Page 5 of Jason
Inez loved to remind her, “You just can’t pull yourself away from all that luscious, beautiful man, can you?Toldyou.”
“Not true,” Mallory would insist.“I’m waiting for a chance to kill him.It has to be the right moment so I don’t get caught.”
That was somewhat true.She was learning so much about how to put a show together.It was invaluable experience that was translating into her own work.And the more she learned, the more ideas she had.She kept a running list, and when she caught Jason alone for a moment, she’d spring into action, suggesting ways to streamline production, ideas for scenes, her thoughts on character development.She believed if she could convince Jason to give her a shot at directing, he would see just how in sync they were about the vision for this series and perhaps even other projects.
Unfortunately, Jason tended to take her suggestions and sort of nod them away.“Great idea, Mallory.Is there any yogurt in the office fridge?Could you run out and get some?”
She was often confused by how one minute she wanted to punch him in the face and in the next breath want to kiss him.Like all over his ridiculously fit body.Not that she wouldever.He was her boss, and he was impossible, and it would be playing with fire.
Oh, that fire.It was a glowing ember in her.Sometimes, she would catch him looking at her in a way that made her feel a little weak in the knees.Once, after a particularly difficult episode with a lot of stunts ended without injury or cost overrun, they had shared a look that had been almost orgasmic.It was obvious, they both loved this gig.
When she came into work, his gaze would flick over her, and he’d say something like, “Nice dress.Did you have to hire someone to paint it on?”And she would say, “No.But I’ll be looking for volunteers to scrape it off.”His eyes would go dark, and run down her body, and then he’d turn back to his work and she would run to the ladies’ room and grip the edge of the sink and chastise herself in the mirror.“What are youdoing?”
There were little touches here and there, too, more than was necessary.It was like the day at the copy machine, but much more subtle.Their fingers would tangle when she handed him a paper.He’d bring something to her desk and put his hand on her shoulder to lean over her.
She had the full Monty of all crushes on him, and she hated that she did, because she had learned so much, her short films were beginning to get some traction in contests and on YouTube.
And then one night, Mallory set the embers on fire, and the fire spread.
She and Jason had been working late, watching the rough cuts from that day’s shooting and, because it was late, there was wine involved.Jason was teasing her.He admired how she had arranged the Post-its on his whiteboard so it was clear what changes had to be made to what scenes, and then commented that the motivational posters she’d put up around the room had finally motivated him.
She was laughing about something one of the crew had said, in an unguarded, unprofessional moment, Jason said, “Has anyone ever told you how sexy you are in a totally uptight prosecutor kind of way?”
Funny how ridiculously pleased Mallory had been made by the compliment.She’d said, “Has anyone ever told you how sexy you are in a totally demanding asshole kind of way?”
Jason had leaned back, smiling at her.“I think that is the most honest thing anyone has ever said to me.”He grinned, and he tapped her knee with his fist.“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were flirting with me, Mallory Price.”
She was on the verge of admitting it, but Jason laughed, and his sparkly, Christmas light smile had shot into her, and he said, “Kidding.”
“I have a major crush on you,” Mallory blurted.The words just tumbled out of her mouth.They just fell, right there between them, and at the time, Mallory didn’t care.She was smiling, she felt light and buzzy and they were at a boring part of the dailies that she absolutely would cut as it didn’t advance the plot of this particular episode one iota if anyone would listen to her.
“What?”Jason had asked uncertainly.He’d sat up, both feet on the ground, his hands clasped between his knees.
“Should I not have told you?I mean, didn’t you guess?”
“I think,” he said slowly, “that you were the one who reminded me, in the middle of that issue with the craft services, that the Human Resources manual strictly forbid workplace fraternization.”
“Yes, that was me.I thought you needed to know.”She was looking at his mouth and thinking what an odd word fraternization was.“Is fraternizing the same as flirting?I was trying to flirt,” she said, pressing a hand to her heart.“I think technically, they are two different things.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Jason said as his gaze was drifting down her body.“I leave that sort of thing to you.I assume since you are so by the book, you know what you’re talking about.What is the proper response when someone in the workplace is flirting with you?”
Well, she hadn’t memorized the Human Resource manual, for God’s sake, and downed the rest of her wine and tossed—or dropped—the glass aside.She inched her way to the end of her chair.She could remember how alive she’d felt in that moment, because Jason was looking at her like she was chocolate cake buried in ice cream.“I think you should turn a blind eye.”And then, the spirit moved her.Moved her all the way over to his chair.She brazenly straddled Jason, like she was the star of her own little movie and did things like this (she did not) and he let her, his hands landing on her hips, a light shining somewhere deep into his deliciously hazel eyes.
“Miss Price, I really like your initiative.”
“You know what I like?Your mouth,” Mallory said in the sultriest voice she could manage, and touched her lips to his.
“That is soweird,” Jason said.“Because I like yours, too.”He kissed her back, but in a much better way than she had kissed him.His hands found their way under her blouse and began a slow slide up her rib cage to cup her breast as his tongue slipped into her mouth.
She could taste him, taste the wine.She’d felt a sparkle erupting in her and spreading quickly, shimmering down her veins.It was pure brilliance shining between them.She was straddling him like she knew what she was doing, and he was getting hard, and he was the best kisser in the world, and she was melting inside, her body melting from all the sparkling and want, and she wanted desperately for him to slide right on inside her.
Maybe Jason wanted it, too, because he suddenly stood upwithher, which she would not have thought possible, and sat her on the conference table.He caught her chin in his hand and held her head still so he could really kiss her.Kiss her so deeply and so thoroughly as shocks of pleasure waved through her.Mallory had no choice but to grab on to him before she melted onto the floor.If she’d known that kissing him would be this electric, she would have found an excuse to kiss him a long time ago.
Jason stepped in between her legs, and her pencil skirt rode up to her hips, exposing her red lacy thong panties to him.“Jesus,” he said.“Mallory, this is…very unexpected,” he said again, and had begun to kiss her all over again.
Mallory could look back on that kiss now and easily say it was the most exciting kiss she’d ever experienced.Maybe because it was technically forbidden by standard workplace decorum.Maybe because she never thought a man as handsome and accomplished as Jason Blackthorne would be interested in her.And she had no doubt she could have had it all, but then…but then…
Her damn conscience had pierced the fizzy pleasure and had reminded her that Jason was herboss,and she needed this job if she was ever going to get a leg up in this industry, and it was so clichéd to be doing it through sex.So in spite of feeling incredibly sexy, and the certainty that it could have been one of the best nights of her life, Mallory slid off the table and out from underneath his touch.
