Keely Hawes as Julia Montague / Lavender.

Richard Madden as PC David Budd.

At the end of their day of shooting on the set, Keely approaches Madden.
"Are you busy at the moment, there's something I'd like to ask you about."

"I'm not going anywhere. Sure." He smiles and then looks past her as the set director packs up a box and leaves the room. They're now alone.

"Lovely," she answers in her London lilt. Keely drops her coat on the table and takes a step backwards to turn on the lamp for a soft light, just enough to read by but dim enough to flatter her glossy brown, cropped mane.

Madden checks his hands are clean and then, casually placing one hand on his upper thigh, he faces Keely.

She smiled as she got his attention. "Feel free to shoot this down in flames, but how do you feel about becoming better acquainted prior to our love scene?"

He raises an eyebrow quickly in amusement and beams. "That's a great idea. I had a similar thought myself." He answered is his authentic Scottish brogue.

She steps in closer, smiling.
"It will of course depend on how Jed wants to direct us, but I thought if we could become more comfortable with each other… rehearse a few sequences… it could only help."

"Help our chemistry?" He swallows.

"Yes," she swayed a little, he watched her hips.

"Tough day today," she mused, changing the subject, deflecting tension he suspected.

"Especially so. We'll both probably have a couple of bruises come up tomorrow. I bumped into the door like a klutz a couple of times," rubbing his elbow.
"That red paint has a strange smell to it, did you think?"

"Mmm, yes."

Madden asks her: "Did you get it all out of your hair last night?"

"I think so."

"You've probably seen everything by now, a seasoned professional like you."

"I don't know about everything," she teases.

"Do you know you can be intimidating?" equal teasing in his voice.

"Really? How so?" she smiles back.

"You're a very beautiful woman, extremely capable, very well educated… I wasn't sure you would welcome a novice like me to the team. But I'm very glad you did."

She waves his compliments aside.

"Is that your strategy? To flatter a woman?" her eyes flash but her voice is gentle.

"No, I only give sincere compliments." He matches her.

"You must have been quite nervous that first day." Still playful.

"I was." Answers Madden.

They were interrupted then by a crew member checking the room with noisy footsteps entering and then retreating once he spotted them. "All good here?" he asked them.

"Yes, thanks" Keely answered.

"So, did you bring a script with you," he looks across at her "…or do you have it memorised?" Suddenly applying a little pressure.

She glances down, "I didn't bring my script but I would like to start with either the first time Lavender kisses Budd late in episode 2 or the sex scene in episode 3."
She checks his face. He's watching her, his head slightly tilted.
"Thoughts?"

"Hmm," he considers.

No one has extended a hand to the other to break the ice to date. The tension is palpable.

Keely: "Have you read ahead yet?"

"Yes."

"Good!" Taking half a step in, "Should we get straight into it?" She asks matter-of-factly.

They're standing quite close now.
"I would really prefer to start slowly and take our time."

The sound of his voice made her pulse quicken.

"Would…" she falters, gulping a breath. "Would your girlfriend be the supportive type, then?"

"I'm single."

She laughs a small laugh, "Well, that's perfect."

"And yourself? Who's waiting for you to finish work and come home?"

"I'm separated."

"What a jerk." Madden says.

"Mmm." She waits for him to make the next move.

He exhales through his nose.
"Okay," he considers, hesitatingly but not reluctantly.
"Thinking about this scene…" he continues but she interrupts.

"If you were going to start some foreplay with the Home Secretary," she offers, her smile beaming, and she flashes her eyes, "whom you now know on a first name basis…"

He locks eyes with her and then drops them again. Having received the invitation he needed, steps in and with his right hand takes Keely's right underarm, gently running his fingers along it, clasping her hand.
"Julia," he murmurs.

"PC Budd" she responds.
Her smile fades as he reaches for her waist, lowers his head and his lips meet hers.

The first one is good. The second one is very good. So rare for a first kiss to be that pleasurable, in her experience.

He breaks the kiss, turns her 45 degrees and kisses her again.
Rocking in a slow dance, their arms move slowly about each other's bodies; back, neck, hair. Feeling the dimensions of each other for the first time.
He deepens the kiss, dips her and then breaks.
He grips her tighter, releases her slightly and then turns his head and his attention to just under her jaw.
He kisses her once there.
"You're the most gorgeous creature I've ever seen.'
A series of kisses in that spot, possessing her.

