Chapter 15
Jesse
Jesse was coming to learn that the defining word of his shiny new career was unpredictable.
Just hours before, he had rivulets of sweat trailing down his spine, both hands on his head and chest heaving after doing the most difficult part of their choreography for the umteenth time.
The magic in his feet had become hot as embers as they tapped through the piano riff again and again, matching what the ensemble dancers would be doing around them on filming day.
Cal ended up flat on his back on the rehearsal room floor, breathing equally as hard. Jesse was too winded to laugh about it. Instead, he collapsed in slow motion beside the man and assumed the same position, wiping the perspiration from the side of his face with his shoulder.
“Cover your ears, Morgan,” Cal panted.
Jesse squeaked out a laugh at that and rolled his head against the floor to face him. “Why?”
“Because I am about to use some very strong language.”
“I’m sure I’ve heard it before,” Jesse assured him. “I’m sure I’ve said it before, too.”
“Then I don’t need to say it. You can just think it along with me.”
“You’ll probably feel better if you say it, though.”
Jesse tugged the hem of his loose sleeveless shirt out of his waistband to wipe the sweat from his face, but found that it was already too damp to do any good. He tossed it back into place over his stomach.
“Fuck,” Cal breathed on a ragged exhale.
Jesse’s whole body lit up like it was meant just for him. He forced the feeling away. “There you go, sir,” he teased, glad that his voice didn’t waver. “Don’t you feel better now?”
Cal didn’t have a chance to respond before Mr. Price clapped his hands rapidly, demanding that they get up and drink some water so they could run it again.
Now, Jesse was showered and buttoned up in a fancy charcoal vest and jacket, sitting beside Cal in the back of his car as they pulled up outside Edie Haywood’s impressive home.
The exterior was white with heavy stonework, made softer by flowerbeds brimming with rose bushes and the golden glow of light in the windows.
“Did you and Ms. Haywood live here together?” Jesse asked after they both climbed out of the back seat.
Cal’s jaw sharpened as he tilted his head back to take in the view like he hadn’t seen it in a while, either. He’d changed into a neat burgundy suit and black tie.
“No. Edie and I kept separate homes.”
Jesse had only learned a little about the marriage between Cal and Edie beyond what he already knew before moving to California.
He still couldn’t tell if it was a sensitive topic or not.
Cal only talked about it when someone else brought it up, but when he did, he seemed to reflect on their brief union fondly.
This was proven further by the warm embrace they shared inside. Edie kissed Cal’s cheeks and offered Jesse a smile.
“Welcome,” she said with a sweeping gesture.
Jesse wasn’t sure where to look first. Twin staircases curved elegantly up to the second floor.
The centerpiece was a chandelier made entirely of glass teardrops that reflected the light into a million tiny rainbows.
It was one of the most impressive things he’d ever seen.
Large pieces of framed artwork filled the walls, and though he’d never been to a museum, he imagined this was what it would be like.
“I trust Cal will show you around,” Edie went on airily, “but let me know if there’s anything you need. Be sure to fill a plate or two at the buffet.” She eyed Cal critically. “Actually, make it three. All this dancing has you looking rattleboned. The theme this evening is le chocolat.”
As Jesse tore his focus from the spectacle over their heads, his brow furrowed slightly. Edie had already disappeared into the crowd.
“What’s a shock-o-la?”
Cal snorted softly. “It’s French for chocolate. Edie likes to have a food theme for her parties. This one usually happens at least twice a year. It’s always a crowd favorite.”
At the mention of food, Jesse’s stomach made a rather loud gurgling sound. The full day of work at the studio capped with several hours of dance rehearsals left him ravenous.
“Did she say three plates?”
Cal put a hand on his upper back and steered him toward the arched doorway between the staircases. “We can start with one, but yes, I guarantee there’ll be enough for you to eat until your pants don’t fit.”
And he was right. Jesse was sure he’d never seen such a spread in his whole life.
Even more surprising was that everything—from the small bites, to the main dishes, to the desserts—was made with chocolate.
The person mixing drinks behind the bar said the cocktail of the evening was called a Brandy Alexander.
Cal took the one offered to him and sipped it with a curious expression.
“Is it good?” Jesse asked, brows high.
“Very. Would you like to try it?” To Jesse’s surprise, Cal offered his glass, but then quickly pulled it back to his chest and glanced at the bartender, tipping his head in their direction. “Uh, they could make you your own.”
Jesse grinned. “That’s all right. I don’t want to waste it.”
They both filled plates with a little bit of everything, and Jesse followed Cal from room to room as he gave the tour that Edie had promised.
He tried his best to concentrate on what Cal was showing him, including the bedroom that Edie converted into one giant closet for all her clothes and shoes, but he found that it became progressively harder to focus the longer they kept walking.
It seemed that everyone they passed was wearing less and less clothing.
His attention was lost entirely when he found a face he recognized on the main terrace.
“Is that Ms. Dupree in the pool?” he asked quietly, interrupting Cal’s soliloquy about how pretty the view from the back of the house was in the daytime.
Cal turned and searched the dozen or so people around them before he spotted her, too.
She was mostly undressed and wrapped up in the arms of a tall Asian woman whose brassiere was showing through the wet fabric of her striped blouse.
They seemed to like one another very much, judging by what their hands and mouths were busy doing.
