Chapter Twelve
Author: Tabi a.k.a. FearisHowIFall
PART 12
The scent of smoke wafted heavily through the doors as the bouncer opened it to admit the group into Ozone Club. Once Elijah had established who he was they were all admitted in immediately. The murmur spread quickly through the line of customers waiting to get in that Elijah Wood was there. The group headed towards the bar to let Justice know that they were there.
Elijah waited to get the attention of the bartender behind the bar to ask where Justice was while Dominic, Billy, Orlando, and Liv looked around at the rapidly filling club. The music was pounding with a mesmerizing bass and the air was humid from all the hot sweaty bodies. It was going to be a good night by the looks of the place.
�What can I get for you?� The bartender asked Elijah.
�Can you tell me where to find Justice?� he asked the dark haired male.
�Sure. She�s working upstairs tonight.� The man answered then turned to wait on the impatient man next to Elijah. Elijah turned around to address the group.
�She�s working upstairs tonight. Let�s head that way.� The others followed him through all the people to the set of stairs by the DJ booth next to the oversized dance floor. Once they made it to the top of the stairs they noticed that the atmosphere had changed. The music was a little less loud with the bass hitting even harder. Instead of the neon and metal that decorated the downstairs this area was decorated in deep red velvet and black leather. The group looked around and saw that the area was nearly filled. It wasn�t all that large only having seating enough for under thirty people. Most of the area was taken up by a large group of guys using several of the tables and chairs all pulled around. Next to them was a smaller mixed party of couples. One table remained towards the back and Orlando pointed it out so that they could sit there.
Once they were seated they looked around for Justice. Tucked back in a corner they noticed a smaller bar that they hadn�t seen. Instead of being behind the bar they saw Justice standing there waiting for her order. When she turned she noticed who had sat down and smiled broadly. She gestured to the table with the couples and headed that way to deliver their drinks and then a pitcher of beer to the group of guys. She made her way to her friends.
�I�m so happy to see ya�ll! Hi Liv! Dommie and Billy gawd I haven�t seen you guys in forever,� she exclaimed as she went around the table to give them each a hug. When she finished she went to Elijah next and gave him a huge hug and a kiss to the cheek. �I�ve missed having you around Lij. Miss me?�
�Everyday,� he replied instantly with a big smile and shining blue eyes.
�Hey don�t I get hugs anymore?� Orlando interrupted. Justice grinned and turned to hug him as well.
�I suppose I should give you one too,� she replied with a giggle as she leaned over and hugged him tight. �What can I get for ya�ll?� she asked as she looked around. It only took them a minute to order and Justice turned to program their tab into the computer next to the bar. While she waited for her drinks she went to check on her other tables.
�Damn she looks good. I think we should come when she is working more.� Dominic commented as she walked away, he never noticed the scowl both Elijah and Orlando sent his way. Liv did and wondered at each of the men�s feelings for the shorter brunette. She had tried many times to get Justice to open up about Orlando but all she ever got was that he was a great guy to hang out with. Liv smiled, Justice was definitely a hard one to crack open. More walls to break down than even the most hardened Hollywood brat with relationship issues that she had ever met.
The group sat talking while they waited for their drinks. Even as he participated in the conversation Orlando�s eyes never strayed far from Justice. He watched as she interacted with the couples and then with the group of men. He noticed that she had a smiled pasted to her face that didn�t quite reach her eyes. She must still be tired from the night before but hiding it well. She was friendly with everyone but when she would go over to the group of guys she would actually begin to flirt with them. He noticed a subtle sway added to her hips, the way she turned her breasts towards whichever guy she happened to be standing next to. The feminine laugh that she let out when one of them said something to her grated on his nerves, he had never heard that laugh before. He tried to suppress the raging jealousy that began bubbling inside of him. She was openly flirting with every man at that table. He knew that her income was based on her customers but she was just rubbing it in his face.
Justice made her way back to their table with the drinks that they ordered and a few extra that she had added in to get their night started.
�Here you go guys. I�m sorry it took me so long. Those guys over there are having a bachelors party and the table over there is here celebrating an anniversary and well something else that I don�t remember.�
�Why aren�t you behind the bar?� Elijah asked.
