Perry Evans bounded into the hangar with extra pep in his step, grateful to be back in business. After months of a slump in business, he was on his way to meet new students. Their plane would be arriving any second and that meant money in the bank. He could finally make some repairs at the cabin so old man Clyde could stop worrying about the upcoming winter.

But Perry’s good mood evaporated when he glanced up and realized that his competitor, the owner of Empowered Survival, had beat him to the private airfield. “Rick Feldman,” he sighed.

“Perry! Got a class coming in, too?”

“I do. Didn’t expect to see you here, though.” I would have re-scheduled, Perry thought.

“Oh, you know how I am. I like to stay busy!” Rick clapped him heartily on the back and managed to hit his injured shoulder. Perry was sure that it was no accident, but he schooled his face not to show his pain. Perry stepped away and surveyed his rival, trying to figure out why Rick had traded in his faux Native American look for the fatigues of a second-rate drill sergeant.

“Nice get-up,” he grunted in amusement.

“The fatigues? Yeah, I took what you did and went one better,” Rick bragged. “I can’t say I’m a former Navy SEAL, but I can look the part.”

“Interesting. I guess it helps. Even Boy Scouts wear uniforms.”

“Hardy-har-har,” Rick smirked.

Perry hid a smile. “Do you give out merit badges, too?”

“Keep the jokes coming while I laugh all the way to the bank. I’ve been doing this ten years, and the classes just get bigger and bigger. Speaking of which, how’s your growth this quarter?”

Perry bit his tongue to keep from pointing out he taught a real survival course, as opposed to a glorified spa retreat. Rick Feldman advertised kumbayas around campfires. People had to be serious about learning bush-craft to sign-up for Perry’s three-week Survive Anything course. “Business is picking up.”

“Well, yeah! Anytime there’s uncertainty in the world, business booms,” Rick said. “Gotta love the spoiled, scared millennials. Am I right? I tell my students that, with the right training and preparation, they can survive whatever life throws at them. But you and I know better. In any given situation, survival is ninety percent luck.”

“If you say so.” Perry watched the first plane swoop down and ease into the hangar. He met Rick Feldman’s smug gaze and spoke over the noise. “Training and preparation kept me out of a lot of scrapes. In my experience, survival is ninety percent readiness, and ten percent luck.”

Rick snickered and pointed at the passengers debarking. “I think this one is yours. And, I gotta tell you, I don’t know if you’re prepared to deal with that. But good luck, buddy.” As Perry looked to see what he was talking about, Rick patted his bad shoulder again.

The first passenger off the small plane was a stylishly dressed man with thick, wavy hair and a face made for magazines and movies. He haughtily twirled his fingers for the pilot to grab his luggage as he gabbed away on his cellphone and ambled down the stairs without watching where he was going. A forklift nearly drove into him and Perry suppressed a groan.

The second passenger was no better. She tossed long black hair over her shoulder and slid designer shades to her face as she clutched an oversized purse and daintily made her way out of the plane. She looked flawless in a pastel pink business suit that emphasized her curvy figure. She was a looker, but Perry’s spirits just sank even further.

To add insult to injury, he noticed Rick walking out to meet the other plane, a much bigger transport loaded with new students. Perry was still teaching one or two people at a time while Rick’s classes grew “bigger and bigger.” Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Perry squared his shoulders and confronted his unsuitable enrollees.

“No cellphones,” he growled as he snatched the phone from passenger one and dumped it in the nearest wastebasket.

“Dude! What the fuck? That’s an eight-hundred-dollar phone!”

“And the rules were in the contract you signed and agreed to. No cellphones or computers or electronic devices of any kind. I specifically stated any contraband would be confiscated.”

“And destroyed?” Tall, dark and handsome looked incredulous.

Perry swung his gaze from him to the woman. “Also, I specified what students were to wear. Right down to the socks and shoes. You need thermals, loose pants—”

“I have mine! I have everything you specified in my bags, plus a few extra ensembles—like this little number—for our days off.” The chirpy female waved and smiled vibrantly.

“There are no days off,” Perry stated flatly, feeling his patience wearing thin.

“Oh.” She looked surprised. “Um, okay. I’m Nadia Marson, and you are?”

Perry stared at her feet. “Wait a second. Are those…Christian Louboutins?”

