“This is not what I expected,” Shaun muttered, his lips pulled back in disgust. His eyes roamed the small space, taking in the layers of grime and grease that only industrial bleach would fix. The sink overflowed with my flatmates’ dishes, and they’d started to breed, spreading out across the counter. Tomato sauce splattered the cooker, crusted and most likely growing – I didn’t want to get close enough to confirm that.
I shrugged. It was cheap and nothing more than a place to sleep. I didn’t even have to cook here; all of my meals were provided by catering at the studio. I could deal with it for six months, especially if it meant saving a nice chunk of change.
“You tried to quit?” Shaun asked, the words ground out between his teeth.
My eyes dropped to his mouth with a frown. Maybe I should look into a mouth guard for him. It wouldn’t do his career any good if his teeth turned to dust.
“Mona!” He lifted my chin. “Eyes up here.”
Huh, when had he gotten so close?
“I thought we agreed to a truce yesterday?”
My frown deepened. “When did that happen?”
Shaking his head, he paced the short length of my kitchen. I leaned against the counter and glumly watched him stalk the space. Coffee would have to wait.
“We had a moment, you – uh – fuck.” He ran his hands through his hair and stopped in front of me with an imploring look for me to, what, put him out of his misery? No chance!
“I’m not good at this sort of shit.”
I quirked my eyebrows and waited.
“You helped me. With your story. And you didn’t have to, so I thought that meant you got it.”
“Got what?”
“I’m not the asshole you think I am,” he said, his voice and face soft, pleading.
“Tragic past aside, I’ve yet to see evidence of that, Shaun.”
He frowned down at me, and the intensity in his green eyes was too much for me at this hour. I busied myself making coffee now that I could safely remove mugs from the cupboard and pour boiling water. He stopped me before I could so much as lift the kettle.
“You don’t want to drink that.”
“Why the hell would I not want caffeine when you dragged me out of bed before the sun’s fully risen?” I happily used my voice as a whip, but he didn’t so much as wince. Maybe the effect was wearing off. His lips pinched at the edges and his eyes laughed at me.
“Sherry said you don’t have any friends down here yet.”
How did she even…? Oh. My sister had better hide.
“I’m taking you out, so go put something…” His eyes wandered down my body, and for a moment, the amusement fled and something heated replaced it. In the confusion, I’d forgotten that all I wore was a pair of thin pyjama shorts and a strap top. He swallowed.
“It’s my day off, Shaun.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.
“I’m offering an olive branch. Meet me half-way, at least?” His eyes latched onto mine like a lifeline.
Barging into my flat on my day off and dragging me out of bed was a pretty shitty olive branch. Still, if Sherry wouldn’t accept my resignation, it would be nice to not have to worry about Shaun growling at me.
“Where are we going?” I asked with caution, trying to keep the possibility of backing out on the table.
“Smoothies.”
The hope in his eyes stilled me. It would be nice to not hate my boss.
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
Before I could retreat farther, his hand shot out, grasping my arm. It felt like I’d touched a live wire. The shock reverberated through my body in delicious ways. He snatched his hand back, and had I not been fixated on the sensation, I’d have laughed at the colour staining his cheeks.
“Something you can work out in,” he added. “We’re running first.”
I nodded. It was all I could manage in that moment.
Why hadn’t I pitched a fit? Me, running? Not bloody likely.
Yet I went along with it. I blamed the tiredness. Clearly, I’d still been half asleep when agreeing to this.
Half an hour, forty-five minutes, an hour – hell, I didn’t know how long he tortured me. It felt like an age. But sometime later, we finally slowed to a walk outside a little smoothie hut in Cardiff Bay. Sweat dripped down my face. My t-shirt had moulded itself to my torso. I was very glad for my ponytail, but it just wasn’t cutting it. While he ordered our smoothies, I ripped the bobble out of my hair and scraped it back into a very messy ponytail. I couldn’t deal with the hair sticking to the back of my neck any longer. I didn’t care how it looked.
