Anything But Vanilla

by Ellis, Madelynne

  She’d opted for another outfit that displayed her legs, this one a butterfly-covered sundress that hugged her breasts and waist, then fanned over her hips to gently fall halfway down her thighs. A pair of wedge-heeled sandals that helped emphasise the length of her legs completed the ensemble. She took a hesitant step towards Zach, an apology already halfway to her lips, before her gaze slid sideways to where Ric stood with one elbow propped against the shelf of lighthouse moneyboxes.

  He could almost hear her thoughts; she projected the OMG part so well. It couldn’t be easy facing them together, not when you had to apologise to one for standing him up in order to screw the other. She took another hesitant step. Stopped, and then nervously moistened her lips.

  Zach was many things, and he liked to include gentleman among them. Admittedly, he’d been mighty pissed off last night, and he was still narked at Ric now, but he wasn’t about to take his frustration out on Kara. He knew firsthand exactly how persuasive Ric could be when he put his mind to it. Who could blame her for falling into his trap? He didn’t. Not really. Nor did he fancy making a big deal of it now. The fact was that if you were on Liddell Island then you were fair game as far as inclusion in Ric’s naughty games went. If you didn’t like that, you didn’t live here.

  ‘Good morning, again,’ Ric remarked ending the awkward silence.

  There he was, Mr Smooth, showing off his charms. Sometimes he wondered if they’d work quite so well if Ric had a bust nose, but he didn’t really want to hurt him in order to find out. He wasn’t even demanding that Ric become monogamous, just that he accepted some form of commitment between them. He didn’t want to be grouped up with Ric’s meaningless shags any more. After nearly seven years, he deserved more than that.

  What did briefly give Zach pause was the ‘again’ in Ric’s sentence. He glanced over his shoulder at him, rage filling him up. The bastard had actually spent the night with her. If that wasn’t meant purely to provoke him, he didn’t know what was. He was about to let his anger out, when he realised that Kara didn’t actually seem all that pleased to find Ric here. A fact she displayed by gawping at him, while she rocked slowly on her wedge heels.

  OK, time he worked some Zach magic and put everyone at their ease before any fireworks went off. Namely, his. He crossed to where Kara stood and wrapped her in a hug. Then he smacked a chaste kiss on her cheek and launched into an explanation of why he’d stood her up – not that he had – so that she didn’t have to feel so bad about it any longer.

  ‘So, you were stuck on the mainland until this morning?’ Her eyes opened wide with hope.

  ‘That’s right,’ he agreed. She hadn’t been on Liddell Island long enough to work out the cycle of tides and hence recognise his affirmative for the outright lie it was.

  Ric gave him an intrigued frown, clearly puzzled by the deception. He’d just have to keep on wondering about it too, because Zach wasn’t about to spill the details.

  Kara blew out a sigh of relief. She gave him an enormous grin and mussed his hair. ‘That’s all right, another time.’

  ‘Yeah, absolutely. I hope your evening wasn’t too dull.’

  ‘It was … it was OK.’ She wrinkled her forehead as she spoke, and kept her gaze firmly to the right of Ric.

  Zach turned to face his lover, pleased to see hard lines etched into his expression. ‘OK’ was damning praise whichever way you looked at it, and Ric did so like to flaunt his sexual prowess. What Zach wasn’t prepared for was the genuine hurt blackening the centre of Ric’s eyes.

  It wasn’t like Ric to care that much. Unless he’d genuinely decided Kara was special.

  Zach’s heart started beating overtime at the possibility. Could Ric … could he be falling for someone else?

  ‘Are you free, or what?’ Ric snarled. He pushed away from the display case, dislodging a few cuddly starfish in the process. ‘The day’s wasting, and if you’re not I need to find somebody else.’ He didn’t look at Kara.

  ‘Yes, I guess I am,’ Zach replied. ‘Let me lock up.’

  ‘Oh, you’re going somewhere?’ Kara said, clearly intrigued. ‘I’d come for some more coffee, but there was no one in the van.’

  ‘Sorry, coffee shop is closed.’

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘He’s posing for me,’ Ric remarked, having somehow managed to insert himself between Zach and Kara. ‘I suppose you’d like to come along.’

