Chapter Text
NOW
Long Beach, July 11, 2017
Manny was tired. He had just arrived from the ride with his dog when he received a message with the start date of the new NBC show, where he will play the character Rio.
He had gone to Atlanta some months ago to re-record the pilot of "Good Girls" because the actress who would play beth gave up. The set was cool, the crew too, the actresses he shot with were very friendly. He was surprised to hear that Christina hendricks would try the role, she is a very good actress and would certainly do well. Now, scrolling through the news, he sees that Christina hendricks is the new cast member.
FEW MONTHS AGO
When Christina was approached to play Beth on "Good Girls" she didn't felt ready, she also had no idea how long it would take, and she thought the script different and weird, but after watching the pilot, she thought it was very good and decided to accept to try the role.
She went to Atlanta, shot the new pilot and a few minutes later received news that she was cast. She was very happy. She liked the set and the crew, she had already met Mae Whitman personally before, in 2014 when she voiced the zarina character in "tinker bell", she seemed to be a very cool person. Retta was a very nice person too, and funny.
NOW
Long Beach, July 11, 2017
Manny opened the deadline website and read the article about Christina's announcement as Beth, he decided to share the link of the article on twitter with a welcome message.
He was thinking about taking a nap when Adelfa arrived in the room.
"hey, how was the ride with pancho?". She asked while sitting on the couch.
"Same as always".
"What are you doing?".
"I was looking at my messages, The whole cast will start shoot on october ”.
"The new actress got the role?"
"Yeah, she’s a good actress"
"Hope we have fun there"
"We’ll have". He said as he smiled.
Adelfa kissed him.
It would take about 7 hours of flight for Manny to arrive in Atlanta, so he tried to distract himself and sleep. He will only have to shoot scenes on Wednesday but he decided to arrive on Monday to see the surroundings.
Christina groaned as her alarm went off and moments later, she went to check to see if there was something missing in her bags. She and Geoffrey would catch a flight at 23:35pm on Sunday and arrive in Atlanta around 6:48am on Monday. Before going to the airport, she decided to put on a blouse and comfortable pants.
Atlanta, October 02, 2017.
Both had good and comfortable flights and easily found the neighborhoods they would stay in at this time of sojourn in Atlanta. Christina's neighborhood was 5 minutes from the studio and Manny's was 15 minutes. In the afternoon, they could go to the studio and stock their trailers with their stuff if they want to.
They chose to go, so they wouldn’t have to pack anything on Monday. When they arrived in the studio, they just needed to get the keys to their trailers.
Christina drove to the studio and it took about 10 minutes to get there. She stopped in the parking lot and took the suitcase that will stay in the trailer until the last day of shooting. Upon entering her trailer, Christina put one of her suitcases which she brought in a corner and sat on the bed looking around for a moment. At a table in the corner of the room, she saw a plate full of cupcakes. She came close and noticed that they were decorated with strawberries and had a welcome note beside the plate.
Christina Hendricks, we are happy to have you here, we hope you have had a good flight. May you have a great day. We made some cupcakes for you, we hope you like it. Success and good vibes in your new role.
Christina smiled at reading the note and sees the strawberry decorations. She loves strawberries, she use to plant it at home. She went out and locked the trailer.
- 3 hours after -
Arriving at the trailer, Manny went to the bathroom to wash his hands. Coming out of the bathroom, he looked over and noticed a plate of cupcakes on a table and a note on the side. Moving closer, he looked at the cupcakes and noticed the decoration of boxing gloves. Whoever did it really made sure to research about what Manny likes and put certain details. He opened the note and started reading.
Manny Montana, we are happy to have you here, we hope you have had a good flight. May you have a great day. We made some cupcakes for you, we hope you like it. Success and good vibes in your new role.
He smiled and took the dish with him.
Christina slept for hours and woke up in the afternoon. Upon waking up, she took Triscuit and Zou Zou for a walk. When she arrived, she decided to watch some movies throughout the day and spend time with Geoffrey.
They had already received the script of some scenes. They would have together about twenty scenes in the 1° season, all with Christina or Christina and Retta and Mae.
On Wednesday, the shoota would begin and they would have to wake up early. They will have a certain time to arrive daily (except weekends) according to the schedule and then go to the makeup and characterization trailer. Manny would always have to go to the makeup trailer to get Rio’s tattoo on his neck, which takes about five minutes. After the entire characterization process, they would have to go to the reading table with the cast and main technical staff, usually in more complex scenes, and would have a willing meeting room whenever something important needed to be discussed.
Manny spent part of the afternoon briefly reviewing the lines of the week’s scenes. He was eager to see the development of Rio throughout the series. He apparently didn’t have a lot of screen time but the character looked pretty cool.
The rest of the day went normally.
Atlanta, October 04, 2017.
On Wednesday morning, Christina arrived at 7:00am at the studio. She get out of her trailer and for a moment looked up at the morning sky until a gruff voice made her look to the voice’s direction.
“Good morning”. He said trying not to laugh at the frightened reaction she had.
“Mornin”. She said.
Manny smiled and walked away.
Christina watched as he walked away and for a moment remembered that it was about 7:25 when she had left the trailer. She widened her steps.
The room was not too far away, so she arrived at 7:30 sharp. Everyone was already there, she sat down next to Retta and for about 20min listened to how the first scenes would be set up and some other instructions.
On Monday morning she would shoot several scenes, two scenes in which Manny would be. One where Beth, Annie and Ruby try to sell small collectible statues and one alone with him.
The shooting of the first scene went well. Before began, Christina quickly went over the script and they even relaxed a bit and took pictures and recorded a video.
