Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Seamus groaned when he flopped down on his bed at the end of that first day. The muscles in his legs, and glutes twitched like crazy because he had overworked them so bad. “Jesus, Nicky, I don’t think I’ve ever worked so fucking hard in my life.”
Nick kinda chuckled at him while getting all the stuff out to give him a rubdown. Some hot oil, some clean towels, all that good shit. “Yeah, you’ve done your own stunts before, but they only ever made you work a few hours a day tops on that. These guys kept at you all afternoon.”
“No fucking kidding. Couple of hours this morning, five hours after lunch, and then strategy meeting after supper. I think I’m going to fall apart.” He had to admit he admired the bullfighters already, but now he had an enormous amount of respect for them he hadn’t even known about yet.
Coke and Nate were what, a good twenty years older than him at least, and they had been all over the place all day.
Then there was Dawson, who maybe was the same age as him, maybe a little older, but whose leg had pins in it, not to mention a broken pelvis, from what one of the guys had told him while they were learning how to pull gates.
When it had become apparent Seamus wasn’t going to be able to run anymore, they had started showing him how all the bells and whistles behind the scenes worked, how everything had to be seamless in order for the bull to get out there with a rider on his back in the first place.
They’d actually gotten to load a bull, and he’d seen Dawson do the whole twist and run into the pocket thing on a bad fucking leg. He was still better at it than Seamus was, and that rankled.
“It was your first day, dipshit.” Nick shook his head. “You always want to be perfect at everything the first time.”
“Duh.” He wasn’t perfect at most things the first time, but it was a goal. “Get with the rub down, buddy. I’m dying here. Somebody did tell these people that I do deserve days off, right?”
Nick snorted. “Well, actually, you’re paying, so you’re kind of the boss. You can just tell them not today.”
Seamus chuckled. “Can you imagine? These guys would look at me like I was a piece of shit on the bottom of their shoe. I do know they get weekends off, though because apparently, when they run the actual school, the guys in training go work the little events on the weekends so they can make some money. Me, I’m going to stay in the hot tub the entire time, all forty-eight hours. ”
“Does that mean that I’m gonna have to bring you food? Because, I do get weekends off, too.”
“No, I figured you’d be in there bothering the hell out of Christopher. I mean, that is your job, isn’t it?”
Nick’s face fell. “Sometimes.”
Dammit. He hated when his best mates fought. “All right, so what happened?”
“It’s just you know how it is, twenty-four-seven gets a little challenging, and I think he…” Nick shook his head. “Just stretch out, would you?”
He waggled his eyebrows at Nick. “Come on, tell Daddy everything.”
Nick started laughing, and that set him off. All of a sudden, they were just howling with it, absolute hysterical laughter pouring from them.
Nick plopped down on the bed next to him. “Oh, shit, Shay. I don’t know, man. He’s just so angry all the fucking time, and I keep trying to make him not angry, and he just… I can’t fix him.”
“You’re not a mechanic, buddy. Or a priest or a head shrinker.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. But it’s so hard. You know how I feel about him.”
“I do.” He so did. Not that it mattered. Christopher was kind of stuck in amber like one of those mosquitoes in a Jurassic thing movie. He wasn’t moving beyond his PTSD from the kidnapping all those years ago.
Period.
Nick started rubbing, and he moaned, his toes curling with the feel of it. He hadn’t been this sore since he’d decided to do a surfing movie about three years back.
This was probably worse. He wasn’t as bruised yet, but he could see that coming when he had to start working with actual animals.
“Shhh.” Nick rubbed harder, digging into the backs of his calves, then into the spots behind his knees. “Once I do this, you can go soak.”
“Mmhmm. Jesus.”
“Nah, just Nick.” Nick’s laughter eased things down a bit. He relaxed finally, his muscles not exactly unclenching, but not agonizing anymore.
“Oh, fuck, man, that’s the ticket.”
“So, tell me what did you think? You like it? Bullfighting?” Nick found that spot on his foot he’d broken when he’d fallen into a hole jogging on a trail during a rainstorm.
