Page 42 of Shooting for his Heart
“I really wasn’t, but I also didn’t expect you to freeze up when I asked if we were just having sex or something more. Filming is wrapping soon, and I need to know if I’ll ever see you again after this.”
“I like to let my actions speak for me. Come on… We’re going to be late for the concert.”
I was nervous as shit,but not because the movie had finally wrapped. Relief usually came at the end of filming. I’d arranged a surprise wrap party the night before we were set to shoot the last few scenes. I knew I was a hard ass, so at the end of filming, I liked to do something to thank the cast and crew for putting up with me.
I didn’t have to put a lot into planning the party since all we needed was good food and music. It only took a few phone calls, and it was all set. After sending out a message detailing an emergency meeting, my plan started to fall into place. Almost everyone responded immediately that they would be there, including Clarissa since I couldn’t leave her out no matter how badly I wanted to.
After taking a long hot shower, I dressed casually in a green T-shirt and black jeans. I was due to meet the bartender and DJ an hour before everyone was set to show up. I needed to make sure everything moved smoothly on its own because I would have bigger issues to focus on. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to get everything set up. In the spirit of self-care, I took a few shots of Cognac to the head. Just as I drained the second glass of liquid courage and placed it on the counter, a group of people arrived.
“So, this is the top-secret meeting?” Tate announced as he danced in the room to the mix of the latest hip-hop hits.
“Thought I would show a little appreciation after the hell I put y’all through.”
“Remind me to be in your next movie,” one of the actresses commented as she took some refreshments from a table.
As time passed, people began to trickle in. I was glad everyone was having a great time, but I was more concerned about the time I would have with Vonnie tonight. We had a great time at the concert. As much as I wanted to snatch her fine ass out of that dress and fuck her until we both fell asleep, I resisted. She wanted to know if what we were doing was just about sex or something more. I decided to show her instead of trying to convince her with useless words.
Tonight, I planned to tell the world about the woman I had fallen in love with. Hell, I hadn’t even told her how I felt. Just the very thought had me scanning the crowd again as I made my way to the open bar for another shot.
Time slowed to a halt as Vonnie and Gia pranced in, looking like they owned the place. Vonnie was a star among stars. She outshined everyone in the room, famous or not. My baby was a showstopper. The red dress she wore did her every bit of justice she deserved. Tate made a beeline for the pair, followed by a few other male cast and crew members.
Instead of showing my whole ass like I wanted to, I moved over to the DJ. The announcement I had to make couldn’t wait another minute. People needed to know she was mine. As Vonnie said, people couldn’t give me respect when it came to her when they didn’t even know she was off-limits.
The feedback from me turning on the microphone gathered everybody’s attention before I had the chance to speak.
“Attention… I have a brief announcement to make before everybody gets too intoxicated.” Once everyone settled down from the initial shock, I had their full attention. “First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you for your contributions to this film. With one more day of filming left, I already know this is one for the books. I know I’ve been an absolute asshole, as a couple of you choose to call me, but you rose to each and every challenge I presented. I can’t thank you enough for the roles you’ve played to make my first fantasy film a reality. I would like to thank the writers and creators for giving me such a huge opportunity. I look forward to working with you all on future projects.” When the applause started, I paused for a minute to let them finish. “With that being said, I would like to call Giana Wilkes and Evonne Ross to the stage.”
“No, you didn’t!” Vonnie yelled out, lowering her drink.
“Yes, I did. Come on, ladies.”
“Oh, this is about to be good,” Gia declared while clapping her hands.
The cackle that came from Vonnie didn’t have to come with any words. She tossed the rest of her drink back as Gia grabbed her arm and tugged her to the front of the room where I stood. My baby was even more beautiful up close.
“What are you up to, Shawn?” Vonnie mumbled as I pulled her to my side.
“Now, as you all know, this is our wardrobe and design team. I’m more than certain that I gave them a harder time than I evengave the actors. They gave me a little pushback, which, of course, I’m not used to. After all the push and pull, I realized that we had to work together to make this project a success.
“I wanted to make sure that the entire vision came to fruition as I imagined it, which is why you guys sometimes saw them with me on set during filming. Over the course of filming, I’ve gotten to know these two better. Gia, I’ve known for years, but I felt like we’ve connected even more while I’ve been filming the most challenging movie I’ve ever made. They are absolutely amazing, and it shows through their work ethic and the finished products. When I said I wanted them to see things from my perspective, that wasn’t the whole truth. Part of the reason why I brought them around was my desire to have a certain auburn-haired lady in my presence. Not only because I’m absolutely in love with Ms. Vonnie Ross but also because of the talent these ladies have when working together. I want to invite them to work with me on my next three projects. The first of which is set to start in Africa in three months.”
“Wait. What?” Vonnie exclaimed.
“Shawn, you serious?” Gia asked.
“The most important thing I said was that I’m absolutely in love with you, Vonnie. I don’t want to hide you. I’ve never wanted to hide you, baby. I want the world to know you’re mine.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Her hand trembled as she held it to her mouth.
“Say you’ll work on my movies. Say you’ll come with me to Africa. I don’t want to go without you. Everything else will fall in place when the time comes.”
“I would love to!” Vonnie shrieked.
“What about you, G? You down?”
“You already know.” Gia smiled. “I’m just glad your mean ass is in love. Maybe you’ll be nicer.”
“Don’t count on it.” I winked as Gia left me and Vonnie standing at the front of the room as everyone else began to talk among themselves. I had no idea what they were saying, and I didn’t care.
