Previously:
City View Suite, The Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego, California, USA, July 2016
He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "In the end, I just feel sorry for him, more than anything."
"You do? Why is that, pray?" she asked, sitting up and looking at him in confusion.
"Because ultimately, he's the one who's worse off, on the whole," he explained. "For all his arrogance and boasting, he's still just your co-worker. At best, he's your fake boyfriend, nothing more."
"As opposed to my real boyfriend, you're saying?" she asked, smiling at him.
"It's a much better job to have, believe me," he said smoothly.
She kissed him deeply, playing with his tongue as his hand slid down her back and cupped her arse. "Mmm, well, why don't you show me just how much better the real thing is?"
She got up from the couch, taking his hand as she headed for the bedroom.
"What about the burgers? I thought you were hungry?" he asked, smiling as he got up and followed her.
"The burgers can wait, and yes, I'm starving," she said, arching her eyebrow at him as she led him to bed.
Chapter 10:
Pinewood Toronto Studios, Port Lands, Toronto, Canada, July 2016
"Cut! Sorry, guys. The sheet moved too much," Thea called out.
Matthew groaned and closed his eyes, dropping his head in frustration. Inadvertently, this caused him to nuzzle against Mary's cleavage. Realizing his mistake, he lifted his head to get off of her, only to be held in place by her hands, which were now playing in his hair.
"It's quite all right," she said, smiling at him. "This is very nice."
"As nice as nice can be," he agreed, grinning up at her. "Except for the dozen people or so watching us."
Mary raised her head off the pillow and glanced around. In addition to Thea, the cinematographer, and their assistants, crew members were floating about the large King-size bed that they were lying in, adjusting the cameras and microphones, and her makeup and hair people were standing by off to the side.
"I've been in bed with a man in front of a bigger audience than this," she replied easily, laughing as he looked at her wryly.
They had been filming their first love scene for most of the morning, and it seemed to be one mishap after another. Setting up the different shots took a while to begin with, the camera initially positioned off to the side to capture them kissing and undressing each other as they moved towards the bed. Once that beginning was achieved, they stopped and reset for the actual bed scene, with the camera positioned above them, looking down. With everything ready, they stripped, Mary to a flesh-coloured pair of panties and silicone patches covering her breasts, Matthew to boxer briefs. Even though they weren't doing nudity, they had to give the impression that they were naked, which meant they had to be careful as they moved to not ruin the shot by revealing their underwear.
Choreographing the simulated sex was another education for Matthew. He and Mary had gone back and forth over it for the past few days, even writing it out step-by-step, then walking through the actual motions during their rehearsals. It was bizarre to hear his girlfriend speaking so detached and mechanically about what they were doing. 'Pull my hair a bit, then kiss my neck as if you're trying to mark me. I'm going to start my hands at your shoulder blades, hold them there as if I don't know what to do next, then move them down beneath the blanket and grab your ass to show that I'm getting into it. That's it, yes, exactly, good. Be rough with me. Grind your hips. No, not like that. Harder. You've got to move more so it looks like you're really thrusting…'
She was literally making it feel like school.
It was stranger still to come to set and show Thea what they had planned before they started filming. After they ran through the scene with her, essentially pretending to make love while she watched, the director nodded and said she liked it, then started barking orders to the crew. Mary had gone to wardrobe to get ready, leaving Matthew standing alone in his robe to contemplate just how absurd it all was.
They had filmed the sex part of the scene eight times so far, all with mixed results. In one take, Mary's hair swept across her face in a rather unattractive manner. In another, she opened her eyes and looked directly into the camera when she wasn't supposed to. One particularly noteworthy attempt was going well until their kissing became far sloppier than they intended. Thea thought it looked hot, but both Mary and Matthew argued that it would look the exact opposite of sexy to see a zoomed-in shot of them literally swapping spit on the big screen.
Rolling off of her and pulling the blanket up to fully cover her chest, Matthew sat up, waiting as the crew came forward to adjust the linens and check the lighting was still good. Before today, he never expected that being on top of Mary in bed could ever feel anything but hot and sexy, but he had to admit that all the starting and stopping, the fact that the crew was all watching them, and having to constantly remind himself of what the sequence of steps was, served to thoroughly quell his arousal.
Not that it stamped it out completely.
"Over to the mirror," one of the makeup assistants called, and Mary put on her robe and got out of bed, walking off-set to the hair and makeup station.
Regardless of the circumstances, he was still in bed with Mary and they were still practically naked. Her breasts were partially covered but he could still feel them pressed against his chest. He knew exactly what she was going to do before she did it, but he still felt her hands, her lips, smelled her scent and heard her fake moans, which sounded remarkably similar to her real ones. Though his mind knew they were just acting, his body didn't seem to care about the distinction.
And Mary had done absolutely nothing to keep him calm. Quite the contrary, actually. He looked over at her and frowned slightly when she put on her robe and got out of bed, heading over to a full-length mirror set up off-set with her hair and makeup people.
At first he thought that it was just coincidence that Mary moved her thigh against him as they kissed, just unintentional when her foot seemed to caress his leg, just a part of the scene when she lifted her hips at the same moment that he was supposed to duck under the covers and move down her body. By the eighth take, he knew better. Why did she have to get him so worked up when he was trying to focus on the scene? He took a deep breath and looked down at the floor, trying to calm himself before the next take.
"Matthew seems a bit…uptight," Thea said quietly, coming to Mary's side.
"What do you mean?" Mary asked lightly, looking at her reflection in the mirror as her makeup was touched up.
"He's not as loose and comfortable as he was in rehearsal," Thea continued. "I don't really know what to say to him to get him to relax more. I keep calling out for the two of you to just go with whatever comes to mind, but he doesn't seem to be getting it."
"He's just nervous. It's his first love scene on camera," Mary said easily.
"Right, right, of course," Thea agreed. "But this scene is really important, yeah? It's got to have some…"
"Heat?" Mary suggested.
"Yeah, heat," Thea said, smiling at her sheepishly. "Do you think he just needs another drink?"
"No, if he drinks too much, he gets terribly grumpy," Mary said offhandedly. "We've both had more than enough shots to calm our nerves, as it is."
Thea frowned at her in question.
"Leave it to me," Mary said confidently. "I'll have a little chat with him."
"Thanks, Mary. I just figured you could give him the benefit of your experience," Thea said.
Mary nodded and smiled as the staff left her. She walked over to the bed, looking at Matthew sitting off the side, leaned over, his elbows on his knees. Part of her actually would have enjoyed seeing Thea try to explain to him how to properly act out a sex scene, but it was better that she do it. Unbeknownst to the director and everyone else on the closed set, except Anna, Mary had far more effective methods when it came to getting through to Matthew.
"Ready?" she asked him cheerfully, coming to his side and taking off her robe. A crew member came over and took it away, deliberately averting her eyes.
He looked up and swallowed, taking in her nearly naked body. "Yeah," he nodded.
"Good," she said crisply, bending over and crawling into bed. She knew she was giving the rest of the crew a bit of a show, but she didn't mind. She had his attention, which was all that mattered.