�Oh, well since I was sick last night they went ahead and called in another bartender just in case I was sick again. They were going to send me home until I pleaded with them to let me work. One of the waitresses volunteered to go home so here I am.�
�You were sick last night?� Elijah asked almost immediately as his eyes narrowed almost unnoticably to gaze at his long time friend. Now that he looked past the smile and the tone of her voice, he saw the dullness of her eyes and the slight sag to her shoulders. �Are you okay? You should be at home getting your rest. You should have taken the time to recoup.� Justice smiled and shook her head.
�I�m fine really. I was finally able to get some much needed sleep last night.� Her comment was directed at Orlando with a secret smile. She really was glad that he had come by. At first all she wanted was for him to leave but that changed when he didn�t allow her to push him away. He had stayed the whole night with her. He hadn�t stayed for sex or any other ulterior motives. He had stayed because he actually wanted her to feel better. She knew that he could have taken his night off and gone out and partied. He could have even found another woman to do the things that she couldn�t have done, but he didn�t. She smiled to herself thinking back to when she had met Orlando. She never would have thought that he would have turned out to be the softhearted man that he is, or that they would have even become friends. They had so very little in common.
�Hey Justice!� The shout from the table behind her brought her out of her thoughts. She rolled her eyes and then turned to go back to the rowdy table. Pasting on the smile and remembering to put a little extra effort into her friendly act she made her way over to the them. She had almost had all she could take of the men, but her need for a good night of tips out weighed her desire to slap the next one of them that put his hand on her butt or ordered their drinks from her breasts. She needed the money that they would shell out for her little performance. With a sigh she glanced longingly back at the table with her friends. The small group was in animated conversation and having a good time. She met eyes with Orlando and he smirked slightly. Damn that smirk, she thought as it made her falter in her steps.
The night progressed on in much the same way. Every chance that she got she would sit down with her friends and catch up with all of them. Justice hadn�t seen Elijah, Dom, or Billy since they had left a few weeks before. Dominic had her laughing all night. She had talked to him on the phone more and more while they were gone. He never failed to make her smile.
When she was helping the other tables that came and went Orlando was sure to watch her. The tables with the men were still there and his anger was almost out of control. As the night had worn on he noticed how much more they touched Justice and tried to monopolize her time. It was nearly more than he could stand when he saw one of the loud men pull her into his lap and put his hand on her knee.
Orlando reminded himself that he didn�t have the rights to claim Justice, she wasn�t his from the start, but it still didn�t mean he had to watch it. If he decided to go out and pick up another woman to sleep with he wouldn�t expect Justice to have to watch it all. Not that he was going to be picking up another woman for a while. Right now Justice was all that he needed and more sometimes. How could she just go over there all night and flaunt herself like a harlot? Maybe he was being irrational but it hurt to watch her with those other men all night, touching her, making her laugh, saying sweet things to her that he was sure was making her blush only the lights were to low for him to tell. It made him think that maybe he wasn�t saying the right things to her. Should he start telling her all the time how much he thought about her when she wasn�t around, how he always asked himself if she would like what he was wearing, or just how extraordinary he thought she was? Was he not giving her what she needed? Is that why she always closed herself off from him?
By one the club was fully packed and below them they could see the grind of sweaty bodies. Elijah, Dominic and Billy all looked dog-tired and Liv and Orlando were the only ones carrying the conversation.
�Ya�ll. Why don�t you go home? Look at these three. They look like they are about to drop right now. Thank you so much for coming over here tonight. I needed to familiar faces.� Justice walked around the table to stand between Dom and Billy. She squatted down. �Will you call me, Dom?
�Of course. You are the reason I�ve had to change my mobile phone plan. I don�t know how I�m going to afford another year and a half or more of location shoots and calling you?� he teased good-naturedly.
�Well you know I�m worth it,� she quipped sarcastically.
�Every penny.� Dominica responded seriously but covered it with a teasing smile. She was right she was worth every bit of it. He didn�t really know what was going on between her and Orlando but he knew there was something. Their friendship had started off with him wanting to ask her out sometime but then as they talked he had gotten to know her and that had changed. He still couldn�t� deny that she was gorgeous but now he treasured her more for her friendship than her looks. He just felt like there were things that he could tell Justice that he couldn�t even tell his best friend back at home or Billy even.
