Heat Wave (8 page)

‘I just need something basic; jeans and a shirt or something?'

‘Girlfriend! I can do better than that.'

Ricky sprang into action, a fashion-forward elf. He buzzed between the racks, pulling items down, analysing then discarding them while muttering to himself, ‘Where are they? These? No, the black ones … Wait, I know!'

He piled my arms with expensive garments, beaming like a kid on a sugar high. ‘Put them on! Put them on!'

I did as I was told, ducking behind a rack of full-length gowns. ‘Um, guys? I'm not sure about this …'

‘Maddie, we need to be upstairs in about two minutes,' Greg called back. ‘No time to get fussy about Ricky's colour choices.'

‘Hey, bitch! My taste is exquisite. You're the one who seems to think plaid shirts are a fashion revelation.'

I stepped out and both men fell silent.

The leather pants were so tight against my skin it looked as though I was wearing nothing, like my legs had been dipped in black paint. The silk top was like gossamer, swinging from my bare shoulders in the palest of blues, the same hue as my eyes, while on my feet I wore a pair of heeled boots that would have made Captain Jack jealous.

‘How do I look?' I asked nervously.

Ricky dropped to his knees. ‘Marry me.'

‘I think your boyfriend might have an issue with that,' snorted Greg. ‘Thanks, Ricky. We have to go.'

‘Wait!' My couture guru scrambled up. ‘Let me take a photo!'

‘Sorry, Ricky, no time. Thank you,' I said as Greg towed me out.

We raced up six flights of stairs to the top deck, officially running late. By the time we made it to the pre-production meeting, the first AD was already talking. ‘… So, we'll need everyone everywhere tonight. You have to be on your game, people, because these competitors are livewires and anything could happen at any time. Greg, Maddie, nice of you to join us.'

‘Hey, Marc!' Greg waved. ‘We've been here the whole time—didn't you see us? We've just been practicing our surreptitious skills, ninja camera moves, you know how it is.' Greg performed a karate kick, raising his arms like a crane, and everyone giggled.

The bald Hispanic man shook his head, smiling. ‘Fine, then. If you guys are so good at blending in, you can film from inside the stairwell as the girls walk out and cross to Beau, then join the rest of us down on the deck.'

Oh, fecking brilliant …
Watching ten beautiful women introduce themselves to the man who owned my heart—it sounded like a torture personally designed to ruin my sanity.

I looked past Marc to the ship's bridge where Maxine stood, silhouetted against the dark windows, overlooking the deck like a beady-eyed crow. Our gaze connected and she arched a pencil-thin eyebrow. The message was clear:
Don't screw up.

Sighing, I trailed after Greg through the warm evening air. ‘Where are the women meeting Tan—Beau anyway?' I asked.

Greg grabbed his gear from the equipment pile and nodded to another door, leading to a staircase. ‘At the top of that there's a private hot tub deck. They've got him standing up there, and the girls will meet him one by one, then go down to the party by the stairs on the other side.'

We climbed the narrow steps, my thighs aching from all the flights I'd walked already. As we reached the top, Greg started fiddling with his camera, setting up close to the wall, while I checked out the run sheet on my tablet.

When I was satisfied I was across the details for the rest of the shoot, I looked up and studied the little deck. It was only the size of a double garage, with the Jacuzzi in the corner covered and decorated with flowers. Large ferns and fairy lights shielded the deck from the outside world, creating a magical space—
the perfect location for meeting your next true love.

From inside the dim stairwell, we were hidden in the dark, which meant that when Tanner emerged from the other side of the deck accompanied by another small crew, I could drool over him shamelessly without being seen. My cowboy looked edible; in a midnight-blue shirt over black jeans and boots with his bright smile shining, he was a force of nature. People couldn't help but stare at him, helplessly grinning.

Tanner tipped his black hat at the other female assistant, who dissolved into giggles like a five-year-old before scurrying off. His soft brown eyes looked confident and excited, with no hint that he might have been grieving what the two of us had shared less than twenty-four hours before. I clutched at my throat in a combination of lust and desperation.
I can't do this …

The second crew set up their camera on top of the Jacuzzi, filming across the deck to capture every glance and nuance Tanner was about to share with ten women who weren't me. The cameraman fiddled with his lens, then looked up, irritated. ‘Hey, Greg! You in there? I need a stand-in to get my focus right—get over here.'