He watched with far more interest than he wanted to as she moved over to the centre of the bed and slid under the covers. Sighing quietly, he turned and got in next to her, trying to think of anything but how he was about to move between her legs again. As he took his position above her, she bent her knee and brushed against his growing arousal for a moment, before spreading her legs and allowing him to settle over her. She reached around him to pull the duvet up to his waist, her fingers trailing over his ass lightly.
He grunted at the contact and frowned at her.
"What?" she asked, smirking up at him. "Something wrong?"
"You know what," he said petulantly. "You're doing that on purpose."
"Doing what? I'm working, Matthew," she said innocently, arching her eyebrow at him. She could feel him pressed against her, and a ripple of desire flew through her delightfully.
"I don't believe the scene calls for so much…rubbing and touching," he said tightly, glancing around to see if anyone had overheard him. "Particularly beneath the blankets where the camera can't see."
"You're obviously imagining things," she said drily. "We're on set. This is just another scene. Let's just get through it as we practised, all right?"
"Sounds good to me," he said, nodding in relief. Perhaps he had been imagining things. They were moving close together, after all. It wasn't as if Mary could control just how affected he was by her.
"It would be entirely unprofessional of us to take advantage of being so close together, wearing almost nothing," she continued lightly, looking up into his eyes.
He blinked and looked at her suspiciously. "Yes, yes it would be. Completely unprofessional."
"We're just co-workers in this moment," she stated. "You may have made me scream when you fucked me from behind in the shower last night, but now we're at work and this is all make-believe. It's a completely different situation, obviously."
He swallowed as the vivid image invaded his mind unbidden – her naked body, bent over, hands braced against the glass wall of the shower, her wet hair spilling down her bare back, her loud cries echoing through the steam-filled air as she rocked on the balls of her feet in time with his hard thrusts.
"Mary," he warned her.
"Now, if we weren't true professionals," she noted. "If we were incapable of restraint, well, we would take advantage of the situation. You could just pull my panties to the side and be inside of me in an instant, and no one would be the wiser. You could fuck me for real while we're doing the scene, in front of all of these people, and only the two of us would know. I'd just hold on to you and take it, over and over, and everyone would think my moans and writhing were just me putting on an act."
A mixture of shock and dark fascination hit him, his eyes unable to turn away from hers.
"If we weren't true professionals, that is, which we are," she said easily, a hint of playfulness creeping into her detached tone.
"Yes, erm…putting ourselves on display…acting in such a…reckless manner is hardly a wise thing to do," he managed, glaring at her as her hand ghosted below the duvet and touched him purposefully.
"It would be absolutely wicked and wrong of us," she whispered, arching her eyebrow at him. "Maybe if I was the type of woman who got turned on by being put in my place by a man, used for his pleasure, all with the risk of being caught and found out, then this situation might prove irresistible. Maybe if I was the type of woman who craved being in bed with my boyfriend and feeling his gorgeous body so close to me, I would barely be able to contain myself."
He grunted and tried to stifle his flaring arousal. He could have stilled her hand, or rolled off of her, but he didn't.
"If I was that type of woman, which I'm not," she said casually.
Her fingers squeezed him and he swallowed, the muscles in his arms and legs tensing as he held himself above her.
"Mary," he growled quietly.
"Let's give them a bit of a show, darling," she teased. "The scene needs more passion, more heat, and I need you to give it to me the way I know you can."
"I'm…argh…I'm trying to just get on with it as we rehearsed," he rasped, her fingers still fondling him beneath the covers.
"I know you are, and you're doing very well," she said kindly. "But for this next take, really let me have it. Nico isn't gentle, we know that, and Christina doesn't want him to be. Go on and show me what I've been missing all this time. Give it to me the way my husband can't."
He gritted his teeth, her suggestions blending with all their preparations in his mind and transforming this from just another take to immersing them into the scenario of the plot.
"He's richer than you, more sophisticated, more successful, more everything, but this is where he can't compete. You're going to teach his wife what it's like to be with a real man. I want revenge on him for cheating on me. I want to feel that thrill that he felt the first time he nailed his dumb slut behind my back. I think this is just a one-time thing, but you're going to change all that. You're going to give me mind-blowing, life-changing, amazing sex. I'm going to want it all the time after you open my eyes to what fucking really is."
"Mary," he sneered, breathing harshly through his nose, his hands on either side of her digging into the mattress.
"Call me Christina," she whispered, encouraging him with a nod of her head.
"Christina," he said, looking her in the eyes.
"Fuck me, Nico," she moaned softly. "I need a good hard fuck so bad."
His cheeks warmed, his hips pressing against her hand.
"Ready on set?" Thea called out, lifting him slightly from his stupor, though he couldn't pull his eyes from Mary's teasing face.
"Let's take it from the kiss again. Just go with whatever you two are comfortable with and let it play out," Thea said encouragingly. "And mark! And action!"
Mary reached up and framed his face with her hands as she pulled him down into a kiss. He pressed his lips to hers, moving with her as they turned their heads back and forth, the kiss growing more urgent.
He snarled and took hold of her wrists, pulling her hands from his face and pinning her arms to the bed. He kissed her cheek, her jaw, then her neck and shoulder. She closed her eyes and gasped as he moved on her, his hips thrusting against hers, their bodies clearly shifting under the duvet. She kept her arms out to her sides as he covered her breasts with his hands and moved down her body, his head slipping below the blanket Though he was hidden from the camera now, he pressed kisses to her bare skin, drawing real moans from her parted lips.
As they went through the agreed-upon steps in the scene, both of them thought about what they would do when they were finished here and finally got some proper alone time with each other. Visions of all the wicked things they would try spurred them on, and by the time Thea called the take finished minutes later, they were both breathing heavily, their heartbeats racing.
"Print that. Let's hope it doesn't melt the memory card," Thea said, grinning as she applauded her actors, who slowly disengaged themselves.
"Congratulations. You've gotten through your first love scene. You did well, actually," Mary said, smiling at him as she sat up.
"Likewise," he said wryly, smiling at her. He held up the duvet to cover her as she slipped into her robe. "And thanks for helping me find the proper motivation."
"You helped me, too," she said quietly so only he could hear. "It was rather easy, in the end, thanks to your...diligence. I found myself not having to think about what was to happen next."
"I didn't need to remind myself of anything, either," he said, grinning playfully. "I suppose we rehearsed so much that it all became second nature, eventually."
"Partly, yes," she agreed. "Though I did have rather vivid thoughts as we were carrying on."
"Vivid thoughts?" he questioned, eyeing her carefully. "Care to let me in on them?"
"I may as well since you were in them," she teased.
"I see..." he managed, swallowing.
She leaned towards him and whispered quietly. "I was thinking about how when we wrap this scene and get out of here, I want to go back to yours and run it through all over again, except for real this time. No pasties, no underwear, no holding back."
His eyes widened briefly. "I…I thought you didn't get aroused when you were in work mode?"
"I don't, well, I never have before," she said, smiling at him mischievously. "I suppose being with you affected me more than I expected."
"That's a wrap for the day, people! Great work!" Thea called out.
Mary arched her eyebrow at him, then got up out of bed, adjusting her robe before being escorted away by Anna. Matthew watched her go, then shook his head before grabbing his own robe and standing up.
"Uh, want to see it, Matthew?" one of the assistants asked, pointing towards one of the monitors that they used to watch the playback of each scene.
