by Ashlyn Chase
“You drive a hard bargain. What do you want to know about it?”
“How old is it and what are the specs?”
“Do you want it for documents and the internet or for art and photography?”
Talking about her as if she weren’t there annoyed her, so Lizette piped up. “I want it for photographing nudes.”
The guy raised his eyebrows. “Well, then you might rather have an Apple product. They’re better for artistic stuff.” He eyed her up and down. “I have a newish Mac that just came in.”
Colin placed a protective arm around Lizette’s shoulder. “Can we see it?”
“Sure. I have a guy in the back who can show it to you.” He opened a door behind him and yelled, “Hey, Jim. Can you show this guy the Mac?”
A voice called back, “Sure. Send him in.”
Colin looked conflicted about leaving Lizette’s side. Another thing that annoyed her. She pushed his shoulder. “Go. I’ll be fine here for five minutes.”
He must have received the tone of her message since he let go of her and walked around the counter to enter the back room.
As soon as Colin was out of sight, the guy behind the counter handed her a business card and said, “Hey, if you ever have any questions about the equipment that your boyfriend can’t answer, give me a call. Unless you’re afraid to. He seems like the jealous type.”
“Of course I’m not afraid.” The very idea! Lizette glanced at the card. It showed the name of the shop and “Hank Peterson, Proprietor”. She thought his title sounded pretentious for a pawnshop owner, but whatever… She tucked the card in her pocket.
“You know,” he said, “you might want to call me anyway. I can teach you a few things that will impress him.”
“Hmmm…I’ll think about it. Thank you.” He probably wasn’t as interested in teaching her how to use a computer as he was in getting into her pants, but she knew how to handle men.
* * * * *
Back at Lizette’s apartment, Colin helped her set up her new computer and printer in the bedroom and a makeshift studio in the living room. She had him push furniture around into three different configurations and he seemed about to protest when she decided the layout met her needs.
Her round dinette and two straight-back chairs found a corner in the kitchen to occupy. Her overstuffed chair and sofa came away from the wall and faced the TV, which was now on the opposite side of the room from where it had been. He said it was less of an eyesore since it was no longer the first thing a person saw when they walked in. Eyesore, indeed. Now the first thing a person saw upon entering was a big empty space.
“And where will you keep your camera equipment?” Colin asked.
“Where I always do. In my closet.”
“Okay. If you want professional results, you’ll need some special lights. They’re usually very large and bright. You need to be able to set them up and move them around to either eliminate shadows or cast the shadows you want.”
She sighed and her face crumpled. “More money. You’ve already spent too much.”
“Photography can be expensive. Professional photographers spend thousands on all kinds of gizmos and props. Different cameras and lenses to capture different images. Whole darkrooms. You don’t need to go that route. Lighting is basic, though.”
When she didn’t respond, he jumped in front of the long, white wall and stood about a foot away from it.
“Do you see the shadows I’m casting against this wall?”
“Yes, but, so what? Everything casts shadows. That’s why I decided to replace my lace curtains with solid ones. The shadows looked like spiders. Shadows are part of nature but I prefer spiders outside.”
“Do you have a magazine around? Maybe a fashion magazine?”
She sighed and reached under her coffee table where she found the current copy of Vogue.
She tossed it to him.
Colin took the magazine and thumbed through it. “Here we go.” He handed it to her open to a page with an anorexic model standing in long shadows. The ad was for shoes and the only part not in shadow were the beautiful stilettos.
“What does that prove?”
Colin took the magazine back and pointed to the shadows. “Here, the photographer wanted to show shadows and he accomplished that with his lighting. Suppose you want to show shadows like that to convey a certain mood or accent one thing while obscuring another.”
“Okay, I understand. But how much will professional lights cost? I didn’t see any at the pawn shop.”
“I’ll see if I can find some on the internet. Or maybe there’s a used camera shop somewhere in the city.”
“I have a Yellow Pages,” she offered. She strode to the small cabinet that held her telephone and reached into the drawer. The thick Seattle Yellow Pages looked promising. There had to be a used camera place in there.
“Okay, what do I look under? Lights? Cameras? Action?”
Colin smiled. “Photography.”
She flipped through until she arrived at the page and dragged her finger down as she scanned. Eventually, she turned the page and repeated the process. Finally, she pointed to one spot and said, “Bingo!”
Colin strolled over to see what she had found. The ad was for a place in the low-rent district—a place he didn’t want her going alone.
“Good. I’ll take you.”
“I can go by myself.”
“No, you really shouldn’t.”
“But if you come, you’ll want to buy it for me.”
He paused. It was true. He admired her wish to be independent. It seemed as if his worry over being forced to support her as a mistress was unfounded. “I can let you pay for what you can afford, but do me a favor and don’t go to that area alone. It isn’t safe for a woman.”
“Oh.” She smiled up at him. “You know something? You’re a pretty handy guy to have around.”
“You mean you’re not just using me for sex?”
“Oh, that too, of course.”
