Part 14 (1/2)

The man blinked.So did Daphne. Sherecognized him. It was...what was his name? Lou. That was it. It wasLou from the video store. And as his ident.i.ty came to her, Daphne also realized that the woman had been there too, only with a different hairdo and a lot less clothing.

Lou rubbed his face where she'd landed her punch, and glanced at Daphne. ”Gotta love a woman who

knows the value of physical action.””Um...gosh...I'm sorry. I wasn't...I mean...um...”His face creased into a grin. ”Don't sweat it, babe. Just a lover's tiff. She can't get enough of me.””Hmpf.” Daphne decided to reserve judgment on that opinion. Besides, it was none of her business.

Whatwas her business was finding Jack. ”Actually, I'm trying to find the front door to...” She nodded atthe building. No way in h.e.l.l was she going to ask a stranger for directions to BJ's studio.

”Looking for Big John's place?”She nodded.”Right around the corner, honey. Entrance is tucked away in back...””Thanks. I hope everything...” She nodded her head at the car that was now laying down rubber tracks in the parking lot as the blonde roared away, ”...works out for you.”

”It will.” Lou tucked his hands in his pockets and sauntered off, looking quite unconcerned that a portion of his face bore the imprint of a thunderingly good smack.

Daphne shrugged. It must be the movie business. Lots of odd people and even odder behavior.

She went in search of Jack.

The desk in front of him was littered with torn-off sheets of paper, and his hair was mussed to something

a hedgehog would have turned its nose up at, but Jack was buzzed.It would work. It would f.u.c.kingwork .He'd crunched numbers, jotted ideas, scratched them out and jotted down new ones. When it came to planning he was the best. This was how he'd storyboarded his movies...and now it was a written, no-

make that scrawled-storyboard for his future.

He leaned back and sighed, closing his eyes and sweeping the detritus mentally out of his brain. One more thing he had to do...Chuck had asked him...oh yeah. The audition footage.

With a sigh he swiveled to his monitor and found the appropriate icon. A pair of panties. He grinned and

wondered where the h.e.l.l Chuck had found that particular graphic.

Double clicking on it, he leaned back in his chair and stuck his feet up, prepared to a.n.a.lyze and comment on the footage.

To his surprise, it was silent for a moment as his video player software activated. He cranked the speakers up in case he'd turned them off without realizing it. Then, the usual graphic introduction flickered to life.

But there was no music...no typical footage...not even the cla.s.sic clapboard signal for the cameraman tostart the film rolling.Just a softly lit room that looked...vaguely familiar.”Look up there and tell me what you see...”

Jesus Christ. It was his voice coming over the speakers.The image brightened a little, and sure as s.h.i.+t...it wasDaphne . Facing away from the camera andlooking at her own image on the screen beyond.

”Good lord...that's me.”On the monitor, he saw her hand rise to cover her mouth.f.u.c.king h.e.l.l . They'd been caught-filmed- the night they'd spent here doing...oh myG.o.d .

Jack's heels. .h.i.t the ground as he jumped in his chair. Somebody's b.a.l.l.s were gonna get seriously damaged for this.

Chuck.

That rat-b.a.s.t.a.r.d. He'd have known what Jack was planning...he had the technical know-how to set it up. s.h.i.+t s.h.i.+ts.h.i.+t .

Jack's hand trembled over the mouse. He wanted to kill it, delete the file and pretend it never existed, but he couldn't-something held him motionless, watching...

As movies went, it was nothing out of the ordinary. But for Jack, it was like watching his life pa.s.s before his eyes.

Every move they'd made, every little nuance of their caresses had been captured, preserved in digital format, and stored on a hard drive. He was riveted by Daphne's expressions, by the sheen on her skin...he could even see the little pulse that beat so strongly at the base of her neck when she was aroused. It drove him crazy.

He saw himself touching her, encouraging her, and his c.o.c.k hardened immediately as she responded. The memory of her letting go flooded him with emotions, just as the images of her letting go flooded him with arousal.

The sounds and sights of their lovemaking held him entranced as he relived that one incredible night.

Seeing Daphne like this was...different to being there with her. Although he was hard and hungry for her, he had a chance to notice little things...the way her eyelids flickered as she found her c.l.i.t...the sigh she gave when she took his c.o.c.k inside her c.u.n.t and slid down on him...and the cry of pleasure, echoing loudly round his office, that signaled her o.r.g.a.s.m.

He'd been so involved in the moment he'd not seen these things...little things that now meant so much.

As did Daphne.

The image froze, Daphne laying on top of him, sated, his hand just resting on her bare b.u.t.tock.

Jack realized that his work on his future, all his planning, all his strategies and storyboards would have no meaning at all...if Daphne wasn't a part of it.

”d.a.m.n, babe...I love you so much...” He reached out a hand and stroked her b.u.t.tock on the monitor. ” I hope to G.o.d you'll forgive me when I tell you the truth. I hope you'll understand...”

”Maybe you'd better ask me and find out.Big John .”

Chapter Seventeen.

Daphne had found her way into the studios without much difficulty, and had been pointed towards ”Big John's” office by an efficient-looking receptionist. Surprised that the woman had human-sized b.r.e.a.s.t.s, little cleavage to speak of, and a very business-like att.i.tude, Daphne had thanked her and made her way down the hallway to a half-open door at the end.