by C. J. Thomas
I paused on a picture of her straddling a barstool. I’d edited it until everything showed up black and white except for the blood red stool and her lips that matched. With her dark hair, the image really popped. I’d made it into something I could be proud of.
No doubt that she was good at what she did, but maybe I better drop her before things got weird—weirder than they already were. Sleeping with her had been a mistake and every time she called I was reminded of that.
I should have stopped sleeping with her after the first time I forgot the condom. Maybe there was something to the whole “don’t shit where you eat” bit. Too bad everything hadn’t been as black and white a week ago when Paisley straddled me.
“White!” I snapped my fingers. “That’s the color I’m missing.”
“Tell me you’re on speakerphone.” Sadie leaned her hip against my door frame. “Or do all creative types lean toward the crazy? What do you think, Tessa?”
A laugh came from behind Sadie that had me smiling the instant I heard it.
Tessa stepped to the left of Sadie and into a ray of light cascading through my wall-length window. She shaded her eyes and grinned.
“I think we can give him a pass.” Trimmed in white, the black dress she wore hugged her hips in all the best ways. Again, this one ended just a little higher than I’d imagine her wearing and I wondered just how extensive Sadie’s wardrobe actually was to let Tessa wear something new every time I saw her. She looked incredible.
“Tessa, hi.” This girl made me smile without control. I let it happen because sometimes I was just so damn happy to see someone.
“Sorry to barge in.” Tessa lowered her hand and moved out of the blinding midday light.
Just looking at her hit me hard in the chest. I gave myself a mental slap on the back to remind myself that she needed an answer. “You’re always welcome here.”
“You sure? Because I can go.”
“No, no.” I stood and grabbed my camera, a little too quickly. Having Tessa in the room kept me from thinking clearly, but I’d rather have her around than not. Thank god all I had to do was point this thing and shoot.
I told myself I meant my camera and only my camera.
I turned to Sadie. “Go change into the neon pink corset.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Neon? Seriously?”
“It’ll look better than it sounds. Trust me.”
“So would flying elephants.” She stared at me for a time, then shook her head. “You’re both hopeless. I’ll go get dressed. Don’t forget about me.”
With Sadie now in the studio, Tessa’s presence filled the office space. I rubbed the back of my neck, telling myself the chemistry couldn’t be as powerful as I’d imagined. Then I felt her focus on me, so maybe it was.
The weight of her attention, and hers alone, hit me hard. The room didn’t feel big enough for both of us and the air seemed to spark and sizzle the closer we moved to each other. I’d missed her.
We were crackling now. I felt it.
She hesitated for a moment—her expression weighted, as though she had something on her mind—and then she moved back my way. I placed my hand on her waist and pulled her against me.
She ran her tongue across her lips, moistening them. There it was again, that part of her that wanted me, but the haunted look in her eyes reminded me of all she’d been through. As much as I wanted to kiss her, she needed comforting more.
I slid my hand up her back, into her hair, and pressed her cheek against my chest.
Her sigh of relief as she melted against me sent shivers down my back. I held her close, needing this just as much as I knew she needed it.
With her hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail, part of me wanted to wrap it around my hand, pull her chin up, and crush my mouth against hers. Instead, I combed my fingers through her hair, then watched as it bounced against the bare skin of her back.
“Did I tell you how much I love this dress?”
“I had no idea.” I heard the smile in her voice and it warmed me to know I’d put it there.
“You have to know I’m struggling right now.”
“Really?” she asked and pulled back to look me in the eyes. “Why?”
I thought about that first kiss with her, that feeling of strength and wanting, of taking her in my arms, just like this.
I gave her a mischievous grin and pulled her against me again. “It’s taking every bit of willpower to keep my hands exactly where they are.”
She moved away and straightened. I glanced at her to confirm, and sure enough, pain painted her face. I moved too fast for her fragile state of mind.
This felt familiar, almost too familiar, to losing my own family. But being here for Tessa eased some of the strain I hadn’t realized still lingered. I blew out a breath. “Sorry, shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No . . . it’s just . . .” The corners of her lips curled into a small, but reassuring, smile. “I’ve been hurt so much. If something went wrong . . . my mind doesn’t know what to think about just now.”
“Don’t think of that. Don’t doom us from the start.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” There was a glimmer of hope in her eye.
It’d been so long since I felt this, and I would love to stay here, anchored in this moment, but I could tell by Tessa’s yo-yo responses that she needed time.
Time I didn’t have.
Time I’d have to give her.
Tessa wrapped her arms around my neck and shifted one of her thighs between my legs. A light grinding of her hips against mine had my eyes nearly rolling back into my head.
Just as I was about to grab Tessa’s ponytail, Sadie cleared her throat. “I’d really love to give you two the room or tell you to get one as long as I’m still paid for showing up.”
“We’ll be right there,” Tessa said over her shoulder. Good thing she stood in front of me to provide some cover, because I was pitching a major tent thanks to her. Lovely timing, but definitely worth every ounce of the humiliating exposure.
She glanced down at my predicament. “Sorry about that.”
But the sparkle in her eyes told me she wasn’t sorry at all.
