by M. Clarke
Sliding in between my legs, she ran her hand down my chest and said in the most seductive way, “I’m all yours. Do as you will.”
I grabbed her ass and stood up, pressing my body to hers. As my hand slid under her dress, I tenderly kissed her. The dress was so tight that it scrunched up. Holy shit! She wasn’t wearing any panties. Lightly squeezing her butt, I growled softly, “Bend over.”
She pressed her stomach flat on the bed. Tossing her hair to the side, she watched me take off my jeans, but I kept my shirt on. Olie had gone on the pill the week before, and it was the first time without a condom. Lowering myself, I teased her clit with my tongue.
“Nate,” she moaned, squirming. “I’m so wet. I’m ready.”
I wanted to tease her more so I sucked her sensitive area and tasted the sweet juice of her.
“Holy, hell, Nate.” Her hands gripped the sheet into fists, and she let out a pleasurable cry into the mattress, muffling the sound.
My Olie was more than ready for me. With a slap of her ass, I thrust inside her. Taking in the erotic feeling, I slid out slowly, eyes closed, head tilted back, and then dropped my arms.
“Olie,” I groaned, as her body rocked against mine. A part of me wanted to take my time, while the other part of me wanted more. Lust took over, especially seeing her black high heel boots and the tight dress.
Olie’s cries took me to another level of ecstasy. Grabbing her hips, I thrust harder and faster. Then I flipped her over and fucked her with her legs around my hips. The intensity of our passion skyrocketed when we locked eyes. Our hands were all over each other like before; we made love not just with our bodies, but also through our hearts. It shone in her eyes, the way she looked at me, and the way I looked at her. I loved her, that I knew for sure.
Needing more of her, I lifted her to my desk and fucked her some more. Her heel lightly dug into the back of my leg when she wrapped her legs around me. Wanting to feel her naked body on mine, I pulled off her dress and my sweater. Blistering heat ignited in the space where our bodies collided. We couldn’t get enough of each other.
“Nate, on the bed,” she demanded breathlessly. “I want to feel your body on me.”
I took her to the bed and gave all of me as sweat dampened my forehead. Sometimes, hot breaths puffed out of my mouth, while at other times I sucked her lips and tongue. Our bodies danced and tangled madly. Afterward, spent, I held her in my arms and never wanted to let her go.
“I love you, Olie.” I held her tightly. It was the first time I’d said those words to her.
Olie pulled back a little, and her eyes grew wider. Her warm smile said it all. “I love you, too.” The honesty in her tone said she meant it.
“But I love your boots more,” I teased.
Olie giggled. “You’re a boot man.”
“Boot man?” I let out a chuckle. “No,” I countered. “I’m Olie’s man.”
The waitress taking our drink orders broke the silence between us, but when she left, it came back again. Kelly looked at the menu without a word, but the thin line of her lips and the way she wouldn’t look at me told me she was pissed. I debated whether to bring it up first or just let it go, but I didn’t want to start our do-over with a misunderstanding.
“Listen, Olie found out because—”
Kelly held her hand out to stop me. “It’s okay.” She looked up at me, trying to give me a smile, hiding her anger. “I’m sure there’s a good reason.”
I had been sure she would give me hell about it. Enjoying the peace for the moment, I decided not to say anything while we looked over the menu.
“Oh, wow,” Kelly stated. “Look at that. They’re serving swordfish today. Wonder why they call them swordfish? Do you think they stab each other in the back?”
I arched my brows, ignoring her comment, and looked over to Olie’s table when I heard her laugh. The sound made me smile and I wondered what they were talking about. Whatever their conversation involved, I knew Josh was entertaining them.
“So, did you figure out what you want to order or is guilt eating at you?” Kelly asked coolly.
“Kelly...” I gritted through my teeth. “I’m just going to tell you right here and right now. Olie wanted to talk to me, so I went to her place. During our conversation, I told her I was chosen to be Sexiest Man Alive. It just happened.”
Her eyes locked on mine, frowning. “What else did you talk about?”
Either her rude tone or her attitude had ticked me off from the moment we sat, but she pushed the wrong buttons. “That’s between Olie and me,” I answered tersely.
