Keystrokes Page 5

  “Where are we going?” I ask.

  “I am taking you on our first date.” He smiles as he brings my hand to his mouth and brushes his lips over my knuckles.

  “First date, huh? So what does one do on their first date with a movie star?” I excitedly inquire while bouncing in my seat.

  “It’s a surprise.” He winks at me and laughs at my obvious giddiness.

  We continue to drive through traffic, until we reach a laser tag arena on the other side of town. I lean forward and look out the windshield. “Laser tag? We are going to laser tag?” I ask, pretending to be disappointed, when in fact I absolutely love laser tag.

  “Teenagers, play laser tag.” He backs into a stall close to the door and shifts the car into park. “And if you recall, apparently I am a sixteen year old boy.”

  We exit the car and walk toward the door. Kasen rented out the whole place just for us. The attendant at the counter explains how the sensors work and makes sure we have our vests on and our guns work.

  “You’re. Going. Down, Wells!” I sneer.

  “Sounds good to me.” He winks and bites his lip.

  I smack his shoulder and run into the dark maze ahead of him.

  Entering the dark halls, I see designs painted on the walls in fluorescent paints that glow under the black lights that line the ceilings. I turn the fourth corner and it’s darker than dark. I can barely see my hand in front of my face, but I can hear him nearing me. He’s not very graceful, tripping over the uneven floorboards and backing into the walls.

  He’s around that last bend, so I pull back and make myself as small and invisible as I can while I wait for him in the darkness. He enters my zone, and I wait for him to come closer. Three more steps and I will be able to reach him. My heart is racing, when my sensor starts flashing.

  Kasen crouches down to me and whispers, “Gotcha doll, better go get reset.” And he takes off around the corner into the darkness again, laughing manically. I make my way back to the attendant and it feels like the walk of shame. My head is bowed and my shoulders are slumped when I arrive at the counter. The attendant resets me and sends me back into battle.

  Two hours go by in a heartbeat, and I managed to get him a few times, but this is definitely his game. The attendant and I have exchanged twitter handles. We’ve bonded. Besties for life. Kasen, on the other hand, looks just like a kid in a candy store. So excited, so happy, so free. In everything he has ever done publicly, he has never had a smile this pure.

  Kasen signs an autograph and poses for a picture with the attendant, and we are on our way. He opens my car door and helps me in. Playfully, he leans down and snaps my seatbelt shut. Closing the door, he dances around the front of the car, opens his door and slides in. He turns over the engine and slides his sunglasses on. The smile remains.

  “That was the best first date ever!” He joyfully announces while fist pumping. TICK, TICK, TICK, BOOM spills from the speaker and he screeches out of the stall. He’s drumming along on the steering wheel and singing along loudly. It doesn’t take long for me to scream out the TICK, TICK, TICK, BOOM. Kasen stops singing and raises an eyebrow at me. Slowly, he reaches over and turns down the sound.

  “Well, it WAS a great first date. Until you ruined it with that caterwauling. You should never do that again.” I’m expecting him to tell me there is no Santa Claus by the expression on his face. “Never.”

  “I told you that first night that I can’t sing worth crap.” I defend with a chuckle and slight embarrassment.

  “I thought it was just rock ballads that you suck at. How can one butcher the word boom?” Kasen means business.

  I reach over, smack him and we both laugh as he steers us back to the loft.

  Getting Down and Dirty – Into the night

  By Farrow Connoley

  I have a deeper respect for everything that goes into the movies we love. Fourteen hour workdays, costumes, makeup, repetitiveness, did I say fourteen hour workdays?

  Yesterday’s shoot was intense. I can’t tell you the scene because I have been sworn to secrecy in the form of an NDA, and I kinda like what I am doing, so my lips are sealed.

  I can say, without a doubt, that the film adaptation of DIRTY is HOT! I’ll have more pictures tomorrow. We were on set until the wee hours of the morning, and I slept for the better part of this day. I have to wait for approval for some of the treasures I want to share.

