Chương 4: The encounter

Ethan is a man of immense beauty, his eyes are jet black and sparkle like a starry night, his small but luscious lips gave him a sexy side, his auburn hair spread disorganized on his head with small strands on his forehead that gave him a cute look, supported by the two dimples that appeared every time he smiled. From the top of his 1m90 (6'3"), his muscular body and cat-like gait gave him an aristocratic air.

When she saw him enter the room, Alex could not help but widen her beautiful blue eyes. She had her favorite actor in front of her, the one who was the ideal man for her, the one and only Ethan. She had seen all his movies and interviews. He was an introverted guy who did not really like the limelight and focused on his work. And that was what his fans loved about him, herself included.

"Hello, sorry I am late, but I think I am just in time for the part about me." Ethan said as he took a seat right next to Alex and relaxed.

She tried to keep her composure by singing in her head, "wo xihuan ni de yanjing ni de jiémao ni de leng'ao, wo xihuan ni de jiuwo ni de zuijiao ni de weixiao..." a song by Wang Jun Qi. She was so excited, her eyes sparkled, she wanted to shout his name like a real fan, but she could not embarrass herself on the first day of the meeting, so she tried her best to keep a neutral and calm look, looking at everyone except him.

After sitting down, he pulled out a script from the pile on the table and began to read it.

"Miss Alex, the role you are to play is our second female lead, Alysha. She's a foreign spy who poses as a model, for her cover, so we thought of you. You will have some scenes in this movie with Ethan, who will be the main character; hence his presence today. You can look at the script to get a better idea of the character." Leila knew that the two girls were very curious about the contents of the script, and she could also see a little hint of fear in Alex's eyes, so she asked them to read it right away.

Alex and Fidelia started reading the script a little excitedly. The first thing that caught their eye was the number of fight scenes. Fidelia was concerned about this since it was Alex's first time as an actor.

"I see there are a lot of fight scenes, Alex is mainly a model, her body needs to be protected from injury, I hope these scenes have proper safety measures or maybe a replacement? Did she have to play them all?" Fidelia could not help but ask.

"Of course," Leila, replied, "after all, she's the face of our company now, so everything is done to ensure her health. But we do not usually hire stand-ins for the scene unless it's a very special stunt. But you do not have to worry, all these scenes can be played by Alex without any problem"

Meanwhile, Alex was pleased with her fighting and acrobatic skills, so far she was happy with the script, so she kept reading until her eyes fell on two words, "sex scene". Her face darkened as she read that; immediately she frowned and said as calmly and neutrally as she could, "I see there's a sex scene I have to play?". ... If it is the case, I do not think this role is for me ..." everyone in the room, hearing her in surprise, looked at her in bewilderment.

"Why?" Ethan, who had been silent since he entered the room, suddenly said in a calm and soft voice. He could not help thinking that it was rare for a woman to refuse to sleep with him, even if it was just for a movie scene. He was one of the most coveted men in town, he was handsome, rich and famous. Any woman could die just to play that role, and here she was turning him down without batting an eye.

When he saw her right next to him, he could not stop looking at her, her beauty was simply unparalleled, her presence in the film was a must. Thus he couldn't let her reject the role.

"I am sorry, but I do not think I can do this scene." Alex stated firmly.

"Can we skip the formal speech?" asked Ethan out of the blue.

Hearing that, Alex was surprised by his open request at the first moment, but at the same time she jumped in her mind, "Ethan is talking to me," was heard. She nodded to indicate her agreement.

"Sorry to be a little blunt here, but you have posed naked before, if I remember correctly, so it will not be the first time people will see part of your body... I do not think that's a problem for you, so what's wrong with this scene? ", He asked, always with an amused expression.

Alex was mesmerized by Ethan talking to her, always looking her in the eye. Just as she was about to speak, he continued quietly, "Are you still ... you know ... Never done it before ..." he said, amused, raising one of his eyebrows. She was beginning to think he was reading her mind.

Alex was caught off guard and could not help but blush. The other three people in the room watched them like spectators in a movie theatre.

After she regained her composure, she replied with a smile, "That information is private, Mr. Ethan! But you are right, and I do not expect to lose it in the presence of a film crew."

"Oh, so losing it with a stranger is not your problem, but the film crew? In that case, we will just film the scene with you and me, what do you say?" Ethan replied, looking at her with a smirk and some anticipation in his eyes for Alex's answer.

Alex thought deep inside 'This guy is too cunning, dammit!'. She then concluded with a pretty smile, "I'd have to want to lose it first for that to happen, and that's not the case, even if it is with you." She said, looking him straight in the eye. She was certainly his fan, but not so much that she wanted to sell herself out.

"Interesting," he said before asking Leila. "Can we drop this scene? Miss Michell seems to really dislike the idea of being with me," Ethan looked at Leila sympathetically.

Leila looked at him with a smirk before replying with a serious tone, "I am afraid that's not possible, that's a key scene in the movie. Um, you can always use a double," she added looking at Alex, knowing full well that Ethan did not like to play with extras in his movies. She was just amused that it was the first time a woman had rejected him so openly.

"A stand-in? Seriously? Me and a double in a love scene? Just to keep her up for the role? You seem to forget that it's also the first time for me to shoot such a scene; so why would you not use a double for the lead role?" he said with a sneer.

Leila answered yes to every question he asked until she heard the last one. She answered hurriedly, trying to persuade him, "I was just kidding, we will not let our leading man do this kind of scene with a double. Besides, I know you do everything yourself," she knew his personality very well, he was not as cute as he wanted the public to believe. If he decided not to act in this movie, he would. And she did not want to lose her leading man.

Ethan was known for shooting all his scenes himself, even the most dangerous action scenes, he did not like using a replacement actor. He was praised for that and all the actors in the field, even the old one, respected him for it.

At that moment, Fidelia asked for a moment in private with Alex. Leila, who really wanted Alex in the movie, instructed her to go to another room right next door, hoping that this little manager will manage to change her mind. The two young women excused themselves and walked out.

"Baby girl, this is a great opportunity for you to start your career here! This is what you have always wanted! So, what's really the problem here?" Asked Fidelia, a little worried.

Alex could only sigh, "I know, and the script of this movie suits me really well, but this bed scene, I just can not..."

Fidelia was really curious now. Since the beginning of her modelling career, Alex had never turned down a job so openly and directly. She knew something was wrong, "What's really the problem here? If you do not want to lose it on TV I can help you find a handsome boy to help you," she said with a wink, trying to lighten the mood, then added, "Actually, you have a chance to give it to your Mr. Perfect, that sounds good to me," she chuckled with a mocking smile. "But seriously, you know you are not actually going to have sex, right? You are just going to touch and kiss," she said with a sweet smile.

"Why does it sound to me like you are asking me to sell myself to boost my career," Alex replied with a wry smile. "I know that if I become an actress, I will not be able to avoid this kind of scene, and I know we will not really do it, but ..."

Fidelia interrupted her... She had always wanted to ask her friend something and she thought that now was the moment. "Actually, I have always wanted to ask why you have such a hard time when a man is around? You seem to always have problems with male models touching you at photoshoots. And you always refuse video clips or commercials that ask you to have intimacy with a male model? Why? "