3

"Ms. Cornish?" Laura, a young intern, knocked on the door to Sophia's trailer as Ricardo gave his call. She had been assigned to do nothing but convince Sophia to come out on to the set, and after only a week, she was starting to consider looking for other work. Luckily, the cast and crew were already aware of Sophia's infamous moods, so Laura had no need to worry about being fired if the actress decided not to come out on time.

"Ms. Cornish? Mr. Jaris has called for places," she tried again.

Inside her trailer, Sophia heaved a sigh. She really had no desire to go back out there. Working with Blake was a challenge, and not in a good way. She found it really quite frustrating to work with a man who found it necessary to flirt with nearly everyone around him, especially when he virtually ignored her. If he wasn't so damn talented, she would have asked Ricardo to replace him after the first day of filming.

Her train of thought was interrupted by another soft knock. Sophia rolled her eyes and stood up - the new girl was persistant, if a bit annoying.

Pulling the door open, Sophia walked out of her trailer, head held high, leaving Laura to close the door. She sat down lightly on the bench, waiting for Blake to find his place.

"And... action!"

"Really? Just to see me?" Sophia asked, suddenly looking sweet and innocent, every trace of irritation gone from her face.

2

Blake shook his head as his costar stormed off. He really couldn’t stand Sophia Cornish, but he had been cast alongside her in this movie, and he needed the part – no actor in his right mind would pass up a part in a Ricardo Jaris movie. Still, there were moments, like this one, that made him question whether taking the part had been a good idea.

Standing up, Blake headed over to the craft services cart. If he was going to have a break, he was going to have a snack. Of course, it didn’t hurt that there was a cute little brunette working over there today. He ran a hand through his black hair, making sure it still looked good, then turned on his best smile as he approached.

From the other side of the camera, Ricardo shook his head. He had made dozens of movies, and worked with hundreds of actors, but this pair had the worst off-screen chemistry he had ever seen. Again, he wondered how he had missed it during their auditions. Despite the palpable tension between the two of them when the cameras were off, Ricardo was always impressed with the way they interacted on film. He could truly believe that they were in love – if he ignored everything that happened after he yelled, “Cut.”

Ricardo shook his head again as he watched Blake sauntering over to flirt with the craft services girl. Blake Herrington was an impressive actor, but he was more than a handful when it came to publicity. He was one of those young men who managed to have a different girl on his arm every night, and broke a new heart every morning. Trying to keep his hormones on a leash while they were promoting this movie – if it ever got finished! – would be a trick.

Of course, it would be just as tricky to get Sophia to play her part and show up with Blake at the openings and parties. The little diva had a knack for throwing a tantrum when things didn’t go her way, and she had disappeared from an important event on more than one occasion in the past.

“What have I gotten myself into?” the director asked himself softly, reaching for the flask inside his vest. He took a small swig, then replaced the flask swiftly before taking a deep breath. “All right! Let’s get going from Sophia’s line, ‘just to see me?’ Places!”

1

Blake tilted his head from side to side, sighing as his neck popped quietly. He shook out his arms gently, then moved his feet, trying to get himself psyched up. Taking a deep breath, he walked over and sat on the bench. He closed his eyes, hoping to clear his mind. He felt the bench shift slightly, and opened his eyes to see Sophia sitting on the opposite side. It was time.

"Action!" came the call from behind the camera. In an instant, both Blake and Sophia changed their expressions.

"Hello," she said. She lowered her chin just a touch, looking both coy and shy at the same time as she stared up at him through her eyelashes.

"Hello," he replied, letting a small smile touch his lips. "I was hoping to run into you again."

"Have you?" she asked, her voice sounding surprised. She looked away and blushed slightly.

"Of course," he said, turning his body slightly. He slid over on the bench, closer to her, but not touching. Casually, he laid his arm across the back of the seat, barely letting it touch her shoulder.

A shiver visibly ran through her at the contact, and she turned to look at him with wide eyes. "I wasn't sure you would want to... after all, we've only spoken twice before..."

"And they were the best conversations I have ever had," he told her. Again, she turned away and blushed, but turned back to him with less hesitation.

"Thank you... have you been here long?" she asked.

"No. And yes."

"Which is it?" she asked. "No or yes?"

"No, I haven't been here long today," he replied. "But I did stop by yesterday... and the day before..."

"Really? Just to see me?" she asked, turning more fully towards him. She moved slightly closer to him on the bench, and her knee brushed against his, but she did not move away.

"Just to see you," he confirmed. "Seeing you makes my day brighter." He leaned a bit closer, letting his arm surround her more completely. After a brief moment of hesitation, she relaxed against him, her head on his chest, his chin on her head. Her eyes closed briefly, and her chest rose as she inhaled the scent of him. His fingers traced a path up and down her arm, bringing a smile to her face. Up and down, up and down...

"Stop that!" Sophia half-snarled, half-giggled. "It tickles, you ass!"

"Cut!" yelled the director. "Okay kids, let's pick this up in five."

"Bitch," he muttered as she sat back.

"Jackass," she retorted. She stood up and gave him the finger before flouncing off towards her trailer. Some people were just awful to work with.