Chapter 14 - One Million Dollars, Kid?!

Hunter's POV:

I’m clenching my jawline at refusal at her and breathing like a lunatic, on silent. My heart is on high notes and I’m fucking burning inside.

“Well, my personal opinion is that this one isn’t a good one either, sir. I’ve read all books in the series. The readership is good, but the reviews are half-half. I believe the publishing company has turned it into a bestseller with money, not with the quality. The story is appealing, but it doesn’t grab the right feelings while reading it. It’s on a flat line. Even the hot moments are not that hot. It’s just graphic. No romance after all. The target audience is women. Women don’t see romance as sex, they see it as love making, with true feelings. Porn as romance is for men, for women it doesn’t work like that. To turn this into a movie…. I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s going to cash in the predicted returns. Against market’s perception, women are not whores, ready to be slutty. There’s the need for depth in feelings. Moreover, it promotes the barbie type of girl. We need to keep in mind that the majority of women readers are not barbie girls and it’s hard for them to identify with the main female character and fantasize over the Prince Charming in the story. In reality, the reader is not fit for such a love story. They need a love story that they can picture themselves in that fantasy with a chance to reach to such a male. Plus, the male lead is a complete asshole against his other credentials. A bad boy billionaire on extremes. No one wants that. He considers being in love with her while trashing her and serving her with a rude behavior, even cheating on her with other women as revenge for her rejecting him when she finds out she was a bet at the beginning. Anyways, you are the one with the final decision, sir. I was giving you an insight on the plot corelated with market. Maybe it’s a good one and I don’t see it.”

Can I fuck you now, love? No? Fuck me….

“Tell me what a woman would want as a love story, Miss Holtrey.”

Give me the details while we’re at it, baby. I’m so curious on your mind on the love story, to know for us. He, he, he….

She’s on the phone. She hasn’t given me even one look since she has stepped in the car.

“Well, it’s hard to say, sir. No woman is like another. Some give in on the sex part just to have sex at least. Others want the complete romance with love making. But a woman wants to be loved, protected, taken care of. Women are beings with feelings. They don’t think with the down part. That’s only complementary. Loyalty and respect are among the things a woman wants. You don’t get to say ‘I love you’ to a woman and then go on a sex spree with others, but you love her, and she needs to understand that. Though women have evolved in being more open to sex, they are still on a traditional mindset within when it comes to love. Love is not sex. Sex is release, love is fulfillment. When women choose to read romance, they expect romance, not erotica. If they wanted erotica, they would choose that. Romance equals love. Erotica equals sex. They do want an Alpha male, with traits of a bad boy sort of, but on the soft side with the female lead. Meaning for him to be a bad boy with others, but with a loving heart and actions with her. So yeah, those are ingredients for a good love story that would satisfy a romance reader or a good movie on that. No one says not to have intimacy described in the romance story, but not on erotica style. And the male lead should work on acquiring the female lead with pure intentions, not for sex only and mistaken it with a momentary love madness. When a man or a woman truly loves, no matter the hurdles, neither of them would have other partners. When you’re able to have intimacy with another, it means there was no real love. Just lust confused with love.”

Well, I don’t have lust for you as I haven’t fucked anyone for the last three months and I’m over the sky with everything inside me. SO THERE! I LOVE YOU! I’VE NEVER STAYED WITHOUT SEX MORE THAN TWO-THREE DAYS! YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY FOR REAL! You little devil…. The fucking tie is suffocating me! I’m in fucking complete abstinence for the last three months and she’s a little ice devil with no emotion towards me. AND IT LASTED THREE MONTHS BECAUSE YOU’RE STUBBORN! You don’t even know how it has been for me…. You little venomous snake…. I’ll show you so much love that you will not be able to take. FUCK YES! You’ll see…. Oh, you’ll see…. The offer for your apartment? And the acceptance you gave today, love? I’VE BOUGHT IT! You little snake…. And the private hospital with best care for your dad? IT’S ME! EVERYTHING FOR THE LAST THREE MONTHS, BEHIND YOUR BACK, IS THE KID OVER HERE! You little crazy…. With Brenda’s help of course. She’s my ally. He, he, he….

I’m in supreme heats with a delirious mind because of it, but I’m smirking at her with a hunter stare. She’s on her phone, ignoring me again. No, she has spoken without a glance at me. To kill me in blood. Yeah.

We have the lunch meeting with the guy, and I do what she said as that was my strategy as well. She’s like reading my mind, that much we match. This little snake…. Sexy little snake…. That bites you without stopping.

We’re now on the set where George is filming a movie similar to ‘Fast and Furious’, but with a different plot. The male lead is a detective with a sports car, chasing criminals and cartel people in the most dangerous situations, drifting involved, not going undercover.

He falls in love with a Mafia daughter and the craziness starts as Mafia is retaliating with him being a cop. In this scene, he’s in a full car contact with the son of the Mafia who is down to eliminate him at all costs, using at the end of the race a hostage who’s the detective’s partner. It’s a dangerous scene this one, so, we’re having firemen, ambulances and all that on standby.

The real drivers are the best stuntmen at drifting and using guns as the script requires. No, all you guys see on screen, is not from the actors, but from such people who do put their lives at stake. Both drivers, only for this scene, which is the most perilous one from the entire movie, get paid with one million dollars each. It’s a complicated scene and it can go stunning or into the grave for real. The one who’s driving the detective’s car has the heaviest part and messiest turns with shooting involved from both cars. The detective has ten minutes to reach to his partner up the mountain-like who’s tied up with ticking bombs.

