The Ultimate Erotic Short Story Collection 19

Outcasts

by Lois Hodges

She was excited, to say the very least. After spending 10 years as a model, retiring at the ripe old age of 26, she had no idea where her career would lead her. But apparently, the high school acting classes paid off, because here she was, on the set of a major network television show, about to dive into her first speaking role. It wasn't going to be a difficult role; she was still playing a model, and none of her lines required particular depth, but it was a role none the less.

"Avaline?" Someone approached her, and she recognized the girl as a makeup artist, the black waist belt carrying brushes and tools that she was all too familiar with.

"That's me."

"Come on over here and we will get you started."

She was ushered into a makeup chair, feeling very in place. The girl undid Avaline's long black tresses and ran a comb through them, a professional eye running over her face. Avaline knew that her face was unique; with a mix of features that were part of the four different blood lines she had. Her mother was African and Asian, while her father was Native American and English. It had helped her rise to fame.

In her peripheral, she saw someone else sit plop down in the next chair, being prepared for the cameras as well. A shift of her head showed her that it was Daniel Gilchrest: one of the regulars on the show, and probably her favourite, the few times she had watched it. Average height, with dirty blond hair that fell into his eyes, his face carried a strong jaw line, and although slightly weather beaten, Avaline thought he was gorgeous.

10 years as a model had taught her to look for interesting faces, not classic ones. Daniel had a reputation in the media for being a trouble maker, a loud rambunctious sort that got into brawls and backstabbed. However, Avaline had spent years in the public eye herself and so was weary of the reports that they gave. Sitting beside her now, he seemed perfectly calm and composed, even a little uneasy. She was considering how to introduce herself as his love interest when she was saved.

"Daniel, this is Avaline, she's your Esther," a stage hand said as they walked by to hand both of them sides for the day. Avaline leaned over, offering a perfectly manicured hand.

"Hi, nice to meet you before I die in your arms."

His eyes were his best feature, piercing hazel with flecks of gold. He struck her as looking tired, but then, most actors did out of makeup.

"A pleasure," he said, in a clipped accent that she knew came from his years travelling. Their eyes locked, and she saw him give her the once over. Unlike most men, though, he seemed embarrassed about it, and averted his eyes almost immediately.

Once they were done with the makeup, the pair were led to separate costume trailers. Avaline soon found herself laced into a tight, period-appropriate corset, with a flowing skirt that mismatched, marking her as a peasant. She rather liked the role as she read through her sides; an artists model in the 1800s dying of consumption.

Daniel looked dashing in a tuxedo, and she told him so as the extras swirled around them.

"I was going to complain, but I see I have nothing compared to you,” he gave her a grin, indicating her corset. She shrugged, which made her breasts rise.

"Pains of beauty."

The other lead actors entered the scene, chattering excitedly, and also decked in formal wear. Avaline introduced herself, eager for discussion. It didn't take long, however, to notice that Daniel always distanced himself from the group, speaking only to say his lines or ask a work question. When lunch was called, the others, already fast friends, beckoned her. She turned to him.

"Shall we?"

"Ah, well," he looked from the retreating group to her. "I usually eat in my trailer. But you go on."

"Why?" she asked, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Why what?"

"Why don't you stay here and eat?"

He offered her a tight smile, but shook his head.

"It's a long and boring story, love, not worth telling. But you go on…"

"I…" She turned to the bustling set, and then shrugged. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure," he replied, and so, with a smile, she headed off.

The rest of the day flew by, and although it was enjoyable, Avaline was happy to get back to her apartment. She knew they had several days of long shoots ahead, and she was feeling a bit out of her depth with these experienced actors.

Later, reclining on her bed, Avaline pulled out her laptop. She surfed for a bit, checking Facebook and responding to emails, but she soon ran out of things to do. After a pause, she went to Google and typed in his name.

