Take Three Read online

  Monk and Zack left and then Christian went into the bathroom. I cleaned up the rest of the containers from the tacos.

  “Hey, Blythe,” said Christian, coming out of the bathroom. “I’m going to hit the club this weekend. You wanna go out dancing with me? Should be fun.”

  “Yeah, that would great,” I smiled.

  “Great,” he said relieved. “I’ll see you tomorrow on set.”

  “See you then.”

  Christian headed out. That’s when I realized there was one scene I hadn’t gone over while they were here.

  Oh, God! I’m doing a sex scene with Monk tomorrow!

  Hmm, the thought was stressful and arousing at the same time.

  Chapter Nine

  Zack

  Monk and I were lingering outside my trailer, just bullshitting. Actually, I wanted to see if Christian was leaving Blythe’s trailer.

  I didn’t get the vibe they were going to have sex, but Christian was pretty charming when he turned it on. My plan was to ask Blythe out before he got a chance. Monk seemed to be eyeing up her door too.

  That seemed strange to me, because I had heard Monk was gay, and had always thought he was. But maybe he was bi. I’d also heard he lived a chaste lifestyle, hence the nickname. Now I was really confused, because those things seemed to contradict each other.

  “So, what do you think of Blythe as an actress?” I asked, fishing to see what Monk would say.

  “She’s pretty good,” he admitted. “She showed up late on the set, but other than that, I had no problem with her. She took direction well.”

  “Monk, you have to stop directing on set,” I said. “Other actors don’t like that.”

  “I can’t help it,” he said with a shrug. “I’m impatient when people don’t have their shit together.”

  “She seems pretty together, and they did spring this on her last minute,” I said, defending her.

  “Doesn’t matter if you’re a professional,” he countered. “I’m always ready.”

  “Yeah, but it’s different for women, you know that,” I said. “Women get old, they don’t get parts. Young, hot women – they get parts they’re not ready for. Happens all the time.”

  “But you just said she’s good,” he countered.

  “Yeah, but now I’m talking in terms of coping with the sudden power,” I said, clarifying. “It must be a lot to deal with. It’s all I’m saying.”

  “And you think I’m being a dick?” he asked.

  Monk crossed his arms in front of his chest. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at me.

  “I didn’t say that. But you can be rough on people,” I said. “Remember when you did that scene with David Faustino?”

  “We got into an argument, so what?” he said defensively.

  “He’s older than you, man,” I said. “And with a lot more acting experience. You gotta respect that. You can’t tell a guy like that how to act.”

  “I was just trying to help,” said Monk.

  He shrugged and kicked a rock that was close by.

  “I get that, but he got mad,” I said. “I was there. Look, forget all that. All I’m saying is go easy on Blythe. Don’t be your normally too-blunt self, okay? She’s under a lot of pressure. Besides, I did a reading with her while you guys were getting the tacos. She’s solid, bro.”

  “You’re into this chick,” he immediately said. “Tell the truth. You wanna get into her pants.”

  “Well, in my defense, who wouldn’t? I mean, she’s beautiful, right?” I said, evasively. “I mean, you’re standing here watching her trailer. I see you looking.”

  “I just wanna see when Christian leaves,” Monk admitted. He looked down at the ground. “Honestly, I don’t want him hooking up with her first.”

  “First? What, are we going to pass her around like a joint?” I asked, laughing.

  “Ah, ha! You are into her! I knew it,” he laughed. “You’re standing out here to make sure Christian doesn’t bang her.”

  “Yeah, well, Monk, you’re the guy who lives like a monk. How are you going to rectify being celibate through the movie if you’re trying to bang the star?” I asked.

  “No, I’m gonna block out this distraction,” he assured. “I’m very Zen, but I can acknowledge my desires. And I can wait until the movie is over or almost over. Shouldn’t take too much longer.”

  So, now I was finding out that he was at least bi. Perhaps the rumors had been wrong, and he was totally straight.

