“Stay focussed. We don’t have all day to catch this light.”
They snuggled for several more poses and then Kelly leaned her head against his chest. The photographer shouted for her to look dreamy so she closed her eyes and let her lips fall open. She sighed and relaxed against him, before Dean’s hands slipped down and cupped her bottom.
Her eyes flew open as he gave a hard squeeze. She yanked herself out of his grip and took two steps away. “What the hell are you doing Dean?” The photographer cursed and berated them, but his voice faded into the background. “Why would you do that?” Hands on hips, she stared at him, waiting for his answer.
Instead of an apology, he burst out laughing. “Well, look at you. I thought I’d test whether you’re back on the market. Seems not.” He crossed his arms and gave her a knowing look. “Interesting.”
“How is this a test? I wasn’t interested in you before and I’m still not. It doesn’t mean I’m not single, you idiot.”
He frowned as her words sank in. “Hmm… maybe. I did tell Nate that you never look twice at anyone.”
Kelly threw up her hands and turned away. “Ugh. Don’t mention his name!” She stormed across the sand, making for the tent where she changed her clothes. With three more outfits still to photograph, time was running out. A few minutes later, she stomped in the other direction in a different swimsuit, ready to do battle. Between Dean behaving oddly, and the bossy photographer, this shoot couldn’t be over fast enough.
“Right. I want sexy. I want fun and romance from you two. No more angst. Look like you mean it before I lose my mind.”
Dean held out his hand. “I’m sorry. I was out of line. Don’t be awkward with me and don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not remotely interested in you like that.”
“I’m so glad.” She placed her hand in his and let him pull her into their next pose. They pressed together, following directions and gazing into the camera. Silence filled the beach as the required shots filled the memory card and clipped instructions came from behind the camera. Her back was to the camera when she said, “I thought I might have to start avoiding you.”
“Not at all. I just hate to see you both so unhappy.”
“I’m not unhappy.”
“Okay. Whatever you say. I am sorry, though.” Dean placed his chin on her shoulder for the next shots. His hands carefully found their position on her bare back and he ignored the cameraman’s instructions to put his hands inside her swimsuit.
Tucked into his shoulder her words almost made him laugh. “Oh, fuck no! Ignore everything he’s saying. He can fire me if he likes, but you are not doing any of that.”
He grinned and pulled her close instead and the shutter clicked again, over and over before they were allowed another break. As they headed toward their tents to change again, a voice called out behind them. “You better do what I say on the next one.”
***
Two hours later, the light was fading and Dean and Kelly were both tired. Tight lipped, they returned to the sand where a blow-up pool had been set up. Kelly eyed the red liquid she could see moving inside the pool. “What the hell is that?”
“Jelly.”
“Are you serious? Where will we clean up once we’re covered in Jelly?”
“Not both of you. Dean, I want you to stay right out of the pool. I want lots of shots of you reaching out to Kelly and trying to pull off her bikini top.”
“What?” Dean’s incredulous stare turned to the big-name photographer. “I’m not pulling off her clothes.”
Kelly agreed. “He’s definitely not pulling off my bikini. No one said anything about nudity. We’re not being paid for that.”
“Come on, you two, act professional. You’ve been mucking around all day and the light is almost gone. Can we just get this finished so we can all go home?” He slouched behind the camera, leaning heavily on one leg, glaring at them and pointing to the pool. When they stared silently back, he took it as agreement. “Into the pool, Kelly.”
She looked at Dean and he winked at her. “Come on, let’s get this over with. I promise I won’t do anything weird. Think of all the fun we’ve had on all the other shoots together. We can laugh about this tonight when I take you out and ply you with wine.”
“I’m going to need more than wine to wipe this day from my memory. I wish I had some now, actually.” She grinned as she stepped into the pool, gripping his hand so she didn’t slip over. “Oh, it’s cold.” Her frown turned on the man waiting for them to get into position. “Did you freeze this or something?”
“We had to keep it in jelly form, so it had to be refrigerated. It’ll help with the shots if you’re cold anyway. When he pulls on your bikini top it’ll show—”
“Hold on. Don’t you dare even say it.” Dean took a step toward him and Kelly pulled hard on his hand.
“It’s not worth it, Dean. Come on, let’s keep it together for a few more minutes.”
“He wants to see—”
“I know what he wants.” She lowered her voice. “He wants a punch in the damn face! Just focus on me, okay? We’ll get through this and we can put in a complaint about him afterward.”
They began with Dean’s hands casually around her waist. Their stance was awkward with him on the sand and her inside the small pool. After a few moments directions were hurled at them to turn this way and that, each position more risqué than the last. Dean whispered an apology to her as his finger slipped inside her bikini strap. Their chatter eventually died down and Dean’s smile got tighter and tighter. As he stood facing her, his hands tugging on the thin black strings, the tiny patches of material barely covering her breasts, he gasped as a single tear trickled down her cheek.
“That’s it. We’re done.”
“No, I need two more shots,” the confident voice of someone who is unaware of the surprise coming their way, rang out.
