RI-RI found herself popping her knuckles as she waited for Zion to come out of the dressing room. No matter how many times she secretly tried to calm herself, she couldn’t. She honestly felt jittery inside. She hadn’t expected Zion to agree to be her leading man in the music video. It made her want to back out. She didn’t want to do the scenes with him because most of them were…well, intimate.
Her title track, “Butterflies,” was about what a person feels when they’re with the one they love. Funny how she felt just that, even though she didn’t have romantic feelings for Zion. Slight attraction, maybe. But Ri-Ri was fighting it, especially after what happened last night. He had assumed the worst about her, and it was evidently clear that the feeling wasn’t mutual.
“Ladies and gentlemen, presenting our savior for today…” Bella announced in an exaggerated tone as the dressing room door opened. Ri-Ri felt her heart skip a beat. “…Mr. Zion Mendez!”
Ri-Ri forgot how to breathe when Zion stepped out of the room. She swallowed hard and didn’t even make an effort to look away. The sight of Zion completely shirtless, his hair disheveled but in a sexy way, knocked the wind out of her. Holy smokes! Her eyes slowly traveled over his body. On his left pectoral was a tattoo in Japanese characters, and right below his washboard abs was a birthmark about the size of a pea. Gone were his dark jeans, replaced by gray sweatpants that hung dangerously low on his hips.
“Close that mouth, baby girl. You’re drooling,” Bella teased her, and only then did she realize her mouth had been hanging open. Bella playfully closed it for her. Her cheeks burned, and she lightly smacked her makeup artist on the arm. She fanned herself with her hands and took a deep breath before glancing at Zion again. But at that moment, he was already looking at her, and their eyes met. Judging from the way his lips curved into an amused smirk, she could tell he saw what had just happened. That only made her cheeks burn even more.
“Alright, let’s start filming,” the production crew said, and everyone returned to their respective tasks.
Ri-Ri and Zion were told to lie down on the bed for the first scene. Zion positioned himself first at the center of the bed, slipping under the white sheets. Ri-Ri immediately removed the makeup robe she was wearing. She had on a black ice-silk strapless bra and seamless panties underneath. She had done this many times before, but for the first time, she felt awkward, and her palms even grew sweaty. Worse, while she was undressing, she could feel Zion’s eyes on her. She fought the urge to blush and refused to meet his gaze as she slipped under the covers beside him.
“Scoot over, Ri-Ri. You’re too far from Zion,” the director instructed, and she followed. “Zion, lower the blanket a bit more. Your upper body shouldn’t be covered. Ri-Ri, lie on your stomach and prop yourself on his chest. We’ll run through the song to get everyone warmed up. Closer, Ri. This scene should show like you just finished making love.”
Ri-Ri could no longer stop her cheeks from flushing. She was already positioned on Zion’s chest and forced herself to look at him, especially since the camera had started rolling. From the corner of her eye, she saw the camera positioned at the side, focused on them. She swallowed as she slowly felt the heat from his body. With their nearly bare bodies pressed together, it was like sharing body heat. Her cheeks grew warm, and she secretly pinched herself. Zion smiled, as if he knew what she was thinking, and her heart did a somersault. He had a perfectly white set of teeth—the kind you’d see in a toothpaste commercial. She realized it was the first time he had smiled at her. But it was all just for show, and somehow, it made her sad. Because deep down, he still didn’t like her. To him, she was still that selfish brat.
She lowered her gaze because she didn’t want him to see the emotions in her eyes. Her attention shifted to his tattoo. And before she could stop herself, her hand moved toward it. She ran her fingertips across the tattoo, causing Zion to stiffen beneath her. She immediately froze and looked at him.
“Continue doing that, Ri,” the assistant director said. “Feel free to go with what feels natural.” Zion didn’t protest.
She touched his tattoo again. But this time, she bravely met his eyes. She didn’t miss the way he drew in a breath. “What’s the meaning of your tattoo?” she asked, unable to stop herself as she continued tracing it. His breathing quickened, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of her touch or her weight on him.
“The meaning of my name in Japanese,” he answered, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Cut! We can see you both talking. Save the conversation for later,” the director interrupted. “Now, let’s do that again from a different angle. But this time, lip-sync, Ri. And Zion, you can touch her hair or something. You both look stiff. Make it natural, come on, people. Otherwise, we’re doing this again from the beginning.”
At that point, both she and Zion became serious. Maybe because they both wanted to get it over with. When the camera started rolling again, Zion seemed to change. He became daring, gently caressing her hair and cheek. It was like he suddenly turned into a passionate lover. The director was pleased and even encouraged him, giving him the freedom to do things with her.
And when the finale came, she didn’t expect what he did. He flipped them over, and now she was beneath him. Her eyes widened, especially when she saw the amusement in his eyes. And when he leaned down, she closed her eyes. All she felt was his lips pressing a kiss on the tip of her nose.
“And cut! Wow, perfect!” Everyone applauded. She, on the other hand, just stared at the ceiling, trying to catch her breath like she had just run a marathon. Zion moved off her and stood up. He was immediately surrounded by the crew, who praised him for his natural performance.
What the heck just happened?
Butterflies.
She freaking felt butterflies in her stomach, and they weren’t going away anytime soon.