The Assistant and her Playboy Celebrity

It was the day before my 18th birthday when my mother was murdered. It appeared to be a home invasion. I should have been home, but I had a school project due and stayed late at the library. It is hard not to think of the "what if's". What if I was home, would I have been killed too? What if I could have saved her? The guilt I feel for not being there engulfs me some days.

I never knew my father and I do not have any siblings. It was just me and my mom. The only other family I had was my best friend, Theo. We have known each other since we were little and talk every day.

After graduation, me and my mom were going to move to Los Angeles together. My lifelong dream was to be a famous actress in Hollywood. Theo didn't want me to go. He would always say that I was too good for Hollywood and that it would ruin me one day.

But I felt all alone now and wanted nothing more than to leave. Theo tried convincing me to stay. He told me that I would have regrets leaving without knowing who my mother's killer was. But the police had zero leads and I had nothing left here in this small town. He tried getting me to stay for him, but I just wanted to be away from everything and everyone who reminded me of home and my mom. I know it hurt him, but it hurt me more to stay.

So, after graduation I left for California and never looked back.

Theo would text me every day. At first, I would respond, but after a while I stopped and so did he. Years had passed and I did a good job of forgetting my old life.

I just celebrated my 22nd birthday and you would think by now that I would have some acting gigs under my belt. But I found out very quickly how hard it is to break into show business.

All the money I got from my mom's passing had run out and I had to take odd jobs to make ends meet. I worked at a diner for a while. Then I got a job at a fancy boutique. This is where I got my big break and met Charles Sampson. He was shopping for his wife and was saying how his assistant had just quit due to a family emergency and he was in desperate need of a new one.

Charles was in his 60's but he had a long acting career under his belt and just landed a major role in a successful series. I jumped at the opportunity as this could be a great stepping stone for me to land an acting role. Plus, I could learn a lot from him. I felt like things were finally looking up for me.

I had been working for Charles for a few weeks and today was the day we got to go on set for filming. I was beyond excited and really nervous.

"Victoria, please stop playing with your hair." Charles said.

"I am so sorry." I said as I put my hands under my legs so I couldn't do it again. It was one of my nervous habits and was hard to control.

"You will do great. You do not need to be nervous. If anything, I should be the one being nervous." he said as he laughed.

There were a lot of big named actors and actresses on this show, and I was excited but scared to meet them. So far, Charles is the biggest celebrity I have ever met.

The car dropped us off at the entrance of the set for today.

We both walked in and were greeted by the producer. She had her assistant show us to his fitting room.

As we were walking by the suites, I glanced at the name on the wall outside of one of the doors and saw Luca Hayes. I have had a crush on him for as long as I can remember. I couldn't believe I was walking by his fitting room.

The door was open, and I peeked in. He was pulling a shirt over his head and all I could see was his toned abs. I didn't stop staring until his shirt covered them. I quickly looked up and we made eye contact. I could feel my face heat up and immediately turn red.

He had this cute smirk on his face, and I looked away and left as fast as I could.

I was so embarrassed. He probably thought I was some weirdo, just staring at him. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had drool coming out of my mouth.

I hurried and caught up with Charles and the assistant.

We arrived at his fitting room and his stylist was ready for him. I didn't need to be there for this so I asked, "Is there somewhere that I can set up my laptop to work on emails?”

The assistant showed me to a communal area with food, wifi and a lounge area.

"Be careful with him. He is known to make you feel special, but it is all a lie." She said as she walked away. I looked up from my laptop and saw Luca walking toward me. I didn't dare say a word and just looked back at my screen.

"Did you like what you saw?" he asked.

I kept my eyes down and said. "I don't know what you are talking about.”

The last thing I wanted was to get caught up in any of his games. Plus, this job meant everything to me, and I wouldn't want to jeopardize that.

"What's your name?" he asked.

I didn't want him to think I was interested in him so, I picked up my phone and acted like someone had called me.

"Excuse me, I need to take this." I said as I grabbed my things quickly and ran to the bathroom. I really had nowhere to go but I just needed to get out of there.

After about 10 minutes, I figured the coast was clear and left the bathroom.

I walked back to Charles fitting room hoping he was finished with hair and makeup. Luckily, the door was open, and they were just finishing up.

Charles noticed me outside the door. "Oh good, you are back. We are about to head to the set. Would you like to come and watch a few takes? It is great experience for you.”

Without hesitation I said, "Absolutely I would!”

We walked down the halls and made our way to the set. I got goose bumps from being so excited. Even though I am not the one acting on set, it is still so amazing to be here for this.

There it was, a full living room set surrounded by lights and cameras. I am sure I looked like a kid in a candy store.

"You again?" a voice said behind me.

My smile dropped and I turned to look at him. It was Luca.

"It would be so much easier to say hello to you, if I knew your name." he said.

"Luca, this is my assistant, Victoria. Please let her know if you need anything." Charles said.

"Nice to meet you, Victoria." Luca said.

"Charles, we need you on set." the director said.

It was just me and Luca now. I couldn't help but feel nervous. He was insanely attractive and all I could do was stare at him.

I caught myself, looked away and said, "Nice to meet you.”

"Anything, huh?" he asked.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Just curious if you really would get or rather do anything I needed?" he said with a smirk as he walked away.

Was he flirting with me? My heart was beating so loudly that I could barely hear anything else. No, I must have misinterpreted it.

There is no way he could be interested in me. He must just do this with everyone, like the assistant warned.

Filming was about to begin so I found a chair in the back and sat down.

It still felt so surreal that I was watching live filming on a Hollywood set. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

My eyes kept landing on Luca, and I found it hard to look away. He was mesmerizing. He rarely needed to do any retakes. He was practically perfect every time.

Filming looked to be wrapping up, so I decided to use the restroom before it was time to leave.

I fixed my makeup and as I was walking out of the restroom, I bumped into someone right outside the door, and it was like walking into a wall. I fell straight to the ground.