After this scene, she and Manny would have to go outside of the Beth's house to shoot the other scene. When they got there, the actor who plays Kenny was already sitting at the picnic table waiting for them.
The recording of the scene was quick and Christina waited on the set to record other scenes. Manny said goodbye to her with a brief nod and she reciprocated.
Manny had much of the day to do as he pleased and decided to go back to sleep. When he woke up, he took a shower and had lunch with Adelfa at a nearby Mexican restaurant. In the afternoon he decided to read a little of the upcoming scripts. When evening came, he turned on the TV to watch the UFC.
Christina had had a long day, and the next few weeks would be that way as well. It was almost nine o'clock when she finished the last scene of the day. She went into her trailer, took off her makeup and blonde wig, and took a shower. After leaving the studio, she went to the apartment.
October 05, 2017.
On Thursday they would shoot only one scene together. In the morning they would shoot one in which Beth would go to the warehouse with Annie and Ruby.
When she, Retta, and Mae finished being made up, they walked to the set together. As they walked, they talked about Jeopardy. When she arrived on the set, she noticed the large number of figurants. Some of them chatted and asked them for pictures, Mae and Retta were talking to one of them. Manny arrived after a few minutes. After a moment the director asked everyone to get into position to start recording.
October 09, 2017.
That Monday night, she shot the scene leaving the pearl on the doorknob and then went to shoot the scene where Rio goes to Beth's house to find out what she wants. When Christina arrived on the set, he was already there.
After it was shot, the director watched the scene with some people from the technical crew to see if the angle and other things were good. They made some impressed expressions and looked at each other with a "are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" face. Manny and Christina were confused by the reactions. The director took out his cell phone and texted someone and dismissed them both that the scene had turned out great and that they should come to the meeting room tomorrow morning.
Manny and Christina walked together to their trailers still confused and after a few seconds Manny broke the silence:
"Do you have any idea what that was about?". He asked.
She shook her head negatively. "I think it might be some change in the story."
He gave a grunt of agreement. "Yeah, might be."
"Good night." She said to him as she opened her trailer.
"Night." He said opening his.
October 10, 2017.
On Tuesday morning, they went into the meeting room and were told that previously Rio was more likely to be sexually involved with Annie. However, after the last scene filmed, they noticed a chemistry and sexual tension between Christina and Manny and decided to change that part of the script. Now he would involve to Beth. Christina already imagined that they were called to talk about something like this, even because she felt some of the tension.
They stared at each other for a few moments while they were informed about the change, but neither of them said anything about it. As they were about to leave the room, he offered to open the door for her.
That morning they taped a scene at a local store to record a scene where Beth, Annie and Ruby offer Rio a new business proposition, buying and then using the return policy to launder the money.
In the afternoon, while waiting for the technicians to watch a scene she just recorded with Mae and Retta, Mae said looking at Christina-
"I can't believe you stole my boy."
Christina looked at her with a confused and somewhat impressed expression. "What the hell are you talking about?".
"Rio." Mae replied laughing at the expression Christina made.
Christina let out a relieved sigh. "How do you know that?".
"Everyone's talking about." Mae said.
Christina stood thoughtfully. How good was the chemistry for them to be commenting about and changing which character Rio would fuck? She won't deny that she didn't notice something as he looked at her. No. Not for her, for Beth. But it was something so intense that she felt affected, no matter how much it was acting. It's not like she couldn't help feeling that way. But it's kind of impossible not to feel that way with him looking at her like that, the way his gaze pierced her... damn she better stop thinking. In a way she understands the whole sudden change.
Manny would have most of the day off. And he was also left thinking about the change in the script. He could understand that change. It wasn't very difficult when it seemed that they were fucking each other with their eyes only in a scene where the characters were staring at each other. He could feel the tension in the air. What was impossible not to feel with the way her mouth enveloped that glass as she pretended to drink that drink and the way she looked at him. Shit, he shouldn't even be enjoying this situation. But it's not like he could just ignore all of this.
October 11, 2017.
Marriage is always a complicated thing. It may seem that because a couple has been together for years, life and the marital relationship will be easier, because of the time they have been together and the things they have already had to deal with together. And mainly because of the lesson they have learned after each moment of crisis. But things are not that easy, there is always something that can cause a crisis. The lack of dialogue, the lies, the secrets, the betrayals, the feeling of needing to rediscover each other, the lack of self-knowledge. All of these can always come up, regardless of the amount of years together, some of these can always come up and mess up the whole relationship.
It was Christina's wedding anniversary. She was completing 8 years with Geoffrey. They were fighting and had insecurities like any couple.
Obviously, the Christina of 2017 is not the same Christina of 2009, just as Geoffrey is not that same man of 2009. Time passes, a person changes, evolves, and as much as that change was positive, it can impact negatively on a relationship if you don't know how to handle your own change. Last year, they had some disagreements. While they were fighting, Christina accidentally let out that she couldn't stand him anymore. And she instantly regretted saying this because her tone was totally different. There is the "I can't stand you anymore" where you say it out loud and you're not angry with the person, and the "I can't stand you anymore" of "get out of my life". And hers sounded more like a "get out of my life". Hours later she apologized and since then they promised to be more understanding with each other.
That night after she finished shooting some scenes, they went out to dinner and spent some time together.
October 20, 2017.
On Friday night, they would shoot a scene together with Mae and Retta. In the scene, the river says that he will pay them if they take care of Eddie.
After taping, the girls planned to have dinner and invited Manny to go with them.
In a moment, Manny took a picture with them.
