by A. m Madden
Thomas walked in and smiled before offering his hand to Dante. “I’m Thomas Carson, a friend of Cassie’s.” My heart jackhammered, not knowing what Dante would say to unsuspecting Thomas. He often lacked a filter when I needed him to practice discretion.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.” Dante’s voice sounded an octave deeper than normal. When Thomas’s smile widened, Dante added, “From your student, Mikey Callahan.”
“Oh… right. He’s a great kid.”
“Yes, he is. Mikey is my brother’s future stepson.”
“I’ve met your brother; he’s a nice guy.” Silence fell, and the two men both looked at me. Lost for anything to say, anything at all, Thomas saved the situation by adding, “Anyway, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No problem,” Dante offered. “Did you need something specific?”
What the hell was happening?
Thomas’s gaze cut to me before returning his attention to Dante. “Um… no. I was just going to tell Cass to have a great weekend.”
“Oh, she will.” Dante the caveman kept a possessive hold around my shoulders as he once again answered for me.
“Thank you, Thomas. I hope you do too.”
“I’ll see you on Monday.” Thomas gave Dante one more glance. “Good meeting you.”
“Yeah, you too.”
When it was just the two of us, I pushed Dante to the side, my hand meeting firm muscles beneath the soft cotton of his T-shirt. “What the hell?”
“He wants what’s mine.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? No, he doesn’t.”
“Cassandra, the man wants in your skirt. If I wasn’t here, he would’ve asked you out.”
“Pfft. How do you know that?”
“Because that’s what I would have done. Luckily, you’re coming home with me.”
“You’re very sure of yourself.”
“Yes, I am. Now grab your things and let’s get out of here. I have plans for us.”
His demands and the way he talked to Thomas should have annoyed me. Instead, they did the opposite. Every part of me was turned on to the point of it being painful. The one thing I was sure of, Dante would be more than happy to relieve my ache.
Chapter 18
Dante
Waking up with Cassie’s leg wrapped around mine like a vine clinging to a tree was the best way to greet the day. Rather than move, I took the opportunity afforded to me and studied her for a moment. Her pale ivory skin, her slender neck that beckoned me to kiss it, and her pink lips that even in her slumber curved up at the corners made my heart race. There wasn’t one thing that didn’t attract me to Cassie and make me want to keep her here. That notion should have created nervousness or fear, but it had the reverse effect.
Unable to withstand the torture of not touching her, I gently tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, trailing my middle finger down her jawline. The morning sun seeped through the sides of my curtains, creating the perfect light and shadows on her. The only thing stopping me from grabbing my camera was not wanting to leave her warmth.
Cassie shifted her legs and arched her back. Perfect, high, perky breasts that could seduce any man were mere inches away from me. My resolve began to fade, and as soon as her eyes fluttered open, I wanted to give her an encore performance of last night.
A shrill buzzing sound coming from my front door stole my attention. Who the hell was here on a Saturday morning? Shit. Hailey. I completely forgot I had rescheduled yesterday’s shoot for today.
Cassie’s eyes opened and her smile widened. “Mmm… good morning. Was that your doorbell?”
I slid out of bed and hastily threw on a pair of boxers, jeans, and a T-shirt. “Yes, sorry, I completely forgot. I had to reschedule the shoot for Taunt magazine that I had on the calendar yesterday afternoon. Let me call downstairs and have my doorman send her up in ten minutes.”
As if a cold glass of water was dumped on her naked body, Cassie popped out of bed, eyes wild with panic. “There’s a model here?” She grabbed a pillow and held it against her body as if it were a shield. “Did you say Taunt magazine? Like the men’s magazine full of naked women?”
“And articles.” I winked, but Cassie frowned. “What?”
“Why is the shoot here? Why not at the magazine?”
Her snark was obvious. “Hailey is leaving for Europe tomorrow, which is why I’m working on a Saturday. The magazine contacted me to get it done.” My explanation softened the lines in her forehead. “Anything else you want to know?” She shook her head petulantly. After I called down to the front desk, I turned back to Cassie. “Get dressed and meet me in my studio.”