“They are! Who would guess a man like you would know fashion! They’re fab, aren’t they?”

Perry dropped his head in his hand. “Take them off.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Take. Them. Off.” As she hastily slipped off her shoes, he pulled his notepad from his back pocket to see what he was dealing with, here. “Alright, Nadia and Lincoln, right?”

“That’s right. I’m the Lincoln Easley from Hollywood,” Lincoln bristled.

“Congratulations! I’m the Perry Evans from around the way. I’m your instructor, and your first lesson will be in following directions. Please go through your bags and remove only the approved belongings that you will need for your three-week stay. Make arrangements for the rest of your luggage to be shipped back or deposit it in the dumpsters behind the building.”

“Excuse me?” Lincoln crossed his arms defiantly.

“Your second lesson,” said Perry firmly, “will be in affording me the respect I demand. Don’t question me. Don’t hold me up. Just do what the fuck I tell you to do, and I’ll teach you how to survive anything. Are we clear?”

Lincoln and Nadia shared a look. Nadia was the first to recover. She frowned with displeasure but nodded. “Crystal,” she whispered.

Perry finally smiled. “Good. When you’re done dumping your luggage, meet me at the front of the building for your only hotel stay of the trip. Tomorrow morning, we go into the woods. If you want to back out, now is your chance.” He gestured at the plane that was refueling to leave. This was shaping up to be the one instance that Perry wished his students would cancel.

* * *

Nadia slammed the door to her upgraded hotel suite and paced the room. “Ugh! He’s impossible! What the fuck have I signed up for?” she raged. She wanted to show Perry Evans she did not need him, but back home her father was prepping her for a job she abhorred. If she returned now, it would signal that she was ready for hire.

Nadia was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She knew Wilson Marson had only stepped up his efforts to give her a job to help her get over any lingering feelings for Jason Stratham. Not that there were any but there was no way to tell her dad that. After six months of living single, she needed to get laid more than she needed any nine-to-five.

She had vowed to learn survival skills ever since the hurricane, but there had to be other training courses besides Survive Anything. She did not have to stay here to avoid her father. Nadia sat up and reached for her cellphone to find a new vacation spot. Then, she remembered Perry had confiscated her phone and her iPad.

Plus, all her luggage was gone. She could not believe that arrogant son of a bitch had forced her to give up her belongings. She hated to think of herself as spoiled, but how was she to make it without her beautiful shoes?

In the meantime, she had to check in with her dad. She picked up the hotel phone and reluctantly called him, tapping her Louboutin against the footboard as she waited for the line to connect. When Wilson answered, her heart skipped a beat.

“D-dad!” Nadia cleared her throat and erased the nervousness from her voice. “How’s it going?”

“It would be much better if I could get my little girl to come to her senses,” he said dryly.

She held in a sigh. No, she thought. I’m not giving up that easily. “Uh, my flight arrived okay, and I’ve met the instructor. He’s…challenging, but well-qualified. He’s a former Navy SEAL, and I think he’ll be able to teach me everything I need to know so I won’t meet another hurricane unprepared.”

“I can’t believe I nearly lost you in that storm, but it all could have been avoided, Nadia. You never should have been on that island in the first place. You were supposed to be here. I had training seminars lined up for you so imagine my surprise when I learned you had gone on vacation.”

“Can we put that behind us, Dad? Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the getaway. I needed time to think, and I couldn’t do that at home. Look, nobody expected that storm to hit the island and—” Nadia realized her tone was becoming increasingly defensive. She shook her head and bit her bottom lip. “I don’t want to fight. I simply called to tell you I’m settled at the hotel. I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Well, I do worry,” Wilson said gruffly. “Marson Oil and Gas needs you. I need you.”

“I know, Dad,” she whispered. “But we’ve been over this a thousand times. I’m not sure I’m cut out for the work you want me to do. I can’t say for certain that I’d take the job, if you offered it to me.”

“When I find the right position for you, you’ll come around to it. A Marson always rises to the occasion.”

“But what if I don’t want to rise to the occasion? What if I don’t agree with what you’re doing? What if I genuinely think you’re destroying the planet?”

“You and I both know it’s not that cut and dried,” he said quietly. “I know what this is really about. You’re scared Nadia, you feel like you’re not ready for so much responsibility, but you are ready for this, sweetheart. Besides, it’ll help you get over that nasty business with Jason.”