"Do you have instagram?". He asked looking at Christina. He knew she haven't, he had tried to follow her a few years ago, and when he started following Mae and Retta, he realized that she hadn't created one yet. He wouldn't post the picture, but he wanted to send it to her, and maybe he's a little curious as to why she doesn't have one.
"No." She said.
"Why not?" He said after taking a sip of his juice.
"I'm very sensitive”. She said as she cut a piece of meat.
He made an Oh that sounded a little disappointed. But he understood her point, the internet can be mean sometimes. Sometimes not. Almost always.
"But I can give you my number”. It came out almost automatically, for a moment Christina was afraid of sounding invasive. They talked a lot while having dinner, and he seemed very friendly.
So what was wrong with me having his number and him having hers?
"Okay" . He typed in her number as she spoke. He added the contact. Then he typed something and put it away in his pocket.
Then he said goodbye to them and drove back to the studio parking lot. He drove to the apartment that was not that far away.
Later when Christina was lying in bed, she picked up her cell phone to check her messages and opened the one from Manny.
“What’s funny?”.
“What?”. She said confused.
“You were laughing”.
“Oh, yes, was just something Tamara sent to me”.
Geoffrey grunted in agreement.
Chris. No one ever called her that, when she was a child they had called her Tina, but nothing beyond that. She found Chris different but she liked it. She turned off her cell phone and went to sleep.
October 26, 2017.
On Thursday morning, she and Manny would shoot the scene where Rio invades Kenny's party.
After shoot walking down the street, Manny returned to the outside of the house and sat on the steps waiting for the scene to be watched by the technicians. After a few seconds, Christina arrived and sat down next to him, but a little apart. They watched the children of the scene who were now playing with each other and running around. A little closer to the table that had the cake, Matthew was talking about something while Mae, Retta and another woman were laughing.
He yawned after a few seconds.
"Couldn't sleep?" Christina asked looking at him.
He shook his head negatively. "I stayed up late last night watching the UFC”.
"So you accompanies the fights too?" She asked. That night when she, Retta and Mae went to dinner and invited him over, they talked a lot. He talked about his newborn son and about his hobbies, which were mainly boxing, playing basketball and to surf. That day he decided to leave early, certainly to help Adelfa with the baby. They had hired a nanny for most of the day, but at night it was time for the nanny to leave.
"Yeah, I usually watch minor leagues too."
"That's cool." She said.
That night, Christina saw that Manny was online and sent him a message. When Manny read the message he laughed at the pun and answered her.
Christina: Hey go to sleep!!!!
Christina: Or the routine will punch you in the face
Manny: LMAO, got you
November 06, 2017.
On Monday they would shoot the scene where Beth, Annie and Ruby feel pressured by the FBI and want to return the money to Rio.
The shoot of the scene went well and the girls waited on set to shoot other scenes.
November 15, 2017.
On Wednesday, she would shoot a scene with Manny where Beth meets Rio in a parking lot to do a drop.
Right at the beginning of the scene, Manny said "wood" instead "work". They tried again, he got it wrong again. The second time-
Manny:
"That ain't special.
"I'm on facebook too.
"Your cut".
Christina: Wait (3x)
Manny: Listen, in my line of word...
"Oh my god why isn't this fucking work coming out". Manny said in anguish.
He said work repeatedly.
"What? Are you Manny Fenty now? Rihanna's career is in danger ".
Them burst out laughing as he leafed through the bundle of money.
The third time, everything went well.
The director of photography had taken a picture of the moment when they were waiting for the restart for the third time.
November 23, 2017.
On Thursday, they would shoot the scene where Rio goes to Beth's house thinking she stole from him when in fact it was Mary pat who didn't comply with what the girls asked her to do.
December 04, 2017.
On Monday night, they would shoot 3 scenes together and all at night. Two where Beth, Ruby and annie do the drop in a park in cold weather clothes. And another where Beth will do the drop alone with Rio.
Before starting to shoot the first scene of the night, Manny and Christina stayed in a room waiting for Mae to finish shooting a scene. Retta was still in the makeup trailer.
The room had two couches, one opposite the other, and a television on the right side. Christina was on one, and Manny on the other. Manny was using his cell phone while Christina was focused on watching an episode of Jeopardy that was on TV. After a moment, Christina began to whisper the answers.
In 2000, this man was the host of a number one rated network show and a number two rated syndicated talk show.
"Regis Philbin." Christina replied.
Frederic Henry, the protagonist of this Hemingway novel, is in the Italian ambulance service during World War I.
"A Farewell to Arms." Christina answered almost instantly.
This Caribbean nation was named because it reminded Spanish sailors of a province back home in Spain.
"Grenada." Manny said at the same time Christina answered "Granada".
She looked away from the TV and stared at him. "It's Granada”. She said as she went back to watching.
"No, it's Grenada." He repeated.
"I'm pretty sure it's Granada." She said accurately.
"Do you want to bet?" He asked.
"Yes." She said. "What do you want to bet?".
"You pay the dinner and some drink tonight." Manny was sure it was Grenada, he had a knowledge of Spanish speaking countries and Latin American countries.
"Okay." She was pretty sure it was Granada, she had heard about something similar.
The participant answered Grenada and....
Correct!
Manny let out a laugh and stared at Christina. She was a little surprised as she stared at the television, when she looked at him, he smiled at her. She smiled back.
He stared at her for a moment and couldn't help but notice how beautiful her smile and lips are. Where the hell did that thought come from? He thought. He turned his attention back to his cell phone while still feeling her staring at him.
A person from the production arrived to tell them that everything was ready for them to go on the set. Manny got up first.
"Tonight." He said as he winked his right eye at her and looked down at her.
She left the room right behind him and turned off the light.
