An excerpt from Driven to Distraction
2007 (c) Copyright Ashleigh Raine

This book is intended for mature audiences only. If you are not over the age of consent, click the little X on the top right-hand corner of your screen.

Blaina had gone through the jump a million times in her head. And talked it through a million more times with Jay and Ted, the helicopter pilot. If she missed, it was no big deal, a fully inflated airbag would catch her. The building was only two stories, but through movie magic when the audience watched, it would appear to be a skyscraper.

Looking over the side of the building, she memorized the position of the air mattress. Her adrenaline was already pumping, making it near impossible to stand still. She’d done all of her stretches, made sure her costume could handle any maneuver without blowing a seam. Ronny Litman, the special effects makeup guy, had glooped fake blood from a slice in the arm of her costume. That crap was rivaling her wig for itchiness, but she’d trained herself to ignore it. There was nothing left to do but the stunt itself—and hot, sizzling damn she couldn’t wait to take a flying leap off the roof and land on Jay. Hell, at this point she was so ready, she was willing to take a flying leap off the roof and land on Smitty, Cash or even Meleta. As long as she got to fly, she didn’t particularly care who caught her. Now if only everyone else was as ready as she was.

As she paced, she watched the various crews finish setting up the cameras, make sure the monitors were working, and properly secure the reflective scrim that made the sun brighter and hotter against her back. Lukas wildly gestured like he, too, was impatient to get the show on the road. Jay talked on his radio, and Cash and Smitty nodded and pointed as they looked at the monitors.

Jay lowered his radio and strode toward her. “You ready to do this?” he asked, one hand shading his eyes from the harsh glare of the sun.

Since their earlier encounter in the hair and makeup trailer, he’d remained nothing but cool and professional toward her. His ability to so easily play on again/off again lover was beginning to wear on her nerves. But she couldn’t let that show now. Not before Credence’s big leap of faith.

“Beyond ready. Where’s the ’copter?”

“I called it in. Ted’s standing by. Roger is still futzing around with his crew. Lukas wants three cameras on this to maximize coverage. Once they’re done, the chopper’s a go.”

“Good. I’m getting antsy.”

“Me, too.”

Blaina scanned the tops of nearby buildings in the industrial area a mile east of downtown Los Angeles. Roger Jenkins, the director of photography, held a small, ultra-dark, round lens to his eye as he looked toward the sun. Camera crews were loading film, adjusting dollies, doing everything they do to make Hollywood’s magic appear as real as possible. The post-production team would add to that magic when they digitally inserted the giant explosion Credence was escaping by jumping onto Wes and the rope ladder hanging from the helicopter. With the bad guys vanquished, the two of them would fly off into the sunset together and the closing credits would roll. Nothing like a Hollywood happy ending.

She studied Jay out of the corner of her eye. Yup, nothing like a Hollywood happy ending. It took explosions, car chases and multiple rounds of gunfire to get there. And that was the easy part. Where would she and Jay stand after the credits rolled on Dangerous Intentions?

“So, no stunts tomorrow,” Jay said casually. “We got a three day weekend.”

Blaina turned to face him, one eyebrow cocked questioningly. Jay wasn’t the casual conversation type. At least not when he was working. What was this about?

He glanced over his shoulder, then turned back to face her, his voice lowering conspiratorially. “I was thinking—”

The radio in Jay’s hand crackled. “Flip. What’s your twenty?”

Reverting to normal, at-work Jay, he lifted the radio and said, “With our leaping lady on the roof.”

“Ted says he’s got the go-ahead to fly whenever you’re ready.”

Jay lifted his eyebrows. “You ready, Blaina?”

“Didn’t we just have this conversation?”

He pressed the talk button. “I’ll be right there.”

Before Jay could give her his normal, pre-stunt lecture, Blaina held up a hand to stall him. “Yes, if something doesn’t look right, I won’t jump and I’ll give the hand signal. Got it, Jay. Now go get on your rope ladder so I can…ummm…jump you.”

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