Images of Daniel popped up, in just about every outfit imaginable, and even some with a lack of outfit. In one, he stood shirtless, glaring at the camera with such intensity it made her blink.

Underneath that well mannered attitude was a slim body, with lean muscle, smooth and unmarked. She crossed her legs as she clicked for picture to picture. He was stunning, there was no doubt about it. The man in the pictures was different than the man on set, on camera. In photographs, he was comfortable, at ease. But unset, he was clearly in distress.

Ignoring the tingling she felt when looking at his pictures, she clicked back to the web articles that came up.

34 year old Daniel Gilchrest will replace Terrence Rooney as Toby on the hit series, “Dishonour.” Terrence was let go after the shows first season due to difficulties. The cast of “Dishonour” themselves petitioned, asking fans to sign an internet form, but Terrence was let go none the less.

Avaline raised an eyebrow, as she clicked through multiple articles of a similar nature. No wonder he was uncomfortable. She hadn't been a big fan of the show, now in it's 3rd season, so this information was new to her. Her heart went out to him as she read interviews in which the current cast actually spoke out against him. She was used to cattiness in the modeling world, but nothing like this.

His eyes pierced through her laptop screen as she glanced at the picture one last time. His arms were well built, and she imagined her scene tomorrow, having those arms catch her and run up and down her body.

She closed her laptop before she could think of anything further. But that didn't stop her racing heart.

***

The next day, Avaline ran through the parking lot, her hands held over her head to try and stay dry. It was no use, though, as the rain poured down, and she was already causing puddles as she paused in the lobby of the studio, her dark hair dripping down her back. One of the stage hands grinned, looking at his watch.

"28 seconds."

"What?" she asked, resisting the urge to shake herself dry like a dog.

"28 seconds, from car to lobby. It always rains here, so I time people as they run in. I keep telling them if they beat their time, they'll be dryer for it."

Avaline laughed, casting her gaze towards the parking lot as she saw other cars pull it. It was 6:58, and the cast call was 7. Sure enough, there was the rest of the cast, racing against the clock. Jerrard, the lead, emerged with Dean, his on screen brother, at the same time Daniel exited his car. Avaline raised an eyebrow, glancing at the stagehand.

"10 bucks says Daniel beats both of them in the door."

"You're on."

The race to the door was extravagant, dodging puddles and worms. Avaline drew a deep breath.

"C'mon Danny, I got money riding on you! Let's go let's go let's go!"

To her delight, he quickened his pace, skidding to a stop just inside the door, a hair's length ahead of the others, and a few feet from her face. In excitement, she threw her arms around his neck, their wet bodies mashing together.

"You won!"

He chuckled softly, unravelling her from him.

"That I did."

"Only because he caught me off to get there," Dean snorted, trying to make it sound light-hearted.

But now that Avaline knew the context, she knew it wasn't.

"I don’t know, I think he got here fair and square," she replied. Dean raised an eyebrow, but Jerrard bumped him.

"C'mon, let's go get ourselves pretty."

They left the other two standing there, and Avaline turned to Daniel.

"Well, their attitude sucks."

He brushed a lock of wet hair out of his eye, shivering a bit.

"Do you have your own trailer?"

"I do not," she replied.

"Well, you're welcome to frequent mine today. It would be wonderful to have some company for a change."

"Sure," she nodded, following his lead. For a brief moment, their hands bumped each other as they walked. He took hers, squeezing it quickly and giving her a smile. With her as a ray of sunshine, perhaps it wouldn't rain forever.

His morning had been harsh, another tabloid report falsified, another rumour spread. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly who in the cast was doing it, but he knew very well it was one of them. The nasty comments and backhanded retorts every morning were getting to be too much to take. He wanted to be an actor, his whole life, and he loved this role more than anything he had ever done.

But gritting his teeth to not curse or take a swing at one of them was almost too much to ask. He already knew that a director on the other side of town had blacklisted him for his ‘behaviour’ on set, which was nothing short of perfect, minus the odd line slip. He understood their hurt and frustration, but his career was about to come crashing down.

