Chapter 326: I Only Have This Left
Chapter 326: I Only Have This Left
Although Eric tried his best to liven up the atmosphere, because the woman remained distracted, a faint awkwardness lingered from beginning to end.
After dinner, Eric watched the woman cleaning up the table and stood up. “It’s getting late. I think I should head back.”
“You didn’t drive here. How are you going back?” the woman asked softly.
Eric coughed awkwardly twice and was just about to say something when Joanna Pacuła suddenly said, “Can you watch TV for a little while first?”
Eric’s expression shifted slightly. He nodded gently and obediently sat back down on the sofa.
The woman cleaned up the dishes, then slipped into the bathroom. The soundproofing in the small apartment was poor, and Eric could clearly hear the rushing water inside. An unusual stirring immediately rose within him.
After a while, the woman walked out of the bathroom wearing a pink bathrobe, her damp hair hanging loose. She casually switched off the living room lights, leaving only the flickering glow of the television illuminating the room.
Eric silently watched as the woman also turned off the TV. A moment later, a soft naked body leaned against him, awkwardly rubbing herself against him as she whispered, “I’ve heard about you.”
“Hm?” Eric felt that the atmosphere had become strangely unreal and instinctively asked in confusion.
“About you,” Joanna Pacuła repeated. Her hands did not stop moving as she unbuttoned Eric’s shirt, her small tongue teasing lightly against his cheek before slowly moving downward. In broken intervals, she whispered, “I… I only have this left. My… my demands aren’t high.”
Eric exhaled deeply, wrapped an arm around the woman’s slender waist, pressed her down onto the sofa, and kissed her deeply.
The sunlight outside was partially blocked by a slightly taller building nearby. Only a few thin rays squeezed through the curtains into the narrow bedroom. Although the bed was somewhat cramped, making Eric feel slightly uncomfortable, the faint fragrance of a woman lingering around him perfectly balanced out that feeling.
A mass of light brown hair rested against his chest. The woman was actually very tall, less than ten centimeters shorter than Eric himself. Yet curled up against his chest at this moment, she resembled a little girl. Eric could clearly feel the faint warmth of the woman’s breathing against the skin of his chest.
Carefully caressing the smooth skin of the woman’s back, Eric wondered whether he should get up now. His watch was on the bedside cabinet, but because he feared that too much movement might wake the woman, he had not reached for it and therefore had no idea what time it was. However, things had been rather wild last night. They had not fallen asleep until after one in the morning, so it was definitely late now.
He had not brought his mobile phone. Although Motorola had once provided him with several AC models during the filming of Scent of a Woman, and they were only slightly larger than a palm, compared to the cell phones from his previous life they still felt bulky, so he disliked carrying them.
Quite a few people were probably anxiously searching everywhere for him by now.
The Joanna Pacuła in his arms stirred and opened her eyes. Feeling herself curled up in a man’s embrace, she remained dazed for a brief moment before quickly remembering what had happened last night.
“I’m sorry, Eric. What time is it now?” the woman raised her head and asked timidly.
Seeing that the woman was awake, Eric finally felt safe enough to pick up the watch from the bedside cabinet and glance at it. “Nine forty.”
“It’s already this late,” the woman sighed softly, yet made no move to get out of bed. Instead, she shifted upward slightly, resting against Eric’s arm while blinking her beautiful peach blossom eyes at him.
“You don’t want to get up?” Eric asked curiously.
The woman shook her head. “It’s just… I don’t know what to do after getting up.”
“That’s not good. Without goals, people age very easily,” Eric said softly.
“Heh, I really am much older than you,” the woman said gloomily.
Eric gently stroked the woman’s back reassuringly. “You look about the same age as me. At most twenty-five.”
“But in the end, I’m not twenty-five.”
Eric kissed her lips lightly. “Alright, enough of these depressing topics. Since you don’t want to get up, let’s do something more meaningful instead.”
“Mm… what?” Before the woman could react, she felt Eric press her beneath him. She let out a short moan, then quickly wrapped her arms around Eric’s waist, her lips slightly parted as she accepted the man’s thrusts.
“Yes, Allen, I’m fine of course. I’ll be at the airport this afternoon on time. Go over to the Malibu place and have… someone help me pack some luggage… Right, there’s someone there. You’ll know when you arrive… Also, buy one more plane ticket.”
After hanging up the phone, Eric looked toward the woman, who was already fully dressed. “Come with me to New York. I already had someone buy your ticket.”
Joanna Pacuła hesitated slightly. “You’re going there to film a movie. What would I do there?”
“I’ve already thought of a position for you. You can be my personal assistant.”
“Personal assistant?” the woman repeated. After thinking for a moment, she still nodded. “Alright, I’ll follow your arrangements. Anyway, I don’t have anything to do in Los Angeles. But what about my agent?”
“What do you think of your agent?” Eric asked.
“He’s alright, I guess,” the woman replied.
“Don’t use such an uncertain tone. I mean, if you think he’s good, then keep him. If not, fire him.”
Joanna Pacuła barely thought about it before saying, “Then… I should probably fire him.”
“That settles it,” Eric said with a smile. “Call him now. Tell him he’s fired. Then you’ll be free, and we’ll go to New York.”
“But… personal assistant?”
Eric stepped forward and exposed the woman’s waist. “What, you’re unwilling?”
“No. I’m just… scared,” the woman said, her gaze flickering uneasily.
“Scared… of what?”
Joanna Pacuła hesitated for a moment before slightly closing her eyes. “Scared that you’re only playing with me, and once you get tired of me, you’ll stop caring about me.”
Pretending to be angry, Eric said, “Do I look like that kind of person to you?”
“It’s because I don’t know that I’m afraid,” the woman said. “I only want a more stable life. You’re the boss of Firefly. You just need to arrange one movie for me so my career in Hollywood can stabilize a little. That’s not asking for much. I promise I won’t cling to you afterward. If you want… you can still come find me.”
After quietly listening to the woman’s anxious confession, Eric pulled her tightly into his arms. “Don’t worry. You won’t be like this anymore in the future. Even though you don’t believe it, I still promise you this: you’ll definitely become one of Hollywood’s top stars. In my next movie, I’ll make you my leading actress.”