  I’m signing off early today. No tweeting for me. BUT don’t forget to send me those questions for Kasen or Sierra. I will have formal (HA) interviews with them soon and will make sure I ask the questions for you!

  XO Farrow

  Chapter 11

  I reach for my fluffy towel and step onto the bathmat admiring the space. This bathroom is bigger than my whole apartment back home. There is a vanity mirror above the sink, it’s very monochromatic with silver and black everything. I pat my skin dry and wrap the towel around my body. I have already squeezed most of the water from my hair, so I just throw a smaller towel over my head and begin to rub.

  Opening the door that leads to my bedroom, my mind leads back to laser tag and the scolding I received from Kasen earlier in the day about my singing. Smiling, I cover my head in the towel and enter my room. I haven’t been this happy since I found out I won the contest, but even that happiness doesn’t compare to this immense feeling of elation that I have anytime I think of Kasen Wells. I lay back on my bed and close my eyes. I have to be on set in four hours. Night shoot. How can this be my life?

  The house phone rings, so I stand and make my way to the kitchen.

  “Good evening, Commissioner Gordon.” I state as I answer the phone, while resting my hip on the counter. “Trouble in Gotham tonight?”

  I hear Sergey chuckle on the other end. “Good evening, Ms. Connoley. I have a delivery for you, may I send them up? Or would you prefer I sign for it and you can collect at your leisure?”

  “That’s fine, Sergey. Please send them up. I’m expecting some items from Entertainer Insider.”

  “I will. Please have a good night.”

  I go back to my room and throw on shorts and a hoodie before there is a knock on the door. Opening the door, the delivery person is handing me a small flat box wrapped in brown paper and a tablet to collect my signature. I hand the delivery man a ten dollar bill, thank him and close the door. Walking across the hardwood to the sofa, I begin to untie the twine around the package. Sitting down, I place the twine on the coffee table and begin to unfold the brown paper gently, removing the box.

  The box is a plain, white box. The kind where you take the lid off to see what’s inside. It’s doubtful that Entertainer Insider would send me a box of this size or one of this nature. I lift it to my ear and shake it. Nothing.

  Taking a deep breath, I lift the lid and see a piece of silk string, looped around and around. It’s got to be fifty feet of string in here. Attached to the end of the string is a tag that simply says “For our second date.”

  I hold up the string with my fingertips, and if there’s a clue… I am missing it. I place the box and the string on the sofa and pick up my cell phone.

  Me: I just received a curious delivery.

  Kasen: I see

  Me: Want to fill me in?

  Kasen: Nope

  Me: * sigh *

  Kasen: Sorry I have this dinner meeting.

  Me: It’s your job. I have Skittles.

  Kasen: And batteries

  Me: HAHA...and apparently…rope!

  Kasen: Silk Twine

  Me: Difference is?

  Kasen: You’ll find out.

  Me: But not tonight

  Kasen: Nope

  Me: Fine. Enjoy dinner.

  Kasen: You too.

  I put my phone down and pick the string back up. Silk twine? What the hell is the silk twine for?

  The car is lonely without him. It’s far too quiet and uncomfortable. Tonight is a closed set. I am n
ot allowed to bring any recording devices: phone, camera, voice recorder…does anyone even use a voice recorder anymore? The driver doesn’t speak. He has answered questions as simply as possible, usually ending in a ‘Ma’am’. Since he makes me feel old, I decide to stop talking to him, cross my arms and stare out the window.

  We pull up to a farmer’s field. Motorcycles are being unloaded from trailers, lights are set up everywhere. It’s like walking into a football arena for a night game. Except these players are all dressed in leather cuts, denim jeans, and bandanas. I arrive as they are rehearsing a fight scene. Kasen rushes in and other actors follow. They clash with another group. A slow motion rumble takes place. Makes me think of a dance, one person leads, another follows. The next person bends over and another person brings a knee into his face. It’s all very romantic.

  They head back to their marks and some of the actors begin to get into character by rolling their shoulders and bouncing around. It’s actually quite amusing. “ACTION!” gets yelled from behind me. I’m looking all over that field. There is so much chaos I don’t know how cameras find the one actor and follow them through an action scene like this. “CUT!”

