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Damn, he’d hoped it would take her a little longer to recover. A quick fix did not create the drama he needed. “Resorting to bribery this early in the build, Valenti? Can you afford that?”
“You let me worry about the budget and keeping my crew motivated. Did you need something?”
He’d come in from the trailer because he wanted to see how the delay caused by his changes to the schematic drawing filmed. He couldn't tell Frankie that, or he'd ruin her reactions to it. He’d take the humor, but he’d hoped for more of a meltdown. Her equanimity was not what he’d promised his executives. He needed more from her.
“Just keeping an eye on my inexperienced crew boss.” As he’d hoped, his comment riled her up.
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Her dark brown eyes flashed with anger, and he couldn’t look away.
“That’s not what the network thinks—”
“Screw the network!”
“—and since they are paying my salary, here I am. Do you think you could grab a sledge and help Rico? Or is that beneath you now as crew boss?” His taunts had the desired effect.
“I’ve never walked away from hard work in my life.” She whirled away from him with Trina in her wake, her long ponytail nearly slapping him in the face—as he imagined she’d like to do with her palm right now.
For a split second, he contemplated how her hair would feel wrapped around his fist as he exposed her neck for a kiss. Visions of her challenging him for control flashed hot, searing his brain with new fantasies.
When she’d kissed him on Christmas Eve, she’d unlocked this side of his brain. He couldn’t stop thinking about how it would feel to kiss her again, in a variety of new and interesting places. But that night she’d been drunk and happy. Pliant. Not a word he would use to describe the woman currently taking out her frustrations on a stud wall. And yet…
He’d given her a ride home from her parents’ house after a particularly eventful Christmas Eve, intending to see her inside her apartment and then crash down in Enzo’s empty pad so they could ride back to Jo and Dom’s house for Christmas morning. Even though he knew they'd only invited him because Jo had found out he didn't have anywhere to go, he’d loved being included in their traditions, something his own family hadn’t attempted in years. He'd spent the one-time-only evening absorbing all of the details and dramas for future reference. If he ever had to film a Christmas special, he'd be all set.
The unexpected arrival of his makeup artist and Enzo's fiancée Natalie Carras’s mother and ex-boyfriend had set everyone on edge. Frankie'd had a few more drinks than she’d intended. It was only polite to offer to drive her home. It had been good manners to walk her up to her door and see her safely inside. When she’d pinned him to said door and kissed him senseless, all of his civilized reactions disappeared. They had devoured each other. He rubbed his thumb over his lower lip, remembering how she’d felt in his arms, lips pressed against his. They had finally made it inside, and he'd let her go to strip his shirt off.
But when her knees had buckled and she’d leaned unsteadily against him, sanity returned. He'd carried her into her bedroom, laid her down on her bed, and walked back out.
Talk about a blue Christmas.
He'd crashed on the world's most uncomfortable couch with a very unhappy erection and a dog who insisted he should sleep curled up behind Jake's knees. But instead of waking to Christmas morning with the kisses and sexy times under the tree he'd been dreaming about, he was yanked from slumber by a shriek and a slamming door. She'd forgotten he was there. And, he discovered shortly thereafter, she'd forgotten that incredible kiss. The one he couldn't help but remember every time he looked at her lush lips.
He'd like to nibble on that bottom lip—
A large hand clapped down on his shoulder, jolting him from his thoughts.
“Hey, Jake. Catch you dreaming?”
Heat flooded his face, and he thanked God for his beard. Dom didn’t seem to notice the blush or the direction he’d been looking. Getting caught mooning over a girl by her father was embarrassing, no matter how old a guy was. At least at the ripe old age of thirty-five, he hadn’t outgrown it. “Dom! Good to see you. I was just thinking about you.”
“Oh really?” Dom sounded skeptical.
Come on. Head in the game. You’re the one in charge, so charge.
“Yeah, we have to take down and rebuild this wall. The crew made an error with the schematic.”
“That’s not like them.” Dom frowned, and Jake waved Trina over to join them.
“I was hoping I could get a quick explanation from you of how this affects the build.”
“I don’t know…”
The last time Dom had tried to talk on camera, it had been a disaster. Thank God Sofia and Adrian had stepped in. But Jake had promised his execs backup rolls. No time like the present. “Let’s just give it a try. You’re more comfortable with all of this now. Trina will stand right next to me. All you have to do is look at me and answer the questions, okay?”
Dom nodded nervously but drew his shoulders back and down.
“So, Dom, can you tell us why reading a schematic drawing is important?”
“Wasted time is wasted money. Every time a mistake is made, it takes man-hours and supplies to fix, and it costs us homeowner goodwill. How hard is it to build a wall in the right spot in the first place? This is a rookie mistake.”
