by Tia Siren
It was a little different than what I was used to, but I liked the idea of working when I wanted to. I could take pictures as I saw them and people could buy when they wanted. It was a little risky, but I had to try. There was always a risk with anything new.
Jasper was spending the morning with his grandpa. Dad had seemed to turn the corner. He was getting his energy back and was eating and sleeping better. I felt completely comfortable leaving the two of them alone. Jasper was fairly self-sufficient and could take care of himself if Grandpa needed a short nap in his chair after working the farm.
I had finally managed to get a couple guys out to help with the bean harvest. They would be coming back the following week to help with the tomatoes and then the corn. Jasper insisted on helping, and of course Dad wanted to assist. I made him promise to take it easy and not stay in the field too long. The fact that he was out there at all was amazing, and I was so happy to see a spark of interest in the farm in his eyes.
I walked along the creek bed, dropping to my knees on occasion to take pictures from a lower angle. I took hundreds of pictures, knowing only a quarter or less of them would be worth posting and selling.
It was close to noon by the time I made my way back to the truck and headed home. When I pulled up in front of the house, I noticed Brock’s truck right away. He hadn’t mentioned he was coming by to see Jasper. I figured he would have kept his distance after dinner last night.
“Hey,” I said when he came out onto the porch.
“Hi. Get some good pictures?” he asked.
“I did. It is so beautiful here. I found this gorgeous stream surrounded by tall grass and trees.”
He was smiling as I talked. “It is very pretty around here.”
“I’m going to go get these on my computer to see if I need to get more. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow. This is my only day to shoot,” I said, climbing the steps up the porch.
“Oh,” he said, looking a little disappointed.
“Why? What’s up? What brings you out here?” I asked.
“I was wondering if you would like a job.”
I laughed. “Have you already fired Anna?”
“No. Not that kind of a job. A photography job.”
“You want me to take pictures?”
He nodded.
“Of what?”
“Land. I have a property I’m going to be selling. I need pictures that really sell the place,” he said.
I assumed it was a favor and reluctantly agreed.
“It pays five hundred dollars,” he added.
“What?” I asked, stunned by the number. “How many pictures do you need?”
He shrugged. “It’s about a hundred acres. There are some heavily wooded areas and a stream that cuts through the area. I don’t know how many pictures. I assumed I would leave that to you. The only request is you photograph the natural beauty of the property. The idea is for someone to see their dream home on the land.”
I nodded. “Got it. I can do that. When?”
He grimaced. “I was hoping for now?”
“Can it wait, like, ten minutes while I review these pictures real quick?”
“Oh, yeah, that’s fine. If you don’t mind, can I see the pictures you took?”
I shrugged. “Sure. They may seem boring to you since you see this scenery every day, but to people that live in the city or other climates, it’s beautiful.”
“I think it is beautiful. I could never get tired of looking at the trees.”
“Good. I’ll grab my laptop. How about you pour us a couple glasses of lemonade and I’ll meet you at the kitchen table.”
We walked in the house and checked on Dad and Jasper. They looked beat. Even Jasper was mellow.
“Hey, guys!” I greeted them. “I need to download these pictures and then Brock has a photography job for me. Dad, are you okay to watch Jasper?” I realized I had no idea where this property was. I turned to Brock. “What time do you think we’ll be back?”
“It should only take about an hour,” he said.
“Of course I can. I think it’s more like he watches me anyway.” Dad winked, smiling at Jasper.
Jasper puffed up with pride. “Yep. I take good care of my grandpa.”
“Perfect. I’m going to grab my laptop,” I said, leaving the men in the room. At least I knew it was safe to leave the three of them alone. I didn’t have to worry about any fighting.
Brock was in the kitchen when I returned. He looked right at home, pouring a couple glasses of lemonade for us and then pouring two more for Jasper and Dad. It was such a normal thing to do. It seemed comfortable. I sat down and opened the laptop before ejecting the memory card from the camera.
“I’m excited to see your work,” Brock said, coming back into the kitchen. “It’s like meeting a celebrity.”
I laughed as he pulled his chair around the table and sat next to me so he could see the laptop screen.
“Don’t get too excited yet. It’s been a long time since I shot landscape. For so long, I’ve been in a studio or working on sets that have been perfectly staged. This is all very raw. The sun can be a fickle beast,” I said.
He shrugged. “I take pictures with my cell phone. That’s the extent of my photography. I’m pretty sure these photos are going to be great by my standards.”
Once all the pictures were downloaded, I opened the file.
“Wow!” Brock exclaimed when I pulled up the first picture.
I studied it and was not impressed. It was not a great picture. It was good, but it wouldn’t make me a thousand dollars. I clicked to the next one, which was similar but taken at a slightly different angle.
“Ash, these are amazing,” Brock said, leaning closer to the laptop.
I laughed. “You should see my work that has made me some money. I’m glad you like these, but I’m not seeing the wow factor. Not yet. Hopefully I have something in here or I’m going to need to try again.”