  Great.

  Now I had two straight men to compete with, instead of only Christian, like I’d thought.

  “Yeah, at the rate we’re shooting these scenes, right?” I laughed. “Jim will be done inside of a week.”

  “You should just avoid her, Zack,” suggested Monk. “You fall in love, it’ll mess you all up.”

  “Me? You’re the one who pretends to be a monk and now stands here all lovesick,” I said. “You are not cut out for the monkhood, my friend. Toss aside those shackles! Get drunk. Ooh, and you had beers today.”

  “Yes, but not to excess,” he pointed out correctly. “I maintain my self-control. You on the other hand, you not only pound beer at keggers so hard that you have to pass out for the rest of the night, but you’ll fall in love at the drop of a hat. Remember that Chili’s waitress?”

  “I dated her for four weeks,” I countered.

  “Then you got sick of her and dumped her,” he said. “You’ll do the same to Blythe and I don’t want to see her get hurt like that.”

  “You honestly expect me to believe that you’re saying that for her benefit?!” I laughed. “You grossly overestimate your acting abilities, my friend!”

  “That’s impossible,” he assured me. Monk gave me a cheesy grin. “I’m a great actor.”

  “Just because you do a hundred push-ups every morning doesn’t make you Robert DeNiro,” I countered. “Julliard isn’t a Planet Fitness!”

  “You wound me, sir!” said Monk, feigning outrage. “Your dagger cuts deep!”

  We both laughed.

  “Seriously, are we going to have a problem if we both try and date this chick?” I asked. “Because I’m really into her. And I didn’t even know your… um, status or availability or interest level, or, um, whatever, until just now.”

  “You don’t get to call dibs just because of my ambiguous sexuality!” objected Monk. “Or just because you like her. It’s up to her and quite frankly, I’m worried she’s already picked—”

  Just then, Christian came to the door of the trailer, followed by Blythe. Monk and I continued to talk, but we were both eyeing them out of the corner of our eye.

  They did not appear to be intimate. Their body language still conveyed to us that they were nothing but coworkers.

  “Did not bang,” said Monk, under his breath.

  “Totally did not,” I agreed, with relief.

  That was the thing about being an actor. You got really good at reading body language. Especially the body language coming from your fellow actors and friends.

  Christian did appear distracted. He just walked away without even turning in our direction. I didn’t think he saw us. He seemed caught up in his own thoughts.

  “He’s thinking about it, though,” said Monk, as we watched him.

  “Of course he is, that’s why he lingered,” I agreed. “Another two minutes and I would have had to think of an excuse to go over there and knock on her trailer door.”

  “That’s the difference between me and you,” said Monk. “I was thinking ten steps ahead. I left my sunglasses in her trailer.”

  “Nice,” I said, genuinely impressed. “You going to get them now?”

  “Nah, too soon,” he said. “I’m going to keep that in the mix in case I need to get in there. I might have to cockblock you.”

  He slapped me gently on the chest.

  I guess he really was straight, and had quite the moves, to boot.

  “Well, since you told me, if I do go over there, the first
thing I’m going to do is put your sunglasses on the front step,” I said. “That way, if you go knocking and looking for them, you’ll look like an asshole.”

  “Okay, that’s a check,” he said, laughing. “However, what if I pretend not to see them, then knock and then get embarrassed that I didn’t see them? I could look all cute and it could be one of those moments between Blythe and me. The whole thing could backfire on you.”

  “Hmm,” I said. “That’s you moving your King out of check. You are good at cockblock chess, my friend.”

  “Look, let’s just agree that no matter what happens,” said Monk. “I get to be with Blythe and you’ll just step away.”

  “Not a chance,” I said.

  “Good luck, I’m out!” said Monk.

  He reached his hand out for a fist bump, which I gave him.

  “I’d wish you luck, but I don’t want you to win,” I said as he left.