"No, I'm good, thanks," Matthew said, grinning as he took off briskly for his trailer.
Home of Alex and Anna Lewis, Rosedale, Toronto, Canada, August 2016
"Are you sure that you'll be all right on your own?"
"Yes, Mom, please don't worry," Anna said, smiling and rolling her eyes as she walked around the kitchen, her headset firmly in her ear. She picked up the sliced onions from the kitchen island and placed them into the bowl with the bell peppers and mushrooms that she'd already prepared. Her mother-in-law had called while she was in the middle of getting dinner ready, and since it was 7 a.m. in Shanghai, Anna felt an obligation to talk to her, not that she minded anyway. "I'll be busy with work mostly, so the week will go by in a flash."
"I told Alex that he doesn't need to stay the extra day to see us. He should just fly back as soon as his meetings are done."
"It's fine," Anna said, shaking her head as she took out the steak from the fridge and brought it to the cutting board. She opened a drawer and grabbed a knife, then went about slicing the rib eye into thin strips. "He hasn't seen you in so long. I'm just sorry that I won't be there."
"Oh, don't worry about that. It's so hot here now and the air quality isn't too good."
She smiled. Ever since she decided to share the news that she and Alex were trying to have a baby, both Mum and her mother-in-law had been beside themselves with joy. While Mum called her even more often with unsolicited advice, which she expected, Alex's mother was still respectful as always and gave her plenty of space. It was cute, actually, how she tried to rein herself in, but it just meant she expressed her concern in other ways.
"I tried that ginseng that you suggested," Anna said. "It tastes delicious."
"Oh, good. Is Alex home yet? He shouldn't be taking this long."
"Should be any minute now," she answered, smiling again. Whereas Mum always taught her that it was Anna's duty to take care of her husband's every need, Alex's parents believed the man of the house was supposed to provide for his wife, and they became even more adamant with him now regarding Anna's welfare. Though both attitudes were rather archaic – the idea that Anna shouldn't exert herself with anything so she would be in a better condition to give Alex a child was preposterous – it was still rather fun to have his parents decidedly on her side.
"Okay, well just have him call me later, or even tomorrow. It's nothing important."
"I will," Anna said. "Luv you."
She hung up the call and put her headset back on the charging cradle. Taking the steak strips over to the stove, she placed them next to the bowl of vegetables and tested the wok by flicking some water onto the hot surface. Satisfied when the drops evaporated right away, she poured the grapeseed oil in and went about cooking the stir fry.
"Now that smells delicious," Alex called, coming into the kitchen. He kissed her cheek on his way to the fridge.
"Your mom called," she said, rocking the wok back and forth as the steak and onions sizzled loudly.
"What did she say? That I'm a horrible husband for leaving my wife to go to China on business for a week?" he asked, getting a beer from the fridge.
"More or less," she said, smiling at him, then pouring the steak and onions on to a plate and throwing the vegetables into the wok. "She said you don't have to visit them on the last day and you should fly back to me as soon as you're done your meetings."
"If she keeps bringing it up, I just might do it," he grumbled. "It'll save me from having to pick up all the gifts and clothes that I'm sure she's bought for you."
"I think she's sweet, both of them are," she stated. "It's far better talking to her than having to listen to Mum tell me what times of the day I should be having sex with you."
"Ugh, come on, love, we're about to eat," he groaned, getting the dishes out and setting the table.
She laughed. "Well, you'll be pleased to hear that her latest theory 'from the girls in her yoga class' is that we should do it twice-a-day, every second day."
"Twice-a-day?!" he blurted out, looking at her incredulously.
She laughed and nodded, putting the meat back in the wok with the vegetables and finishing the stir fry.
"Damn," he said, nodding his head as he considered the idea. "That's…awesome."
She rolled her eyes and laughed, plating their food onto a large serving platter and turning off the stove. A gasp left her lips when she turned around and he took her into his arms.
"Down boy," she managed between kisses, though she did grope him lightly anyway. "Dinner first."
He released her and went over to get a large bowl of rice for them. "Well, if I'm going to be away for a week, then that's six or eight sessions that we should take care of in advance, no?"
She laughed and shook her head. Before meeting him at the dinner table, she frowned at the previously unseen plastic container filled with cherry tomatoes sitting on the counter.
"From Mrs. Chen?" she asked, looking at him for an explanation.
"From Mrs. Chen," he confirmed, bringing the rice over to the table. "Straight from her garden."
"That's nice of her," she noted, coming over and sitting down at the dinner table. She unfolded her linen napkin and put it across her lap before she took a sip of her sparkling water.
"I think it's a not-so-subtle message from her to remind me to make sure I keep feeding you," he said. "If we don't have a baby within a year, she's going to blame me."
She laughed. Weeks ago when she decided they could start trying seriously, she had worried about setting up any kind of schedule with Alex. As much as they wanted a baby, she didn't want him to think that they were only having sex for the sake of conceiving, which she knew was a trap many couples could fall into when they began to think more about having sex at optimal times, rather than making love when they were in the mood for it. Yes, a child would change their lives, but she was steadfast that their marriage was important as well, and the last thing she wanted was for Alex to feel as if she was just using him to get pregnant.
As usual, her concern was misplaced since the thought never entered his mind. They had sex quite often already as it was, but now that she was actually making more of an effort to come home at a decent hour and set aside time where they turned off their phones and focused entirely on each other, he was loving every second of it. She looked over at him in amusement as he sat down and prepared a bowl of the stir fry for her. In her determination to make sure sex didn't feel like a chore, she had bought new lingerie and some intimate outfits to wear for him. She hadn't even used any of them yet. There was no need. Whenever she initiated, he was up for it immediately. His reliability and endurance were actually rather thrilling for her, and she found that she looked forward to getting home to him even more than she did before. With the Olympics having just started, they usually stayed up to watch after dinner before heading to bed. She would sometimes feel tired at the end of such a long day, but he was always raring to go. In truth, even though the increased sex was her idea, she was having trouble keeping up with him.
"Seriously, though," he said. "Are you going to just chill while I'm gone? You should go out a bit, maybe."
"I'm sure something will come up," she replied, picking up her chopsticks and grabbing a piece of steak on the third try. "That new PA that I met in San Diego is coming into town. I'll probably help him look for a place for Tony Foyle, maybe take him out and introduce him to some of the crew who are still around."
"Always concerned about making others feel welcome," he joked, smiling at her.
"Well, it makes for a more harmonious set," she reasoned. "To be honest, Mary doesn't care much for Tony. She says he had a crush on her when they were younger and he's rather annoying. So, if I take care of Mr. Green, then that's less opportunity for Tony to try and bother Mary during filming next year."
"As if that will stop him," he said, laughing. "Seems as though half the British actors who come over here have a crush on Mary at some point."
She laughed and swallowed her mouthful of stir fry.
"It does seem that way sometimes, yeah," she agreed. "Anyway, if I don't get him squared away now, he'll just bug me about it in a few months' time, so better to get it over with."
"Seems to be the same pain either way," he said, sipping his fruit smoothie.
"Well, I am expecting to have far less available time in the New Year, if you prove to be as virile as I've been led to believe," she teased, popping another piece of steak into her mouth.
