Casting Debbie

Chapter 23

John was going over the "first kiss" scene with Lou.

"Can't say I didn't see this coming, the way you two smoke up the joint. Are you nervous? You look nervous."

Lou shook her head as she glanced around, looking for Debbie. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine. Your hands are shaking."

Lou spread her fingers out and sure enough, they were shaking. The last thing she wanted to do was admit she was nervous as hell about their first kiss. "Too much coffee. I'm fine."

"We'll try for two takes, but we have to get it right. Everyone, even the higher ups, are invested in this. They want it to be perfect."

"Are you trying to make me even more nervous, John? Because it's working." Lou rolled her head back and forth, trying to loosen up her neck.

"So, you are nervous about the kiss."

"A little bit, yeah," Lou admitted. "It's a big deal, don't you think?"

"Huge." John put up a hand. "Sorry. I'm making it worse. You'll be fine, kid. You two have that thing that every director wants to see, so my job will be easy today." He leaned in close and lowered his voice. "Are you sure you don't want to rehearse it a few times?"

They'd rehearsed the lines and the blocking, but Lou wanted the actual kiss to be natural. She shook her head and John turned to walk away, but she reached for his arm. "John, about the getting it right, thing -will you just let the camera run? Don't yell cut. Just let it flow and then maybe we can decide together how much of it makes the cut."

John gave her a wink. "You got it, kid."

Lou took off her robe and stepped onto the set, finding her mark in Jordan's dimly lit apartment. Wearing nothing but a fake cast, a black tank top and tight boy shorts, she stood by the front door. "Ready whenever Debbie is."

Debbie found her mark on the other side of the door. "Ready."

"Okay, everyone, we're rolling." John let the assistant director do his thing and then shouted, "Action!"

Jordan opened her door and leaned against it with one hand. "It's late."

Jane looked Jordan up and down, taking in her barely clothed body. "Sorry, were you asleep?"

"Just working in bed," Jordan opened the door all the way, letting Jane in. "What brings you out so late? Isn't it snowing?"

"Just a dusting." Jane took off her winter coat and hung it on the coat rack, her eyes tracking Jordan's ass as she walked into the kitchen.

"Well, I'm glad you're here, because I've been dying for a glass of wine but I can't get the cork out with one hand."

Jane took the bottle. "Here, let me get it," she nervously glanced at Jordan. "You get the glasses."

Jordan turned away and Jane's eyes went to her long, toned legs. Jordan got on her tiptoes and reached high into the cupboard, making her tank top ride up a little. Jane closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You didn't come here to fight with me again, did you? Or quit? It's always one or the other." Jordan set the glasses down and turned toward Jane, leaning against the counter.

Jane poured the wine and took a quick swallow. "I didn't come here to fight with you." She quickly downed a little more wine and turned to Jordan. "I came here to..." she paused for a second as their eyes met. "This..." she said as she grabbed Jordan's face and kissed her.

When she didn't get a reaction, she pulled away and took a few steps back. Jordan stood there, frozen, her mouth slightly open. "I'm so sorry," Jane said. "I shouldn't have..." Jordan grabbed Jane's hand and pulled her back to her. They stared intently for a few seconds and then Jordan leaned in and kissed her back. Jane was tense at first but eventually relaxed into the kiss.