"Cut! Cut! Cut!" Michael Scott jumped out from behind the camera, waving his hands dismissively. "No, Pam...you know that's not in the script."
Golden flecks still glittered on her lips as she pulled away…a soft, almost guilty smile spreading slowly from corner to corner. She felt warm, her stomach fluttering uneasily as she caught a fleeting glimpse of Jim's questioning eyes following her.
"You're just supposed to touch him lightly on the arm."
Pam bit her lip, "Um...I don't know...it just sort of felt, you know...right?"
Jim turned, his brow furrowed in modest confusion as his eyes locked with hers. "Um, yeah...Michael...I think it worked pretty well...caught the mood."
Suddenly, Dwight sidled up to Michael's side, pointing to the script while glaring peevishly at his two colleagues. "Geez, actors! Just want to do your own thing, huh...like you're God's gift or something." His glare softened turning more to a frown. "Well, Michael's in charge...it's his script...he's the director...just do what he says."
Pam didn't wait for him to finish before pursing her lips in a tight smirk and rolling her eyes in Jim's direction. "Okay, Dwight...anything you say."
The sarcasm in her voice only made Dwight's frown deepen as he shook his head toward the documentary crew before storming off in obvious disgust."
So, Michael..." Pam took a couple of steps back toward her mark, "we going to do it again?"
"That's...what...she...said." Jim whispered in her ear as she took her position next to him.
Pam brought her hands up to cover her mouth, trying desperately to stifle the laugh that was building deep inside her. It didn't work. As much as she really wanted to try and do this right, the whole idea of acting in Michael's movie...of being Sandra, Hostage #2...just made her feel silly...even playful.
"Okay...if you two aren't going to be serious about this, why don't we all just go ahead and take a short break." Michael, looking somewhat put out, shut the camera off, "Time for me to pee, anyway." Then, muttering indecipherably under his breath, he quickly sauntered off toward the men's room, tattered script in hand.
As Kelly, Kevin, Toby and Roy rose from the floor to stretch their arms and legs, playing hostages could be so tiring, Jim and Pam lingered quietly by the chain link fence."
Is Dwight an ass or what?" As frazzled as her improvisation made him on the inside, Jim wasn't ready to ask his real question.
"Totally!” Her brow lifted as she peered up at him through her lashes.
"I mean, if we can't even have a little bit of fun doing this...well, what's the point?"
"Exactly...Mr. Goldenface!” Pam poked him lightly in the chest…a low, playfully frisky laugh spilling suddenly from her lips.
"What's with you?" Jim couldn’t take his eyes from her.
"Oh...like you said, just trying to have some fun." A prankish smile spread across Pam's face. "I really liked your line about being 'what you eat'...you said it with such conviction...was that an ad lib? I think I just might have to tell Dwight!"
Jim rolled his eyes and his lips went all crooked in that special way he saved only for her. He knew when he was being mocked, but it was Pam, so he didn’t care. Well, not exactly true…he did care. In fact, he really cared! "I know...do you believe this dialogue? I can't even believe I'm really doing this."
"No...I think you're doing really good...you make a pretty... darn... good...villain." Her smile slipped into a decidedly sly smirk as she taunted Jim with another playful, but harder poke.
"Oh, really?" This time it was his turn to return the favor. Jim raised his index finger and waving it menacingly, took straight on aim at her midsection.
"Yes…really!" Reflexively, Pam bent over in a sort of protective shell and squealed as he teased her with poke after poke after poke. And with each thrust, she flailed her arms defensively, trying to parry his arm out of the way. But she was laughing so hard, he could barely keep up the pretense.
"Stop, Jim...stop." Her giggling was infectious and in an instant he was laughing, too. "Please, Jim...you know how ticklish I am."
"So, Beesly...you give in, then?" As she wriggled around trying half-heartedly, it seemed, to ward him off, he somehow managed to corner her against the wire mesh of the fence...unintentionally, of course. But she was pinned…so close…with a beaming smile and twinkling eyes and that still quiet blush of gold on those soft and perfect lips. It made Jim’s breath falter. This was all just downright too mischievous…too intriguing…too flirtatious…to something…and very, verrrrry sexy. As much as he’d ever hoped…as much as he’d ever dreamt of what might be…this just wasn’t her. No, definitely not.