"No pressure there," he said sarcastically.
"Just your status as a man, is all," she joked.
He looked at her pointedly. "It is the best of both worlds, I suppose," he said. "If it happens quickly for us, then great. If not, well, we get to keep trying. Also great."
He gave her a smirk, then went about quickly wolfing down his meal.
"Babes, slow down," she said, shaking her head. "There's no rush."
"Just want to hurry up and get on to dessert," he said, looking at her intently.
She smiled and went back to her dinner, feeling delightfully warm under her husband's gaze.
Downton Abbey, Yorkshire, England, August 2016
"Isobel," Violet called, squinting as she peered through her glasses at the tablet resting on her lap. She had done that thing with her fingers that Sybil had taught her to enlarge the photos and text on her screen, but it seemed the infernal machine wasn't choosing to cooperate as all she saw was a single word blown up to ridiculous proportions.
"Yes?" Isobel replied, coming into the bedroom drying her hands with a towel. She smiled at the Dowager Countess, propped up in bed with a wall of pillows, her hair freshly brushed and styled following the lovely tea they'd had with Cora in the rose garden. This had been one of Violet's better days, and she was grateful for it.
"It's Matthew," Violet said, handing the cordless phone to her. "Go into the sitting room and talk to him, won't you? I'm trying to take a rest if I can just figure out how to close this ridiculous 'e-book' as it's called."
Isobel took the phone in one hand and reached over and snatched the tablet away with her other. She flicked her fingers across the screen, closing the e-book and opening the music player so that Violet could listen to some soothing Mozart to help her nap.
"Splendid," Violet said with approval, settling back against the pillows.
Isobel smiled and shook her head as she went into the sitting room. She brought the phone to her ear after she closed the door.
"I'm so sorry about that, darling," she said cheerfully. "How are you?"
There was a slight gasp on the other end, then a lengthy pause before a polite voice replied.
"Isobel. Hello."
Isobel blinked. "Mary. Well, hello, my dear. How are you?"
"Well, thank you," Mary answered, closing her eyes and cringing. "And you?"
"Fine, yes," Isobel replied. "Is Matthew there? Your Granny told me he was waiting on the line for me."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Matthew isn't here. Granny had just put me on hold during our call. She said she needed to ask you something," Mary explained.
"Ah," Isobel said, smiling ruefully and glaring at the closed door leading to the bedroom. "It seems we've been thrown together deliberately."
"It does, yes. Classic Granny," Mary agreed. "Well, erm...I'm sorry that I haven't called you myself. I know that Matthew shared our news with you. I expect you have a strong opinion on the matter."
"I do," Isobel acknowledged.
"I...well...the thing is that I can't tell you anything to reassure you, unfortunately, and that's my own fault, I know. If I tell you that I love him, which I do, very much, there's no real reason for you to believe me, given our history. If I tell you that this time will be different, which I believe it will be, I can't tell you precisely why I believe that. If it would help at all for me to tell you that I intend to marry him, I'm afraid that I can't tell you that. I honestly don't know right now, which I'm sure must lower your opinion of me even more, with good reason..."
Her voice trailed off as she rolled her eyes. If Granny wasn't ill, Mary would wish all manner of punishments upon her for ambushing her like this. She hadn't called Isobel because she felt she had no clue what to say to her, which she was now proving quite conclusively.
"Mary," Isobel began carefully. "You have always known me to be honest and forthright, and I shall not be anything less than that with you now. I am concerned, very concerned. When Matthew told me that the two of you were going to try again together, I was quite shocked. I always assumed that you'd closed that door with some finality."
Mary closed her eyes and could only nod, even though Isobel couldn't see her do it.
"I don't need to remind you that when you moved to Canada, Matthew was gutted, absolutely gutted. Of course, it would have been very awkward for the two of you to maintain even a friendship after you rejected his proposal, but he never imagined you would leave England, and Europe entirely. You may as well have gone to the Moon. He firmly believed that he would never, ever see you again, and that very thought tore him apart."
Mary clenched her teeth and rubbed her hand across her forehead, praying for restraint. Obviously, Isobel would take Matthew's side. He was her only child, and for so long had been the entire focus of her life after the passing of Dr. Crawley over a decade ago. She was the quickest to defend him and recite his accomplishments and best qualities. With her, it was always Matthew this, Matthew that, Matthew, Matthew, Matthew. Obviously, Mary knew the breakup had hurt Matthew, but it had hurt her, too. As much as she wanted to defend herself to Isobel, she remained silent. This was a new start for her and Matthew, and dredging up the past, especially to his mother, would do them no good at all.
"Now, when the two of you came back to visit your Granny, I was grateful for her sake, but the reason I didn't call Matthew back myself was because I didn't want him to be embroiled in the exact scenario that ended up playing out," Isobel continued. "I know it was probably difficult for you as well to pretend that you were still together, but for Matthew, it was asking far too much of him to risk resurrecting his old feelings to carry out such a ruse."
Mary nodded again, praying that Isobel would get on with it, just threaten her with a cold 'don't you dare hurt my son again, you bitch' or whatever. Drawing this out was excruciating, which she suspected was the exact reason why Isobel was doing it.
"When you were here, though, it was quite clear to me that Matthew was still in love with you," Isobel relented, her voice softening. "As much as I want to protect him, I raised him to be true to himself, always. He's no good to anyone, otherwise, and his love for you is woven into his very veins, I believe. I may not be entirely on board with his decisions, but I have no doubt he is following his heart, doing what he believes he must, and I cannot in good conscience fault him for that, or raise any objection to it, regardless of how afraid I may be."
Mary's eyes shot open in shock and guarded hope.
"If you're asking for my forgiveness, Mary, which I don't believe that you need, then I will say that I've chosen to put aside whatever happened in your past. Matthew told me he is treating this as a new beginning, and that he isn't assuming anything from your history. So, for the happiness of my son, I will do the same. I want him to be happy. He tells me that you make him happy. Continue to do so and you will have my gratitude."
"Thank you, Isobel," Mary said quietly.
"As difficult as it may be to believe, I want you to be happy as well, Mary. I hope that you are. Goodbye," Isobel said, waiting for Mary to say goodbye and hang up before she turned off the phone and went stomping back into the bedroom.
"You are an absolutely odious woman when you wish to be, you know," she grumbled, putting the phone down on the nightstand and getting into bed.
"Did you say your piece?" Violet asked, keeping her eyes closed.
"Yes," Isobel said, frowning at her deceptively innocent-looking face.
"And Mary heard you out?" Violet questioned.
"Yes," Isobel confirmed. "To her credit, she did not argue, but maintained that she is in love with Matthew, which was good of her, I'll admit."
"Then all is as it should be," Violet said smugly.
"I hope you're proven right, in the end. I know how you hate to be wrong," Isobel noted.
"I wouldn't know. I'm not familiar with the sensation," Violet said easily.
She held her hand out between them, palm up. Isobel saw it and gave her a rueful smile, then took hold of it.
"Is it too warm out for a walk later, do you think?" Violet asked, clasping her hand and pulling it tight to her stomach.
"A walk will be lovely," Isobel agreed, smiling as she settled against the pillows. "We'll go out just for a bit and be back in time for dinner."