  Chapter Ten

  Zack

  Going inside my trailer, it now seemed a little small. I didn’t mind it at first, but after seeing Blythe’s trailer, I was a little jealous. Plus, I was living here and paying for an apartment in Santa Monica, which seemed like a waste of money.

  Fortunately, I had all the comforts of home, including free cable. I was able to cancel my cable and Internet at home, so at least I was saving money doing that for a few months.

  I flipped around to the entertainment news channels. I was half hoping they’d report on the movie, but I had no such luck. It wasn’t time. Six months from now, I wouldn’t be able to turn on the TV without hearing about it, I was sure.

  Putting on a Simpsons rerun, I let it play in the background while I read stuff on the Internet on my phone. After about half an hour, the screen started to make my eyes tired. I was just about to plug in to recharge when Jerry, my agent, called me.

  “Yeah, Jerry,” I greeted. “What’s the good word?”

  “You working?” he said. “How’s the first day of the new shoot?”

  “Good, all is well,” I said.

  “New girl working out?” he asked.

  “Yeah, she’s great,” I said. “You should rep her.”

  “Who’s her rep now?” he asked.

  “No idea, but she’s good,” I said. “Definitely on the rise after this, I think.”

  “Yeah, it’s definitely an opportunity,” he agreed. “But the reason I called is about you. The studio wants to build a one-hour drama around you. They’ve got a couple of pitches and some really good talent as potential showrunners. This could be a lot of work.”

  “How many episodes?” I asked.

  “They’re guaranteeing a whole first season,” he said.

  “Holy shit,” I said shocked.

  I sat up straight on my couch.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, they’re very confident that they can sell it with you attached to star,” said Jerry. “But I need to get back to them. So, can I tell them you’re interested? We’re not committing yet, but, if you’re interested, I’d jump on it now. My opinion, you don’t get much better than this when it comes to TV.”

  “Yeah, yeah, absolutely,” I said. “Tell ‘em yes. Sure.”

  “Good,” said Jerry. “Everything else okay? How’s your trailer?”

  “Small compared to Claire’s,” I said with a laugh.

  “Well, they were banking the whole movie on her, originally,” he said. “If they had started with that chippie they got now – no way she gets that trailer. It’s fine though, right?”

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” I said. “There’s plenty of food. WiFi’s included.”

  “Good,” said Jerry. “Well, I’m going back to talk to the studio guys and tell them you’re interested.”

  “This all happens after the movie, right?” I asked. “I don’t want to mess up the movie.”

  “Of course! Sure! They don’t even know what they’re shooting yet, these guys,” he said. “I just needed a verbal commitment from you so we can move forward. Capisce?”

  “Capisce,” I replied.

  “Great,” he said. “You need anything else, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Hey, in case I forgot to say it,” I said. “Thanks, Jerry. You’re the best.”

  “My pleasure. Ciao for now,” he said.

  Jerry was a great guy. So fast on his feet and witty. I can’t believe he never made it as an actor.

  But that was what this town was like. It chewed you up and spit you out. You either made it, did something else that you could make yourself useful for in Hollywood, or got the fuck out.

  Jerry was, at least, doing a great job as an agent now. He was probably powerful enough to put himself in a movie if he really wanted.

  While I had the phone in my hand, I called my dad to see how he was doing.

  “Hey, boy, what’s up?” he greeted.

  “Nothing much, just wrapped shooting today,” I said. “You still in the recording studio?”

  “Yep, taking a break,” he said. “Too many people in the studio.”

  “Are there really that many country musicians in Los Angeles?” I asked.

  “Hey, this place used to be run by cowboys,” he reminded. “People forget that. Besides, it’s sunnier than Nashville.”

  “I reckon so,” I joked.

  “What’s on your mind, Son? Sounds like you’re thinking about something,” he asked.

  “Jerry’s got an offer for a TV show,” I said. “The studio’s going to build one completely around me. A whole season.”

  “Wow, that’s great,” he said. “You should be able to retire on something like that. Not in L.A., but some place nice.”

