Merrick: Harlequins MC Page 13

  Blake held Merrick’s gaze. “I’d recommend keeping it that way.”

  “Noted.”

  “Okay, people. Let’s get this show on the road! Lock it down!” Jeff called.

  “Speed!”

  “Cue the cars…and…action!” Will said.

  Merrick watched as Richard gave Abigail some fatherly advice before they got into their prowler car. The car was full of Laredo PD cars and SUVs, but those whose doors could be seen had the City of Laredo shields covered with the fictional town of Los Rio.

  He watched Poppy and Paul work, filming two scenes. It never ceased to amaze him how Poppy, all the actors actually, could seem to switch on and off. The first scene they shot was heavy and full of emotion, the second was light and playful, and Paul and Poppy seemed to be able to switch the entire range of emotions on and off with ease. He knew movies were fake, but just how fake amazed him.

  “Cut!”

  “Can I have one more?” Poppy asked.

  “Why? That was fine.”

  “Please. Give me another. I think I can do better.”

  Will shrugged. “Reset. Do it again.” He waited until everything was ready. “Action.”

  “It was different when I joined the force,” Paul said as they walked toward their patrol car. “Women were in administrative positions, but not out on patrol.”

  “That’s when you walked a beat?”

  “Yeah. I was the last, and I think dropping beats was a big mistake. Now we ride around in air-conditioned patrol cars but nobody knows us. I think that’s part of the problem we now have between people and the police.” He grinned at her. “You don’t know how easy you got it, kiddo.”

  They had been shooting this scene for the last forty-five minutes, and every time Poppy had said, “Maybe, but it’s better than being out in the heat with twenty pounds of gear on.” But not this time.

  “Maybe. On the other hand, if I were walking a beat, my ass wouldn’t be getting fat, Gramps,” she said.

  Paul looked at her and grinned, but held it together. “You should be grateful for geezers like me who are willing to teach you rookies how police work is really done,” he said, improvising along with Poppy. “And don’t call me Gramps.”

  “Cut!” Will said and the crew burst into chuckles. “Great job!”

  ***

  After they finished shooting Blake and Poppy at the police station, they began setting up to shoot Poppy and Richard, then Poppy and Blake, driving around Laredo, getting in car scenes. The car was mounted on a low trailer, towed by a truck with cameras mounted on it.

  “Will!” Merrick said, stepping up behind him. “Rather than us blocking off these streets, why don’t you let us create a rolling roadblock for you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been watching long enough to realize you don’t hold any one scene very long, right? Everything is quick,” he said, snapping his fingers. “So what if I were to line up my guys in front and back of the camera car? We’ll figure out where we need to be so you can’t see us, then we just roll along with you. It will be a hell of a lot faster than blocking the streets, plus you can get out on some of the main streets.”

  “Can you do that?”

  “Don’t know, but we can try. If a car gets in between us, we’ll get on him and force him back. You can cut all that stuff out later, like the other mistakes, right?”

  Will thought about. It was untraditional, and went against their permits, but if it worked, Merrick was right. If they could just keep rolling, that would save a shit load of time. “Let’s give it a try. If it doesn’t work, we can always go back to blocking the streets.” His eyes shifted to his Production Assistant. “Patricia, get the camera crew over here. I need to talk to them.”

  ***

  “Ready to do a little gorilla film making?” Will asked as he climbed onto the camera truck.

  Steve looked away from the camera. “I haven’t shot without a permit since film school. You know Taylor is going to have a shit-fit over this.”

  Will grinned. “We have permits. Just not for this. Besides, what Taylor doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” He picked up is walkie. “Move out.”

  They spent five hours driving around Laredo, the Harlequins racing around on their bikes, riding four, five, sometimes six abreast to form a block which kept traffic out of frame as others raced ahead and stopped to block side streets, preventing cars from pulling out into the scene, then racing away as the truck approached so they wouldn’t appear in the frame. It appeared to be total chaos, with the bikes whizzing about, but the Harlequins were making it work.

  The Harlequins were so effective Will had several of their drivers come up in various prop cars, and had the Harlequins allow drivers to pull in behind towed car, so the streets wouldn’t appear to be empty.

  “Merrick. I want you to ride along about ten feet off the right side of the prop car. Can you do that for me?”

  “Sure. Why?” he asked as they prepared to make another run in the opposite direction along Lafayette and Saunders Street, one of the busiest roads in Laredo. They would have never been allowed to film there if it meant blocking the road.

  Will shrugged and grinned. “I like the way your bike looks.”

  ***

  “Cut! That’s a wrap people! Great job today!” Will dropped the walkie into his lap as he sat back and sighed. They’d just completed two days of filming in a half-day, which took a huge bite out of their backlog of shots. Another day like today and they would be back on schedule.