The two of them fell asleep as the sun cleared the clouds overhead and shone freshly through the large windows of the bedroom.
Pinewood Toronto Studios, Port Lands, Toronto, Canada, August 2016
"Just wait over here," Lavinia said, motioning off to the side. "They should be done with this set of shots soon."
Matthew nodded politely and stepped away, swallowing as he stood in the back and tried to appear casual. This smaller soundstage had been set up for a photo shoot today, the studio taking advantage of the four principal cast members being on set at the same time to take photographs for the promotional materials, movie posters and other marketing aids for the film. It was actually quite exciting. As with all things involving Shattered, Matthew was experiencing the business on a far greater scale than he was previously used to. He most likely wasn't going to make it on to the movie poster, except maybe an alternate version that was sent to Asia or something, but being part of this new experience was interesting, nonetheless.
Once again, though, he had to focus on remembering it was all just work.
Rick was sitting on the bed on the set, red silk bedsheets spread out beneath him. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his hair was gelled and styled. He looked directly into the camera with a cocky glare, as Natalie and Mary sat on either side of him. Mary rested her head on his shoulder, while Natalie kissed his face.
"Good, good," the photographer said, snapping away. "Now Natalie, turn his face towards you. That's it. Mary, look down and away from them. Perfect. Okay, Rick lean in for a kiss but stop just short. Closer, Natalie. Closer. That's it. Hold that. Beautiful."
Matthew sighed as he watched his girlfriend posing in bed with another couple. He knew that the movie poster would be the three of them in some kind of racy tableau. They had taken pictures fully clothed as well, so it wasn't all about selling sex. Before he had left for wardrobe to get changed, he had seen them all standing against a black backdrop, Mary wearing a more conservative dress than Natalie, Rick in a suit. Mary was holding Rick's hand and looking away, while Natalie was standing just on his other side, facing him and sharing a flirty smile. They had moved to the bed and taken off some of their clothes while he was away, apparently.
"Okay, can we just get a touch-up, please?" the photographer called.
Hair and makeup people came forward, attending to Mary and Natalie, applying a touch of oil to Rick's chest and arms and rearranging the pillows behind them.
"All right, we're going to do an overhead for this one. Rick, just lie back in the centre. Mary lie down and turn away from him. Natalie, lie down and face him. We're going to put a blanket over you, so Natalie put your one leg over his so we see that you're tangled together. Mary, just move over a bit so there's a clear gap. That's it."
The crew came over and spread a white sheet over them once they were in position. The photographer used a step ladder to perch above them and pointed her camera down at the bed.
"Good, good. Rick, touch her chin. Good. Natalie, look deep into his eyes. Perfect. Mary, close your eyes and drop your head a bit. That's great," the photographer said, calling out the instructions.
Matthew frowned as the crew replaced the white sheet with a red sheet and the photographer ran the same poses again.
It was all part of the marketing machine for the movie, Matthew knew. Advance promotion for the movie beyond just releasing the official trailers was important to build interest up to opening weekend. Matthew's past projects usually didn't have much of an advertising budget, and the ones that did had not included him in the campaign.
Lately, the entertainment magazines and industry papers were full of ads and posters for the next season of Paladin and congratulatory notes on the Emmy nominations. The official show art had been released, showing Mary and Henry locked in a passionate embrace. It seemed that Matthew couldn't go a day without seeing Mary almost kissing another man. Her own social media accounts were full of photos of her and Henry from Comic-Con and the official show poster. He didn't say anything to her about it, didn't want to let on that it bothered him, didn't want to be that guy – the jealous boyfriend, irrational and controlling – but it irked him all the same, and now he had to watch her literally between the sheets with another man, and Natalie as well.
"Matthew? Here's the storyboard for your shoot," Lavinia called, coming to his side.
He blinked and turned towards her, nodding quickly and looking at her tablet as she swiped through the series of sketches that had been developed for his part of the photo shoot.
"Most of your shots will be with Mary, obviously," she explained. "She's going to change into a different dress, and we'll have different poses before we move on to the shots on the bed."
He nodded. "Great," he said politely.
"You'll do great, Matthew. Just relax and enjoy it," she said encouragingly, patting his shoulder before she left to speak to another member of the crew about something.
He did relax, if only a bit. Yes, enduring all of this was exhausting, but just as in real life, soon it would be his time with Mary, just the two of them, and they would have their own flirty poses, their own sizzling photos. All in all, he ought to consider himself lucky, he thought.
"Great job all of you! Great job!" the photographer called as Mary, Natalie and Rick all rose from the bed. They got back into their robes and wandered off to change back into their outfits for the next part of the shoot.
"All right?" Mary asked, smiling as she passed Matthew.
"Great," he said, smiling and nodding to her.
"I'll just be a few minutes," she said, heading off to wardrobe.
He watched her go, then looked back at the set. The bed was being remade and a white backdrop was being set up just next to it. As he looked on, it dawned on him that this would be his introduction to the world, for better or for worse. This was his first role in a major film with a worldwide release. Perhaps his face wouldn't make it on to the movie poster, or even appear in magazines, but there was a chance that the photos taken today would come across the desk of another director, or producer, or studio executive. As superficial as the whole thing was, this was his chance to make some sort of impression on everyone.
He glanced around, then went off to a quiet corner close by and began doing push-ups.
"Okay, Matthew, now look down at her chest. That's it. Mary, turn your head away. Gorgeous."
Mary leaned a bit back against Matthew's front, turning her head to look away as she felt him staring over her shoulder and down at her cleavage. They had done a number of group shots with all four actors, then some rather unintentionally funny photos of Matthew and Rick glaring at each other. With Rick and Natalie dismissed for the day, it was just her and Matthew finishing up the last shots of them standing together before they moved to the bed.
As Christina was supposed to be the reserved and cold wife, compared to the wild and fiery mistress of Natalie's Sidney, her outfit was conservative to match. She wore a simple blue, long-sleeved, slim-fitting dress, with a vee-neck showing a bit of skin. The skirt went down to her knees and she completed the outfit with white heels. Matthew was wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans, the rugged, basic look of Nico supposed to contrast her more sophisticated and elegant one. When they began, Matthew seemed rather tense, a bit unsure of himself. He began to loosen up as they went along, and now he was more at ease, responding to instruction far better.
"Take Mary's left hand in yours, Matthew. Raise it up to her chest and hold it there. Keep looking down at her. Mary, keep looking away. Perfect."
For the shoot, Mary was wearing a sparkling diamond ring and gold wedding band on her left ring finger. Though they were just props, she did feel a bit of a shiver when Matthew took her hand and held it against her, just as she felt a bit of a thrill when the photographer told them to kiss. She had gone on and on about how she was a professional, how this was just work, and how she wasn't affected by it. She did believe that, but she also had to admit that it never felt like this during shoots with Henry, or any of the other actors who played her romantic interest on screen. Matthew's touch and presence just felt different somehow, and she found herself surprisingly not wanting to fight against it.
"Great. Great. Okay, let's move to the bed."
She smiled as she stepped away, still holding on to his hand, and led him to the bed.
"That was fun, wasn't it?" Mary said, heading into his trailer first and going to the back to sit down on the bed.