I cleared my throat. “Go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute.”
As she pulled away, the spark remained. If getting hard around this girl kept her happy, I could make her smile all day. That was for damn sure.
CHAPTER 20
Liam
Once in the studio, I made my way to each light, making adjustments, all while pretending I couldn’t feel Tessa’s gaze on me. Like a burning fire on a chilly night, there was no chance her presence would go unnoticed.
I reminded myself to pay attention to the shoot or the hour would be wasted. Not exactly fair to Sadie. I took a second look at the set up and pulled the red stool away from the main curtained area and placed it beside mine.
The neon pink of Sadie’s corset wouldn’t wash out against her dark skin, but I still adjusted the lights to get the right contrast.
“Fans?” Sadie asked.
“Turn them all on. We’ll start with some jump shots.”
“Jump?” Tessa looked from Sadie to me. Before I could answer, she pressed her lips together and sat on the stool beside mine. “Sorry, I’ll be quiet.”
Definitely the last thing I wanted. Didn’t she realize that?
I reminded myself she hadn’t been around this world before. Yet another reason to like her. “Have you ever seen magazine photos where the model looks like she’s falling or jumping but you don’t see the ground or what she jumped from?”
She slowly nodded, though I could tell I’d lost her.
“Watch and keep talking. I like the company.” I turned to Sadie and picked up my camera. “Ready?”
Sadie bent at the knees, ready to leap into her first pose, stood, and held up her finger. “Almost forgot. Hang on.”
I stepped back. While she was less maintenance than most models—another reason I liked her—Sa
die could be forgetful.
She peered into her oversized bag—that reminded me more of a duffel than a purse—and pulled out a wallet, hair straightener, shoes, hand sanitizer, cough drops, a few things I couldn’t—and probably didn’t want to—recognize, and about the time she tossed aside a paperback novel, I became more curious as to what wasn’t in there.
“Dang,” she said. “I need some lipstick or gloss that doesn’t completely clash with the color of this corset and I just don’t have it.” She looked up at me, hope in her eyes that I might have some in my pocket, then glanced to my right. “Tessa, you have that color with you?”
“You mean this?” Tessa asked, pointing to the bright coral stain on her full lips.
Sadie stepped to her. “Mmm, it’s perfect.” She grabbed Tessa’s face and planted a firm kiss on her lips.
My brain decided that particular moment would be an excellent time to go on strike, leaving me with zero resources to puzzle through a thought, a response—anything, really. Then I realized keeping quiet would probably be the best way to satisfy the universe into letting something like this happen more than once in my lifetime.
Once Sadie let her go, Tessa stumbled back down onto the stool and turned to me with wide eyes. The look fell somewhere between getting caught with one hand in the cookie jar—after eating every crumb—and found buck naked skinny-dipping in a neighbor’s pool—an interesting possibility when it came to Tessa.
“Liam? Hey, Liam!” A mischievous expression was still plastered across Sadie’s face, and she waved at me. “I’m ready. This time for sure.”
With every camera click on Sadie, Tessa’s presence beside me became more noticeable. The way she leaned forward in her chair, watching Sadie move and jump. To the naked eye, it couldn’t look like much. Timing was key with this kind of shot.
“Need a break?” I asked eventually, because my girls always came first. Good models came back to me because I kept them relaxed and never made them feel uncomfortable—especially those I’d had sex with.
Considering Paisley, that didn’t always apply when it came to my own comfort levels.
Sadie shook her head but I knew she only had about a dozen good shots left.
“I don’t quite get it,” Tessa said. “What exactly are you taking a picture of?”
Sadie bent down, ready to spring again. “Watch very closely.”
She leapt, and at the apex of her jump, her hair flipped up, her arms hit their mark, her expression changed—and I took the shot.
“That’s going to be a good one.” I didn’t bother to double-check the screen as it briefly showed the picture before switching back to live mode.
Tessa frowned. “Show me again.”
I motioned for her to scoot her stool beside me. She pressed her palm against my back and her touch felt so damn good, I moaned.
She laughed. “Not quite how you usually take your pics, hmm?”
“Thankfully, not so much. I’d never get anything done with you this close.”
She bumped her shoulder against mine and Sadie rolled her eyes. “Am I standing or am I jumping here?”
“Jump. Jump.” Tessa laughed.
This time, after I took the shot, I paused the replay for Tessa and realized maybe having her here pushed us to be even better. Sadie nailed the shot and I couldn’t have timed it more perfectly. Every inch of her body told the story that she fell from a building but her completely relaxed face held the essence of Zen. I clicked back to the previous shot. Same pose except Sadie puckered her lips in a sensual kiss.
“Beautiful, thanks Sadie. Take a break,” I said, then turned to Tessa. “The contrast of body and expression is what makes this style of shooting all the more intriguing, at least to me, anyways.” I flipped through several more images.
“They’re amazing,” she said, then looked up at Sadie. They traded expressions back and forth, the kind of conversation only best girlfriends could have.
I planted my camera on my shoulder. “What’s going on?”
Tessa shook her head, ending whatever the hell the two were talking—yet not talking—about.
