My alarm went off and I literally had to drag myself out of bed. I took a shower and by the time I got out, Nicole was already up and moving around. She was having coffee and happily greeted me. "Good morning! I just want you to know how excited I am to go to with to work with you today. Jen we are going to have so much fun." She was so happy and here I was struggling to make myself smile.
I showered and as I exited the bathroom, we passed each other up. She entered the luxurious bathroom to get herself ready while I dried my hair. I threw jeans and a T-shirt on, but when Nicole reappeared, wearing a very tight fitting, low cut red dress. I glanced down at myself and frowned. She looked like she was going to walk in a fashion show and I looked like I was spending the day home, spring cleaning. "You're really wearing that?" I asked.
"Yeah, why not? Daddy always said to look your best, never know who you may run into." Funny that her daddy says that, she always managed to look flawless and it just wasn't fair. I watched her slip on her matching red heels. She stood in front of the mirror, running her fingers through her perfect hair and I felt sick. Should I change? I can always wear a dress, it won't be a dress like that, but at least it would look better than this. My clothes are so much less revealing than hers. I picked up my blue dress and walked into the bathroom to change.
Hearing knocking on the door from the bathroom, I knew it was Luke and I could hear her flirting with him. I smiled because I knew how much he hated it. Peeking out toward the door, I saw Nic leaning against it, almost like she was posing for him. I slid my arms through the sleeves of my jacket and picked up Nicole's black leather jacket. "Here, it's a little cold out." Grabbing my purse and laptop, I walked closer. "Good morning, Luke."
"Good morning, Jen." I tried to hide the smirk on my face at his annoyance. Nicole's phone rang so she walked ahead of us, struggling to put her jacket on and talking loudly. Luke wrapped his arm around me and took the laptop from my arm. "You look very nice today."
I stopped walking and tilted my head. "What was that for?"
He smiled. "I'm not stupid...." He pointed at Nic who was obviously talking to her father, and he continued. "She's so fucking fake. I'm sorry, but I truly feel that she's just a beautifully wrapped piece of shit." I was unable to stop the loud burst of laughter and she turned around to wave at me.
"Luke! That's not nice and I can't believe you just said that." I folded my arms.
"Look, I know that you like her and all, but there's just something about her that's off putting. She's phony and I cannot believe that you don't see it." That's all he had time to say because we were cane to a stop in front of the elevators.
Nicole caught up to us and turned to Luke. "Oh Luke, do you have plans for dinner tonight?" She licked her red lips as she looked up and down his body.
"Sorry, I have a date, but do I hope you have fun today on the set."
She slipped her arm around his and I bit the inside of my cheek when he crinkled his nose at her gesture. "I'm quite sure I will. I love to watch you work. Will you be shirtless today?" Her words dripped of sex.
He laughed. "No, not today."
"Damn!" The elevator doors opened and as soon as she spotted Jared, she flipped her hair and let go of Luke. "Good morning." She threw her arms around his neck, catching him totally off guard. His eyes met mine and he pulled away.
He laughed. "Good morning! I'm sorry we were on my way out to the car. I guess we will see you guys there." He and Shayla walked out the door and Nicole frowned.
"Why don't you all ride together? I mean, we are all going to the same place, right?"
"We usually don't leave at the same time." Luke confessed, walking away to get some coffee and I knew it would be a challenge for him to be nice. The last thing I wanted was for him to hurt her feelings.
We finally left the hotel and all day, Nicole flirted with anyone and everyone on the set. At lunch, she managed to squeeze between Luke and Jared. Normally this would have gotten on my nerves, but she was only here until we left on Sunday to fly home, so I ignored it. Luke had actually started to roll his eyes, not caring who saw it. I reminded him that it was only for a few more days.
Finally, at the end of the day, when I was least expecting it, Jared pulled me into his dressing room and locked the door. "Hi." He whispered, kissing down my neck.
"Hi." I slipped my arms around him and grinned. God, this is just what I needed.
"So, dinner tonight?" He continued whispering in between kissing directly under my ear. "I know we have a really early morning tomorrow, but I still want to see you."
"I think I can escape for a while, but I better go, we are getting ready to leave. See you around shortly." I kissed his lips before walking out the door.
In the car, I knew that Luke would disappear once back at the hotel and turned to Nicole. "Hey, would you mind if I went to dinner with Jared?"
"Sure, I'm just going to go out for a walk and I'll grab something while I'm out. You two have a good time." We arrived back at the hotel and as Luke made his escape, I had just enough time to change my clothes before going to meet Jared.
"Be back soon." I told her as I closed the door behind me. To save time, I didn't wait for Jared to come to me, I went to him. We went to a nearby restaurant since we were calling it an early night. He was asking about my plans during the break. "LA isn't far from Calabasas." He playfully reminded me, nudging my knee under the table.
I'd love to spend some time with him, but I really had to check with Luke. He may have some things he wants to do during the short break. I told him that Nicole was also going to be around for most of the break and he said that he didn't mind.
We returned to the hotel and he walked me to my room, kissing me passionately right outside the door. "Come with me to my room, just for a few minutes."
"Who are you kidding? A few minutes? That's funny."
"I can't help it if I like to take my time." He narrowed his eyes and grinned that evil, sexy grin.
Smiling, I kissed him again. "Yes you do and let me tell you, going to bed early on a Friday feels like a punishment."
"Hey now, if it's punishment you want... just follow me." God, he has no idea what it does to me when he talk like this.
"You know I can't, I'll never wake up on time. Goodnight Jared." I leaned in for one more kiss before opening the door and stepping inside. The lights were off and Nicole wasn't back yet. I changed my clothes and got into bed, but picked up my phone. I had to amuse myself until I was able to sleep.