“You mean it’ll give the press something else to talk about.”

“That, too,” he acknowledged.

Nadia rolled her eyes and suppressed a sigh. It was pointless to argue with her father. He always got his way, whether right or wrong. He saw her reluctance as mere self-doubt but she had serious ethical concerns about the oil and gas industry. The more he pressed her to work for the family business, the less she wanted to be a part of it.

“I’ll keep what you’ve said in mind, Dad, but I have to go. I need to get some rest.”

Nadia ended the call and stared blankly into space. At least she had a few weeks to decide how to handle her dad, even if it meant putting up with her arrogant instructor. She wanted to talk to her now-best friend, Maria, about the shitty welcome party.

In the six months since the hurricane, Nadia and the housekeeper from the storm-ravaged resort had become inseparable. She had convinced Maria to get a student visa and come to America to study hospitality. Now, they chatted every day. Maria always gave it to her straight, and Nadia appreciated her candor. She was the only person she trusted with her deepest secrets.

Unfortunately, the dictatorial Perry had effectively cut her off from her best friend; Maria’s number was stored in her cellphone. Nadia started to pout until she remembered her assistant had access to her contacts. She grabbed the hotel phone again. “Hi! It’s me. Can you patch me through to Maria? I don’t have my cellphone.”

“Right away, Ms. Marson.”

She paced the room, waiting to hear Maria’s voice. Instead, she got her voicemail. Nadia groaned and smacked her forehead. “Damn it! I forgot you were in class. Just FYI, I’ll be out of touch for the next few weeks. The instructor guy was serious about no cellphones. When in the woods, do as the woodlanders, I guess. I’ll…write?” she chuckled. “I’ll find a way to keep you posted about my misadventures with two hotties in the wilderness.”

She hung up the phone and stretched out in bed with time to kill. It was late Sunday morning. She had a whole day ahead of her, which, she imagined, was to give students ample opportunity to figure out that Perry Evans was a nightmare. She wondered what her bubbly bestie would have to say about his insufferable ultimatum to respect him or hit the tarmac.

Nadia giggled, knowing exactly what Maria would say if she saw him. Respect the man!

Perry was gorgeous, with his cool blue gaze and five o’clock shadow. He had a face that was easy on the eyes, and a body that begged to be touched. With six months of celibacy under her belt, Nadia desperately wanted to touch something. Too bad he was a total dick.

Lincoln Easley was just as sexy, but he was full of himself. He was also Hollywood. After her experience with Jason and the reality star mistress, Nadia had lost interest in the false glamour of Hollywood celebrities.

But she could not deny her attraction to both Lincoln and Perry. How would she survive three weeks alone in the woods with men like them?

* * *

Lincoln settled in the chaise lounge by the window with the new script in one hand and a mug of hot tea in the other. Perry had tried to rattle him, but he refused to let the man get under his skin. There would be no running back to LA without giving Survive Anything his best shot. Hence the tea and screenplay. Lincoln desperately needed to achieve equilibrium before dealing with Major Asshole again.

Sunlight poured through the blinds and warmed his face, a subtle sign from nature that—regardless of his mood or melancholy—he was where he was supposed to be. In an over-priced boutique motel with two caricatures, Lincoln thought wryly. The spoiled brat temptress and the overcompensating G.I. Joe.

Lincoln felt a twist of regret that Mitch Trepan thought he needed this survival course in the first place. He was an established actor with a resume a mile long, and at twenty-seven, he was in his prime. So, what was it about the screenplay that made the director think he should spend three weeks in the wilderness preparing for it?

Lincoln flipped open the manuscript and started reading. The opening scene came alive in his mind. He absently sipped his cooling tea while the story took shape, but gradually the enthralling plot made him forget the tea.

He paid no attention to time ticking away. He did not even notice the room getting darker as evening fell. He was half-way through his copy when he slammed it shut and looked around the hotel room blankly, coming back to reality.

“This is it,” he whispered. “This is my career-defining role.” He launched from the chaise lounge and paced, knowing that he looked like a madman, but he could not contain his excitement. “This is it!” He laughed.

