Heartthrob by Suzanne Brockmann Page A

for a second to put herself in his place, but the thought of himwalking into her bedroom to find
her
naked and in chains was too awful to dwell on.
    “Annie’s gone to get a bucket to use as, um, as a temporary chamber pot, and a yellow pages. I’ll call a locksmith and—”
    He looked up at her. “That’s not a very good idea.” His hair was a mess, and he had a heavy growth of stubble on his face. His eyes were bleary and red-rimmed from lack of sleep, but his gaze was still sharp. “You don’t want news getting out that Jericho Beaumont was found naked and handcuffed to his bed.” His mouth twisted in a near approximation of a smile. “Now, if I’d been found naked and handcuffed to
your
bed, that would be a whole ‘nother story entirely.”
    Kate let out a burst of air that in any other situation might have been called laughter. “I can’t believe you can joke about this.”
    “That wasn’t a joke.”
    But it had been. He had every right to be mad as hell, but he was able to find humor in the situation. Kate felt humbled. She wasn’t sure she would have been able to do the same.
    She held out his shorts. “Here. I got you … Here.”
    He reached, but the chain didn’t go very far. She had to step forward, much closer, to put them in his hands. She then turned away.
    “I’m sorry,” he said. “I think I’m going to …” He cleared his throat. “I’m gonna need some help.”
    The chain that attached his handcuffs to the wall was only about three feet long. As Kate turned back, she saw that it kept him from bending down to step into the shorts. He was too tall, and the chain was too short.
    He was mortified to have to ask for help. She could see embarrassment and shame darkening his cheeks.
    The best thing to do in a situation like this was move quickly. Get it over with. Kate reached for his shorts,kneeling in front of him so that he could step into them easily.
    “Hollander got a call a little after midnight,” he told her. She wondered if he were talking to distract her or himself. She kept her eyes firmly on his feet as she pulled the shorts up his legs. He had remarkably nice feet—long and elegant-looking, with nicely shaped toes and neatly trimmed nails.
    “I was already asleep,” he continued, “but he woke me up. He said he had to go out, but he’d be back long before I had to be on set in the morning.”
    As soon as his fingers could reach the waistband of the shorts, Kate stepped back and turned away.
    “I asked, but he wouldn’t say where he was going. I thought he was kidding when he got out the handcuffs, but he wasn’t.” The sound of his zipper being pulled up seemed to echo in the room. “He took my clothes and the bed linens, too, in case I somehow pulled a houdini and got free.” Jericho laughed harshly. “As if fear of being seen naked would keep me in this trailer if handcuffs couldn’t hold me …”
    Kate didn’t know what to say as she turned to face him again. “I’m so sorry.”
    He glanced at her. “Yeah, I know you are.”
    The screen door opened with a screech, followed by the sound of the trailer door being unlocked.
    Kate moved quickly, intending to run interference. She didn’t know who else had a key to this trailer but—
    The door opened, and Bob Hollander stepped inside.
    He had returned.
    He was sweaty and rumpled—as if he’d jogged several miles in his suit in the already scorching morning heat.
    “Sorry,” he said shortly. “Car broke down.”
    Kate waited, but that was it. He didn’t volunteer any further explanation.
    “Is that Hollander?” Jericho asked from the other room. “Did he actually have the balls to come back here?”
    “Where were you?” Kate demanded.
    “I had some business I had to take care of. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.”
    “Incon
ven
ience?” Kate couldn’t believe the man’s nerve. “You locked Jericho in handcuffs—”
    “Actually, that’s standard operating procedure,