“And Director Chen,” Cal said, sounding mildly abashed as he spun back around to face the view that was too dark to appreciate. “I’ve seen a lot of that woman in my career, but never that much.”
Jesse laughed and bounced his gaze from one spectacle of physical intimacy to another, unable to help himself. When he came across two more familiar faces, he nudged Cal with his elbow.
“Looks like Mr. Forsythe is enjoying himself tonight, too.”
“Don’t tell me,” Cal said with a grimace.
“All right, I won’t,” Jesse promised.
Cal’s secretary was situated on a long, low chair with none other than Montgomery Kincaid.
Fred was dragging on a cigarette like he required it to breathe while Monty tossed back a drink.
They were close enough that Jesse would’ve assumed they were about to get even more cozy, but then Monty was on his feet, walking away.
Fred didn’t seem bothered by it. Maybe the getting cozy part had already happened.
“I didn’t know this was that kind of a party,” Jesse said, popping a piece of shiny chocolate into his mouth. It crunched when he bit down. “Mm. What is this?”
Cal’s expression was still strained as he examined another piece that Jesse held up.
“I believe that’s a chocolate-covered cashew.” He glanced over his shoulder at the house. “Do you wish we hadn’t come? Just say the word and we can leave. I’ll have the car pulled around—”
“No,” Jesse urged. “It’s just surprising, that’s all. It feels like I’m right back in the basement with all the smoke, and drinks, and…” A gal perched on the edge of the pool cried out in pleasure thanks to whatever the man between her legs was doing. “Stuff,” he finished.
“Mrs. Nelson’s, you mean?”
Jesse grinned. “Yeah. You remembered.”
Cal offered a small shrug.
“You spoke about it like it was important to you.”
They’d only talked about it once or twice in passing, as far as Jesse could recall. “It was.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Yeah.” Jesse looked up at the stars. “Not because of those things. But because it was home.”
“You can find smoke, and drinks, and stuff anywhere,” Cal agreed. “It’s one reason why Edie and I never lived together. We have two very different ideas on how to best spend a Friday night.”
Jesse studied Cal’s profile.
“Does all this make you uncomfortable?”
It was difficult to imagine that someone who had built his career on being a suave, passionate lover found the whole thing disagreeable.
But Cal was not the characters he played in his movies.
He was a real man with feelings of his own.
And in the most bizarre twist of fate, Jesse was standing in the moonlight talking about them with him.
“I’m used to it.” Cal brought his milky brown cocktail to his lips. “But I prefer to keep intimate moments between myself and my partner private.” He met Jesse’s gaze. “That’s not to say you shouldn’t go and enjoy yourself, though, if you are interested in…”
“Stuff?” Jesse supplied.
They both smiled and looked away. Cal finished his drink and Jesse ate his last chocolate-covered cashew, a new favorite treat.
He was interested. Being surrounded by the sights and sounds of Hollywood’s finest swiving made it impossible to ignore just how interested he was.
Jesse was as much of a novice to the idea of physical intimacy as he was to acting, but that did little to keep him from remembering all the nights he’d gone to bed with Cal Campbell on his mind, dreaming about what it might be like.
“To be honest, I’ve never tried it before,” Jesse admitted.
“There have been times I wanted to, or thought I wanted to. I just never have.” He paused to give Cal a chance to respond, or poke fun at him like his friends back home always seemed to, but he remained silent.
“Sometimes I think I ought to just get it over with, you know? I guess a party like this would be perfect for it. But then I remember that’s not really the point. ”
“The point?” Cal asked.
“Yeah. I always thought it seemed like something I’d want to do with someone I’m really smitten over.” Jesse shrugged, feeling himself blush. “That’s probably kid stuff.”
“You’re allowed to want that,” Cal told him with tender conviction. “Just as much as others might want it to be a casual thing, you’re allowed to want it to be special.”
Jesse groaned, an embarrassed smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
“I don’t need, like, rose petals and soft music or anything.
” His blush deepened when he realized that he was presently surrounded by hundreds of roses and soft music.
“I guess I’d just want it to be with someone who feels the same way I do. ”
He could hear the smile in Cal’s voice when he said, “No wonder it’s been so easy filming some of these scenes. You’re a romantic just like me.”
Jesse was so flustered now that his face was on fire. He laughed awkwardly and put a hand over his eyes, hiding as best he could from such a compliment and accusation all in one. Cal couldn’t know that it was really all for him.
“Oh jeez, I’m sorry,” Cal said with a chuckle, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him into a side hug.
Jesse wanted nothing more than to turn into his embrace and bury his face in Cal’s chest until he’d collected himself.
Luckily, the plate he was still holding kept him from acting on it.
Inside, the band started up with a new song, something fast and fun that made everyone cheer. Jesse had never felt so torn.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked.
Cal looked down at him like he’d lost his mind.
“After the torture this afternoon? I’m barely standing as it is.”
“Come on,” Jesse encouraged halfheartedly. “Mr. Price would be proud of us. It’s like extra rehearsals.”
“Mr. Morgan, if you expect to have a long career in acting, the first thing you must learn is that you never, ever use your personal time for work,” Cal said, nose in the air. “At least not without compensation.”
“Well, I guess I’ll see you later, then,” Jesse said, playfully serious as he slipped out from under Cal’s arm.
He only made it a few steps toward the open double doors before he heard Cal sigh, and then the distinctive sound of expensive shoes slapping against smooth stone pavers as he hurried to catch up.