“What? Why?”
“Please, Cassandra. I want to show you that what I do is just a job. Humor me.” Even though she was affronted by my request, she dropped the pillow and picked up what was left of her panties and skirt.
“You really had to rip this last night?”
I shrugged. “Sorry, you’re too tempting, and I had no idea the zipper was on the side. Help yourself to my clothes.” After a quick peck, and leaving her with a doe-eyed expression, I hustled to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
Fifteen minutes later, Hailey and I were going over what Taunt expected of her. Yes, the majority of today’s shots would be nude, but it didn’t faze me. There was only one woman who had an effect on me, and she just walked in looking gorgeous.
Cassie’s hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, leaving a few loose strands to frame her face. Rather than a T-shirt, she put on one of my dress shirts, tied in a knot above the rolled waistband of a pair of my shorts, leaving a hint of her smooth tight skin peeking through.
Breaking my conversation, I walked to Cassie and kissed her on the lips. “You look beautiful.” Turning to Hailey, I said, “Cassandra, this is Hailey. Hailey, this is my girlfriend, Cassandra.” Upon hearing the word girlfriend, Hailey’s eyes narrowed. “Is it okay if she sits in on today’s shoot?”
“The more the merrier,” Hailey quipped.
“It’s nice to meet you, Hailey.” Giving me her attention, Cassie asked, “Where do you want me?”
Peering at her intently, I couldn’t voice that I wanted her tied to the bed so I could fuck her the way I wanted to start our day. Instead, I pointed to the chair in the corner. “There will be fine.” She wordlessly nodded and sat on the plush armchair, the lack of emotion on her face worrying me a bit.
Without haste, direction, or using the privacy screen, Hailey stripped out of her clothes, adjusted the diamond stud in her navel, and stood in front of the bed. Mimicking Cassie’s words, she asked, “How do you want me, Dante? Just like last time?”
This wasn’t my first shoot with Hailey, nor was it the first time she came on to me. However, it was the first time I had my girlfriend present. My sole reason for that was so Cassie could witness, for herself, that when I photographed a model it was just work… nothing more.
I adjusted the silver-lined black umbrellas at the head of the bed and grabbed my camera. When Taunt sent me the prospectus for the shoot, their criteria were shots one expected to find in a “rub one out” kind of publication. On the provocative scale of my profession, this shoot was the worst it could get. Afterward, witnessing how I handled it should eliminate any insecurities Cassie had about my job.
“Okay, let’s start with a few full-lengths before you get on the bed. Use the scarf to cover the important parts.” Hailey smiled, grabbed the navy fabric, and turned sideways with a slight arch in her back. She positioned the material over her fake breasts before pitching them forward. She then brought her hand to her hair and sensually pouted.
There wasn’t a doubt that the camera loved her. She’d been a model since she was a teenager, and now at the age of twenty-four, she knew every nuance and look that would work. She also knew where the money was. Many of the younger models ventured into nude shots because magazines such as Taunt paid big bucks. Years ago, and before my time, it could be a blemish on a young mode
l’s portfolio. But this generation considered it a badge of honor. It was all kinds of sad.
I pressed the shutter button, taking a series of stills, my eye depending on the viewfinder of my camera while directing her.
“Cover your bare breast with your arm, and keep the scarf over the left one. Let’s leave something to the imagination.” Hailey laughed, and I did as well, both knowing that wasn’t her strong suit. The first time I shot her, she was more than eager to strip and show me all God had blessed her with. Shy was not a word I’d use to describe her. If she weren’t a model, Hailey could be an exhibitionist.
Every few clicks, Hailey would turn, pout, or smile while using the scarf teasingly to hide slivers of her body. With her back to me, she craned her head and looked over her left shoulder before switching sides. When I followed Hailey’s sightline, Cassie sat rigid, her expression void of any emotion. The only reason I kept working, and not stopping to talk to her, was the sooner I finished the sooner Hailey could be on her way.
