Restless
Morgan
Six Years Later
Jude squeezed my hand as he thrust his body on top of me. I shut my eyes and moaned against his lips.
“CUT!” The director, Jonathan Powers AKA my biggest enemy, yelled out over the movie set. My co-star, Jake Meadows, yes THE Jake Meadows rolled off me. I pulled the sheets up to cover my almost nude body, and Jake looked over at me with that panty dropping smile. I always wondered if those scenes were weird for Jake and Jonathan, since Jonathan was Jake’s uncle by marriage.
“That was great, babe.” He gave me a wink and I slapped his shoulder. Jake wasn’t just handsome with dirty blond hair, a chiseled jaw, big beautiful green eyes, and a body to die for, he was funny and always made me laugh. We just finished the last sex scene in the movie we were currently shooting on location in Alberta, Canada. We would soon wrap up filming and head back to LA. I couldn’t wait until it was over so I could visit my family in Cold Springs in less than a month. I would take that time to consider my future. Time had run out, the contract I was in for so long, and dictated my life, was over.
I laughed when Jake pecked my lips. “Best sex scene ever! Damn, that was hot!” He pecked my lips again.
No, we were not lovers, and never had we ever been lovers, but we were friends. In fact, Jake was one of my two best friends. That’s what made the movie we were working on the most anticipated movie made in years. Fans couldn’t wait to see us together again. Jake and I starred on a television series together as kids. Teens and young adults all over were huge fans of the show and the last episode was a wedding between our two characters. A union the fans cheered for during the entire duration of the series. I played Darcy, the wild and out of control surfer, while Jake played Dillon, the quiet but smoking hot book worm.
After the television series ended, we grew up, worked on our own projects, then came back together for the movie. Through all those years, we remained friends. His status of Hollywood heartthrob never really got to his head. He was still my down to earth best friend, which would surprise most people. He was the son of Allison Blakely and Kenny Meadows. Allison was an actress, and Kenny was a country music singer. Jake attended prep school then managed to get a masters degree in education and a bachelors in performing arts from Belmont University in Tennessee. I got the same education at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. I think it may have been his father’s country roots that helped Jake stay down to earth. He spent quite a lot of time at his grandparents farm which was also in Indiana. Funny coincidence, right? Being that I was born in Cold Springs, Indiana, to Jennifer and Tanner Rossi.
They were both sixteen at the time, but they beat the odds and were still together twenty nine years later. Despite being a child actor, I was not so much into the whole Hollywood party scene. Hell, I hated Hollywood, and I was growing restless. I loved acting, it was a natural part of me, but for years I began feeling as if I was selling my soul to the devil. I had never been married, or engaged. I dated, but never with an actor. In fact, my high-school sweetheart was the guy that rode on the back of a garbage truck. Yes, my first boyfriend became a garbage man. A very handsome, kind, and funny garbage man. We broke up because he couldn’t handle the attention of dating a teen starlet. I honestly couldn’t blame him, since I wasn’t a big fan of it either. We broke up our senior year and he didn’t have many long term goals, other than living a quiet life in our small town.
I loved acting. I mean, I really loved it. To be able to transform into any character and feel what they felt, it was like an escape from real life. Not that my real life was bad, but it was more like taking an adventure. It all started when I was five years old. I got so lost in the world of make believe that my mother worried I was special needs. If I wanted to be Alice in Wonderland, I was her and never stepped outside of that role. She truly believed I thought I was Alice. She took me to a child therapist, that broke the news to mom that there was nothing wrong with me, I was simply a born actress. I loved role playing and entertaining the other children. The therapist recommended an agent, and I was six when I made my first appearance on a soap opera. I only worked on that soap opera during the summers, until I landed the role of Darcy McLeary on the television series with Jake. I was fourteen. That was where I met Jake and our friendship began. It was through him where I met the worst people in Hollywood and started making movies. I never cared for the stardom, it was acting that I loved. I never attended parties, never did drugs like many of my costars, and my public appearances were limited to a few skits on Saturday Night Live, being a guest on a few late shows, and of course for charities like the USO. I did a few tours with the USO, like to Germany and the middle east. I guess I could say I always had a soft spot for our men and women that served our country.
Beyond that, I lived somewhat secluded. I wasn’t living the most fulfilling life. The paparazzi and media ruined relationships by hurting my family and friends. I wasn’t just labeled as the most boring starlet but the most snobbish. I didn’t let anyone in close enough to know the true me, since I always felt protective of not just myself but my family as well. I rarely gave interviews, never acknowledged the paparazzi, and chose very carefully who I’d work with, that was in the contract. Going out wasn’t a thing for me. I stayed out of the public because the trauma of seeing my family suffer was enough. At one point they accused my parents of horrible things, and the same for the two men I let in close. They nearly destroyed my high school boyfriend’s life before he got a chance to start living it. I never wanted to be the cause of their pain ever again.
