Today, Brandon put his plan in action. The movie studio would go dark at Christmas, so they only had two days to figure out where the money was going. He paced the hall. Eva's bedroom door was closed, he looked at the time on his phone. They needed to go. He knocked on her door and called inside. "Are you ready?"
She slipped out of her bedroom and he noticed her bed was made. Maid service wasn’t on property yet, so she had done that herself. He should show her the elevator. Last night, he’d made her walk, like an idiot. The baby bump was clearer to him this morning. He took her hand and led her to a small door. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief once he opened it to reveal the elevator.
Seconds later, they were on the first floor. She grabbed fruit and a tea from the counter. That wasn’t enough, so he handed her a piece of toast. She stopped and took a bite. A huge smile lit up her face. "This tastes great."
He left a note for his cook to make up a few loaves of fresh bread for the next few days because he gave his staff Christmas Eve and day off.
Eva ate a second piece and nodded that she was ready now. He led her toward the door. "I feel weird walking out of the house without makeup. In a play, we are often overdone and makeup likes us to come in with our base already on."
He opened the doors for her and led her to the garage. "You will be high-def once you get in the chair. Right now, you're already glowing."
He helped her inside his Bentley and moments later, they were driving out of his property and onto Bridge St. Eva snacked on a banana in silence. He glanced at her as they drove. She truly was radiant, but as they neared the studio, she grew fidgety and asked, "Are you surprising the director with me, or does he know?"
He parked in front and leaned closer to her. "Everyone knows I'm bringing you in today for test shots."
Her big blue eyes beseeched him. "When did you tell them?"
"Before I knocked on your door last night," he answered, and stepped out of the car. They needed to go, but the frown on her face made him pause.
Without a word, she relaxed again and took his offered hand to help her stabilize where she stood. The bright morning sun of Miami hit them, but it wasn't humid yet. She refused to let go of his arm. "What if I'd refused?"
Christmas with Eva might be nice. He brushed her hair out of her eyes and let her hold him close. "I never thought about that."
"Why?"
Her lips pursed and the urge to kiss her again hit him hard. She was cute when she was nervous. He stayed close to her and his body hardened and he ached to kiss her. "I knew you gave away every dime."
She looked at him and he swore she wanted a kiss too with how she asked, "How?"
"A few of your former coworkers now work on set," he answered. The tingles in his lips were something he hadn't felt in years. He assumed he'd never feel anything powerful about anyone. "And you've done it before."
She lowered her head and leaned on his chest. He felt how she shook. "I'm slightly nervous. I've only done stage work. This is all different."
Not even his sister seemed so vulnerable. Brandon hugged Eva because he didn't know what else to do, and for a second, he swayed her to keep her in his arms. Eva was vulnerable, which made her different. It might be the pregnancy hormones that movies talk about. "You've always been a star in the making, Eva."
A blush bloomed on her cheeks while she looked into his eyes and batted those long lashes at him. "About last night, Brandon..."
Every muscle in his body stiffened. "Yeah."
"You're a good kisser."
"You too." He leaned forward and met her lips. She still tasted sweet, and better than any ice cream flavor he'd had. For a moment, he forgot everything else except Eva was now his.
Once the kiss ended, he hugged her once more and said, "Let's go in."
With another nod, she straightened her shoulders and followed him. He offered her his hand as he held the door for her. The second they walked inside, people were everywhere. In makeup and wardrobe they mostly hovered in the corner, but everyone stared at them.
He needed to get Eva to the director. The male lead walked in the opposite direction with papers in his hand. Brandon stopped him. "Hey Matt. Do you know where Dimitri is?"
Matthew Morgan smiled and showed off his twenty-million-dollar dimples. "He's on the boardroom showdown set. Is this our new Laura?"
"Today's her screen shots." Brandon answered while he pushed Eva a little forward.
Matthew smiled at her and said, "I'll be ready in ten minutes for our camera shot."
Brandon led Eva forward and through the upcoming coffee shop set up, toward the boardroom. Once they made it outside the half a room, the other star of the movie, Jennifer Gonzales, circled behind them. She didn't introduce herself. Instead, she said, "She has dark hair."
