Markus grinned wickedly.
Dogs of Despairincluded her first and last nude scene, and although it was a good scene, one she was proud of, she hadn’t felt the need to do another. Being naked on camera had made her feel too vulnerable. Even though the director had kept the crew to necessary folks only for that scene, being naked in front of them had made her feel helpless. It had reminded her of when she’d been young and would lock herself in the tiny apartment bathroom when one of the men her mother brought home had looked at her in that way that made her skin crawl.
Thinking back on it now made her realize how often she’d found sanctuary in a locked bathroom. And, still, the idea of Maverick Hunt watching her nude scene was a complete turn-on. It didn’t make her feel shy or unsafe or vulnerable. She could imagine him once he realized … ‘It’s one of my better performances, actually,’ she said, and God help her she had to engage her acting skills to level her tone and sound serious. ‘But it’s pretty violent so don’t watch it with Poppy.’
Markus had to turn away to cover his laugh.
‘I’ll watch it.’
Nina nodded seriously, said, ‘Let me know what you think?’
‘I’m pretty sure I don’t have to watch any of your films to know you’re fantastic.’
Nina smiled sweetly.
Markus, bless him, was overcome by a coughing fit that almost sent him to his knees.
Chapter 14
He put the movie on that night as a reward for getting his spreadsheets done ahead of time. Maverick showered and changed into a pair of ancient sweatpants. He settled on his bed with his beer and turned on the television, making sure to keep the volume low so as not to wake up Nina, who shared a wall with him.
He foundDogs of Despairon Prime, offhandedly noted that it had an almost five-star rating, as he purchased it and pressed play.
Around him, the house settled for the night. As the opening credits rolled, he slipped off his bed and snuck across the hall to check in on Poppy one last time. She was sleeping on her stomach, one arm beneath her, the other flung across her bed.
Mav closed her door with a quiet click and backtracked to his room. On screen, a beautiful blonde woman with a chic, chin-length haircut and glamorous aviator sunglasses walked into a bank. Dressed in a short black skirt and a long black jacket that was open at the front, putting her impossibly perfect legs on display with every step she took in her sky-high boots. She carried a black leather suitcase.
When she reached the bank teller, she removed her sunglasses.
Mav slowly lowered his beer as Nina’s big, dark eyes punched through him. He hadn’t even recognized her – and it wasn’t just the wig and the sunglasses. Everything about the woman on screen exuded sex and power, and though anything had yet to happen to prove it, violence.
He supposed that’s what acting was, by definition. Yet it was strange, he realized, to see Nina play someone who may as well have been her antithesis.
The heist scene started so suddenly and occurred so quickly that Mav found himself completely immersed in the film in under a minute. He watched as it continued, as Nina – or ‘Saskia’ – covertly took out the bank’s cameras and then opened fire on the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The glass shattered.
Unsure of what was happening, seeing an escape, the hostages started to fleeen masse, pushing and shoving each other through the broken windows until people fell over one another in their haste to escape. And in the chaos, right as the police cars arrived, the camera panned to Saskia as she stripped her wig, removed her coat, and joined them, the briefcase, now full of money, in her hand.
She clutched it to her and rushed out onto the street, pointing and crying, ‘He just started shooting! Oh, my God!’
The officers swarmed past her.
Saskia continued down the street unhindered. The next shot was a brief close-up of her face, and instead of the smug expression the viewer would expect, she looked devastatingly sad a moment before she put her sunglasses back on.
The plot progressed, as a blackmailed Saskia became more and more volatile and the police protagonist, Jude, started closing in on her, Mav’s beer sat forgotten on his nightstand. He no longer saw Nina in a wig, playing somebody else. He saw Saskia, the ex-military single mom, working against the clock to save her daughter from the men who’d kidnapped her.
Approximately halfway through the movie, Saskia and Jude’s paths crossed, and while Saskia knew him, the cop still had no idea that the victim from the bank robbery he was interviewing was actually the robber herself.
Their chemistry was undeniable.
The attraction raw.
And by the time Jude left the interview, his last words to Saskia were: ‘I’m not supposed to do this, but is there any chance I could see you again sometime? Unofficially.’
Saskia slowly nodded.
Jude grinned at her. He tapped his phone once against his palm and said, ‘Ah, I have your details. I’ll call.’
