On the Outside (Caught Inside #3) Read online

  Chapter 26

  “What time is it?” Xavier’s voice jarred me awake, leading me to sit straight up, gasping in shock.

  I blinked in confusion, trying my best to stretch away the soreness in my neck. “I don’t know…eight?”

  I glanced outside and frowned. It was bright as day, but that couldn’t be right…

  “Eight as in p.m. or a.m.?” Xavier demanded, running toward his window. Yanking the blinds open, he gasped as the rays of sunshine peeked in through the glass. “Shit! How did we fall asleep?”

  “Wait…it’s morning? You mean we’ve been out here the whole time? We…”

  Cuddled all night?

  I immediately sat up and glanced around his living room. It was as pristine as we had left it—even the dining table was all cleaned up. There were no signs that any ‘fun’ had happened.

  Rats.

  “Motherfucker! I’m never late!” He ran toward his door, grabbing his keys along the way. I cringed, noticing that he didn’t even take the time to brush his teeth or wash his face. Was being on time really more important?

  He looked back at me and frowned. “What are you doing? Come on, let’s get moving.”

  “Xavier, we’re not late. Don’t you remember? Call time isn’t until after lunch today.”

  “Call time for you, maybe. I have to be there to accept some props, make sure the rigging’s okay…” He babbled on and on before walking out and slamming the door behind him, leaving me alone in his house.

  Gaping after him, I brushed a hand through my messy locks. “What the hell just happened?”

  I was too groggy and shocked to be angry, but I still couldn’t believe he had left me alone without so much as a goodbye.

  ***

  “Harper, wait up!” Xavier called after me, but I ignored him and continued my walk to makeup and wardrobe. I hoped Piper would be there as I needed to vent—badly!

  “Harper!”

  “Leave me alone, Xavier. I’m not in the mood.” To make my point I pulled my sunglasses down over my eyes and quickened my pace. Not only was I still pissed off at him, but of course it had to be the day we’d start filming back at the beach.

  Murphy’s Law.

  “I didn’t mean to leave you alone like that. I panicked! I’m never late to anything,” he explained with a shaky voice.

  “Mmhmm.”

  “Harper!” he shouted.

  My head snapped around. “I’m not some sort of dog you can call to your side like that. I get you panicked and became oblivious to everything around you, but you have to admit that once Kacy texted you last night everything about our good date went under quick. That goes for this morning as well.”

  He glared at me. “How did you know it was Kacy? Were you spying on me?”

  My jaw scraped the floor. “Are you kidding me?”

  Looking chagrined, he shook his head. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just a bit foggy from this morning.”

  Crossing my arms in irritation, I scowled. “It was obvious it was her. Why else would you start acting weird? You know, many people are usually mama’s boys or daddy’s girls. Never heard of a sister’s guy.”

  “Family is important to me. If you knew what you were talking about then you’d see that regardless of her texting me every day to remind me not to go out with you, I still did.”

  “I hate that bitch more every day,” I blurted out.

  That got Family Man riled up. “Harper, as much as I am beginning to care about you, please don’t talk about my sister like that. For your information, Riley’s been texting me too.”

  Riley texts him?

  My anger soon gave way to an overwhelming feeling of sadness. “Well, you know what? Screw all of you Greenes and Dillons. Screw you all.”

  I stomped into the makeup trailer and slammed the door behind me, startling Charlie, who was already perched on his makeup chair. “Whoa! Watch it there, Sport.”

  “So I’m a sport, now?” I plopped into my seat, prompting Piper to rush forward in a hurry.

  “You okay?” She quickly grabbed a hot towel and began patting my forehead with it, trying her best to calm me down. I really needed to get to know her better. She was one of the nicest people I’d met since moving to California. Not counting Xavier, of course, but seeing as how the day was playing out, I couldn’t be too sure about that.

  I shrugged. “Could be better.”

  Piper scrunched up her face. “I guess it’s a bad time to tell you there’s been a wardrobe change.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked with a yawn. My head was still cloudy from the night before.