By the time they finished shooting the three scenes, it was about 9:30pm. They recorded the last scene alone and walked to the their trailers.
"20 minutes and I'll get ready okay?" She asked him.
"Okay." He replied as he went to his.
She walked into the bathroom and faced herself in the mirror. It's not like it was a non-beneficial bet, not least because he's not bad company. she thought. She pushed those thoughts aside and began to remove her makeup.
After taking a shower, Christina chose a long-sleeved dress because it was a bit chilly, and it went down to her ankle.
Manny put on a LB cap, black pants, and a navy blue sleeve shirt.
After about 15 minutes, Manny came out and knocked on her trailer.
She opened it and asked him to come in. He went inside looking around. "One second, I need to finish organizing things here." She said with a nervous laugh.
"Sure." He said as he sat down on the couch and watched her organize around the trailer.
He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked. She wore a black dress that had long lace sleeves, and at the end of the skirt there was also lace, and from the chest up to the neck. And he thought, is this the simplest of dresses she has? because it was really beautiful, you could easily go to important places with it. Her hair was as red as ever, and she still looked beautiful with her natural skin. He realized that somehow he was paralyzed looking at her because she was calling him for the second time and louder.
"MANNY!" She said in a much louder voice than usual.
"What you said? I'm sorry”.
"I said we can go now”. She said as she picked up her purse and the key to the trailer.
That morning when she left home, Christina decided to walk to the studio because she wouldn't go anywhere during the day to use the car. So since it was so close, she decided to walk.
So she and Manny were walking towards his parked car and going to a place that he said he thought was pretty cool when he went. It was about 20 minutes from the studio.
After about five minutes, she broke the silence-
"You know, I was really quite convinced that the answer was Granada."
"I know, you were like "i'm pretty sure it's Granada"." He said imitating her voice.
"I don't talk like that!". She said with an indignant expression but sounding amused.
"Yes, you talk like that." He said while laughing.
"So, how far is it until we get there?".
"About 15 minutes”. He said as he turned on the music and Anderson paak began to play.
The rest of the way there was silent.
The bar was very nice, there were several paintings on the wall, the stools were red, there were some tables and some fairies lights around the counter
They ended up sitting at one of the tables in the corner and looking at the menu to order food as well. Throughout the evening, they talked about the last weeks in Atlanta, movies and books they liked. Manny had ordered a michelada knowing that he couldn't enjoy it as much because he had to drive. On the other hand, maybe Christina had gone a little overboard on the scotch and was a little too drunk. When it was getting late, they closed the bill.
When they left the bar and were in the car, Christina gave him her address and he put it in the GPS. When they stopped at the curb, they stared at each other for a moment.
"Thanks for the night, it was fun." She said after a second, as she looked at him.
"Yeah, I liked it too." He said as he looked at her. He expected her to leave right away but they stood there just staring at each other for seconds that seemed like ages until he broke the silence-
"Are you okay to come in?" He asked.
"Huh?" She said the moment her gaze fell to his mouth.
He seemed to notice because he pulled a slight smile before repeating the question.
"Of course, I'm not that drunk”.
He made an expression that looked like a Really?
"I'm serious, look." She said as she flexed her elbow and tried to touch the tip of her nose.
Manny watched her as she had a little trouble touching it. "I'll walk you to the door." He said as he got out of the car and turned around to open the door for her.
She mumbled something that sounded like a "whatever" as she rummaged through her purse for the key.
"Are you okay to go upstairs?" He asked as she opened the door.
"Why? Are you going to carry me?" She retorted.
He let out a laugh. God, this woman.
"Seriously, I'm fine, good night and thanks again. She said as she got in.
He went back to the car and picked up his cell phone. There were some messages from adelfa in which she asked if it would take long for him to arrive. He had sent a message as soon as he left the studio saying that he was going to have dinner at a place close to the studio. He replied that he was on his way home.
Christina's dress:
The bar:
Later that night, Christina took off her clothes and went right to sleep.
Manny arrived and helped Adelfa with some things. When he was in bed, he couldn't stop thinking. The evening was very pleasant, it was very easy to talk to Christina because she was good company and knew how to conduct a good conversation. It still didn't seem real to him this whole situation, he could consider himself a fan of hers. The first time he saw something about her was when she played Joan, once when he was watching The Ellen show in 2011 and again when he saw the trailer for a new EA game (need for speed) and she was in it. He was never a fan of car games but maybe he bought it because of her. Maybe. He is feeling an attraction to her and somehow it was growing with every moment he walked by or saw her. He doesn't know what to do. He shouldn't even feel this way, he has a wife. But it was impossible when just seeing a glimpse of her red hair was already doing things to him. At some point he got tired of thinking and fell asleep.
December 04, 2017.
The next morning, Christina woke up with a slight hangover. It could be worse. She would be shooting a few scenes throughout the day, the first one would be recorded at 09:00am. She got up carefully so as not to wake Geoffrey and went to make breakfast. As she sat eating, she couldn't help but think about the night before. She had been drunk and had shown too much of the attraction she was feeling for him, but even when she was sober she had thought about kissing him. He just hadn't realized it. There was no way for him to even notice when that thought was only in her mind. And he seemed to be feeling that way too, otherwise he would have scolded her, right? She is not blind, she noticed how he was looking at her and her body last night. She decided to stop thinking about it or her head would explode, she got up and went to take a shower.
When it was about 8:30am she picked up her cell phone and checked her messages. There was one from Manny.