The production assistant wrapped me in a robe, and I tied it around my waist as Jonathan approached. “We need to talk.” His jet black hair with sprinkles of gray was always styled perfectly. He was handsome in a dad kind of way, but I learned not to let his looks fool me. Jonathan and his wife were money hungry pricks that took advantage of my naivety years ago. He also happened to be Jake’s uncle, and they never got along. The only reason Jake agreed to this movie was because my contract was ending, and he wanted to make sure Jonathan, and his nasty wife weren’t able to take advantage of me again.
“Let me guess, you’re adding scenes?” I asked as he followed me to my dressing room. Jonathan was most known as a director, but he was also part owner of a production company ran by his wife.
“No, we’re still about to wrap up here, but I have a familiar role for you. The studio wants me to direct the sequel to Death’s Door, and I want you back for the lead role.”
I opened the door to my dressing room. “I don’t do sequel’s. You know this, Jonathan. It was in our contract.”
“That contract is expiring, and Ashton has agreed to return as long as we bring you back as well. To be honest, the project probably won’t happen without you and Ashton both. That movie broke the box office, and you won an Emmy. The first one did well for all of us, let’s bring it back. Come on, just do it for me, Morgan.” He gave me pleading eyes as I walked to my makeup chair.
“I am taking a break to be with my family. You know this, Jonathan. I already told you I want a two year break. I’ve done back to back movies for you for years and I’m not committing to any new projects.” I held my ground. I was finally free to make that decision.
He spun my makeup chair to make me look at him with both of his hands resting on the arms of my chair. “I need you, Morgan.”
I sighed with the frustration I was feeling. “I have worked since I was six years old. I worked through high school and college without a break. Do you know how many vacations I have had in the last five years? Two, I have taken two, while you and that wife of yours traveled the world.” They traveled off the money I made for them.
He stood straight and ran his hand down his jaw. “I can give you six months.”
“No, its not just the time off, you know this, Jonathan. I don’t do sequels. I’m sorry, the answer is still no.”
I heard a throat clear and looked over to see Jake leaning against the doorframe. He was in nothing but a towel covering his lower half and had a serious look on his face.
“This is a private conversation.” Jonathan said, forgetting that we were not the newbie actors that were afraid to speak up. We were A-list actors, and I finally had the freedom to make my own choices.
“I believe when a woman says no, the final answer is still no.” Jake was always way too protective of me.
“This isn’t your business, Jake, now back off.” Jonathan wasn’t pleased to say the least.
I looked up at Jonathan. “The answer is still no. I’m not changing my stance on this. Death’s Door is best left as a stand alone movie. Trying to add to it and make a franchise out of it is a huge mistake.”
Jake tilted his head. “Death’s door? Are you kidding me?” Jake saw the problem, Jonathan not so much. Jake walked over and stood behind me and rested his hands on my shoulders. “She doesn’t do sequel’s, end of story.”
Anger and frustration filled Jonathan’s dark eyes. “You’re her manager now?”
Jake chuckled. “Not her manager, but she is more of a family to me than you or my aunt. When Morgan says no she means it. Don’t you have director shit to do so she can get dressed? We have reservations for dinner, and I don’t want to be late. The paparazzi will be so disappointed if they miss their next chance to start rumors about us.”
Jonathan stormed out of my dressing room and Jake squeezed my shoulders. “I won’t lie, Death’s Door was a good movie, but a sequel is reaching. It’ll end up being tossed out anyway.”
He was right, and I couldn’t help but wonder what Ashton was thinking. Death’s Door was based on the true events of a serial killer in Oregon. That man and the two cops portrayed in the film were long dead. It happened in the 1980’s and it was a well known case.
“I know, and I don’t want my name tied to that project.” I never wanted to be in the position where I was fighting for parts in movies. I’d retire before that happened to me. I had rather go out on the top than miserable at the bottom of the Hollywood cesspool.
Jake leaned down and kissed my cheek. “See you in an hour.” He walked away and shut the door behind him. Twenty minutes prior, he had his hands on my bare breasts and two minutes prior he was acting like the big brother he usually was with me. I just finished a nude scene with only a tiny piece of fabric covering between my legs and that was all I was wearing. My ass and boobs were on full display for the camera. I had never been all that bashful about my body. That didn’t mean I shared it with just anyone. I had two lovers in my lifetime, so the real Morgan was much different than the Morgan the public wanted me to be in real life.