As suddenly as the smiles and laughter had erupted, it all stopped as their eyes locked in a way that made them both more than just a little nervous. His arms straddling Pam’s head, his fingers gripping the cold steel mesh behind her, Jim could feel the warmth of her breath as her chest heaved rhythmically, maybe even expectantly, beneath him.
Pam’s eyes widened and her lips parted ever so slightly, as though she were about to speak…but words never came. Instead, she leaned back, exhaling deeply…her pale green eyes focused keenly on Jim’s face. She didn’t really understand these feelings…this need to be near him...to feel him this close. She just knew she liked it.
And she’d been feeling like this more and more…ever since his barbecue when she’d overheard that he hadn’t been seeing very much of Katy. She’d been happy to hear Jim say it. And she felt guilty about that…she really, really did. But she couldn’t deny the odd sense of relief she had when he didn’t seem all that broken up over it. Pam didn’t know why, but she’d never thought they’d been a very good fit.
Now, as she looked into his eyes, Pam could only wonder what he was thinking about her. Not about Katy or anyone else…only about her.
Jim’s hand brushed against a few loose strands of Pam’s auburn curls and he consciously fought the urge to gently caress the soft, wayward wisps. God, she was so damn beautiful. Why couldn’t he get past these feelings he had for her? He’d tried…he really had. She was engaged…she wasn’t available. But she was there, always there in the back of his mind…and much too often, not so very far back at all.
He felt his mouth going dry as he hovered above her, leaning a little too close for sure, but knowing he couldn’t pull away and sensing, somehow that she didn’t want him to, either. His breathing got heavier…not labored, just deeper. Could Pam feel it, too? Could she feel how much he wanted…how close he was to…was he mad? What the hell was he thinking?
Jim glanced quickly over his shoulder, relieved to see Roy absorbed in conversation with Toby and Kelly. When he turned back, Pam’s eyes danced nervously as she bit lightly on her lower lip…almost as though she was waiting…waiting for him.
Did he dare? Did he have the balls? Here, right in front of everyone…in front of her fiancé?
Something inside was urging him on, pushing him for this one small insignificant moment to put all common sense and decency aside…to just do it!
And without any other thought or explanation, Jim slowly leaned in, never taking his eyes from hers. Pam’s pupils went wide as her cheeks seemed to flush with anticipation. Jim saw her lips open slightly and felt the warmth of her breath just as he…
“Okay, you two…back to your marks.”
Jim’s gaze shot past Pam to find Michael running toward the camera as he finished zipping his fly. “Damn!”
The erstwhile director checked the viewfinder, “No more rehearsing…time is money and we gotta re-shoot.”
Pam’s shoulders fell as Jim pulled back. Toying with the charm on her necklace, she reluctantly returned to her spot.
“Jim, I think we’ll take it from ‘You are what you eat.” Michael made a final adjustment to the camera angle, “Ready…3…2...1…action!”
Looking down at Pam, Jim swore he saw just a hint of moisture glistening in the corner of her eye.
“Uhhhh…Jim…didn’t I say ‘action’?” Michael seemed decidedly anxious.
“Oh…sorry. I guess I was a little distracted…can you count me down again?”
As Michael started counting, Jim reached out and reassuringly touched Pam on the arm. The gesture brought a reluctant, but sweet smile to her lips.
Jim cleared his throat and looked at Pam, “Well, I guess you are what you eat.”
"Goldenface...that is so sad." Pam's body twisted coquettishly as she looked into Jim's eyes.
"Well, I just thought if I could blow up all the All Star games, all the trophies would explode all over the place, and then..." Jim raised his voice for effect, "everyone would be gold...just like me!"
With an impish smile on her lips Pam quietly, but confidently took one step forward. Jim, sensing what might be coming leaned in as Pam, for the second time, ignored the script to plant a warm and sweetly lingering kiss on his cheek. As she finally broke away to rejoin her fellow hostages, her smile turned to a broad, almost devilish grin.
And as Jim's own growing smile betrayed his obviously pleased, but utterly unexpected surprise, a single exasperated voice boomed loudly from the background..."Cut!"
THE END