***

Avaline was two weeks on set before she took the next step. It was Friday, and everyone was excitedly talking about plans for the weekend. Everyone, she noticed, except Daniel.

"No plans?" she asked him, and he shook his head, giving her a pained smile.

"As you may have noticed, love, I'm a transplant to this side of the world."

"You could come over to mine," she said, excitement lighting up her eyes. "I mean, its not like it's going to be exciting. I have some friends coming over to play board games, that's all."

"Your friends must be so proud of you," he said, his eyes flickering to meet hers. She paused for a moment, and then laughed.

"Daniel, they'll be cool, I promise. They aren't going to be all weird around a genuine celebrity. Except for one," she paused thoughtfully. "Maybe he won't come."

Daniel laughed, placing his hand on hers.

"I'd be delighted."

"Great," she grinned, pulling out her phone to text him the details. "See you at 2 tomorrow."

She didn't miss the raised eyebrows she got from the rest of the cast, but she didn't really care.

On set, that day, he was more open to her, his attention focused on any assistance he could give her. Which she was grateful for, when a writer’s assistance came running out of the writing room at noon, waving new pages.

“Scrap scene 4, we’re doing this one instead.”

“Duh…” Avaline said, taking the pages and looking horrified when she saw that she had pages and pages of new dialogue. Scene 4 was due to film in an hour. She turned to Daniel, who gave her an encouraging smile.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. We spend so much time setting up lights a monkey could memorize lines in between. May I offer you the keys to my trailer so you can work in peace?”

She nodded, taking them gratefully. Without him, she wasn’t quite sure she’d be able to stay afloat on this show.

But more than the offer of a place to work, was the assistance he gave her on camera, staying when it was her close up to feed her lines with the proper emotion, giving her a 100 % take every time so that she could always feed off his energy. She had heard of actors who ran whenever it wasn’t their turn, and she was glad her first on screen partner was willing to help. And it didn’t hurt that he made her skin tingle every time he touched her.

***

Avaline's friends were a mixed bunch, and she had known most of them since childhood. Writers, librarians, civil servants, a genuine mix of people who bonded over school time memories. Avaline had been a model for most of her life, and so her own career and celebrity was not that strange to them. They were used to beautiful photos of her, in little clothing, strange get ups and even stranger destinations. But a celebrity that they didn't know seemed to have the same effect as it did on common civilians.

"But he's stunning!" Lily gushed when Avaline told them who would fill the last place at the table. She snorted into her tea.

"So that makes it different? Guys, be cool or I'm going to kick you out."

"He was kick ass in God of Lightening," Riley put in and she rolled her eyes.

"And he's also having a terrible time on the show, kay? So let's be nice and maybe you'll have a real celebrity friend. Because I apparently don't count or something."

"I think it's dumb that they are mean to him," Lily piped up. "I mean, he was the guy they chose, it's not like they kicked the old guy off the show because Daniel came around. I watched, he sucked anyways."

"Try to talk about anything but that," Avaline said. "We spend all week dealing with it."

Just then, a knock came at the door. Everyone gasped, except Avaline who rolled her eyes and went to answer it.

Daniel stood in the condo hallway, looking different than she was used to seeing him. He had on the typical celebrity sunglasses, but he was clad in loose jeans and a grey tee-shirt, his hair still wet from out of the shower and his jaw freshly shaven. Makeup free and in modern clothes, it made her smile at how… normal he looked.

But then, she looked the same. Bare feet and grey sweat pants complimented her black tank top and pony tail hair. She was also makeup free, her face fresh and looking years younger than the normal glamazon she was made up to be.

"Hey, come in," she smiled, holding open the door with one arm. Her other reached out and wrapped around him and he returned the hug with a happy sigh. He smelled freshly of soap and aftershave, and she inhaled deeply.

"Mmm. Not set smell."