After a few dozen low-key shots—well, as low-key as they could get—it was time for the centerfold shot… the moneymaker, as some would call it.
“Great job, Hailey. Time for the shot that will sell the magazine.” At my announcement, the way she peered at my girlfriend meant she’d flaunt it to the hilt. But I had a job to do, and that was all this was.
“Kneel on the bed, sit back on your heels, and spread your knees.” Hailey did as asked by exposing her bare pussy without shame. “Hold the scarf between your breasts and let it fall between your legs.” I waited for her to comply and snapped a few more pictures. “You can lose the scarf now.” A wry smile crept across her face as she dramatically dropped it on the floor. “Okay, now move like your lover’s hands are your own.” Knowing exactly what I wanted, she left one hand on her thigh and the other skimmed up her flat stomach to her breast.
“Sit down in the center of the mattress, lean back on your hands, back straight, and bend your right knee.” I took a few shots. “Drop it to the side a bit, Hailey.” Widening her stance just enough, she allowed for me, and those who would be buying this magazine, to see that she was wet. She let her bronze-gold hair cascade down her back. The resounding sounds of clicks rang through the otherwise quiet space.
I hadn’t looked at Cassie yet, but I could see out of the corner of my eye her posture hadn’t relaxed.
“Dante?” Hailey said my name as if she had just run a marathon. “Do you want that pose we did last time? You know, the one where I touched myself? You liked that one, right?”
Shit. She knew I did because it was a hot-as-fuck picture. But if I admitted that, it would seem as though I liked it for me rather than for what it was. “It’s what Taunt wants, not me.”
Hailey placed her finger on her pelvic bone and slid it down to where she almost entered herself. That’s when I made the mistake of looking at Cassie. She was an open book. Her mouth tightened, her jaw clenched, and she looked at Hailey as if she was in a daze. In lightning-fast speed I got the shot I needed. “That’s a wrap. You can get dressed now. Use the screen, please.”
Hailey got off the bed and gathered her clothes. She glanced at Cassie. “Did you enjoy that?”
Cassie forced a smile. “You’re very good at what you do.”
Disobeying my request, Hailey slid her bra on and buttoned her sleeveless blouse. “Thank you. Dante brings out the best in me… always has.” Only then did she disappear behind the privacy screen.
Before I could say a word, Cassie stood and left the room. Without hesitation, I followed her into the hall and pulled her in for a hug. “I’m yours, Cassandra. That was just work.” Her arms went lax around me. “Stay here while I walk her out. I’ll be right back.”
Once Hailey was gone, I hustled back to my studio, finding Cassie staring blankly at the bed. “Cassandra?” She turned to me but didn’t say a word. “Are you okay?” My plan to prove that photographing naked models did nothing for me backfired. Cassie had to realize she was the only one who could get me hard as steel by just breathing.
“Yes, I’m fine.” Her words held no truth to them at all. I don’t know whom she was trying to convince, me or herself, but either way she failed. When I cocked my brow, she added, “That’s a lie. Why did you really want me in here? To show me how you spend your days? Show me the type of woman you want? So when I look in the mirror I see…” She swung her hand down her body. “This… All while knowing you want that?” Her petite finger pointed at a still of Hailey on the laptop screen. An indignant expression meant she believed every word out of her mouth was the truth. I knew Cassie well enough to know when she got defensive versus apathetic, like now.
“You’re kidding, right?” A touch of embarrassment caused her to fidget with my shirt, pulling it tighter across her chest.
“I’m not mad, Dante,” she said, her voice remorseful. “But if this was your way of showing me what you want from me…”
Not letting her finish, I crushed my mouth to hers, searing our lips together, tasting every crevice of her mouth with my tongue. Breaking apart, I looked into her eyes. “I don’t want that from you. Not in that way… not for a magazine or for anyone else’s eyes.” I watched her work down a swallow. “All I could think of was you during that shoot and it wasn’t because you were in the room. It’s because your scent is on my skin. Your taste is on my tongue. Your come is on my dick.”