I played everything from prostitutes, to adult film stars, to the more innocent characters like an innocent little daughter of a preacher. In real life, I was more like the daughter of a preacher than the other roles I played. I had been a cop, a secret agent, and I even sang when I played the role of Tawny Lucas. It was my real voice when I played an up and rising country music singer. I was what the industry called a triple threat. I was also a sure thing and didn’t bring any baggage onto the set. I learned a long time ago to turn down roles that involved costars with drug and alcohol addictions. I made sure my ability to decide who I worked with was in my contract. I also never had to suck a dick to get the roles I wanted, and that wouldn’t change. To be honest, I was exhausted. I loved my work, but I had been working nearly seventy hours a week for a few years. I was burned out on doing what I loved, and was losing my inspiration. I was twenty nine and had not met any of my goals. My five year plan was written ten years prior, and I had not done one thing on that list. I wasn’t married, I had no children, and I didn’t have that quiet home on a lake. I could afford one, but had nobody to share it with, and that person wouldn’t be found in California. A great deal of people in the industry thought I was a snob, hell even the public thought I was a snob, but it was untrue. I simply chose not to surround myself with ungrateful and greedy people. I would admit to turning my nose up at certain Hollywood types. I was better than the people who had everything but snorted it all up their noses. Many people thought I should have more sympathy for that type of person, but they were like poison. They were toxic and had a tendency to take others down with them. I was just in a better place and knew to be thankful for everything I earned. I didn’t whine and cry to the media that my life was so hard as a famous person. Get real, we had it better than most people in the world and I sure as hell wouldn’t shove it into the faces of people who worked their fingers to the bone and never got ahead financially. I was rich and money could solve a lot of problems. There was nothing to complain about when there were starving people in the world. If given a choice to either have dinner with a whiny starlet or a homeless person, I’d choose the homeless person in a heartbeat. Just because I was spoiled didn’t mean I didn’t see real people’s pain. Hollywood was fake, and I had much rather chose to spend my time around real people.
After taking a shower and washing the layers of makeup off my face, Lindsey, my hair and makeup artist, offered to let me sit back and she would take care of me. I was thankful because I really was exhausted. Jake begged me to have dinner with him and his parents. They flew in from Nashville and would often ask for me to join them when we were at the same location. He had very sweet parents, but they always tried way too hard to get Jake and I into a relationship. The thought of that made me laugh. Jake didn’t do relationships, and he was like a brother to me. Well, a brother I was just naked with, but still, he was like a brother off set. That didn’t stop the paparazzi from constantly spewing false claims out there for the world to see. Although, I could understand why most people thought we were in love. There was still posters of the two of us as teenage lovers from back when we played boyfriend and girlfriend on the television series. We were seen on the street together and he had also been seen leaving my home in the morning. No, he never slept in my bed. He stayed in the bedroom he claimed when I bought the place, and we had movie night once a week.
As Lindsey worked her magic, I couldn’t help but think about regrets. My regrets may not have measured up to most of Hollywood, but they still weighed heavily on my heart. I regretted the many times in my life I had done things to earn the reputation of a snob. I refused to believe I was a snob. Just because I had standards didn’t mean I was not kind and respectful. So, what if I didn’t want to be a statistic of child acting? I was grateful for everything I earned in my life and especially the fact that I didn’t grow up with the many burdens that come with being a child actor. I didn’t end up on drugs like many child actors because my parents were always at my side. I was never sexually abused or taken advantage of financially. Jake and I were two of the few former child actors that survived our childhoods unscathed.
I sat patiently as Lindsey worked on my hair, and checked my phone for the twelfth time that afternoon. I left several messages for my best friend back home, Callie, and she had yet to have returned my call. I worried about her constantly, and something inside me was screaming with worry. Callie and I met in preschool, before I became an actress. She was my very best friend in the world, but unfortunately, she married her high school boyfriend. She gave up all of her dreams to become a novelist when she married him. A few years after they were married, they had a little girl, my goddaughter, Addie.
Addie would be one of the reasons for my hiatus from Hollywood. I’m her godmother and I hadn't seen her since she was barely a toddler. Of course I spoiled her by sending gifts, but I never got to see her. I was always too busy, and when I had offered on several occasions to fly Callie and Addie to me on location, Callie refused. Her husband rarely allowed her out of his sight.
I knew that asshole Shane didn’t treat Callie right. I had known it since high school. When I begged Callie to break up with him, I almost lost her as a friend. I saw bruises on her in high school and she always denied that he got rough with her. I even offered her a job working for me and to bring Addie to LA, but again she refused. I reminded her constantly that leaving him was an option and I’d even finance it. I had gone as far as offering to pay for her to go to college, but again she declined, saying she loved him too much to leave.
I had a horrible gut feeling things had gotten worse. It all started with a nightmare one night, and ever since then it got harder and harder to reach her. That was why my hiatus would be spent back home instead of at a nice Caribbean Island or jet setting around the world. I could have taken my family on an extended vacation, but something told me Callie needed to be the focus of my time back home. Things at home needed my attention and I couldn’t ignore that gut feeling and the feeling of homesickness. Not just for my family and Callie, but I missed the town and the peace of rural living.