Chapter 15
SEBASTIAN
Iwoke up to my phone buzzing like an angry hornet.
Between my phone and the thunder and the rain that had started at some point in the middle of the night, I was beyond pissy. I had gotten very little sleep.
I sighed with relief when the buzzing stopped, only to have it start right back up again. I flopped my hand around the nightstand, slapping the phone and finally finding the button to quiet the damn thing.
And then a series of texts came through so fast my phone sounded like a machine gun.
I grabbed it and squinted at the screen. “Sonofabitch!”
I sat up and scowled. There were at least fifteen texts from the camera crew. All of them wanted to know what they were supposed to do.
I threw off the sheet and walked to the window. I pulled back the heavy blind to see what they were in a tizzy about.
“Shit.”
Water was still coming down in sheets. The ground was soaked with puddles everywhere. As if to drive home the point, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The palm trees outside my bungalow were bent nearly sideways from the wind.
“Come on,” I groaned.
The overnight rain was supposed to have cleared up by this morning. I knew changing conditions could keep the storm system over Miratoa, but dammit, I really hoped the weather would cooperate.
I called the head photographer, a man known for throwing some serious tantrums when shit didn’t go his way. He was good at his job, but his ego was a lot to handle.
“We shooting in this?” he asked without preamble.
“No. Give me twenty minutes. I’ll call a meeting.”
“Copy that.”
He hung up, and immediately someone else called. It was nonstop. The wardrobe department. The lighting crew. Two different models. Everyone asking the same question: what now?
I stumbled into the shower and let the lukewarm water wake me up, trying to think.
This was the test, wasn’t it? It was easy to be in charge when everything went according to plan.
When the sun was shining and the models looked good and the shots were coming together.
But when the unexpected happened? That was when leadership actually mattered.
When things went sideways and everyone looked to you for guidance.
I got dressed quickly and texted the group chat: “Meeting in the resort conference room. Fifteen minutes. Everyone.”
The conference room was designed for intimate wedding receptions or exclusive corporate retreats.
If it wasn’t such a shitty day outside, it would be really beautiful.
Everyone crowded in the conference room, dripping wet, looking like kids at a summer camp that had just canceled all outdoor activities.
The models clustered together near the windows, staring mournfully at the rain.
And just like on the plane, everyone naturally sat with their teams. Elizabeth and Annika stood near the front with the wardrobe folks.
I spotted Bernadette in the back corner.
She was wearing one of the sundresses with a sweater over it despite the muggy heat.
Her hair was down around her shoulders. It was a new look that I liked, but I had to admit, I did dig that whole stern look.
“Alright,” I said, raising my voice to be heard over the general grumbling. “Obviously we’re not shooting today. The weather is shit, and it’s supposed to stay shit until at least tonight.”
“So what are we doing?” someone called out.
“We’re taking a mandatory chill day.”
That got some looks. Confused looks, mostly.
“Look, we can’t control the weather,” I said.
“We knew this was always a possibility. We’re in the tropics.
It happens. We could sit around being miserable about it, or we can make the best of it.
Use the time to catch up on prep work if you want.
Otherwise, just hang out. The resort has games, the pool, the bar.
Let’s enjoy paradise and try not to get into too much trouble. ”
A few people laughed. The tension in the room eased slightly.
“We’ve got two weeks scheduled for a reason,” I added. “Weather delays happen. We planned for this. So let’s not panic. Let’s just be cool. Yeah?”
“Yeah,” someone echoed, and others nodded.
“Great. Meeting adjourned. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. And don’t get crazy with the alcohol. Ladies, I love you, but I can’t have you suffering puffiness.”
They all knew how to handle their alcohol—just like I did. I was only going to be doing one shoot, but I would be careful. I didn’t bounce back the way I used to.
“That leaves the options pretty wide open,” one of the photographers said, and everyone laughed.
As people started filing out, chatting about what they’d do with their unexpected day off, Bernadette made her way toward me. She waited until most people had left before speaking.
“We should be using this time to review the risk assessments for the next few days,” she said quietly. Not confrontational, just matter of fact. “Go over the locations, confirm safety protocols, make sure everyone’s on the same page.”
“No one will listen,” I said. “Right now, they’re restless and bored and looking for ways to blow off steam. If I try to force a safety meeting, they’ll tune out completely.”
“But it’s the perfect opportunity.”
“Bernadette.” I kept my voice gentle. “Trust me on this. We need to keep them from getting into shenanigans first. Once everyone’s settled down, we can think about productive work.”
Elizabeth appeared at my elbow. “Sebastian’s right. I’ve been on enough shoots now to know that a crew on a rain delay is like prisoners during a lockdown. You have to let them burn off energy before you can expect them to focus.”
Annika nodded her agreement. “Give them a few hours to play. Then maybe they’ll be ready to learn something.”
Bernadette looked between the three of us, clearly unhappy but outnumbered.
I could practically see the wheels in her brain spinning. I didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing and what it might mean for me.
“What if I can make reviewing the rules fun?” she asked.
I raised an eyebrow. “Fun? You?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. I’m capable of fun.”
“The jury’s still out on that.”