Manny: I hope you slept well
Christina: I did. Thank you
Ela levantou, pegou suas coisas e saiu pra mais um dia de filmagens.
xxx
Christina’s POV
After the night of the 4th, the amount of messages that we exchanged during the days doubled. When I gave him my number, we usually just kept to What's up? and How was your day? But the days went by and we were talking more and so much more about our lives. One day we were talking about winter and how cold Atlanta was and how much and he said that the minutes he was recording with me he couldn't feel and then the bubbles appeared on the screen and he sent always get hot. And before I even had any surprise reaction I was smiling. So I giggled back at him. And why was I smiling? And enjoying the whole situation? I was trying to improve things with Geoffrey since we had that fight last year, so the most consistent thing would be not to flirt back or scold him. And it's not like I can control what I've been feeling. And why is he acting like this too? From what little he said about his wife Adena, Alfafa, I can't remember her name, the night we went to dinner, they seemed to be happy and with a baby. I am still trying to understand but of one thing I am sure, this attraction that we are feeling only seems to grow with every moment.
Manny’s POV
[exchange messages]
Manny: Hey
Christina: Hi
Manny: How are you
Christina: Indecisive
Manny: Why?
Christina: I don't know what clothes to choose
Manny: Bullshit, just pick one
Christina: It's not that easy
Manny: It should be
Christina: It's easy to talk when you men seem to just take any shirt and a pair of pants and be ready for the day, I also don't know what color lipstick to wear
Manny: even without lipstick you already look great, the natural color of your lips is perfect
Christina: What about clothes? it's not like I can walk around without them
Manny: Yeah, unfortunately
It was inevitable. I couldn't help but send this message, much less not compliment her. This woman can look beautiful even in clothes that on other people would look like a disaster. It was all so natural that when I noticed, I had already sent it. In these last few days, I simply let everything I thought about her show. And she usually responded by laughing or thanking me for a compliment. If she didn't like it, she would text me or talk to me and ask me to stop, right? And I should stop acting like this, but I can't. Each time I feel like I want more. Each time I want more, maybe even act on it in some way. And that and other factors make it wrong. There are times when the more wrong it seems, the more I want to do it. And with her, I always feel this way. Maybe if we don't get renewed for a second season, this attraction will dissipate.
xxx
December 12, 2017.
Tuesday would be the last day of shoot before the end of the year holiday break. They would shoot a scene where Beth meets Rio in a coffee shop in the morning and Rio informs Beth that they are going out of business temporarily and another where Beth offers him the skin products she stole from Nancy's clinic with Annie and Ruby.
They filmed the scene one after the other. While the technicians were watching the scenes, silence filled the set, except for the voices of the large crew. But Christina and Manny were quiet. Which didn't usually happen, because almost every time they were together, they were interacting with each other. Manny noticed that Christina was taking off and sliding her wedding ring back on her finger while looking thoughtful. She did this with another ring she was wearing as well. They were dismissed and when Manny looked away for a second she was no longer there. After getting ready in his trailer and before leaving, he decided to hit her trailer. He knew that she still had to wait about 10 minutes to record. He knocked three times.
"Get in." He heard her say.
He walked in looking around and stopping his gaze on her, who was fiddling with her cell phone.
"I noticed that you looked different, maybe a little nervo-“.
"We shouldn't feel this way”. She said interrupting.
He didn't expect her to be so direct.
"What are yo-“.
"You know what I'm talking about”.
Fuck
She continued.
"You know how wrong it is”.
"It's not like you're not enjoying it”.
"And so do you”.
"Yes, that's the point. He laughed lightly”.
"How can you say that so easily”.
"Because it's true”.
"You are married and have a baby."
She was about to speak again when he interrupted-
"And you're married, and I know that what I'm feeling I don't feel alone, so we're even”.
"And what do we do now? She said as she crossed her arms over her chest and put her right leg over her left.
"Let's see how it goes”. He said as his gaze fell on the movement of her leg
"You know very well how this will end”.
"How?" He said as he walked towards the couch she was sitting on. He stopped only when he was almost touching her leg
They stared at each other for what seemed like ages until a knock and a voice brought them out of their reveries.
"Christina, are you there?". It was the voice of one of the team members.
"Yes, i’m going." She said as she crouched down looking for the key to the trailer by the cushions that were on the couch.
Manny came over and leaned in a position that his mouth was at the height of her ear and whispered-
"You know you can't run away from this."
She stared at him and nodded her head toward the door.
He headed for the parking lot and she headed for the set.
A little later that day, she picked up her cell phone, opened his chat room and sent: "I know”.
A FEW DAYS LATER
[exchange messages]
Christina: I miss the routine, I had gotten used to it
Manny: I know how it is
Christina: I can imagine
Manny: I kind of miss when I'm shooting
She laughed. He only had scenes with her, she knows well what he misses.
Christina: I know how you can't stay away from me
Manny: Oh, you're finally accepting this fact
Christina: You always talk as if everything is the easiest thing in the world
Manny: I don't think it's easy, I just think it's better to face things than to run away
Christina: I wasn't running away
Manny: I didn't say you were. Anyway, I talk about the consequences coming anyway
Christina: Ugh, you talk like a coach
Manny: LMAO
December 25, 2017.
January 01, 2018.
[exchange messages 00:05]
Christina: [voice recording]
Hiiii best wishes for you
Manny giggled as he listened because her voice was clearly louder and slightly altered.
Manny: Drinking and cell phones is sometimes a bad combination
Christina: I'm not that drunk, look I can still type correctly
Manny: Yes, I can read
Christina: What a humorist
Christina: I just started, the night is young
Manny: Busy night?
Christina: I wish it was, I was going to see the peach drop but I ended up not going
Manny: Best wishes, see you next week
Christina: These are going to be difficult days for you
Manny: Yeah?