"I actually enjoyed it more than I expected I would," Matthew admitted, following her and handing her the bottle of water he had grabbed from catering before opening his own Coke.
"Who knows? There might be a giant billboard of the two of us kissing put up somewhere in the world by next year," she joked.
"Hopefully, it won't be in London. I should hate to think of what your parents would say about that," he replied, sipping his drink.
"They'd probably take a photo and frame it," she said drily. "They love you, you know that."
"All the same, I'm trying not to think about them watching the movie and seeing some of our more passionate scenes," he said.
She laughed and shook her head. "It will likely come as a shock, yes. I find that I look twice when I see the rough cuts sometimes, not really believing that it's us on there."
"Life can unfold in rather interesting ways, can't it?" he asked.
"It most certainly can," she said, smiling at him warmly.
He grinned and sipped his Coke.
"What's all this?" she asked, seeing a stack of papers on the small desk for the first time.
"Oh. Joe sent me a few scripts," he explained. "Apparently Thea or one of the producers put in a good word for me and my name got out to some projects that are in the works. They got in touch with Joe and he got me the scripts. I was quite surprised, actually."
"It's about time that he does some work on your behalf," she grumbled. "He's bloody useless, that one."
"He means well," he said, shrugging his shoulders. Mary had never liked his agent, even back when they were in England. With the success of Paladin, she had signed a joint agreement with CAA, one of the biggest agencies in the world. While her Aunt Rosamund was still her agent, she now had access to all the resources of CAA to help market and promote her, particularly in North America. By contrast, when he made the move to Toronto, he had stuck with Joseph Molesley & Associates, a much smaller operation that represented actors who had much smaller profiles. Joe had his faults, yes, forgetfulness, disorganization, and horrible time management chief among them, but he was an old friend, and despite Mary's numerous complaints, Matthew never felt he had cause to fault him, really. His agent was just a representative, a middle man. It was Matthew's work and talent that was supposed to get him noticed. Mary always thought such an approach was naïve and ignorant. There were hundreds of thousands of talented actors in the world who remained unemployed and unnoticed. An agent's job was to push his client to the front of the queue, which was something she had no confidence that 'Molesley' as she called him, could do for Matthew.
Before Mary could retort and list all of Joe's faults once more, they heard a knock at the door to the trailer.
"Expecting someone?" she asked, looking at him.
"No," he said, frowning at the door. "Come in!" he called.
The door opened and the photographer from earlier came in.
"Matthew…oh, Mary! Hi!" she said.
"Hi," Mary replied, curious as to what the photographer was doing here.
"Matthew, I just wanted to tell you that you did great today. Someone mentioned to me that it was your first big photo shoot, or whatever. You were really good. You too, Mary," the photographer said cheerfully.
"Thanks," Matthew said, glancing over at Mary, then back to the photographer.
Mary just nodded, wondering why the photographer would go out of her way to come to Matthew's trailer to tell him this. She was eyeing him with a sort of, enthusiasm, that Mary found strange.
"Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you briefly, Matthew. I've got a shoot coming up next week for another client of mine. It's for Giorgio Armani. They have a cologne called Armani Code and they're doing a social media advertising campaign where they have people in different cities all over the world using the product. It's a whole mix of people – not just celebrities, or athletes, or anything – and I really think you would be great for it," the photographer said.
Mary's eyes widened in shock.
"Me?" Matthew said, completely flummoxed. "You think I could be in an Armani campaign? I find that rather impossible to believe."
"Don't speak so soon," the photographer said, smiling at him. "You're a fresh face, which is exactly what they're looking for. Just let me send them some shots of you, just to see what they think. If they give me the go ahead, then I'll get in touch with your agent, or your manager, your people, whoever, and we'll make it happen. If not, that's the end of it. It's going to be really organic, simple, quick and easy. We're just going to take you and some other people to an iconic Toronto landmark and shoot a few photos. A couple hours of your time, max, and this is Armani we're talking about, so you'll be paid well."
"Why not?" Mary asked, smiling at him encouragingly. "It can't hurt to see what they think, can it?"
"All right," he said slowly, looking over at Mary. "I suppose it can't hurt, yeah."
"Great! I'll let you know what the answer is. Here's my card, and I'll talk to you soon!" the photographer said pleasantly. She waved to Matthew and Mary and left the trailer.
"Goodness, I'm dating an Armani model," Mary teased, smiling as Matthew came over and sat down next to her on the bed.
"You're dating a soon-to-be rejected Armani model candidate," he corrected her. "A giant brand like them would never use me. They've already got armies of models, and that bloke who played Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek."
"That's exactly why they'll love you," she said. "You're new, undiscovered, and absolutely gorgeous."
His face lit up at her compliment. "Gorgeous, you say?"
"I've thought so for years," she replied, leaning over and kissing him. "Although perhaps I shouldn't be so supportive of this. Once your photo is all over social media, you'll have women everywhere swooning."
"I doubt that," he said, laughing in disbelief. "Anyway, what are we doing about dinner?"
"I'm in the mood for Chinese, actually," she said. "Someplace authentic where no one will know or care who we are, and we can barely pronounce any of the dishes."
He laughed and kissed her softly. "I know just the spot."
The Residences of Maple Leaf Square, Downtown Toronto, Canada, August 2016
"It's two bedrooms, plus a den, beautiful views of the water, and comes in at just under 2,200 square feet, and fully furnished. It's perfect for a young couple like yourselves," the real estate agent beamed, sweeping her arm across the large living room.
Anna blinked in shock.
"Oh no, we aren't a couple. We're just colleagues," Alexander Green said, laughing and shaking his head. "As much of an honour that it would be, I would never be able to afford such a beautiful ring."
Anna smiled and looked away.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," the agent said. "Yeah, I just saw the ring and…well, you're a very photogenic couple, so…anyway…erm…"
"This is a decent layout," Green said, moving on. "I'd like to see the master bedroom."
"Yes, yes, of course," the agent said, turning to lead the way. "It's right through here."
"After you, honey," Green joked, motioning for Anna to go ahead.
She laughed. "Why, thank you, sweetheart," she said, walking past him and following the agent down the hall.
Green smirked as he trailed behind.
They came into the master bedroom, the large room dominated by a King-size bed. The matching nightstands and dresser were all in a dark Cherrywood. The room had a very masculine feel. The agent began to present the room's features when her phone buzzed.
"I'm so sorry, but I have to take this. I've got three closings going on today. It'll only take a second," she blubbed.
"Go ahead," Green said helpfully. The agent smiled and nodded gratefully, then went down the hall, speaking quickly on her phone.
"Tony will like this," Green noted, glancing around the room.
Anna walked around, taking in the entire space. It wasn't at all to her taste, but she could see how a man would appreciate it. She blinked in surprise as she came upon a large painting mounted on the opposite wall facing the bed. It depicted a naked woman chained to a rock, seemingly trapped at sea, with a foul-looking beast emerging from the water, snapping at her feet.
"Andromeda, by Gustav Doré, 19th century," Green said, standing close behind her. "Do you know the story?"
"No," she replied, looking up at him in surprise.
