Broken Rules (7 page)

 “Stop what
, mi amor
? This?” as he
pinched harder eliciting another gasp from Alex, “Or this?” as he ground his
erection into her, making her pant, “Or this?” and he leaned down and bit her
neck sending more sensation throughout her entire body.

 “All of it.” She somehow managed to say and
lightly push him away. He looked down at her, removing his hand from under her
shirt. Alex took a moment to regain her breath as she looked down and ran her
hand through her hair, and said, “I’m sorry, Marco, I never should have let
this happen.” She said, still panting.

 “Why not, Alexandra?” he asked as he reached
out to her. She held her hand up.

 “Please, Marco. We’re working together. And
I’m already having such a hard time saying no to you, if you keep pressing, I’m
going to give in and I can’t do that, not with you.”

His sweet smile faded and he looked hurt and
insulted, “Why not with me?”

 “Aside from our working relationship and the
fact that it would be incredibly unprofessional, because, you’re, um, an
actor.” Alex looked down sheepishly.

Marco laughed, “You don’t want to be with me
because I’m an actor?” Alex looked up and nodded. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
She nodded again, biting her lip, feeling like an ass.

 “Wow, Alexandra. I’m disappointed. Not
because of this,” he motioned with his arms to the two of them and what they’d
been doing. “But because you think so little of me.” Alex started to open her
mouth to explain but he continued, “I may “act” but it’s something I do, it’s
not who I am.” He paused, and looked genuinely insulted and worse, disappointed
in her, “I’m sorry that you can’t see that.”

He walked to the door and turned around and said,
“I’ll be here at 10am to pick you and Jesús up. Good night, Alexandra.” And
with that, he turned around and walked out. Alex couldn’t help but think she
had just made two colossal mistakes: the first, letting him kiss her. The
second, letting him go.

It took Alex a long time to fall asleep. She
couldn’t stop thinking about what she and Marco did, and how good it felt. She
had been so sure in her mind that she couldn’t be with him, but the way her
body responded to his touch, she wondered if she had been wrong about him,
about lumping him in with other actors. As she lay there, she replayed in her
mind their brief make-out session and started touching herself. As she brought
her hand up to her breast she remembered his hand there, and as she brought her
other hand down to her clit, she could only imagine what he would be like, what
his mouth would be like there. She knew how good he felt just kissing her lips
and her neck. The way he moved, she knew that if she let him do more it would
be so good. Twice now, she had felt how big he was through his pants. She
imagined that big cock of his inside of her as she played with herself until
she finally came, lulling her into what would be a fitful night’s sleep.

Alex woke early and decided to go for a run along
the beach. Running always helped clear her mind, and in such a beautiful
setting, she was looking forward to using her muscles to help push out the
events of the day before. So much had happened, when she thought about it, the
incident with Marco was really the least of it. After being afraid her entire
life of getting on a small plane, she did just that, with the help of Jesús of
course, but she got on and faced a fear she never before thought she’d be able
to face. That plane ride was a huge step forward and Alex was proud of her
accomplishment. That didn’t mean she was looking forward to getting back on
another small plane to get home, but that was days away and she would cross
that bridge later.

She also realized while running, that she owed Marco
an apology. She shouldn’t have let it get as far as it did, but she didn’t owe
him an apology for that. She knew that it took two to tango. She needed to
apologize for insulting him, for assuming he was like other actors when
everything she had seen so far told her he wasn’t. She just hoped he was mature
enough not to let it affect the rest of the shoot. And, if he wasn’t, well,
Alex would have learned a very important lesson. What was done was done. She
wasn’t going to beat herself up over it.

When Alex finished showering and dressing, she
couldn’t believe how nervous she was waiting for Marco. She wanted to apologize
to him immediately, and was ready to do just that when there was a knock at her
door at 9:45. She opened it only to see Jesús standing there, her
disappointment evident on her face, “What’s wrong, Alex?” he asked. She smiled,
feeling badly. She didn’t want to insult him too, as she shook her head and
replied, “Nothing, nothing. How’d you sleep, Jesús? You ready for today?” He
looked at her knowing something was up, but didn’t press it. He nodded and
said, “Um, yeah, I’m ready.” They discussed briefly what equipment they’d bring
agreed to wait down in the lobby for Marco. As Alex opened her door to walk
out, she turned around to ask Jesús a question and walked right into Marco.

