He slowly turned his head, his dark eyes boring into her. “I have work to do.” He dropped her hand and strode after Kellsie. It was time to meet her and begin this latest farce. The clock hadn’t started ticking yet, but it would. And soon.
The chatter and noise in the dining tent came to a complete halt when Kellsie stepped inside. She was used to being stared at so it didn’t bother her. Or at least she pretended it didn’t. Plastering a friendly smile on her face, she strode over to the cafeteria line that had been set up on one end. The smells coming from the shiny metal warming trays made her mouth water, so it wasn’t a lie when she smiled at the man behind the table and greeted him. “Boy, am I happy to meet you.”
He laughed, a loud, boisterous sound that made his rather large stomach jiggle. “Hungry, are you?” A huge smile wreathed his face and brought attention to his rather impressive handlebar mustache.
“You bet.”
“Grab a plate.” He indicated the stack to the right. “Help yourself.”
“I’m Kellsie Morris.” She stuck out her hand and it was immediately engulfed by his much larger one.
“Harold Ackerman. Now eat before it gets cold.”
“Thanks.” Kellsie went down the line, filling her plate with a serving of scrambled eggs and some whole-grain toast. She was reaching for one of the prepackaged fruit salads when she realized she needed a tray. As if by magic, one appeared on the serving line next to her.
“I think you might need this.” The voice was male and tinged with a slight accent she couldn’t quite place, and she was very good at placing accents since she’d met and worked with folks from all over the world.
She turned to thank him and almost dropped her plate. He was gorgeous. She’d worked with her fair share of good-looking men, but this one put them all to shame. He stood over six-feet tall and was all lean, hard muscle. His hair and his eyes were black and his skin had an olive cast to it that made her immediately think of the Mediterranean—Italian or possible Greek.
He was wearing dark khaki pants that clung to the thick muscles of his thighs. The black T-shirt he wore stretched at the seams, barely containing his wide shoulders. Scuffed black boots covered his feet.
How was this guy not a huge movie star? Maybe he couldn’t act or maybe he was new to the Hollywood scene. He could certainly be a model. She’d buy whatever he was selling and so would the rest of the female population.
One corner of his mouth was also quirked up as if he was used to females making fools of themselves over him.
Kellsie wasn’t about to provide amusement for him or for any of the other people watching them. She set her plate on the tray he’d provided and held out her hand. “Thanks, I’m Kellsie.”
He inclined his head as he wrapped his fingers around hers and lifted them to his lips. “Mordecai,” he murmured just before his lips brushed across her knuckles.
Kellsie waited for the rush of sexual awareness. Not that she’d do anything about it. She never slept with someone she worked with. It was a hard and fast rule. She’d seen too many sexual liaisons go sour and ruin perfectly good working relationships, not to mention movies.
He flicked his tongue over her index finger and she frowned.
Nothing. Zilch. Nada.
She tugged on her hand, perplexed by her lack of response to such a prime male specimen. Maybe she really was working too hard these days. “I need that back if I’m going to eat.”
He jerked his head up and she could see she’d surprised him. She’d clearly been right in her assessment of him. Women probably fell at his feet when he did little more than smile. Well, she wouldn’t be one of them. He obviously wasn’t used to a member of the opposite sex not being bowled over by him.
His mouth quirked up a little higher and, for a brief second, his eyes twinkled with humor. Not too full of himself then, she thought. Which was a good thing if they had to work together.
“Oh, you’ve met.” Brittany slipped her arm around Mordecai’s waist, gaining her a glare from him. “This is your leading man.” She laughed as if she’d said something funny. Her fingers crept up his chest in a very familiar way.
Not wanting to step on any toes if Brittany and super hunk had anything going on, Kellsie nodded. “Just did.” She glanced around and found that most of the remaining people had gone back to eating. A few were watching avidly, probably hoping for some kind of catfight or something. Not the auspicious beginning Kellsie was hoping for on the set.
“Thanks for your help,” she smiled at Mordecai. “Maybe we can run some lines later after I’ve had a chance to look at the script.” She grabbed a juice and some cutlery and loaded it onto her tray.
“Whenever you’re ready.” Was there a suggestive undertone to his words or was she simply imagining things? Frowning, she grabbed her tray and hurried over to one of the tables, leaving Mordecai and Brittany to hash out their relationship. Whatever it was. As much Kellsie wanted to sit by herself and gather her thoughts, she knew she couldn’t. That would only give her a reputation of being standoffish, and that was the last thing she wanted. The movie-making community was a tight-knit one and people talked.
Taking a fortifying breath, she chose a table with an older man and woman. She approached it slowly, giving them plenty of time to acknowledge her.
The woman smiled and angled her head toward the couple still standing in front of the serving line. Kellsie glanced over her shoulder to find Mordecai watching her and Brittany pouting up at him.
“She puts on quite a show, doesn’t she?” The older woman smiled at Kellsie even as she shook her head over Brittany’s actions.
Brittany chose that moment to flounce out of the tent. Mordecai didn’t even watch her leave, but continued to watch Kellsie. A shiver raced down her spine and she turned away from his penetrating gaze.
Kellsie chose her words carefully. She certainly didn’t want to disparage the younger woman, who’d been nothing but kind to her. Nor did she indulge in gossip on the set. It was only a matter of time until it was her they were talking about and it was never fun to be on that end of things.
“I’m sure it’s nothing.”
The man laughed. “Sit down. I’m Frank and this is Bessie. I’m in set design and she works in makeup.”
“And we know who you are.” Bessie straightened her wire-rimmed glasses, making no pretense that she wasn’t staring. All Kellsie could do was chuckle.
“Give the girl some space, woman.” Frank nodded to her tray. “Eat up.”
Kellsie took him at his word and began to eat, listening as they chatted about the upcoming movie. Frank pointed out several other people, giving her their first names and job descriptions. She appreciated the effort they were both making to help her feel more at home. When she mustered up the nerve to casually glance back at the food line, Mordecai was gone. Kellsie breathed a sigh of relief.
“The makeup and costumes are amazing for this movie.” Bessie removed her glasses and polished them before popping them back on. “So realistic.”
Kellsie put down her fork and picked up her juice and sipped. The orange juice was tangy and sweet. Perfect. For the first time in days she felt pleasantly full. She set her drink aside and turned to Bessie. “I know the movie is about a carnival populated with demons.”
The older lady laughed. “Sure is. Don’t be surprised if you see a demon or two running around outside. We’re still trying to perfect the look.”