Kelly pressed her lips together and looked down at her menu again. It was a good thing the waitress came back to take our order. The awkwardness between us felt like the calm sea before the deadly storm. After we ordered, the waitress left, leaving Kelly and me staring at our water glasses.
I glanced up again when Josh laughed, even though I told myself I wouldn’t pay attention to that table. He pressed his face against Olie’s shoulder, and Olie’s hand touched his face. He wouldn’t dare hit on her, knowing our history, but jealousy took over. I stiffened and glared at my view. When Josh backed away, Olie turned and our eyes locked. She was a vision of a goddess. With hair cascading down her face seductively and her twinkling eyes full of life, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. Startled by her sweet smile, I froze, and then somehow she melted my annoyance.
Olie wiggled her fingers in midair at me, and Josh gave me a dorky smile. I couldn’t help but smile. I really wanted to bust out laughing, but I had to hold it in. When the waitress came to set our plates down, I shifted back to our table to see Kelly gazing at me disappointedly. I wanted to explain that I was laughing at Josh and leave Olie out, but I decided not to.
Deep inside, I knew Kelly and I wouldn’t make it past the night. We were too far gone. Kelly’s jealousy and my heart not whole from the breakup made a bad combination. Too bad. I really liked Kelly, and perhaps with time, we could’ve built so much more, but she’d killed it.
I refused to feel guilty. I wasn’t purposely looking over to check up on Olie; the atmosphere seemed so much friendlier and livelier at that table. Sometimes, I could tell Kelly looked up at me, but I kept my head down, unwilling to meet her eyes, and sometimes I would look at her to see her head down. We pretty much ate in silence for half the meal until she finally spoke.
“So, you’re the Sexiest Man Alive?” Kelly said out of the blue, as if the gap in time was nonexistent.
“I don’t know how that happened, but I guess I am.” I shrugged, going with the flow to keep the peace.
She dug her fork into the salmon and scooped it up to take a bite. “This is huge. The window of opportunity has opened for you. You might even get some commercial offers or a small acting role. And no doubt, you’ll have women knocking on your door, throwing themselves at you.”
I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t expected her compliments, especially since she seemed pissed off at me. “Thanks,” I said, slicing a piece of steak. “I can’t believe it. It hasn’t hit me yet.”
Kelly gave me a small smile. “I’m going to be leaving town in a couple of days for two weeks on an assignment for Zen in New York. It’s a huge project.”
“That’s great,” I said sincerely, enjoying the peaceful conversation.
She took a sip of her wine and licked her lips. “I guess it’s kind of good that I’ll be out of town. It will give us a chance to re-evaluate what we want. Don’t you think that’s best?”
Though I had thought about how to bring it up, she must have been thinking the same. “Yes, it is.” I replied. “I think we started off great, and then something happened. I think—”
“Nathan,” Kelly cut in. She bit her bottom lip and frowned. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. She did that couple of times and then finally spoke. “What I need is someone who is completely with me, not halfway in the relationship, and that is how I feel with you. I think you’re a wonderful guy,
and you would make a terrific boyfriend, but not for me. I can’t trust how you feel, Nathan. I think you need some closure with Olivia. Maybe you don’t even know it yourself. But I see it in your eyes, your actions. Maybe you’re trying to fight it? I don’t know. But what I do know is that you’re unwilling to commit to me because someone is holding you back.”
My eyes focused on Olie, and my heart thumped with elated beats and hurt at the same time. Kelly was right. I just didn’t want to admit it. I did have unresolved feelings for Olie, the reason why I couldn’t give Kelly a full commitment. At the same time, I didn’t know what I wanted. Could Olie and I ever get past our history? Did she even want me back? Maybe she didn’t know what she wanted, either. I couldn’t go on like this. After dinner, I dropped Kelly at her place. She didn’t invite me in, and I didn’t ask.
“Well, I guess this is it, Nathan.” Kelly looked into my eyes somberly. “I’m going to miss spending time with you. There’s no doubt you’ll go far. I’m sure I’ll see you around on shoots.”