 “Good morning, Alexandra, Jesús.” He eyed
them suspiciously as Jesús was grabbing bags out of Alex’s room.

 “Um, hi, Marco.” Alex said, feeling her face
flush as she looked up into his blue eyes thinking it should be criminal to
have eyes that color. It wasn’t fair, to be able to disarm people with just a
look. Jesús followed with the equipment and the three of them walked in silence
for a little bit until they got out of the hotel and to the car. Marco unlocked
it and opened the back, but Alex hated the tension. “Jesús, can you load the
equipment, I need to talk with Marco for a minute. We’ll be right back.” Jesús
shot her a look that he didn’t approve, but she didn’t care. She looked up to
Marco and asked, “Can we…?” He took a deep breath and nodded, then held his
hand out so that they could go back in the hotel lobby for some privacy away
from Jesús.

Alex was surprised at how her heart was beating.
She knew she was flushed, but it was out of embarrassment and nervousness more
than arousal, this time. Marco was cool, distant, and she understood why. But
she also realized very quickly how much she missed his light-hearted humor and
flirting. She knew she couldn’t have it both ways but hoped there might be some
middle ground.

 “Marco, I want to apologize to you for what
I said last night. I made some assumptions about you that weren’t fair. I’m
sorry if I insulted you.”

 “Thank you for apologizing, Alexandra. And
I’m sorry for pushing you.” he smiled a bit sheepishly. Upon seeing that, Alex
exhaled and he chuckled.

 “I think, this morning, just now, I just got
a taste of cold Marco.” Alex said. And again, the minute she did she knew it
came out all wrong. She blushed immediately and he laughed.

 “I tried to give you a taste of hot Marco
last night, Alexandra.” And they both laughed. Then his voice and look went
pure sexy and sultry, “And if you keep talking like that, about tasting me,
ay
dios
, it’s going to be very hard not to end up back where we were last
night.”

 “I’ll try to choose my words more
carefully.” She said more breathlessly than she would have liked.

 “No,
querida
, I like it when you say
what you feel, it’s more fun that way.” He winked.

 “Friends, then?” Alex held out her hand. He
took it, but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips and kissed it.

 “On one condition.” He paused and she raised
her eyebrows. “That you don’t assume I’m like all the other actors you’ve met.
Trust me, Alexandra, I’ll prove you wrong.”

 “And once you do, once you prove me wrong?
Then what?” Alex really didn’t know where this breathy voice was coming from,
but the effect he had on her was something she couldn’t remember ever feeling.

He laughed at her question. “Well, then,
Corazon
,
if you like, you’ll get a taste of hot, cold, sweet, spicy and every other
flavor that I offer.”

 “31 flavors of Marco?” she flirted back.

 “Tsk-tsk, Alexandra! Now how can you get mad
at me when you shamelessly flirt like that?” he was smiling and they were both
having fun.

 “Oh, I have shame, don’t you worry.” She
blushed again. “Come on, let’s go shoot before I get myself into any more
trouble.”

 “Ok,
Corazon
, but first,” he took her
hand again and looked into her eyes and said, “thank you for apologizing.
Truly. I don’t want you to think I’m like other actors. You’ll see, you’ll see
what’s inside here,” and he pulled her hand to his heart.

 “You’re welcome,” she said sincerely, and
then chuckled, and said chidingly,  “but Marco, I know a line when I hear
one!”

He laughed and said, “But that was a good one,
si
?”
he winked, grabbed her hand and led her out, “Ok,
vamanos
.” He kept her
hand in his and they walked out of the hotel hand in hand. Alex couldn’t help
but enjoy the feel of his strong hand guiding her through the building and out
to the car. And as inappropriate as it was holding hands with him, there was
something about it that felt so comfortable and so right, she didn’t pull away
until they reached the car. Marco, ever the gentleman, opened her door for her,
waited for her to get in and then closed it, then walked around to the driver’s
side, got in, turned the engine over and said, “Let’s go take some pictures!”
Alex chuckled wondering who this good-natured adonis actor was next to her, but
she had a feeling that over the next few days, she was going to find out.

