Broken Rules (24 page)

 “Alexandra, you left me just then. Where did
you go?” he asked tenderly as he brushed her hair from her forehead.

 “My handsome mind-reader.”

 “
Corazon
, it doesn’t take a
mind-reader to see when you retreat back into your head.”

 “I’m that transparent?”

Marco nodded, “At least you are to me. Perhaps I
just know how to read you.”

 “I’m not that complicated.”

 “No,
mi amor
, you’re not. But
complicated or not, you worry, and you live sometimes in your mind.”

 “I’m used to figuring things out for myself,
I’m not used to discussing and compromising.” Alex said softly, as she trailed
off, clearly not finished with her thought as it was still forming in her own
mind.

 “But?”

 “But I want to try to. I want to with you. I
can’t guarantee I’ll be any good at it, but I’ll try. I promise.”

 “That’s all I can ask, Alexandra. Now, are
you finished being in your mind and ready to experience with your body?” he
asked sexily and Alex laughed as she nodded.

Talking with Marco had already reminded her of
what a wonderful man he was, but being with him erased any doubt she had as her
body responded to his in a way that, before him, she never knew even existed.
It wasn’t just that what he did made her feel so incredible, it was that his
touch almost felt necessary. She had been without it for long enough to know
that she never wanted to experience that feeling ever, ever again.

Both Alex and Marco’s work schedules were
relentless and they fell back into the same type of routine they were in prior
to their breakup, ending up at one or the other’s house after work and falling
into bed with little time to do much else other than make love and then fall
asleep in each other’s arms. There were no stipulations on them remaining private,
but with James Willen keeping Marco working 12-14 hour days, and Alex still
booked solid with shoots, there wasn’t time for much anything else.

When they finally got to the photoshoot for
Where
the Truth Lies
, it was the first time they would be together out in public,
not that it wasn’t a closed set, it was. But there would be more people there
than in either of their houses… and Alex wasn’t exactly sure how to act around
the man who had just that morning licked her in places that made her blush when
she thought about it.

Luckily, she didn’t have to know as Marco answered
it for both of them. Alex was shooting her crew, who were acting as stand-ins
while she tested the lighting, “Ok, Jesús, let’s try a half a stop down.” She
said as she felt first, warm hands slip around her hips and then his warm body
press up against her back. She immediately broke out into a grin and tilted her
head to the side giving him access to her neck, which he nuzzled and kissed.

 “I tried more than half a stop down with you
this morning, Alexandra.” He purred into her ear, making her blush as she tried
to turn around to face him, but he held her there, squeezing her tighter to
him.

She turned her head up and back and he finally
allowed her to turn around to face him, but wouldn’t let her out of his grip.
“Marco, this isn’t very professional.” She whispered, trying to sound
indignant, but the grin on her face gave her away.

 “Of course it is,
mi amor
. It’s
perfect for my playboy, womanizing image!” he teased. And if she weren’t
holding her camera she’d have hit him. But all she could do was roll her eyes
and laugh as he enveloped her in a tight hug.

And if anyone on set had any question about their
relationship before, when Marco leaned down and kissed Alex, it became pretty
clear. This wasn’t just a peck, this was about the furthest thing from that. It
was the kind of kiss that love scenes were made of. Marco was making a
statement, loud and clear, so that there would be no speculation or wondering.
When they finally broke free, you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were on the
two of them. Alex wanted to be mad at him for being so presumptuous to think
that she’d be ok with this open display of affection. But the reality was that
there would be no easy way for her to ease into announcing to the world that
they were an item. This ‘rip the bandaid off’ type of approach was probably
just as good as any other.  Though she really didn’t need Jesús and the
rest of the crew seeing her so intimate with someone. But, what was done was done.
And now she didn’t have to worry about that.

 “Well this explains a lot.” James Willen
said as he walked up to the two of them. His expression was hardened, and Alex
didn’t like the inference in his tone.

 “Such as?” Alex asked, straightening up, preparing
for battle.

 “I’d wondered how you got so much out of
Marco for the Vanity Fair shoot. Now I see.”

Alex was about to lay into James when Marco piped
up.

