Preview: Casablanca - They Almost Had It All
by ahorsewithnoname

Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay in 1944. It's #2 on the American Film Institute's original list of the Greatest American Films of All Time. The following is a complete work of fiction.

The scorching heat from the late-afternoon sun in southern California was mild compared to the heat that she felt at that moment. He was short, not handsome, arrogant, somewhat uncouth, and not at all what she expected in a co-star, and yet, it was that unsophisticated nature that ignited the fire deep within her.

She tried thinking of her husband, Petter, and her daughter, Pia, but that didn't help. At age twenty-seven, Ingrid Bergman was in her sexual prime, and being away from her husband was not something her body could easily tolerate. In her mind she knew that Petter had to stay in Rochester and study medicine and she knew any dalliance would be wrong, but, she simply couldn't ignore the yearnings.

“Mrs. Bergman?” came the call from her assistant Betty, outside the door, mildly startling her. Moving to the door but not opening it, she answered.

“Yes, Betty?”

“Mrs. Bergman, Mr. Bogart sent word that he would like you to join him for dinner in his suite.” The way it was asked, she wondered if it was a question or an expectation. A trickle of moisture formed between her legs. She debated furiously in her mind.