Justice got up from the table and retrieved their bill from the computer. She had comped most of their drinks, knowing that her boss would not mind. It could only be a good thing for word to get out that Elijah Wood and Liv Tyler were frequent visitors to Ozone Club with their fellow actors while they were filming. As she walked back over towards their table she felt one of the men at the �Scum Bag� table as she had deemed it in her head, reach out and pinch her butt. Her first reaction was to turn around and send a glare at the guy followed by a punch to the jaw, but her mounting bills and possible eviction had her turning around and winking at the guy. Justice had to suppress her groan as a wave of nausea settled in her stomach. She couldn�t believe that she had just turned around and encouraged the bastard. Behind her she could hear his friends congratulating him and telling him to ask her out. Over her dead body she thought.
Orlando had seen the whole interaction and found himself shaking with suppressed anger. All he wanted to do was go over there and hit the guy and then drag Justice out of there. He would take her home and make love to her until she begged him to never leave her and then he would make sure that she never had to work at a place like this again. He forced himself to let out a calming breath. That was never going to happen. Justice just didn�t think of him like that.
The group quickly paid and stood up to leave. Justice was there hugging and kissing both Dom and Billy. Billy whispered something in her ear and Orlando heard the first real laugh from her all night. Jealously, he wanted to make her laugh like that. Liv was the next to receive a hug, after assuring Justice that she would be back and would call at least once a week. Elijah was the next to get his hug and kiss. The two friends stood holding each other for a few extra seconds. Both of them were savoring the feeling of being reunited after being apart so long. Since they are been separately previously for so long, each of them felt even short separations deeply. Their friendship had rekindled to what it was before and they had become even stronger in their maturity.
�I�ve missed you so much Lij. I hate it when you have to leave me behind. I always have to remind myself that you are coming back,� Justice whispered directly into his ear. His hold on her waist tightened.
�I know. I promise my next shooting break you and I are going to spend time alone, just the two of us. Sound good?�
�Sounds great. Ya�ll better go. I�m about to start cutting these assholes behind you off. Call me when you can.�
�Okay. Bye babe.�
When Elijah had let go of her she turned to Orlando. She was unsure if she should hug him or not. She could tell that there was something bugging him all night. He had been his normal self but she could just feel and undercurrent of emotion pouring off of him all night. Over the past months she had learn to read him pretty well. Tonight she knew something was wrong but not what. She just smiled and let him decide if he wanted to hug her or not. She was hoping for a hug. She needed to know that she hadn�t done something wrong. She couldn�t remember anything. Orlando just leaned over and gave her an abrupt peck on the cheek and a mumbled later before he started to follow Dominic and Billy down the stairs. Justice felt hurt. She turned around with a smile and tried to cover it. She only needed to keep this damn act up for another thirty minutes.
By the time Justice was able to leave the bar she was tired and irritated. Even after all that she had done for the bachelor party the cheap bastards had only tipped her ten percent. She was tired and sore. All she really wanted to do was slip into a nice bubble filled hot bath and forget about the last few weeks. She found it hard not to just let herself go and let the tears fall. Her bills were mounting up, she couldn�t get the comments that Jake had made to her, and her friends here in New Zealand were off living their dreams doing something remarkable while she was made to flaunt herself for money. She hated herself at that moment. Justice knew she was just stressed and probably being irrational but the fog of depression was moving in quickly and thickly.
She sighed in contentment when she slid into the soft leather seat of her car. If nothing else she would always have this car that she loved so much. She opted to roll down the window and enjoy the cooling breeze and the sound of the wind. No music played from the stereo, she had enough throbbing of the eardrums for one night. In no time at all she found herself pulling into her drive next to Orlando�s Jeep. She was surprised to see it there but figured he had his friends drop him off and then decided to sleep there at her house.
Justice had to all but drag herself into the house. Making sure to lock the door she let a little more of the tiredness from the last few weeks sag at her shoulders. At least here she could ignore some of it. Somewhere in the house there was a deliciously handsome man that she was sure she could convince to wrap his arms around her. With his arms wrapped tightly around her she could almost pretend that someone as extraordinary as Orlando cared for her. Laughing quietly to herself as she turned off the light in the foyer she headed to the living room. She must be more tired than she thought if she was entertaining ideas of actually wanting someone to care for her.
�Something amusing?� The monotone voice floated over the darkness. Justice jumped slightly and turned on the lamp next to her to see Orlando sitting there on her couch starring at her. His face looked hardened, she had never seen him look like that before.