Why couldn’t the bad injuries happen while doing something amazing?
“Running around and feeling like an idiot? Oh, love it.” Seamus rolled his eyes. “Actually, I think it could be fun. That Dawes guy, though? He’s got a chip on his shoulder the size of a boulder. I’m assuming it’s because he’s hurt. Maybe he just doesn’t like me.”
That could happen.
Nick snorted. “Right, because you’re so unlikable.”
“Oh, I always figure when they don’t like me, it’s because they’ve seen a movie they didn’t like, and they just can’t separate it from reality.” He was a nice guy.
“You have the script yet for the new movie?”
“They’re still futzing. I mean, I have the original, of course. That’s why I took the part. I get to be the hero.”
He loved playing the hero. He imagined one day he would get bored and want to be the villain, but not yet.
“But you’re not the lead, right, on this one?”
He shook his head. “No, no, no. That’s way too much commitment for me right now. I’ve got that shoot in Rome starting immediately after I get done with this part.” That was a romantic comedy, and he was more than comfortable in that role.
It didn’t hurt that he’d been involved in the script from the beginning, so he knew the character inside and out.
Not only that, but he was good friends with Nini Larson, his leading lady.
“No, I’m the tragic character. I die.” He snorted.
“Assuming, of course, that when they do the test screening of it, it doesn’t piss everybody off, and I don’t have to go reshoot living and being in the hospital. ” He chuckled.
The thought absolutely tickled him. He thought it might be appropriate too, because these guys never gave up, never went down that they didn’t climb out of the hole. Seamus admired that.
A lot, in some cases. Dammit. Why didn’t Dawson like him? Because Seamus was straight-up fascinated by the guy.
He didn’t get it—the son of a bitch had broken God knew what. He wasn’t sure really, and he sure as shit wasn’t going to ask. But Dawson was out there running around, snarling at the world, nonetheless.
Seamus knew the studio was paying Dawes good money to do this. He also knew there was no way they were actually going to let him get out there with real scary bulls.
Shit, he just had to look like he knew what he was doing and be able to tell his publicity junket folks he’d been willing to do his own stunts.
“Your teacher guy, Dawson? He’s hot, but damn he’s got a permanent scowl.”
“He is nice looking though, isn’t he? Solid and firm in all the right places.
I like it.” He could tear the man up in the sack, in fact.
“I’m a little too tall to be a bullfighter, I think, though.
If I was a real one, I guess. I mean every rodeo bullriding cowboy I’ve ever met has been tiny.
Teeny tiny. You know, I could pick them up and put them in my backpack.
These guys are bigger and definitely more muscular. But I’m still built different.”
“You’re more like a swimmer—you’re longer and leaner—and you do things for exercise that require stamina but not that short twitch stuff.
That’s one of the reasons you’re having so much trouble with this.
You’re not built with those layers of muscle that are meant to do these tight maneuvers and then run in circles all damn day at the same time. ”
“I’m trying not to be offended, but you’re right.”
Nick nodded. “Yeah. You’re less big on top and tiny on the bottom, than you are just solid all the way up.”
“Yeah…” He sighed softly. “So why do you think he doesn’t like me?”
The door opened about the time that he asked, and Topher rolled his eyes when he walked in. “Because you’re a needy asshole actor with a huge hunger to be adored constantly.”
“I am not…an asshole. I’m a nice guy.” He couldn’t argue about the rest of it. No way.
“Nah, you’re really an asshole, too.” Christopher winked at him, then grinned at Nick, who blushed dark. “Actually, from what I can kind of see, it’s just how he is. He’s kind of a dick. I like him.”
“Well, I think we’re going to get along fine. I do get days off, right?”
“Yes.” And there was Jess, right on time, carrying a huge apple pie. “I stole this pie from the kitchen; it’s a whole pie, and there’s whipped cream. Shall we?”