“You’re not getting another damn second of us on film,” Dean snapped as he grabbed a nearby sarong and wrapped it around Kelly’s shoulders. “She’s done. I’m done. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with our agent.” He indicated that Kelly should leave and she turned with a quiet sob and headed for her tent. As she left the area she heard Dean raise his voice again. “What the hell is your game, man? If you want erotic shots you need to put the details in the contract and pay for them. You don’t get this stuff for free.”
“I’m paying the bill. I get whatever I want.”
“Well, you don’t get this.” Dean’s next words hissed out as she paused with the floppy tent entrance over her arm. “I won’t work with you again. We’re done.”
Not waiting to hear the reply, she burst into her private space and wasted no time pulling the strings to discard the dreaded bikini. Her legs were stained from the red jelly and she bent over to examine the marks. Her skin was sticky but she’d never received an answer about where to clean up. “I guess I’ll be doing that at home.” As the words left her mouth someone stepped into the tent behind her. She covered her breasts and looked over her shoulder to find the man who’d shouted at her all day standing behind her. “Can you wait until I’m dressed please?”
“I thought we could discuss today.” He took a step forward as she frowned in his direction.
“We can, but I need to get dressed first.”
“Okay.” His conversational tone belied the implied threat in the air. He made no move to turn or look away, just stared at her.
“Can you turn around, please?” Kelly fought to keep her voice from wobbling. Her eyes flicked to the opening of the tent right behind him. He took another step forward, ignoring her words.
If I scream for Dean will he even hear me?
“You need to turn around, or you need to leave.” Pride that her voice sounded strong filled her, but she knew she was close to losing control. “I mean it.”
“Do you?” He stepped forward again and now he was close enough to touch her arm. Fear seeped through her bones as she
realised he had no intention of leaving of his own volition. His fingers grazed her elbow and a lazy grin spread across his features as he leaned forward and whispered, “I sent your friend back to the van in the carpark. We have a few minutes together before he returns.”
The blood drained from her face and her tormentor chuckled. Panic descended on her and a chill spread down her back. Tears pricked her eyes as the full realisation hit her.
If I’m getting out of this, I’m on my own.
Kelly yanked her elbow away from his hand and made herself stand up straight. “If you come any closer, I’ll make you wish you never booked me for this job.”
“Oh, as if you could—” His words were cut short as Dean pushed open the tent flap and took two steps inside, in what seemed like one movement. He yanked the black shirt backward and delivered a hard punch to the smarmy jaw of the man he’d been forced to endure all day.
“Get the hell away from her!” He shouted, dragging him toward the flap of the tent. He pulled it aside and threw the man out onto the sand. “You better not be here when I reappear. If you’ve harmed one single hair on that woman’s head I’m coming after you.” The other man stared at him until he growled in a murderous tone, “You better move.” As he picked himself up and scurried away, Dean turned back and re-entered the tent.
As expected, Kelly was collapsed on the floor, sobbing.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. He’s gone. I’m here.” She crouched down, still covering herself with her hands. “Let’s get you dressed and home.” He quickly reached for her clothing that she’d hung neatly on a rack when they’d first arrived. Through tears and racking sobs, he helped her dress, averting his eyes and talking to her in a quiet voice.
“It’s alright. It’s going to be alright. Did he—?”
“No. But only because you showed up.” She picked up her bag and turned to him, eyed red from crying. “Thank you so much. If you’d been any longer I—” More tears trickled down her cheek and he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.
“Is this just about today?”
“Of course.” She sobbed. “What else would it be about?”
“Well, it’s just that I’ve seen you put up with worse than what this idiot put you through today. I can’t help but wonder if it’s about Nate.”
Tears filled her eyes again, and she turned away, swiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. “It’s not about him. Trust me.”
“Alright. I’ll take you home. But if this is even a little bit about Nate, you should be honest with yourself Kel.” He rubbed her arms from behind. “I totally understand if it has nothing to do with him, though. Today has been hard and I saw how scared you were when I walked in.”
“It doesn’t matter, anyway. I’ve already ruined my chances with Nate, though today has me wondering why I coveted this job so much. We haven’t spoken in two weeks. I blew it.”
“Not necessarily. Why don’t you call him?”
“No. I can’t. I said some awful things and told him he was selfish, and he accused me of being a coward.” She turned and sobbed onto Dean’s shoulder and then pulled back. “Of course, he was probably right about that part but anyway, I’m sure he’s making plans that don’t include me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. I’m not normally one to play the matchmaker, but I think you’d be surprised, if you just gave him a call.”
She sniffed. “Do you think?” She teased her lip with her teeth and sniffled again. “What would I say?”
“I’m staying out of that part.” He raised his hands and made a face. “I would suggest you make the call, though.”
“Will you help me?”
Dean groaned and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They left the tent and headed toward his car while he jingled his keys wildly in front of him. “I’m going to regret this. Let me drive you home and we’ll have a little chat about old Nate and what he’s been up to these past weeks.”
Chapter 16
“Nate! Nate!”
Oh, Jesus Christ, not again! Not on my last day!
