Closer to Love 💚

Chapter 5

"I don't know Maggie. It's tense at best now. He only calls me Ms. Roberts now and is completely cold to me." Francesca sat in her apartment on her computer while she talked to Margaret a month after starting her PA job.

'That's weird. Do you know why?'

Francesca went quiet as she saw pictures pop up of Richard out with Alison.

'Fran? Where did you go?'

She sighed, "nowhere. Sorry. It looks like he's dating Alison, the lead actress."

'I thought you said it seemed like they didn't get along?'

"Well I guess they do now. I have to go Maggie. I'll call you later." She hung up before letting Margaret respond. She sat for a few minutes before slamming her laptop shut. She knew she had no right to be jealous, she was the one that turned him down to begin with.

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Francesca walked into the club in a new short blue dress. It was tight and fell halfway down her thighs with an open back and low cut. She normally didn't wear something so revealing, but she decided she needed to blow off some steam. She walked right up to the bar, "whiskey." She turned to take a look around as she surveyed the club. She grabbed her drink as she saw him dancing with her. She groaned, finishing the drink quickly before getting a refill.

"I think we're good." Richard pushed Alison off him as he walked off the dance floor. That's when he noticed the raven hair. He approached her as her back was turned, leaning down to her ear, "Franny."

Francesca groaned before turning around, "what Mr. Madden."

He smirked, eyeing her up and down, "you look..."

She shook her head, putting her hand up, "don't finish that sentence. And don't call me Franny. Go to your girlfriend."

He groaned, "Francesca please." He watched her walk away from him as Alison came up to him.

"Who was that Rick?"

"For fuck's sake, my name is Richard!" He ignored her calling for him as tried to find Francesca.

Francesca felt a man walk up behind her as she finished her second drink.

"Can I buy you another drink?"

She turned to face the attractive blond man that stood before her, "dance? And then maybe a drink?"

He nodded, "as you wish." Once they were on the floor, he placed his hands on her lower back, "I'm Nick."

She shook her head, "I don't care." She heard him chuckle as she pressed her body against his. After a few bars of the song she turned away from him, bringing her hand up to his neck. She looked up to see Richard watching them, his jaw clenched. She locked eyes with him as she grabbed Nick's hand, placing it on her thigh. She watched Richard slam his drink on the counter and walk out of her line of sight. She giggled, turning back to face Nick as she crashed her lips into his.

Nick moaned softly as she pulled away, "forward. I like that."

Francesca nodded, "I know. My name is Francesca. Take me to your place?"

Nick nodded, "yes ma'am."

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Francesca found Richard sitting and talking to Alison outside his trailer the following morning. "Good morning." She looked at her watch, "you guys are needed on set in five minutes." She saw Richard nod, whispering something to Alison as she got up and left them alone. "Let's go Mr. Madden."

He grabbed Francesca's arm as she started to walk away, "wait Franny."

She groaned, closing her eyes. Why did he insist on calling her that, "we should go."

He pulled her to face him, "have fun last night?"

She nodded, "I did actually. Nick and I had a nice, long exercise session that lasted most of the night. I may even see him again. What about you?" She took a step towards him, "is Alison as annoying in bed as I suspect her to be?"

He clenched his jaw, watching her for a moment, "we have never slept together. We are being made to be seen out in public. That's it. We'll take a break and do it again a little before the movie is released. I'm sorry Franny."

She shrugged, "nothing to be sorry for. We aren't together Rick." She laughed as she watched him clench his jaw again before she turned away from him to walk away. As they approached the studio she was shooed to the back. She looked around to see very few people on set which only meant one thing; a sex scene. She groaned in her head as she took her seat, just out of sight of the set. She turned away so she wouldn't have to watch them.

Once they were done, she grabbed a robe, handing it to Richard, neither of them speaking as she walked with him back to his trailer. She waited outside as he got dressed. When he finished, he opened his door, motioning for her to enter. She sighed, following him in, "what?"

He didn't say anything as he crashed his lips into hers. He heard her moan as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he guided her back to the bed.

She panted as he trailed kisses down her chin to her neck.

"I want you Franny."

She groaned, "no." She pushed him off her, "no Richard! I won't be your hidden hook up while you're seen out with her."

"Francesca please." He groaned as he watched her get up from the bed. "I don't want to be seen with her. I have to." He grabbed her hand, pulling her to make her face him before she could reach the door, "I haven't stopped thinking about you since Scotland."

She shook her head, stepping back before he could reach out to touch her face, "you didn't call me. If I hadn't shown up here we never would have seen each other again. I'm here to work. Let me do my job and you do yours. Please."

"That's not true. I would have reached out at some point." He shook his head as he placed his hands in his pockets, "please Franny."

"Please stop calling me that. I beg you."

He looked down at the ground, "but you're my Franny."

She shook her head as he looked back up at her, "maybe I could have been. But not now. I'm sorry. Enjoy your fake relationship Mr. Madden. I won't be coming in here anymore. I'll wait for you outside your trailer." She heard him groan as she left the trailer. She shut the door, resting her head back against it as she sighed.