Maxwell set early that morning hoping to beat the morning traffic in Vegas and arrived in an hour none the less at the studios. He was supervisor of hopefully a box office hit movie they were busy filming but he first had to meet the understudy for the lead actress if anything were to happen to Briana. As he walked in he was held fixed on the spot as he saw a woman, not tall, short actually about five foot and somewhere in the small inches. She was a sight to behold, fire red hair with blond highlights which looked fresh. She wasn't slim but she was beautiful. With one look he could tell she wore her heart on her sleeves. He had to tread carefully with this woman.
The lead actress was overweight but didn't have fire red hair with streaks, oh dear heavens, this beauty was the understudy, oh God. This was going to be very interesting. Up until that point he wasn't keen on being here but seeing her brought curiosity and a certain overwhelming feeling into him. He wanted to see her face and with that he walked up to her and gently tapped her shoulder, his breath caught as he saw her face, her lips were naturally pouty but only slightly and moist from licking them, he couldn't take his eyes away but he had to and at that saw electric blue eyes looking at him. He felt his groin stiffen, she was absolutely beautiful.
"Uh, you must be the understudy for Briana, right?" He held his hand out. He noticed her looking down, noticing his out-stretched hand and shook his hand. She had a firm grip.
"Morning, the name's Julia Kerens and yes, I am Briana's understudy," she replied smiling. Even though she had a firm grip her skin was smooth and cool to the touch. He hoped her lips were as smooth and soft. She realised he had been looking at her smiling for quite some time and it felt good to have a man smile at her. She smiled and felt his hand relax in hers realising they hadn't let go from their hand shake and thinking better of getting involved with Maxwell Hart, since he had a reputation of dating a line of women. The single life, the bachelors life, how fun it must be, she thought. Don't get involved Jules, she told herself but something told her it wasn't possible, he was absolutely the sexiest man she had ever seen.
Tall, dark hair and dark eyes that were captivating yet daring her to move. He must be working out she thought as she saw his reflection of the sets bedroom mirror and saw him walk over to her, how his shirt pulled slightly over his torso, a distinct six pack was there. What was he packing down there? She thought and caught it before it went any further but his lips looked so delicious and now watching him part those lips of his, she wanted to reach up and kiss him. Oh snap, stop it, stop it, just damn stop. It was other women who he wanted, not fat girls like her that got lucky to be pulled off from the street to be somebody's understudy. Julia worked a day job at a restaurant and a night job as a barmaid, trying to pay her flat rent and car rent.
She had a poor life growing up, forcing her mother to carry two jobs like Julia was doing and looking after Julia and her brother Tristan, was difficult on her mother, she could see that. She had always wanted to become an actress but never got the opportunity to go to acting school and she grew, not taller but wider. She knew her dreams were shattered but deep down she had to fight for what she wanted. Two days ago she was pulled from her barmaid job, more like quit when a woman showed up and asked for her help, explained to Julia that the film that was soon going to start filming needed an understudy and she fit the character perfectly and was asked to come to the studios in two days' time. So here she was and was just looking around when she saw Maxwell enter.
She actually wanted to make a run for it because from rumours, he was very intimidating and she didn't want to be in his path but found she couldn't move, as if he had paralysed her with just his eyes. Ok, maybe she was like other women that would flock to him but she didn't, she just felt like she was about to melt if he kissed her. She had to stop thinking like that, she was not, going to fill her head with the idea that he would look at her like he looked at other women, never going to happen she thought. But his lips, she sighed. He pulled his thoughts away from that direction and pulled his hand back from hers.
He found himself talking with her about the movie but as she mentioned her wig fitting he asked if he could come and watch. He hoped she would say no because if people left them alone he would not be sorry if something happened, this woman was making him hard, he anyway needed to sit so nobody could see what she was doing to him.
"Sure, if you really want to sit and watch them fit a wig on my head." She had said smiling and turned to walk away.
"Don't, I want to go speak with the director. Surely we don't need a wig on her beau -- head," he caught curious glances his way and was up and out of her room. He found the director.
"Nick, how nice to see you. How are you? Listen, I want to run something by you. The understudy, Julia, would a wig really do? I mean her hair is very thick and long, no way could we get a wig on her head," he drew a breath.
"I was thinking that Briana could've 'changed' her hair colour for the movie," he concluded, hoping Nick would at least consider this.
"Max, I'll agree with you on Jules's thick hair, oh what the hell, alright, no wig. Briana changes her hair colour but it's only for the movie. Luckily Jules still needs the face mask so she can look like Briana," Nick replied. Maxwell felt a smile play across his own features and as he turned around saw that everyone was staring and wide mouthed at them and saw Julia smiling. He nodded and pointed towards the drinks table.
"Thank you very much Maxwell that was very kind of you. I myself wasn't keen on wearing a wig. You have a good eye about my hair being thick," she said, she was about to carry on speaking but Briana came in and Maxwell along with others saw her in a wheelchair.
"I'm sorry to let all of you down but I need to tell you why I haven't been in for a week or so. I was in a car accident and wished that no one but my close family know. I thought it was a simple surgery but I need another two operations as my leg has been crushed. I'm sorry but I'm giving my movie over to whoever my understudy is," she said with a tremble in her voice and was soon gone.
"Well that does it, no Briana, no movie, simple as that," said Nick. "No, what if somebody had a dream to become an actress all her life, we could surely give that woman a chance at her dream, couldn't we Nick?" Maxwell asked. He looked down at Julia knowing what little she told him about always becoming an actress since the age of nine.
"I'll consider it but tell me Max, who do you have in mind? Is that person here or still out there? We used up money on this damn movie idea and now we have nobody to make a movie with, it's a God damn balls up. Let's wrap up and forget, shall we?" Maxwell could see frustration on Nick's face.
"Why can't we use Julia? Make her famous, after all everybody dreams of becoming an actor Nick. This doesn't have to be balls up just because of Briana; we have an actress right here waiting for her dream to come true." He prayed that Nick would say yes, for Julia's sake. Nick asked if she has ever acted and Max shook his head, not knowing.
"No sir. I have never acted before and neither have I gone to acting school. It has always been my dream. Although they used me in a lot of plays in my school days, wouldn't that count as something? Please sir, I would like a chance," she pleaded and then looked up at Max and he saw a tear course down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb.
"You would be stupid if you rejected her Nick. She might not have official experience at acting but she has a slight know-how," Max was about to carry on when Nick held his hand up.
"Very well, although, school plays and movies are entirely different things but fine. We'll give you a chance Julia. Formally, welcome to the team," Nick said, turned and walked off outside, to have a smoke no doubt thought Max. When was he going to quit? He thought to himself without realising he said it out aloud. She was excited, no wig, no face mask to look like somebody else, she could pretend to be a character but could look like herself. She was thrilled, excited but also nervous. This was it, her chance, she was going to shine and she could feel lady lucks presence around her.
Now if everything went through the way it should, she could also have Maxwell in her life, whoa, where the hell did that come from? She asked herself smiling. Her smile was cut when she heard Max ask something. She looked up at him.
"Excuse me?" she asked, thinking he asked her something.
"Sorry, thinking out aloud. Always was concerned about Nicks smoking. We've been friends for over five years and even before we became friends he had been smoking," looked at her lips and back to her eyes.