  If you feel this messed up, imagine how Xavier feels. He’s juggling three headstrong women!

  Once the realization hit me, I shook my head and sighed. I really did need to lighten up when it came to Xavier. His family came first and unfortunately that meant I came second…or maybe even third.

  Piper disappeared behind a few rows of clothing only to return with an anxious look on her face. Counting to three, she reached from behind her back and held out what had to be the world’s tiniest bikini.

  I lurched forward and gawked at what looked like two pieces of Kleenex held together by dental floss. “What the fuck is that?”

  “Wyatt decided a wetsuit wasn’t sexy enough.”

  “The wetsuit had no legs! It was basically a one piece with sleeves!” I argued.

  “That’s what I told him, but he wants you to surf in this today.” Piper grimaced, certainly feeling my pain.

  “But…” I recalled Xavier’s warnings of flashing the beach and I cringed. “No, absolutely not. I will not risk flashing my boob to the whole crew.”

  “Oh come on, Harper. That doesn’t look so bad. You should see what I’m wearing,” Charlie interrupted. I had almost forgotten he was in the room.

  “If it’s anything more than a sock with a string attached, don’t even talk to me,” I snapped.

  “Well, it’s actually a mid-thigh pair of board shorts, but that might as well be a sock for me.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Certainly not helping, Charlie.”

  “Thirty minutes!” The sound of Xavier’s voice caused me to stiffen. I kept myself facing forward but glanced up at the mirror. His reflection stared back at me sadly before disappearing behind the trailer door.

  “Trouble in paradise?” Charlie asked, but not unkindly.

  “What paradise?” I muttered.

  Leaning forward, he brushed a tendril of hair off my face. “Stick with me, Red. I’ll be sure to show you what paradise is.”

  “If you mean STD, then I’d say that’s a ticket she shouldn’t buy,” Piper shot back with a smirk on her face.

  Any other guy would probably have gotten mad at the jab, but Charlie merely laughed. “I promise you I’m all squeaky clean. Like a rubber duck.”

  Piper grimaced. “Ugh. Thanks for the visual.”

  “Any time.”

  Though I was still a bit irritated, I couldn’t help but feel a bit better. As I sat back and admired Charlie’s reflection—which I swore glowed ethereally—I couldn’t help but wonder what Xavier’s problem with him was. Knowing how uptight my ‘friend’ was, I’d say it was probably nothing at all.

  Chapter 27

  “Whew! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Charlie walked over to me in a pair of fairly tight board shorts. They were an obnoxious orange and baby blue colored print that stopped closer to his crotch than his mid-thigh. By the way he waddled toward me I could tell he wasn’t used to wearing such form-fitting shorts.

  Okay, maybe now I don’t feel so bad after all.

  Of course as soon as the thought entered my mind a cold wind blew past me, causing my nipples to harden against the thin fabric of my bikini top. Charlie glanced down at my breasts and smiled in approval.

  Quickly covering my chest, I decided to turn the tables back on him. “Wow! You’re a sight amongst many. Love the pseudo-banana hammock you’re rocking
.”

  Charlie stopped walking and grabbed at his package with a grimace. “Yeah, these nut huggers aren’t fun at all. At least you can breathe in your get up.”

  I glanced down at my bright green string bikini, which was one inch away from a nip slip. “Uh, yeah. I really don’t understand why these stylists always dress us redheads in green.”

  “It’s because the color flatters your tone well,” he answered seriously.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Very educated response with no hesitation. Are you a fashion major and didn’t tell me?”

  He laughed. “I adore beauty in any form. I kind of have an eye for these things. You, my dear, are breathtaking in that suit.”

  I didn’t even know how to respond to that. Curling my mouth up into a circle, I spun around and walked away.

  “Places everybody!” Our annoying director was back at it again. I caught a glimpse of Wyatt as he made it toward his chair. Gone were his infamous hangover sunglasses, which allowed his fear inducing gaze to be set free.

