Occupational Hazard: The Ultimate Workplace Romance Box Set by Eve Langlais & Cathryn Fox & Mandy Harbin & Parker Kincade & Cassandra Carr & Ann Mayburn & Ros Clarke & Lilly Cain & Delilah Devlin & Cari Quinn

Author:Eve Langlais & Cathryn Fox & Mandy Harbin & Parker Kincade & Cassandra Carr & Ann Mayburn & Ros Clarke & Lilly Cain & Delilah Devlin & Cari Quinn [Langlais, Eve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penning Princess
Published: 2014-06-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Three

‘Hold it there. Just a bit more. Eyes on me. Focus, Hattie.’

She fixed her gaze on Tom and tried to concentrate. However, it was easier said than done, what with the carpenter hammering nails into a board just inches from her head.

Hattie hadn’t known quite what to expect of the shoot, but it certainly wasn’t this. Tom had whisked her off to a crumbling stately home on the Northumbrian coast, where it rained every single day and the windows didn’t shut properly. Every room except the kitchen had an underlying scent of musty damp. Hattie had been cold for the past forty-eight hours, and not just because of the ridiculous outfits she’d been given to wear.

Today, Tom had set up one of the most dilapidated rooms with all kinds of DIY tools and traps for her to fall into. Earlier, she’d been attached to the wall while the electrician worked in the space around her. Hattie had barely dared breathe for fear of electrocution. It wasn’t until after they’d finished the shoot that she’d realised none of the cables were live. Right now, she was lying on a trestle table while a wooden box was built around her. She had a horrid feeling it was a coffin. And the hammer, which flashed past at the edge of her vision, definitely sounded real as it thudded into the nail. She flinched.

‘That’s it. Give me more. Eyes ahead.’

The hammer caught her hair as it banged down. Hattie screeched.

Tom put down the camera and sighed. ‘Take a break.’

She let out a long sigh of relief.

‘You okay?’ He came over and held out a hand to help her up.

She sat up cautiously and checked that all her limbs were still attached. ‘I think so.’

He nodded. ‘Good. Have a coffee. We’ll start again in ten minutes.’

Tom went to talk to the lighting guy. Hattie slid off the table, grabbed a cardigan to put over the ridiculously flimsy nightdress she’d been given to wear, and went in search of something more sustaining than a coffee.

In the kitchen, she blagged a huge mug of strong tea and a bacon sandwich off the chef. She took a grateful sip of the hot drink and cradled the mug in her hands, grateful for the warmth. Presumably, Tom had chosen this location because it was falling down. Personally, Hattie preferred accommodation with reliable hot water and windows that actually kept the cold air outside. She’d complained about the chiffon nightie, but Tom had merely shrugged and said that he wanted to see her goosebumps.

Huh. It was all right for him, wearing three fleeces and a scarf. She’d like to see him wandering half naked around Croxfield Hall’s draughty corridors. Well, okay, she’d just like to see him half naked. Or fully naked. She wasn’t fussy. Unlike Tom, who was proving irritatingly good at resisting her.

He still fancied her, despite the orange hair and lack of make-up he’d insisted on for the shoot. She was sure she wasn’t reading the signals that badly wrong.