Cassie started coming to life. She anchored her hands to her hips. “You had her kneel just like you had me pose. How do you think that made me feel?”
“It wasn’t my intent. It was to show you that you’re the only one for me. I don’t screw around with models… ever.”
“Except for Charlene.”
Her words hit me like a slap to the face. “Charlene?”
Tilting her head, she challenged, “You screwed around then, didn’t you?”
“Forget Charlene. She was in the business and knew what my job entailed… you don’t.” I could tell my words irked her. Even after I pulled her into my hold, her defiant stance remained rigid. “It’s different with you. When you posed for me, all I wanted was to bury myself inside of you. When I’m working with models, there isn’t any blood flow to my dick. There aren’t any visions of her cunt pulsing around my cock. Only you.” My explanation helped her posture to relax, but I could tell her mind still ran a mile a minute with doubt. “Cassandra, talk to me.”
After a beat, her tenacity returned full force. “How would you feel if Thomas walked into my apartment naked? What if I spent my days watching him touch himself while I stared at him… because it was my job? You think Thomas wants me, but there’s no doubt Hailey wants you.” My entire body coiled like a snake waiting to strike. “I can see it in your eyes that you wouldn’t like it.”
“I’d hate it. I just wanted you to understand, Cassandra. To put you at ease, not to upset you or make you feel unsure. Models like Hailey are superficial, a chrysalis that never develops into a beautiful butterfly. You are that butterfly. Or like carbon dug from a rock, hoping to become a priceless diamond, but no matter how they’re cut or how much they’re polished, they will never shine the way you do.” I cupped her face with my hands, forcing her eyes to meet mine. The sweet cornflower irises that I’d never tire of looking at shimmered. “You are my diamond, Cassandra. Please tell me you understand that.”
Her eyelashes fluttered. “Yes, I suppose so. It’s just hard for me to wrap my head around.”
“What is?”
“That you would want me.”
Want was an understatement. Desire. Need. Covet. Those were the words that came to mind. Rather than say anything, I picked her up and laid her on the chaise longue in the corner of the studio. Cassie’s eyes flared with desire. Easily yanking my too-big shorts down her legs, I exposed her to me. “Didn’t feel like wearing my boxer briefs?” She shook her head while bringing her bent knees together, blocking my view of what I wanted. “No.” I pushed them apart, wrapped my hand
s around her slim calves and yanked her to the edge of the chair.
The sound of my jeans hitting the floor, followed by my boxers and shirt, had Cassie writhing on the tufted leather surface. I stroked my cock, her eyes tracking each pump. When my thumb brushed over the crown, taking a bit of moisture with it, she licked her lips. I could have very easily slid it in her mouth, but instead, I impaled her pussy with one swift thrust.
“Goddamn it, Cassandra, you’re the only woman who makes me come apart at the seams. The only one who could send me over the edge with just a smile.” She moaned and wrapped her legs around my waist. “Since the first time I saw you, I knew you’d bring me to my knees.”
She let out a giggle that I felt through her core. “Really?” I pushed in and she gripped the hair at the nape of my neck. “Even when I was yelling at you?”
“Yeah.” I breathed out in a rushed huff. “I thought of all the ways I could shut you up.”
That caused an unadulterated laugh so deep both our bodies vibrated. “I probably would have slapped you.”
I thrust my hips forward, my balls whacking her ass. “And I probably would have liked it.”
“You’re crazy, do you know that?”
“Yeah… I am… about you.”
Chapter 19
Cassie
Where are you?
I read the text and rolled my eyes.
And stop rolling your eyes.
The second text caused my ire to dissolve and a giggle to escape. How could I be annoyed at him? That sexy man wanted me. My absence, if even for an hour, caused him to seek me out. Never, ever, had I felt so desired. But that didn’t mean my head wasn’t spinning over the hurricane that blew into my life named Dante Benedetto.
With a goofy grin, my fingers flew over the screen as I typed back a response.
I’m leaving in ten minutes. Chill.