She ignored my jab. “I’m serious. What if I could create something that would engage the crew, make them actually want to learn the safety protocols, and keep them entertained on a rainy day?”
“If you can make safety protocols fun, I’ll kiss you.” The words came out before I could stop them. Meant as a joke, a throwaway line. But the second they left my mouth, I realized how much I meant them.
Bernadette’s cheeks flushed pink. “That’s my reward?”
“Trust me, baby, that’s a reward any woman would want.”
She snorted and walked away. “I’ll be back!”
Elizabeth looked at me, a smile playing at her lips. “You’re into her.”
“I’m not.”
“You absolutely are. And you just promised to kiss her.”
“It was a joke.”
“Was it?” She patted my arm. “Come on. Let’s go set up rain-day camp before someone decides to organize a wet T-shirt contest.”
I was into Bernadette, and that was dangerous and stupid. It was a bad idea, but that didn’t seem to stop me from wanting her. Maybe that’s why I wanted her. The forbidden fruit. She was the one woman I couldn’t have and that just naturally made her more desirable.
By mid-morning, the resort’s main common area had transformed into something between a community center and a particularly chill party.
Elizabeth and I had set up a few card tables with board games—nothing too serious, just things to pass the time.
Mary Jo and her team had commandeered one corner and were giving makeup tutorials to anyone interested, which turned out to be more people than I’d expected.
Several crew members were learning contouring techniques with talk about going to the clubs when we got back home.
The models had taken over another area with a ring light and were filming TikToks, teaching each other dances, and generally being the kind of beautiful chaos that models excelled at.
They were stunning and people loved to watch them being normal.
Like they couldn’t believe beautiful people got bored on a rainy day.
Some of the crew were actually working—reviewing shots from yesterday, organizing equipment, and making schedules. But most people were just hanging out. Everyone was making the best of a day that could have been a disaster.
I hadn’t seen Bernadette in a while and assumed she decided to hole up in her room doing whatever hall monitors did.
And then suddenly she was there like a ray of sunshine and a ball of excitement. She carried a stack of papers, some markers, and what looked like a bag of candy.
“Everyone!” she called out, her voice cutting through the ambient noise. “Can I have your attention for a few minutes?”
The room quieted, people turning to look at her with expressions ranging from curious to wary. I didn’t blame them. Bernadette had been about as much fun as a cactus thus far.
“I know safety briefings are boring,” she started. “But I spent the morning creating something I think you’ll enjoy. It’s called Safety Bingo.”
She held up one of the papers. Apparently, they were bingo cards, but instead of numbers, each square contained a safety fact or protocol.
“Here’s how it works,” she continued, and I could hear the enthusiasm in her voice.
She was genuinely excited about this. “I’m going to call out scenarios or ask questions about the locations we’ll be shooting.
If you have the relevant safety protocol on your card, you mark it.
First person to get five in a row wins.”
“Wins what?” someone asked.
She held up the bag of candy. “This, and bragging rights.”
“What kind of candy?” Tempest wanted to know.
“The good kind.”
That got a laugh.
“Alright,” I said, standing up. “Let’s try it. Everyone grab a card.”
People approached Bernadette table with varying degrees of enthusiasm, but they all took cards. Even the cynical photographers. Even the models who’d been giving her death stares yesterday.
It should have been boring. It should have been like sitting through a lecture.
But somehow, Bernadette had figured out how to make it engaging.
She asked questions that made people think.
She shared stories about actual accidents that had happened on other productions.
She made jokes that landed better than I would have expected.
And people were eating it up. Hell, even I was learning something.
When someone finally got bingo, everyone applauded.
Bernadette handed over the candy with a grin. “Anyone want to play another round?”
“Yes!” came the enthusiastic response.
She played three more rounds, each one getting more competitive, people shouting out answers and comparing cards and genuinely engaging with the material.
By the time she wrapped up, the crew was thanking her. It was, without question, the most successful safety briefing I’d ever witnessed.
Bernadette made her way over to where I was standing with Elizabeth, her cheeks flushed with success. She was smiling. I didn’t think her face was capable of doing so, but there she was. I honestly didn’t think she could get any prettier, but that smile was doing something to me.
“That was amazing,” I said.
“Really?” She looked genuinely pleased.
“Seriously. Even I learned and you know how impossible I am.”
She laughed softly. “Safety bingo for the win.”
“I owe you a kiss,” I said, my voice low enough that only she could hear.
Her eyes widened and then she laughed. “In your dreams.”
She turned and walked away, but not before I saw the way her cheeks had reddened. There had been a flash of excitement in her eyes. She wasn’t as immune to my charms as she pretended to be.
My pants tightened, and I had to adjust myself discreetly.
I considered walking out into the rain. Maybe the cold water would help cool me down.
Because watching Bernadette Simmons get excited about safety protocols had apparently become my newest turn-on.
I had absolutely no idea what to do about it.
It was like the opposite of porn, and yet, it turned me on ten times as much.
There were so many reasons not to hook up with her. She worked for the insurance company, which counted as reasons one through five. We’d barely moved past hating each other. It could complicate the entire production.
But none of those reasons stopped the hot feelings in my chest as I watched her walk away.