The Actor's One & Only

Chapter 5

He'd got a last minute call from the producers saying that the shoot at the studio had been cancelled. The renowned director, simultaneously known for being a perfectionist as well as a pervert, had insisted on it being filmed on location at the nearby, pristine beach.
"About time you got here...on a bike though?? Doesn't really scream I'm Jerry O'Donnell an' I was born to be a superstar, ya know?" the director greeted, looking unimpressed at the bicycle behind him. He seemed more interested in Ruth whom he eyed in a lascivious manner. "Aye, I know. It's Jack, by the way. An' this is just a friend's bike." Jack stammered, kicking the bike aside and out of view in an embarrassed manner. He wanted to appear all posh in front of the director. The bicycle landed at Ruth's feet in the soft sand. "Aye, a friend who'll no longer be yer friend lest ya treat er bike with some respect! How would ya like it if someone kicked ya around, eh? Take that!" she growled, angry at his actions as she kicked him in the sheen for being a tosser. "YOW! Ruthy, that's real mature...ow! Stop it, you!"  he ordered, howling in pain as she childishly stomped hard on his foot next!
"An' who's your feisty friend? Is she lookin to be an actress too? Pretty face like that, I reckon she'll be gettin offers an' havin directors linin up at her doorstep in no time, eh?" the director cut in, putting an end to their childish argument. "Uh.....no, thanks. I've got a steady job teachin high school English ere. No offense, but I don't think I could cope with the ups an' downs o' an actin career!" Ruth declined politely, trying to avoid the man's wandering eyes. "Oh, blast! That's a pity!" she heard the creepy middle-aged man bellow in a way that scared the bejesus outta her and also scared off a few seagulls!  "Alright then, Jack...break a leg!" she decided to take her leave, shaking sand off her precious bicycle as she picked it up from the sand and waved to him as he was hurriedly ushered into hair and makeup. He waved back and flashed her a dimpled grin.
"Jack, what's wrong? How'd it go?" she enquired, finding him sitting forlorn on the slippery staircase of Kilgrew fort that was situated on the shore. They played along the mossy ramparts as kids, but it'd been a long time since either of them had been up there. She kicked her heels off in order to make the steep climb without falling down the stairs. Then, she sat down beside him and they watched the waves lap at the shore below. It was growing dark and the gloomy sky was casting a shadow upon his already gloomy face. She'd rode over as soon as she heard his sullen voice over the phone, ringing her up once the shoot had wrapped up...or rather, to his dismay, had been called off.
"They called off the shoot after the lead actor blew a fuse for the umpteenth time an' yelled at the actress...then, at the director...then, at the producer....! They're thinkin o' ditchin the whole idea an' movin back to the States now." he grumbled. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Jack. But, wait...I thought ya were the lead actor...?" she asked in a confused manner. "No, I'd gotten a bit role in it...as usual! It's all I ever got even in London. I'm a bloody amateur!" he confessed in a grouchy tone.  "I bet the story wasn't that good anyhow! What was it about, if ya don't mind me askin?" she prodded, clasping his hand in hers in a comforting manner. "Was a mystery thriller. A body's washed up on the beach an' a grumpy detective's put on the case." he narrated, while she listened intently. She liked it when he explained his storylines to her like that and he liked it when she touched him like that. "Who d'you play?" she quizzed. "The corpse that washes up on the beach." he revealed in an embarrassed tone after a long pause.
"Oh! I just thought ya had a meatier role cuz ya seemed to know the whole script inside an' out, especially the lead's part. Ya really enacted it brilliantly when I asked ya to at the diner the other day." she exclaimed, taken aback by his revelation. "That's what I always do. Be prepared an' all, yeah? I give it my all...but, it never goes my way, Ruthy! An' I'm so bloomin tired o' it!" he cried out, dejectedly. "Yer only startin out, Jack. I taught third grade English before this an' it was just a real pain in the arse, it was!" she tried to compare their situations. "Isn't the same, Ruthy..." he interrupted, sinking even more into depression now. "Well, chasin yer dream got ya ere. You've just gotta chase some more,love. It'll all work out for ya, you'll see!" she assured, linking an arm around his while she rested her head on his shoulder. He clasped her palms in his on feeling them tighten around his arm. She always seemed to say the right things to make him feel better.
  "I did audition for it, but they'd already made up their minds to cast a known face as the lead, instead o' a newbie who's only acted in a controversial play that was met with jeers at the first staging itself...an' a handful o' toiletry ads!" he was still a tad depressed as he spoke in a complaining tone. "C'mon, you've done plenty o'  good roles in the past. How bout the one when ya were 17 an' played that loony?" she reminded him that he wasn't just the extremely good-looking face of toiletries.
