Ricochet Read Free Page B

Tubs! Take a look
    inside at our hot tub hotties!
    Matt smothered a laugh, Rick kept a
    studiously straight face, and Daniel delivered his
    line without missing a beat. The director called
    "cut", and Daniel immediately turned to Rick and
    delivered a mock spanking with the rolled-up
    magazine.
    Everyone laughed, and Matt felt his bad mood
    fading as it always did in the face of Rick's
    practical jokes. Ever since the Hot Tops in Hot
    Tubs edition had come out, Rick had been teasing
    Daniel about it mercilessly. He'd bought a dozen
    copies and it had become a running joke that he'd
    place them strategically around the set for Daniel
    to come across during filming. On one memorial
    occasion, he'd pinned the picture of Daniel in the
    hot tub on the noticeboard in the chief's office, and
    nobody had even noticed until the episode aired.
    Matt had no idea how Rick had managed to
    smuggle the magazine into the file for the scene's
    final take, but it had lifted the mood on set.
    The crew dispersed for a coffee break, and
    Rick ran over to where Matt was standing. "Hey,
    buddy." He hit Matt playfully on the arm. "I'm
    sorry I was late."
    That was always the problem with Rick; it
    was almost impossible to stay mad at him. Rick
    could be exasperating but there wasn't an ounce of
    malice in him.
    "Am I forgiven? Say I am. Pleeasse!" He got
    down on his knees, pressed his hands together in
    supplication, and fluttered his dark eyelashes
    outrageously.
    Matt sighed. "You're forgiven."
    "And am I still an idiot?" Rick asked, batting
    his eyelashes even more.
    "Oh, you're definitely an idiot." Matt rolled
    his eyes, but he couldn't stop the little grin curving
    his lips, and Rick was on his feet in an instant,
    laughing. He slung a heavy arm around Matt's
    shoulders, tucked him into a neck lock, and then
    planted a big kiss on his hair.
    "Yay! I hate it when you're mad at me, Matty.
    Now… where's the cookie table? I'm starving. No
    breakfast, and I expended waaaay too much energy
    last night - and this morning! Look… concave." He
    grabbed hold of the hem of his tee shirt, pulled it
    up, and pointed at his ripped six-pack.
    "Any excuse to show off how much you work
    out," Matt said, laughing anyway because Rick's
    good moods were always so infectious.
    "You betcha!" Rick winked, running off
    towards the cookie table.
    "Hey!" Matt called after him. "Aren't you
    forgetting something?"
    "Hmmm?" Rick turned back, in the process of
    cramming a giant chocolate chip cookie into his
    mouth.
    "Petra? She said she wanted to see you after
    the scene."
    "Doh!" Rick slapped the side of his own
    head. "Thanks buddy! I dunno what I'd do without
    you and your memory. I wish you could learn my
    lines for me too!"
    "Yeah, well, we all wish you could learn
    your lines for you, instead of hiding them on crib
    sheets around the set," Matt retorted, but Rick was
    already halfway out of the door.
    Matt watched him go, shaking his head. So
    much drama, for so little point - that was Rick all
    over.
    He glanced over and saw that Daniel was
    reading a book, as he often did during a break in
    filming. With his bulging muscles and shaved head,
    Daniel looked like the last person you'd want to
    meet down a dark alley at night. Matt had been
    scared of him for his first month on the show until
    he'd realized that Daniel wasn't remotely like the
    tough
    sub
    he'd
    played
    in
    the
    famous
    Insubordination movies, or the commanding Chief
    Christie
    on Collar Crime . People sometimes
    mistook his aloofness for arrogance, especially as
    he was such a big star, but Matt had soon figured
    out that he was just very shy.
    Matt considered going over and talking to
    him, but he didn't want to interrupt Daniel's
    reading, so he pulled out his cell phone instead and
    saw that he'd missed a call from his dom, Emily.
    He'd been dating her for about six months, and they
    were good together. She was cool, calm and
    collected, and he liked how smooth their
    relationship was: no drama