"Ha," he pulled back, presenting her with a bag. "I wasn't sure what to bring so I just brought…"

"Everything?" She looked into the bag, raising an eyebrow. There was chips and dip, fruit salad, regular salad, and much more. "Come in, you goofball."

She led him through the hallway, to the living room where her friends were sitting.

"So, guys, this is Daniel. Daniel, this is Lily, Riley, Cole, Michael and Sarah."

"A pleasure," he shook hands all around, although everyone noticed he was a bit awkward about it. When Avaline went to the kitchen for plates and cups, he followed her back and forth, until she turned, laughing.

"They aren't going to bite you," she said, and he smiled, taking the cups from her.

"Is it too much to believe that an actor can be shy?"

She paused, and then gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"No. But you're OK here, you're safe."

She exited the kitchen, letting him choose when to follow. When he finally emerged, he looked much more relaxed than before.

The first game that Avaline brought out was a fan favourite, Dice Capades, a game that had them doing everything from complex math equations to charades, depending on what section of the board they moved through. When it came her turn, she picked up a card and then grinned.

“OK, everyone close your eyes.”

“Nooo,” groaned the rest, knowing what was coming. Turning to the person on her right, which was Daniel, as the card instructed, she showed him what she had picked.

Act out a scene from a movie. If they guess, 10 points to both of you, and 5 to the guesser.

He raised an eyebrow, and she leaned her lips to his, whispering quietly her suggestion.

Laughing, he rose, holding his hand out to her. She stood up, pushing back her chair and beckoning the others to look. Taking a deep breath, she backed up, and then, to everyone’s surprise, took a flying leap into Daniel’s arms. He lifted her over his head.

“DIRTY DANCING!” called Lily, and the rest of the team groaned. Daniel’s muscles rippled as he slowly put her down. “Now, why didn’t you do God of Lightening?” she asked. Daniel laughed.

“Because the acting in that movie was shit.”

Laughter erupted around the table as they settled back down. Avaline squeezed his hand, winking. It seemed he was getting along fine with the rest of them. He seemed to be loosening up as well, his words flowing easier and his jokes coming with speed. Avaline sighed, watching him. If only he could be like this on set. But then, if only the others could be this kind to him on set, perhaps things would be different. He never got the chance to show off his personality like this, not with nasty comments baiting him at every opportunity.

"You can stay, if you want," Avaline said to Daniel, as he bid goodbye to the company.

"I don't want to impose," he replied and she shrugged.

"I was just going to order a pizza and watch a movie. If you have somewhere else to be though…"

"I most certainly do not," he assured her, reaching for his phone. "Allow me to at least pay for dinner, Avaline, you've been too kind already."

"Oh, if the paparazzi could see us now," she teased him, cleaning up the table while Daniel made the order.

When the pizza arrived, they curled up on the sofa, Avaline paging through Netflix.

"You used to do a lot of action, eh?" she inquired, as many of his movies popped up. "What happened? Got boring?"

"Uh-" he picked up another slice of pizza. "Yes. But I also fell from a set and broke my leg in 6 places. Never quite worked the same since."

"I'm sorry," her face fell in sympathy. He waved his hand.

"No, it was a blessing in disguise. I was looking for an out anyways, I prefer to play characters with a longer run."

"Like now, with TV," she continued to click.

"Or even theatre would be lovely. But this is fine. Stop," he leaned foreword, squinting. "Is that your face I see?"

"It is," she clicked on the thumbnail of the film. "I didn't have a single line in it, or more than 2 scenes. But they skanked me up and had me do a fashion show that ended in a pole dance and suddenly I'm a big star," she grinned at him and he raised an eyebrow.

"Are you alright with doing nudity in films, then?"

"Um… I don't know yet," she spoke after thinking a moment, taking the question as professional.

"Are you?"

"I have," he said as she came to sit on the couch beside him, Netflix forgotten. "But I haven't found it particularly wonderful for my career. It's of course, up to you my dear, but I would advise steering clear of it if you could."