  Merrick was already back at the depot, sucking down another bottle of water, when the camera truck pulled to a stop. He was hot, tired, and his bike was running on fumes, but he felt like they had done yeoman’s work today.

  “Ready?” Poppy asked as she approached, her helmet in her hand. He’d stashed the helmet he’d loaned her in the prop car because he didn’t have any place else to put it.

  “Still on for dinner?” he asked.

  “Of course. I need to go back to my room and change, but then I’ll be ready. Where are we going?”

  He smiled. “It’s a surprise.”

  “Oh, good. I love surprises.”

  She buckled the helmet on and was riding away as the bus arrived to take the rest of the cast and crew back to the motel. They had to stop for gas, so they arrived at about the same time as the bus, Poppy and Merrick riding the elevator with Blake, Will, and part of the crew.

  “That was some fantastic work you did today, Merrick. You and the rest of the Harlequins. We made up almost two days of shooting today. So thank you very much.” He grinned. “I can’t promise anything because with all the delays we’re probably going to be over budget, but I’ll see if I can get Taylor to put a little extra something in your paycheck.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Will. We’re just doing our jobs.” He returned the older man’s smile. “But I won’t say no if he does.”

  Poppy grinned. Blake looked like he had indigestion as the doors dinged open. She’d noticed the bit of envy when Merrick had hustled them all out to the sidewalk when the gas was leaking, but it was even more obvious now Blake didn’t like all the attention being paid to Merrick.

  They disbursed into their rooms, Merrick following Poppy into hers. He needed a shower as well, but he didn’t have a change of clothes, so he sat in the chair and waited.

  “I think you’re going to need on a little more than that,” he said with a smile as she stepped out of the bathroom wearing only a towel.

  “You haven’t heard? It’s all the rage in Hollywood,” she replied as she turned and allowed the towel to slip to reveal her back, but she was watching him in the mirror, knowing he could see everything.

  Merrick grinned. He knew her game. He thought about taking her right then, but decided to play it cool. Besides, he didn’t have another condom anyway. “Do I have to remind you this isn’t Hollywood?”

  She grinned and rewrapped herself. “No. And thank God. I
love the fact that here we were able to do what we needed to do today without half the police force showing up to tell us we couldn’t. If we’d tried that in LA, we’d have been sued a dozen times over,” she said as she selected clothes. “How should I dress?”

  “I’m going like this.”

  She looked at him, then selected another pair of jeans and a light blouse. “Don’t peek,” she admonished, then giggled when he didn’t move. “I guess you’ve seen it already, haven’t you?” she said as she dropped the towel and began to dress.

  ***

  “Two” Merrick said as they stepped up to the hostess.

  The woman looked at them a moment. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Poppy Landrieu?” she asked as she pulled two menus from the pile and escorted them to a table.

  “Can’t say they have,” Poppy replied with a smile.

  “Well, you could be her sister,” the hostess said as she placed the menus of the table. “Enjoy your meal.”

  Merrick noticed several people were looking at them, but nobody approached. “It is so refreshing to be able to sit down without someone wanting an autograph,” Poppy said softly.

  She’d just completed the sentence when the woman sitting at the table across from them rose. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but you’re Poppy Landrieu, right? Could I please have your autograph?”

  He could see the disappointment in her eyes, but she smiled brightly at the woman. “Certainly.” The woman fished in her purse and came up with an envelope and a pin. “Who should I make it out to?”

  “Carol-Anne.”

  Poppy scribbled something then handed it back to the woman.

  “Are you an actor, as well?” the woman asked hopefully.

  Merrick chuckled. “No. I’m her driver.”

  “Thank you,” the woman mouthed then moved back to her table, whispering excitedly to her boyfriend or husband.

  Poppy had to sign a few more autographs, but after that, nobody bothered them, though there were a lot of eyes on them. “That wasn’t so bad,” she sighed.

  “And you didn’t bite anyone’s head off either,” Merrick said with a grin. He didn’t like everyone looking at them, but he took comfort from the fact he wasn’t the one they were looking at.

  She grinned. “I know how to play the game. I just don’t like doing it. You have to be nice to the fans. They’re the ones who keep me employed.”

  “Here you are, Ms. Landrieu,” a man said as he sat their orders of barbecued brisket on the table. “I’m Billy Todd, the owner. I was wondering if you’d mind posing for a photograph before you leave. It would sure mean a lot to me.”

  She smiled. Even though Merrick knew she probably didn’t want to, you couldn’t tell by her response. “I would be delighted.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Where are we going?” Poppy asked as they rumbled through the warmth of the evening.

  “Someplace a little more private than your motel room,” Merrick replied.

