Act of Attraction - a Forbidden Novella

Chapter 4 -First Advance

For the next few days I made sure to make little advances on her - touching her somewhere on her body when we spoke, smiling my slow and deadly smile at her over a coffee cup during a break, brushing against her in passing. I had seen her check me out in the uniform I had as a costume whenever I was due on stage and made sure to ask her to adjust my sword belt to make sure it hung correctly a few times. Each time meant close contact between us as she adjusted the straps around my waist and I found our eyes meeting and holding more often then, as her nimble fingers worked their magic.

Yesterday was no different, as I caught her in a dark part of the stage to help with this task. Holding her gaze once done, I took one of her slightly shaking hands in mine and brought it to my lips, turning it over to place a kiss on her pulse and rub my thumb over her upturned palm. "Thank you, my lady," I smiled, staring deeply into her eyes. "It's what I'm here for," she huskily replied before other cast members passed us and she pulled away from me, leaving my hands empty of her touch.

I had one scene where I had to wait on her side of the wings for my entry and I made sure to stand close to her, placing my hands on her tense shoulders and slowly started rubbing them as she waited for the next scene change. "You seem a bit stressed," I whispered in her ear. "You know I can help you with that." I brushed a strand of hair away from her neck and watched in awe as my touch left goose bumps on her skin.

"Are you flirting again, Ronan?" Her voice sounded slightly strangled.

"I meant a shoulder massage, Miss dirty-mind. Besides, I told you. If I'm flirting, you'd know it." My hands kept their gentle massage going on her tense shoulders and I felt her start to relax under my skillful administrations. Slowly moving further downward on every stroke, I felt her body heat call to me.

Someone came offstage fast at that moment and bumped into me, pushing Cora against the wall she was standing next to in the process and causing me to end up flush against her body as I thanked my lucky stars for my unexpected luck. My hands quickly skimmed their way down and up again over hills and valleys, pretending to check for injuries, but simply causing a stirring in my blood and a sudden pickup in pulse of hers.

"That stupid idiot," I murmured low enough for her ears only. "Are you OK?"

She breathed heavily and turned to face me. "Yes, yes I'm OK, thanks." We stood close to one another for another few seconds, our eyes catching even in the dark as my hands stayed on her body and I cursed the fact that I could hear my cue coming up soon. I pushed away from her reluctantly, my body aching to be close to hers again. "Time to play the gallant knight," I winked at her as I stood back in my place, only to hear her soft giggle from my side. I cocked a brow at her.

"Your costume is all skew, Mr Knight. You'll look like you got groped backstage if you go on like that," She quickly fixed my jacket and belt, pulling everything right again.

"A guy can hope, can't he?" I flirted down at her concentrating face. Blushing, she hit my shoulder.

"Now you're definitely flirting." She was still smiling as I made my way onstage and I caught her eye once or twice as I delivered my lines. It felt strangely good to know she was watching me perform.

The best times however, seemed to be whenever I was working backstage with her and her one assistant. There were many dark corners for a quick fondle and I had every intention of using every one to my advantage. Unfortunately Cora was trying her best to keep her attention on the run sheet of the play and not let anyone distract her, which made things difficult for me, but not impossible. I tried little things, like standing next to her in the wings, watching a scene unfold in front of us and commenting on things softly in her ear. Once or twice I'd rubbed her shoulders again, feeling her relax into my touch while watching her pulse race in the veins in her neck.

She ended up mainly using me to pull the ropes that dropped the flies which had the different decor for each scene on it – a task I relished in as it showed my muscled arms to its best advantage. The cast ladies flocked around me like geese whenever I was not onstage, all wanting to have some of my attention and I tried my best to comply while still keeping Cora in sight.

A man should always keep his options open.

Cora shooed my adoring fans away from her backstage area, and effectively me, on a few occasions unless they were due to go on stage, complaining that they were blocking her props and causing a noise backstage, but I could see the action for what it was. Jealousy. I smiled at the thought and doubled my flirting efforts with the willing females around me whenever she was near to see it.

By the end of the 4th show she was walking around like someone who was rather miffed and I was quite chuffed that I was the cause of it. I sat on a prop hay bale chewing a straw and watched her and her backstage assistants pack away the props and prepare the stage for the next night's performance.

She looked over to me on the hay bale before coming over in a huff. "Do you mind? I have to move that bale back to its place for tomorrow." I slowly got up and moved around her, as she bent to pick up the bale. I stood behind her and bent over her, my hands over hers to pick up the bale. "Let me do that."

Slapping my hands away from the hay she looked at me over her shoulder in anger. "I am quite capable of carrying this, Ronan. I don't need your help, thank you. Go try your moves on your adoring fans since there are so many of them to choose from." She picked up the bale and spun around on her heel, moving to its correct spot on stage before dropping it again. She completely ignored me as she walked off-stage again.

Ah, the green dragon has finally reared its head. I rushed to follow her into the hallway of the dressing rooms backstage and grabbed her arm, pulling her with me through the side door to the outside and back of the building, as there were too many people still milling around inside for me to do what was currently on my mind.

"Ronan," she hissed at me, trying to free herself from my grasp. "What are you doing? Let me go, right now!"

I dragged her around the corner and dumped her against the wall, blocking her in by placing both my arms slightly above her head and my pushing my body close to hers. Dropping my mouth to hers, I caught her protests on her lips as I proceeded to kiss her senseless, my lips moving urgently over hers as I savored my first taste of her. She stood in my arms, stunned, before her eyes closed and she suddenly kissed me back, causing my knees to buckle at the passion she passed through her lips to mine. I broke contact after a few more seconds and stepped back slightly, trying hard to remember that I wanted to relay a message to her and not just cop a feel in the dark like some horny teenager.

"There's another stress reliever for you, Cora. Call me the next time you need to let off some steam. I'll be at your disposal, anytime."

I left her there, still stunned beyond words and breathing heavily with round eyes and touching her lips, as I made my way to my car with a satisfied grin on my lips.