He was shaking his head. “I would buy this. Who wouldn’t buy this?”
“You’re very sweet. The trick is finding the picture that hasn’t already been taken a million times. There needs to be something that grabs the eye.”
I continued to scroll through the pictures. Brock made sounds of approval as each one popped up.
“There! That’s the one,” I said, excited to have finally found one that was worthy of submitting.
He looked at me, back at the picture, and then leaned over, studying it. “How is that one different than any of the rest?”
“What’s the first thing you saw when you looked at the picture?” I asked.
He shrugged and shook his head. “The water?”
“Okay, and what is it about the water that caught your eye?”
“That rock and the way the water rippled out in perfect circles.”
I smiled. “Exactly. There is something unique about the picture. The scenery and background are gorgeous, but there needs to be something that draws you into the picture.”
Before I knew what he was doing, he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.
“You’re absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to show you this land. I know you are going to sell it with your pictures. You are going to capture the essence of the land and make people want to build their homes out there,” he said.
I nodded, still stunned by the kiss.
“Okay. Let me get through the rest of these and then I’m going to send them to Janna. It should only take a couple minutes and then we can go.”
He smiled. “Take your time. I could look at your pictures all day.”
That made me laugh. “If you did that, we’d never get the land sold and you’d be yelling at me for ruining another one of your big land deals,” I teased.
“That is true. I can’t afford to lose another one.”
We finished browsing the rest of the pictures in the file. Brock insisted I send along a couple that I didn’t feel were all that great. He said he knew a goo
d picture when he saw one. I sent the photos just to satisfy him.
“Let me grab my bag with my other lenses and we can go,” I said, heading for my room.
I needed to put some distance between us. Ever since the kiss, my heart had been beating wildly. Sitting in such close proximity to him and inhaling his cologne was making me a little crazy. If my son and father hadn’t been in the living room, I probably would have climbed on top of him and let him fuck me right there on the kitchen table.
I stopped to splash cool water on the back of my neck and my face. I felt flushed, and it had nothing to do with the heat. It was him. He was making me hot and very bothered. I secretly wished I was dressed a little better, but I hadn’t expected to see anyone, and especially not him. I couldn’t change now. That would be too obvious. We were developing an actual friendship and I didn’t want to risk that for another quickie.
I took a few deep breaths and declared myself ready to go with the man who was making me a little wet and sticky.
“Okay, guys, we’re leaving. Stay inside until I get back,” I ordered them both. “It’s hot out there and you two have spent enough time outside today. Drink water and stay cool.”
“We will, Mom,” Jasper said without looking away from his cars.
Brock wasn’t in the kitchen. I looked through the window and saw him talking to one of the men I‘d hired to help with the harvest. I walked out on the porch, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.
“Ready?” he asked, noticing me standing there.
“I am. Should I follow you?”
“No. I’ll drive. Get in.”
More than happy to let him do the driving, I got in the passenger seat. I wanted to take full advantage of the AC in his truck. With the windows rolled up, I could smell his cologne once again. I tried to think of anything but him inside me, or kissing him, or me pushed up against the wall in his office.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Fine.”
He gave me a peculiar look before accepting my answer and focusing on the road.
Chapter 30
Brock
The road wasn’t exactly a road, but my truck had no trouble cutting through the thick overgrowth. The property had been sorely neglected for years. After speaking with the family again, I learned the man who had lived out here had been a hermit. He rarely left, which explained the lack of a roadway.
“This is really pretty,” Ashley commented, staring out the window.
She had been acting a little strange ever since I’d kissed her. I shouldn’t have done it, but I’d been overwhelmed by her pictures. I had never realized how talented she was. I knew she was good, but the pictures were amazing, even if she didn’t think so. I decided I would Google her online, but instead of looking for news articles, I would search images. I wanted to see her work.
“This is part of the property,” I told her. I don’t think anyone has been out here in some time. Even the people that inherited it haven’t come out to see it. In fact, I’m hesitant to show them the pictures because they’ll likely demand a higher price,” I joked.
“I could take really bad pictures,” she replied.
I laughed. “I think that’s a great idea. I need a good set for the developer and a bad set for the seller.”
“It’s your five hundred dollars.”
“I think we can walk in from here. I don’t want to scratch up my truck.”
She chuckled. “No, no, we wouldn’t want to get your fancy truck scratched. People might discover you live in the sticks and you aren’t a real city boy.”
“Hey now, I have an image to uphold.”
I parked the truck somewhat under a tree and we climbed out. She had her bag with her, which I offered to carry.
“Thank you. I’m going to start here and take a few shots,” she said, aiming her camera at the makeshift roadway we had come in on.
“We’ll head along the south side and make our way around and in,” I said.
She nodded. “Okay. Lead the way.”
We walked and chatted as she paused to take pictures along the way.
“This is really pretty out here. I don’t think you’re going to have any trouble selling this. Is this your new big project? Please don’t tell me you’re going to put condos out here. This is too pretty to destroy.”
