"And cut!" The director yelled cut just as Josh finished his scene. The director, Gage, stepped out of his chair and walked towards Josh on the set. "Good work with the scene. We're gonna run it again but this time I need you to really feel the emotion with the choreography here. Don't be afraid to let it all translate through your body." Josh nodded and took in the direction, ready to apply it in his next take. "Alright, marker!" Gage sat back in his director's chair as Josh set himself for the top of the scene. "Playback!" The pre recorded track began to play through the speakers. "And action!"
The music entered Josh's ears as he began to dance. Shuffle, shuffle, glide. He moved with ease as the camera captured his movements. He was shirtless in this scene with only a pair of cargo shorts and sneakers on his feet. Boom boom tap. He moved in time with the rhythm while hitting all his marks. The way his abdomen crunched showcasing his six-pack made every single woman in the room swoon. He glided across the floor, finishing strong as Gage yelled cut. Josh made eye contact with Gage from where he stood on set and smiled as Gage gave him his directorial nod of approval.
Today they were shooting on location. They were in this old bar in Savannah that aged beautifully. The crew had worked hard to preserve its beauty while giving it a fresh new look for the movie. As everyone around him dispersed into separate jobs, Josh sat down at the edge of the stage that was in the bar. In that moment he couldn't help but take it all in and appreciate where he was in that moment. Not too long ago he was hiding the fact that he danced from his parents just so that they wouldn't question how he made the money to help out. Now he was making money doing what he loved and could make sure they were taken care of. "I have to admit," Maya's soft voice brought Josh out of his thoughts as she sat down next to him. "That was pretty good. I can see why you won the show."
Josh rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around her. "Shut up," he whispered as kissed the side of her head. Maya laughed and intertwined her fingers with his. She leaned her head down into the crook of his neck and and sighed contently. "Are you excited for our scene today?"
Maya picked up her head and looked at Josh. "Surprisingly yes. I feel good about it. It also definitely helps that it's a romantic scene. Being in love with you in real life is easy so that should translate well on camera."
Josh grasped the back of Maya's neck and caressed it gently as he turned her head so that her forehead was pressed against his. He inhaled deeply as she brought a hand up to one of his cheeks and rubbed it gently. "I love you so much."
"And I you." Maya pulled her forehead away and looked back to see Alexis standing nearby, holding her iPad up in the air, indicating that Maya needed to go. "I have to go get ready. See you later?"
Josh nodded, acknowledging her departure and watched her walk away. Getting up himself, he walked past crew members and greeted them happily as he made his way to his trailer. "Josh wait up!" turning around, Josh smiled at his assistant TJ. "Don't forget you're needed back on set in two hours. We have to get you to the beach for your next scene. Hair and makeup will meet us there to get you ready and-"
"Got it TJ." Holding up a hand in the air he realized what he was doing and immediately put it back down. "Sorry," he apologized. "You're just doing your job. I'm going to get some air and you'll probably find me in my trailer or something. I just need a little bit of alone time alright man?" Josh gave him a comforting pat on the back before walking away. He grabbed a jacket from a nearby chair and used it to cover himself before making his way outside.
As Josh pushed open the doors to the bar he was met with a group of girls screaming on the other side of a fence security had set up. Here we go. As soon as the teenage girls spotted Josh their screams intensified. Reaching their hands out they grasped at the air in efforts to reach him. "Josh! We love you! Can we have a picture?"
Josh smiled and walked towards the girls, gearing up for the picture. Taking one the girls' cell phones in his hand, he flipped the camera and took a picture with the girls. He smiled wide and bright as he felt their excitement grow. Just happy that he could brighten their days he gave it back and waved goodbye. "Josh wait!" another girl yelled out. She ran further down the line and stopped near him. "You and Maya are still together right? I saw this article online about you two and-"
The girl continued to babble on nervously, going on about how she supports them and something about being heartbroken if they ever split but Josh wasn't hearing any of it. Article? What article? Are people really saying that Maya and I are splitting up? "I'm sorry," Josh interrupted. "You'll have to excuse me."
Leaving the area, Josh ran to his trailer in search of his phone. Digging around until he found it he hovered over the counter as he made a quick google search. Josh Matthews and Maya Hart breakup. Hundreds of websites popped up with titles matching his search. "You've got to be kidding me," he mumbled under his breath.
So focused on his phone Josh didn't even hear his trailer door open and close. With his first instinct being to call Maya and talk to her about it, Josh stopped himself remembering that she was getting ready for filming later that night. It would just have to wait. "Ahem." Josh looked up at the sound of the voice and saw Cassie standing in his trailer. Josh tried to not let his annoyance come across on his face as he took a few steps back. Cassie's red hair sat neatly on her shoulders as she stood there in her sports bra and jeans from an earlier scene. "Joshua."