"Her father was King Cepheus, whose country was being ravaged by storms," he recounted, looking at the painting. "In the end, he decided the only way to appease the gods was to sacrifice his eldest daughter to a hideous sea-monster. So they chained her naked to a rock…"
"Sheesh," she muttered, looking back at the painting. "Did the sea monster…get her, then?"
"Actually, no," he revealed. "Just when it seemed he was the only solution to her father's problems, she was rescued by Perseus, son of Zeus himself."
"Ah, so it has a happy ending," she remarked.
"In a way, yes," he agreed. "She ended up having nine children and ruled over a large Kingdom with her husband. It's an ancient myth, of course, so it's rather insulting to women."
"How do you mean?" she asked, frowning at him in confusion.
"Well, the whole 'beautiful damsel must be rescued by the handsome prince' trope," he said. "It was a very common tale, obviously, but I like to think it would have played better if she had ended up taming the sea-monster. Maybe he was misunderstood."
"Misunderstood? A sea-monster?" she repeated, laughing incredulously.
"Yes, sea-monsters can't be all bad, I imagine," he joked, smiling at her. "Maybe he just needed to find the right woman to set him straight."
She laughed and shook her head, turning and looking back at the painting. "Do you think Tony will want this taken down?"
He looked at the painting thoughtfully, then stepped over to the bed and sat down, looking towards her and the wall as he leaned back against the headboard.
"No, I think he'll quite like it, particularly from this vantage point," he said, smiling at her.
She glanced at him curiously, then looked from where he was sitting in bed to the painting and back again. Blinking, she averted her eyes and looked away, a nervous smile crossing her lips at his implication. He laughed and got up to rejoin her. "Right," she muttered.
"Well, I think this condo is the big winner," he noted as they walked back down the hall to find the agent. "With any luck, Tony will approve and I can fly out tonight."
"So soon?" she asked. "I set up a bit of a night out for tomorrow so you can meet some of the crew from the show."
"Oh, thanks, but that's not necessary, really," he said. "You've already done more than enough for me as it is. Besides, won't your husband be missing you if you're out all night?"
"He's out of the country on business, so it's not a bother," she replied.
"Well, Tony would want me to check out some restaurants and get an idea of what's in the area," he mused. "There's an art gallery around here, right?"
"About a half-hour walk," she confirmed. "It's quite good."
"All right, I'll talk to him this afternoon and try and convince him to let me stay for a few more days. I'll be glad for it, actually. The Gold Medal match in rugby is tonight and I would hate to miss it," he said.
"Ah, yes, it's GB against Fiji, right?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said, nodding his head. "I'm not too optimistic for our chances, actually. Fiji are a bunch of beasts. I'm surprised you know. Aren't you Canadian now?"
"I'm still English officially," she replied lightly. "Besides, I'll probably always cheer for the UK."
They found the agent out on the large balcony. After more apologies, Green got into a discussion with her about the amenities in the condo complex and the cost of utilities. Anna walked over to the railing and looked out on to the blue lake, the sun shimmering off the water. She closed her eyes and savoured the warm sun and the pleasant breeze. She thought that serving as tour guide and real estate agent to Mr. Green would be a chore, but she found she had actually enjoyed spending time with him today. It got her out into the city and visiting places she hadn't seen in quite a while.
"Anna? I think we're good here," Green called. "Can I interest you in a late lunch, or do you need to get back to work?"
She opened her eyes and came over to him, smiling and nodding her head. "I'm sure I can make time for a quick bite."
"Great," he said, stepping aside so she could go back into the condo ahead of him. He smiled as he followed closely behind her.
Apartment of Mary Crawley, Trump Residences Toronto, Downtown Toronto, Canada, August 2016
"Damn, another try," Matthew said, shaking his head at the large television screen. "This is just getting embarrassing now. Fiji is unstoppable."
"Well, silver isn't so bad," Mary said, snuggling against his bare chest as they lounged on the couch. "It's Fiji's first ever Olympic medal. We shouldn't begrudge them that."
"No, no, of course not," he agreed. "And they're bloody good. They've been tossing the lads around all match."
Her phone rang and she picked it up from the side table, glancing at the call display and arching her eyebrow. "It's Aunt Rosamund."
"Go ahead and take it," he said, lifting his arm from her shoulders. "I should probably get dressed."
"Don't get too dressed," she teased, smirking as he got up from the couch and headed for the bedroom wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. "I'm not done with you yet."
He grinned slyly at her and went into the bedroom.
"Mary, hi! I wanted to catch you as I've been receiving a number of calls about you," Rosamund said crisply.
"That sounds intriguing," Mary replied with an arched eyebrow.
"It is, yes. Word's gotten out about what a great job you're doing on Shattered. The studio circulated some of the dailies amongst its executives and they're eager to line up another project for you," Rosamund revealed.
"Lovely," Mary said cheerfully. "Such as?"
"There's a few in the pipeline at the moment. What they want to know from me is whether you're going to commit to Paladin beyond the next season. You're far more attractive if you are available more than a few months a year."
"Well, I do have a contract," Mary noted.
"For one more season. We haven't negotiated beyond that yet. Besides, now may be the time for you to get out," Rosamund said.
"Why? The show's only growing in popularity. I'm not looking to leave just yet, not if there's two or three more good seasons left," she said.
"That could change very quickly. There's rumours going around that Henry might be leaving after this season," Rosamund said.
"What? But why?" Mary asked in shock.
"He's in demand. If he wins the Emmy again, he's got no need to stay. He'll want to cash in on his popularity," Rosamund stated.
"If we lose Henry, the fans may not take well to that. They love him," Mary reasoned.
"Exactly. You're a pair. The whole reason the show is successful is because of the two of you. If he leaves, they'll need to take the show in a different direction. They dare not recast his role, the viewers would revolt. I don't know if I trust them to build a suitable story around you without the books to rely upon," Rosamund said.
"That is a worry, yes," Mary admitted, trying to wrap her head around all of it.
"I'll send you the scripts and you can look them over. The tentative schedules are attached to them, so you can see what projects might be options for you if you left the show after this season. There's a lot of good material here, Mary, some very strong roles that I think you would do well with. Give them a look."
"All right, I will. Thanks. Bye," she said, hanging up the call. She frowned and brought her hand to her mouth, looking to the window in thought.
"What did Rosamund want?" Matthew asked, coming back into the living room. He had put on a tank top and shorts, the muscles of his shoulders, arms, and legs on full display.
"Oh, just the usual. Work stuff," she replied, smiling as he sat down next to her. She snuggled against him as his arm came around her once more. "What's on next?"
"A whole lot of the swimming," he declared, looking up at the television.
"Ah, good," she said, watching the screen as a million thoughts raced through her head.
Home of Alex and Anna Lewis, Rosedale, Toronto, Canada, August 2016
"Yes! Gold!" Alex cheered, throwing his arms up in victory as he watched Canada win a gold medal in women's 100m freestyle swimming from his hotel room in Shanghai.
Anna smiled and shook her head at the television screen on their bedroom wall. She had her video conference with him on one-half and the Olympics on the other. They'd been watching together for the past hour as she lounged in bed, it being just past mid-morning over in China. Coordinating their calls had been a bit of a chore with the 12-hour time difference. It reminded her of when they were first dating and she would call him in Toronto before she went to bed. That was just a 5-hour time difference, though. To accommodate her this time, he had to move all of his meetings to late afternoon, which wasn't much of an inconvenience, but she was grateful for the effort all the same.