�Hey. I figured you would be asleep already,� she said as she came to stand in front of him.
�Well I was waiting for you to get home. I expected you nearly an hour ago. Have an extra job?� His voice was steely and Justice was confused.
�What�s that suppose to mean?�
�Did it work?� he asked standing up to face her. She had to back up a little to give him room.
�Did what work?�
�Your little game? Did it work? Were you able to flaunt yourself for more tips? Did you take them all out and give them a show?� The anger inside him flowed out with his words. Even he could tell that they were acid and would hurt. He was hurt and jealous and he would make her see it. �Why don�t you go ahead and start pulling tricks?�
Justice was seeing red. His comments were almost an exact mirror of her earlier thoughts about herself.
�Maybe I should. God knows that I could use the money.� The two of them were standing staring at the other. Even though Orlando towered over her short frame her presence made her seem just as tall as his much taller frame.
�Does that mean you are going to start charging me for your services as well?� He couldn�t stop the comment as it flowed thoughtlessly from his mouth. He saw the look in her eyes change from anger to acceptance and he could have kicked his own ass. He was still angry and jealous and hurt but now he could tell that she was hurt even more.
�It�s late Orlando. Feel free to stay if you would like. I need to go to bed.� Without a look back she made her way to her room and shut the door. Orlando sat down on the couch with his head in his shaking hands. His body was wracked with the waves of anger. Truthfully he knew that he was mad at her behavior with the other men but he didn�t really understand why he was so completely angry, like he never had been before.
In her room Justice shed her clothes as she made her way to the bed. She slid in her sheets and let the cold material cocoon her naked body. The tears that she had been working so hard to keep at bay slid in hot torrents down her face unchecked. She knew that she would not be seeing Orlando for quite some time. He wouldn�t be staying that night in her house. He thought of her as a whore. Unable to stop them thoughts of Jake came back to her and the tears flowed more heavily. He had always called her a whore and a slut. The comments had started out jokingly and then turned more serious. Towards the end of their relationship he had constantly told her what a slut she was. It was her fault that he couldn�t hold an erection; it was the thought of her that was such a turn off. She had always told herself that he was just bitter and it was the effects of the drugs and that she really wasn�t that bad. She had always believed that it was Jake and not her. It was Jake�s drug use, not her that had been the cause of it all. Now there was Orlando, he didn�t use drugs. It must be her. She laid there in the dark sobbing until her body just gave out and she fell into a deep but restless sleep.
Sometime later after he had calmed down Orlando opened the door to her room. It was dark but the light from the living room lit it up as he made the way to her bed. He was going to wake her up and try to talk to her. Tell this beautiful woman that he was sorry, that he absolutely did not think those kinds of things about her. As he approached the bed he saw the stains on her face. Her cheek was red and dividing it were black lines of mascara that had run unchecked down her face with her tears. Even in her sleep her breath would occasionally hitch with a sob and it broke his heart. Until he could find a way to make it all better he would leave her alone. He had to find a way to make it all better. He would call back tomorrow and they would talk. He had to let her know that he was just angry and not at her. Orlando ran his hand over her soft lips and said a whispered goodbye and left her house. He would call her tomorrow.
Tomorrow turned into a week and a week turned into a month. He still had not found time to pick up the phone and call. There was always something that needed to be done or scripts to learn or training to go to. When he did the words would die down in his throat. She had seemed to recover well. She called the others every couple of days and talked to them and Elijah began staying with her more and more at her house. It had been almost two months when he finally got to talk to her again.
Website: http://handsomeorli.topcities.com
Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: No infringement intended. I am in no way associated with any real person in this fiction. I promise to return all of the actors bathed, fed, and unharmed when I am done.
Authors Note: I apologize for any errors that I make concerning the filming of the movie. You�ll notice that I have tweaked a few things about the characters that I did not know or for reasons of making the story flow. If any of you are big music fans you might notice in some of the chapters that I have made reference or used music that was not currently released at that time, just play along. There is a reason for it.
Dedication and my Thanks: I�d like to thank my beta FourLeaf Clover for all her patient help. Thank you so much, without your help I don�t think this story would be a good as it is or still continuing. I�d also like to thank SueJo for ALL of her help. Thank you guys so much.