Keep To The Script (Complete)

~ Chapter 4 ~

Judith glanced from him to the car and back again, a question in her eyes that he found funny, she guessed, because he chuckled. With a deep breath, and a thought that again, this wasn’t good, she climbed into the seat and waited for him to close the door. Well, even if he was a baby, it was obvious he had manners. She eyed the inside of the car and could admit that Hollywood had been good to him it seemed.

“So, where to?” he asked as he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the beauty up. It rumbled below her, and she smiled, rather enjoying that feeling.

“Oh, uh,” she glanced at him as she rattled off the address and he nodded.

“Good, you don’t live too far away from me.” She wanted to question him, but let it slide for the moment as he checked his surroundings and then backed out and pulled into the LA traffic. “So, you don’t have a car to get around the town in?”

“No,” she told him, looking out the passenger window. “When I came out, it was either rent a place or get a car. I figured until I got more money rolling in, a place was more important than a car. Usually, I get a taxi, or take the bus.”

“Well, neither one of those is very safe. I can give you a lift in if you want?”

“Really, Angel, I’m not some young thing, I can take care of myself.” He tossed her a glance that she felt caressed her body in ways that it shouldn’t and caused her to blush. Again, he was a young pup, he didn’t need to be looking at her that way or making her feel anything like that. And she didn’t need to be a b***h, which she mentally scolded herself over. He was being nice, there wasn’t anything wrong with that, was there?

“I didn’t mean to suggest that you couldn’t, JD. But I grew up in this town, I know the ugliness outside the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, and I would hate to see something happen to you.” That caused her to raise a brow in question. What could he possibly know about her to claim that? And even still, he made it sound like she didn’t know about things herself. She had years on him in this life, something she was sure he was forgetting.

“I figured as much. I’m sorry Angel, I don’t want to seem ungrateful for the help or the concern, but I have quite a bit of life experience.” He kept his gaze on the road as they pulled up to a stoplight and she twisted her lip, thinking maybe those words had offended him. Because even though she thought it was crazy that any attraction between them was possible, he still showed concern and she knew she shouldn’t be so rude about it. “I’m sorry.” He tossed her a glance, a smile on his face, and he shook his head.

“No need to be, JD. I can assume you think I’m young and don’t understand, but that is really not the case at all.” Judith ducked her head, realizing that she may have made it seem that way. She knew how ugly LA was, so if he lived here, she had no doubt he had his own fair share of problems. And who was she to discount his concern or worry, especially when he knew more than she did? Her small-town back home was just that a small town. Drugs, gangs, and major violence weren’t the stuff she saw there; they had other problems though.

“I probably sound like a real b***h, huh?” He laughed as he made a right turn and shook his head.

“No, you don’t. But you are making it seem like you know more than I do just because you got some age on me. However, just because you’re older doesn’t mean your life experiences outweigh mine. I know where you hail from, it’s a lot different there than here.” Yeah, she was probably going to have to agree with him there.

“I’m not really like this, you know?” He pulled into her parking lot and grabbed a space before turning to look at her.

“What? Slightly uptight and concerned about having a friend in a lonely city like this?” She wanted to deny that, but she couldn’t. A young pup he might be, but he sure read her right.

“Do I really seem uptight?” she questioned. She normally wasn’t and she hadn’t been, so she was going to chalk it up to him, but why would he make her uptight? Again, it couldn’t just be what she was feeling.

“Let’s just say that anyone looking into this car might have thought I had a gun trained on you and you were kidn*pped and dragged into the car.” She burst out laughing and pushed her hair behind her ear. When she finally calmed down, she glanced over at him, his smile bright. “I like your laugh,” he told her, his hand resting on the steering wheel as if to stop himself from reaching over.

“Thanks.” She looked out her window, her hand on the handle. “And thanks for the lift home.”

“Not a problem, JD. Really, my apartment is about six minutes that way. In fact, to fight the traffic, I tend to come this way a lot, so it’s not hard for me to stop.” She glanced at him over her shoulder, a smile tugging her lips again.

“Fine, fine, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” With a wave, she climbed out and headed up to her place, watching him drive off.

-----

“Coffee?”

“You are a lifesaver, Angel,” Judith told him, taking the cup from his hand the following morning as she got comfortable in the car. She had the worst morning. Her damn alarm didn’t go off, she ran out of hot water in her shower, she somehow didn’t have enough stuff to make her lunch, and she was behind on time, meaning she wasn’t able to make her coffee. And she was addicted! It was mandatory that she had it in the morning or she was a royal b***h. “How did you know?” He chuckled as he took a sip of his own drink before pulling out on the main road.

“Again, your bio.” She took another sip and sighed.

“Right, stalker that you are.” She smiled at him, taking the sting out of her words. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was grateful that he picked her up this morning. With the way her day started, she would have been screwed on finding a taxi and making it to the studio on time, she just knew it. At least with this, the concern was on him, not her. “I feel like it’s been such a horrible morning and I probably look a mess.”

“Not really, JD. Is it your daily routine not to have to make up on?”

“I usually at least have liner and mascara, but this morning just didn’t go according to plan at all, and I was doomed from the start. Honestly, I’m not even sure how I got dressed in a decent enough outfit.” She glanced down at her jeans and then lifted the pant leg, groaning at the mismatched socks. “Well, screw that.” He glanced down as well, chuckling at her antics.

“It’s the in thing, you’ll just fit in.” Judith was 40, she shouldn’t fit in with the ‘in’ crowd of Hollywood, that was not something she ever wanted to do. However, as they finally managed to pull up to the studio, her time to stress and think about it was over. She had work to do, and she knew it was going to be a long day. “Do you know what’s on the agenda for today?” Angel asked as he grabbed his bag from the trunk of the car. She took another sip of her coffee as they walked into the building.

“Nope. I’m just here to make sure no one screws up my work, the rest of it is up to the men in charge.” Angel laughed as he followed her into the building. And the moment she walked through the door and looked around, she knew the hell morning was rainbows and butterflies to the s**t that was going to come her way today.

-----

11 hours later, Judith rubbed her forehead, the headache she was feeling was making her eye twitch. And the people around her were pissing her off that she was on the verge of going ballistic on someone. She had honestly hoped and prayed that what she walked into this morning would disappear, that the yelling and the screaming wouldn’t last the whole day, but she was wrong. She got into with the writers, then when they weren’t happy, they went to Victor, and she got into a yelling match with him. And of course, when she started one project that was demanded of her, someone else would demand another project. So, for her, she felt like a chicken with its head cut off being pulled in numerous directions. And the bottom line, nothing got done as it should have.

“You look horrible.” Judith chuckled as she squeezed one eye shut and looked at the man who stopped right next to her, his bag on his shoulder, ready to call it a day. God damn, did she agree with him.

“Gee, thanks, sure know how to make a lady feel good.” He squatted down next to her and reached his fingers up to her temple.

“Headache?”

“Yeah,” she answered, sighing as his fingers rubbed out the strain. She wouldn’t voice it, but he had magical fingers.

“Come on,” he told her as he stood up, but didn’t remove his fingers. “I know something that might help you.” She reached down and grabbed her bag, almost moaning at the loss of his special fingers.

“Yeah, what’s that?” He held the door open for her and smirked.

“That, JD, is a surprise. But I do promise, it’s not a bad one.” She pulled her lip between her teeth before she followed him to the car, throwing caution in the wind.