  I’d much rather have the sunglasses.

  I shut my eyes and gulped, feeling the familiar twisting sensation in my stomach. Piper must have noticed my lack of color because she quickly ran up beside me gripping a water bottle.

  “Are you okay?” She held out her prim hand to fan me. “You look like you’re ready to pass out.”

  “This is my first love scene.” I gulped, eyeing the outdoor shower that Charlie and I would soon have to ‘make love’ in. “Who the hell wrote this script? Why the hell did it have to be outdoors?”

  Piper’s thin eyebrows furrowed together. “First love scene? Are you being serious with me?”

  I nodded nervously. “Joy In and Joy Out was a comedy on primetime television. The furthest I had to go with a costar was making out with him.”

  I inwardly cringed, recalling that less than stellar performance I had with Coby. I still couldn’t believe I had to kiss the arrogant, pretty-faced jerk.

  Piper smiled encouragingly. “Come on, it’s Charlie. He’ll make you feel comfortable.”

  “Places. Now!” Wyatt yelled.

  I sighed. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  My flip-flops dragged against the sand littered asphalt, crunching with each step I took. For some reason I felt as if I were walking toward the gallows. It was odd considering many men and women would probably give their right hand for a chance to do what I was about to do with the actor Entertainment Now Magazine dubbed the “Sexiest Male in the Universe.”

  Charlie jogged up beside me, placing his muscled arm around my shoulders. “Hey, there. Are you ready to get this show on the road?”

  “I’m a bit nervous,” I admitted.

  He winked. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of everything.”

  ***

  “Samantha…” Charlie groaned, pushing his body into mine. Despite wearing a chastity cup, I could definitely feel his cock springing to life.

  He must be ‘fully equipped’ down there.

  My cheeks turned red at the thought as my hips automatically moved forward to meet his as if driven by some unseen force. Soon I lost myself to the rhythm of his body, relishing the light touch of his fingers as they grazed my bare skin. If my nipples were hard before, they certainly had the ability to cut through diamonds now.

  As the script dictated, Charlie reached out and turned on the shower. The water felt like ice against our skin, but honestly I hardly noticed. The way Charlie gripped my sides as if he were hungry for me made me feel warm along with many things that I’d be ashamed to admit out loud.

  “Jasper,” I whispered, though I wasn’t entirely sure if it came out audibly.

  Ignoring the gross feeling of wet sand under my feet, I leaned against the wooden pole and let my arms fall loosely to the side. The water continued to beat against my head, almost mimicking the way Charlie’s tongue thrashed against mine.

  “Samantha…sigh…you are unbelievably…sigh…sexy,” Charlie gasped in between breaths.

  Yeah, that was definitely another adlib, as was the minor grope against my breast. To my self-disgust I really didn’t mind any of it.

  Charlie briefly dropped his hands from my chest and once again wrapped his arms around my body. Tucking his head against my ear, he whispered something that I knew was only for my ears to hear. “You’re so fucking hot.”

  My eyes widened, and to my surprise I spotted Wyatt waving his arms frantically in the air. “I said cut! Damn, if I knew how much you two would dive into this scene, I would have filmed it first.”

  Like a kid caught with my hand in the cookie jar, I jumped back and felt my whole body redden in embarrassment. Charlie wasn’t as mortified and even had the audacity to shoot me a wink.

  As Wyatt continued to ramble on about blocking for our next scene, Piper ran up to me with a look of pure shock and excitement shining from her eyes. “Oh my gosh, that was effing hot. I could have sworn I was watching soft core porn.”

  “Was it really that bad?” I winced, imagining what it probably looked like to the unfortunate innocent bystanders of Pacific Beach who happened to be sneaking peeks at our set.

  “Not ‘horrible’ bad, more like ‘oh my gosh I have to go and buy a vibrator after work’ bad.”