Her sly grin told him she was kidding, but his cock suddenly didn’t care if she wasn’t. He snaked his arm around her and pulled her close. “I want to make love to you right now.”
“Even before our shopping trip? It’s getting dark. If the neighborhood isn’t safe for a woman alone during the day, it’s probably not safe for anyone at night.”
“You’re right.” But he hadn’t been kidding about wanting to be inside her right that minute. He wanted her with more passion than he’d ever felt for another woman and he usually wanted to get laid, plenty.
Colin slid a finger down her cheek and under her chin. Tipping her head up to his, he kissed her long and slow. She responded in kind.
The words “I love you” popped into his head. Shocked, he wondered where that had come from and pushed it to the back of his mind.
When their lips parted, she breathed heavily. And opened her eyes slowly. A soft glow seemed to emanate from them.
“Colin?”
He held his breath. What was she going to say? What if her mind conjured up the same words… No, stop projecting, dumbass…just listen to what she has to say.
“Yes?”
“Can we make love on the floor in front of the long wall? I’d like to watch the shadows of our bodies and see what they look like.”
He laughed, partly at himself. That certainly hadn’t been what he’d expected her to say. “Of course we can. Do you want a mattress on the floor so it’s more comfortable?”
“I don’t know,” she said breathlessly. “Will it take long to put it there?”
Lizette, obviously as aroused as he was, wanted to get horizontal quickly. Colin jogged to the bedroom, pulled off the mattress, bed sheets and all, and dragged it to the living room. Then he pulled a couple of condoms out of his pocket.
“How close do you want to be to the wall?” he asked.
“Right next to it. No. On second thought, leave enough room for our feet. Maybe we can fuck standing against the wall and I ca
n see what that looks like too.” She smiled and winked.
Dear God. If she isn’t naked in fifteen seconds, I’ll tear her clothes off. “Strip,” he ordered in a husky voice.
She giggled and did as he asked, complete with the gyrating hips. Then she started humming a boom-chicka-boom tune and he thought he’d die if he wasn’t balls-deep and pumping frantically within seconds.
Colin tore his clothes off as fast as he could and tackled her onto the mattress. She landed, laughing.
“Dear Lord, woman. Do you know what you do to me?”
Ever the flirt she grinned and placed her arms around his neck. “No. Tell me.”
“You drive me to distraction. I can’t think of anything but getting you naked and fucking you senseless.”
He kissed, nipped and sucked her neck from her ear to her collarbone and continued down to where her almost-bared breasts lay. He removed her bra quickly and tossed it to the opposite side of the room. Then he fastened onto her nipple and sucked greedily.
Lizette moaned and arched beneath him. “Oh God,” she whispered.
He sucked that breast thoroughly, then switched to the other. She writhed and moaned louder. “Colin,” she whimpered. “I feel like I could come right now.”
Not if he had anything to say about it and he most certainly did. His cock was more than ready and he knew she could take it if he hammered her now—but he wanted to stand out despite her extensive years of experience.
Never had a woman’s response been so important to him. He wanted her to remember him long after he was gone.
“Not yet,” he dropped a kiss on her nipple and hauled himself back up to look into her eyes. “We have shadows to play with, remember? Wait, you can cast a shadow, right?”
He couldn’t help grinning when her eyes narrowed. She’d get even and he’d look forward to it. But it was his turn now.
Rolling to his side, he came up on his elbow to look at the wall and almost climbed right back on top of her. She cast a shadow, all right, and it was one of the most erotic things he’d ever seen.
Her nipples were hard, pointed tips begging for his mouth. He leaned down and stuck his tongue out, keeping an eye on the wall to watch their shadows play out the scene. She moaned and arched against his lips. He gave her another lap and backed off until she relaxed again.
“Turn your head and look at us,” he directed.
The second she did, he licked her nipple again, loving that he got the same reaction from her as before. Only this time he brought his index finger to her arched belly and circled her navel. Then he slowly, knowing she watched the progress as he did, slid down farther until the tip disappeared in the shadow of her slit.
“Mon dieu!” She jolted and gasped. When he pressed his finger pad to her clit, her moans turned to cries and she shook like an earthquake, but she didn’t take her eyes off the wall.
Neither did he. Not when he went lower still and thrust that finger, then two, deep inside her, or when he spread her legs and climbed between them and watched his tongue approach.
His view was cut off when he made contact, her soft thighs enclosing his face. He let himself get lost in her scent, her sweet taste and the constant gasps and moans she couldn’t hold back. Knowing she watched their shadows blend on the wall as her body rose against him in spasm again and again.
“Colin…” she breathed, as she finally quieted.
He reluctantly lifted his head.
Her smile had a hint of devilment, making him wonder what he was in for—and hoping she would get to it quickly.
