& Then There Were 3

Chapter 1

"We're on in five!"

Rihanna relaxed deeper into the sofa, simmering over whether she should respond to Drake's messages.

"Do you think you have time tomorrow night?"

She'd seen enough of him on set and was beginning to wonder if he thought they were anything more than last month's romp. Or if this video was more than an act.

The first time they'd met was on a night out in LA. She always felt like a different version of herself there, more reckless. More savage. She was a few drinks deep and feeling lost in the music and so was he. Next thing you know, they were in the bathroom all hands and lips and teeth. It was a steamy blip in time and they extended it for two or three weekends at his condo. She was only there for a couple of business meetings and an award ceremony, so once those came to an end, she couldn't delete the text thread quick enough.

Fast forward to now and he's already invited her to dinner three times in the past week, there was a pile of gifts next to her vanity and Natalie, her personal assistant was finding a sly way to dispose of them. It's flattering to receive the attention but at what point would he move on to the next thing? She's seen his tricks and his manipulations. She was young but not naive enough to fall for any of it. This thought left a pang of nostalgia in her stomach. She missed the innocence and the feeling of complete rapture that comes with it. The last time she'd felt that, it ended in complete calamity.

She sighed, scrolling through her emails. "I need a real vacation."

A knock at the door.

"Come in." She muttered, checking her makeup. Jacque, her hair stylist, slid through the door fumbling with a box.

"Robyn, you haven't even drank your shot."

"I know, I'm just a little fatigued."

"Well, just take a little bit of it and we can go on with this last shot." He messed with her auburn curls, "It'll all be over before you know it. Also, you have one more gift from Drake. I left it by the door.

"Action!"

She let herself feel the music as she moved under the fluorescent lights, teasing her hair, and flirting with the camera. "Oh, Na Na," She mouthed the words to the hook just as Drake slid in behind her grazing his fingertips along the small of her back. She cringed and looked away as she wound away from him. The director made a sound of approval so she knew it looked natural. Leaning into the glass, she goaded him along, "Ev-ery-body knows how to work my bo-dy. Knows how to make me want it..."

He leaned in lips grazing her ear, he whispered, "Did you open my gifts?"

"Cut!" The director came storming past the cameras, "I'm willing to stay for as long as it takes, but for both of your sakes, please stick to the lyrics."

Drake smiled and glanced at her with his kind, dark eyes, "Certainly. That's no problem. I thought I'd do a little improv, but I can stick with this too." He turned back to Rihanna, watching as she toyed with her denim jacket, avoiding his eyes. He was starting to realize that she was harder to get to than the rest.

But, even under the blue tint of the fluorescent lights, she was a vision to behold. Her beautiful hazel eyes and full lips were all he could see from the time he flew in for this shoot. From the moment he saw her, he knew there was nothing he wouldn't do to be by her side.

"Action!"