Christina: Yeah
Christina: I want to see if you can keep your hands to yourself
Manny: Oh? now we're playing the teasing game?
Christina: Maybe
Manny: I don't know if you could take mine
Christina: I can take a lot of things
Fuck
That woman would still kill him.
Manny: We’ll see.
January 15, 2018.
On Monday night, they would shoot two scenes. The scene where Rio asks Beth and the girls to get a truck for him and the one where Beth throws the key in his face.
January 24, 2018.
On Wednesday, they would record the scene where Rio shoots Dean. It would be the last scene she would record with Manny in the season.
When they were dismissed, they walked to the trailers together.
"So you're going already?".
"Yeah, I'm booked on a flight."
Oh.
"Why, are you missing me already?
"You're so full of yourself. She laughed.
She continued.
"But seriously, I thought you'd stay longer.
"Me too, but I have some things to do.
He continued
"It was a last minute thing, I kind of meant to let you know when I was actually leaving, you know, I meant to stay around for a few more days, do some more stuff." He said as he swept her body with his gaze and ran his tongue over her bottom lip.
"So bye, I hope we have a 2nd season".
"Me too." He said smiling at her.
She expected him to leave, but when she saw him he was hugging her. She returned the squeeze.
"See you." He said as he walked away.
In the car, he stood thoughtfully. He really wants to fuck her anywhere on that set. He is now more than ever sure that she does too. Neither of them made the first move, he intended to but it wasn't that easy with the schedule, and now, needing to get back to Long Beach soon.
Christina would have a few more days of recording and then she would have some events to go to with the girls, to promote the series. She was already thinking that it would be better if she could record the next possible season in Los Angeles. Most of the events took place there, she and the girls lived there, so it would be much easier. After being told that they could consider her request, she went home.
She could consider herself a little disappointed that he had left before he was supposed to, but only a little. And why the fuck was she feeling slightly disappointed? Even she didn't understand yet.
A few weeks later she recorded her last scene.
Christina's next weeks were based on promoting the series with the girls weeks before February 26th, the day Good Girls premiered in the United States. And going to events with them.
After that she had to focus on some films she had to shoot and episodes of other series.
In relation they stayed in their seemingly endless cycle. Flirting, teasing, chatting, flirting, teasing, chatting.
March 13, 2018.
[exchange messages]
Manny: Do you see what they are talking about us?
Christina: Us?????? What??????
Manny: LMAO, relax, about Beth and Rio
Christina: You scared the hell out of me
Christina: Don't just talk like that, say the characters names
Manny: Right, whatever, you see?
Christina: You know I don't
Manny: People have already noticed the chemistry and i’ve seen people commenting about wanting the two of them together
Christina: Have you seen last night's episode?
Manny: Yes I'm watching it, it's clear why they changed that part of the script
Christina: I will watch it yet
May 03, 2018.
May 07, 2018.
On Monday, they received the news that they would be renewed and the shoot would be in Los Angeles. Weeks later, they received the script for scenes from the first four episodes.
She received messages from Manny later that day.
Manny: Beth is going to seduce and have sex with Rio in 2x04. I am rooting for her.
Manny: I think we could rehearse beforehand, so that the scenes look good, u know?
When she read this part of the script, she immediately thought about how he would love it. He will have to hold her breast while he strokes his head on her neck, and caress her thigh. She will literally be up against the wall, with her knees up there, and in a moment she will moan. Of course he would love it.
A FEW WEEKS LATER
[exchange messages]
Christina: What is wrong with you?
Manny: What do you mean?
Christina: Your photo
Manny: Why? can't you concentrate on the keyboard?
Christina: I knew it!
Manny: What?
Christina: You put it up to tease me
Manny: If you can't concentrate it's not my fault
Christina: And you're always thinking about me
Manny: It's not a lie but you think too
Christina: Yes but you think more
Manny: And what makes you think that?
Christina: Because I can imagine you going through your gallery and looking for a picture of you looking hotter than usual just for me
Christina: And I can bet you've already touched yourself thinking of me, it's written all over your face.
And somehow she wasn't lying.
Manny: Lol you haven't seen my face in months
Christina: But I don't need to see it to say that
Manny: And you?
Christina: Me what?
Manny: Have you ever touched yourself thinking of me?
Christina: So you claim you have?
This woman is really going to kill him one day.
▪︎▪︎▪︎
MANNY'S PHOTO:
Los angeles. July 26, 2018.
Christina couldn't hold back a groan when the images flashed behind her eyes, she had a dream that seemed so real she wanted to convince herself it was. She squirmed in bed, her own hands on herself. Manny was there in her dream, on top of her, kissing her deeply as he explored her body with those big hands. Christina choked, one hand twisted in the sheets, the other already touching her clit imagining the way he was fucking her in her dream. The memory of Manny's lips was alive in her memory. In her mind, Manny was sucking one of her nipples. He was looking at her with those deep, dark eyes. A sigh escaped Christina at the sight. Those eyes drove her crazy in the best possible way. Christina reached out to her own nipple to twist it as her back arched off the bed, she imagined Manny biting it before easing it with his tongue to make it better. In the dream she was already the way she always slept, naked. She found it to be the most comfortable way to sleep and always easier.
-Ah. She choked loudly before putting her hand to her mouth to stifle herself, remembering that Geoffrey was only a few rooms away, his heart beating even harder than before. Christina snapped out of her reverie when her door opened and Geoffrey walked in with a huge pile of clothes in front of him.
"Did I hear your groan or is it an impression?". He said as he sorted through the piles.
"No, I mean yes, I hit my head on the headboard."
"Be careful." He said as he stroked her head.