  ‘Well, only if it’s no trouble.’ She smiled up at Ric.

  ‘Whatever,’ he drawled. ‘But you’ll have to make your own coffee. And don’t go distracting him.’

  CHAPTER NINE

  Did it feel awkward strolling up to the fort with the two of them? Maybe a little, but not once did Kara consider changing her mind about tagging along. She still felt bad about not waiting home for Zach and for getting frisky with Ric instead, but not too bad. After all, it turned out she hadn’t really done anything wrong, since Zach had stood her up. Plus, it wasn’t like she had an agreement with either of them. Moreover, some things simply outweighed embarrassment, this being one of them. Ric and Zach: one holding the camera, the other making love to it, and both of them sexy as hell. She didn’t even mind that she ended up making the coffee.

  Armed with three pint-sized mugs balanced on a tray, Kara made her way up the winding staircase to Ric’s studio. She wasn’t really sure what she’d expected, maybe some soft music playing in the background, lots of mood lighting and some kind of rail of clothing. Instead, the large studio had been reduced by lighting to cosy intimacy. Dust motes swirled in the air, visible in the glow thrown by the lamps. However, much of the room lay in shadows. Ric had drawn the blinds across the window, blocking all but a few shafts of sunlight that formed vivid slashes on the black slate floor.

  The two men were by the window. Ric held the viewfinder of his weighty camera pressed to his eye. Zach looked no different to how he’d been when they’d arrived. His hair remained tousled by the wind, lending him a dishevelled charm. His clothing still consisted of a shirt and a pair of frayed jeans. Only when Kara examined him more closely did she realise that he’d removed his shoes and socks, so that his bare toes were curled against the floor tiles.

  ‘Put the tray down over there, and stay out of the way.’ Ric absently waved her towards a small coffee table and a collection of leather pouffes. Dutifully, Kara deposited the tray as instructed, then added milk and sugar to order while the men got to work. Unfortunately, her position didn’t give her much of a view of the action.

  ‘Where do you want this?’ she asked, holding Ric’s drink towards him.

  ‘Just leave it there.’ His camera made a whirr each time he pressed the button, resulting in a near continuous purr, just as Ric maintained near constant motion as he adjusted his angle and position, sometimes moving up close to focus on Zach’s face, before panning back out. Half of his pictures would surely come out blurry because of the movement, but he didn’t seem at all concerned by that fact. Maybe the vast quantity of clicks allowed for rejects.

  Kara had drunk almost half of her coffee before Ric paused long enough to take a single sip. Zach didn’t even receive that. He remained dutifully in position as Ric had posed him.

  ‘That’s it, now turn towards me slowly.’ The light from the window carved Zach’s face with shadows. The effect reminded her of how she’d seen him striped with coloured lights on the dance floor of the club where they’d first met. Same beautiful bone structure, only this lighting infused his expression with a kind of melancholy. That sense of nostalgia and longing grew more profound when Ric barked at him to unfasten the shirt.

  It hung open revealing a slice of his chest. His stomach was taut, exactly as she remembered it, with that line of golden-brown hair leading down from his navel, and the extended diamond of fur that covered his chest. Zach stuffed his hands into his pockets. It made him look like he’d just spent a night on a sofa. Now thoroughly dishevelled, he was definitely pleased with himself. It may well ha
ve only been a sofa, his expression said, but he’d been well fucked there. That’s probably what he’d have looked like last night if he’d come to her house and she’d been there to greet him. They’d sort of agreed to stay out of one another’s pants in order to get to know one another, but she didn’t think she’d have been able to resist undressing him, seeing how he was so fucking pretty.

  Yeah, pretty – but not in the way of the man snapping him. Ric had classical bone structure coupled with an elegance of movement that remained obvious even as he darted about lining up camera shots. Zach was all disproportionate and not quite so symmetrical, but he had those dreamy, wide, deep-set eyes that you could melt into.

  Damn, she wished she had a camera so she could snap the pair of them. Kara surreptitiously snuck her phone out of her bag, only to think better of the idea and return it. Instead she crept forward to get a better view. As long as she stayed out of shot, then what was the problem?

