“Quit complaining. I have to be out here all day.” Ella pushed her short hair out of her face. The wind wasn’t letting up and kept blowing it all over the place. “At least you two get to go back to your trailers.”
“You have a coat.” Hale lifted a hand to brush his hair away but stopped himself. Such movements became so ingrained. Don’t touch the hair or makeup. “My pants are literally nonexistent and see-through.”
“Worried everyone is going to see the shrinkage?” Ella asked with a smirk. Hale and Ella had bonded. She was already calling herself his BFF. They’d taken to hanging out while I mostly kept to Mel. I couldn’t see a way to bring our worlds together. Not that we weren’t friendly, but the cliques were separate.
Hale glanced at his crotch and waved his hands. “Not like I have anyone to show off for here, but he’s doing fine thanks.”
Ella cocked her head to take a look. “Why, do you have someone special at home?”
Film sets were terrible. Most things weren’t out of bounds and when you were bored and miserable a lot of terrible things got used as jokes. As long as all the parties had no issue with it there wasn’t really a problem.
“No one. Like anyone would put up with a no name actor being away for five months.”
I don’t know why his words made me happy. Maybe because I felt like I wasn’t the only one all alone.
“He’s a shower not a grower then?” I said with a laugh, since my dick was currently trying to pull into my body because of the icy water. I forced myself not to stare at Hale’s dick, but my gaze kept drifting to it.
He was going to think I was checking him out. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. People are curious. No one can tell me they’ve never looked or been curious.
“Why are we talking about my dick? Are we going to get this?” Hale asked shifting his stance. “I’m knee deep in ice water.”
“We’re waiting for the cloud to clear. Ella doesn’t like the lighting at all.” Mel looked between us. “Do we need a break?”
“No, if I get out of here, I’m never getting back in. At least my legs are mostly numb,” Hale said with a sigh.
“Wait, look when this cloud moves, we might have it,” Ella called, having ventured back to the nice and dry shore, holding a hand over her brow to squint at us.
I flipped her off. “Sure, we can freeze to death in the water while you wait for a cloud to move.”
Hale hopped from foot to foot. “Can you die in fifty degree weather?”
“If only. Then maybe the guild would object to filming in Vancouver in April.” I was glad I wasn’t the one ass-deep in the water as the waves lapped around my feet. “Are we ready?”
Ella looked at Mel who nodded.
“Let’s get it. You two ready?”
Hale nodded, and I gave a thumbs up before slipping into my character. I slumped my shoulders, changing my body language. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at Hale like Flint would look at Sehver but it was too easy to slip there. It’s how I resisted looking at Hale all the time.
“You want me to leave you here?” Hale’s voice changed when he played Sehv. His inflection was loose and lazy. He gestured with one hand at the shore behind me. “If you want to make this island your home, I will leave you to it. I dub you prince of the desert piece of shit.” He took a half step towards me that wasn’t scripted but fit, so well no one stopped him. “You can build yourself a throne and sit on the pile of rocks and die Prince Flint. Because if you ever attempt to run away again, this will be your kingdom and the crabs will be your subjects and you’ll never see your castle again. Unless you want to come with me.” He was almost Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack, but less drunk and with more authority.
I was captivated. I almost forgot my lines. I stepped into the ocean to stand in front of him, not even noticing the cold, too lost in our characters.
“You don’t want me. You want the ransom my father can give you and then you’ll leave me. This is as good a cage as any.”
“You came to me with this offer. Of course, I want the money.”
I acted crushed. I pulled into myself more. “I wanted a different life,” I yelled.
“Who wants a spoiled brat who throws a tantrum?” He lifted a hand to brush the back of his knuckles over my face. “You asked for this. You came to me and begged to be kidnapped. Don’t act like this wasn’t exactly what you wanted, boy.”
A shiver ran down my spine when he said “boy.” He’d ad-libbed it and I loved it. “This wasn’t what I was expecting.”
“You spent one night with me and you expected what? To run away with a pirate and have him love you? Your ass isn’t that nice.” He laughed—deep and throaty. “My men don’t even know what you are to me and you’d do better to play your part.”
I squared my shoulders and jutted my chin out as I looked up at him. I was tall. Over six foot but at six four Hale’s presence towered over me. More so when he got in character. “Why are you doing this?”
“You asked me to.”
“And why would a pirate agree to help a prince?” Flint asked.
“Money?” He turned away from me and put his hands on his hips.
“You have plenty.”
“A pirate never has enough money.” He turned on me with an aggressive smile. “Don’t read into this. You are business.”
“Then why didn’t you tell your men?” I forced myself to breathe heavy like my character would. I tried to portray the need for reassurance Flint would.
Hale glowered. “It’s none of their damn business where I’ve put my dick. You made me an offer. You wanted to get out of your prison and you have.”
“I wanted—”
“Say it.”
“I just want the money and then I’ll be out of your hair. It’s nothing else,” I said.
He stabbed a finger into my chest. “You can’t change a tiger’s stripes. This is who I am.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Hale was too good at a range of emotions. His face changed and I hoped Ella was getting it all. I could feel the anger and hurt coming off of him for his character and then his face was stone all signs of emotion gone. His ability to show the emotional rage of Sehver without words astounded me.
“Am I leaving you to your new subjects? Because I won’t tolerate another stunt like this,” he said in Sehv’s lazy drawl.
When this scene was taking shape in the writers’ room, I couldn’t wait to bring it to life. It was the first time Prince Flint stands up to Sehv. I pressed my chest into Hale’s, squaring off with him.
“Afraid your men will think less of you because a boy is standing up to you?”
Hale made his eyes look dead. “I wouldn’t want to have to kill you when you have such a pretty ass.”
I dropped my mouth open and staggered back. I channeled the ‘he wouldn’t, would he?’ Flint would be feeling.
“Get in the boat.” Hale threw a leg over the row boat floating near us and Ella yelled cut.
“Do you think I could have done the monologue better?” Hale asked, reverting to himself as soon as the scene had ended. It was always weird to see an actor out of character. The change that came over good ones was mind blowing. Like they really were dual personalities. “I think I could have put more emphasis on some of the words. Meaner almost.”