  I move to stand by one of the Grips who is closer to the melee when action is called out again. From this view, I can see sweat and facial expressions. I find it so unnerving to watch a movie unfold without hearing the sounds that coincide. This scene gets shot from various angles, with a few changes and ends. All the boys pat each other’s backs and the ones who aren’t part of the next scene head to their trailers for some quiet time.

  We move into an old dilapidated barn, and Bob walks over to me.

  “Farrow, how are you doing?” His eyes are puffy with exhaustion and his breath smells of coffee and mint. Not the most pleasant combination.

  “Hi, Bob! I don’t know how you guys do this for a living!” I yawn and cover my mouth with my hand.

  He laughs and runs his hand over his scruffy face. His five o’clock shadow is patchy and graying. “We have two scenes to shoot in this barn, and we can only allow you to witness one of them.” He puts his hand on my shoulder as I nod.

  “No problem, Bob. I know what’s going to be happening in this barn.” I wink. “I want to see if you can do my imagination justice.” I smile through my disappointment.

  “We won’t be shooting the scene you can be here for until we wrap this first one. Probably about an hour or so. Why don’t you go grab some coffee, take a nap. I’ll send someone for you.” His voice drifts as he walks away and starts telling everyone where he needs them.

  I get it. I do. I just really wanted to see this scene. Jess is brutally attacked in this scene. Sexually and physically. Her attack was part of the reason Tate and crew went apeshit on the other club. I was hoping to see the movie magic, but I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it.

  Disappointedly, I walk towards the catering truck to get some coffee and hang out with the extras. Women in skimpy clothes, wearing three quarter length jackets, all huddling together and bouncing on their toes to keep warm until they are called. I’m on my third coffee, when the extra I am chatting with goes silent and her mouth drops open as she looks over my shoulder. She begins touching her hair and face, very obviously flustered. I cross my arms over my chest and turn around.

  “Kasen Wells.” I laugh. “Look what you did to that poor girl!” I turn and point to the extra whose eyes are as big as saucers and her mouth hangs open. I start laughing at the expression on her face knowing full well that I had that exact expression at the airport.

  Kasen smiles at the girl and takes my hand. “Come with me, Ms. Connoley,” he urges playfully. He’s wearing faded jeans that ride low on his hips and a linen shirt that is open and exposing his chest. My stomach flips, and my panties instantly combust. I pick up my purse and fall into step with him toward the barn.

  “How was dinner?” I ask him, as I struggle to walk through the field attempting to keep his pace.

  Feeling my struggle, Kasen slows and squeezes my hand. “Dinner? Not as fun as dinner the other night.” He admits and I blush. His smile brightens and we continue our pace to the barn, without another word between us.

  As we reach the door, we pass Grips, extras and stuntmen. Kasen raises our joined hands to his mouth and brushes his lips across my hand. “Last scene, two hours tops and we can leave.” He vows as we enter the building. I hope he can keep this promise. I am beyond exhausted and just want to go home. I know that when today is done we get a few days off while we wait for specific permits and props to arrive. Apparently, there were location changes that require extra permits, and it was an oversight.

  The oversight is okay. by me. I plan on sleeping for two days.

  Chapter 12

  Getting Down and Dirty – DOWN TIME

  By Farrow Connoley

  We are getting a few days off. Technicalities. Keep watching my social sites

  for updates and info that only I can provide!

  Be back soon.

  XO Farrow

  My phone chirps. I want to ignore it, but I can’t. Opening one eye, I swipe the screen and see I have a text message.

  Kasen: WAKE UP!

  Me: No

  Kasen: If you want to know what the silk twine was for, wake up

  Me: I do, but NO

  Kasen: I’ll be there in two minutes

  Me: I won’t answer

  Kasen: You don’t need to

  I toss my phone back on the nightstand. I was up most of the night submitting blogs and write ups and interview questions to various people around this movie. It seems everything I want to ask Sierra needs to be approved by her agent. I’ve had to edit the question list twice already.