  Only the nearer Kara got, the more aware she became of the heightened tension between the two men. Prickles spread across her skin. She kept holding her breath in anticipation – of what, she wasn’t sure. For though Zach smouldered, and Ric lapped it up, there wasn’t any overt flirtation between them. They didn’t speak much at all.

  ‘Sit down,’ Ric commanded, making her jump. She froze in position, only to realise that the comment was directed not at her but at Zach, when Ric kicked a wooden chair in his direction. More close-ups followed. Zach did exactly as instructed, pliantly straddling the seat, turning first one way and then the other, frowning and smiling on demand.

  ‘Stand up. Turn around. Now slowly lose the shirt.’

  Zach concentrated on the task of unfastening his cuffs first. Only once did he cast a sly look up at Ric.

  ‘That’s it. Do it again,’ Ric encouraged. The angle gave great depth to Zach’s expression. It emphasised his wing-like brows and turned his brown eyes into molten chocolate swirls. ‘Now bring your thumb to your lips. Got it. Perfect. You were so fucking made for this.’

  He was. She’d thought it from the first time they met, when she’d wanted to snap him clutching the iron railings outside the club.

  ‘Yeah, yeah,’ Zach drawled in reply, making it difficult to tell whether he believed in the remark. ‘Tell you what, let me have my drink and then you can schmooze me into working my butt off some more. What are these ones for, again?’

  Ric didn’t lower the camera. ‘Primarily, my next gallery exhibit. Although I might use some for an aftershave contract I’ve been offered. How’d you like to be the face of Wastrel by Thierry Tigris?’

  Zach gave a small shrug in reply. ‘I’d rather be chief flavour tester for Nescafé. I’m parched, Mr Paparazzi Man.’

  Finally the digital whir stopped. Ric lowered the camera to reveal an annoyed pout. ‘Fine. Go drink. Kara, bring him his coffee.’ While she dutifully pattered over and offered up the mug, Ric zoomed through the images he’d already captured.

  ‘Milk and two, just as you asked.’

  ‘Lovely.’ Zach curled his fingers around the cup. She watched him sip. He gave a contented gasp and held the rim of the mug pressed against his lips. ‘I hope you’re not bored.’

  ‘No. Absolutely not.’

  He watched her, his lips pursed against the rim of the mug. Want to meet up again? his expression said. Sorry last time didn’t work out.

  Yeah, I do.

  A smile briefly flashed in his eyes. ‘So do I.’ This time his words were for real, though very softly spoken.

  Kara cast a swift glance in Ric’s direction. He’d slipped the SD card from the camera into his laptop to clear the memory. Images were flickering in a continuous stream across the screen, too fast to review the content.

  ‘When did you have in mind?’ Kara asked. She was free later, assuming Ric didn’t make another impromptu visit.

  Something about Zach’s responding grin suggested wickedness that had her totally intrigued. ‘How about now?’

  ‘Now? You’re …’ Realisation sunk in. ‘You mean for the camera. In front of him.’

  ‘It’s not like he hasn’t seen you before.’

  Yes, but … Hell! It wasn’t even the fact that he’d be photographing her that made her pause. It was the realisation that Ric would know about them. If he shot them together, it’d be obvious they’d been intimate before.

  Zach’s lips rested on the lip of his cup. She didn’t think anyone had managed to make cradling a mug seem so provocative before. Kara was hard pressed not to reach out to him. What would Ric think if she suddenly intruded on the shots? If, instead of spectating, she became a player? While he’d clearly stated that he wasn’t interested in anything serious developing between them, might he still balk at the idea of snapping her shagging another guy?

  Who was she kidding? Ric had already twice suggested the possibility of setting her up with two guys so he could photograph her being had in both holes. He knew she was intrigued by the idea of a threesome, particularly with him and Zach. This could even lead to it.

  ‘Won’t he get cross?’ She glanced over her shoulder at Ric perched on a swivel stool by the computer.

  Zach shrugged in a loose-limbed way that initially seemed to imply he didn’t care, but on further thought perhaps screamed malice with intent. ‘He won’t bat an eyelid.’

  ‘Yes, but he did tell me to stay out of the way.’

  ‘Hmm.’ Zach jerked one of his thick eyebrows upwards. ‘And do you always do as you’re told?’

