"Can you you get me a trainer? Yes or no?" The tone of her voice left little room for argument.
They knew her as Jane Ives, her stage name.
She was 15 and an up and coming rising star. She had been in at least one wildly successful TV series, a few commercials, and moderately successful big budget Hollywood special effects movie, a few music videos and now had a budding modelling career. She was talented, pretty, and a genuinely nice person.
Most of the time.
She now had the role of a lifetime, the chance to star in her own movie. And really act. For at least right now this was exactly what she wanted.
It was required that she learned what the director had called a graceful martial art. To be fair, he said it wasn't required but it would definitely be noticeable in the final product.
The director said that she didn't have to, she could be choreographed through it, but she wanted to learn it. The fringe benefit would be that she could actually defend herself if the situation arose.
"I know I'm going to whine through the whole thing. I've done intensive training before. Make me stick with it ok? Whatever you have to do or say to make me stick with it?
"You sure?"
This time it was her look that left little room for argument.
No room, actually.
XXXXX
Eleven was startled awake. She'd always been startled by loud noises and it was always much worse if she'd been sleeping. She was scared.
"Miss Ives?" El frowned. It was a boy's voice. A boy her age.
Production crew were not allowed near her trailer. She needed her downtime. She was a afraid that maybe something awful had happened to her bodyguard.
"I'm entering in three seconds."
Right on cue, the door opened and let in a blast of cool autumn air.
She drew her blankets up to her chest. "I'll scream!" She threatened.
"Wouldn't you rather just kick the shit out of me?" He smiled at her.
He was cute.
Scratch that. He was gorgeous, full lips, dark gentle eyes, a wild mess of hair that framed his pale, freckled face.
"You want to tell me what you are doing in my trailer at…," she glanced at her alarm clock.
"Holy shit! At five am ?"
"You wanted a trainer, here I am."
"I wanted a trainer, not another alarm clock."
"For the next nine or ten months you will be getting up just before dawn, and going to bed just after sunset."
"We'll see about that."
"I'll remind you that this is at your request."
"Again, we'll see about that."
"Fine by me. Send me home. I get paid either way. And you don't get any training. Not by me. Maybe someone else will put up with you but I won't have to. I'll just say you whined and refused, pick up my cheque and be on my way."
"You are a real bastard you know that?"
"I'll take that as a compliment right now. I've been called much worse. In a few days you will call me much worse."
"Fine," she threw up her arms, "Let me get dressed."
"No."
"What? What do you mean no. "
"I'm sorry, did I stutter?" And then, obviously sarcastically as he could, he said slowly, "NNNNoooooo."
"You expect me to go out there in my pajamas?"
"I expect you to let me train you. Martial arts isn't just some fancy moves that may hurt someone, or even yourself if you do them wrong. It's a way of thinking, a way of life if you want to get really into it. Would you feel better if I got into my own jammies?"
"Yes." She smirked at him.
"Ok." He pulled out a pair.
"Are you going to let me change in here or do I have to go outside?"
"Outside."
"Outside it is." He sighed, he turned to the trailer door to leave.
"Where are you going?" El said.
"Uh, I'm going to change into these." He held up his pj's
El sighed herself, "You don't need to change if I can get dressed."
"No."
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
"Fine. Change outside." That would serve him right. Gorgeous or not, she would show him she was not to be trifled with. She'd be difficult as the Hollywood press was fond of saying.
About a minute later there was a knock on the door. "Entering in three seconds."
She stared at him wide-eyed. He was in his pajamas! He must have gotten completely naked out in the cool morning air.
"Was it cold outside?" She smirked at him again.
"Not my first rodeo. I'm used to it."
Well, good. He had just gotten to do it again. Serves him right. She thought. She couldn't help notice how well muscled he was, not a steroid rage type of muscled, but, oh, maybe nice to run your hands over his abs type of muscles. It was even more accentuated when he was just in a pair of pj's.
A lot more so.
"Ok, I need to ask you a question." He said, suddenly all serious.
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"It's a personal space issue, so I always ask a new client. Are you ok if I touch your face. Specifically right between your eyes. Maybe a little higher on your forehead, it can change a little during training. But it will be with my index finger."
"Will I be touching your face?" She said. She tried to be a little sarcastic, but the thought of actually doing it gave her a little thrill.
"If I train you well enough… yes."
"Show me," she said.
He touched the bridge of her nose. Gently. The sense of electricity travelled from his fingertip to the rest of her body, in slow pleasing waves. What the hell was that about?
"That's it. That and the next few won't count."
"What do you mean?"
"Every time I touch you like that, we train harder for an hour."
"What if I touch you?" She asked curious
"We take off an earlier. Seem fair?"
"It is. I'm sorry I made you change, and outside even."
"Like I said, not my first rodeo."
"What's your name?" She said.
"Mike Wheeler. We are the same age, I only train girls your age. I am told I'm good at it." He started ticking off on his fingers. "I've had no failures. And I've never hit on the girls I train."
Damn. El thought. She thought she could really go for this guy, if he even hinted at interest. But he was going to be professional. Probably too professional.
"Seem fair?" He asked again.
"I get the feeling you are going to be nothing but fair to me. Am I right?" She said, for the first time her shyness showed itself. She was never shy in front of a camera or cell phone, but this was different.
The smile he gave her also thrilled her with its electricity, not as much as the touch, but not that far off.
"It takes some girls three or four days before they say something like that and mean it."
"But I still don't get to change?"
"I didn't get into my jammies for nothing. Are you ready to go?"
"Ok, let me get something on my feet."
"No."
"No?"
"No."
"Fine. Anything else I should know, any surprises."
"Um, yeah. Part of the training is going to require me to distract you."
"Distract me how? Exactly."
"Swear at you, call you names, some other other things. But I don't touch you other than the face."
"What happens if I get distracted?"
"You will lose concentration, I'll be able to touch your face."
"...and that means an hour of harder training."
He smiled at her again, it made her knees rubbery. "You are a fast learner, Miss Ives."
"You have been honest with me. Call me Jane, Ok."
"Jane it is. Ok, you've seen the hill backing the studio lot? Just behind this trailer too I think."
She nodded. "It's why I wanted my trailer here. Trying to convince the crew to do Tai Chi, with me. They want me to lead it, but I'm not very good at it."
Mike shrugged, "I could lead you and the crew, at sunset, it's the perfect time."
"That might help me relax after training?"
"It definitely would. If there are no takers, I can still lead you through it. Think of it as bonus training or something."
"Uh, what If I've touched your face a few times and we ended an hour early, or a few hours early?"
"Fair question, if that happens, we'll just go out there before sunset. We don't have to stay until it happens."
"Ok Mike Wheeler. Train me."
"I will do that. If you are serious about learning I can promise you that you won't regret it. You aren't going to think that in the next half hour or so, but I can still promise."
El laughed. "Don't make any promises to me you can't keep Mr. Wheeler." She tried on mock sternness for a look.
"Any promise I make to you Jane. Any promise. I will keep. Promise."
She smiled at him. It was a real smile, she didn't have to fake act her face into it. She wanted to smile at him.
He responded by smiling back. The smile touched her soul.
That's when the butterflies started.