“Fine. I’ll ask.” Ignoring Tessa’s groan beside me, Sadie grabbed a stool from the back of the studio and pulled it over to sit. “Our girl here needs a gig. I know you and know you’re the best.”
Tessa gave me an innocent smile, the kind that could easily go up on my wall—or be framed and hung on any numerous guys’ walls—an unwanted fact that I couldn’t push from my mind. She had the girl-next-door charm that’d be perfect for everything from pinup to artwork.
But I wasn’t going to be the one to make it happen.
I frowned and rubbed the back of my neck. Paisley’s incessant phone calls and messages ricocheted around my brain, reminding me that complications were about the last thing I needed right now.
I liked Tessa, but given her vulnerable state, I didn’t want her to do anything she’d later regret. Especially when it came to me.
She meant more to me than that. So much more.
Tessa’s shoulders slumped and I immediately felt a distance from her that I couldn’t bear. Before I pieced together some response worthy enough to explain my initial hesitation, she shook her head and backed away. “I get it. You like a certain look and I’m just not it.”
“That’s not the case.” I wanted to bend her over and smack her ass just for thinking down on herself. “And I like your look just fine.” If she’d think back twenty minutes to the raging hard-on she gave me, she wouldn’t question how good I thought she looked.
“Then give me a chance.” A smile quirked on her lips and I couldn’t help but be happy to see it. “I can work on my jumping with Sadie.”
“I think I’ve got enough jumping shots for this round.”
“Then I’ll work on some other kind of shot you need.” She laid her hand on mine, sending shivers up my arm. “Tell me what you’re looking for.”
From anyone else, the words could have been taken as begging; from Tessa, they were a contract. No doubt she’d probably study a hundred magazines this week and make a damn good model.
“You’re going through a lot right now.” I lightly twisted Tessa’s ponytail around my finger. She needed me, not some modeling job. “You sure everything’s okay?”
Tessa’s eyes didn’t land on mine. “My dad . . .” She sighed and I could tell that whatever was going on, she still had a lot to work through. “There’s not enough money to live on and I’ve got Dani to think about.”
“Your sister, right?”
She nodded.
Bad idea. All signs pointed to this being a really bad idea.
I couldn’t do it. I shouldn’t do it. But—
Fuck it.
“You’re in luck. I’ve got a slot open after Sadie.” The girls exchanged looks. “Feel free to high-five, or kiss again. I’ll support whatever you need to do to celebrate the gig and get it out of your system.”
Tessa licked her lips, considering. Then smiled at me. “I can think of better ways to celebrate.”
Oh yeah, a bad idea that felt so damn good. This might just work out better than I thought.
CHAPTER 21
Tessa
“Breathe in.” Sadie pulled my corset’s ribbon taut, and the crisscrossed lacing down my back drew together. “Come on, more.”
I sucked in another breath as she cinched in the corset from hell and tied it off.
Sadie turned me around and nodded. “You look damn good, but Liam’s playing nice with you. Giving you an overbust dress.”
“What does that mean?”
She poked my left boob where the corset covered my breast with white satin and delicate lace. “Over your boob.”
I looked down at my exposed cleavage. The corset barely covered my nipples. “And how exactly is this a dress?” I pulled away playfully and stuck out my butt. “It doesn’t even cover my ass.”
She tugged at the lace brushing my upper thighs. “You’re wearing s
lightly more than a thong.”
“Pretty sure I wouldn’t have gone for that on my first photo round.” My head jerked backward as she pulled out my ponytail. “Are you done putting me together yet?”
Sadie stepped back and folded her arms. “Turn.”
I shifted my hips away, then looked over my shoulder to see her nod.
“You’re good.” Her eyes sparked and she snagged my arm. “You look so fucking hot. If there was ever a day to remind him of how much he wants to fuck you, it’s right now.”
I elbowed her. “Hey, that’s not what I’m going for here.”
“Yes it is,” Sadie said.
“Three date rule, remember? No sex.” Considering Liam, it was painful to say, though I’d sort of lost track given the circumstances of the last two weeks.
“There are so many other fun things you two can do. And besides, I think you’ve reached the three dates already—if you’re flexible in what you call a date.”
A beam of light streamed through the small part between the curtains and before I could even scowl at her, I pulled back the edge and poked my head into the main studio. Liam must have noticed the movement and he motioned me over.
Crouching beside one of the light stands, his back muscles rippled with every adjustment he made.
“Where do you want me?” I asked.
He glanced up and did a double take—something I never thought actually existed beyond cartoons. “Uh . . .”
I stood for a moment as he stared. “Let me know when you’re ready.” I walked over to the shooting area and waited for him to point his camera in my general direction. Part of me wanted to look over my shoulder to see what he actually looked at, the other part of me blushed. I wanted to keep my cool, at least a little, but having his gaze on me so intensely, I nearly lost it.
Sadie clapped her hands together, jolting Liam’s attention to his task again. She gave me a wink, and with Liam’s back to us she puckered her lips at me and wiggled her hips.
I mouthed “stop” as she walked over beside me but it did little good.