  ‘No.’ No, she did not. Not any more. After the whole Gavin debacle she was absolutely determined to rule her own destiny, not have it dictated by anyone else.

  ‘Didn’t think so.’

  ‘Time’s up.’ Ric bustled up, camera in hand.

  Zach remained where he was and hung on to his drink in order to gulp down the whole cupful.

  ‘That’s enough.’ Ric snatched the mug away, causing a mocha-coloured dribble to run over Zach’s chin, which Kara longed to catch with her lips. ‘Kara, take the mug. Get out of the way.’

  ‘I think I should stay in the shot,’ she huffed, not appreciating his tone.

  Zach’s eyes lit with glee.

  Ric turned to her. His blond hair settled around his face so that several long strands fell across it. His eyes narrowed. ‘In order to do what exactly?’

  Kara shrugged. She hadn’t thought it out that thoroughly. And she wasn’t about to blurt, ‘So I can shag Zach.’ Somehow she knew that wouldn’t get a good response. ‘Well, you keep promising me naked butts.’ She gave Ric one of her best smiles, all sweetness and tease wrapped into one. ‘Maybe I could help undress him.’

  ‘Did I promise you that?’ Ric dragged his teeth over his lower lip. He looked thoughtfully between the two of them. ‘Actually, I think Zach’s perfectly able to undress himself.’

  ‘I’m so-o not,’ Zach said, earning him a hard glare from Ric, whose blue eyes flashed. ‘Come on, Ric. What’s the problem, why not let us have some fun?’

  Ric snapped the lens cover on to the camera. ‘Because this isn’t about fun. It’s about art and fulfilling a contract.’

  ‘The exhibition shots aren’t. You always claim things turn out better when they’re not faked. I can promise you this will be genuine.’ Zach snatched a look at Kara’s chest, and then waggled his wing-like eyebrows at Ric. ‘I certainly won’t have any problems getting hard, not like with the scrawny models you normally bus in.’

  ‘Not interested,’ Ric snapped.

  ‘Oh! And why is that?’ Zach rested his chin in a V he made with his forefinger and thumb.

  ‘Because.’ Ric turned his back on them and began fussing with papers strewn across the computer desk. ‘I don’t have to explain my reasons. Now can we get on? Back to where we left off. You were undressing.’

  Zach bent to whisper in Ric’s ear as he swept past to resume his position. ‘Spoilsport. You’ve had her. What’s the problem with me having her too? It’s not like you car
e about either of us.’

  ‘Fine. Whatever,’ Ric snarled through gritted teeth. His capitulation took Kara by surprise.

  He snatched the lens cap off again and advanced, holding the camera like a lethal weapon. ‘We still start from where we were at. Kara, stay the hell out of the way until I tell you.’

  They began again, with Zach expertly nibbling the very tip of one index finger, while he coyly hooked one thumb into the waistband of his jeans. ‘That’s it. Hold it.’ Ric began to jig about, filling up the SD card again. For a moment, her promised involvement was forgotten. ‘Now move. Come on, move. Give me something else to work with. Didn’t I tell you to lose that shirt?’

  Zach had only got as far as loosening the cuffs before breaking off for his coffee. Now, he eased the slate-grey shirt off his shoulders, whereupon it slid slowly down his muscular arms until it hung on to only one wrist. Zach held on to the cuff for half a second before letting it fall and form a shadowy puddle at his feet.

  Beautiful. Kara had no other word for how he appeared in that moment. The light, the pose, his expression, everything came together perfectly. Maybe it was better if she stayed out of view and they left this as a study of Zachary Blackwater rather than turning it into some x-rated porno.

  ‘Do it,’ Ric said. ‘Back on the chair.’

  Zach’s breath caught so that he made a tiny sound. Without waiting for further elaboration, he planted his bottom on the edge of the wooden chair. His back arched so that his shoulders hit the back rest. The pose, while not perhaps the most comfortable one, did thrust his hips forward and allow him to stretch out his long legs. Zach opened the metal fastening at his waist and let the zipper slide.

  Oh, my God, was he going to … With one palm tucked inside his fly, what in the world else could Zach be doing, besides stroking himself? Was this where she came in? Kara stared at Ric, but he had his back to her.