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Film at Eleven
Kelsey Roberts
WHEN EVERYONE IS WATCHING…An impromptu appearance on Montana's favorite morning talk show to promote her new book turned Dr. Molly Jameson's quiet life upside down. And now the brainy beauty had become a media-savvy serial killer's next target. Even worse, Montana's golden boy, the infuriatingly handsome–and very off-limits–anchorman, Chandler Landry, was the only one she could turn to for protection.Though a string of suspicious accidents proved Molly was in terrible danger, forging an intensely passionate relationship with Chandler seemed more frightening than being found by the madman who wanted her dead. But would Molly's fleeting fifteen minutes of harrowing fame lead to a permanent future together with Chandler…or lead her straight to a killer?
“He’s threatened to blow up the station if you don’t go on the eleven o’clock news,” Chandler said.
“He also said he’d kill another one of your patients,” he added.
“I’ll do it,” Molly said, ignoring Chandler’s harsh, disapproving look. “He could kill another innocent person. I don’t want that to happen.”
“There has to be a better option. Molly, I don’t like this.” He reached out and allowed his fingertip to trace the line of her jaw. The look in his eyes increased her pulse tenfold. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he murmured.
Molly reached up and covered his hand with hers. “This—the broadcast? Or this—me?”
Tilting his head slightly to the right, Molly’s breath caught as his head dipped toward hers. His mouth hovered above hers as he whispered, “I look at you and all I can think of is this….”
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
This July, Intrigue brings you six sizzling summer reads. They’re the perfect beach accessory.
* We have three fantastic miniseries for you. Film at Eleven continues THE LANDRY BROTHERS by Kelsey Roberts. Gayle Wilson is back with the PHOENIX BROTHERHOOD in Take No Prisoners. And B.J. Daniels finishes up her MCCALLS’ MONTANA series with Shotgun Surrender.
* Susan Peterson brings you Hard Evidence, the final installment in our LIPSTICK LTD. promotion featuring stealthy sleuths. And, of course, we have a spine-tingling ECLIPSE title. This month’s is Patricia Rosemoor’s Ghost Horse.
* Don’t miss Dana Marton’s sexy stand-alone title, The Sheik’s Safety. When an American soldier is caught behind enemy lines, she’ll fake amnesia to guard her safety, but there’s no stopping the sheik determined on winning her heart.
Enjoy our stellar lineup this month and every month!
Sincerely,
Denise O’Sullivan
Senior Editor
Harlequin Intrigue
Film at Eleven
Kelsey Roberts
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelsey Roberts has penned more than twenty novels, won numerous awards and nominations, and landed on bestseller lists, including USA TODAY and the Ingrams Top 50 List. She has been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post, and makes frequent appearances on both radio and television. She is considered an expert in why women read and write crime fiction, as well as an excellent authority on plotting and structuring the novel.
She resides in south Florida with her family.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Chandler Landry—Popular news anchor, and hometown hero, too good-looking for his own good. His complacent life becomes complicated and challenging when he meets Molly Jameson, then finds himself becoming the story on the eleven o’clock news, instead of reporting it.
Molly Jameson, M.D.—A psychiatrist with issues of her own. Her quiet, carefully controlled life becomes a media circus when she meets the fascinating Chandler Landry, and a murderer pulls her into his deranged and deadly game.
Peter Geller—A fanatic with a mission… Could it be murder?
Gavin Templesman, M.D.—A respected professor of psychiatry. Molly’s mentor and Chandler’s friend. But could he also be a killer?
Verna Geller—She’s lost her head worrying over her son, but at this stage in her life there’s nothing she can do to help him.
L. S. Wyatt—Molly’s favorite author. But does he have a killer secret?
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter One
Molly Jameson considered ways to kill herself.
Figuratively at least.
She wasn’t shy so much as intensely private, which made her current situation disconcerting.
She was vain enough to wonder for the umpteenth time if her clothing was right. Hopefully, the dark-navy suit would convey professionalism to the audience. She’d pinned her long blond hair into a loose twist, but several strands had fallen free. Her stomach flip-flopped yet again as she tried to smooth them back into place.
“Five minutes, Dr. Jameson,” a masculine-looking woman in jeans and a T-shirt said as she adjusted the microphone attached to her bulky headset.
Molly nodded and smiled. Outwardly she hoped to appear cool and calm and tried not to think that she might be the very first person to throw up live on Montana’s most popular morning news show.
Her eyes darted around the chaotic television studio. He leaned against the desk in the center of the large room. He had an easy, engaging smile and seemed completely comfortable.
And why wouldn’t he? Chandler Landry was WMON-TV. His image was splashed on buses and billboards all over the place. Tilting her head, Molly studied him from the relative obscurity of her position behind one of three large cameras positioned around the set.
It wasn’t any secret that Chandler Landry was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the greater Helena-Jasper area. He had it all—looks, breeding, money, class and confidence.
Molly gave him serious bonus points in the looks department. He was more than six feet of sculpted muscle and genetic perfection wrapped in a perfectly tailored designer suit. His skin was deeply tanned but not leathery. His eyes were light brown, rimmed in dark, inky lashes. The only flaw—if she could call it that—was a slightly crooked smile. But it wasn’t really a flaw. Nope, it was endearing and completely nonthreatening. On any other man, it would have been a sneer. But on Chandler it added an innocent allure that gave him that air of boyish charm.