  I hear my suite door open and close. Smiling I throw my arm over my face and shake my head in disbelief.

  His footsteps near. “I’M SLEEPING,” I call out. “GO AWAY.” Rolling over, I bury my face under my pillow. I am not ready to face the sexy jerk that just walked in like he owns the place. Wait… Does he own the place? “DO YOU OWN THIS BUILDING?” I yell into my mattress.

  Slowly, my bed dips and the duvet is gingerly being dragged down to expose more. Feeling his lips on my lower back, I remember that I wore only my panties to bed. This is not a good situation to be in when it comes to Kasen Wells. My face heats and I decide that I really have to concentrate on NOT rolling over.

  Kasen’s lips trace my spine, from my lower back to my shoulders. He removes the pillow from my head, and I lose my only defense. This is not good. Tenderly, his fingers brush the hair from my face and expose my neck in the meantime. His tongue darts out and tastes the sensitive flesh below my ear and I melt when I hear his soft breath.

  “Looks like someone slept nude,” he practically sings.

  “Only up top,” I confess. “Although I might as well be,” I tease.

  I hear him swallow hard in my ear and clear his throat.

  “I’m going to leave the room so you can get dressed. Dress warm.”

  I open my eye and glare at him. “Why?” I sneer.

  “Date. Five minutes. Get ready.” He rubs his head and leaves the room, flustered.

  I hear his footsteps get further away and reluctantly get up with the duvet hugged tight to my chest. I step into my jeans and my gray cable knit sweater. After one final look in the mirror, I leave my room and find him sitting on the sofa, shaking the foot that is resting upon his opposite knee.

  Noticing me, he stands and walks in my direction. He smiles that sexy, confident half smile that makes my knees weak and my panties moist.

  When he reaches me, his thumb finds my belt loop as his lips find mine.

  “What’s the plan, Mr. Wells?” I ask while cupping his face with my left hand and running my right down his chest.

  He smiles. “Let’s go.”

  We enter the parking garage and a Harley is waiting for us, with a picnic basket and a flat box. Raising my eyebrow, I look at
him. “I know a guy.” He shrugs and hands me a helmet.

  Throwing his leg over the bike, he moves forward for me to slide on behind him. My thighs wrap around and squeeze his hips, and my hands find their home locked low around his waist. He starts the bike and sits back down. Leaning back he calls over his shoulder, “Hang on, I like to drive fast.” I didn’t miss the innuendo.

  I unlock my hands and lock my thumbs through the belt loops closest to his zipper. “I like going fast.”

  Kasen guns the engine and we hit the street. He’s not kidding. He likes going fast. Every time he shifts gears, my fingers brush the zipper of his jeans. I am so tempted to cup him, but we aren’t there yet, and that’s okay with me. I like where we are.

  We drive through town and turn off toward the farm we were filming the other night. Driving up the private drive, we are protected on either side by beautiful willow trees. Kasen pulls over, parks the bike by a walking trail and puts down the kickstand. He helps me off first, and then brings his leg over and gets off. Grabbing the basket and tucking the package under his arm, he takes my hand and leads me onto the foliage lined path. Destination-unknown.

  We exit the thick brush into an open field covered with wildflowers. Just over the knoll, there’s a brook lined with rocks and cat tails. I stop dead in my tracks and Kasen wraps his arms around my shoulders, while I stare slack jawed at the beauty before me.

  “Like it?” Kasen asks as he nuzzles into my neck from behind.

  “WOW,” I am in awe. “Just. Wow.”

  Rubbing my arms, Kasen backs away and opens the picnic basket. He pulls out strawberries, kiwi, and bananas. I lick my lips when I see the banana, and he doesn’t miss it. Whipped cream, candy sprinkles, cherries on stems and two protein bars. My eyes open wide and I smile at his playfulness.

  “Dessert.” He blushes and reaches for my hand.

  “Of course.” I grin as I sit across from him on the gray blanket spread out on the bank.

  I tear the foil of my protein bar and look at the package beside him. He follows my gaze.