  I continued to cringe, in utter disbelief that I could get carried away like that. Was I really that sexually frustrated that I’d basically pounce on the first guy who placed his lips on me? Then again, I was working, so I had that excuse working for me.

  Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Harper.

  “Shhh, stop talking,” Piper hissed, looking over her shoulder.

  Uh oh, did I say all those things out loud?

  Gulping, I looked down at her with worry. “Why?”

  “Xavier is coming this way.”

  Shit. I had forgotten about Xavier—okay, that was a lie. I was actually hoping that he hadn’t seen all the dry humping that had gone on. I wanted to run away and hide under a rock, but unfortunately Xavier was by my side quicker than I could find a hiding place.

  “Harper.” His voice was clearly unamused.

  You’re being ridiculous. You have nothing to be ashamed about.

  I lifted my chin and spun around. “Xavier,” I said in an equally muted tone.

  I watched as his chocolate brown eyes dilated. Without warning he placed a hand behind my head and pulled me toward him for a kiss. Piper squealed in delight.

  Damn, those tabloids are right. You really are a floozy.

  I stepped back in shock and caught Charlie’s look of bewilderment.

  “What was that for?” I demanded, unsure of whether to be angry or extremely happy. After all we were technically still pissed off at one another; then again I still really, really liked him.

  With a look of pride on his face, he leaned over and whispered, “Sorry for this morning and sorry for everything else.”

  “Do you really think your apology can magically make things better?” I snapped, still blinking away the stars in my eyes.

  “I like you and I know you have feelings for me too. I promise not to let Kacy, or anyone else for that matter—” he paused and shot Charlie an angry look before continuing, “—get in the way of what this can turn into. As for Kacy, I’ll try my best to fix that.”

  “I’m still pissed off at you for leaving me this morning,” I interjected in annoyance.

  Once again Piper let out a giddy sound. I shot her a look, which made her duck away in embarrassment.

  Xavier nodded. “Yeah, about that. I’m really, really sorry. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make it up to you. Like I said, I am Type A to a fault.”

  “Okay, if you say so…”

  Little did I know he’d more than make up for it.

  Chapter 28

  A few months later…

  After our initial blunder, Xavier and I certainly recovered beautifully. Not only did we cement and define our relationship, but Xavier also helped me salvage what was
left of my reputation. As an up and coming producer, he had a list of contacts that went on for miles. Seriously, I was quite surprised when I learned just how extensive his networking capabilities were. Taking the time to reach out to his contacts, he was able to schedule a bunch of PR related events for me.

  Take that, Robert!

  A few charity parties, telethons, and fundraisers later, ‘Harper the Slut’ was officially ‘Harper the Philanthropist.’ I was on my way to becoming another Martha Bennington, but without the silver fox husband.

  “Are you sure you want to stay a producer?” I asked him one evening as we settled in for the night. I ran my finger through the light sprinkling of hair on his chest, which his razor obviously had missed. “You really should think of doing PR.”

  Grinning, he rolled over on top of me and peered down into my eyes. “Public relations isn’t really my thing. Besides, I only do it when I know I’ll be paid in sex afterwards.”

  I giggled and tugged at his boxers. “Maybe you should moonlight as a gigolo then?”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Only if it means I can ravish you all night long.”

  I bit my lip in anticipation. “What are you waiting for?”

  They say some things are worth the wait, and sexy time with Xavier was definitely one of them. After our failed third date and another month of waiting for him to ‘make the move’ in the bedroom, Xavier more than made up for any of my sexual frustration.

  He trailed a finger softly against the curve of waist. “So what would you like to do tonight? Do we play it nice and easy or do you want a safe word?”

  I snorted, unable to hold in my laughter. “When have we ever needed a safe word?”

  His answering smile almost made me grab for another pair of underwear. “Eh, it would be fun to try something new, don’t you think?”

  “We’ve only been having sex for a month. Everything with you is new.” What I didn’t tell him was how each time felt like the first. Xavier had a way of making me feel brand new.