  My dad never liked Los Angeles. He only moved here because his country music career had required him to. At heart, he was a country boy and wanted to move back down South.

  These days, he was a little reluctant to entertain that notion, though. He knew I wouldn’t follow him, and he didn’t like the idea of us being hundreds of miles away from each other.

  “Yeah,” I said, agreeing with his praise.

  “Something else bothering you?” he sensed.

  “Ah, my co-star,” I said. “She’s really something.”

  He laughed.

  “Ah, okay,” he said. “Now I get it.”

  “Get what?” I asked suspiciously.

  “You got the hots for a new girl, that’s what,” he said. “Take it slow this time, Zack. Don’t jump into another thing. You know how you get smitten.”

  “I am, I am, but my co-stars are sniffing around, too,” I said. “I need to separate myself from the pack, if you know what I mean.”

  “Well, then, I change my mind. My advice is to be bold. Ask her out as soon as possible,” he said. “The first guy who gets a date will probably win her, unless he’s an asshole.”

  “Solid advice as always, Dad,” I said. “Christian and Monk are tough to beat sometimes.”

  “Oooh, going up against your friends, huh?” he said. “Just remember, bros before hoes. Plus, you could always date her after one of them do, if you don’t mind sloppy seconds. It’s how I met your mother.”

  “I really didn’t need to hear that,” I said.

  “Ah, that’s just life,” he said. “People aren’t vacuum sealed before we meet them. You gotta take their past with their present.”

  “Isn’t that a lyric from one of your songs?” I said suspiciously.

  “Probably,” he said. “If it isn’t, I’m sure it’ll be one soon. Listen, it looks like the drummer’s back from the can. Gotta go. Talk to you later.”

  “Later, Dad,” I said. “And thanks. I think.”

  “Any time, Son.”

  After I hung up, I looked out the window of my trailer at Blythe’s. I wish I had an excuse to go see her now.

  Dammit.

  No. It would be too much. I had to take this slower. Tomorrow, maybe I could get her alone at lunch or something. Ask her out.

  Wh
ere could I take her?

  What’s a perfect first date for an actress?

  Hmm, we couldn’t go to a play or a show. That’s always the wrong move with a performer. That’s like taking a chef to a rival’s restaurant.

  Maybe I could take her hiking. Is that weird for a first date?

  No, I got it! I suddenly realized.

  I’d take her to dinner. That new Korean hot pot place everyone’s talking about could be good. But I needed a backup in case she hates that for some reason.

  I decided I’d take for some high-end Chinese food. Can’t go wrong with that. There were always vegan choices there.

  She ate beef tacos tonight, so meat wouldn’t be a problem. Wait a minute. Was she flirting when she “took the beef”? Was that a signal?

  No, I’m reading too much into things.

  God, what is wrong with me?

  I haven’t felt this way about a woman in a long time.

  She’s not even here and I’m feeling flustered.

  There was only one thing to do about it. Stripping off my clothes, I hopped in the shower. It was time for a little self-love.

  In my head, I was imagining making out with Blythe. First, we’d go to dinner, have a great time. There’d be some laughing, jokes and whatnot. But the vibe would be clear afterwards, when we ended up on the sidewalk, kissing.

  It would get intense and I would lean in and say, “You want to go back to my place?”

  She’d smile and nod, saying, “Yes.”

  Then we’d grab an Uber and come back here. The make out session would continue. As we moved to the bed, we’d strip off each other’s clothes.

  Imagining her curvy body naked really got me hard. I was also replaying the steamy scene we had practiced together.

  The next thing you know, I’d be on top of her, fucking her. Her legs would be up and out in a “V” formation. I could get a really good view of her folds, her dripping wet hole, and her plump ass as my big, hard cock thrusted in and out of it.

  Imagining being inside her deep, wet, hot pussy, I came. I actually came so hard, my knees buckled a little and I almost fell over in the shower. It was intense, but it finally cleared my mind.