He gave her a hopeful grin, and then of course, Nick cleared his throat. “You really shouldn’t be having pie. You are doing Keto.”
“Isn’t he allowed a cheat day or something?”
Nick pursed his lips and shook his head. “No cheat days. You get six weeks of this, and then you’re on set.”
He blew out a breath, reminding himself no one needed a pudgy romantic lead. “Well, y’all go ahead. I’ll sit over here and stare at you and make you feel guilty.”
“Nice. That’s perfect.” Butter wouldn’t melt in Christopher’s mouth.
“I think that’s a great plan,” Nick added.
“Now I have guilt.” Jessica rolled her eyes and then pulled something else out of her bag. “I did bring you a giant chunk of cheese. It’s sharp cheddar.”
“You do love me more than is reasonable.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know right? I mean seriously, I might do this even if you didn’t pay me as much.”
Seamus flipped Jess off. “I’m hurt. My feelings are hurt. Would you? Should I pop off about how I’m going to fire y’all now?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She handed out forks to the guys and the slab of cheese and some little Smokies to him.
“Oh my god, I love these. Where’d you find these?” He kissed her cheek.
“Don’t tell Nick, but apparently they’re very popular around here. They buy them by the case,” she stage-whispered.
“Good to know.”
They all dug in, and, while it wasn’t pie, it didn’t suck.
“So, everyone’s being good to you?” he asked her.
She nodded. “Yeah, I mean genuinely, there’s a ton of decent people here.
Tracey, who is the wife of one of the owners?
She’s amazing. She’s got kids in college and even the cutest grandbabies…
” Her expression went all soft and misty.
“Everyone’s super polite. I think Dawson is a little growly about you having an entourage. ”
“Well, I’m sorry, but I can’t do without any of you. Nick keeps me beautiful, you keep me organized, Christopher keeps me alive. It’s all important.” He needed them all.
And contrary to popular belief, he paid everybody what they were worth. No one was abused or underpaid. They’d all been with him for, well, he thought the shortest was five years. Jess had been with him for that long.
“That’s right. We’re all here for a reason.
” Chris’s voice was cold as ice. “And if that Dawson guy doesn’t like it, well, he can take it up with his boss.
We don’t work for him, and he doesn’t work for us.
School is being paid by the studio. I’m assuming he’s getting paid by the school.
You’re just here to learn things.” Christopher took a huge bite of pie. “Good thing you’re not dumb.”
“Well, I try.” He winked at his oldest friend. “And if I am being dumb, at least I’m pretty.”
“You keep telling yourself that. Eventually it’ll stick.”
Jess chuckled at Christopher. “I’m surrounded by beautiful men.”
“Thank God we’re all queer,” Nick winked at her, and she cackled.
“True that. I mean, it’s a thing.”
“Keep it in the family.”
It wasn’t possible to out somebody who wasn’t in the closet.
Seamus just kept doing his job, kept being a decent human being, kept smiling. Even on the bad days—that was how it worked.
“So, I guess you guys are all saying I shouldn’t go on a campaign to make Dawson like me.”
Nick waved a hand still covered in whipped cream before he grabbed a towel and wiped it off. “It does seem like a losing proposition.”
Jess took a different tack on that. “Look, I think he’s going to like you just fine once he gets to know you. I guess he’s had a rough time of it and he’s not feeling great every day. He’s still rehabbing from that injury that he had, but the guys say he’s a stand-up man.”
“Okay, well I’ll go for friendly, but not ingratiating then.”
“See, you can learn.” She winked at him. Then she stage-whispered again, studiously ignoring Nick. “I’m going to save you a little piece of pie.”
“Don’t think I don’t know you already snuck him doughnuts,” Nick pointed out.
“You were so mean about him not having any, and they were so good.” Jess always told him that she didn’t care how many pounds the camera added. Doughnuts were worth it.
Even Christopher laughed at that, and Seamus let everything else go. He was rolling into a break time, and that would give him a moment or two to think about his next plan of attack with Dawson.
God, he really did have a pathological need to be adored.