Page 90 of Breaking Free

Chapter 22

ON MONDAY, THE FIRSTday of taping, Piper had to be on set for hair and makeup at 6 a.m. Throughout the day, she had three wardrobe changes—designer clothes she’d give her eyeteeth to keep—and was back in the makeup chair each time.

Despite the long day, everything went smoothly until the last scene between her and Dirk. It was a sexual tension builder, with Dirk’s character, Andrew, pounding on Marlena’s door, insisting on seeing her past midnight on a dark, windswept, rainy evening. There was no sex in the scene, mostly just smoldering looks and heated dialogue. It ended, as did the episode, with the couple’s first kiss. Piper couldn’t wait to get it over with.

Then, the worst happened—a technical glitch in the control room held them up further. So, with the air-conditioning blasting, Piper stood on set, shivering in what had to be the thinnest, shortest sleeveless nightie the wardrobe department could find while waiting for Hunter to call, “Action!”

She tried to focus on her lines, what few there were, and push aside the nerves creeping in. When she glanced over at Dirk, who stood beside her—fully dressed, wearing a raincoat, no less—he seemed bored and disinterested. He was handsome, there was no denying it, with a chiseled jawline and captivating chocolate-brown eyes. Unfortunately, his obnoxious personality ruined his good looks. He made it clear with each haughty, disdainfulglance he sent her that he thought he was too good for the part and definitely too good to play opposite to her—a nobody.

She’d never heard of him, either, which was rather ironic. Cindy, who’d been on set that morning, mentioned he’d done a few Hallmark movies and a popular eight-episode Netflix series that had done well in the ratings. Up to this point, Piper had the same view of him as Christian: seriously unimpressed.

Thirty more minutes passed before the cameras started rolling. Piper did her best to block out the hundred or so people on set and become Marlena. The first part went well, both delivering their emotional lines perfectly. But the real acting came into play when Dirk pulled her close. Piper forced herself not to stiffen at his touch. It was just a kiss. How bad could it be?

When the moment came, she had her answer. He pressed too hard, smashing her lips against her teeth. Unable to control her reaction because it hurt, she flinched and pulled away. Her hand came up to wipe her mouth, and she checked her fingers for blood.

“Cut!” Hunter called. “Piper, are you okay?”

“Yes. I think so. Sorry,” she replied, paying no heed to Dirk’s impatient grunt.

“Let’s try it again,” Hunter directed. “Maybe with a bit more romance and passion?”

Dirk smirked as if his suggestion was meant only for her.

“Action!”

His second attempt didn’t hurt so much as it repulsed her. How had she missed his awful breath the first go-round? Her disgust must have shown because Hunter called a stop to it again.

“Cut! Dirk, a moment, please.”

Sherry McKnight, the intimacy coordinator, rushed over, and the three of them spoke for several moments. She couldn’t hearwhat they were saying because makeup came in and repaired the damage, especially to her lipstick.

The consultation over, Hunter returned to his director’s chair. “Okay. Let’s run it again.”

Dirk didn’t look pleased when he took his place. She wasn’t either when his next kiss was sloppy wet with entirely too much tongue. Piper tried to stay in character, acting all swoony over the best kiss she’d ever had from the man she wanted more than anything, but being stabbed in the mouth by his tongue and all the slobber was hard to ignore.

She couldn’t even execute her plan of pretending Dirk was Tristan, whose kisses combined the perfect amount of pressure, subtle moisture, and heat. They were just too different. Compared to Tristan’s rugged good looks and undeniable masculinity, Dirk’s magnificent head of hair and Hollywood smile paled in comparison.

“Cut!” Hunter called again, this time with audible impatience. When he signaled to Dirk, and he stomped over, the intimacy coordinator came to her.

“We’ll keep working with him,” Sherry assured her.

“Does it look as bad as it feels?”

She squeezed her shoulder. “Yes. That’s why I’m here checking on you. Are you okay?”

“No.”

Sherry blinked in alarm, clearly not expecting that answer. “Whatever it is, let’s fix it now because your scenes only get more intense as the week goes on.”

“I have a request that will help, but I don’t think I can tell him.”

“That’s my job. What do you need?”

“Not me. He needs a breath mint. Or gum. Stat.”

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