"Yes." Eva said and turned while she held her stomach.
Jennifer gazed at the pair of them. "I thought our villain was going to be blonde and blue eyed."
Eva stayed close to Brandon and said, "I have blue eyes."
"Well, I wanted a blonde." Jennifer crossed her arms. "The last two girls we tested were blonde."
He placed his hand on the small of Eva's back. "You're not the director, Jennifer."
A second later, Brandon turned away without a goodbye to the star and asked one of the crew where the director was. Behind him he heard Jennifer ask Eva, "So, are you having the producer's baby?"
"Yes," Eva answered. His entire body felt lighter in that moment. She trusted him to protect her. He lifted his head a little higher and let the teenage boy that used to live inside him feel the moment Eva claimed him. But he told himself not to let that get to him, and he ignored how his heart seemed to grow in his chest.
The crew member pointed to the camera room.
"I see." Jennifer lowered her hands as Brandon rejoined them and said, "Then I'm sure the tests are just a formality."
She turned and walked away. He leaned closer to Eva and whispered in her ear, "So, we're telling people I'm the father?"
She put her hand around his neck to ensure that they were as quiet and alone as they could be in the crowd. She placed her hand on his cheek. "You said it was up to me, and you're a better man than Chris could ever be."
Last night and today's kisses awakened something inside him he thought had died. If Eva wanted his help, he'd be there for her.
The director popped out of the camera room with one of the crew and walked toward them. Brandon stepped out of her arms, but stayed close. "Dimitri, this is my Eva."
Dimitri handed him a script, and without a second to breathe, he immediately spoke to Eva. "Are you sure you want to work on a movie set in your condition?"
She nodded her head and held her stomach. "I bring authenticity to the character that no one else will."
He glanced at her stomach. "Your priors are all on-stage. No one gets audience approval here for years, and movies are boring compared to plays."
"I’m looking forward to finding out how acting works filming small scenes at a time." She held out her hand to shake his. "I am excited to join you."
From the look on Dimitri's face, he was clearly more impressed in the ten seconds of talking to Eva than he was about half of the studio changes that had been pushed forward. Dimitri snapped his finger. "Well, let's see if the camera likes you. Hair. Makeup. Be right here in fifteen minutes."
He gave a cursory nod at Brandon and went to go talk to the camera man again. Brandon walked with Eva toward the section set for actors and said, "I'll get you a dressing room and then pick you up later."
"Let’s talk about why you’re here. Is there anyone you suspect?"
"Right now, just keep your eyes open. I'll read more into this and be on set more tomorrow," he whispered and wrapped his hands around her. If anyone saw them, they'd assume they were saying goodbye.
"Bye," she whispered and closed her eyes.
Like a child offered his favorite treat, his lips met hers again, and she still had a kick to hers that made him feel powerful enough to conquer the world. He hugged her closer, and the moment he felt his body harden, he let himself believe she was his as the rest of the world disappeared.
Once their kiss ended, he let her go. She swung her hips as she walked down the hall.
He turned to leave, but Matt Morgan came beside him and handed him a script. Brandon looked at the now matching scripts he had as Matt said, "Brandon, I wanted to talk to you."
"What's going on?"
"It's the script. Dimitri and I were talking and we think we should film two endings in case the audience rejects the original."
As the producer, he needed to sometimes overstep a director and ensure that the audience’s expectations were fulfilled. Directors and actors sometimes saw something he overlooked, but often they’d try to hold out on some artistic detail, and it was his job to deal with the studio executives. He lifted his eyebrow. "I've okayed the original."
Matt crossed his arms. "Just read the rewrite."
Tonight, it seemed he had homework. "Okay. I will read this fast."
He raced to his office in the executive suites across the street from the studio and went to work. At some point his stomach grumbled, and he knew he'd pay for this soon, but he continued his work. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and he now had a live-in date. The next time he looked away from his desk, the sun was on the other side of the window, but most of the work was now done. He was about to close his computer when his sister called.
"So, Brandon, did you read the proposal?"
