“Control-top panties don’t fail me now,” Juno mumbled as she tugged on the nylon sheath that supported her belly, frowning at the tiny bump that protruded from her otherwise flat stomach. “Can I suck it in all night long?” she wondered aloud.
Her royal blue cocktail dress with spaghetti straps, a balconette bust, and a form-fitting waistline was the perfect mix of sophisticated with a touch of slutty. As Juno smoothed over the flared skirt whose hemline stopped just above her knee, she tried to push back thoughts that she’d never look as good as the millions of women who must have thrown themselves at Carter Amos.
He’s really trading down from Chelsea Tenaglia and her perfect ass, she frowned at her reflection, hoping the A-line of her skirt was enough to detract from her round hips. You’re a slim pear but still a pear, darling, she told herself, satisfied with her dress, makeup, and hair as she grabbed her clutch upon getting Carter’s text that he was two minutes away.
Felipe/Carter
In the limo, Felipe had been fantasising about his long-lost cigarettes the entire day, and was wearing two nicotine patches under his suit. They were in the second half of September and the weather was cooler, but he was melting nonetheless.
Pulling up to Juno’s apartment building and getting out of the car for some air, he was relieved there didn’t seem to be anyone around the quiet Etobicoke residential neighbourhood. He leaned against the door of the vehicle, frustratedly thinking this would have been the perfect opportunity for a smoke.
That’s when he saw Juno come outside in a little, dark blue dress, and his heart almost stopped.
Sweet Jesus, that is not fair, he thought as he willed himself to stop staring at her legs and bust. Walking up to him with a smile, Juno’s expression changed when she noticed his.
“Don’t tell me I’m wearing the wrong thing,” she said. “I have a backup dress if this isn’t the right look, just gimme a minute.” She spun around, only to have Felipe grab her forearm.
“Uh, no,” he stumbled. “You–I’m sorry, I was just really stunned by how incredible you look.” She gave his hand a little squeeze as he held open the car door for her.
“That’s alright. It’s not like your job is all about putting on the right facial expressions at the right time or anything.” Felipe couldn’t help but smile ruefully at himself, somewhat distracted by the flowery scent of Juno’s perfume.
They talked in the limo about what to expect once they got to the venue, with Felipe cautioning her that he might have to leave her alone for a bit to do red carpet interviews.
“The main event is the movie, but I’ll be honest with you–I hate watching myself on screen. I usually stay for the first 10 minutes, then sneak out and smoke for an hour, then sneak back in.”
“Hmmm,” Juno thought out loud. “I’m not wild about blow-’em-up movies either. Wanna replace the cigarettes with a pizza?”
“Thank god you said that,” Felipe grinned. “There’s also going to be an after-party, and I only make an appearance at those for a few minutes of networking. I will try my hardest to stay with you then, and hopefully we can leave early.
“You’re really a hermit, aren’t you?” Juno said, as if she didn’t know how to read him.
“It’s just that none of this is real, Juno. Chelsea loved these things so we stayed for the whole night, but it’s a real chore. Don’t get me wrong, it was super exciting when I began my career but it got old fast. Besides, Jakub’s watching Nico tonight and I don’t want to come home later than I have to.”
Juno
How is this guy for real? Juno wondered. Eyeing his arms straining against the fabric of his suit jacket, she pushed aside the fantasy of using the extra space in the limo to straddle him. God, every time I see him in something new, he just looks better than the last time.
Carter took a deep breath as the car pulled up to the red carpet, looking surprised to feel Juno slip her hand in his.
“Just think about the pizza and you’ll be fine,” she advised. Carter grinned as he opened the car door, and that was the grin captured by countless photographers as the couple stepped outside. The flood of lights and people was almost too much, with Juno at a loss as to where to look.
All she could hear was people calling Carter’s name as a roar rang out through the crowd on either side of the velvet ropes leading toward the theatre. She’d held Carter’s hand in the car to support him, but now she tightened her grip to calm her own nerves.
He didn’t let go of her fingers as he talked to a few of the Toronto news stations and entertainment outlets for a couple of minutes each, then turned toward the public’s side of the barriers to sign autographs.
“Hold on, Carter, who’s your date?” the last reporter called out. He turned back around.
“This is my friend, Juno Delfina,” he said, lightly placing his hand on Juno’s back. “She’s writing a screenplay for me and–”
“The same Juno Delfina who wrote the GTA Life feature on you a few weeks ago?” the reporter interrupted.
“That’s the one,” Carter simply replied before excusing himself and gently pulling Juno toward the public’s area.
“I like to spend twice as much time saying hi to everyone here rather than speaking to the press,” he leaned down and said in her ear. “These guys are a lot more fun and they’re always so excited, especially the kids.”
Juno hung back and appreciated how he worked his way through the crowd, greeting people and taking selfies with them. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around.
“It’s normal to feel abandoned when you show up with that guy,” a deep voice said to her. “Hi, I’m Evan Dokbua, script editor.”
“I’m Juno,” she stammered upon seeing the handsome young man before her, whose last name she recognized as being Thai. “Uh… date.”
“Evan is the guy who makes sure everything on the set is moved back to where it was when the scene started, so there’s continuity when we do another take,” Carter said as he joined them, lacing his fingers through Juno’s again and gently tugging her away from Evan. He shook Evan’s hand and chatted with him a bit, then deftly ended the conversation and guided Juno toward the theatre entrance.
“He’s not a good guy?” Juno consciously lowered her voice as the roar of the crowd grew slightly fainter. Carter seemed to hesitate and wrinkled his nose as he chose his words.
“There are not many people in this industry who are genuinely bad,” he finally said as they strolled through the foyer, “but there are a lot of people who are fake, and I still don’t know who all of them are.”
That’s cryptic, Juno thought as she let Carter lead her toward the screening hall. He spoke to a few more people inside, even after they found their seats, then went up to the front to say a few words with the director and the rest of the cast before the film began.
Just as Juno was wondering when the 10-minute mark was, Carter took her hand again and gave her a crafty smile in the darkened hall. Without a word, they slipped out the side entrance that was right by their seats, which Juno surmised Carter requested for its strategic location.