 “Actually, James, all the shots from that
shoot happened before Alex and I were together. She wouldn’t compromise her
professionalism for fear of how it might look. Her honor is just one of the
many things I’ve come to love about her. It’s such a rare quality in this town,
no?”

Marco said all of that with such decorum and
diplomacy that he left James with no room for a sarcastic retort. Marco had
effectively put him in his place without really having to, allowing James to
save face while also defending the woman he loved. James thought for a moment
and then rose to the level that Marco had set. He was a smart enough man to
know that anything less and he’d look like the asshole that was obliquely
implied.

 “Indeed. Professionalism and honor are
rare.” James mumbled and then looked at his phone, lifting it to his ear before
anyone heard it buzz or ring and then walked away.

Marco smiled a mischievous smile at Alex, raised
his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders, to which all she could do was roll her
eyes and shake her head.

 “Ok, everyone, show’s over.” She yelled to
the crew, snapping everyone back to reality as they all picked up where they
had left off, pre-kiss. Then Alex turned her attention to Marco.

 “Should I prepare myself for any more love
scenes with you today, Senor Flores? Or was that it?”

 “Oh,
mi amor
, you should know better
than to challenge me like that.”

 “Go on and get into hair and makeup before
you make us late.” She said as she playfully swatted his butt, surprising both
of them. Alex figured, the genie was out of the bottle, whatever was done was
done.

Before Marco went to wardrobe, he walked over to
Jesús and extended his hand. Alex could see the wheels turning in Jesús’ head
before he reached out to complete the handshake. Alex couldn’t hear what Marco
was saying, he was speaking softly in Spanish. Jesús simply nodded a few times
and then mumbled something. Once Marco had walked off set Alex raised her
eyebrows to Jesús, effectively asking him without asking.

 “He thanked me for taking care of you when,
you know…” Jesús trailed off, and they both looked down to the ground. When
Alex looked back up, Jesús had a small smirk on his face. “He also said that if
I ever hurt Teresa or so much as make her cry, he’ll kill me.”

Alex drew in a sharp breath and covered her mouth
with her hand. “Well, I guess he knows about your plans to bring her out here.”

Jesús just shrugged and grinned, “Guess so.” And
then Alex took a page out of Patricia’s playbook and swatted the back of his
head making Jesús erupt into laughter. Such a rare sound coming out of his
mouth, it immediately made Alex laugh too, releasing any leftover tension and
allowed her to re-set her mind back to the task at hand.

 “Seeing you two together, Alex… even the
pictures don’t do it justice.” Sam said as she stood beside her friend and
colleague. Alex smiled at her.

 “I love him, Sam. I’ve never felt the way I
do, about anyone else. Ever.”

 “That’s the way it’s supposed to be.” Sam
said softly as she put her arm around Alex’s shoulder and gave a tight squeeze.

 “That’s what you have with Laurent.” Alex
said and Sam smiled and nodded.

 “Not everyone finds what we have. We may
have found it later in life than some, but we’re the lucky ones, Alex.”

Alex knew Sam was right. They were the lucky ones.
What each of them had with their respective men was special and rare. Alex
shuddered at the thought that she almost let it slip away, almost threw it
away. She shook her head to rid the unbearable thought and then smiled at Sam.

Once the shoot finally got underway, everyone
settled into their roles. Regardless of the show they put on in the beginning,
they were all professionals, and once Alex started shooting, she was in the
zone. At one point while they were in between shots as they moved from one
setup to another, James took the opportunity to apologize to Alex.

 “I’m sorry for being a jackass earlier.”

Alex smile and shook her head, “You weren’t being
a jackass. I’d have thought the same thing if I were you.”

 “You’re letting me off too easy, Alex.”

Alex shrugged, “Life’s too short to sweat the
small stuff, James. I know how I got to where I am in this industry. And it
wasn’t by sleeping my way there.”

James took this in and nodded as he chuckled,
“It’s rare to work with people in this town who don’t have an agenda. Anyway,
I’m sorry.” He paused, looking like he was going to say something else but
ended up saying, “and so far, the shoot looks great. Look, I’m going to take
off. You’ve obviously got everything under control here.” He leaned over and
kissed Alex on the cheek. “See you soon, Alex.”

