Page 79 of Glamour and Grit

Convict? Is it the tats? These are high quality work, not prison tats.

I self-consciously check my illustrations, and decide that he didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Are you seriously admiring your own arms?”

I turn around to find Selene standing there, hands on her hips.Her rumpled apron is spattered with paint streaks. In fact, her face has some streaks on it as well. Even with no makeup and her hair bound up into a tight bun she’s the most beautiful woman on Earth.

“Hey, Living Dead Girl.”

Her smile grows more brilliant, and then her eyes dart downward.

“Are those for me?”

“Why yes, as a matter of fact,” I say, offering the flowers. I had forgotten I was even holding onto them. Guess I’m a little distracted today, but under the circumstances it’s pretty understandable.

“Thanks,” she says, her cheeks turning red. She sniffs the bouquet and her smile widens. “Peonies. My favorite.”

“I aim to please.”

I gather her into my arms, Selene holding the bouquet off to the side so it doesn’t get crushed. When I take her lips, it’s almost as exhilarating as the first time. I want nothing more than to maul her right here and now, but duty calls.

A loud buzzer breaks both the liplock and the mood.

“I’ve got to go,” she says. “They’ve got me working with the director of cinematography to make sure the shots don’t reveal any seams or discolored foam rubber.”

“That’s good experience. Could help you move up in the industry.”

“I like where I am in the industry,” she says. “But you’re right, there’s nothing wrong with diversifying my skill set.”

“You might want to make your own movie someday, who knows.”

Selene’s jaw falls open, and her eyes go wide.

“Did I say something wrong?” I ask.

“No, I just never thought of doing that before. Oh my god, I think Icouldmake my own movie! I have connections, and know-how, and I can handle the special effects myself…”

“Go keep this job and dream of the next one later,” I offer.

She kisses me again, then dashes off to finish work. I cool my heels in the green room, snacking on free food and talking to an eighty-something studio security supervisor who knows all the secrets and all the best stories.

When the re-shoots finally finish a couple of hours later, Selene has even more paint streaks on her person, but she also has a huge smile. I love the fact that she’s doing something that makes her happy.

I take Selene back to her place. While she cleans up and changes, I sit on her bed and scroll through my phone.

“You know,” she says from the bathroom, “you could just move in already. It doesn’t make much sense to pay rent on a place you barely use.”

She’s referring to the postage stamp apartment I got in the city. The drive from the compound to her place was just too damn long. I got the apartment because I was still a little gun shy on the idea of moving in with her at the time.

“Yeah, you’re right,” I say. “My lease is up next month. Why don’t I just move in here?”

She darts her head out of the bathroom, makeup half applied.

“Really? I know we’ve talked about it a couple times before, but I didn’t think we were…Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack. I’ve already got a steady job with Platinum Security. Might as well do some more grown up stuff like move in together.”

She does a little happy dance, and then returns to her ablutions.

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