I gave her a kiss on the cheek, knowing it was the best for the both of us. “I don’t deserve you, Kelly. The right guy for you will come along, one who will love only you.”
She nodded, trying to give me a smile. “I know. I’m just sad it wasn’t you.”
As I watched Kelly go inside, a little jab of pain came out of nowhere. Kelly was a great catch; I could have loved her in due time, but we weren’t meant to be. I wished we could have worked things out, but love wasn’t something you could wish for or force. True love was rare and hard to find. It hit you when you least expected, and when it did, you had to be prepared for something amazing to change your whole life forever. And if that love broke, it crushed your soul. You would never be the same again.
Chapter 7
Olivia
I opened my email and checked my assignment again. We were shooting at the Knight Fashion private studio. I was relieved Kelly wasn’t on the assignment, but I wondered who was shooting with me since I didn’t see any names.
When I opened the door to the studio, my heart dropped in shock, and fear ripped through me. Troy had been on my mind, and I wondered when he would call or harass me. He’d been quiet since our last encounter. He hadn’t shown up at my apartment or tried to call me because he knew he’d be shooting me for the Knight Fashion project.
Next to Troy stood Max and Matthew Knight. When they heard the click of my heels, they turned to me.
“Olivia,” Troy said, too cheerfully, and greeted me with a kiss I wanted to scrub off my lips. Had I known he would do that, I would have ducked or punched his face, but it came so unexpected that I froze. Not knowing what to do, and not wanting to cause a scene, I played along.
Max and Matthew gave me warm grins, a way of greeting. They both wore dark gray suits, forming to their drool-worthy bodies. How those two men made the room baking hot, I had no idea. Their presence of power, respectability, and family love made them even more attractive.
“Mr. Knight.” I greeted back with a smile, giving them my attention one at a time.
Troy placed one had around my waist. “Olivia and I worked together before. We’ve been dating for a while.”
Troy’s touch burned, and I wanted to pull away from him, but he had a tight grip on me. Matthew tried not to show it, but I saw a frown on his face, and then it slowly eased. He was probably wondering why I’d never mentioned it to him during our interview before I got hired. Surely anyone would brag about dating Troy McIntosh.
“Olivia is a natural,” Matthew said. “I can see why you took a liking to her.”
“We’re glad to have both of you on board,” Max added.
“Thank you. We’ve been separated by distance, but now we’ll be able to spend some time together.” Troy chuckled happily.
I wanted to gag.
“Yes,” Max said. “Anyway, I’ll leave you two alone. I have a meeting to attend. I just wanted to stop by to say how lucky we are to have this chance to work with you.” Max shook Troy’s hand and walked out the door.
Troy shifted his attention to Matthew. “I admire you and your brother for taking your parents’ business and making it your own. Knight Fashion is well known not just in the US, but also internationally. And creating M. Knight men’s and women’s lines, that was pure genius.”
Troy’s ass kissing made me sick. But I had no right to judge him; maybe he was genuine.
“Thank you,” Matthew said. “Like my brother said, we are excited to have you on board for this assignment.”
“Oh, you won’t be disappointed,” Troy said with a smirk. And there it was. His arrogant attitude.
Matthew didn’t look like he gave a crap what Troy said, though he did give him half a smile. “I hope your work is as good as your reputation. All of our photographers are hired on a project basis only. We like to work with a variety of photographers to get different ideas. After all, each photographer is unique, just like the models.”
“Of course,” Troy agreed.
“Very well. I have a department meeting for this very shoot.” Matthew looked at his watch. “Where are the other models?” Matthew met my gaze. “Olivia, you’re like half an hour early.”
Had I read the time wrong? “I like to come early to the set,” I replied, hoping he couldn’t read my startled expression.
“I see.” He smiled. “Have a great day.” He walked out of the door, leaving me alone with Troy.
Troy picked up the camera from the table and rubbed a cloth on the lens. Without eye contact, he said, “Get undressed, sweetheart, and put on Knight Fashion’s attire.”
Out of the thousands of great photographers out there, why did it have to be Troy?
I snarled, heading to the dressing room. “How did you get a job at Knight’s? Did you threaten them?”
