagerly--react to her.
Jaina somehow got his shirt off as she backed to the bed, and then they fell to the mattress. They rolled so he was above her. She slid her hands over his bare back, one leg wrapped around his hips...
"Laurie, I... This is very..." Colin stopped. With barely restrained glee, he
said, "Oh, bollocks, I've forgotten my line."
Jaina rolled her eyes and sat up.
"Cut!" the director called. "Let's do it again.
"
♥♥♥
After that, when Colin filmed his sex scenes with Rebecca, Jaina stayed off the set and in a quiet corner, reading a book. She'd finished filming her role, and happily went back to being the makeup artist.
Colin was standing to one side, sipping a cup of coffee, watching Jaina, when Robert approached him. He smiled at his costar in greeting.
"I've been trying to talk to you all week. You got a minute?" Robert asked.
"Sure." Colin led Robert away from the others. "What's on your mind?"
"Jaina."
Colin blinked. His face must have conveyed astonishment or something, because Robert very quickly said, "Not like that. No. What I mean is... It's not my place to say, really, but she's got it bad for you. I just thought I should... make you aware of it..."
Colin's expression cleared. "Ah. That. Yeah, I know. I got it covered."
Robert was relieved. "I take it you've talked to her about it?"
Recalling their "talk", Colin mused he was doing the best acting of his life. "Yes, we've discussed it."
"Good, good. 'Cause she's a very nice girl, and I don't want you crushing her or anything. And filming that scene must have been awkward..."
"Yeah, awkward," Colin said distractedly.
"Okay. Well. Yeah, that's what I wanted to say." Robert smiled self-consciously and moved off.
Colin looked over at Jaina, wondering, if Robert had noticed, what anyone else knew
?
♥♥♥
That night, Colin lay awake in the bed in his motel room, watching as Jaina slept. Her eyelashes were darker than the rest of her hair, he noticed, at the tips, but almost blonde at the roots. It was odd, but alluring. They were also very long, resting against her cheeks.
She had a scattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks, barely visible. A tiny mole sat near her left eye, invisible except at this distance.
Colin trailed a finger down her cheek, watching her smile faintly in response. His finger moved down her body, to her hip. Murmuring softly, Jaina wiggled a little, moving closer. He smiled and lightly stroked her skin. Her breathing deepened and she shifted, unconsciously pushing against his hand. His smiled broadened into a grin.
Eventually, he tired of that, and stopped. There was a sound of protest from Jaina, and he looked to see that her eyes were open.
"Stop now, Pierce, and I won't be responsible for what I do to you," she vowed.
Flashing his teeth, he said, "You promise?"
She growled and lunged for him. He yelped as they went off the edge of the bed, landing with a thud on the floor.
Instantly, they both stilled. Colin couldn't have moved, because Jaina had landed atop him and knocked the wind out of his lungs.
"Who's got the room under yours?" Jaina whispered.
"John," he wheezed. "Off!"
She scrambled to her feet. "You think he heard?" she asked, giving him a hand up.
When he'd got his breath back, he said, "Jaina, three hundred pounds just hit his ceiling. I'd be surprised if he
didn't
." Colin put a hand to his chest. "I think you broke one of my ribs!"
"I already said I'm not responsible," she replied. They were still speaking in hushed voices.
"Yeah, right. You are really in for it-"