Authors: Colleen Masters
Damaged In-Law (24 page)
A ringing cry escapes my throat as he does just that,
bucking hips and driving deep inside me at last. I press back against his
powerful thrusts, my mouth falling open in wonder as he pounds deeper and
deeper. My body opens itself to him, recognizing the feel of him inside. He
rakes his hands along my back as he drives into me, faster and harder. I bury
my face in the pillow, biting down to keep from screaming as he collides with
the very center of me. I can feel him growing harder by the second, just about
ready to burst.
Jack rears back and barrels into my eager body, splitting me
in two as we both careen over the edge. My back arches deeply as he comes
inside of me, filling up every inch. My body buzzes with delight as we hang
suspended in this moment, folding in on each other, entirely spent. He
collapses next to me on the narrow bed as I fit myself to his side, our chests
heaving in unison as we struggle to catch our breath.
The sun has already begun its descent before either of us
can manage to say a word.
“You know, I don’t have any idea what the fallout from all
this is going to be,” Jack says, running his hand along my side, “But I think
this was a pretty solid first step.”
“Don’t worry,” I tell him, a sleepy smile breaking across my
face, “I’ve got the master plan all worked out.”
“Is that right?” he says, raising his perfect eyebrows,
“Well, do you want to fill me in on the specifics?”
“Absolutely,” I smile, planting a kiss on his forehead, “But
only if you have that cup of coffee with me, like you promised.”
“That, I think I can manage,” he laughs, pulling me into a
warm hug. “You’re a pretty incredible woman, you know that?”
“If you think so now,” I grin, “Just wait until you see my
next trick.”
One month later…
“And we’re back in three…two…” the camera man mutters,
giving us the go-ahead as the “recording” light glows red on his monitor.
“Welcome back,” purrs Garland Hayes, fixing his eyes on the
camera. “If you’re just joining us, we’re here with Callie Benson and Jackson
Cole. In our exclusive interview, we’ve covered these stars’ lasting childhood
connection, their shared devotion to Callie’s late twin sister Avery Benson,
and the harrowing nightmare that was Apollo Pictures’
City in Red
.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the second camera
lingering on me and Jack. We’re sitting side-by-side in the living room of
my—sorry,
our—
apartment, calming recounting the ordeal we made it
through together. Garland Hayes wasted no time cashing in on the interview I
promised him in front of the Apollo offices, and it’s a good thing he did. For
the past few hours, Jack and I have had the rare opportunity to set the record
straight on our past, our relationship, and what went down on the set of our
disastrous film. It hasn’t been the easiest ground to retread, but the world will
know the truth now. And that is quite the blessing.
“Callie,” Garland goes on, his silver hair shimmering in the
soft lights, “Does it put your mind at ease at all, knowing that Rupert Davies
has been ousted for his horrible acts against women? Your bravery in speaking
out allowed so many other women to do the same.”
“I wish more than anything that none of those women had to
suffer in the first place,” I reply, speaking around the knot in my throat,
“Maybe if those in power, who knew full well what Rupert Davies was capable of,
had acted sooner, my sister would still be with us today. But it easier to
sleep at night, knowing that he’ll most likely be going to jail for a very long
time. And certainly never working in Hollywood again.”
“You could say the same for Miriam Blake,” Garland goes on,
“She handed in her resignation, what, a week ago?”
“That’s right Garland,” Jack cuts in, “City of Red has been
shelved. Possibly forever. Now we can all work on putting it behind us and
moving on to much,
much
happier times.”
He steals a glance at me here, and my heart swells to the
point of bursting.
“Are you at all disappointed that your movie was scrapped,
Jackson?” Garland asks, pouting sympathetically.
“Oh sure,” Jack shrugs, “Though I’m mostly sorry that the great
cast and crew lost work because of our director’s indiscretions. But at the end
of the day, City in Red was just another cop movie. I look forward to working
on better, more innovative films in the future.”