  She felt a chill travel over her, despite the heat. “Where’s that?”

  “My house.”

  She smiled, wondering what kind of house he lived in. In her imagination she ran through everything from a trailer with beer cans piled all around, to a large house full of expensive trinkets, and everything in between. What he pulled into surprised her. It was a tiny, older house, made of cream stucco, with a drive running along the side of the house to a garage tucked in the back. The yard was small, but well maintained, with two large Ash trees providing welcoming shade.

  He parked the bike in garage beside a truck with Capra Framing stenciled on the door, then led her into the kitchen. The first thing she noticed was how small the house was. The entry to her house was larger than the entire living room-dining room-kitchen combination. The second thing she noticed was how tidy it was.

  “Nice place,” she said, closing the door behind her.

  “I like it. It’s my first house.”

  “You built it?”

  “No. I bought it to flip, but I decided I liked it, so I kept it. It’s only a thousand square feet, but since it’s just me, I don’t need much.”

  She smiled. The master suite of her house was probably bigger than his whole house, but then, it cost 2.6 million dollars, too. Despite its small size, the house was charming, with tile and wood floors, contrasting trim, recessed and indirect lighting, and an overall feel of quality workmanship.

  “I like it,” she said.

  “So do I. You should have seen it when I bought it. It was a sad little place. I only paid sixty-two for it, then spent another forty putting it back too right and adding on the garage. Want to see the rest?”

  “I’d love to.”

  He led her through the rest of the house, explaining all the improvements he’d made. The house was originally a three bedroom, but he’d used the space occupied by the tiny third bedroom to enlarge the single bath and create a larger master suite with more closet space.

  “You did all the work yourself?” she asked, impressed despite herself.

  “Pretty much. Took it one room at a time.”

  “How long did it take?”

  He shrugged. “About a year, I guess, working on it nights and weekends. Why?”

  She grinned. “I’m still trying to figure you out.”

  He smiled and held his arms out to his sides. “What you see is what you get. I’m not complicated.”

  She moseyed up to him, smiling as his arms closed around her and pulled her in. “And that’s another thing I like about you.”

  “There’s more than one?”

  “I can think of at least two off the top of my head.”

  “What’s the other?” he asked with a slow smile.

  “Let me show you,” she breathed as she stretched up for a kiss.

  He took her lips in a slow kiss, then pulled back. “What time is call tomorrow?”

  “For me? Ten.”

  “I think my men can manage a few hours without me tomorrow morning, don’t you?”

  She began to unbutton his shirt. “I don’t think they’re going to have any choice.” She kissed his chest. “How many condoms do you have?” she breathed as she caressed his skin with her lips.

  He chuckled. “I don’t know. Ten, twelve, maybe.”

  She looked up and grinned. “I hope that’s enough,” she breathed before she kissed him again.

  He took her lips, pulling her in tight, breathing in her scent of flowers and soap and desire. He’d bedded a lot of beautiful and sexy women, but Poppy turned him on like few others. She’d started out slow last night, but had then come alive, gasping and pulling at him as they fucked, begging him for more, grunting and sweating as they rolled and tumbled. It was as if she’d discovered something about herself and had taken a full measure.

  She allowed him to turn her, and she ground her ass into his crotch as he began to unbutton her blouse while his lips explored her neck, caressing the skin with slow, erotic, kisses. He’d controlled her last night, devastating her with pleasure unlike any lover before him. But she was ready for him tonight. Tonight she would give as good as she got. She smiled, looking forward to her labors.

  She pulled out of his arms and slowly slid out of her clothes, taking her time and giving him a show, smiling has his eyes wandered then returned to her own eyes, only to wander again before returning again. She knew she was beautiful and sexy, but he didn’t seem to be awed by her beauty, or fame, and that made him more desirable still. As the last of her covering fell away, he smiled.

  “Stunning,” he murmured, holding her eyes and not looking down.

  The fact that he didn’t look at her body again, but held her eyes, made her fires roar. Their eyes locked, he slipped out of his shirt, then pants, his eyes never leaving hers. She didn’t want to look down, but she couldn’t hold his gaze as he stepped out of his pants. She glanced at his hardness before bringing her eyes quickly back to his. His small smile was both infuriating and pl
ayful, acknowledging his victory in will and control.

  He watched as she seductively licked her lips then sauntered up to him, moving like a jungle cat, all power and grace, before she pressed herself to him, placed her hand behind his head, and pulled his lips to hers. They kissed, long and slow, before he clasped her firmly to him and lifted her from the floor and turned before lowering her to the bed. He followed her down, then began to kiss down her body, pausing to taste her breasts and tease her nipples to erectness with his tongue, before continuing on, slowly turning in the bed to drape himself across her.