In no time at all, he was the one on his back while she kissed her way down his body. At the last second he remembered to turn his head to watch their shadows dance and he had to wonder if he was going to make it through the first lick. It was coming any second now and so might he—
Her shadow leaned down and enveloped his cock. If he hadn’t had one eye on her as well, she’d be scraping him off the ceiling. Even knowing she didn’t make contact, he couldn’t help sucking in his breath and pulling away.
“Not what I had in mind,” he said.
“I just wanted to make sure you could see my shadow. Is this better?” She leaned down again and let the tip of her tongue tickle the smooth head of his cock.
“Yes!” She took him all the way to the back of her throat and Colin once again marveled at how good she was at this. Experience wasn’t always a bad thing.
Oh God, watching the shadows as she slowly slid her lips up and down his length was more than he could handle. He tore his gaze from the wall, only to find it was worse watching it live between his legs. “Lizette, please. I want to come inside you.”
She looked like he was taking away her favorite toy, but she pulled back with a quick kiss to the tip of his cock.
“Colin…” she breathed.
“Yes, love?”
She hesitated.
Uh-oh. Maybe my sweet talk stunned her. “I—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. I didn’t say I love you, I was just using it as an endearment.”
She propped herself up on one elbow and scrutinized him. “I wasn’t upset about it. Why? Were you?”
“No, not at all. I—uh…just thought since you didn’t say anything when I used that pet name, maybe I shocked you.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “No. That wasn’t it. I just didn’t have anything else to say. I just wanted to say your name when I finally caught my breath.”
“Oh.” He felt like an idiot, but at least he could call her by that endearment without worrying about boiled rabbits or her taking it the wrong way. Or was it the right way? It felt so natural and right when he said it. Again, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and pulled her down to plant a hot kiss on her lips.
She took his breath away when she kissed him. Something about the way she swirled her tongue around his and then sucked as she pulled it out of her mouth. No one had done that to him before. Something deep in his gut turned inside out when he was with her.
“I want to be on top,” she announced when they broke apart.
Colin smiled. Woman on top was a powerful position pleasure-wise, even for a control freak like himself, so he was more than ready if she was. “Please, by all means.”
She straddled him and positioned his cock directly under her glistening opening. Then she sank down on it and they moaned together.
She began to move slowly. “I wish you’d let me take pictures of us making love, but I think I need more equipment for that.”
He laughed. “I have all the equipment I need right here.” The vision of you on top, making love to me, will be burned into the film of my brain forever.
She increased her rhythm, threw back her head and moaned again.
“Colin…”
He didn’t answer. It seemed as though she breathed his name just to say it, as she had done before and didn’t need a response. He caressed her breasts and delighted in her little gasp.
“Mon dieu. I love that,” she cooed.
“Me too.” Colin could feel the pending eruption build at the base of his spine. He let go of her breasts and held onto her waist. Pummeling her the way he wanted to— no, needed to—would require his leverage as well as hers.
She seemed light as a feather and he lifted her with ease, then brought her down upon his erection. Suddenly afraid for her delicate build, he asked, “Am I hurting you?”
“No, I’m fine. Please keep going.” She seemed breathless. He could barely hold his lust in check, but he had to. She might not have been truthful about the pain, or lack of it.
Lifting her and sliding her wet cunt over his cock felt wonderful—incredible. Then she began to rub her own clit and he almost lost it. She howled with need as he pumped into her, while trying to hold back the full power of his excitement and thus his climax. Stalling it like this was sweet agony.
Lizette’s inner muscles clenched just as she bucked and cried out her joy. His multi-orgasmic partner had come a s
econd time but he knew he’d never make it through her third—at least not now. He let himself loose, pistoning in and out of her heat until he erupted like a volcano. Jerking and grunting with his own blissful release, he felt as if all his bones had left his body. He and Lizette melted together as one.
Several minutes later, she rolled off him and asked, “Colin?”
“Yes?”
“Stay the night with me. Please?”
He propped himself on his elbow and studied her face. He saw only hope shining in her eyes. No guile or ulterior motives. The idea of sleeping with Lizette in his arms sounded pretty sweet to him too.
He brushed a stray curl away from her cheek. “Yes. I’ll stay.”
Chapter Six
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Sigmund Freud
Colin had finally agreed to let her photograph him, though he’d talked her out of doing it while they were having sex. She was nuts for thinking they could make love and art at the same time. Every time either one of them was naked, the inevitable soon followed. She chuckled to herself. If I do this for a living, I’ll need a model to get anything done at all.
“Look toward the windows. I want the light on your face.”
“Only if I can twist my body the other way so it’s in shadow.”
Lizette popped her head up over her viewfinder.“Don’t tell me you’re ashamed of that beautiful body!”
“Not ashamed. Just self-conscious.” He twisted so his body was shaded the way he was comfortable. “Even men can be a little shy about exposing the full Monty.”
“The full what?”
He smiled. “That’s an expression that means complete nudity.”
“Ah, but that’s silly. The human body is art—especially one like yours, Colin.” She ducked behind her camera and centered his gorgeous figure through the viewfinder. Then she began clicking and moving to capture different angles.