"Congratulations. Your first Gold. Now you're only thirty medals behind us," she needled him.
"Hey, don't ruin our moment," he said, looking at her pointedly. "We have low expectations in Canada. All we care about is that the athletes try their best."
She laughed and pointed the remote at the television, turning off the Olympics so she could use the entire display to talk to him. His face filled the screen, with a smaller box in the corner showing the camera trained upon her.
"How's it going over there?" she asked.
"Not bad. I've got three firm commitments, just need to sign the agreements later this week. That leaves five more investors to meet with and hopefully convince before I fly back," he said.
"Good. Don't come back here until they're all on board," she threatened. "We're going to have plenty more expenses someday soon and your commissions are important."
He laughed and shook his head. "How are you, love? You're good, right?"
She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I am. I knew it probably wouldn't happen right away, but getting confirmation was just a bit sobering, is all. Anyway, I'm already ovulating again so we'll be on schedule for when you get home. That's good news, right?"
He nodded in understanding. "Well, look at it this way, now you can drink again until I get back."
"I already started," she said ruefully. "I had two glasses of wine with dinner."
"Tough day?" he asked.
"No, no, not at all. It was a good day, rather. I just needed a drink," she said.
"Well, tomorrow's Friday, and then it's the weekend, and I'll be back soon after," he said.
"I know. I can't wait," she said, smiling at him. "I've got that party tomorrow with some of the Paladin crew and Alex Green, so that should be fun."
"All right, you can call me before you head out tomorrow night or whenever you get in. My meeting isn't until 4 in the afternoon," he said. "Good night, love. I miss you."
"Hang on, we're not done yet," she said, frowning and shaking her head.
He blinked in surprise. "Okay. It's almost midnight over there. You sure?"
"Very sure," she said, smiling at the screen. She lowered the duvet to her waist, revealing she was wearing a lacy black negligee.
"Oh," he blurted out, swallowing as he watched her.
"You know, babes, I bought this just in case I needed to entice you to bed. I was afraid that putting you on a schedule and doing it so often would be rough on you, so I wanted to give you a bit of a thrill," she revealed.
He shook his head in surprise. "Well, I think it's pretty obvious that I have no problem at all having sex on demand with my beautiful wife."
She laughed and nodded knowingly. "Indeed. God, you're a machine."
He laughed and grinned. "Nice. Every husband should be so lucky to hear a compliment like that."
"Well, how would my husband like to hear that his wife wants to have Skype sex with him right now?" she asked, smiling as she watched his eyes almost bulge out of his head. "Because I do, babes."
"Hey, you don't have to…to…perform for me," he mumbled, his cheeks warming.
She bit her lower lip as she swept the duvet away, showing off her bare legs. This was something so over-the-top, so bold, so unlike her, but she was a different person with Alex, far more confident and fearless. He didn't see her the way other people did. She wasn't quiet, and reserved, and shy with him. He never dissuaded her from speaking her mind, or berated her opinions, even when he disagreed with them. She knew she had his love and support through anything and everything, and this just made her all the more brave, brave enough to suggest what they were about to do, apparently.
"Fuck," he groaned, staring at her on his computer screen. "Love, you're so gorgeous."
"Babes?" she asked lightly, her fingers moving down and running along her breast, sending a shiver through her.
"Yeah?" he gasped in reply.
"Take it out," she ordered. "I want to see you."
He grunted, his face turning crimson before he stood up and obeyed.
Residence Inn Toronto Downtown, Downtown Toronto, Canada, August 2016
Green sipped his vodka and Red Bull, looking out the window at the endless rows of office buildings and condo towers that stretched to the dark horizon. This city wasn't so bad, he decided. It was far better than Atlanta, where he'd been cooped up while Tony filmed The Walking Dead, and not even too much worse than London. He expected he would enjoy spending the first half of 2017 here.
He smacked his lips as the smooth chill of the drink bit his throat. It was a genius move to come here early, rather than wait until Fall. Tony was right. Spending time with Anna had been most enjoyable. She was everything he thought she was when he met her in San Diego, and much more. Obviously hard working, disciplined, conscientious and smart, he could see why Lady Mary had never employed another PA besides her. She had the calm and patient temperament to put up with a woman as difficult and demanding as Lady Mary. If even half of the stories that Tony had told him about her were true, she must be a real handful.
He took another sip as his thoughts returned to the sexy, little blonde. A devilish smile crossed his lips. How fortuitous that Tony's strange obsession with Lady Mary and thoughts of revenge had brought him here. Getting close to Anna was one of the better assignments Green had been given in a while. She was sharp, but far too trusting, far too welcoming, one of those women who believed in the good of people. In this business, you could never let your guard down, even for a tall, charming fellow Brit asking for aid.
She had given him every piece of information he wanted, on both Lady Mary's schedule and plans for the future, as well as plenty on herself, as well. Her husband was away on business through the weekend. They were trying to have a baby, so she wasn't on any birth control. She'd set up a little soirée for him and some others for Friday night. He suspected he could have gotten her to tell him if she was a true blonde or not, too, if he'd wanted. He smiled in satisfaction. No need to ask. He would find out firsthand soon enough.
He went over to the desk and checked the duffel bag, going over the different vials and pouches to make sure all of his special supplies were well stocked. That was another thing about Toronto that he was pleasantly surprised by. Sources and dealers were ridiculously easy to find.
A devilish smile lit his face as he zipped up the duffel bag, locked it and stowed it away in a dresser drawer. With her husband away, Anna would be drinking tomorrow night, which would give him the opening he needed. He'd gallantly escort her from the party and she'd be naked and at his mercy soon after. If all went according to plan, he'd be able to report to Tony that she was captured for their side by the time he flew out on Sunday.
His arousal stirred again as he imagined her lithe body spread out on his bed, waiting to receive him. Women like her were always the most fun. Petite, flexible, he would bet money that she was nice and tight. Oh, he was going to enjoy breaking this one in, most definitely. He hoped she was a screamer. The quiet ones usually were.
The bathroom door opened and two blonde women came walking out, their tight fitting clubwear back on after the night's festivities. They gave him lazy, dazed smiles, and his eyes went up and down their bodies one last time, remembering all the things he'd made them do. He finished his drink and went over to them, giving them each a final kiss, spanking their asses as they giggled and put their heels back on.
"Do you got any more of that stuff?" one of them asked. "It was fucking good shit."
"Yeah, how about letting us have some for the road? We can pay you," her companion echoed, reaching over and grabbing him.
He laughed and slipped them each a small plastic packet. They both cheered and kissed him.
"Probably shouldn't hit those until tomorrow night," he said, taking on his Georgia accent again. "Y'all ain't gonna come down from the last one until the afternoon."
"Got it! Thanks, Steve! Call us if you want to party before you leave!" the one blonde said. With that, they both scampered out the door and down the hall to the elevators, giggling freely.
He locked the door and went back to bed, changing the sheets before he settled in. Closing his eyes, he smiled as his hand drifted down and played with himself, his thoughts full of the blonde hair and blue eyes of his unsuspecting prey.