“This hostility between us could have been avoided had you not left me. I still want you, Olivia.”
I opened the dresser and looked over my shoulder. “But I don’t want you, Troy.” I kept my tone calm as if we were having a normal conversation.
“There’s someone else, isn’t there?” He said nonchalantly. “Don’t worry. I’ll find out. You’ll give in and come back to me. All I want is one more chance.”
I couldn’t believe he kept asking after I said no so many times. Did I hear him wrong? How psycho was he? I prayed Nate wouldn’t be there that day or for any session with Troy. Thinking about the previous night, seeing Kelly and Nate together as a couple didn’t sit well in my stomach. Maybe Nate wouldn’t care about Troy. I had to stop thinking. I had to figure out what to do without getting others involved. I didn’t know what Troy would do. It was a delicate matter.
After I got dressed in Knight Fashion women’s underwear and bra, I thought about asking Matthew to place me on another assignment. But then I would have to explain the reasons. I didn’t want to tell anyone that Troy would expose me with naked pictures. It was embarrassing, and Troy being a dick, he might deny everything and make me look like the crazy one. So, I decided to stick it out and do my job. I couldn’t afford to lose the opportunity because of Troy. I slipped on a robe and walked out.
Troy fidgeted with the lens. “Like old times.” When I didn’t respond, he stopped moving. “You know what to do. Don’t be shy. I’ve seen all of you, Olivia.”
I didn’t like his all-knowing tone, as if I shouldn’t be bothered by any of this stuff. Taking off my robe, I glared at him all the way to my mark. His eyes took in every inch of me, making me feel uncomfortable. Even though I wore a long sleeve, button-up shirt to cover some parts of me over the bra and panties, I still felt naked.
“On the bed, sweetheart,” he ordered, looking through the lens. “On your knees.”
I released a long, agitated sigh and climbed on the queen size bed atop the plush duvet. The soft blanket caressed my skin like velvet, but I wanted to hide under the covers. Looking at the camera, I pretended Troy wasn’t there. I hated to admit it, but I’d rather wo
rk with Kelly than Troy.
“That’s it.” Troy clicked away.
“How many?” I murmured, not liking his presence one bit.
He lowered the camera to meet my gaze. “As long as it takes. Now, make love to the camera. Throw your head back. We should try to finish before the others get here.” Troy reached over to the remote. Air from the fan began to blow softly, tousling my hair.
I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could, so I cooperated.
“Open your shirt.” He started to throw a flurry of commands. “That’s it. Expose a little bit more. Turn slightly. Look down. Now, lie down. On your stomach. Lift those beautiful, long legs.”
Troy clicked away, so close that my body started to react unpleasantly to his mere presence. My muscles stiffened, and my heart started to pound faster. I didn’t like the feeling one bit. It got worse when he asked me to flip over on my back. Troy dropped the camera and sat on the edge of the bed practically on top of me.
“Don’t make a sound,” he warned, running his hand up my leg. “I’ve missed you, Olivia. Have dinner with me. I’ll make it better between us.”
“You think one dinner is going to take away what I think of you,” I spat. “You need to move away so I can get up.” I wanted no misunderstanding between us. “I used to really like you Troy. I thought we had something special, but I don’t feel the same as I did when we first dated, and I certainly don’t want to fix anything. I want to be left alone.”
Troy arched his brows, and then with a smirk, he kissed me. I tried to push him away, but his hands pinned my arm against the mattress. How dare he take advantage of me like that? My heart galloped and panic rose, unsure of Troy’s motivation. When he pulled away, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I pulled back to slap him, but I got off the bed instead when voices reached me from the hall. Nathan, Josh, and Isla stood before me.
Oh, crap! The situation looked horrible, especially with me half undressed. They might not know what attire the shoot called for. Nathan’s face went blank with his eyes wide. Josh was the same, except he studied my body a bit too long. Isla looked horrified for me, but at the same time confused. I hoped she didn’t think I was making out with Troy. Oh, God! How much did they see? I would have to ask Isla. My face paled and then turned red. Troy ignored me and went on as usual.