Alex was glad she had apologized and cleared the
air. It was very hard not to enjoy Marco’s humor and flirting. However, she
reminded herself that there was an intensity and a seriousness to him as well.
The way he turned cold and hard the night before, when he felt insulted, proved
to Alex that there was much more to him than met the eye. As a photographer,
her goal was to capture who he was beyond the pretty face. There was no
question that he was going to look good in any photoshoot. But to capture more,
to convey the essence of a person or a moment or a place, that’s what Alex
strove for, and without resolution between the two of them, she knew she
wouldn’t be able to ask for that. On shoots like these, editorial shoots, she
felt like she was trying to not just capture an image, but to expose a person’s
soul. Of course, for many of the people she shot, there wasn’t much of a soul
to see. But she was getting the sense that there was more to Marco than met the
eye. She wondered if she discounted him partly because of his looks, because
damn, he was drop dead gorgeous. It was hard not to be disarmed by what was on
the outside. But then she reminded herself of all the publicity she had seen on
him, at clubs, on the town, a different girl on his arm each night. Seeing his
abuela
slap him upside his head was hard to reconcile with his party boy image she had
heard about.
Stop it Alex. It doesn’t matter if he’s a party boy or a
momma’s boy. You’re here to shoot him. Period.

 “
Corazon
, what is it?” Marco asked,
reaching over and stroking her cheek with his right hand, left hand on the
steering wheel.

 “Huh?” Alex asked.

 “You were shaking your head, like you were
having a conversation, but just with yourself.” He flashed a grin. God, that
grin was deadly. “You disagreed, but I’m not sure who with.” He winked at her.

So he was gorgeous and a mind-reader? Oh, Alex was
in trouble. How could someone so pretty be so damn perceptive, she wondered.

She laughed a light laugh and said, “Just shaking
the cobwebs out. Trying to figure out the shoot, that’s all.”

He looked at her and clearly didn’t believe a word
she said as he raised his eyebrows and shook his head. “So that’s how it’s
going to be,
Corazon
? Lies?
Conmigo
?” Marco asked as he continued
to stroke her cheek.

Jesús piped up just then, “
Pendejo
, you do
know I’m back here, right?”

Oh this was not good, Jesús calling Marco a word
that ranged from stupid to mother-f-er. Marco chuckled but it was a tight
laugh, “Did you really just call me that, Jesús?” before Jesus could answer,
Marco continued, “In my town, in my car, on my shoot
? Si alguien es el
pendejo, es tu.
” Damn, the testosterone was flaring again. Alex really had
never dealt with two boys in their 20s both trying to assert their dominance
and place. With her crew, the pecking order was always clear, Jesús was always
her first assistant, everyone else was below him. The difference here wasn’t
just the hierarchy though, it was that Marco was blatantly coming on to Alex,
right in front of Jesús. And in all the time that Alex knew Jesús, she
realized, he never saw her like this, like a woman. She understood that in his
mind, he was protecting her.

But she was also mature enough to know that he
flat out didn’t like the idea of Alex with anyone. He was jealous. He didn’t
like someone else being on the receiving end of Alex’s emotion. He was worried
that there was only so much love someone could give, and if she shared it with
Marco, there would be less for him. He knew all too well, coming from a big,
loveless family that there wasn’t that much good to spread around.

 “Ok, guys, we need to stop this now.” Alex
said as calmly as she could. “Marco, can you please stop the car?” Marco looked
at her, clearly not liking being told what to do. “Please, Marco.” With a sharp
inhale, and then exhale, he pulled over, slamming on the brakes for emphasis.
Though truly, in this tiny town on this tiny island, they couldn’t have been
doing more than 25 mph, so the screeching halt that he may have been hoping for
was lost.