The noise level from the front reminded him of the day the dogs had invaded all those weeks ago. Even as he rushed around his desk and steeled himself for whatever was making that noise, he had a moment of sadness thinking about the hot blonde in the red dress he’d met that day. Meeting Kelly had changed him, and now she was gone. He slipped his keys into his pocket and an involuntary smirk graced his lips.
I’ve changed so much that today I’ll willingly hand over the keys. No heroics on the last day.
He rounded the corner to the waiting area and stopped dead. Helium balloons, coloured streamers and a large group of people filled the space. His mouth fell open while his eyes skated to the front door. Someone had closed and locked it; he could see a handmade ‘closed’ sign stuck to the window, too.
Totally against bank policy.
The cheer that went up a moment after his arrival made him smile. Eight years of working with these people was about to come to an end and, while he was excited to fly out of the country next week, he was overwhelmed with nostalgia for his time here. Despite the changes and the way that it had ended, he would miss this branch and the people who worked here.
Samantha pressed forward through the crowd, clutching an envelope and a bottle of wine. She stood next to him and cleared her throat as he rolled his eyes. The group laughed and she put up her hand for silence.
“Well, Nate, the day has finally come. You’re about to be rid of us!” Everyone shouted and cheered, then Samantha waited for them to quiet down again. “We know you didn’t want any fuss, but when have we ever done anything you said, anyway?”
Laughter spread through the crowd and someone at the back shouted, “Certainly not that time you banned us from having birthday cake!”
“Don’t remind me about the birthday cake incident,” Nate smiled while Samantha laughed and turned back to the crowd.
“Does everyone remember when Nate arrived, newly minted as a branch manager, and told us we were wasting time whenever we had birthday celebrations?”
“Yeeeeeesssss!” the entire room shouted as Nate bowed his head.
“As I said, we ignored you and continued our cake tradition, sometimes in secret, sometimes blatantly leaving crumbs on your desk.”
“Wait, that was from birthday cake?” Nate laughed as Samantha nodded. “I knew you were still doing it. I didn’t know you ate in my office!”
“Well, what you didn’t know didn’t hurt you, did it? And we loved everything else you did for us. Or to us!” She inclined her head at the crowd, “So do we give him his present or what?” The group shouted their approval and Samantha turned to Nate and held out the envelope. “This is a small token of our appreciation for the last eight years. We’re going to miss you so much. Make sure you keep in touch once you’re swanning around the world, too. We don’t want to be forgotten.” She gave him the envelope and held out the bottle of wine. “This is to drown your sorrows tonight when you realise how great we are and how much you’re going to pine for us.”
Amid the laughter, Samantha engulfed him in a tight hug. Nate opened his card and read through the comments in between individual congratulations from the assembled group. He’d wondered at the room full of people, when there weren’t nearly this many people employed at his branch. Long term customers had come to say goodbye as well as ex staff who’d moved on. Ruben, Jasper, Dean and Chris, who all had loans through the bank heckled him from the back of the room. He laughed and smiled his way through each greeting until someone shouted, “Speech! Speech!”
Nate was pushed back to the front and the shouts of ’speech’ continued until he put his hand up like Samantha had. “Okay, quiet down. I’m still your boss, some of you, for another two hours.” Laughter filled the room as he thought about what to say. “I just want you to know that if this branch hadn’t been on the chopping block, I’d never have considered leaving any of you. We’ve had plenty of fun
and I hope you’ve enjoyed the years as much as I have. I promise I’ll keep in touch, though it might be sporadic once I leave. My only regret is that I won’t be here for the big party once it’s time to close. You’ll have to Facebook me some photos.”
He grinned at the group and took a step back when someone shouted, “Oh, we have one more gift!”
“You guys! There was no need for all this fuss!”
“Trust me, you’ll want this one,” Samantha said as another envelope was passed to the front. Nate took it and flicked open the tab. He slid out the paper inside and frowned as he tried to work out what they’d given him.
Inside was an airline ticket, for a moment he suspected it was just a printed paper made to look like a ticket. The name printed on the ticket made him no sense. Kelly Foster’s name stared back at him as he looked at Samantha. “I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t,” she laughed and Nate frowned at her. Awkward jokes were always Samantha’s idea of fun and now he found himself on the receiving end of this one. He’d seen this play out enough times to know that she’d let it go on for a few minutes before she put him out of his misery, so he was pleasantly surprised when she turned to the group and said, “Everyone knows what comes next, right?”
There were mutters and laughter as the entire group turned around to face away from him. He watched their backs with a perplexed expression until a voice spoke behind him. “Hey, the party started without me.”
He turned and couldn’t hide his shock. Blonde hair. A wide smile.
God I’ve missed that smile…
“Kelly! What are you doing here?” An involuntary step carried him toward her—one he couldn’t stop if he tried. “I thought you were in Perth.”
“Tracking me, huh?” she grinned and closed the distance between them. “Why do you think I’m here, Nate?”
He ignored the snickers coming from the group behind him. A group that were now sure to be sneaking glances over their shoulders. “This ticket has your name on it.” He held up the paper.
Tight Ass! Page 8