"Something to consider," she grinned as she curled her legs up under her. "There's a big difference in doing it just because, and then doing it because the story needs it, like a sex scene."

"Mmm," he growled pleasantly, low in his throat. "We have a sex scene next week."

"Do we?” She quirked an eyebrow, surprised and delighted. Her hand travelled to his, which rested in his lap, and his eyes glanced below her neck line, just for a moment.

"We do. Its supposed to be after a drunken night of passion. I've read bits of it, it's very…"

"Raunchy?" she asked, squeezing his hand, and he nodded. Her foot travelled to touch his leg, and she moved a little closer. "Well, that's what you do when you're a pretty young female actor."

"You do yourself a disservice, Avaline," he whispered, his hand going to her face. "You are much better than most of the dolts we have on the show."

"What do you think happens between our characters?" she asked. "They seem like they are on the verge of a relationship, but not."

"Hmm," he stroked hair away from her face and his thumb trailed down her cheekbones, touching her soft lips. "I don't know. It could go either way."

Avaline drew in, then, having had enough of games. She wasn't forceful about it, but it was clear he was just as eager as she was. Their kiss was soft, nipping each others lips as if it were disallowed, and drawing back just as contact had been made.

She drew back after several moments, a devilish grin on her face as she stood up. He opened his mouth to protest, but quickly closed it as she pulled off her pants, revealing lacy red underwear and legs that went on forever. She pulled her shirt over her head, and let down her hair, and suddenly in front of him, he saw the model, the goddess that she once was, with her toned body and high breasts.

“You are beautiful,” he whispered as she drew near, swaying her hips in the way only a woman could. She crawled back onto him, her breasts rubbing against him, and it was too much for him.

He pushed her back onto the couch, shedding his pants and with a groan, unsheathing his manhood. His fingers traced the line of her panties, and then slipped underneath, delighted to feel her wetness. She groaned, pushing against his hand.

“Daniel, don’t play games,” she said, and he grinned, pulling her underwear down over her smooth legs. She arched her hips, searching for the pleasure, and he was happy to oblige. Teasing her with the tip, he found himself almost unable to control the feelings that were running through his body. With a groan, he plunged inside her, the thrusts rapid and hard as the pleasure built.

“Oh God-” he looked straight into her eyes. “I’m not going to last. Oh God.”

“So don’t,” she replied, meeting his thrusts, her breath coming in gasps. “I need it. I need it hard, and you cumming will make me cum.”

“Well, in that case my dear…” he thrust harder twice more, and then with a groan, spilled his seed into her. She cried out, her walls clenching around his cock, and milking him for every drop.

Finally, they fell off each other, exhausted. He wrapped an arm around her, drawing her closer as they tried to catch their breath.

In the dying sunlight, her eyes catching fire, she was absolutely stunning. But it was more than the physical. Daniel had been an actor most of his life, and he had spent a lot of time around beautiful women, even women as beautiful as Avaline. It was that kind smile that she gave him the first day they met; the courage it took once she knew the truth to continue to stand by him, even when her career was still new. She knew what she wanted, and she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. It was quite a feat for one so new and young, and yet here she was, lying beside him.

“So, was that rehearsal for next week’s scene then?” she asked, with a cheeky grin and he groaned, squeezing her tighter.

“I’m going to die. Absolutely die trying to control myself on camera next to your ravishing frame.”

“You could always not,” she shot back and he chuckled.

“I don’t think we’re making that kind of TV, love, that’s another channel. And you have to pay for it at night.”

She giggled, rolling over so that she was touching every part of him.

“Well, it’ll be fun at least.”

“For once,” he muttered and she furrowed her brow.

“Why are they so nasty to you? It’s not your fault Terence couldn’t do his job.”

“The circumstances in which it happened didn’t help,” Daniel said, and she looked up to meet his eyes.