I shook my head. “Honestly, that’s what my investor wanted, but I had a meeting this week that I hope persuaded the group to go with my plan.”
“And what’s that?”
“I think dividing it up into luxury homes on ten-acre parcels is a better idea. It will preserve the look of the area and still end up being a lucrative deal,” I said.
She dropped the camera from her face and looked into my eyes. Her brown eyes were warm. I had gotten used to them squinting in anger or arousal. Seeing her like this, looking so natural and comfortable, reminded me of who she used to be. I could see that country girl was still in there even if she’d lived in the city the past six years.
I took in the sight of her perfectly petite body clad in cut-off jean shorts that were dangerously short but not scandalous. Her tiny tank showed off her shapely arms that were much tanner than they had been when she first showed up a few weeks ago. The pink streak in her hair was fading a bit, but I could still see it mixed into the messy bun piled on top of her head.
“I’m glad you’re thinking about the land and our community and not just your bank account,” she said after staring back at me for some time.
“Me too.”
We walked onto the property. A stone structure that looked like it may have been an outdoor kitchen at some point stood before us.
“Wow,” she said excitedly, whipping her camera up to her face.
She was pushing the button and moving around the crumbling stones. She dropped to her knees and took more pictures.
“You’re going to get dirty,” I warned her.
“I don’t care. I’m dressed for it,” she mumbled, her voice muffled by the large camera.
I watched her and debated acting on my urge for about two seconds before dropping next to her in the grassy area.
She lowered her camera and looked at me before licking her lips. “What are you doing?”
“You,” I whispered a split second before leaning in to kiss her.
We kissed for several minutes, my hands on her hips. Hers were around my neck. When I moved closer, the heavy camera poked me in the chest.
“Oops,” she said, pulling the strap over her head and gently placing the camera on the ground.
I lowered her to the grass, propping myself up on one elbow as I lavished her face and neck with kisses. The trees provided enough shade to keep us comfortable as I slowly licked along her collarbone on one side before kissing her again.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured, meaning the words.
She reached down, rubbing my hard cock. “I want you.”
That was all the encouragement I needed. I pulled my shirt over my head while she pulled her own off. She wasn’t wearing a bra. I knew that, but seeing it was entirely different. I would never look at one of those tiny shirts the same way again. My hands went to my jeans and struggled to undo the buttons. Seeing her get naked was making me anxious. I wanted to bury myself in her. I knew there was no risk of anybody coming upon us, but I glanced around to be sure.
She got to her knees and pulled her shorts and panties down before carefully taking them off. I lunged for her, desperate to feel her skin against my own. I laid her back down on the grass.
Her hand went to the middle of my chest. “Something’s poking me,” she said, giggling.
I pulled her up, realizing that position wasn’t such a good idea.
“Get on all fours,” I uttered. My voice was gravely with passion.
Her cheeks flushed a bright pink before she did as I asked. Her perfect ass was bared in front of me. I reached out and palmed one cheek. She shuddered under my touch as I caressed both cheeks befor
e running my hand between her legs. She spread her knees a bit wider, giving me better access to her pussy.
I ran one finger along her clit, feeling the wetness. She moaned and rocked back toward me. I used two fingers to spread her pussy before running one finger inside her. Another shudder and her juices flowed freely down my fingers. I plunged one finger deep inside, stroking in and out, rubbing along her clit as I did.
I was surprised to feel her body tense, already on the verge of a climax. I pushed a second finger in, rubbing and stroking. Her back arched and then rounded out as I pushed deep inside. I could feel her body softening as she crept closer to her climax. I was thrilled at the prospect of bringing her to pleasure more than once and fought back my own release as I continued to finger her sweet pussy.
“Aaah,” she wailed as her body rocked against my thighs, swallowing my fingers deep inside her as she came.
I moved my hand out of the way and pushed my dick in. I waited as her body adjusted to my dick before I pushed in deeper. This position gave me full penetration. My balls pressed against her ass, heightening the pleasure. I moved out slowly before pushing in deep. I circled my hips before thrusting inside her.
Her body jerked forward from the force of my thrust. I could feel her growing wetter and repeated the motion over and over. I reached one hand out to grab that bun on her head and freed her hair. I gently pulled back on a handful of it as I pushed in slow.
A groan crossed her lips, and I knew I was bringing her to the brink again. I tugged her hair back a little harder, bringing her chin up parallel to the ground as I rotated my hips, moving my dick inside her.
“Brock,” she breathed out in ecstasy.
I let go of her hair and grabbed her hips, my fingers digging into her flesh. I couldn’t hold back another second. I had to reach my own release. I felt like I’d explode if I didn’t come. I thrust in, pulled out to the tip of my dick, and jammed into her again and again. Her body rocked forward. I pulled her back against me, settling the backs of her legs on my thighs.
“Brock!” she cried out a split second before she burst over me. Her pussy clenched and squeezed my dick, milking me and pulling my orgasm out of me. I grunted and groaned as I squirted into her. Her body spasmed around my dick, pulling every last drop from me.