He saw his name on the screen for best actor. He envisioned the awards and plaques that would line his mantelpiece after this. He grabbed the screenplay and shook it in amazement. It was unlike any other role he had ever played, but Mitch was right, Lincoln thought soberly. No matter how much he hated being stuck on Nowhere Mountain, he needed the survival training to give him the edge that he was going to need.

With that in mind, Lincoln forced himself to sit and calm down. It was not time to celebrate yet. Not until he completed the course. He turned the television on. He would finish reading the rest of the screenplay some other time, when he could focus on it and not on whatever trials lay ahead on this glorified camping trip. Lincoln sat up when realized the entertainment news segment was on. He turned up the volume. It was one of his favorite shows.

“Looking for the next big blockbuster hit?” the entertainment newscaster asked excitedly. “Rumor has it, director Mitch Trepan is ready to deliver! We caught up with him on the red carpet to get the inside scoop, and here’s what he had to say.”

Lincoln grinned as his buddy filled the screen. Mitch was at an awards ceremony that Lincoln had missed, but he would be there next year. “Best Actor…Imagine that,” he whispered to himself.

“Mr. Trepan, we know you just finished working on Vengeance with a Vengeance, but can you tell us what’s coming next?” asked the reporter.

Mitch smiled and nodded at the camera. “Get ready for action like you wouldn’t believe! That’s all I can tell you.” He laughed.

“That’s your signature,” the reporter laughed along. “We know you deliver great action, great heroes. Any ideas for your next film? Give us something. Give us anything!”

“Landon Ashville, who wrote Well-worn Suicide Note for me, has delivered a tremendous new script. We’ll begin work on it very, very soon.”

“Any hints on who we might see in the new picture?” The reporter jabbed the microphone at Mitch again, and the director chuckled good-naturedly.

“Lincoln Easley and I have talked about the role. He did fantastic in Vengeance with a Vengeance,” said Mitch.

Lincoln warmed with pleasure at the shout out. No matter how many years he had been in the industry, it always felt good to be recognized for his hard work. But what Mitch said next cooled his happy glow.

“I’ve also talked to Jasper Kent. He’s younger, newer to the scene, but he’s a committed rising star. It’s too soon to tell. We just don’t know yet.”

Lincoln snatched the remote from the side table and tried to rewind the segment. He threw the remote when he realized the TV was not equipped to do that. He thought he had heard Mitch announce he was also considering Jasper Kent.

Lincoln grabbed the hotel phone to call his agent. As soon as Dominic answered, Lincoln launched into questions. “Did you know Mitch was considering someone else for this new picture? Am I out here at this godforsaken survival training camp for no damn reason? Because I can hop the next plane and come home right now, if that’s the case!”

“Lincoln, baby! I was hoping I’d be on vacation before you heard the news,” Dominic chuckled dryly. “Look, nothing is set in stone yet. I spoke with Mitch and, from what he told me, he’s considering only the best of the best. You’re at the top of the list!”

“That’s an LA Maybe, which we both know means bullshit. I’m losing work out here, Dominic.”

“No, you’re not. You needed the break. You’re in overdrive, and what comes after that? Burnout.”

“I won’t get burnt out,” Lincoln grumbled. He rubbed his eyes, feeling tiredness hit him, in contrast to his statement.

“Going to that camp makes you the best actor for the gig. This is great for your image. I already have several reputable entertainment journalists on stand-by who want exclusive interviews when you get back. You’ll get the role in Mitch’s new film, and you’ll get big publicity from this.”

“I hope you’re right. Otherwise, this is all in vain.” Not entirely in vain, a voice in his head whispered. Lincoln ended the call with his agent and lounged against the pillows at the head of the bed. He was stuck with two very attractive people. He wondered if he would enjoy getting to know them.

Perry was tall, muscular and demanding—a combination that was Lincoln’s kryptonite. The minute he had seen the instructor, he had felt a lurch in his core that he knew meant trouble. Likewise, Nadia was a striking woman in every sense of the word. And Lincoln had been so busy lately that sex and titillation had been off-limits. What would happen in the woods with those two?

If for no other reason than to take the break he was being offered, Lincoln needed to stay. He gritted his teeth as he folded his hands behind his head and thought about Jasper Kent being considered for a role that was “perfect” for him.

As rude and untenable as Perry had been thus far, Lincoln could not leave. He had to prove to Mitch Trepan that he was the only person who could play that character. His attraction to his companions be damned.