“We’re coming out of commercial,” headset woman said, motioning Molly toward the brightly lit set. “Follow me.”
Molly did, feeling all of her insecurities knot in the pit of her belly. Silently she cursed Gavin Templesman. Only her beloved mentor could have conned her into doing this silly segment. Gavin knew how she felt about being in the public eye. He also knew how badly she wanted her book to succeed. She wanted to help people. That didn’t mean she wanted to sit under a circle of hot lights and have the intrusive camera trained on her face for the next ten minutes. She knew her stuff. Saying something inappropriate or becoming tongue-tied wasn’t going to be a problem for her. No matter how much she disliked the artifice of the television studio.
No, what she didn’t enjoy was the feeling of vulnerability and discomfort she felt as Chandler Landry strolled across the set toward her. She folded her hands loosely in her lap as she watched him approach, willing her erratic heartbeat to slow and her breathing to remain even. Hard to imagine, but he was even better looking in person than on her twenty-seven-inch screen at home.
She hoped he wasn’t a shaking-hands kinda guy. Her palms were slightly damp. Which annoyed her no end.
“Dr. Jameson,” Chandler greeted with a smile that she felt all the way to her toes.
She subtly brushed her right hand on her skirt before taking the hand he offered and struggled to keep her knees from buckling. Up close, Chandler was a devastating sight to behold. The faint scent of his cologne was as intriguing as the fact that his palm was slightly callused. Why would a pretty boy have calluses?
“Mr. Landry,” she greeted, forcing a lightness to her tone. “I feel like I know you already.”
“Most people do,” he replied easily. “The price you pay for being invited into the homes of viewers day in and day out.”
“We all have our crosses to bear,” she countered, dropping his hand.
“We’re back in fifteen,” a voice thundered through the studio.
Chandler held out a chair for her, presenting Molly with what she assumed was her first in a series of humiliations. In spite of her heels, she was forced to climb up on to the stool, and her perfectly professional navy pumps fell about an inch shy of the foot bar.
“Ten seconds, Chandler.”
He rolled her into place. “Sit on the back of your jacket,” Chandler suggested. “It looks better on camera.”
“I thought I was here to give advice to your callers,” she said as she adjusted the bunched lapels of her suit.
He clipped a microphone to the creamy silk tie that complemented his gunmetal-gray shirt. “This is television, sweetheart. Ninety percent of it is how you look.”
“How positively shallow,” she muttered as she scooted the hem of her jacket beneath her hips. Sweetheart? What a condescending ass.
“People don’t tune in for ugly.”
“In five,” the bodyless voice announced.
“Lucky for you.”
Chandler tossed her an easy smile. “Thanks, I think.”
“In four.”
Molly felt like a few thousand nerve endings wired for sound. While the studio was relatively quiet, everyone was watching the two of them. She felt like a zoo exhibit, and had to force herself not to fiddle with her hair and clothes. Something she rarely did. She was uncomfortably self-conscious and hoped to God it didn’t show. She took a deep calming breath and let it out slowly.
Better.
“Three.”
Her breathing was fine. It was her heart rate that was the problem. Nerves, anticipation and, damn it, the close proximity of Chandler Landry had her hyperaware. How did I allow myself to get talked into this?
“Two.”
Chandler patted her hand just as one of the large cameras wheeled closer to them. “Good luck, Doc.”
Headset woman brought her hand down and pointed at Chandler just as a large red light came on above the teleprompter attached to the camera lens.
“Good morning, again, Montana. I’m here in the studio this morning with author and psychiatrist Martha Jameson.”
Molly felt a trickle of perspiration dribble down between her shoulder blades. Part of it was the bright lights but most of it was palpable, intense fear.
“Dr. Jameson’s latest book,” Chandler continued, holding her book up as he spoke. “The Relationship Mambo, has just been released by University Press. Good morning, Dr. Jameson.”
“Good morning,” she replied in a hideously scratched voice.
“I was reading your book last night and I was struck by the fact that you advocate casual physical encounters in this day and age.”
Leave it to a man to focus on the sex parts. Out of context, of course. This was going to be the longest ten minutes of her life. “Actually,” she began, treading the waters between being pissed and terrified. “You’ve misstated my position.” She ignored the dark flash in his eyes. “Sexuality is part of human nature. And while the ideal situation would be physical intimacy as part of a meaningful, committed relationship, that isn’t always practical. The chapter you referred to is a discussion of the double standard that exists in our society. I was simply stating my opinion that women should take ownership over their sexuality just as men have done since the dawn of time.”
“That’s great in theory, but doesn’t society frown on women being promiscuous?”
“I’m not advocating promiscuity, Mr. Landry. I’m acknowledging that women have the same physical needs as men.” And apparently the same homicidal tendencies, Molly thought, wanting to smack that smug smile off his handsome face. Strangely, her heartbeat felt just fine and dandy now.
Great looking—yes. But smug, arrogant and very sure he was the be all and end all for any woman he met.
Nice try, Molly thought, narrowing her eyes slightly, but no cigar. It would take a better man than you are, Gunga Din.