When he returned, my berry smoothie in hand, he took in the change but chose not to comment.
He’d also lost his t-shirt.
It was tucked into the waistband of his shorts and his bare skin glistened in the early morning sunlight. Sweat trickled down his neck and my gaze dipped, tracking it as it slid down his defined chest. My mouth went dry while he sipped his bright-green smoothie. Heat flooded me and I tensed.
He’s your boss and, tragic past or not, he’s a dick.
Hoping he hadn’t noticed, I peeked at him from beneath my lashes. He was staring out at the sea before us, a small smirk tugging at his lips. His eyes shifted, catching mine. My stomach dropped at the amusement there, and I turned away, tugging on my straw, trying to control the warmth engulfing my face.
“Now do you want to tell me why you really dragged me out of bed?” I asked after swallowing a good mouthful of smoothie, pretending I wasn’t checking him out. Considering we had another four days of 4AM call times, I was sour about the whole thing. “If you say it was to watch me suffer, I might have to pour this delicious smoothie over your head.”
“Hey, you did well. You kept pace with me.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
He laughed, but the sound tapered off when the scowl didn’t fall from my lips. He took my arm and guided me to the steps of Roald Dahl Plass. It was a wide-open concrete area that stepped down to the jetty, surrounded by thirty-foot pillars and a mixture of old and modern architecture. It also had a direct line of view out to sea and very few places to take shelter from the breeze.
“I wasn’t lying. You were great.” He sat down on the cold stone, gesturing for me to follow suit.
“I’ve had some very detailed phone calls and emails from your personal trainer in the last two weeks. I know how much you work out, pal. Don’t lie to me.”
He placed his smoothie aside and leaned back, the picture of ease. His discomfort was clear in the pinch of his eyes. “We didn’t get off to the best start.”
“Stating the obvious much?”
At his sharp look, I wisely shut my mouth and leant back on the stone to bask in the morning light. The area was almost deserted, but then it was a Sunday morning and most people were sensible enough to still be in their beds.
“When Sherry called last night to lay me out, I was surprised. You’re the first person to try and relate to my situation. I know what I said, but talking to you helped, and something clicked yesterday. For me, at least.” He eyed me like I was a puzzle and he couldn’t find the missing piece. “You’re more than my latest babysitter.”
Latest? There had been more assistants? Lovely how Sherry failed to disclose that.
“Did you run the rest of them off too?”
“Yes. Most of them quit on the first day. I expected you to run for the hills with tears in your eyes after I nearly took your nose off with the trailer door.”
My head snapped around to meet his sparkling eyes. “You did that on purpose?”
I don’t know why I was shocked. He had a volatile reputation.
Shaun looked away, remorse softening the edges of his face. “Yeah, sorry about that.” He sat up, bumping my shoulder as he went. “My point is, I’d like us to start over. I misjudged you, and – I don’t know – maybe we could be friends.” He shrugged, gifting me a sheepish smile.
“Friends with my
boss?”
“Why not? It’s not like anything you do for me could be construed as normal.”
He had a point. If I’d taken any other boss to task like I did him, I’d have lost my job on the spot. There wouldn’t have been any bribes.
“Friends get involved in each other’s personal lives.” Did that sound bitter?
The smile overtook his face. “I’m an ignorant dickhead?”
It wasn’t news to me. I crossed my arms and waited.
“You were only trying to help. I shouldn’t have lashed out.” Shaun’s sincere gaze bore into mine, imploring me to forgive him. “In my position, it’s hard to trust and easier to push people away. It’s a bad habit, and I’m sorry I inflicted it on you. I’ll try to do better.”
I wasn’t naïve enough to believe it wouldn’t happen again. Still, the optimist in me hoped for an overnight change.
Maybe it won’t be so bad, being his friend.