"Yeah I know." She said with a nervous laugh.
She thanked god that she didn't have the dream at the exact moment he was at her side. If he had heard her moaning she would obviously make up that he was in the dream. And she would feel bad, because in reality she is dreaming about another man. Which shouldn't happen, if she could control her subconscious at least, but she can't.
Los angeles. August 06, 2018.
On Monday they would shoot two scenes. One where Beth, Annie and Ruby are in the park finding out that Rio has a child. And another where Beth is putting in place the stop sign she stole from a street and Rio shows up.
That morning they read the scene and the girls other lines from scenes they would still shoot that day. They took a photo of the moment.
They went to their trailers, got ready and recorded. Manny said a quick goodbye to them.
After recording, Retta, Mae and Christina were heading to the set when Mae broke the silence.
"What's going on?"
"About what?"
"You and Manny."
Christina froze.
"What are you talking about?”.
"He's staring at you in a weird way, and you were super-close”.
"Weird how? she said, trying to dodge the super-close part Mae had mentioned.
"Like fucking you with his eyes, I don't know."
"It must be the habit of shoot with me and having to look at the character that way."
And Christina could make that excuse for the time being. Not least because she avoids staring at him too much when they are recording with them, but he doesn't seem to know how to do the same. Very soon, she intends to talk to them about it, she just doesn't think this is the time.
"Do you really think I'm going to swallow that excuse?". Mae said a little irritated.
Christina was speechless for a second.
"Okay, let's calm down". Retta said.
"I'm sorry but that's one of the dumbest excuses possible, you know very well that it's easy for an actor to separate the character from real life”.
"Look, I was going to talk to you about it, okay? It's just that I was still waiting for the right moment”.
"We'll talk about it later”. Christina said.
"Okay”. They answered in unison.
Later, they were talking.
"So..." Mom said.
"We are attracted to each other."
"Don't tell me”. Mae said feigning surprise.
"But when did this start?". Retta asked.
"I don't know the exact moment, but before I knew it I was already looking at his mouth. And I caught him looking at me the way you have noticed on other occasions, and in December we went out and there was a moment when we got really close, and then he hit my trailer an-
"Oh my god you guys were already fucking in your trailers." Retta said with wide eyes
"No, we're not." Christina tried to explain quickly.
"Not yet." Mae said.
Christina was about to speak when Mae interrupted-
"Christina you've got to be out of your mind." Retta said.
"It's not like it's my fault, it's complicated”.
"He has a baby and a wife, remember how happy he talked about them when we went to dinner? And you're married too”. Mae said.
"Guys, he started all this”.
"And you kept it going”. Mae said.
"Yeah, so if you have to pick a culprit it's both of us, and it's not our fault that we're feeling this way. If I had my choice, I wouldn't feel this way. Remember when we were at that dinner at my house and I ended up talking about how my situation was with Geoffrey? I've been trying to make everything better since that year, it's not like I want just one more thing to get in the way”.
She sighed and continued.
"I was going to tell you soon, but I'm still thinking about everything”.
"Have you talked about it?". Mae asked.
"Yeah, one time he hit my trailer and I told him we shouldn't feel that way, and he said it's not like he didn't like it, and I said he mostly must be really enjoying it, and then he said we were the same”.
"So what?". Retta asked.
"I told us to see where all this was going to end and he said he knew very well where, and I was an idiot and asked him where it was going to end, which has an obvious answer, and he came approaching and Ashley knocked on my trailer door at the moment”.
"It really has that way of things ending, but it also has the other way, where someone is going to get hurt and it's not going to be nice”. Retta said.
"Look, we'll be on your side to listen to you and stuff, but promise that you'll think consistently whenever you have any attitude”.
"Think with your head, not your pussy". Mae said.
The three of them laughed.
"I promise, I will”.
She didn't think. By early afternoon, she was already thinking about the scene she would shoot with him at night.
That night they shot the scene. And they left the set together. Christina went to her trailer to shower and get ready, and Manny did the same. She put on a dress.
After a few minutes she knocked on his trailer. He was wearing only a black nike shorts.
"Hi”. She said as her gaze fell to his abdomen.
"Hey".
"You want something to eat?”.
"I want something very specific tonight”.
"I'm serious, I have a little too much food in my trailer”. She said as she laughed.
"Yeah sure, I'll get my shirt here”. However I'll probably take it off soon. He thought.
She went back to her trailer and organized the food.
"Do you like tofu?" She said as he walked in.
"Not much, what else do you have there?".
"Spaghetti and red sauce”.
"Just the spaghetti and sauce is good enough”.
"So, what's going on?”.
It seems that everyone decided to ask me that today. She thought.
"What are you talking about?
"Mae was giving us a look when we were at the bench”.
"Oh, about that, they sort of noticed someone looking at me”. She said, emphasizing the someone.
"Did I make it too obvious?”.
"I tried to make up an excuse because I didn't want to talk to them about it too soon, but it didn't work”.
"What did you say?".
"I said it must be a habit, for you always look at beth this way”.
He let out a loud laugh. "Did you really think she'd believe that?"
"First of all, if you knew how to disguise it, I wouldn't even be in this situation”.
"Right, right, what you told them."
"The truth".
"And what did they say?".
"Basically they insinuated that I wasn't thinking with my head”.
"I figured that would be it”. He said laughin.
They finished eating and she put the dishes in the dishwasher. He seemed to have guessed because just as she was thinking about turning around he said Come here and extended his hand to her. She walked over to him, took it, and he guided her to mount on his lap and they stared at each other for a few seconds before she broke the silence-
"We shouldn't do this”.
"I know”.