His fingers pull her blouse out of her skirt just enough and then they run over the small of her back, ever so gently, resting in the channel of her spine. Electric.

"Your smell… sandalwood, vanillahhh…" he breathes onto her skin. "So lovely. So allurrrhhing."
Kissing her, tasting her.
He rocks her once again, 30 degrees. He only applies a little pressure but she responds easily to his lead.

Her knees are beginning to buckle. He is really turning her on. Acting or no acting.

He stops his ministrations and straightens.
"Putty in my hands," bites his bottom lip, concealing a smile from her.
Observing her.

But it seems like he was acting the entire thing. She tries to focus, not to lose herself.
"Thank you, that was nice," is all that she can manage. Her face flushed from his attention.

He frowns at her and his voice goes up two decibels.
"But I believe it's written, Lavender kisses Budd."

"You are quite correct." One hand straightening her blouse which has become untucked and fallen to the side.

"Do you need a minute?" He teases her, watching, amused.

She wouldn't admit that to him, but she had found that sequence intoxicating. They have chemistry, oh yes.
But choreography, that is something else.

"Have you read our scene leading up to the first kiss?" She challenges him.

He lets the words hang in the air, waiting for another admission.
She only looks at him.
"Can I have 90 seconds please, and I'll be right back." He touches her arm briefly as she nods.
"Can you find our script, do you have it?"

"Yes, okay."
They part. He to the door marked 'exit' and her to the kitchen.

Two minutes later, Madden enters the room and ten seconds later spies Keely emerge from the corridor.

"Ah!" she exclaims, spotting him waiting for her.

Script in hand, she runs her finger down the page.
"Your position is by the wall, checking the room." She motions with her free hand.
"Then Julia walks into the room… Blah, blah, blah, Lavender kisses Budd."
Her demeanour is quite directorial.

"Yep, so… Lavender initiates the kiss, Budd responds, things escalate – they start taking clothes off, she takes him by the hand and leads him to the bedroom. Is that how it goes?" His face is straight, no smile.

"Yes, that's pretty much it. Are you ready?"

Her coyness from earlier has quite disappeared.
She drops her script onto the table.

"Yeah," he moves to his position and Keely retreats to hers.

Keely calls 'action' and walks onto the set once again.
As per the script, she steps to each of her markers while PC Budd acts his part, checking the room doing a thorough sweep, acting as her bodyguard.
She says her line to him and then the moment is upon them.
She closes the distance to his lips, turning her head, kisses him.
With mouths open, he responds.
Hands become involve as the kiss continues.

Madden repositions his hand from her waist to her back and then progresses lower and squeezing.

She laughs into his mouth and he laughs too.
"Is that your thing, is it? You're a butt man?"

"No, I'm very selective." He chuckles softly.
She smiles at his retort. "Oh, sure,"
He drops his embrace and taps his watch without looking at it, clearing his throat softly.
"Ms, Hawes, what would you like to do next? See me without my shirt, perhaps?" He grins at her. He is being both playful and in control at the same time.

"Well, that would be one way to desensitise me, sure!"

He needs no further prompting and starts at his shirt buttons.

He says nothing, watching her.
He can see it in her eyes she wants him.
Done with his shirt, he lays it on the closest piece of furniture.

"Keely, what turns you on?"

She gives him a small, nervous smile, biting her lip as she takes in all of the muscle ridges on his chest.
"Can I turn around," she does so, "and you kiss me from behind? As in… later… that episode." She falters with anticipation.

With her back to him, she's defenceless. He waits five seconds before he advances on her.
She fidgets with eagerness and then checks herself, straightening.
Reaching her, with his left hand he takes the gap between her left arm and her side, standing right behind her but not quite hugging her.
Breathing her in, listening to the effect his closeness has on her.

He pauses, delighting in this moment. This astonishing woman before him who he has worked with for merely a week, surrendered.
His arm sweeps back across her lower ribcage. Relishing her curves, he doesn't rush in, but slowly chooses his moves.
His nose to behind her right ear.
He stands tighter to her. She can surely feel his arousal. His lips reach the back of her neck. His right hand moves to her thigh and she turns her face to meet him.

Keely, now facing him, appears tortured and impatient by his slowness. She claws at his chest and kisses him open-mouthed, wetly.
She reaches for his crotch and strokes his groin.

"Keely, are you sure?" He says in between kisses.

"Yes," she answers breathily.

She pulls back, taking his hand, leads him out to the back room, stopping in the corridor to pash him.