He sounded sincere. And other than dragging me out of bed and making me jog, he’d actually been nice all morning. Maybe it could work.
“Okay, but on two conditions,” I muttered, taking a sip of my melting smoothie. He bit his lip and gestured for me to get on with it. “I get Sundays off.” He opened his mouth to argue and I pointed my finger at him. “Uh, wait. I get Sundays off. You don’t text me or call me unless it’s a genuine emergency and you’re bleeding to death. Understood?”
He nodded, another smile playing at the edges of his lips.
“And quit waking me early on down days or I’ll take back my offer of friendship.”
He laughed, and I mean really laughed. It was a beautiful sound that I needed to hear more often.
Chapter Nine
It was a bizarrely quiet day on set. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I hadn’t really understood what a closed set meant until my entrance had been accompanied by the clanging of metal: sex scenes were rolling, and that meant cast, crew, and access were limited. I’m not sure if they really locked the door, but a runner had been stationed at the soundstage entrance to vet every single person who tried to open it. He looked like he was enjoying himself.
“Mona, do you have a minute?” Alys, the production coordinator, asked, her voice hushed, pulling my gaze from the steely-faced runner mimicking a bouncer.
She stood a little away from my flight case, rocking slightly on her feet as she studied me with an expectant expression. Her kind blue eyes begged me to say yes to anything she asked. The stress lining her face spoke louder as she chewed her lip.
My eyes jumped to the intimate scene unfolding behind a screen on the soundstage. There were maybe five members of crew, plus me, in the entire building. My remit of work had drastically decreased today, and I’d already cleared Shaun’s inbox.
I nodded. “They’re going to be at that for a while.”
She didn’t so much as glance in the direction I indicated. Honestly, a couple of hours ago, it had been hard to ignore what intimate meant. The thought of watching Shaun pretend to fuck someone was not on my to-do list for the day. I still squirmed at the jealousy I felt tugging at me.
How real were these scenes? Were they actually naked? I’d seen the wardrobe mistress go in with robes, so it was likely.
Now and then a moan would rent the air and my entire body would freeze, straining to figure out if it was real or fake.
Why the hell did I care? He was my boss. This wasn’t a porno, so it was definitely faked, and again, he was my boss. Feelings of jealousy towards him were not welcome here. Neither were the other ones that made me squirm in my seat. So we’d shared a bit of a moment in the bay? It was just one-sided and I needed to smother it or get laid. One of those options would work.
A groan came again. My entire face flamed and my body tensed.
I need a distraction badly.
Before me, Alys relaxed. “Our production secretary quit yesterday and we haven’t had time to find someone else. I need help. Badly.” Her gaze flicked to the screen. “Do you think Shaun would mind if you gave us a hand this afternoon? If you want to, that is?”
There was a glint of hope in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. How could I say no to that?
“Sure, I’ve got nothing else to do but twiddle my thumbs at this point.” I jumped down from my case, landing on my toes to stop the wedged heel of my boots making any noise and earning me the ire of Gary, the director.
For the first time since she’d approached, Alys smiled. “You’re a lifesaver. You have no idea.”
I shrugged. Truth was, she was doing me a massive favour. If I stayed here, there was no telling what I’d do when I saw Shaun step out in a robe and not much else.
I eyed the radio as Alys walked away. She needed me now, but I should really tell Shaun where I was going. I reached for it and stopped. The radios would be silent in there.
Closing my eyes, I braced myself for what I was going to have to do. Forget maybe running into Shaun in a robe. I was going to have to go in there. My stomach flipped at the thought.
On reluctant feet, I walked towards the break in the screens blocking the set. My heart hammered in my mouth.
What if I go in and they are in the middle of a scene? Maybe I can just leave a note.
I paused outside the screen, arguing with myself, daring myself to stop being a chicken and get it over with. It was his job. My job.