"No." For once, he trusted his sister not to be impulsive.
"I'm surprised at you," she said. "Things are moving that fast with Eva?"
"Yes."
"One day at a time, Calliope, but I'm buying her a present for tonight."
"I'm sure you both have Christmas plans."
His sister knew the truth most didn’t. "We've not firmed up anything, but Calliope, we're not telling anyone Chris is the father of her baby."
"Got it, but if you're not doing anything after we get dinner, I'd like for us all to get together with Michael, Sandy, Wyatt, Jay and Penny for coffee. They are more Eva's friends, so I'm hoping you come too."
True. In high school he’d nominally known Jay and Wyatt, but they were two years younger than him. Tonight, it seemed he'd not get much alone time with Eva. He blinked and looked at his email that dinged and said, "I'll talk to you soon."
"I always forget my brother is Mr. Hollywood. See you in a few hours."
Once he hung up the phone, he read the email closer. Tomorrow, when he went to the studio with Eva, he'd see the special effects director, Harris. With this spreadsheet, Brandon had proof the numbers from his department weren't adding up. This wasn't a science fiction movie, but a contemporary drama so the effects shouldn’t be this high.
The alarm on his phone rang, and he knew it was time to go. He locked up his office and found his way back to the set. Once he walked in, he saw most of the cast and crew saying goodbye. He continued on to the dressing room area to find Eva.
The moment he walked into the new dressing room, he caught his breath. Eva turned and stared at him with those big blue eyes of hers. "Eva, you look stunning."
She stood from the desk where she was highlighting her script. Her hair was made for a fancy party out. She blushed and stared at him. "I remembered we were going out tonight, so I asked the makeup lady to help me out. Everyone here is really nice, and that Jennifer is passionate about her work."
Jennifer was the possible break-out star in this movie. Her name was growing on television, and she would appeal to the audience. She might be the next big star, though it was possible Eva outshone her on set. He nodded. "I hope she translates well to movie audiences."
She came and kissed his cheek while she said, "And Matthew, he's a dream."
Her words left him cold even if her kiss warmed his cheek. "What?"
"He's put together, nice, determined, and clearly the one the director respects."
None of that was a reason for the jealousy that shot through his spine. Brandon kept his voice low. "He has me reading an updated script."
She packed her small pocketbook and without a blink, she took his arm. "And?"
His stomach growled again. He led her out of the dressing room and out toward his car. "I'll finish it tomorrow. I had a lot to do today."
The second the door opened, the afternoon light from the sky was already fading. Miami never looked peaceful to him. Eva didn't blink, she waited for his help into the seat. "Well, where are we going with your sister?"
If she was to pretend to be his girlfriend, there was no question she needed to look like a star. He thought fast. His sister and her new fiancé would meet them in an hour. "We're stopping and getting you a designer dress. As tomorrow night is Christmas Eve, after work lets out and the studio goes dark for a few days, I was wondering if you and I might do something fun that day?"
She nodded and her agreement made him feel like a teenager again. His heart raced. The moment he started the car, she patted her stomach. "I'd love to. I love Christmas and want to start figuring out traditions this year to have for my baby."
For a moment, he felt part of a family, but he knew better. He hadn't been, not since his own parents died and no Christmas after that. Even when he watched out for his sister he had never felt whole. However, since he'd been looking out for Calliope, he’d always pasted a smile on his face, but that was all his family duty ever was.
He pulled into the mall near the highway that had a Neiman Marcus. His sister approved of this place. "We're here. Let's go shopping."
He stood and raced around to help her out of the car. Without thinking, he leaned down and kissed her.
She swayed into him for a second and for a second after she used his arm muscles to steady herself. "What was that for?"
Eva was everything he never wanted but secretly craved. He’d not say that, but he told her the truth. "I needed to remember if earlier was my imagination."
"I wish you were this baby's father." She looked forward and took his arm.
He wished the same thing, but he shouldn’t, so he shook it off. Eva was the one about to be a parent, not him. He wasn't a real part of it. "Let's go. I don't want to keep my sister waiting."