We’re approaching where George is with the team, yet he’s stressed out about something and now standing up cursing, watching the current take. The detective stuntman seems to stop halfway and not going through with the scene.

“Twelfth time doing this! What the fuck is wrong with him?! He’s driving me crazy! We’re losing the light time with this! I won’t give another day on this! We can’t film at night for crying out loud!” He’s barking at the stuntmen director, almost pulling out his own hair. He’s like a fucking beetroot at face.

Slow down, George. Your fucking blood pressure will reach the sky….

“I’m sorry…. I don’t know why he’s stopping.” He’s fucked as George is unleashed.

“Go and bring him here! Let him tell me what the fuck is going on! We’re already over budget with this! It’s second day on this fucking scene! Look around you the staff being paid and everything! You said it won’t take more than a day! He’s getting one million dollars for this! It’s not small change!”

Lacey is watching and listening to the scene, inching to George as she seems disturbed by something.

What are you doing, baby?

The other director is calling in the driver and I’m next to George and Lacey, having Kurt and some other bodyguards behind us at some safe distance.

“Hey George. What’s the problem? Calm down. You’ll have it high again.” She seems to know about his condition. She’s handing him a bottle of water and when he sees her, he instantly calms down and smiles at her.

You old fox…. If you weren’t with Brenda, I would have smashed you for that. That’s my baby!

“Hey Lace! Oh, you started the job today. Hey Hunter…. Don’t fuck my ears, man. I’m already fucked…. I know….”

I’m not looking at him with a boss stare, but he knows the repercussions of delay. I’m looking over the monitors, crossing my arms, with a straight stance.

“Not yet, George. But I do hope we’ll have it today. This scene is ten million dollars per day. And it’s second day. We’ve blocked traffic here for two days.”

He’s massaging his temples as I see with the corner of my left eye.

Yeah, only papers and traffic ban in the area for the public is costing the company five million dollars per day. So…. I’m not the bad boss, but there’s a budget for everything if you want to determine profit at the end.

“George?” Lacey, who’s taking off her shades.

“Yeah, Lace….”

“Tell me. What does he need to do, and he isn’t doing?” She’s seriously asking, placing her shades and phone on the table.

George starts explaining her the scene with the script and the driver is coming, arguing with the other director.

“I can’t do it! It’s too tight! If I turn the fucking car as required, I’ll go off the mountain-like and take the other one with me! I can’t do it for one million dollars! What if I die?! What then, huh?! I’ve got family at home, Gino!” He’s young, but he’s honest to his words.

The director is concerned and fidgety as he promised us the scene without problems. George has finished explaining to Lacey, and now eyeing like a hawk the stuntman.

Not enough a million dollars…. You were all asked the required price and given per request. I haven’t negotiated as I’m aware over the dangers. And now you want more…. Nice.

Lacey is unusually pissed off at the driver, and addresses him, walking to them, gaining silence around her. Yeah, all eyes are on her.

Baby? Just calm down…. I’ll pay him more. I understand his point of view, though it will go over budget again….

“Hey! What did you say?!”

The guy is taken aback by her attitude, but he’s keeping his side of the argument.

“I said it’s not paid accordingly! It’s too dangerous, lady! It’s a death trap all over!”

This statement of his makes her snap.

Man!

“Oh! It’s a death trap and not paid accordingly?! ONE MILLION DOLLARS, KID?! Let me tell you something from reality, kid! Here’s a detective story, right?!”

He’s silent with googled eyes at her and mouth in a gap. She’s gesturing at him with her right hand around and at him, all inflamed. Not even the fly penetrates the air around us to buzz at her.

“Do you think a real detective thinks of family or money when in a fucking mission, kid?! AND HE’S NOT PAID ONE FUCKING MILLION DOLLARS! AND HE DOES EVERYTHING FOR REAL, WITH REAL CAR DRIFTING, WITH REAL SHOOTING, WITH REAL WOUNDS AND ALL THAT! AND YES, HE OR SHE WOULD TRADE HER OR HIS LIFE TO SAVE THE VICTIM OF THIS! THAT’S REAL WORLD, AS THAT IS WHAT YOU PLEDGE FOR WHEN A DETECTIVE OR SUCH AN OFFICIAL! YOU SIGN THE CONTRACT FOR NOTHING CLOSE TO ONE MILLION DOLLARS A DAY TO HELP PEOPLE! YOU SOMETIMES DON’T TAKE MONEY TO SAVE PEOPLE! Do you think they don’t have families at home, kid? Huh?! You don’t have balls, kid. You all see nothing but money. I do understand we’re here on a movie set, and not in real situations, and the pay is different, but to say that when people, in real life, don’t ask for millions of dollars, to do what you FAKE doing here, is a spit on their faces, kid. Those are people with buckets of balls. Not you. Stop whining. Strip your fucking jacket and gloves. Right now!”

What are you doing, Lacey?

She’s undressing her jacket and throws it at George who catches it with his mouth dropping on the ground.

“Lace? What are you doing?” George is as scared as me for what we think she wants to do.

No, you won’t! ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY, WOMAN?!