“Have you found that your careers have suffered from this
whole debacle?” Garland asks, though of course he already knows the answer.
“Actually,” Jack chuckles, “My career has never been
brighter. Once word got out that Apollo fired me for stopping Rupert before he
could hurt Callie, everyone in town wanted me in their movies! I had offers
coming left, right, and center. Apollo thought they were going to crush me, but
thanks to Callie’s courage and grace, they’re the ones who have to answer for
what they’ve done.”
“What about you, Callie?” Garland asks me, “Are you fielding
a ton of new movie offers as well?”
“My fair share,” I say humbly, “But remember Garland, City
In Red was going to be my big debut. So no one’s actually seen me act!”
“Not true,” Jack cuts in with a smile, “I’ll still never
forget your Ophelia at The Ingenue Theater when we were nobodies.”
“Ah, the Ingenue!” Garland clasps his hands together, “The
site of your first ever media frenzy as a couple!”
“That’s one way to put it,” I say, shaking my head, “You try
and make one sentimental pilgrimage, and
wham
…”
“I imagine things are quieter for you two up here,” Garland
poses.
“Tons,” I agree, “We’ve been enjoying our few weeks of
quiet, that’s for sure.”
“Do you think this will be home base for you two, going
forward?” Garland asks, “I can’t really see you in a sleepy little artsy town,
Jack.”
“Are you kidding? I love it here!” Jack grins, “No dirty
gossip bloggers hanging around. No offense, pal.”
“I’m sure,” Garland says, rolling his eyes off camera.
“We know that we’ll spend at least some of our time here,” I
press on, “Not least of all because of the new project I’m starting—a new
workshop for teenage girls who want to write their own play scripts and
screenplays. It’s named for my sister, the Avery Benson Workshop. Our first
group of writers will meet for the first time next week.”
“That’s so exciting, and such a wonderful tribute to your
sister,” Garland replies. Is it me, or is there an actual tear in his eye?
“But that’s not the only new project Callie’s cooking up,”
Jack says proudly, “Go on, babe. Tell him!”
“OK, OK,” I reply with a laugh, “Well, the one aspect of
City in Red that Jack and I loved was working together. And so, we’ve decided
that our next film project will be an independent feature that we’ll star in
together. I’ll be writing the script myself, and a motley crew of Apollo expats
will be rounding out the production team.”
My eyes dart past the camera to Penelope and Parker, our
brand new producer and head designer, who wave happily back at their mention.
“That’s amazing!” Garland gasps, pressing his hand to his
chest, “I cannot wait to see the film, you two. Congratulations.”
“Thanks Garland,” Jack replies, “It was all Callie’s idea.
I’m excited for the rest of the world to see how brilliant she is. I’ve known
it all our lives, it’s time the rest of you fuckers found out too.”
“We’ll just have to bleep that out,” Garland mutters to the
camera man before cranking up the wattage of his smile. “So then, what about
the two of you?”
“What about us?” I ask innocently.
“Where do you stand, as a couple?” Garland presses, “Are you
dating? Engaged? Are their wedding bells in the future?”
Jack and I turn to glance at each other, considering the
question.
“Let’s just say we’re partners,” I offers.
“Partners. That’s right,” Jack nods, “In everything.”
“Yeah, but are you two in
love?
” Garland urges us on,
practically falling out of his seat with eagerness.
Jack laces his fingers through mine, lifting those blue eyes
to my face.
“Sorry man,” he says, keeping his gaze on me, “There are
some things Callie and I have to keep to ourselves. Some things are too
important to share with the rest of the world.”
“Which is a polite way of saying, none of your damn
business,” I grin, before bringing my lips to Jack’s.
The reporter rattles off his conclusion as Jack kisses me
back, firm and deep. The future may still be uncertain, our path unclear, but
there is one thing we know for sure: we’re going to take it on together.
And in the end, that’s all either of us has ever needed.
THE END
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