 “Boys, can we all get out of the car,
please.” Alex said, in her mind, emphasis on boys. Both men got out of the car.
Alex could feel the testosterone and tension between the two of them. She was
sure they both straightened up and grew an inch taller on the side of the road.
Internally, she rolled her eyes.
Seriously, I’m going to have to be the
babysitter as well as the photographer?
She thought.

 “All right.
Aqui estamos. Juntos
. And
we’re going to be
juntos
for the next three days. So either you both
duke it out right here, which I really can’t advise because I’d have a bloody
and bruised subject and assistant, or we shake hands and agree to get along.
Which is it going to be?” Both boys just stared at each other. Alex squarely
between them. Clearly, neither was going to break first.

 “Ok, let’s try a different tact. Jesús, you
know I love you,” hearing those words immediately softened him, and
interestingly, stiffened Marco. “And you know I think of you as family, and I
am grateful you’re in my life and am so protective of me.” Jesús suddenly saw
where this was headed, “but Marco here, is our client, and he’s a flirt, aren’t
you, Marco?”

Marco laughed and shook his head, then shrugged as
if to admit that he was. “So let’s all agree on this, Marco, you’re a flirt and
you’re going to flirt with me, right?” Marco shrugged again. “Ok, and Jesús,
it’s just flirting, I’m a big girl, I can handle myself with a pretty boy like
Marco, ok?” Jesús smiled and nodded, liking hearing Alex call Marco a pretty
boy. “But guys, as much as I’m flattered by the machismo, we’ve got a job to do
here,
entientenden
? And all of us are going to be together for the next
three days and three nights, so we need to figure out how to get along.” Jesús
was smirking feeling like he had won this battle. Marco clearly didn’t like
Alex berating him, but she did have a job to do and Jesús was her assistant.

Marco was the bigger man as he reached his hand
out to shake and said, “Jesús, I understand she’s family to you. I mean no
disrespect.” Jesús nodded and shook his hand. Alex heaved a huge exhale and
then, just to make sure everyone was ok, she first kissed Jesús on the cheek to
make sure he knew he was first in her heart, because he was, he was family, and
then she kissed Marco on the cheek, and he winked at her. She just shook her
head and smiled.

 “
Bueno
. All right, gentlemen,
anything else either of you want to get off your chest before we continue?”
Alex was so proud of herself for handling the situation… until Jesus said,

 “Your little sister, Teresa, she’s hot.”
Jesús said, arching his eyebrows and shrugging his shoulders and arms in what
could only be described as a ‘come on, let’s fight’ kind of way. Alex could
feel the steam coming off of Marco, the thought of his baby sister with Jesús
filling him with anger.

Marco stared daggers at Jesús, Alex was still
standing between them, but Marco shook his head, shook Jesús off and walked
calmly back to the car, getting in. He took the high road. There was no comeback
or response. He understood what Jesús was saying, ‘how would you like it if I
were interested in someone you loved, someone in your family?’

Alex looked at Jesús and shook her head. She was
disappointed in him. She expected him to act more professionally. As much as
she appreciated his devotion and protection, he went too far. And Marco was a
client. She had taught him many, many times before, no matter how bad the
client acts, we can’t react. But he had done just that. He let his emotions get
in the way. Alex understood that, it wasn’t just his protectiveness over her,
it was also genuine interest in Teresa. But it didn’t matter. Work was work,
and he knew he screwed up. He hated that he had to eat crow because he was
lower on the totem pole, but that was life. And he’d learned to suck it up
before. Alex gave him one last look before walking back to the car. All the
good will she thought she had won she worried now evaporated.

When she got back in, she looked at Marco who was
clearly still upset, “I’m sorry, Marco.” Was all she could say.

He shook his head and offered a lopsided smile,
“He’s not wrong, you know. He’s like a brother to you,
si
?” she nodded.
“And he doesn’t like seeing some guy flirting with his sister.” He chuckled, “I
get it. You want the best for family.” Alex was surprised at his maturity and
understanding. Granted, he was seven years older than Jesús, but Alex wasn’t
sure she would ever get such a rational, understanding response from him. Then
again, looking at the difference in their families could explain a lot too.