Greg yelled back, ‘I'm busy!'

‘Don't be a douche, man. My shots are gonna be way more valuable than your arse POVs.'

‘Bite me.'

‘Do you want me to radio Marc?'

‘Jesus …' He turned to me. ‘Maddie, can you please go and help?'

‘Me? I … I can't, I'm …' I had nothing.

‘Please?' Greg gave me puppy-dog eyes. ‘We're already in strife from running late. Be a pal?'

Swallowing thickly, I nodded and handed him my tablet. ‘Okay.'

After my shower earlier, I'd twisted my hair up into a bun. Needing the shield my tresses provided, I pulled it loose and it fell around my shoulders, curled into gentle waves. Stepping out into the light, I kept my eyes on the wooden deck to avoid Tanner's gaze. ‘Where do you want me?' I said, my voice shaking.

‘Oh, great!' said the other cameraman. ‘Just wait there a sec. We need to film you crossing to Beau to make sure the light is right.'

I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling exposed. I could sense Tanner's eyes on me, my skin crawling with heat, my nipples tightening into firm buds.

‘Okay. Walk over to him now, please.'

With heavy feet, I put one boot in front of the other and moved to the little
X
taped in front of Tanner. We were less than an arm's length apart, and the sweet smell of his skin invaded my senses, causing my legs to wobble inside their leather coating.

‘Great, that's perfect. Sound check next. Can you guys just introduce yourselves, as if you're a real competitor?' A boom mike appeared and waved above us like mistletoe, while another assistant scurried forward and clipped a cordless mic to my shirt.

For the first time, I raised my chin and stared into the mocha eyes I loved so much. ‘Hi,' I said softly. ‘I'm Maddie.'

His face was torn, his eyebrows knitting in desperation. From the pinched way he held his mouth, I wondered if maybe he was struggling to maintain his calm around the crew as much as I was. ‘Howdy. I'm Beau Tanner.'

He reached for my hand, and as our fingers connected, streaks of hot bliss crackled along my arm. Tanner lifted my hand to his lips, placing a delicate kiss on the back of my fingers. I moaned quietly, tightening my grip on his hand, the one that had wiped my tears away and drawn out my pleasure on so many occasions.

Shivering in a cold sweat, I used my thumb to draw a circle on Tanner's palm, delighted to hear him growl in desire. His eyes were almost black with a lustful haze as he said, ‘Why, Miss Maddie, I must tell you that I've never seen a girl as beautiful as you before in my life. Your eyes are the exact colour of the sky back home when I used to take early morning rides.'

I smiled weakly. Tanner and I used to sneak out at five am, saddling up and riding hard before school, only stopping to fall into each other's arms. I remembered crying out in bliss as Tanner's hands worked their magic before dropping to my knees to return the favour, loving how I could make him call out my name with total abandon. When we got to school, we used to explain our flushed cheeks away by blaming the wind on our rides. Nothing could explain our post-coital grins though.

‘Do you miss it?' I breathed, asking so many things with the one sentence.

‘So much. So very much.'

We stood there, our eyes locked together, holding hands, the whole world unimportant. It wasn't until the cameraman yelled out, that I remembered how messed up the whole situation was. ‘Great! Thanks, Maddie, you can go.'

‘Nice to meet you, Tanner,' I murmured.

‘Maddie …'

He clung to my fingers, but I twisted free, wanting to flee back to the safety of the dark staircase before my tears spilled. I tore my eyes away, passed my mic over to the other assistant and walked off, resisting my every screaming urge to run back into his arms.

Back beside Greg on the stairs, I shuddered and leaned heavily against the wall. My cameraman handed me back my tablet, observing my sweats and shakes. ‘What the hell was that?'

‘Nothing.' I flipped open my screen, scanning for the time. ‘What's the hold up? The first girl should be here by now.'

‘He's still staring at you, you know,' observed Greg, his eyebrows high in suspicion as he looked over at Tanner.

‘Good for him,' I muttered. ‘Where's the girl?'

‘Oof! Oh, no! No, no!' A tinkling voice echoed up the stairs. Greg and I looked at each other, shrugged, then descended to find the source.

