—Did something happen? —I asked him with a quick breath.
—We need to talk. —said to me as he locked the door.
This was no good.
—Why did you close the door?
—For privacy.
—What do we need to talk about?
—About what you're doing right now.
—I don't know what you're talking about. —I said, pretending not to understand.
—You think I don't know what's going on. You came to the bathroom to take off your vibrator.
He stared at me. And then he spun the ring. I closed my eyes and grabbed the wall.
—Please leave. Someone can see us together.
— You don't have to worry about that, everybody knows I came in here.
—What!
—Relax Ana, I told my mother I needed to discuss something with you.
—What did she say to you?
— Don't make a scene.
—So you decided to "argue" in the bathroom.
—Precisely. —he said approaching where I was.
—Anything in particular you want to discuss? —I asked him as he approached dangerously in my direction.
He cornered me against the wall of the bathroom, without touching me, only his body against mine. His nose almost grazing mine, his eyes staring at me.
— Let's start with your disobedience.
—Disobedience? —I asked him framing an eyebrow.
—Yes, why would you take it off?
—Because I can't take it anymore, Christian. You don't know what it's like to try to concentrate on something and not be able to do it at the same time.
—Yes, I do.
—Really? —I inquired curiously.
—Yes, whenever you're next to me on the set, it's impossible for me to concentrate at all, that's why I sometimes do something stupid. —he said to me as he lifted one hand towards my face and stroked a lock of hair on my face.
—I have not seen you make mistakes in any of the scenes we have filmed.
— You forget what I did in the scene we were filming before this one. —he let go of the lock of hair and slipped a finger over my lips.
—I thought you had modified the script?
—Not exactly, I forgot what I had to do, or say, so I got creative. —he said to me with a lewd smile.
—Did you improvise?
—Yes, I didn't tell you about my mother's sermon on the phone that night. —he lowered his hand to my neck and placed it there as he continued to caress me.
His closeness, together with his slight caresses and the vibrator still inside me were taking me to the edge of the abyss.
He lifted his other hand towards my neck and slid it from there over my shoulder and running slightly, almost untouched, all over my arm. His contact sent alerts to my brain that I decided to ignore while closing my eyes. His hand continued down the side of my body.
—Christian. —I told him in a gasp that escaped my lips. —Stop this torture, I can't stand it anymore. —I said to him as he stopped his caresses.
I opened my eyes when I felt that he separated his body from mine.
He took one of my hands into his.
—Christian? What are you doing? —I asked him when I saw him walking pulling me towards the door.
—Let's go. —he said to me with a very serious face, almost annoying. —We have a scene to shoot.
—Let me take it off.
—No. And there's no more discussion. —he said out loud as he opened the door.
As soon as we came out of the bathroom all eyes were on us. I imagined that one of them was surely with his ear glued to the door to see if he heard part of the conversation.
Did they hear anything?
Christian was pulling me towards the set where we would film next.
My apartment.
When I got there I sat in my chair and crossed my legs while they touched up my makeup.
I no longer knew in which position I was going to sit. They were all uncomfortable. Even standing was uncomfortable.
— Anastasia. Are you all right? —he said to me as he lifted one hand towards my face to caress me.
And without realizing it, I slapped him. All the people near us saw what I did. Christian stared at me as he brought a hand to his face.
Shit, what have I done!
—Did you just slap me?
—I'm so sorry Christian, I don't know what happened to me.
He approached me, gluing his face to mine.
—I'm so sorry more. —he whispered to me, turning and moving away from me.
I stared at Christian as he walked away from me. I stopped feeling the vibrator inside me. I don't know if it's for my luck or my misfortune. I had no idea what Christian was doing.
— He deserved it for trying to outdo himself. —said a voice behind me.
I turned around. Grace looked at me smiling tenderly.
— Are you ready, Anastasia? —she asked me as I nodded. —Let's go. —she took me by the arm as she walked with me to my place. — It's about time someone stood up to him and stopped his feet.
—Don't I understand you?
— Christian's not used to people saying no. None of the girls he's ever filmed with have stopped his flirting.