"If we do this, this thing will only get bigger”.
"Even in the days we've gone without seeing each other, it seems to get bigger. Without us doing anything it already increases somehow".
Of course it increased, right, we exchanged so many messages. She thought.
He continued.
"You're always on my mind”. He said as he pressed kisses to her neck.
"I had a dream about you last week” . She said as she stroked his hair.
He removed his head from her neck and fixed his gaze on her blue eyes. "Yes, and how was it?". He said as he opened the first few buttons of her dress.
Bending forward, he passed his arms around her waist and buried his face between her bountiful breasts. Rubbing his nose against the soft flesh, he inhaled her intoxicating scent deeply, and her fingers dipped into his dark hair. They stayed like that for a long time as he enjoyed the feel of her soft skin pressing against him as her breasts rose and fell with his breathing.
"You were sucking my nipples and fucking me”. She said as she closed her eyes and felt the touch of their lips on her breasts.
"Let's make it real then”. Ele disse.
He gestured for her to get off his lap and sit down on the sofa. He knelt in front of her and reached up and took the hem of her dress, watching her pale thighs. He spread her legs and stroked her inner thigh. She was very soft. He traced kisses until he reached the waistband of her panties. Meanwhile Christina finished unbuttoning the rest of her dress, exposing her bra. Manny couldn't help but lick his lips at the sight, she was wearing a black lace bra that matched her panties. Her breasts were beautiful and huge.
"You're so pretty." He said as he helped her slide the dress down her legs.
And he stood there. Watching her.
"Fuck me." She said as she looked at him.
"You're so impatient Chris."
"I'm not, it's just that you've spent a lot of time teasing me".
"Right, Right". He said with a smirk.
On his knees, Manny licked a strip of her pussy through her panties, never taking his eyes off her face. When she tilted her head back to let out a sigh, he reached down to remove her panties, Christina raising her hips to lessen the struggle.
The second the panties were tossed aside, Manny moved to place his lips on her pussy. He placed soft open-mouthed kisses all over her pussy before he began licking up and down her slit. He wrapped his lips around her clit and sucked hard, smiling slightly as her back arched off the couch and her hands gripped the cushions underneath her tightly.
"Don't stop." She said as she bit her own lips and moaned.
"Never."
After sucking a few times, He moves down to use his fingers to open her shiny pussy and push his tongue inside her. Manny enters her fast, rough and messy as if he had been starving for days, fucking her with his tongue so hard that his hands moved to grab the back of her head to push her face even closer, hips riding her face.
As Manny began to feel her walls tightening around his tongue, he quickly pulled away to wrap his lips around her clit again and replaced his tongue with his fingers, pushing in and out hard, curving them upward to hit that sensitive spot. Christina's moans got louder, letting out a choked moan as she peaked. He kissed her to try to swallow her moans. What they needed least was someone on the set listening them fucking.
When they breathing regulated, Christina pulled him onto the couch again and mounted on his lap.
Taking her chin in his hand, he lifted her head to his, kissing her deeply. As her tongue languidly caressed his, she unzipped his pants and pushed them down over his hips. She interrupted the kiss momentarily to remove his shirt, leaving him completely naked.
Her gaze fell to his cock. It was long and thick. Exactly as she had been fantasizing based on the dream she had had.
Christina's lips met his again, this time moving with more force and purpose, and Manny felt himself getting hard. When he moaned into her mouth, she turned him around and pushed him toward the right side of the couch. She mounted on his lap again and covered his mouth with hers again, kissing him deeply and wrapping his erection in her hand. Manny took off her bra.
When she began to pump her fist along his length, a shiver of pleasure ran up his spine, and he moaned with need. As she stroked him, he caressed her breasts, squeezing the soft mounds and rolling her nipples between his fingertips, making her gasp. He interrupted the kiss to trace his lips along her jaw, slowly making his way toward her ear.
Christina shuddered when Manny's breath tickled her ear, and he purred, "You have no idea how much I thought about fucking you”.
As she kissed him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her tight against his chest, her breasts pressing against him. She rolled her hips again and again, causing the tension in his groin to increase with delicious slowness. Manny leaned over for a moment to reach for his discarded pants and pulled a condom from his back pocket. As Manny began to thrust inside her, Christina choked and her lips parted. Resting her forehead against his, she locked her gaze with his as they moved and moaned together, bringing each other closer and closer to climax. She pressed her lips to the curve of his neck in an attempt to stifle their moans. It was late at night and not as many people were on the set, but you never know what might happen.
"Harder”. She whispered between moans.
And he heard her. He accelerated his strokes and the noise that filled the trailer was almost obcene.
When Christina found her release, she called Manny's name and twitched around his throbbing cock. The increased pressure quickly pushed him along the edge with her, and he cried out for her when his hips resisted and he filled the condom. His senses were overwhelmed by ecstasy as she squirmed in his lap in the circle of his embrace.
Once their bodies had calmed down and her breathing had calmed, she lifted herself off his softening member. Christina immediately felt empty without his cock filling her, and when she got off his lap and stood up to get some cloth to clean them, the feeling only intensified.
"Now what?".
"Now we have more practice for when we go to shoot the nexts scenes”. He said laughing.
"I'm serious.". She said as she threw a pillow at him.
"Let's figure out a way to deal with this, okay?". He took the pillow and pressed his nose to it. It smelled like her.
And she had already thought of ways to deal with it. Just this morning while talking to the girls, she had promised to think of ways to avoid or lessen that sexual tension around between them. And she didn't think. Night fell and she simply got carried away and was riding his cock. Everything she shouldn't do.
She will find a way to deal with it. She'll.