The velvet tone of her voice still left goosebumps on Josh's skin. She may be pushy but she was still an attractive woman. Josh ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "What are you doing here?"
Cassie leaned against the walls of his trailer and shrugged her shoulders. "I saw you run in here. You looked a bit worried, just wanted to see if you were okay."
Taken aback by her kindness Josh let down his guard. "Really?"
Cassie pushed herself off the wall and crossed her arms over her chest and walked towards him. "Yeah. Contrary to popular belief I'm not terrible. There's a reason I've been in this business so long. People like me."
Cassie walked closer and closer to Josh. She was so close that Josh could smell her perfume. Lavender. It smelled nice. "I don't dislike you Cassie. I just-"
Cassie's pink lips parted slightly as she spoke. "What?" She pressed a hand on Josh's chest as she placed her lips next to his ear. "You what?"
Chills ran down Josh's spine as he adjusted himself. He prayed to god, hoping no one would come in at that moment. He didn't have the energy to explain this right now. He was in a state of temptation and discomfort all at once. Cassandra was beautiful he must admit, but Maya was the woman for him and he couldn't put that in jeopardy. "I love my girlfriend," he whispered, his voice unexpectedly hoarse. He placed hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her away from him. "And you need to respect that."
Irritation was the only thing Cassie could feel as she pushed Josh's hand away from her shoulder. Maintaining her cool exterior, she smiled sweetly and flipped her red hair over her shoulder. Hand on hip she smiled in his face and took a step towards him again, lessening the space between them. "I haven't done anything wrong."
Josh gulped so loud that it was the only thing to be heard in the room. He had to stand his ground. "You need to leave Cassie."
Cassie smirked and gave him a quick, yet sensual hug, caressing his back and giving the back of his neck a firm squeeze. "Bye Joshua. I'll see you on set."
Josh watched as Cassie sauntered out of his trailer. At the sound of the door closing shut he clenched his jaw and threw his phone down in frustration. This wasn't what he expected filming this movie to be like at all.
.:.
Staring at herself in the mirror, Maya took a hard and long look at herself. Her blonde hair stopped just above her breasts and was styled with these face framing layers that complimented her bone structure. Reaching a hand up to her cheek, she noted the peachy tones used on the apples of her cheeks. Her azure eyes were winged with a brown smokey liner, creating a compelling cat eye that drew anyone that looked at her in. Her hand trailed down to her hips which were covered in a soft brown fabric. "Wow," she breathed.
Hair and makeup did their thing this time around. Her lips were just the right amount of pouty as they sat pink and plump whenever she wasn't speaking. As for wardrobe? They knew how to make her look truly sexy. The brown fabric that adorned her skin crossed over her breasts, covering them modestly yet leaving her torso exposed. It crossed over her neck, creating an X as it wrapped around her body. The dress she was in stopped just above her knees allowing her to dance and move without being too revealing. Alexis walked in to the trailer and smiled. "You look great Maya."
Maya turned to the brunette and smiled. "Thanks. Are they ready for me?"
Alexis shook her head. "Almost. They're going to give me a call when they're ready for you." Maya nodded and turned her attention back to the mirror and ran her fingers down the dress once more. Alexis looked on at Maya and smiled again. She really did enjoy working for her. She was kind to her unlike the other actresses she's worked for. She just hoped that this business wouldn't tear her apart like she's seen happen time and time again. Breaking the silence that filled the trailer, Alexis continued. "I think I know what may help you with the issue you've been having."
Maya turned her head to Alexis and cocked her head to the side. "Oh yeah? What ya got for me?"
"Well, the easiest and honestly best way to do this is to fight fire with fire. If you feel threatened, don't back down. Especially when she's in your face. If you show her that it's gonna take a lot to get rid of you and get in the way of your relationship then maybe she'll back off and realize it's not worth the energy."
Maya bit her lip and nodded eagerly, taking in the information. "Fight fire with fire. I can do that. Between me and you I was pretty scrappy in school. Not the best student but people knew not to mess with me. Looks like I'll just have to bring that same energy here."
Noticing her slight change in demeanor, Alexis smiled stiffly. "Just don't let it get the best of you, you know? It's one movie and then you probably won't ever see her again." She walked towards Maya and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't let one mean spirited person ruin this for you. Take a breather if you ever need to. I've seen a lot of people come and go. I just don't want you to be one of them."
Maya stared at Alexis' reflection in the mirror in front of her and sighed before turning around to face her physically. "I appreciate the advice. I'll remember it."
Alexis smiled sweetly and dropped a hand to her side. "Of course. What are assistants for?"