"Aye, my first trip outside Bathgate...to Glasgow! For yer information, I played an inmate with manic depression. It's a real illness...a really terrible mental disorder. A really awful experience for any person livin with it. I wasn't merely a loony."  he clarified, putting on a serious tone. "Alright, alright...I get it! I didn't mean to be such an insensitive twat bout it." she apologised, impressed by the way he stood up for the mentally challenged. Apart from his hard-working demeanor, that was something else she liked about her best mate- his caring nature and concern for others. "The casting director probably overlooked that role an' skipped right to the bloody ads!" she heard him mutter, fed up of the unjust manner in which the film industry was treating a newcomer like him.
"There's gonna be more roles in the future, ya know." she consoled, holding him for as long as he needed her to. "No, there aren't, Ruthy. Ya dunno how it is. Even back in London, I got the worst offers. Bloomin hell, I even got an offer to do porn once!" he retorted, freeing himself from her embrace. "Wow! Why didntcha take it?" she quipped in that lame joking manner of hers, this time sounding a tad saucy. "What?! Do I look like I...oh! I see...really funny, remind me to laugh." he started, taking her seriously before he realized it was a joke and graced her with an eye roll. "Sorry. Ya just looked like ya needed the cheerin up. Ya do look like ya need to get laid too, my friend. What's wrong with lettin out yer sensuous side once in a while, ..even if it is just for a role, eh?" he jittered as he heard her whisper quite close to his ear before pretending to bite it, unfortunately chomping down on his ear for real!
"Ow! What was that for, ya nutter?!" the poor fella let out a yowl, shocked by her sudden act which drew a lil bit of blood.  "Sorry! I didn't really mean to bite ya! Ere, I've somethin that'll ease the pain..." she apologized, biting her lip and stifling a laugh, before quickly wrapping her arms around him and pressing her lips against his wounded ear. It was just a nick, but it stung like hell! Thankfully, they were the only ones up there at the fort, so there was no-one to see a grown man cry!
"Oh, what now...oooh! That actually feels good..."  he began to mutter under his breath, only to be silenced by soft kisses that her soft lips left behind while she continued to suck on his ear for soothing effect. It was like one of his fantasies coming true! Aroused and unable to control himself, he moaned in ecstasy...and it immediately echoed throughout the old walls of the fortress, much to his horror!
"What was that?" she exclaimed on hearing what'd slipped out of his mouth, immediately putting an end to the soothing sucking and pulling back. "What...was...what? I didn't hear anythin...!" a wide-eyed, paler than a sheet Jack babbled.  "Sounded almost orgasmic, it did! Do I turn ya on, Jack O'Donnell?" she teased, using his embarrassment to her advantage. She hadn't seen him this flustered since he'd had his pants pulled down by the bullies in front of the whole class, curators and the public on a field trip. She felt sorry for him and amused just the same.
"No, ya don't! Yer bein plain weird now. C'mon, now. I've gotta go home to cry myself to sleep o'er the fact that I missed out on bein in a movie with the world's greatest action hero." he quickly changed the subject, shaking it off as he stood up and backed out of her seductive reach. "He's not that great, ya know? I read an article in GQ that his abs are painted on, can ya imagine? Painted on abs, ha!" she scoffed, joining in on the subject as she heard him praise his idol.
"Besides, cryin isn't gonna help. But, drinkin just might!" he stopped in his tracks as she caught hold of his jacket, yanking him back and playfully putting him in a headlock.  "It's too early to drink." he retorted, his voice muffled as he easily wiggled out of the headlock."Not in Scotland, it isn't! C'mon, you! There'll be no cryin today, not on my watch! Quickly! I don't want us gettin caught out in the rain, yeah?" she barked orders as they made their way back to her parked bike. They reached the pub just as it began to pour.
"Yer a bad influence on those high school kids, ya are! What d'you even teach em?" he teased, laughing as she put two beer bottles to her mouth and chugged- a feat she was highly accomplished at...Apart from sneaking in ciggies into the high school library as kids. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been high on weed in a library, but with Ruth, everyday was experimental and taught him something new. "My job's teachin em English. It's their parents' job to teach em ethics an' values! Ya can't expect us teachers to do everythin!" she scolded, handing him his bottle. He hoped it would just be beer, but knowing Ruth, he knew something else was coming up. And soon enough, she'd ordered shots!