Now I understood why this change in the treatment with me.
—The fact that you didn't let him touch you is going to be difficult for him.
—How difficult? —Grace smiled at me.
—Imagine Christian as a little boy infatuated with something, he's not going to stop until he achieves his goal.
And I could imagine. I smiled as a picture of a little boy with green eyes and a radiant smile passed through my mind.
—Everything ready? —his voice sounded cold and distant.
His mother had left us both standing in front of my apartment door. Christian looked at me very seriously.
—Are you mad at me?
—No. — he replied briefly without looking me in the eye.
—Are you going to behave like a little boy? —I asked him as I folded my arms.
Christian stared at me without saying anything.
—"We started in a minute."
I settled into my position while both of us were being sprayed over. Their indifference was killing me. He hadn't even taken my hand to start filming. The lights dimmed.
—Scene 71, take 1, "Action."
I took the key out of the bag and opened the apartment inviting him in. I headed towards the kitchen as I felt his steps behind me. I sat on a bench.
—Your five minutes begin now. —I said to him as he sat on another one.
—I know what you saw, and I understand how you must be feeling. I didn't mean to hurt you.
—But you did it, Max. —I said interrupting him.
—It wasn't my fault, someone put something in my drink.
—Were you drugged? How do you know?
— Because I'd tried that drug before, Anastasia.—he said, pausing.
—"Cut."
The lights increased in intensity.
Did Christian just make a mistake on a line?
—Christian, remember that's not his name. —his mother shouted at him.
Christian replied with a nod.
—We started with Anastasia on the previous line.
Christian had his hands on his legs, and then I felt it. The vibration again. How did he do it without touching the ring?
—Scene 71, take 2, "Action".
— Were you drugged? How do you know?—I asked him now, my breathing a little faster.
—Because I'd tried that drug before. —he paused.
I stopped feeling the vibration and for a moment I forgot what I had to say.
—What do you mean?
He got up as he walked around the room. Getting away from me.
—I wasn't always this person I am now. —he sat down in front of me again. —I used to be a drug addict. —he answered me while I was shocked.
Was this the story of his life or that of the film? At the moment I couldn't tell the difference between them. I remembered the novel. And in this one they were vaguely given to understand that he had been a drug addict. But he never said it.
—"Cut."
Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!
I forgot what I had to say. That's when Grace came up to me. And the vibrator started working again, now at a higher speed.
Oh God!
—Anastasia, what happened?
—Excuse me, for a moment I forgot what I was supposed to say.
Then she looked at Christian and then at me.
—Is something wrong with you two?
Neither of both answered.
—We returned to Christian's last line. —she said as she walked away.
I stared at Christian.
—Does this book have anything to do with your life? —I asked him very softly as I squeezed my legs.
—It's just a coincidence. —it stopped.
—I don't remember the book saying that he was a drug addict.
—Not in the first part.
First part? Was there a second part? I had to look into it later.
At that moment the lights went out again.
—Scene 71, take 3, "Action."
—I used to be a drug addict. —he answered me while I was shocked.
—Did you use drugs?
— All kinds. You may now see me as someone successful in their work, but it was more the time I was high than the time I was not, I could not live without them.
—I guess someone helped you.
—Yes, a selfless person helped me. He's my best friend now.
Christian had both hands on the counter, one separated from the other, and then I felt the vibrator once again.
How was he doing?
—Do you have any idea who drugged you? —I asked him suddenly.
—No, but I imagine they achieved their goal.
The vibration increased. I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip.
—"Cut."
I opened my eyes and stopped biting my lower lip. Grace approached me.
—Is something wrong with you, Anastasia?
—No. —I said as the vibration stopped again.
—You look uncomfortable.
—I feel my whole body cramping. —I said to her as I looked at Christian briefly.
—It will be better if we leave this scene for another time, change your clothes the two of you and in fifteen minutes we will return to scene 40.
The set lights came on and so did the vibrator. I started walking to my dressing room. I swear if I survive this day Christian will pay for it.