Maya raised her eyebrows and laughed. "Are you serious? Do you really think I think of you as just my assistant? Outside of Josh, you're one of the kindest people here. And I don't really have any close female friends so I was kind of hoping that maybe we could be friends." A smile graced Maya's beautifully painted face as Alexis engulfed her in a hug. Maya laughed into her shoulder and squeezed her tight. "I'll take that as a yes."
.:.
The breeze from the Atlantic Ocean was warm and salty as the cast and crew of the movie stood there waiting for the sun to set so that they could capture the scene. They really only had about an hour to shoot the scene. Which wasn't a lot of time considering the fact that tomorrow they'd be leaving Savannah and moving to their next location. Along the shoreline stood Maya and Josh, eager to shoot the scene. It was of course, their kiss scene in the movie. It would be one of the biggest tells on if their chemistry off-camera would be the same as on.
Josh admired Maya's tiny frame, loving the dress wardrobe put her in for the scene. The way the dress hugged her curves, drove him wild. It was almost making him feral, but he had to focus. He had a job to do and couldn't let his thoughts about Maya distract him- at least not too much. "Marker! And action!"
The scene had started and Josh was the first to start the scene. Taking Maya's hand in his, he walked them down the shoreline slowly. "You're nothing like I thought you were. You're so determined and confident. It comes across no matter what you do but especially when you dance."
Maya laughed and shook her head as the wind blew her hair back. "Sean," she began as she licked her lips. Were her lips always that plump? Dammit Josh focus. "I'm really glad I met you."
Maya's blue eyes met Josh's as they stopped walking and faced each other. Their faces inched in closer and closer, barely an inch apart when Josh spoke. "Dance with me."
Maya's eyes stared straight into his as she cracked a smile. The top row of her teeth only showing. My god, her smile is so pretty. Shaking her head she moved both her hands to the side of his face and closed the gap between them. Their lips crashed together kissing softly. No tongue of course as they were being filming at that moment. Hearing the director yell cut they pulled apart and each blushed, turning away from each other. "Great work you guys!" Gage called out. "We got the shot. Let's call it a wrap for the day."
Everybody started moving as Josh and Maya marched up the sand, hand in hand. "You were wonderful," Josh whispered in her ear. "I'll see you at the hotel."
Josh ran off to his trailer and felt his phone buzz and TJ walked up behind him. "I've emailed you your schedule for tomorrow. Call time has been pushed back to ten a.m. so you have a bit of time to sleep in before we continue shooting. Oh and the other cast members have invited you out for drinks this evening at a club nearby. Should I let them know that you're going?"
Josh turned around and quickly thought. "Um sure. Just make sure Maya knows we're going for me. I'll see you tomorrow TJ. Have a good night!" TJ mumbled a response that Josh didn't pay attention enough to really listen to as he waited for him to leave before changing. Josh stripped down to his underwear, pulling up his jeans as he heard a knock at the door. "Come in!"
Sure enough, Cassie walked through the door and closed it behind her softly. "Hey," she greeted. "I saw your last scene. That was some great work there." Josh just shook his head and ignored her as he looked around for his t-shirt, realizing that he was alone with Cassie whilst half naked. Cassie sighed and rolled her eyes before marching up behind Josh and turning him around in her hands. "Are you really going to try and ignore me? Because it won't work."
Josh locked his jaw and moved around her, grabbing his sneakers off the ground since he couldn't seem to find his shirt. As he brushed past Cassie, she grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. "Cassie, stop."
Cassie looked up into his blue eyes as he stared back intently in her green, silently begging her to leave, but they both knew she wouldn't. "No."
Josh shook his wrist out of her hands and turned to face her completely. "I told you. I love Maya. Nothing is going to change that."
Cassie smirked and pursed her lips. "Does it look like that's stopping me? No one gives a shit about stuff like that around here and you shouldn't either."
Josh took a deep breath and flared his nostrils. Speaking through gritted teeth he said, "You need to leave."
Taking another step in his face, Cassie's pale skin was pushed up against his tan skin. "Make me."
Josh placed two strong hands on her shoulders, dropping his shoes on the ground in the process, and began to steer her towards the door. Seeing the opportunity she had in front of her, Cassie took her own to hands and quickly grabbed Josh's waist. Shocked and confused, Josh tried to move her hands but to no avail as before he could move Cassie forced her lips onto his. Kissing him for a few seconds, as a reflex Josh kissed back before realizing what was going on. Pushing her off of him, Josh looked disgusted with himself and her before backing up out of his own trailer and running as far as he could away from her.
A/N: This was a very Josh-centric chapter. I wanted to spend sometime with him as things really started to get interesting. Is anyone shocked that Cassandra kissed Josh? How you think Maya is going to react? Will she find out from Josh or will Cassie tell her, herself? I always love your feedback! Happy reading!