Before I could make a decision, a hand latched onto my wrist and pulled me through the gap. Shaun stood before me in a white robe, looking totally at ease in the thin material. My eyes skimmed over his body before I could get them under control. They stopped at his knees, and the material gapped slightly across his chest, giving me tantalising glimpses of the mouth-watering, ripped muscle I’d seen at the boxing ring.
His smirk taunted me when I focused on his face.
“Why are you lingering outside the screens?” His voice sounded crystal clear and not the least bit hoarse like I knew mine would be. “If you wanted to watch, you just had to ask,” he whispered, a teasing glint in his eyes.
My face flushed, and that was enough to knock some sense into me. His being almost naked in front of me made me nervous. So what? Shove it in a box and move on.
I straightened my spine and narrowed my eyes at him. “I was coming to tell you to call me on the radio if you need anything. Production need help, and seeing as you don’t need me…”
I glimpsed an unmade bed in the corner of the room and my thoughts stalled. An art department assistant was remaking it while the skeleton crew reset for another shot.
Were they going to do it again? Oh god, I couldn’t take listening to anymore of those sounds.
My eyes latched onto his. “I’ll be in the production office for the afternoon. Call if you need me.” Information given, I rushed out, backing out of the space.
Shaun watched me go with a slow, knowing smile.
Nightmares. I was going to have nightmares about this entire thing. Oh, who was I kidding? They’d be anything but nightmares.
The production office was nothing more than a shipping container with plastic foldable tables and chairs. Two huge printers took up the far corner and a table was laid out with piles of call sheets and script sides. There were only two other people in the room. One typed furiously and the other hissed into a phone, talking in firm tones to someone who I’d guess wasn’t doing as they’d been told.
I didn’t know what they did here. The fear that she’d throw some completely foreign task, like formatting a call sheet, at me filled me with a dread I hadn’t experienced in years. Not even working for Shaun had made me that uneasy.
“That’s Heather, our production manager.” Alys pointed to a dark-headed woman with streaks of grey peppering her hair. She nodded towards the woman on the phone, a small smirk gracing her lips as she took in the scene. “And the woman with the acidic bite is Cassie. She’s the second AD. Have you guys met yet?”
“In passing, I think. I’m not in here a lot.”
Alys nodded before pulling out a chair next to Cassie. “I’ll set you up here. There’s a laptop for you to use for the day. It’s our only production laptop. We all use our own normally.”
I took a seat and powered it up while Alys went around the other side and sat down next to Heather. They’d pushed two tables together, making it easier to talk across the space.
“You know we’re shipping out for some location filming in a couple weeks, right?”
I nodded, and Alys’s shoulders relaxed a little more.
“Our accommodation arrangements just fell through and I now need to find an alternative.”
It was my turn to sink into my seat. Hotels. I could book hotels.
“Okay. How many rooms?” Surely they wouldn’t take all the people I’d seen on set.
“Sixty.”
My eyes bulged. Sixty hotel rooms in West Wales? Were there even hotels that big in West Wales?
“Three of them need to be premium suites for Shaun, Carys, and Gary,” Alys continued as if I wasn’t having a minor panic on my side of the table. “Try and find something near Pembroke Dock and St Clears. It needs to have loads of parking. If we can be all in one hotel, that’s preferable. A tall ask considering it’s six weeks away, but try.”
“Does that include breakfast?”
“Don’t worry about breakfast. We’ll rarely be at the hotel late enough for it, anyway.”
Of course not. The land of 4AM starts right here. If that wasn’t a mood dampener, I didn’t know what was.
Alys laughed. “You’ll get used to the hours. I promise.”
“I’m not sure I believe you,” I said, eying her smiling face critically.
Five PM rolled around, and I finally hit an ah-ha moment. I’d blame the replay of Shaun’s wicked smile for how long it had taken, but then there were a lot of possibilities to sort through. Thankfully, there was an estate just outside Tenby that could house the entire crew and provide catering for our insane hours.
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