Finally, Jesús got into the back. Once his door
closed, Marco started the engine again and they proceeded to their first stop.
Alex wanted to talk with Jesús, wanted to reprimand him, and in any other
situation she could just speak to him in Spanish so that it could be a private
conversation. Obviously, that wasn’t going to work in this case. But the way he
acted was unacceptable, and he needed to know that. She would have to wait
until they were alone though. The last thing she wanted to do was in any way
emasculate him in front of Marco.

Their first stop was at a small beach known for
being a favorite of sea lions. Sure enough, when they arrived, the huge bulbous
creatures were lying lazily on the shore sunbathing. There were dozens and
dozens, many lying on top of each other. As they walked up the beach a couple
of the larger ones raised their heads and started barking.

 “Those big ones, the ones making all the
noise, those are the males, and they can be very territorial, especially during
breeding season.” Marco said against the backdrop of sea lion barking.

 “So, what you’re saying, Marco, is that
human males aren’t much different than sea lions. Always trying to mark their
territory?” Alex offered with a smile. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

 “We haven’t evolved that much, have we?”
Marco asked rhetorically with a shrug and a grin. Meanwhile, Jesús was hanging
by the car pulling the equipment out.

 “Marco, I’ll be right back, give us a
minute, ok?” Alex asked and Marco nodded once, then turned and started walking
farther down the shore to give Alex and Jesús some privacy.

 “Jesús,” was all Alex had to say. Her tone
was clearly one of disappointment. It took him a moment to even look up and
make eye contact. He shoved his hands in his pockets and had his shoulders
hunched. Seeing him like this killed Alex. Whenever he reverted to the insecure
kid who would lash out, either for attention or because he was never taught how
to control his emotions, Alex was reminded how far he had come, but also all of
the baggage that he brought with him.

 “I don’t like the way he talks to you, the
way he touches you. It’s disrespectful. And he does it like I’m not even
there.” Jesús spat out. At least Alex could count on his blunt honesty. No
nuances to wade through. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which was obviously a
blessing and a curse.

Alex grabbed his arm to pull his hand out of his
pocket so that she could hold his hand while they talked. She knew how little
physical affection he received at home, and she knew how important just a small
touch made. In and of itself, it helped heal, comfort. Especially for someone
like Jesús. It reminded him that she loved him, without her having to say
anything. And, Alex wanted to make sure he knew that she could both love him
and be disappointed in him. Her love wasn’t going to go away because he screwed
up. When he was younger, whenever he would make a mistake or break something,
his immediate reaction was one of an abused puppy, waiting to be kicked or
abandoned. It took Alex a long time to reassure him that mistakes didn’t equal
abandonment or loss of love. But this was new territory, and she knew she had
to both tread lightly on his emotions while also reminding him how wrong his
reactions were to a client and to talent.

 “Jesús, I understand you don’t like it.
But,” he looked down at his shoes, “Look at me Jesús,” he looked up and she
could see the remorse in his eyes. As much as she wanted to pull him into a
hug, she couldn’t be soft on him. He needed to learn a lesson. “But it doesn’t
matter that you don’t like it. You don’t get a say in this,
entiendes
?
This is my life and my shoot and he’s my client. You need to show him respect,
whether you like it or not. And you have to trust me that if I was bothered by
the way he acted, he’d know it.”

 “But Alex, it’s unprofessional. You’re the
one who’s always telling me about being professional with talent and clients,
and you let him touch you and say things to you.” Jesús said petulantly, like
he was a child.

 “This is the last time I’m going to say
this: you have to trust me, Jesús. And you have to listen to me. I am your
boss. You say anything else like the crack about his little sister and I
promise you I will put you on the next plane home. Period. We’re lucky he
didn’t call the shoot off. So suck it up and remember that he’s the client.”
Alex hated being this harsh with him, but she had to be. And she still had his
hand in hers even though he tried to pull it away. She had to reinforce that
times like these weren’t black or white, there were many shades of grey.