“How?”

“I knew Terence was going to be replaced when I auditioned, obviously. And I thought everyone knew. Terence, however, didn’t.”

“What?” Her jaw fell open and she stared at him, confused. “What happened?”

“My first day on set, I was all excited, every line memorized, everything to perfection. I wasn’t even supposed to be acting yet, I had come back 2 weeks early after I broke my leg. But there I was, ready to break into American Film. And there is Terence, standing on set, in the exact same costume, lines prepped, and we have a face off.”

“Oh my God,” she covered her mouth. “That’s horrible. What did you do?”

He shrugged, idly playing with her hair. “What exactly could I do? I tried to apologize to him. I thought it was a scummy move, but there was nothing I could do. Contracts were signed, and I needed another job. My only transferable skills were action movies.”

“Did you tell them you didn’t know?” she asked, and he nodded.

“I did. Unfortunately, for me, that didn’t make a difference. And so it’s been that way ever since.”

“I’m sorry, love, you don’t deserve this,” she whispered. He nodded, although he didn’t say anything. “It’s going to be different now.”

“How?” he looked down at her. She smiled.

“Well, there’s talk of making me a permanent character. Toby’s one true love. Apparently the fans responded well in the first episode. The unlovable Toby is capable of being loved.”

“Only because I have your eyes to look into,” he kissed her forehead. “That would be wonderful.”

“We’ll see. So long as neither of us sees a body double waiting in the wings.”

“Dear God,” he closed his eyes. “I hope not.”

***

Daniel left shortly before midnight, insisting on not overstaying his welcome. However, he might as well have not, because they texted so intensely throughout the weekend, it was like they were never apart.

“So what do you think?” asked her agent on the phone early Monday morning. “Do you want me to negotiate the permanent role? How’s Daniel, by the way? The media says he’s a terror.”

“Hardly,” she said, as she parked the car and switched from bluetooth to handheld as she walked out onto the lot. “He’s great. I would love if you could do that.”

“Alright, do my best,” he hung up, leaving her smiling at the possibly of what was to come as she walked towards her dressing room, which was new. Opening the door, she expected it to be empty, as no one had been in it yet. Instead, there was a giant bouquet of sunflowers sitting on the makeup table, with a card.

Blushing, she looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then opened it.

To my sunshine. Thank you for the lovely weekend and your enduring kindness over the past few weeks. XxD

She grinned, tucking the card into her purse and immediately pulling out her phone, dialling Daniel’s number. To her surprise, she heard his phone ring externally. Turning around, she grinned as he leaned against the doorway.

“They are lovely!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back, wrapping his arms firmly around her for a moment before edging her into the room and closing the door.

“Avaline, I wanted to ask you something?”

“Hmm?” she inquired, examining one of the largest flowers with a smile.

“I clearly think the world of you. And I would be honoured if we could spend more time together… and see where this goes… But that would be up to you.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“My… reputation is not the most wonderful as you know. And since you are just beginning your career as an actor, I was not sure whether you wanted to…”

“Phht,” she dismissed his words. “Daniel, Love, you think I give a shit what any of them say? When I was a model, they said I was a slut, I was a whore, I slept and bitched my way to the top. Let them say whatever they want, I’m the one who knew the truth. And yes, it hurt but I held my ground, and stared them down, and I’m standing here right now and they are not.”

“This cast…has a way of getting to you,” he said, biting his lip. “Already, I suspect they have passed the word to make sure that I’m not in a movie, or guest starring on a sister show. They spread rumours, they make sure to…”

“Fuck em,” she said, surprising them. “We’re going to be the ones who rise above. Besides… I don’t think I could get through this without you. You’ve helped me so much, and given me so much advice.”

“Anytime, love,” he said, approaching to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around him, kissing him passionately. With one arm, she reached behind his waist, and carefully pushed open the door, so the whole cast and crew could watch.

If they were going to judge, they were going to know the truth this time.