 “Thanks, James.”  Alex hated hurting people’s
feelings, and even after his crack earlier, she worried that she might have
inadvertently done just that, though there wasn’t anything she could do about
it now. What she had felt for James was still there, but as she realized
before, it didn’t even compare to what she felt for, or had with Marco. James
was a big boy and would likely get over whatever it was without giving it much
more than a thought.

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t realize Marco
had been watching their conversation. When she looked over and made eye
contact, they held each other’s stare for longer than was comfortable. Alex had
already explained her relationship with James to Marco, and she had nothing to
apologize for any more. She stood her ground, waiting, making it clear she
wasn’t going to blink first. Eventually, Marco took a deep breath, uncrossed
his arms and relented. It was a silent discussion, but it spoke volumes. He may
not like to think of her being the object of other men’s affection, but he
respected her enough to know when a kiss on the cheek was just that.

This shoot was turning into so much more than just
a photoshoot. Boundaries were being drawn, expectations set. Alex felt like at
every turn in their relationship, it was another hurdle. No, that wasn’t fair.
They weren’t all hurdles. Another piece to the puzzle? No, that didn’t feel
right either. It felt too finite and predetermined. Another patch being sewn
that was creating the tapestry of their relationship. That was it. All these
different pieces and yarns and textures woven together that didn’t all
necessarily fit or match. It was being created as they went.

Considering all of this, Alex was once again
roused from her thoughts feeling like a pinball shot from one emotion to the
next when she heard a familiar squeal, turning around to find Kara grinning
from ear to ear and practically vibrating with excitement.

 “I, um, I wanted to come by to uh, show my
support!” Kara managed with equal parts lameness and girlish glee. All Alex
could do was break out into a huge grin and shake her head.

 “Good lord, Kara, you are going to have to
work on your bullshitting!” She said as she laughed and enveloped Kara into a
hug.

 “That obvious?” Kara asked sheepishly. Alex
nodded and shrugged, producing another girlish squeal from Kara.

 “I can’t help it! I’m just so excited to
meet Marco and finally see the two of you together!”

And Alex couldn’t help but be infected by Kara’s
unbridled giddiness, which was a welcome change from the serious undertones of
what had transpired only minutes before. Kara also helped smooth over any
tension that may have remained between her and Marco. As he came out of
wardrobe and strode towards them, he broke into a huge grin, then put his hands
on Kara’s trembling shoulders as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

 “And you must be Kara.” Marco waited for a
response, but Kara just smiled and nodded so he helped the poor woman out.
“You’re exactly as Alex described.
Con mucho gusto
.”

Kara giggled and finally managed, “It’s nice to
meet you too.” It was all Alex could do to hold back her eye roll knowing that
if a good friend of hers reacted this way to Marco, she could now understand
the screaming fans.

 “
Listas
?” Alex asked Marco.

 “
Siempre para ti
.” Marco purred as he
leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

 “Ok, Casanova, let’s get you on your mark.”
Alex said, trying to restore some sense of authority though she knew that the
shoot had already spiraled so far out of the professional realm, all she could
do was try to reel it back in enough to get the coverage needed. Hoping for it
to resemble a normal shoot was a fruitless endeavor at this point. 

But even Alex was impressed with Marco’s talent.
The minute she started shooting, he switched from his playful self into the
brooding, tormented character he was playing. Alex had seen him shut off his
emotions like this off camera, and for a brief moment worried that he was only
going to get better at it the more his career progressed. Surely a necessary
skill professionally, but troublesome personally.

All of that professionalism and control of Marco’s
flew out the window when someone on set apparently tweeted a video of Marco and
Alex kissing. Word spread quickly as a sudden pall was cast over the shoot.

Alex had seen Marco upset before, but never like
this. He was yelling at no one in particular, but loud enough for the entire
set to hear, “What is wrong with you people? Huh? Are your own lives so boring
that you have to spread gossip about other people? What business is it of yours
anyway? Why do you even care, who I kiss, huh?” Alex came up to him and put her
hand on his arm, tugging at him, but he was lost. The last thing he needed was
this outburst to be uploaded as well.

 “Marco.” Alex said, trying to break him out
of his rage. But it was clear he didn’t hear her, he was still just seeing red.
“Marco!” Alex said more forcefully, finally snapping him out of it. He shook
his head and looked at her.