A tiny pixie stood at the bottom of the staircase, dressed in a skin-tight full-length gown. The blonde girl barely came up to my shoulder, even on her towering wedges, and her face was creased in distress as she attempted to climb the stairs.

‘Oh, no!' The hem of her pale pink sheath dress prevented her from lifting her foot high enough to climb even a single step, and she staggered backwards against the wall. ‘Oh, gosh!'

‘Uh, hello? Miss? Are you okay?' Greg's voice was strained, and as I looked at his face, I saw his enraptured expression. I remembered his comment about a blonde stunner from earlier, and wondered if this was she.

She glanced up, her baby blues widening at the sight of him. ‘Oh! It's you again.' Her face burst into a brilliant smile and Greg's mouth fell slack. ‘I didn't have time to get your name the other day.'

‘G … Greg. I'm Greg.' He offered her his hand, and she clasped it happily.

‘Hi, Greg. I'm Sugar.'

‘Sugar?'

‘Well, that's the name I have to use while I'm here,' she explained. ‘But my real name's Sumara.'

‘That's beautiful,' Greg said, a big stupid grin plastered on his face. ‘You're beautiful.'

‘Oh! Do you think so?' She said it with the sweet innocence of someone who'd been told she was beautiful a thousand times before, but never believed it until that second. It was endearing. ‘Greg, can you please help me? I can't climb the stairs in this silly dress, and I'm already supposed to be up on the deck.'

Greg swallowed, his eyes goggling. ‘Uh … sure. I can carry you up, I guess?'

Sumara beamed. ‘You'd do that for me?'

He moved to her swiftly and pulled her to his chest. ‘I would.' His simple words echoed with the unsaid, and I shook my head in disbelief as he swept her into his arms as if she weighed nothing at all.

Sumara squeaked in child-like delight as Greg climbed the stairs, cradling her in his arms. I followed them up, trying to reconcile the sight of my happily married friend with his arms holding another woman as if she was a precious flower.

At the top of the stairs, Greg lowered Sumara down and they stood together, noses almost touching. ‘Thank you, Greg,' she whispered.

‘You're welcome, Sumara.' He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers in an exact replica of the way Tanner had kissed mine only a few minutes before. She blushed as his mouth grazed her skin, her cheeks flushing.

‘Hey, Greg! Hands off the product, dude.' Marc appeared behind from us on the stairs, laughing and pushing between Greg and Sumara on his way out to the deck. He clapped a hand on Greg's shoulder before continuing on. ‘I don't think your wife would appreciate you manhandling the pretty young things around here. Weren't you just telling me you had your tenth wedding anniversary last week?'

‘Yeah …' Greg seemed gutted as the bubble around him and Sumara burst and he returned to reality.

Her sweet face crumpled. ‘You're married? Oh …'

Marc yelled out from the other side of the deck. ‘Okay, everyone. The first of our contestants is here. Beau, are you ready?'

Tanner nodded, tucking his thumbs through the belt loops of his jeans, while staring intently into the darkness where he knew I stood. A smug part of me wondered if I'd spoiled introductions for him, while the other side of my brain turned over the devastated look on Sumara's face. She didn't seem nearly as excited about seeing Beau after her moment with Greg.

‘Let's do this thing. Action!'

Sumara glanced at Greg again. ‘Nice to meet you,' she said, pained, then stepped out into the strong floodlights.

As she walked to Tanner, I hissed at Greg, ‘What the hell was that?'

‘Nothing.' His brow was sweaty and he wiped it with his sleeve.

He wasn't getting off that easily. ‘We are talking about this later,' I whispered.

Greg couldn't drag his eyes away from Sumara as she offered her hand to Tanner, her heart-shaped backside defined through the taut material of her dress. ‘Mm-hmm.'

From our concealed position, we observed conversation between Sumara and Tanner; they both smiled and nodded for the cameras, and in only a few minutes, she left via the other stairs.

I was still staring at Greg, but he waved my attention away. ‘Not now, okay? We have nine other love interests to meet.'

Chapter 8

‘Do you mind?' A second competitor stood behind us, waiting to push through. With her blackcurrant hair and cool grey eyes, she was incredibly intimidating. In a pair of booty shorts, teamed with FM boots and a bandeau top, she was obviously out to show off her body.
And, why not?
The angular lines of her figure displayed hours of work, her muscles defined and pressing through her skin.